disaster

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Hollywood Focuses on Post-Apocalyptic Future

Escapism, real fears fuel new crop of movies, TV shows

(Newser) - In one, the Earth's destruction fulfills an ancient prophesy. In another, mechanical dolls take over where humans left off. From serious to humorous, reality shows to documentaries, Hollywood is obsessed with the theme of a post-apocalyptic future, the Wall Street Journal reports. Some attribute the trend to escapism: “People...

China Censors Artist Leading Quake Inquiry

Police stake out whistleblower's studio, shut down blog

(Newser) - The Chinese artist who has made investigating the deaths of children in the Sichuan earthquake a personal crusade is facing a government crackdown, reports the CBC. Ai Weiwei's widely read blog has been deleted, and plainclothes police officers are staking out his studio in Beijing. Ai has relaunched his blog...

Yemenia Air Black Boxes Too Deep for Divers

Search continues as France sends searcher robots to Comoros

(Newser) - Investigators have concluded that the black boxes from Yemenia Airways Flight 626 that plunged into the Indian Ocean are too deep to be reached by divers, a French official said today. French investigators are trying to determine the exact zone where the boxes can be found using equipment that allows...

Teenage Air Crash Survivor Reunited With Family

French gov't flies 14-year-old to Paris

(Newser) - The young girl believed to be the only survivor of Tuesday's Indian Ocean plane crash flew back to Paris today, to the waiting arms of her father and siblings. Bahia Bakari, 14, returned to France alongside a government minister and other French officials. The other 151 people on Yemenia flight...

Signals Detected, but Officials Deny They're Flight 447's

Submarine sent to probe ocean floor

(Newser) - Rescuers are hot on the track of signals picked up deep in the Atlantic that could be from one of Air France Flight 447's black boxes, Le Monde reported today, but a French official denied that the signals could be originating from the doomed plane's flight recorder. “The black...

Air France Jet Was Moving Too Slowly

Airbus to give thrust guidelines today

(Newser) - The crashed Air France jet was flying too slowly, insiders have told Le Monde. Airbus, which built the plane, plans to notify airlines of the right thrust levels for flights in bad weather today, the Daily Telegraph says. Whether speed could be at fault for the jet’s series of...

5 Dead in Honduras Quake; Toll Expected to Rise
5 Dead in Honduras Quake; Toll Expected to Rise
UPDATED
May 28, 2009 1:18 PM CDT

5 Dead in Honduras Quake; Toll Expected to Rise

Tsunami warning has been called off

(Newser) - Five deaths have been confirmed after the 7.1-magnitude earthquake that rocked Honduras and Guatemala early today. Four victims were children between 3 and 15, crushed under their collapsed home, Reuters reports. "There will be many more dead," said a Honduran official. Buildings in both Central American states...

Docs Prep for Hurricane Ike Baby 'Boomlet'

Houston expects surge in births 9 months after storm cut power

(Newser) - A Houston hospital is bracing for a baby boom due 9 months after Hurricane Ike cut power to the region for days, the Chronicle reports. “There’s about a 25% increase in the number of deliveries coming up in mid-June to mid-July,” said one doctor. Another physician is...

Rains Hinder Aid in Flooded Brazil

32 dead, 200k homeless as rescue teams mobilize

(Newser) - Brazilian soldiers and civil defense authorities are using boats, trucks and helicopters to tote food and water to scores of areas isolated by floods that have killed at least 32 people and left nearly 200,000 homeless. Rain continues to fall and meteorologists predict the bad weather could last for...

186K Homeless in Deadly Brazil Floods

(Newser) - At least 19 people have been killed and close to 200,000 driven from their homes by floods and massive mudslides in northern Brazil, reports CNN. Over 1000 tons of emergency food are being delivered in six northern states as residents negotiate streets with boats amid roofs jutting from rivers...

FEMA Scraps 9/11 Coloring Book

Disturbing images given to thousands of kids to color

(Newser) - After touting it for six years, FEMA has pulled a downloadable coloring book that depicts a plane flying towards the burning Twin Towers from its website. A Scary Thing Happened has been disseminated to thousands of children worldwide and no one has complained about it—or its potential to traumatize...

5.6 Aftershock Rattles Quake Zone

(Newser) - A strong tremor has shaken quake-hit areas of central Italy and sent rescuers and residents fleeing from damaged buildings in L'Aquila. Chunks of concrete dropped from the buildings there and the shock was felt as far away as Rome. The US Geological Survey reported that the temblor registered 5.6...

Italy Squelched Scientist Who Predicted Quake

Researcher cited for 'spreading alarm,' forced to retract findings

(Newser) - An Italian scientist had predicted the quake that killed at least 92 early this morning near L’Aquila, but was silenced by the authorities, Reuters reports. Gioacchino Giuliani found evidence a month ago that a strong quake was brewing and organized a public-awareness campaign—which earned him a reprimand from...

Fargo Floodwater Breaks Record, Erodes Dike

Police evacuate 150 homes amid 'significant leak'

(Newser) - The Fargo-area Red River broke a 112-year-old record this morning and was eroding a dike south of downtown, forcing authorities to rouse occupants of about 150 homes and begin evacuating them in the middle of the night, the AP reports. The Red River has risen to 40.32 feet, more...

Aussies Mourn Fire Victims
 Aussies Mourn Fire Victims 
Feb 22, 2009 7:45 AM CST

Aussies Mourn Fire Victims

Fires bared worst of nature, best of humanity, says prime minister

(Newser) - As bells tolled, mourners throughout Australia prayed at services today for the 209 people killed in wildfires and those still missing, CNN reports. “House is gone, friends are gone. This is total destruction,” said one resident. Rescue teams continue to search through the devastation as firefighters still battled...

Healing Koalas Steal Hearts
 Healing Koalas Steal Hearts 
Feb 11, 2009 5:25 PM CST

Healing Koalas Steal Hearts

She holds hands with her rescuer in moving video

(Newser) - The survival of two burned koalas is giving Aussies a lift amid the catastrophic wildfires that have killed 180 people and possibly millions of animals, MSNBC reports. The more famous of the two is Sam, who became a YouTube sensation when she took water and offered a singed paw to...

Aussie Toll Hits 171; PM Cites 'Mass Murder'

Small town declared crime scene as devastation continues

(Newser) - The death toll from angry bushfires in Australia jumped to 171 today, reports Reuters, as the country's prime minister, fighting back tears, accused suspected arsonists of "mass murder." Up to 5,000 people have been left homeless; at one relief center, boards covered with Post-It notes beg for...

Ky. Deploys National Guard for Ice Storm Relief

400,000 people still without power

(Newser) - Kentucky has deployed 4,600 of its National Guard troops to go door-to-door in what the state's governor is calling "the biggest natural disaster that this state has ever experienced in modern history.” At least seven—and as many as 21—people may have died as a result...

'Designated Successor' Gates Will Skip Inauguration

Pentagon boss would take over in worst case

(Newser) - Secretary of Defense Robert Gates will sit out the inauguration at a secure location and be available to take over the government in case of disaster, CBS reports. The White House designated Gates with the approval of the incoming administration, which he will serve in the same post. The move...

Apartment Blast Kills 19 in Ukraine

Gas explosion suspected as rescuers look for survivors

(Newser) - Rescuers could hear cell phones ringing in the rubble as they pulled bodies from an apartment building in southern Ukraine that collapsed after an explosion last night, Reuters reports. At least 19 people are dead and 24 missing after the blast, likely caused by oxygen stored in the basement. All...

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