Wells dry up, ground-water levels fall as drought parches east China

JINAN, Dec. 31 (Xinhua) -- Lingering drought has left 338 small reservoirs in east China's Shandong Province dry, authorities said Friday.

Three dead from tornadoes in Missouri of U.S.

5.1 magnitude quake hits northwest China's Xinjiang

Storms kill 16 in southeast Brazil

Storms kill 16 in southeast Brazil

2 moderate tremors occur in Vietnam's northern province

Snowfall brings Indian-controlled Kashmir to standstill

The plains and mountains of Indian-controlled Kashmir have received a first snowfall this winter since Wednesday evening, putting an end to two-month-long dry spell in the region

5.9-magnitude quake hits Santa Cruz Islands

Reservoirs dry up as drought parches E China

JINAN - Lingering drought has left 338 small reservoirs in East China's Shandong province dry

Massive storm blankets central US

CHICAGO - A massive storm system blanketed the central United States on Thursday, whipping up blinding blizzards and dangerously frigid temperatures.

A general view of the town of Chinchilla affected by floods in Queensland, Australia Dec 29, 2010. Flooding continues in parts of Queensland, Australia, with the government declaring disaster zones in the towns of Chinchilla, Theodore and Dalby. [Photo/Agencies]

Woman killed, 4,000 evacuated in Philippine flood

MANILA, Philippines - Officials say an 80-year-old woman has died and her son is missing after they were swept away by floodwaters in eastern Philippines, where landslides and flooding have prompted some 4,000 people to evacuate to safer ground.

Photo taken on Dec. 29, 2010 shows ice on Yellow River at Sanshenggong Water Project, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. Yellow River has frozen up to 677 kilometers in Inner Mongolia so far. Preventive work has been organised for possible ice damage. (Xinhua/Li Yunping)

5.0 magnitude quake hits China's Tibet

Earthquakes shake waters west of Vanuatu

(CNN) -- A pair of earthquakes within 10 minutes of each other rattled Vanuatu in the southern Pacific Wednesday evening, the U.S. Geological Survey reported.

Floods force evacuations in eastern Australia

SYDNEY, Dec 28, 2010 (AFP) - Hundreds of people were being evacuated Tuesday, including some by helicopter, as rising waters cut off entire Australian towns in some of the worst flooding to hit in decades, officials said.

A man walks on the snow-covered street after a blizzard in the New York City borough of Queens on Dec. 27, 2010. A snow storm that swept through Northeast United States on Monday wrecked havoc for commuters and travelers, as the blizzard left airports closed, rail and highway travel in disarray. (Xinhua/Wang Chengyun)

A worker de-ices the tail fin of an airplane at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey Dec 27, 2010. [Photo/Agencies]

Fog hits flights, train services in northern India

NEW DELHI : Thick winter fog disrupted travel across northern India on Sunday, with international flights out of New Delhi airport severely delayed and train schedules thrown into chaos

Just as Europe thaws, snow storms hit US

NEW YORK - A massive snow storm forced hundreds of flight cancellations at US airports Sunday, creating travel misery for thousands of Christmas travelers just as conditions in Europe began to ease.

Heavy snow attacks NE, NW China

Quake shakes New Zealand

WELLINGTON, New Zealand - Masonry and glass rained down near post-Christmas shoppers as a magnitude 4.9 earthquake rocked Christchurch on New Zealand's South Island on Sunday.

7.6-magnitude quake hits Vanuatu

WASHINGTON - An earthquake measuring 7.6 on the Richter scale jolted Vanuatu region

A loader clears a path as trucks and cars are blocked along a snow covered road at Raillencourt near Cambrai, after heavy snow fell in northern France December 24, 2010.  (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

Trucks are partially submerged in mud after heavy rains and flooding caused homes and vehicles to be condemned from mud damage in Highland, California December 23, 2010. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

Moderate quake hits eastern Indonesia

A moderate earthquake measuring 5.4 on Richter scale hit eastern part of Indonesia's Papua province 

6.3-magnitude quake hits Bonin Islands, Japan region

An earthquake measuring 6.3 on the Richter scale jolted Bonin Islands, Japan region at 21:49:38 GMT on Wednesday, a day after a strong quake hit the same region

Heavy rains pound southern California

A worker at the Angeles National Golf Club tries to unplug clogged drains on the driving range after heavy rains fell in the Los Angeles basin December 22, 2010. (Xinhua/Reuters)

Moderate quake hits western Indonesia

A 5.8-magnitude earthquake jolted western Indonesia's West Sumatra province on Tuesday, but there was no immediate report of casualties or material damage

7.4-magnitude quake hits Japan

TOKYO - An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.4 jolted Ogasawara Islands in the Pacific early Wednesday

Powerful quake in southeastern Iran kills 5

TEHRAN, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- Five people were killed in an earthquake measuring 6.5 on the Richter scale that rocked Iran's southeastern city of Hosein Abad in Kerman province on Monday, satellite channel Press TV reported.

Western US sloshes through epic rain, snows

LOS ANGELES - A huge Pacific storm has drenched normally sunny southern California triggering floods that forced 2,000 people from their homes, as record snowfalls hit regional ski resorts,

Moderate earthquake strikes region destroyed by 2004 tsunami

CNN) -- A magnitude 5.1 earthquake shook parts of Indonesia Sunday morning, including areas decimated by an earthquake and tsunami in 2004.

Worst floods in 50 years hit Western Australia's town

Food and water are on the way to people trapped by the worst floods in 50 years around the Western Australian town of Carnarvon,

Volcano erupts in Russian Far East

A volcano in the Russian Far East peninsula erupted several days ago, prompting experts to raise the hazard level caused by the possible massive eruption.

Moderate earthquake jolts S. Philippines

A magnitude-5.0 earthquake rocked the southern Philippines early Friday,

E. China's Zhejiang witnesses first snowfall

Citizens play with snow in People's Square in Taizhou, east China's Zhejiang Province, Dec.15, 2010. The city witnessed the first snowfall of this winter on Wednesday. (Xinhua/Pan Kanjun)

Bushfire emergency warning issued in W. Australia

Residents in part of an eastern Perth suburb in Western Australia (WA) have been urged to evacuate on Thursday as an approaching bushfire threatens lives and homes.

Heavy snow forecast for China's south

Southern parts of Anhui Province, central and southern areas in Zhejiang and Hunan provinces, most regions in Jiangxi Province, and southwestern areas of Fujian Province should expect heavy snow, with some areas likely to get snowstorms

Snow blankets roads, runways in Shanghai

Early snow in Shanghai affected air traffic and may cause ice on the road.

The first snowfall this winter in Shanghai on Wednesday afternoon came about 20 days earlier than in past years

Cold snap drops Beijing's temperature to 10-year low

Beijing's temperature slumped to below minus 10 degrees Celsius Wednesday morning, the lowest in a decade reported at the same period of the year, amid a cold snap hitting half of China.

Yellow River sees 480 km ice run, officials warn of ice flood

A 480-kilometer-long ice run has appeared in the Yellow River, China's second longest waterway as of 10 a.m. Wednesday, said a report released by the Yellow River Conservancy Committee (YRCC) Thursday.

The ice run was sighted in the sector of the river running through north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. The run was caused by a suddenly sharp temperature drop, according to the report.

A car drives through a street as strong wind hits Urumqi, Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, Dec 15, 2010. The wind, which had one gust reaching level 12 speeds, damaged cars and interrupted many citizens' daily lives. [Yaxin.net]

Magnitude-6.0 quake hits Banda Sea region of Indonesia

BEIJING, Dec. 15 (Xinhua) -- An earthquake measuring 6.0 on the Richter scale jolted the Banda Sea region of Indonesia at 7:29 p.m. Beijing Time on Wednesday

As cold snap expands, is another disastrous winter coming to China?

China's National Meteorological Center alerted central and southeast China to a blizzard on Wednesday as a bitter cold front kept expanding southward, enveloping China in snow and record-low temperatures.

Snows have now covered most of southern China. Even the subtropical Guangdong Province and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region will see temperatures drops up to 10 degrees centigrade, according to a statement from the center.

Tornado strikes US town

A rare tornado struck a small town south of Aumsville about 75km south of Portland on Tuesday, tearing roofs off buildings, hurling objects into vehicles and homes and uprooting trees.

A storm that even Canada struggled with

OTTAWA - Even in a country that prides itself at shrugging off winter, it was an exceptional storm. Several hundred motorists spent more than 24 hours stranded in their cars and trucks snowbound a major Ontario highway before the police and military rescuers extricated them on Tuesday.

5.9-magnitude quake hits Kepulauan Barat Daya, Indonesia

An earthquake measuring 5.9 on the Richter scale jolted Kepulauan Barat Daya in Indonesia 

A neighborhood is covered in snow in Genhe, Inner Mongolia autonomous region, Dec 14, 2010. [Photo/CFP]

Freezing rain expected in U.S. after snow traps drivers in Canada

Storm in Israel uncovers ancient statue

Jerusalem (CNN) -- A huge storm that collapsed part of a cliff on Israel's central coast led to the discovery of a statue dating back to the Roman period,

Heavy rains, strong winds pound parts of Middle East

Cairo, Egypt (CNN) -- Heavy rains and strong winds lashed parts of the Middle East Sunday, rocking ships in the eastern Mediterranean Sea and damaging dozens of buildings in Egypt, government officials and state-run media reported.

Snow causes fresh traffic chaos in Germany

Overnight snow deeply hit German traffic again, causing airports shutdown, large number of traffic jams and accidents as well as several injuries, police said on Tuesday morning.

Winter bites as cold snap spreads across China

More than 1,300 shelters in Guangzhou were told on Tuesday to prepare to receive the homeless as a cold front moves in and temperatures plummet.

Over 400 vehicles stranded by snow in N China

More than 400 vehicles and an unknown number of people on board were stranded by snow on a national highway since Tuesday afternoon in North China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

In Egypt rain, sandstorms kill more than 30 people

CAIRO - Rain and sandstorms that battered Egypt at the weekend killed at least 31 people, officials said on Monday, adding the toll could rise as rescue workers were still sifting through two collapsed buildings

Heavy rains flood towns in eastern Australia

SYDNEY - Australia's attorney general declared 45 communities along the country's east coast disaster areas Friday, following weeks of drenching rains that have submerged homes, destroyed crops and killed four people.

6.1-magnitude quake hits Bougainville region, Papua New Guinea

WASHINGTON, Sept. 12 (Xinhua) -- An earthquake measuring 6.1 on the Richter scale jolted Bougainville region, Papua New Guinea

Winter storm hits Chicago, 1,000 flights canceled

A winter storm brought snow and bone-chilling wind to Chicago Sunday morning, causing more than 1, 000 flights to be canceled

Snowstorm disrupts road, air traffic in NE China

Friday's heavy snowfall forced the closure of highways and airports in northeastern China, including Jilin and Liaoning provinces and the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

Sandstorm and rain kill two in Egypt

At least two persons were killed and ten others were injured after a six-story building of a textile factory collapsed early Sunday in western Egypt amid heavy rain

Cold weather

Passengers on a bus in Shenyang, capital of Liaoning province, attempt to look out of windows covered in ice after the city was hit by heavy snow and freezing temperatures. The bad weather has caused misery for the city's commuters. 

Stormy weather wallops Israel

From heavy snowstorms along the Lebanese border, through stalled cars in flooded Haifa streets, to blasting waves damaging businesses along the Tel Aviv beachfront, to 100 kph winds and heavy sandstorms blanketing the south, Israelis are blessing the sudden rains and cursing the damage.

5.8-magnitude quake hits east of South Sandwich Islands

WASHINGTON, Dec. 7 (Xinhua) -- An earthquake measuring 5.8 on the Richter scale jolted east of the South Sandwich Islands in the southern Atlantic Ocean on Tuesday

Moderate earthquake jolts southeast Taiwan

TAIPEI, Dec. 7 (Xinhua) -- An earthquake measuring 5.1 on the Richter scale hit Chenggong of Taitung County in southeast Taiwan at 10:46 a.m.

Magnitude-5.7 earthquake jolts NE Japan

A moderate earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.7 hit northeastern Japan Monday

A moderate earthquake measuring 5.4 on the Richter scale hit off Indonesia's Central Java province on early Tuesday 

Flood chaos in Balkans

Albanian Civil Defence forces evacuating people from their flooded houses in the city of Shkodra. -- PHOTO: AFP

BERLIN - AN EARLY cold snap slowly released Europe from its icy grip on Sunday after days of mayhem and dozens of deaths, but floods displaced thousands in the Balkans and chaos still hit Spanish airports.

Strong cold front to bring temperature drops in central, eastern China

Temperatures will fall 6 to 10 degrees Celsius in north China's Shaanxi Province, Guizhou Province, eastern parts of Yunnan Province, Chongqing Municipality and areas along the Yangtze River.


Temperatures will drop even more, by 12 to 16 degrees Celsius, in southeastern parts of north China and in parts of areas near the Yangtze and Huaihe rivers

One killed, dozens missing in Colombia landslide

At least one people was killed and dozens were reportedly missing following a landslide that buried some 50 houses in northwestern Colombia


Earlier reports said some 200 people may be buried by the landslide triggered by heavy rains in the region.

Heavy snow sweeps across France

Heavy snow and cold snap swept across France over the week, putting many regions on high alert about extreme weather and causing traffic delays and cancellations.

Grassland fire kills 22 in Southwest China

A spreading grassland fire in Daofu County, Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Garze, Sichuan Province, proved deadly when it trapped soldiers and local residents trying to put out the blaze. By Sunday night, at least 22 have been killed and three severely burned, local officials said

(CNN) -- Ecuador's Tungurahua volcano erupted Saturday, sending ash and lava spewing nearly a mile into the sky.

Flooding forces evacuations in Albania

(CNN) -- Torrential rains have forced the evacuation of 12,000 people from their homes in parts of Albania as floodwaters wash over roads and cause massive landslides, the country's government said.

More than 2,500 homes have flooded and more than 13,900 hectares (34,500 acres) of land are underwater, according to a statement from Albania's president after a late-night government meeting Saturday

Ecuador's Tungurahua volcano re-erupts

Ecuador's Tungurahua volcano spews molten rocks and large clouds of gas and ash near Banos, 178 km (110 miles) south of Quito, Dec. 4, 2010. Tungurahua, which means "Throat of Fire" in the local Quechua language, has been classified as active since 1999, and produced a strong eruption in 2008. It is one of Ecuador's eight active volcanoes.(Xinhua/AFP Photo)

Heavy snowfall blankets Russian

VLADIVOSTOK, Russia, Dec. 3 (Xinhua) -- Extremely cold weather has swept Russia's Far East, with storm warnings issued in Sakhalin, Kuril Islands, local media reported Friday.

Temperatures fell to minus 41 to 45 degrees Celsius, which is considered abnormal even for one of the coldest regions in the world.

Heavy snowfall disrupts traffic in Netherlands

THE HAGUE, Dec.4 (Xinhua) -- A blizzard blanketed the Netherlands and the rest of Western Europe on Saturday with snowfalls up to 20 cm in some places, severely disrupting traffic

Snowstorm of rare magnitude cripples parts of Europe

On Dec. 1, a train runs on the rails covered with heavy snow in Croydon, England. The recent cold wave is sweeping across many European countries. Denmark, Germany, France, Britain, Poland, Austria and other countries experienced a rare blizzard. The weather not only caused traffic congestion in these countries, affecting people's lives, but also threat people's lives and health. (Xinhua/AP)

Heavy snow in NW China's Xinjiang

Cold wave hits Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region and causes heavy snow, from Dec 2 to Dec 3, 2010. [Photo/Xinhua]

A man waves to a colleague in a car park at Edinburgh Airport, in Edinburgh, Scotland December 2, 2010. More heavy snow caused havoc across Britain on Thursday, keeping Gatwick closed for a second day, disrupting rail services and leaving travellers stranded. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

One person killed, several houses destroyed as flash flood hit S. Philippine city

One person was killed and several homes were destroyed in a flash flood in a village in this southern Philippine city on Monday

Widespread flooding in Australia

BRISBANE, Australia -- Flooding in the central Queensland has cut major highways in a number of places after heavy rain, and a warning has been issued for more flash flooding, police said on Friday.

Towns in Australia's southern New South Wales face evacuation, floods

Australia's southern New South Wales (NSW) is on alert as towns along the Murrumbidgee river face evacuation and floods after a dam overflowed due to heavy rain,

A massive forest fire is seen in the Carmel Forest near the Israeli northern city of Haifa, Dec. 2, 2010. At least 40 people are dead in what officials describe as a historic "firestorm" that broke out early Thursday in the Carmel mountain range overlooking the city. (Xinhua/JINI)

An abandoned car sits by the side of a snow covered road near Haywards Heath in southern England December 2, 2010. More heavy snow caused havoc across Britain on Thursday, keeping Gatwick closed for a second day, disrupting rail services and leaving travellers stranded. [Photo/Agencies]

Winter wonderland snarls Europe's traffic

An engineer stands next to a snow covered British Airways aeroplane at Edinburgh Airport, in Edinburgh, Scotland December 2, 2010. [Photo/Agencies]

Strong quake rattles Papua New Guinea

SYDNEY: A strong 6.9-magnitude earthquake rattled Papua New Guinea on Thursday, the US Geological Survey said, but there was no threat of a tsunami.

'Throat of Fire' erupts

Ecuador's Tungurahua volcano spewed molten rocks and large clouds of gas and ash near Banos, 178km south of its capital, Quito, on Monday.

6.1-magnitude quake hits Fiji region

An earthquake measuring 6.1 on the Richter scale jolted Fiji region at 16:01:27 GMT Wednesday

Heavy fog shrounds Pudong airport in Shanghai, Dec 1, 2010. Some flights are delayed by the fog. [Photo/Xinhua] 

Heavy snow is pictured on cars in Linlithgow, in Scotland. -- PHOTO: AFP

Floods, snow hit Italy

ROME - HEAVY snowfalls hit Milan and the Lombardy region of northern Italy on Wednesday while Venice's city centre was flooded as 'acqua alta' (high water) levels continued to rise.

Snow shuts 4 airports

GENEVA - HEAVY snow and subzero temperatures in western Europe closed at least four airports on Wednesday, including Gatwick, one of Britain's busiest.

8 freeze to death

WARSAW - POLISH police say that eight men have frozen to death after a bitter cold front hit the country, with temperatures falling to around -20 Celsius (-4 Fahrenheit) in much of the country

Heavy rains in Venezuela bring death toll to 23

An aerial view shows floodwaters in Barlovento, about 48 km (30 miles) east of Caracas November 29, 2010. Two people died when their homes collapsed on them after days of heavy rain in Caracas, bringing death toll in the Venezuelan capital to 10 and the whole country to 23, Venezuela's El Universal newspaper reported on Tuesday. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)