Indonesia raises red alert at volcano

Indonesia on Monday said it would evacuate hundreds of people living near Mount Lokon on Sulawesi island after raising the volcano's alert status to the highest level.
"We raised the volcano's status to the highest red alert level last night. There was a significant rise in volcanic activity since July 9. The volcano spewed ash 500 metres (1,600 feet) into the air over the weekend," government volcanologist Kristianto told AFP.
"Today we will be evacuating people living within a 3.5-kilometre (two-mile) radius around the volcano as a precautionary measure, in case of a bigger eruption which may be accompanied by deadly searing gas," he added.
Around 28,000 people live within the evacuation zone but only "hundreds" will be moved Monday, those in the path of the ash, as officials continue to monitor volcanic activity, disaster management agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said.
Officials said tourists would also be barred from going on popular day hikes to the 1,580-metre Mount Lokon, one of the most active volcanoes in Indonesia and located 20 kilometres away from North Sulawesi provincial capital of Manado.
The volcano erupted in 1991, killing a Swiss tourist.
Mount Soputan, another volcano in North Sulawesi province, erupted early this month, spewing ash and smoke 5,000 metres into the air.
The Indonesian archipelago has dozens of active volcanoes and straddles major tectonic fault lines known as the "Ring of Fire" between the Pacific and Indian oceans.
The country's most active volcano, Mount Merapi in central Java, has killed more than 350 people in a series of violent eruptions which started in late October.

6.2-magnitude earthquake rocks Philippines

A 6.2 magnitude earthquake has struck off Negros Island in the Philippines, according to the U.S. Geological survey.

The quake, which struck at 20:47 GMT, had its epicenter 78 miles (126 kilometers) west-northwest of the city of Dumaguete on Negros Island and 357 miles (576 kilometers) south-southeast of Manila, the Philippine capital, at a depth of 11.8 miles (19 kilometers).

The quake was followed by a 5.1-magnitude aftershock at 21:03 GMT.
No Tsunami warning was issued following the quake and there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.

Quake hits off Philippine coast, no damage

A 6.2-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of the Philippines on Tuesday but caused no damage, authorities said.

The US Geological Survey said the quake occurred at 4:47 am (2047 GMT), 125 kilometres (78 miles) west of Negros island, at a depth of 19 kilometres.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said the quake struck in the Sulu Sea 93 kilometres southwest of Dumaguete City, one of the major cities on Negros.
Authorities were confident the quake caused no damage, according to Nazario Caro, a duty officer with the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council on the neighbouring island of Panay.
"We did not issue any tsunami alert. We have checked the nearby areas and we did not get any reports of damage or casualties," Caro told AFP by telephone.
The Philippines sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire -- a belt around the Pacific Ocean dotted by active volcanoes and tectonic trenches, where frequent eruptions and earthquakes take place.

6.2 earthquake strikes Philippines: USGS

The USGS said the quake occurred at 4:47 am (2047 GMT), 125 kilometres (78 miles) west of Negros, at a depth of 19 kilometres, having initially measured the quake at a magnitude of 6.6.
The Philippines sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire -- a belt around the Pacific Ocean dotted by active volcanoes and tectonic trenches, where frequent eruptions and earthquakes take place.
Citizens have been nervous about a potential killer quake following the devastating tremors that have hit Japan and New Zealand this year.
One fault line runs directly under Manila, and government seismologists have warned that the city is unprepared for a major quake.

5.6 quake rattles Japan near Fukushima site

An earthquake registering 5.6 shook the Pacific off Honshu, Japan, the U.S. Geological Survey said Thursday. That is the area of northeast Japan ravaged by a March 11 quake and tsunami that knocked out power at the Fukushima nuclear plant.

No immediate damage or casualties were reported from the quake that struck at 3:35 a.m. Friday (1835 GMT Thursday), the USGS said. No tsunami watch was immediately issued.
The epicenter of the quake was some 51 miles (83 kilometers) southeast of Fukushima, in Honshu, Japan, the USGS said. The quake was centered some 28 miles (45 kilometers deep, the agency said.
The March 11 quake was magnitude 9.0, triggering a disaster that devastated Japan's northeastern coast, destroying towns, homes and businesses. More than 22,600 people are dead or missing.

Phoenix Dust Storm: Video of Doomsday Scenes in Arizona

These amazing pictures from the United States show a wall of dust moving through the city of Phoenix in Arizona. Sandstorms like this happen during the region's monsoon season, which is underway. They occur over desert land and can reach thousands of feet into the air, spurred by strong winds. The dense cloud dramatically reduced visibility, grounding flights at a major airport and leaving thousands without electricity.

Phoenix Dust Storm: Video of Doomsday Scenes in Arizona