Destructive, shallow and deadly earthquake jolts Yunnan - Sichuan border region, China
According to statement from the Yunnan Provincial Civil Affairs Department, the earthquake has toppled 600 residential units and damaged 55 500 others, some 9 200 local residents have been forced to relocate. There are about 467 340 people living within 100 km radius. According to USGS, epicenter was located below the city of Benzilan at shallow depth of 10 km. China Earthquake Network Center said the epicenter is believed to be Xingfu Village in Nixi Township of Shangri-La.
Laser fusion experiment yields record energy
In the early morning hours of Aug.13, Lawrence Livermore's National Ignition Facility (NIF) focused all 192 of its ultra-powerful laser beams on a tiny deuterium-tritium filled capsule. In the nanoseconds that followed, the capsule imploded and released a neutron yield of nearly 3x1015, or approximately 8,000 joules of neutron energy—approximately three times NIF's previous neutron yield record for cryogenic implosions.
Swarm of strong earthquakes rattle Andreanof Islands region, Alaska
Earthquake sequence that started with M 7.0 on August 30 at 16:25 UTC generated 44 M1+ earthquakes until 07:00 UTC on August 31, according to USGS. In that timeframe, USGS reported 30 M 2.5+ earthquakes and 13 M 4.5+, with strongest being M 6.1 at 06:38 UTC and M 5.5 at 6:43 UTC today. The location of the swarm is south of Andreanof Islands and on top of the subducted plate where the oceanic Pacific plate subducts the North American plate at a very high speed.
Obama Backs Down, Seeks Congressional OK For Syria Action
Obama unexpectedly stepped back from a missile attack against Syria on Saturday and instead asked Congress to support a strike punishing Bashar Assad’s regime for the alleged use of chemical weapons.
The Traveling Ark Sails Into The US Army Fort Hamilton Base
For the first time in history did a traveling ark complete with live animals interactive displays, talking moose, etc…. show up at an US army base ..where it was admired and “wowed“ by all the soldiers , and their families,
GEOMAGNETIC UNREST
Earth's polar magnetic field is unsettled as our planet enters a stream of fast (~500 km/s) solar wind. The encounter is sparking the first auroras of September.
Strong 6.5-magnitude earthquake strikes off eastern Indonesia: USGS
A powerful 6.5-magnitude earthquake struck off eastern Indonesia on Sunday, the United States Geological Survey said, but no tsunami warning was issued.
NASA's Chandra Observatory Catches Giant Black Hole Rejecting Material
The researchers found that the Chandra data from Sgr A* did not support theoretical models in which the X-rays are emitted from a concentration of smaller stars around the black hole. Instead, the X-ray data show the gas near the black hole likely originates from winds produced by a disk-shaped distribution of young massive stars.
Rebels Admit Responsibility for Chemical Weapons Attack
Rebels Admit Responsibility for Chemical Weapons Attack - Militants tell AP reporter they mishandled Saudi-supplied chemical weapons, causing accident. Syrian rebels in the Damascus suburb of Ghouta have admitted to Associated Press journalist Dale Gavlak that they were responsible for last week’s chemical weapons incident which western powers have blamed on Bashar Al-Assad’s forces, revealing that the casualties were the result of an accident caused by rebels mishandling chemical weapons provided to them by Saudi Arabia.
U.S. Reveals: Indyk Took Part in One Peace Meeting
The U.S. State Department revealed on Sunday for the first time that the U.S. envoy to the Israeli-Palestinian Authority talks had taken part in a meeting between the two parties since negotiations resumed in late July. "The negotiations have been serious, and U.S. Special Envoy Martin Indyk and his team have been fully briefed on the bilateral talks and also participated in a bilateral negotiating session," said State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki. "As we have said in the past, we are not planning to read out the details of these meetings."
U.S. Sending Nuclear-Powered Aircraft Carrier to Middle East
he nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Nimitz and other ships in its strike group are heading toward the Red Sea to help support a limited U.S. strike on Syria if needed, defense officials told the Reuters news agency on Sunday.
Abbas: US Promised Us Full Withdrawal as Basis of Talks
Palestinian Authority chief Mahmoud Abbas said that the United States had promised him that it would support the PA's demands that Israel withdraw to the 1948 cease-fire lines as the basis for any final status agreement with Israel. The statement shoots down claims by Israeli officials, such as President Shimon Peres, that the PA had agreed to Israel's retention of the so-called “settlement blocs.”
White House to Congress: Help Israel, Bomb Syria
Obama is convincing congressmen to support a strike against Syria by saying that it will help protect Israel, reports Politico.
Arab states call for international action against Syrian regime
At an Arab League meeting in Cairo on Sunday evening, foreign ministers passed a resolution pressing the United Nations and the global community to “take the deterrent and necessary measures against the culprits of this crime that the Syrian regime bears responsibility for,” according to Reuters.
Taliban bombers attack US base in Afghanistan
Taliban militants have attacked a US base in eastern Afghanistan, sparking a lengthy gun battle in which three insurgents were killed. Reports say the attack on Torkham base in Nangarhar province unfolded after militants torched Nato supply trucks on the highway leading to the base.
Hamas slams Egyptian plan to create buffer zone with Gaza
The Hamas government said Sunday it was “surprised” to hear that Egypt is planning to create a buffer zone along the border with the Gaza Strip. Ehab Ghissin, spokesman for the Hamas government, said that there should be no buffer zones “between brothers and friendly countries.”
Analysis: Putin sees chance to turn tables on Obama at G20
Less than three months after Vladimir Putin was cast as a pariah over Syria at the last big meeting of world leaders, the Russian president has glimpsed a chance to turn the tables on Barack Obama. The U.S. president's dilemma over a military response to an alleged poison gas attack in Syria means Obama is the one who is under more pressure going into a G20 summit in St Petersburg on Thursday and Friday.
NYC cancels last day of music festival after deaths
The final day of a three-day dance music festival held on New York's Randall's Island was canceled Sunday after the deaths of two attendees and the hospitalizations of several others, apparently linked to drugs.
Syria minister: US strike on Syria 'would benefit al-Qaeda'
Any US military action against Syria would amount to "support for al-Qaeda and its affiliates," Damascus has said. Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad also told the BBC that armed groups backed by America - not Syrian troops - had used chemical weapons.