6.2-magnitude earthquake strikes off Taiwan

A 6.2-magnitude earthquake struck off Taiwan on Thursday, the US Geological Survey said, but while residents in the capital Taipei reported buildings violently shaking there were no immediate reports of damage.

The quake struck off Yilan City on the island’s east coast at a depth of 74 kilometres at 9:19 pm local time (1319 GMT), according to the USGS.

Taipei residents reported shaking buildings, with the quake felt across the island |||READ MORE

Hundreds of thousands lose power as Northern California braces for more wildfires

Hundreds of thousands of people lost power in dozens of California counties Sunday as weather forecasters predicted the most powerful winds of the year and the potential for more raging wildfires, officials said.

Pacific Gas & Electric, which supplies power to millions across Northern and Central California, had shut off electricity to 225,000 customers by Sunday night, said Mark Quinlan, the utility's incident commander. Another 136,000 were expected to lose power by midnight, he said.

The outages are expected to hit 36 counties, he said |||READ MORE

 

Bomb attack injures vice president, kills 10 [Videos]

A roadside bomb in Kabul has injured first Afghanistan’s Vice President, Amrullah Saleh, on Wednesday.

Saleh, 49, escaped with minor injuries.

The explosion killed at least 10 people and wounded 15, including the VP’s bodyguards.

Saleh, in a video, confirmed he sustained a minor burn on his face and an injury to his hand |||READ MORE

Explosive wildfires across California stoked by fierce winds

SHAVER LAKE, Calif. (AP) — Wildfires raged unchecked across parts of the Western U.S. on Wednesday, with gusty winds forecast to drive flames into new ferocity.

In California, Diablo winds in the north and Santa Ana winds in the south were stoking unprecedented numbers of fires that have already grown explosively. In Washington, more acres burned in a single day than firefighters usually see all year. Fires also forced people to flee in Oregon and Idaho.

A temperature plunge of as much as 60 degrees helped contain wildfires that spread in Colorado and Montana in the hot, windy weather. But no such respite was in the immediate forecast for California |||READ MORE

 

Ghastly accident occurs in Benin as commuters hurry home in a bid to beat curfew (video)

At least 4 vehicles were involved in an accident in Benin, Edo state, as commuters hurried home to beat the 7pm curfew set by the state government.

According to reports, the incident happened at the popular Upper Mission Road in Benin.

In a video taken at the scene of the incident, the cars involved in the accident are seen piled on top of each other, making viewers wonder how it happened |||READ MORE ….

Overhead water tank falls into classroom, kills two students in Anambra

Two students were killed and two others injured on Wednesday when an overhead Tank filled with water fell into a classroom of Royal Kings Foundation nursery and primary school Nkpor-Agu in Idemili North LGA of Anambra State.

The 13-meter tank which had a capacity of 2,000 cubic meters, fell down while the pupils were learning in their classrooms. According to the PPRO, Anambra state police command, SP Mohammed Haruna, in a statement said on the 05/2/2020 at about 11:15 am, an overhead Tank filled with water fell into a classroom of Royal Kings Foundation nursery and primary school Nkpor-Agu in Idemili North LGA of Anambra State.

He said the police patrol team led by DPO Ogidi Division CSP Mark Ijarafu rushed to the scene. On arrival, it was discovered that the overhead tank of about 800 gallons capacity filled with water fell from its high stand in a neighbouring house adjacent to the school on the roof of the pre-nursery class and directly into the classroom. As a result, Four children sustained varying degrees of injuries and were rushed to Idemili hospital Nkpor for medical attention |||READ MORE …