El Salvador evacuates 1,000 people near stirring volcano

May 2014 – EL SALVADOR - At least 1,000 people living near the Chaparrastique volcano have been evacuated as a precautionary measure after seismic activity increased at the volcano, Salvadoran civil protection authorities said Monday. There was an explosion early Monday and the volcano then spewed reddish ash, officials said. The Civil Protection Department said in a statement that an alert had been declared for the municipality of San Miguel, where the volcano is located. The city of San Miguel itself is 50 kilometers from the volcano. It is one of the largest cities in the Central American country. The 2,129-metre volcano is about 145 kilometers east of San Salvador, the capital of El Salvador. The volcano’s last significant eruption was in 1976. –CBC News

Strange circles Appear in the sea in front of Croatian islands

Many unusual circles have appeared around the Croatian islands, causing the residents to worry. Some even say its aliens that cause it, because they often see circle formations in the sky above the location the circle are in the water. The circles are evenly spaced apart and are found around several islands. During last year’s routine underwater mapping, 28 perfect round shapes were discovered

Strange Zigzag Light Appears in Hawaiian Sky

Hawaii News Now provides witness accounts and up to 40 photos taken from different parts of Hawaii, specifically Oahu, Maui and Lanai, of mysterious lights in the sky, described as "super bright," and "zig zag" lights, with one witness saying. "The first thing that came out of my mind was UFO."

California: Thousands of dead fish have mysteriously washed up

More thousands of small dead fish remained in the waters off of Marina del Rey on Monday morning, two days after they were first discovered. Scores of dead fish, believed to be mostly anchovies, began washing up in a corner of the marina near Bora Bora Way on Saturday night, creating a foul-smelling, silvery blanket on top of the water. — a Marina del Rey.

Scientists find way to turn light into matter

Researchers in London have found a way to make matter from light, using high powered lasers. The idea behind the theory was first thought up 80 years ago by two physicists, who were to work later on creating the world’s first atomic bomb. In 1934, US physicists Gregory Breit and John Wheeler worked out that, on very rare occasions, two particles

Scientists seriously concerned healthcare workers may spread MERS across the globe

May 2014 – HEALTH – The biggest risk that Middle East Respiratory Syndrome will become a global epidemic, ironically, may lie with globe-trotting healthcare workers. From Houston to Manila, doctors and nurses are recruited for lucrative postings in Saudi Arabia, where MERS was first identified in 2012. Because the kingdom has stepped up hiring of foreign healthcare professionals in the last few years, disease experts said,

More than 20 dead, thousands evacuated in Bosnia, Serbia floods

May 2014 – BOSNIA - More than 20 people have been killed in the worst floods in more than a century in Serbia and Bosnia, authorities said on Saturday, with thousands evacuated from towns still under threat from rising rivers. The death toll in Bosnia alone reached 19, including nine found on Saturday when waters receded from the northeastern town of Doboj.

Fires continue to ravage Southern California as Governor declares state of emergency

Wildfires continued to whip through southern California on Thursday, forcing more people to evacuate their homes in the San Diego area and inspiring the governor to declare a state of emergency. Officials have opened an investigation into arson. 

San Diego County officials have had no choice but to maintain existing evacuation advisories for the thousands of people who live or work in the path of the fires.Orders issued Wednesday prohibited the 9,000 students who normally attend California State University to avoid campus. More were advised to stay away from their usual places of school and employment on Thursday, as the fires showed no sign of slowing down. 

"That's the number one priority, is to save life and then to save property," San Diego County Supervisor Dianne Jacob said at a news conference on Thursday, as quoted by the Los Angeles Times. "We are not out of the woods yet 

© AFP Photo / Jorge Cruz

A wildfire threatens homes in San Marcos, California, on May 15, 2014.

The wildfires have so far destroyed 10,000 acres, with emergency crews struggling to contain the flames and prevent additional homes from being put in jeopardy. One person was found dead at a transient camp in the Ambrosia area, but the body was too badly burned for firefighters to determine an identity. No injuries have been reported. 

San Marcos was among the worst hit areas, with only five percent of an 800-acre fire under control. An additional 13,000 homes and businesses were named in a new evacuation notice, with Sheriff Bill Gore telling reporters that so many notices were sent out as a "reminder to everybody just how volatile this can be." 

© AFP Photo / David Mcnew

A firefighter pulls a hose into position to battle the Cocos fire on May 15, 2014 in San Marcos, California.

Governor Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency for San Diego County, making it possible for officials to take advantage of special resources and funding to battle the flames. An estimated $22 million in damage has already been caused, with Sheriff Gore admitting that arson is among the causes being investigated. 

No less than eight fires were blazing in Southern California on Thursday, seven of them in San Diego County. Firefighters have sought to dampen the blazes by dumping water on them from above, with 22 military aircraft working to help overwhelmed local crews. Still, the risk remains extremely high because of dry conditions and strong winds, a lethal combination for firefighters. 

"Already this year, Cal Fire has responded to an over 100 percent increase in the number of wildfires than average," California Fire spokesman Daniel Berlant told the Times on Thursday. "It starts with the drought. The grass, the brush and the trees - not only in San Diego County, really across California - are really dry." 

© AFP Photo / David Mcnew

A firefighter pulls a hose in position while battling the Cocos fire on May 15, 2014 in San Marcos, California.

The entire state of California is experiencing "severe drought" conditions, meteorologists reported on Wednesday. The hot, dry air and record temperatures have only contributed to the devastating flames. 

"The combination of hot temperatures, gusty Santa Ana winds and widespread single-digit humidity will bring an extended period of dangerous fire weather conditions to much of Ventura and Los Angeles Counties," warned the Los Angeles office of the National Weather Service. 

Schools will be closed through Friday, officials said, with lower temperatures over the weekend expected to aid firefighters. 

© AFP Photo / David Mcnew

Residents looks at the burning remains of their home that was destroyed in the Poinsettia fire, one of nine wildfires fueled by wind and record temperatures that erupted in San Diego County throughout the day, on May 14, 2014 in Carlsbad, California.

USGS: Earthquake Magnitude 6.2 - Off the west coast of northern Sumatra

Event Time 

2014-05-18 01:02:29 UTC 

2014-05-18 07:02:29 UTC+06:00 at epicenter 

Location 

4.259°N 92.747°E depth=9.8km (6.1mi) 

Nearby Cities 

319km (198mi) WSW of Banda Aceh, Indonesia 

337km (209mi) WSW of Sabang, Indonesia 

375km (233mi) W of Meulaboh, Indonesia

377km (234mi) WSW of Sigli, Indonesia 

1000km (621mi) W of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 

Flaming ball falls from sky in Australia and crashes 'like a bomb'

Residents from across central and northern Queensland have reported seeing a huge flaming object fall from the sky. 

They say what appeared to be a massive ball with a blue and orange tail hit the ground in the suburb of Kelso in Townsville around 6:30pm (AEST) last night. 

National Weather Service believes "boom" over West Virginia caused by meteor

Charleston - We've received calls, emails, Facebook messages and tweets from many of you asking about a loud "boom" across our region. Many reports indicate that "boom" caused the land to quake. 

We started getting reports of the boom around 10:30 p.m. Thursday.

Another MERS infection case in United States

A business associate of the man who brought the first case of a mysterious Middle East virus to the U.S. has also tested positive for the disease, though he showed no signs of illness, federal health officials said Saturday. The new infection - the third reported in the U.S. and the first transmitted on American soil - is in an Illinois man who met and shook hands with a health care