A series of bombings targeting Muslims preparing for the end of Ramadan have killed at least 42 and wounded 130.
The attacks struck at opposite ends of the country and were clearly aimed at civilians.
Four homicide bombers killed 30 in the market areas of the city of Zaranj. Intelligence officials in Zaranj told the BBC that they have arrested several other homicide bombers and said as many at 14 may be in the city. One official reported they were searching for insurgents in the attack area at the beginning of the attacks. Continue reading →
The economy of the Eurozone shrank .2% in the second quarter of the year compared to the previous quarter. The economies of the full 27 European Union member nations also fell .2% during the second quarter.
The Eurozone and the EU are technically not in a recession due to the definition of recession requiring two straight quarters of negative growth and the first quarter of the year had zero growth. However, economists are pessimistic about the rest of the year and believe a recession is likely. Continue reading →
The death toll from Saturday’s twin earthquakes in northwestern Iran is now responsible for 306 deaths according to government officials. Officials attribute the climbing toll to injured dying in hospitals and reports of dead buried by family members before the arrival of government staff.
A 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck at 5:23pm local time followed by a 6.3 earthquake in the same area 11 minutes later. Officials report that 20 villages in the region were completely destroyed and hundreds of others have suffered varying levels of damage. Continue reading →
A forest fire on La Gomera in the Canary Islands forced the emergency evacuation of 1,000 people by ferry overnight. Road accesses have been cut by the fast spreading fire.
The overnight evacuations raised the total number of people evacuated since Friday to 5,000. The evacuees are being housed in a school gymnasium. Continue reading →
DEVELOPING: Northwestern Iran was struck Saturday by a series of major earthquakes, the strongest registering magnitude 6.4, as local media reported dozens of people dead and hundreds hurt.
An official said in local media reports cited by Reuters that 40 to 50 people were killed and 400 hurt, but those numbers couldn’t be independently confirmed.
Source: FOX News -Series of major earthquakes in northwestern Iran reportedly leaves dozens dead
The United Nations has called on the United States to end production of biofuel ethanol because of the current worldwide food crisis.
Current US law requires that 40% of the nation’s corn must be used to create biofuel. Prices are currently facing significant increases with the USDA estimating the corn yield will be the lowest in 16 years. The shortfall is estimated to cause close to a 40 percent rise in prices per bushel. Continue reading →
A floating island of volcanic rock larger than the state of Maryland is floating a thousand miles off the eastern coast of New Zealand. New Zealand Air Force planes first spotted the mass, which looks like a giant ice shelf under spotlights, earlier this week.
The golf ball sized pumice causes little threat to ships and shipping according to government volcanologists. They attribute the rocks to an eruption of an undersea volcano. Naval officials have called it the “weirdest thing” they’ve seen in their career. Continue reading →
Food prices worldwide have jumped due to unusual weather patterns. Prices jumped 6% in July. The United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization food price index measures price changes for a basket of food including cereals, dairy and meat. The July index, while higher, is still below the all-time record in February 2011.
The FAO released a report for July when they normally avoid issuing a report. The given reason was the “exceptional market conditions” that the drought in the USA, excessive rains in Brazil and production problems in Russia have caused in the world supply. Continue reading →
A rise in Earthquakes in California and Alaska continued into a second day.
Alaska had three earthquakes strike in just over a two hour period. A 2.7 magnitude quake struck south of Seward, Alaska at 10:18. At 11:43, a 4.9 quake struck southeast of Whittier, Alaska with a second 3.0 magnitude quake hitting in the same area about 50 minutes later. Continue reading →
California and Alaska have been rocked with multiple earthquakes in the last 24 hours.
Yorba Linda, California was struck with three earthquakes in just over one hour. The first, a magnitude 4.5, struck at 9:33 am local time, less than a mile and a half from the city center. The second hit 18 minutes later and measured 3.4 on the Richter Scale. The quake centered 2½ miles from the city. Continue reading →
