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"WAS Crimea just the beginning?
  • War college professor warns of imminent invasion
  • US officials tell of ‘awful’ developments
  • NATO chief briefs US government on threat

A senior military academic is warning Europe is staring down the barrel of its biggest war since 1945. And it could start in days, as Russian forces mass on the border with Ukraine — apparently poised to invade......"

Read more: http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/world/a-rapid-russian-buildup-of-tanks-and-troops-with-tough-talk-from-president-vladimir-putin-raises-fears-war-with-ukraine-could-be-imminent/story-fni6um3i-1226867240935?utm_source=The%20Advertiser&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=editorial&net_sub_uid=34869311

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Earth Watch Report - Biological Hazards

 

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UAE sees two new cases of Mers coronavirus infection

Omani patient succumbs to infection, while man from Abu Dhabi in critical condition

  • By Samihah Zaman, Staff Reporter
  • Published: 21:30 March 27, 2014
  • Gulf News

 

Abu Dhabi: Two new cases of infection by the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (Mers-CoV) in the UAE have been reported to international authorities over the past week, with one of the patients succumbing to the disease.

The victim was a 40-year-old man from Oman, who died on Monday (March 24) at an Abu Dhabi hospital, according to reports submitted by UAE authorities to the World Health Organisation (WHO). He had had underlying medical conditions, and was first admitted to a hospital in Muscat. On March 17, he was admitted to an Abu Dhabi facility. The patient has not recently travelled outside Oman and the UAE, and had no recorded contacts with animals or other Mers-CoV patients.

The second patient is a 49-year-old man from Abu Dhabi whose condition is currently critical. The patient had been admitted to hospital in late February, and was discharged after a few days because his condition had improved. On March 16, he was readmitted, and laboratory tests confirmed Mers-CoV infection.

Although the patient has not travelled recently, he is said to have been in contact with a 68-year-old farm owner from Abu Dhabi who was diagnosed with Mers earlier and is now stable.

 

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Earth Watch Report - Biological Hazards

Electron micrograph of MERS-CoV

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Biological Hazard Oman Governorate of Muscat, Muscat Damage level Details

 

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Biological Hazard in Oman on Thursday, 27 March, 2014 at 05:44 (05:44 AM) UTC.

Description
A 40-year-old man from Oman with underlying medical conditions. He was 1st admitted to a hospital in Muscat on [15 Feb 2014] and was then readmitted to hospital in Abu Dhabi on (17 Mar 2014). His condition deteriorated, and he died on (24 Mar 2014). Laboratory-confirmation was done on (21 Mar 2014). The patient had no history of recent travel outside of Oman and the UAE and had no reported contact with animals or a laboratory-confirmed case. Further epidemiological investigation in ongoing.
Biohazard name: MERS-COv
Biohazard level: 4/4 Hazardous
Biohazard desc.: Viruses and bacteria that cause severe to fatal disease in humans, and for which vaccines or other treatments are not available, such as Bolivian and Argentine hemorrhagic fevers, H5N1(bird flu), Dengue hemorrhagic fever, Marburg virus, Ebola virus, hantaviruses, Lassa fever, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, and other hemorrhagic or unidentified diseases. When dealing with biological hazards at this level the use of a Hazmat suit and a self-contained oxygen supply is mandatory. The entrance and exit of a Level Four biolab will contain multiple showers, a vacuum room, an ultraviolet light room, autonomous detection system, and other safety precautions designed to destroy all traces of the biohazard. Multiple airlocks are employed and are electronically secured to prevent both doors opening at the same time. All air and water service going to and coming from a Biosafety Level 4 (P4) lab will undergo similar decontamination procedures to eliminate the possibility of an accidental release.
Symptoms:  
Status: confirmed

 

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Omani dies of MERS virus in Abu Dhabi hospital

Muscat -

A 40 year old Omani man with 'underlying medical conditions' died of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) in Abu Dhabi on Monday.

The World Health Organization (WHO) said that the man was first admitted in a hospital in Muscat on February 15, and then readmitted to a hospital in Abu Dhabi on March 17. “His condition deteriorated and he died on March 24,” the WHO added in a statement.

 

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World Health Organization

Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) – update

Disease Outbreak News

On 23 March 2014, the National IHR Focal Point of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) notified WHO of an additional laboratory-confirmed case of infection with Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV).

Details of the case provided to WHO are as follows:

  • A 40 year-old man from Oman with underlying medical conditions. He was first admitted to a hospital in Muscat on 15 February and was then readmitted to hospital in Abu Dhabi on 17 March. His condition deteriorated and he died on 24 March 2014. Laboratory-confirmation was done on 21 March. The patient had no history of recent travel outside of Oman and the UAE, and had no reported contact with animals or a laboratory-confirmed case. Further epidemiological investigation in ongoing.

Globally, from September 2012 to date, WHO has been informed of a total of 200 laboratory-confirmed cases of infection with MERS-CoV, including 85 deaths.

WHO advice

Based on the current situation and available information, WHO encourages all Member States to continue their surveillance for severe acute respiratory infections (SARI) and to carefully review any unusual patterns.

Infection prevention and control measures are critical to prevent the possible spread of MERS-CoV in health care facilities. Health-care facilities that provide for patients suspected or confirmed to be infected with MERS-CoV infection should take appropriate measures to decrease the risk of transmission of the virus from an infected patient to other patients, health-care workers and visitors. Health care workers should be educated, trained and refreshed with skills on infection prevention and control.

It is not always possible to identify patients with MERS-CoV early because some have mild or unusual symptoms. For this reason, it is important that health-care workers apply standard precautions consistently with all patients – regardless of their diagnosis – in all work practices all the time.

Droplet precautions should be added to the standard precautions when providing care to all patients with symptoms of acute respiratory infection. Contact precautions and eye protection should be added when caring for probable or confirmed cases of MERS-CoV infection. Airborne precautions should be applied when performing aerosol generating procedures.

Patients should be managed as potentially infected when the clinical and epidemiological clues strongly suggest MERS-CoV, even if an initial test on a nasopharyngeal swab is negative. Repeat testing should be done when the initial testing is negative, preferably on specimens from the lower respiratory tract.

Health-care providers are advised to maintain vigilance. Recent travellers returning from the Middle East who develop SARI should be tested for MERS-CoV as advised in the current surveillance recommendations. All Member States are reminded to promptly assess and notify WHO of any new case of infection with MERS-CoV, along with information about potential exposures that may have resulted in infection and a description of the clinical course. Investigation into the source of exposure should promptly be initiated to identify the mode of exposure, so that further transmission of the virus can be prevented.

People at high risk of severe disease due to MERS-CoV should avoid close contact with animals when visiting farms or barn areas where the virus is known to be potentially circulating. For the general public, when visiting a farm or a barn, general hygiene measures, such as regular hand washing before and after touching animals, avoiding contact with sick animals, and following food hygiene practices, should be adhered to.

WHO does not advise special screening at points of entry with regard to this event nor does it currently recommend the application of any travel or trade restrictions.

 

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MERS-Coronavirus claims life of 40-year-old Omani citizen in UAE

 
 
Muscat: A 40-year-old Omani died in UAE due to Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV), according to World Health Organisation (WHO).

The WHO said that the citizen was first admitted to a hospital in Muscat on February 15 and was then readmitted to hospital in Abu Dhabi on March 17. "His condition deteriorated in Abu Dhabi hospital and he died on March 24," the WHO said.

A laboratory-confirmation was done on March 21. The patient had no history of recent travel outside of Oman and the UAE, and had no reported contact with animals or a laboratory-confirmed case. "Further epidemiological investigation is going on," the WHO said.

Globally, from September 2012, WHO has been informed of a total of 200 laboratory-confirmed cases of infection with MERS-CoV, including 85 deaths.

In Oman, the MERS-CoV has claimed life of two people.

A 59-year-old patient who was under treatment died on December and the Sultanate's first MERS coronavirus patient died on November 10, 2013.

The first MERS-CoV victim, who was admitted to the hospital in Nizwa was suffering from diabetes and high blood pressure while the second victim died of lung failure.

 

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Earth Watch Report - Volcanic Activity

 

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RSOE EDIS

Volcano Eruption Ecuador Andes, [Reventador volcano] Damage level Details

 

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Volcano Eruption in Ecuador on Thursday, 27 March, 2014 at 04:08 (04:08 AM) UTC.

Description
The volcano has entered a new eruptive phase since yesterday, Ecuador's Institute of Geophysics (IGP) reported. Starting from 15:00 local time yesterday, increasing tremor was registered and steady ash emissions were observed. At night, incandescent blocks could be seen and heard rolling down from the crater where probably a new lava dome has started to appear. Small pyroclastic flows descended on the eastern, southeastern and southern flanks of the volcano, probably as a result of re-mobilization of fresh lava and tephra deposits. These so-called secondary pyroclastic flows reached lengths of 500 m below the summit. IGP assumes the most likely scenario for the evolution of the new eruptive episode is that activity continues at similar levels for a while. So far, lava avalanches and pyroclastic flows have been confined within the caldera, near the flanks of the main cone. So far, no reports of ash falls became available from communities in the nearby areas, suggesting that the eruption is still small. An important hazard remains in the form of lahars (mud flows), which can be generated by re-mobilization of loose material during heavy rainfall and would most likely threaten the bed and banks of the Quijo river.

 

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VolcanoDiscovery's start page

Reventador volcano, Ecuador: news & activity updates

Reventador volcano (Ecuador): new eruption

Wednesday Mar 26, 2014 16:36 PM | BY: T

Continuous ash emission and incandescent avalanches on Reventador's eastern flank (image: G. Taipe / IGP)

Continuous ash emission and incandescent avalanches on Reventador's eastern flank (image: G. Taipe / IGP)

... IGP assumes the most likely scenario for the evolution of the new eruptive episode is that activity continues at similar levels for a while. So far, lava avalanches and pyroclastic flows have been confined within the caldera, near the flanks of the main cone. So far, no reports of ash falls became available from communities in the nearby areas, suggesting that the eruption is still small. An important hazard remains in the form of lahars (mud flows), which can be generated by re-mobilization of loose material during heavy rainfall and would most likely threaten the bed and banks of the Quijo river.

 

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Earth Watch Report - Biological Hazards

Ebola virus

CDC

 

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Biological Hazard Canada Province of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon Damage level Details

 

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RSOE EDIS

Biological Hazard in Canada on Tuesday, 25 March, 2014 at 04:31 (04:31 AM) UTC.

Description
Saskatchewan health officials say a man who recently travelled to western Africa is seriously ill in hospital and one of the possible diagnoses they are considering is Ebola hemorrhagic fever. Dr. Denise Werker, deputy chief medical health officer, said there is fear an outbreak of the Ebola virus has spread to Liberia, where the man was travelling. "All we know at this point is that we have a person who is critically ill who travelled from a country where these diseases occur," she said. She says hemorrhagic fevers are spread through contact with a sick person’s bodily fluids - one of the final symptoms is bleeding from the mouth and eyes. "Ebola hemorrhagic fever is not a highly infectious disease. People need to be in close contact with blood and bodily fluids and so that would be close household contacts of people who are taking care of these individuals," she said. "There is no risk to the general public at all about this." African health officials announced Monday that an outbreak of Ebola is believed to have killed at least 59 people in Guinea and may already have spread to neighbouring Liberia. Health workers in Guinea are trying to contain the spread of the disease. In Liberia, health officials said they are investigating five deaths after several people crossed the border from Guinea in search of medical treatment. Werker says the man showed no signs of illness on his return journey.
Biohazard name: Ebola (Viral Fever) - Susp.
Biohazard level: 4/4 Hazardous
Biohazard desc.: Viruses and bacteria that cause severe to fatal disease in humans, and for which vaccines or other treatments are not available, such as Bolivian and Argentine hemorrhagic fevers, H5N1(bird flu), Dengue hemorrhagic fever, Marburg virus, Ebola virus, hantaviruses, Lassa fever, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, and other hemorrhagic or unidentified diseases. When dealing with biological hazards at this level the use of a Hazmat suit and a self-contained oxygen supply is mandatory. The entrance and exit of a Level Four biolab will contain multiple showers, a vacuum room, an ultraviolet light room, autonomous detection system, and other safety precautions designed to destroy all traces of the biohazard. Multiple airlocks are employed and are electronically secured to prevent both doors opening at the same time. All air and water service going to and coming from a Biosafety Level 4 (P4) lab will undergo similar decontamination procedures to eliminate the possibility of an accidental release.
Symptoms:  
Status: suspected

 

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RSOE EDIS

Biological Hazard in Canada on Tuesday, 25 March, 2014 at 04:31 (04:31 AM) UTC.

Back
Updated: Tuesday, 25 March, 2014 at 04:45 UTC
Description
Saskatchewan health officials say a man who recently travelled to Liberia in Western Africa is "seriously ill" in a Saskatoon hospital with a high fever and other symptoms. Officials have not yet identified the nature of the illness, but Deputy Chief Medical Health Officer Dr. Denise Werker, said at a news conference on Monday that the man is being examined for a suspected case of viral hemorrhagic fever. "Viral hemorrhagic fever is a generic name for a number of rather exotic diseases that are found in Africa," said Werker. These diseases include Ebola hemorrhagic fever, Lassa fever, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever and yellow fever. Liberia is currently dealing with an outbreak of Ebola after the virus killed more than 59 people in neighbouring Guinea. "All we know at this point is that we have a person who is critically ill who travelled from a country where these diseases occur," Werkersaid. Tests have already been sent to the Public Health Agency of Canada’s National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg, said Werker. Results are expected Tuesday. "Measures have been taken to isolate the patient to ensure the illness is not transmitted," Saskatchewan health officials said in a statement. "Public health officials believe the risk to the public is low, and are investigating." The Canadian patient showed no signs of the illness on his return to Saskatchewan, said Werker. There is no vaccine for the Ebola virus, which leads to severe hemorrhagic fever. Werker said the virus is not as contagious as some might believe, and that it is transferrable through saliva and other bodily fluids. One of the final symptoms is bleeding from the eyes and mouth. "People need to be in close contact with blood and bodily fluids so that would be close household contacts of people who are taking care of these individuals," said Werker. "There is no risk to the general public at all about this."--------------

A man is in hospital in Canada with symptoms of a haemorrhagic fever resembling the Ebola virus, a health official has said. The man had recently returned from Liberia in the west African region, currently suffering a deadly outbreak of an unidentified haemorrhagic fever. He is in isolation in critical condition in Saskatoon, the largest city in Saskatchewan province. A provincial medical official said there was no risk to the public. Dr Denise Werker, the province's deputy chief medical officer, declined to say how long the man had been in Africa but said he only fell ill after returning to Canada. She said that was in line with the profile of common deadly haemorrhagic fever viruses Lassa fever and Ebola, which have an incubation period of up to 21 days. She said the people most at risk were healthcare workers who do not protect themselves from contact with the patient's bodily secretions. "There is no risk to the general public," she said. "We recognise that there is going to be a fair amount of concern and that is why we wanted to go public with this as soon as possible." A virus resembling Ebola has struck in Guinea, with cases also reported in Liberia. As many as 61 people have died of the disease in the remote forests of southern Guinea. But health officials in the Guinean capital, Conakry, have said the virus is not Ebola. In Saskatchewan, Dr Werker said the man's diagnosis had not yet been confirmed and that a laboratory in Winnipeg was testing a biological specimen from the man.

 

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RSOE EDIS

Biological Hazard in Canada on Tuesday, 25 March, 2014 at 04:31 (04:31 AM) UTC.

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Updated: Tuesday, 25 March, 2014 at 16:53 UTC
Description
A suspected case of the deadly Ebola virus in Saskatchewan has tested negative. Tests also came back negative for Lassa, Marburg and Crimean Congo. The World Health Organization (WHO) tweeted the results Tuesday from its verified Twitter account. Canada's deputy chief public health officer said in a release that tests at the Public Health Agency of Canada's National Microbiology Laboratory confirmed the ill man does not have Ebola or any other hemorrhagic viruses. Dr. Gregory Taylor's statement said ruling out those four hemorrhagic viruses "significantly reduces the risk to the people who have been in close contact with the patient while the patient has exhibited symptoms." Taylor added there has never been a confirmed case of a hemorrhagic virus in Canada, and that testing continues to determine the man's illness. "If a case were ever confirmed in Canada, the Public Health Agency of Canada would alert Canadians immediately and put measures in place to protect the public," the PHAC said in a statement. Hartl suggested the case "is apparently a severe case of malaria." A top Saskatchewan public health official announced Monday that the man in question, who was recently in the West African country of Liberia, was critically ill and isolated in a Saskatoon hospital with what was believed to be viral hemorrhagic fever (VHF). Included in the general class of VHFs are Ebola fever, Lassa fever, Crimean Congo hemorrhagic fever, yellow fever, dengue fever, and Marburg hemorrhagic fever. Health care workers sent the patient’s specimens to the national microbiology laboratory in Winnipeg for a diagnosis, said deputy chief medical health officer Dr. Denise Werker. Rampant spread of hemorrhagic fevers in Africa, including a current outbreak in Guinea of Ebola, can be linked back to poor infection control in hospitals, Werker said.

 

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RSOE EDIS

Biological Hazard in Canada on Tuesday, 25 March, 2014 at 04:31 (04:31 AM) UTC.

Back
Updated: Thursday, 27 March, 2014 at 04:12 UTC
Description
Doctors say the man isolated in a Saskatoon hospital after returning home from Africa has an undiagnosed fever of unknown origin. Rod Ogilvie remains in critical condition and is intubated with failing organs according to Denise Werker, Deputy Chief Medical Health Officer. Late Monday night, lab tests resulted negative for the four most serious pathogens of viral hemorrhagic fever: Ebola virus, Marburg virus, Crimean-Congo virus and Lassa virus. Werker said there are other hemorrhagic fevers, like Dangue, but those are not transmissible from person to person. As a precaution, doctors also isolated some of Ogilvie's family members while they investigated the possibility for viral hemorrhagic fevers like Ebola but those people have been released now that it has been ruled out. Doctors still don't know exactly what kind of illness Ogilvie is suffering from so more lab tests are being done into other diseases like Malaria."Malaria is not contagious from person to person. If this person has a bacterial infection that has caused an encephalitis or meningitis kind of disease, potentially that could be infectious to close contacts," she said but explained doctors do not think there is any risk to the public. However the first test for Malaria resulted negative but they are doing another review of the test slide just to make sure. "A pathologist looks underneath a microscope and actually has to identify those organisms on the slide, so it could be like looking for a needle in a haystack," said Werker. Ministry of Health gets information about diseases and outbreaks from the World Health Organization (WHO) that is then circulated to Saskatchewan's medical health officers. She said they provide info to physicians in the community to alert their diagnostic suspicion of those diseases. "The fact that viral hemorrhagic fever was considered in this circumstance is a great indication that our systems are working to keep our residents safe," said Werker. Ogilvie returned to Saskatchewan on March 8 but did not start to show symptoms until March 20. Werker stressed there was no risk to public health between that time for people on the aircraft or on public transit because most people only become contagious once they are symptomatic. There would also have to be direct contact between bodily fluids like blood or using his toothbrush.

 

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By Dana Ford CNN

Canada patient tests negative for Ebola

WHO says testing will continue

UPDATED 10:19 AM CDT Mar 25, 2014
Ebola virus

 

(CNN) —A man in Canada who was suspected of having Ebola has tested negative for viral hemorrhagic fevers, according to the World Health Organization and Canadian health officials.

Viral hemorrhagic fevers is a generic term that refers to a number of diseases found in Africa, including Ebola hemorrhagic fever, Lassa fever, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever and yellow fever, according to Denise Werker, deputy chief medical health officer at the Saskatchewan Ministry of Health.

Testing on the man continues, WHO spokesman Gregory Hartl said in a tweet. "May be malaria. Will know today."

"The patient in Saskatchewan does not have Ebola, Lassa, Marburg or Crimean Congo virus," said a statement from the Deputy Chief Public Health Office in Saskatchewan.

"The risk to Canadians remains very low. In addition, the ruling out of those four hemorrhagic viruses significantly reduces the risk to people who have been in close contact with the patient while the patient has exhibited symptoms."

Health officials in Canada said Monday they were looking into the case of a man exhibiting symptoms consistent with viral hemorrhagic fevers. He had recently traveled from Liberia.

"There is no risk to the general public at all about this incident. We recognize that there's going to be a fair amount of concern, and that's why we wanted to go public with this as soon as possible and dispel some of those myths that are out there," Werker told reporters Monday.

 

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Ukraine’s secret unit of spy DOLPHINS that can plant bombs and attack divers with guns have defected to Russia

  • The Ukraine Army has been using dolphins and seals since the 70s
  • After the fall of the USSR, the 'dolphin spies' remained in the Ukraine
  • The dolphins have been trained to hunt for mines and plant bombs
  • They can also attack divers with knives or pistols attached to their heads
  • Now, military dolphins in Crimea will be transferred to the Russian Navy

By Will Stewart

 

 

The Army has been using the underwater mammals since the 70s, and they remained under Ukrainian command after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

The bottlenose dolphins are trained to hunt for mines, plant bombs on hostile ships or attack enemy divers with special knives or pistols fixed to their heads.

 

Defecting: The Ukrainian army's dolphins, trained to hunt for mines, plant bombs and attack enemy divers, will be transferred to the Russian Navy

Defecting: The Ukrainian army's dolphins, trained to hunt for mines, plant bombs and attack enemy divers, will be transferred to the Russian Navy

Loyal: The army has been using the underwater mammals since the 70s, and they remained under Ukrainian command after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Loyal: The army has been using the underwater mammals since the 70s, and they remained under Ukrainian command after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

 

 

The use of bottlenose dolphins as naval assets was begun during the Cold War in Sevastopol by the Soviet Union in 1973. With the collapse of the USSR, they were enlisted in the Ukrainian navy.

Now after the Russian repossession of the Crimean peninsula this month, it was revealed today that the combat dolphins are now back under Kremlin control along with all 193 military units in the region.

 ‘The military dolphins serving in Crimea will be transferred to the Russian Navy,’ reported state-owned Russian news agency RIA Novosti.

In fact, Ukraine announced last month it was preparing to cease naval training with the mammals, so the Russian annexation of the Black Sea region has probably saved the unique underwater force.

‘Engineers are developing new equipment for new programmes so that the dolphins can be used more effectively in underwater operations,’ a source said today.

 

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Earth Watch Report - Mudslides

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The remains of a home destroyed by a mudslide near Oso, Wash., on Saturday.

( Marcus Yam / Seattle Times / March 25, 2014 )

The remains of a home destroyed by a mudslide near Oso, Wash., on Saturday.

 

 

A body is carried out of a home destroyed by the mudslide.

Washington mudslide

( Joshua Trujillo / Associated Press / March 24, 2014 )

A body is carried out of a home destroyed by the mudslide.

 

 

An aerial view of the mudslide shows where the hillside gave way.

Washington mudslide

( Washington State Department of Transportation / March 23, 2014 )

An aerial view of the mudslide shows where the hillside gave way.

 

 

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Washington mudslide's confirmed death toll rises to 16

The confirmed death toll for the Washington state mudslide rose to 16 on Tuesday night, and officials said rescuers might have located eight more bodies. If so, that would bring the toll to 24.

The day was rainy and difficult for the more than 200 rescue personnel scouring the mud and slurry just east of Oso, using cadaver dogs and sometimes their hands to pick through the wreckage.

"We didn’t find any signs of life; we didn’t locate anybody alive," Travis Hots, chief of Snohomish County Fire District 21, told reporters. "Our condolences go out to the families that have lost people here."

About 49 homes were smashed in northwestern Washington, about an hour north of Seattle, when a massive segment of land cut away from a hill along the Stillaguamish River on Saturday.

Rescuers have found no survivors since the first day, and have been holding out diminishing hope for a miracle rescue. Instead, the death toll has continued to rise, with two more bodies recovered Tuesday, Hots said.

 

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CNN U.S.

Hope for survivors of landslide dims as death toll rises as high as 24

By Ed Payne, Ana Cabrera and Mariano Castillo, CNN
updated 10:18 PM EDT, Tue March 25, 2014
Watch this video

After landslide, search for missing ahead

STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • NEW: Two more bodies have been recovered and up to eight more have been located
  • NEW: Lists of missing and unaccounted for are being revised, an official says
  • The body of a Navy commander and his dog have been recovered, the family says
  • Landslide has affected or destroyed nearly 50 structures, officials say

Darrington, Washington (CNN) -- Brenda Neal was still at the firehouse at midnight, watching as rescuers caked with mud returned from the search for survivors of a massive landslide in rural Washington state.

But they had no answers for her about her missing husband, Steven.

There was despair on their faces, she said.

Rescuer: Houses exploded from the mud

Rescuers on Tuesday continued to battle debris and mud -- with the consistency of quicksand in some places -- in the search for survivors, but hopes dimmed as news broke that more bodies were found.

"Unfortunately, we didn't find any signs of life," Snohomish County Fire District 21 Chief Travis Hots told reporters during a briefing.

The number of dead climbed to as high as 24 with the recovery Tuesday of two more bodies and another eight believed to have been located in the debris.

Authorities did not immediately release the identities of the dead nor did they provide details about where the bodies were found.

At least 176 people are unaccounted for. Officials have stressed those unaccounted for are not necessarily all victims of the disaster. They say they believe many names have been duplicated.

Three sheriff's deputies who specialize in missing persons cases have begun reviewing the lists to get a more accurate count,Snohomish County Emergency Management Director John Pennington said.

Steven Neal's family holds out hope, despite discouraging signs.

Neal is a plumber who was on a service call in the area where the landslide hit.

"None of us feel like he's gone," Brenda Neal said.

Her daughter, Sara, agreed: "I think if anyone had a chance to getting through, it would be him."

The waiting came to end Tuesday for the family of U.S. Navy Cmdr. John Regelbrugge, 49, whose body and that of his dog were found by his brothers, his sister-in-law, Jackie Leighton, told CNN. Still missing is Regelbrugge's wife, she said.

On Monday, search efforts yielded a grim result -- six bodies.

But searchers still are going through the area with the hopes of making rescues, Pennington said earlier Tuesday morning.

"I believe in miracles, and I believe people can survive these events. They've done it before," and they can do it again, he told reporters.

The landslide covered about a square mile and was caused by groundwater saturation tied to heavy rain in the area over the past month. It affected Oso, with a population of about 180, and Darrington, a town of about 1,350.

Authorities have been warning the search area remains unstable

A volunteer rescue worker was injured Tuesday while working in an area where the landslide struck, according to a statement released by the Snohomish County Sheriff's Office. The rescue worker was hit in the head by debris kicked up "in helicopter wash," it said.

President Barack Obama, in the Netherlands on Tuesday, asked that "all Americans to send their thoughts and prayers to Washington state and the community of Oso."

Obama said he had spoken with Gov. Jay Inslee and signed an emergency declaration.

Early hopeful signs, such as the rescue of a 4-year-old boy on the day of the landslide, have faded for some.

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Up to 24 dead, 176 missing in Wash. landslide

Navy commander among dead

UPDATED 4:05 AM CDT Mar 25, 2014
By Ed Payne, Ana Cabrera and Mariano Castillo CNN


Washington mudslide 1

Washington State Transportation Department

 

 

 

 

DARRINGTON, Washington (CNN) —Brenda Neal was still at the firehouse at midnight, watching as rescuers caked with mud returned from the search for survivors of a massive landslide in rural Washington state.

But they had no answers for her about her missing husband, Steven.

There was despair on their faces, she said.

Rescuers on Tuesday continued to battle debris and mud -- with the consistency of quicksand in some places -- in the search for survivors, but hopes dimmed as news broke that more bodies were found.

"Unfortunately, we didn't find any signs of life," Snohomish County Fire District 21 Chief Travis Hots told reporters during a briefing.

The number of dead climbed to as high as 24 with the recovery Tuesday of two more bodies and another eight believed to have been located in the debris.

Authorities did not immediately release the identities of the dead nor did they provide details about where the bodies were found.

At least 176 people are unaccounted for. Officials have stressed those unaccounted for are not necessarily all victims of the disaster. They say they believe many names have been duplicated.

Three sheriff's deputies who specialize in missing persons cases have begun reviewing the lists to get a more accurate count, Snohomish County Emergency Management Director John Pennington said.

Steven Neal's family holds out hope, despite discouraging signs.

Neal is a plumber who was on a service call in the area where the landslide hit.

"None of us feel like he's gone," Brenda Neal said.

Her daughter, Sara, agreed: "I think if anyone had a chance to getting through, it would be him."

The waiting came to end Tuesday for the family of U.S. Navy Cmdr. John Regelbrugge, 49, whose body and that of his dog were found by his brothers, his sister-in-law, Jackie Leighton, told CNN. Still missing is Regelbrugge's wife, she said.

On Monday, search efforts yielded a grim result -- six bodies.

But searchers still are going through the area with the hopes of making rescues, Pennington said earlier Tuesday morning.

 

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Massive Mudslide Kills 3 And Destroys Homes In Washington State

 

 

 
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Earth Watch Report - Earthquakes

 
photo Oklahoma-31EQinlast7days03262014_zps97b72426.png

31 earthquakes in map area

  1. M 2.7 - 6km SSW of Langston, Oklahoma

     2014-03-26 09:24:20 UTC-05:00 5.0 km

  2. M 2.6 - 31km WSW of McAlester, Oklahoma

     2014-03-25 15:52:17 UTC-05:00 5.0 km

  3. M 3.4 - 12km NW of Edmond, Oklahoma

     2014-03-25 09:01:19 UTC-05:00 6.1 km

  4. M 2.8 - 4km NNW of Stroud, Oklahoma

     2014-03-24 18:32:46 UTC-05:00 7.8 km

  5. M 2.7 - 10km E of Medford, Oklahoma

     2014-03-24 10:39:59 UTC-05:00 5.0 km

  6. M 2.5 - 21km SSE of Medford, Oklahoma

     2014-03-22 22:37:23 UTC-05:00 5.0 km

  7. M 3.3 - 11km ENE of Medford, Oklahoma

     2014-03-22 14:42:11 UTC-05:00 5.0 km

  8. M 2.9 - 14km SSE of Medford, Oklahoma

     2014-03-22 14:30:12 UTC-05:00 5.0 km

  9. M 3.0 - 19km SSE of Medford, Oklahoma

     2014-03-22 14:15:54 UTC-05:00 5.0 km

  10. M 2.5 - 7km SSW of Langston, Oklahoma

     2014-03-22 13:40:44 UTC-05:00 5.0 km

  11. M 2.8 - 8km ENE of Stillwater, Oklahoma

     2014-03-22 12:43:55 UTC-05:00 5.0 km

  12. M 2.7 - 4km SSW of Langston, Oklahoma

     2014-03-22 10:58:20 UTC-05:00 5.0 km

  13. M 4.0 - 12km S of Langston, Oklahoma

     2014-03-21 22:05:59 UTC-05:00 4.5 km

  14. M 3.1 - 7km SSW of Langston, Oklahoma

     2014-03-21 22:02:35 UTC-05:00 4.5 km

  15. M 3.1 - 7km SSW of Langston, Oklahoma

     2014-03-21 22:01:32 UTC-05:00 7.6 km

  16. M 2.6 - 3km SE of Langston, Oklahoma

     2014-03-21 21:35:01 UTC-05:00 6.9 km

  17. M 2.9 - 4km SSE of Langston, Oklahoma

     2014-03-21 21:30:34 UTC-05:00 5.0 km

  18. M 2.6 - 1km SE of Choctaw, Oklahoma

     2014-03-21 17:41:07 UTC-05:00 6.7 km

  19. M 2.6 - 1km SE of Choctaw, Oklahoma

     2014-03-21 14:59:40 UTC-05:00 5.0 km

  20. M 2.7 - 9km NNW of Yale, Oklahoma

     2014-03-21 14:11:45 UTC-05:00 7.3 km

  21. M 2.7 - 10km N of Guthrie, Oklahoma

     2014-03-21 06:20:54 UTC-05:00 5.0 km

  22. M 2.9 - 15km NNE of Crescent, Oklahoma

     2014-03-21 04:05:46 UTC-05:00 3.8 km

  23. M 2.8 - 9km SE of Cherokee, Oklahoma

     2014-03-21 01:43:13 UTC-05:00 9.7 km

  24. M 2.8 - 14km NNE of Crescent, Oklahoma

     2014-03-21 01:01:32 UTC-05:00 4.3 km

  25. M 2.5 - 9km NW of Prague, Oklahoma

     2014-03-21 00:46:59 UTC-05:00 5.0 km

  26. M 3.3 - 20km NNE of Enid, Oklahoma

     2014-03-20 17:42:32 UTC-05:00 3.9 km

  27. M 2.8 - 5km SSW of Langston, Oklahoma

     2014-03-20 11:48:49 UTC-05:00 4.4 km

  28. M 2.6 - 5km SSW of Langston, Oklahoma

     2014-03-20 11:46:54 UTC-05:00 4.2 km

  29. M 3.2 - 3km S of Langston, Oklahoma

     2014-03-20 09:39:17 UTC-05:00 5.0 km

  30. M 3.1 - 22km SSE of Medford, Oklahoma

     2014-03-20 00:12:23 UTC-05:00 4.4 km

  31. M 2.6 - 21km SSE of Medford, Oklahoma

     2014-03-20 00:08:48 UTC-05:00 3.5 km

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Instrumental Intensity

ShakeMap Intensity Image

 

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New 9.com

Shake 'Em Up: 4 Earthquakes Roar In Central Oklahoma

Posted: Mar 21, 2014 10:39 PM CST Updated: Mar 21, 2014 10:47 PM CST

Four earthquakes rumbled around central Oklahoma, Friday night.

Four earthquakes rumbled around central Oklahoma, Friday night.

LANGSTON, Oklahoma -

Multiple earthquakes shook up residents in central Oklahoma, Friday night.

The first earthquake struck around 9:35 p.m. and weighed in at a 2.6 on the Richter scale. It was recorded one mile southeast of Langston, or about 34 mile north northeast of the Oklahoma City metro, at a depth of just over three miles.

A second earthquake shook just after 10 p.m. This quake was a 2.8 on the Richter scale and was recorded at a depth of four miles. Its epicenter was located three miles south southwest of Langston.

Then the third and largest earthquake rumbled. At approximately 10:05 p.m., a 4.0 magnitude temblor rattled seven miles south of town at a depth of about two and a half miles.

 

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Quantum Energy Generator Plans Now Available

The cat is out of the bag.  Plans to build the QEG (quantum energy generator) are available.  Please download, make backup copies and send to others.  Now anyone with an electromechanical engineering background and the proper resources can make one.

Time is rapidly running out on the energy companies that have murdered so many in the past for trying to free humanity from their grip...

http://kauilapele.wordpress.com/2014/03/26/the-quantum-energy-generator-qeg-open-source-documents-to-build-your-own-overunity-device/

QEG OPEN SOURCED

As Promised, here are the open sourced documents for a quantum energy generator. This has been made possible by the people and for the people. It is freely given to the world.

CLICK HERE FOR QEG OPEN SOURCE DOCUMENTS

An average modern household requires 5-10KW of power to operate.

A conventional generator needs 15KW to produce 10KW of power.

To produce these 15KW of power we rely on gas, diesel, propane, coal or other products that can be metered creating profits for the oil industry.

130 years ago Nikola Tesla invented and patented an energy generator. This is a resonance machine that only needs 1KW of input power to produce 10KW of output power. His patents are now in the public domain.

The Fix the World Organization has reproduced Teslas design with a few modern twists to generate the same results. Our Quantum Energy Generator (QEG) provides 10KW of power output for less than 1KW input, which it supplies to itself.

We have freely given this technology to the people of the world. We’ve open sourced a full set of instructions, user manual, schematics and parts list for any engineer to follow and reproduce the same results.

How the QEG works:
First we use a starting power source, such as an outlet or a crank to power the 1 horsepower motor. This motor spins the rotor in the generator core. The unique oscillator circuitry configuration in the generator core causes resonance to occur. Once the core achieves this resonance it can produce up to 10KW of power, which can then be run through an inverter to power the motor that spins the rotor. You can then unplug the motor from the original power source and the generator will power itself.

Cottage Industry Community Units specifically for the production of QEG’s are NOW developing in communities in 30+ countries. The People are making their own free energy devices.

The QEG belongs to humanity now. Many will make further improvements and we will all co-develop this practical bridge technology together.

The QEG: For the People and By the People

Fix the World is currently traveling to Taiwan, London and Morocco for the month of April to help communities build QEG’s. Everything we have accomplished has been made possible by the donations of people like you. If you would like to help keep us going, every little bit helps! Please consider giving back and making a donation of any amount to the Fix the World Organization. By Clicking here:

http://hopegirl2012.wordpress.com/donate-to-hopegirl-ftw

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Tuesday, 25 March 2014 19:02

March 25, 2014 -- (TRN) -- In a dramatic and unanticipated change in the civil war situation inside Syria, neighboring Turkey has sent tanks into the Kasaba region of Syria and begun attacking Syrian Army positions. In addition, Turkey fired a surface-to-surface missile into Haram, Syria, where it landed in a residential neighborhood.  The explosion reportedly killed numerous civilians and injured dozens more.   Photo of missile hit below.

 

Turkish military tanks have targeted Syrian army bases in the Kasab border town, where the Syrian army has been battling numerous militant groups to secure the border.


According to Al-Alam reporter in Syria’s Latakia, a huge explosion was heard at a Syrian army base near Kasab after Turkish military targeted the area.

 

The explosion has been followed with Turkish military firing several other rockets at Syrian army bases, the reporter said.  At least one of those rockets is reported to have landed in Haram as shown in the photos below.


The report said, Al-Qaeda’s al-Nusra front have raised their flags over several Turkish military tanks near Kasab, as a sign of having the area under their control.


Syria has been criticizing Turkey for ‘covering for’ militant groups and helping them occupy the Syrian border.


On Sunday, Turkish military shot down a Syrian fighter jet at the Syrian side of the common borders with Turkey, as it was engaged in fighting with extremist foreign-backed militants.


Kasab and its surrounding villages are Armenian Christian-dominated areas, and their value is primarily because of their location near the Turkish border.
Having the town in their control, militant factions not only are able to smuggle in arms for themselves, but are able to demand a cut when other factions use those crossings.

 

Below is a photo of the missile hit in Harem.

missilehitinharem.jpg

Analysts are now wondering if this fighting between Turkey and Syria is part of a deal between the US and Russia over the Crimea situation:" Russia gets Crimea, the US gets to go after Syria.

 

Given the fact that Turkey is a member of NATO, the US will be obligated to get involved in a war between Turkey and Syria.

 

Quite convenient.

 

 

Correction: Edited 3/26/14 at 7:43 AM EDT to correct Harem, Turkey to Haram, Syria and missile was launched by Turkey, not Syria.

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