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Snowstorm Breaks Records from Oklahoma to Mississippi
Before creating travel hazards across the Southeast, a winter storm dumped feet of snow over parts of Oklahoma and Arkansas and set several snowfall records across the southern Plains and lower Mississippi Valley on Wednesday.
The brunt of Wednesday’s winter storm was endured by far northeastern Oklahoma and neighboring northwestern Arkansas, where snow amounted to around 2 feet.
More specifically, an area near the town of Jay, Okla., measured 25.0 inches. Springdale, Ark., recorded 2 feet exactly.
Between 16 to 18 inches buried Fayetteville, Ark. The city only averages 6.1 inches for an entire winter.
A car became stranded in the snow on Interstate 540 in Fayetteville, Ark., on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Beth Hall)
A couple of factors went into play for the winter storm to Read more…
China spends $1 billion to tackle drought
Beijing (CNN) — China’s government will invest $1 billion to combat a three month drought crippling the country’s north.
The worst drought in six decades threatens to ruin China’s winter harvest, the world’s largest producer of wheat.
To combat it, China’s government plans to spend around 6.7 billion yuan ($1.02 billion) to divert water to affected areas and irrigation facilities according to the state news agency, Xinhua.
Some 2.57 million people and 2.79 million livestock are suffering from drinking water shortages, Xinhua said.
The main affected provinces include Shandong, Jiangsu, Henan, Hebei and Shanxi, which together account for about 60% of the wheat planted this winter.
The United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) issued an alert Tuesday, warning of severe wheat shortages, saying “the ongoing drought is potentially a serious problem.”
According to the FAO the drought is now affecting an area of around 5.16 million hectares, representing two-thirds of China’s wheat production.
Meanwhile the country’s capital Beijing got it first snowfall in more than three months overnight on Wednesday. But the precipitation is unlikely to end the area’s drought, reported Xinhua.
The precipitation followed cloud seeding by the municipal artificial weather intervention office, the agency said.
Lava-like substance triggers panic
Black liquid found oozing out from a field in Malkapuram of Anantapur
A lava like liquid substance erupted at Malkapuram village in Dharmavaram mandal on Saturday.
A shepherd first noticed a strange odour and plants withering. The inquisitive shepherd alerted other villagers who came to find out the source of the bad odour and finally zeroed in to the field belonging to one farmer Lakshminarayana Reddy.
At the field, the villagers found two deep holes from which lava-like black like substance erupted.
Scared at the strange phenomenon, the villagers alerted a geologist for studying the strange phenomenon .
According to an eye witness fire along with the black substance erupted out of the Earth surface at two different points. Geologist Mohana Rao said that a disturbance in the Earth had occurred after the earth quakes in Thailand, Tirupati and Delhi.
Weak zone
The rock formations process below the earth surface had created gaps resulting in creation of a weak zone in the Dolorite rocks.
Explaining the phenomenon, Mohan Rao maintained that an inorganic compound solution had oozed out of Uthosphere . The lava substance is being sent to geological laboratory for a thorough study.
Pakistan successfully test fires Hatf-VII missile
Pakistan successfully test fires Hatf-VII missile
The missile can carry conventional and other warheads, the ISPR said. — Photo by AFP (File)
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s military says it has successfully test-fired a cruise missile capable of carrying ”strategic and conventional” war heads.
An army statement says the Hatf-VII or Babur missile, which has a range of 360 miles (600 kilometers), was test-fired from an undisclosed location Thursday. The statement did not specifically say if the missile could carry nuclear warheads.
Senior army officials and scientists attended the testing.
Pakistan and its nuclear-armed rival neighboring India routinely test different versions of their missiles. The two countries have fought three wars since they gained independence from Britain in 1947. – AP
APP adds:
Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, officers and scientists witnessed the test.
President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani congratulated the scientists and engineers for successfully conducting the test.
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