Saturday, August 30 -"Marches are being held throughout Mexico to protest against a wave of killings, kidnappings and shootouts sweeping the nation. The rallies are being held in each of Mexico's 32 states, with up to 500,000 people expected in the capital Mexico City alone, organisers say. Many protesters say the government is unable to curb the violence. Some 2,700 people have been killed in Mexico this year, most of them victims of drug-related attacks. (More from the BBC and a prior blog.)
Massive North Indian Floods
Saturday, August 30 - The worst floods in a half-century have displaced over 600,000 Indians and Nepalese. According to AFP the flooding Kosi River "is known as the River of Sorrows due to disastrous floods during the monsoon season."
WVA Chemical Plant Explosion
Saturday, August 30 - A Friday night explosion at an Institute, West Virginia chemical plant killed one and injured at least one other, according to the Associated Press. Major media is not yet reporting the connection, but this seems to be the same chemical plant involved in the August 11, 1985 accidental chemical release that resulted in the hospitalization of hundreds and a February 1990 release when seven were injured and 15,000 nearby residents were instructed to shelter-in-place. UPDATE: The Charlestown Gazette reported on the plant's safety history.
Katrina Anniversary and new Anxiety
Friday, August 29 - As New Orleans marks the third anniversary of Hurricane Katrina's landfall, Hurricane Gustav crosses Jamaica and heads into the warm waters of the Gulf. In the Atlantic the threat from Tropical Storm Hanna may be weakening according to the National Hurricane Center.
Gustav taking Aim
Thursday, August 28 - The National Hurricane Center has projected Gustav is likely to come ashore next Tuesday morning along the Gulf coast. Louisiana has declared a state of emergency and requested a pre-landfall federal disaster declaration. Tropical Depression 8 is heading toward the East Coast. UPDATE: Tropical Depression 8 has strengthened to Tropical Storm Hanna. Link for TD8 automatically updates information from the National Hurricane Center.
VHF Kills Three in Afghanistan
Wednesday, August 27 - An outbreak of Viral Hemorrhagic Fever (VHF) has killed at least three people in Herat Province, western Afghanistan, over the past three days, the Ministry of Public Health has said. The highly contagious disease was first reported on 26 August in Herat city where health officials confirmed 10 VHF suspected cases. More information is available from IRIN.
Gustav Strengthening and Moving West
Wednesday, August 27 - According to the National Hurricane Center Gustav is one of three or four potential troublemakers lining up across the Atlantic.
Al Qaeda target of Islamic Critics
Wednesday, August 27 - The BBC reports on "former allies of bin Laden, who are now working to turn Islamist sentiment against al-Qaeda, and examines how the war of ideas within the jihadi movement is becoming as important as the military frontline." The UPI reported a similar story on August 13.
Planetary Emergencies Identified
Tuesday, August 26 - The World Federation of Scientists meeting in Erice, Sicily has identified 15 Planetary Emergencies. According to the New York Times, "More than 120 scientists, engineers, analysts and economists from 30 countries were hunkered down here for the 40th annual conference on 'planetary emergencies.' The term was coined by Dr. Antonino Zichichi, a native son and a theoretical physicist who has made Erice a hub for experts to discuss persistent, and potentially catastrophic, global challenges."
New Hurricane(s)
Tuesday, August 26 - Early this morning the tropical wave first observed last Monday forming in the Eastern Atlantic became Hurricane Gustav. Predictions call for it to enter the Gulf of Mexico later this week as a Category 3 Hurricane. Another substantial low pressure area trails Gustav by a few hundred miles and a new tropical wave has formed over the Cape Verde Islands.
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