Category Archives: NATURE

DEVELOPING STORY, Tremors were reported as far away as northern India and Nepal’s capital Kathmandu, where buildings shook. Dozens of people have been reported killed after a powerful earthquake hit near Tibet’s second-largest city of Shigatse, according to Chinese and US monitoring groups, with tremors felt hundreds of kilometres away in Nepal. The earthquake struck at 9:05am local time (01:05 GMT) on Tuesday at a depth of 10km (6.2 miles), according to the China Earthquake Networks Centre, which recorded a magnitude 6.8 quake, while the United States Geological Survey reported the earthquake to be magnitude 7.1. A magnitude 6.8 earthquake is considered strong and capable of causing severe damage. Multiple aftershocks have also been reported, with the largest measuring a magnitude 4.4. China’s official Xinhua news agency reported that nine

Thailand’s former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra has come under heavy criticism for delivering a racially tinged speech at a political rally where he allegedly said the country’s women struggle to become supermodels despite looking better than Africans. The billionaire, who returned to the kingdom in August 2023 after spending 15 years in self-exile, said his Pheu Thai party would promote “pretty” Thai women as runway icons. Thaksin reportedly described African women as “black with flat noses” who land model roles that fetch them millions of baht. “African people, who have black skin and flat noses that make it difficult to breathe, are hired for millions of baht to be models,” he said at last Sunday’s campaign event supporting a candidate running in the Chiang Rai provincial election set for next

Temperatures drop across UK as arctic blast brings more snow PA Media Parts of the UK – including Northern Ireland – have already seen snow this week A cold arctic blast has swept into the UK, bringing widespread frost and more snow to parts of Scotland. Temperatures dropped overnight ahead of a bitterly cold weekend that could see “significant snow” and blizzard-like conditions. The whole of England is under amber health alerts – meaning there is a risk of a rise in deaths – with one local NHS service urging people to avoid going out early in the morning when the frost is thick. Yellow weather warnings for snow and ice are in place for most of England, Wales and Scotland between Saturday and Monday. Snow fell overnight in northern

The South African Weather Service has issued multiple warnings for severe thunderstorms and damaging winds in parts of North West, Free State and Western Cape. (Cecile Nijland/Netwerk24) The South African Weather Service has issued multiple warnings for severe thunderstorms and damaging winds in parts of the North West, Free State and Western Cape. Extremely hot and uncomfortable conditions are expected over the Western Cape, Northern Cape, and Eastern Cape. Impact-based warnings Yellow Level 2 warning: Severe thunderstorms leading to localised flooding of susceptible roads, low-lying areas and bridges as well as large amounts of small hail over an open area are expected over the western parts of the North West, north-eastern parts of the Northern Cape and over the north-western parts of the Free State. Yellow Level 1 warning: Damaging winds leading to difficulty in navigation

NAIROBI Kenya, Dec 24- The Kenya Meteorological Department has forecasted rainfall in various parts of the country from December 24 to December 30. Director of Meteorological Services David Gikungu said the rainfall will affect regions including the Highlands East and West of the Rift Valley, the Lake Victoria Basin, the Central and South Rift Valley, the Southeastern Lowlands, and the Coast. Gikungu noted that afternoon and nighttime showers and thunderstorms are expected in several areas, occasionally reducing to a few places during the first half of the forecast period. However, Northeastern and Northwestern Kenya will remain generally sunny and dry, with nights expected to be partly cloudy. Some areas may experience light rains on Wednesday morning. “Average daytime (maximum) temperatures of more than 30°C will be experienced in several parts

Weather warnings for strong winds have come into force in parts of the UK as millions of people take to the roads ahead of Christmas. The Met Office says gusts could reach 80mph in the far north of Scotland, with winds of 50-60mph further south. Disruption is expected on what motoring experts are predicting will the busiest weekend of travel this year. A yellow warning came into force at 07:00 GMT on Saturday and will last until 21:00 GMT on Sunday for Scotland, North West and North East England, and parts of Wales and Northern Ireland. The area covered by the warning widens on Sunday to take in South West England, Derbyshire, Hampshire, parts of the West Midlands and Yorkshire, and all of Wales and Northern Ireland. Westerly winds are

A hot day is expected in most parts of the country. (Gallo Images/ER Lombard) Brace yourself for extremely hot conditions on Friday and into the weekend.  Extremely hot and uncomfortable conditions are expected over parts of KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga and Limpopo, according to the South African Weather Service. A Yellow Level 1 warning has also been issued for damaging winds leading to difficulty in navigation at sea, while small vessels at risk of capsizing in locality is expected between Table Bay and Plettenberg Bay. Impact-based warnings Yellow Level 1 warning: Damaging winds leading to difficulty in navigation at sea and small vessels at risk of capsizing in locality are expected between Table Bay and Plettenberg Bay. READ | Wind, waves and soaring temperatures: South Africans face a range of severe weather

Getty Images Pollution has disrupted transport services in Delhi Winter has come to Delhi and with it, a familiar sense of gloom. The sky here is grey and there is a thick, visible blanket of smog. If you stay outdoors for more than a few minutes, you can almost taste ash. You will feel breathless within minutes if you try to run or even walk at a brisk pace in the smog. Newspapers are back to using words like toxic, deadly and poisonous in their main headlines. Most schools have been shut and people have been advised to stay indoors – though those whose livelihoods depend on working outdoors can’t afford to do so. Delhi’s air quality score was somewhere between 1,200 and 1,500 on Monday and Tuesday, according to

According to the weather service, Orange Level 5 severe thunderstorms are expected in parts of the Eastern Cape. (Sarayut Thaneerat/Getty Images) Several warnings for severe thunderstorms have been issued for various parts of the country. According to the South African Weather Service, Orange Level 5 severe thunderstorms can be expected in parts of the Eastern Cape, Yellow Level 3 in parts of the Western Cape and Yellow Level 2 in KwaZulu-Natal. Impact-based warnings Orange Level 5 warning: Severe thunderstorms causing damage to settlements/property, vehicles, infrastructure, and disruptions to municipal services are expected in places along the Wild Coast and adjacent interior of the Eastern Cape. Yellow Level 2 warning: Severe thunderstorms resulting in localised damage to property and temporary structures as well as difficult driving conditions over the eastern and

President Marcos directs government to prepare for ‘worst-case scenario’, with millions at risk from storm surges. The Philippines has ordered the evacuation of hundreds of thousands of people and cancelled dozens of flights as a “potentially catastrophic” typhoon – the sixth storm in a month – approaches the archipelago. Packing winds of 240km/h (149mph), Man-yi was upgraded to a super typhoon by state weather agency PAGASA. “Pepito is approaching its peak intensity,” the agency said, using the local name for the storm that was expected to make landfall near the province of Catanduanes on Saturday night or early on Sunday. It warned of a “potentially catastrophic and life-threatening situation” for the central region of Bicol, where nearly 180,000 people have been evacuated. Man-yi was heading towards the eastern part of

East Africa Community delegates during the 13th Mara Day celebrations in Masai Mara. [Harold Odhiambo, Standard] Kenya and Tanzania have pledged to implement a 15-point strategy to protect the fragile Mara River basin, a critical ecosystem for the Masai Mara and Serengeti parks facing threat of degradation. The new plan seeks to speed up the ongoing efforts to transform the collaborative efforts to protect the ecosystem that serves millions of people and wildlife in the two countries and hosts a spectacular event, the wildebeest migration, a wonder of the world. This came as delegates drawn from the two partner states, researchers, conservationists, and residents residing in the Mara ecosystem convened for the 13th Mara Day celebrations in Masai Mara. Led by the Lake Victoria Basin Commission (LVBC), delegates pledged to

Staff Reporter THE Minister of Environment, Forestry and Tourism, Pohamba Shifeta, called for honest engagement with the developed world on climate financing commitments as outlined in the Paris Agreement. “There is no need to beg, but we are simply asking the developed world to honour its commitments under the UNFCCC and the Paris Agreement. These are the only international instruments that keep us together for the common purpose of realising a greener future,” Shifeta said. He made these remarks at the sixth high-level ministerial dialogue on climate finance, part of the 29th Conference of the Parties (COP29) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The event is taking place in Baku, Azerbaijan, from 11 to 22 November 2024. Shifeta emphasised that climate finance must be delivered on