Heatwave Kills 21 in Egypt

At least 21 people have died and 66 others suffered exhaustion in Egypt due to a severe heatwave that is sweeping across the Arab country.

Fifteen people have died in the capital Cairo, four in Matrouh city and two in the Upper Egyptian city of Qena, the ministry of health said in a statement on Sunday.

The temperature reached 39 degrees Celsius in Cairo and 45 degrees Celsius in the Upper Egypt governorates on Saturday, according to the Egyptian Meteorological Authority (EMA).

The people have been advised to keep away from the direct sunlight.

The heat wave is expected to continue until August 25.

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Heat Wave in Poland Causing Electricity Shortage, Drought

A heat wave in Poland on Monday forced the national supplier to cut electricity to factories for several hours, and Prime Minister Ewa Kopacz appealed to people to save energy during the day.

Temperatures reached 38 Celsius (100 Fahrenheit) over the weekend and there has been almost no rainfall, leading to a drought in agriculture. The levels of the Vistula and several other rivers have fallen dramatically, disrupting navigation in Warsaw and elsewhere.

“The situation resulting from the heat wave is serious and we have bad forecasts for the next 10 or 11 days,” Kopacz said, following a meeting she convened with the government crisis management team.

She appealed to people not to use energy between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m., if possible, but promised there will be no power cuts to individual clients or to hospitals.

Some dams are to increase the water flow to help cool overheating power plants, Kopacz said.

The highest temperature measured in recent days was 38 Celsius in the western Polish city of Wroclaw and elsewhere in the area.

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Locust Swarms Plague Southern Russia

Millions of locusts have descended on farmlands in southern Russia, devouring entire fields of crops and causing officials to declare a state of emergency in the region.

A vast area of at least 800 hectares is currently being affected as the swarms of insects, each measuring about 8 centimeters long, annihilate fields of corn and other crops.

It’s been more than 30 years since this part of southern Russia suffered such a dense plague of locusts, according to local officials.

Officials say at least 10% of crops have already been destroyed, and the locust feeding frenzy is far from over, threatening to devastate the livelihoods of local farmers.

Walking through what remains of his corn field in the Stavropol region, one farmer, Pyotr Stepanchenka, looks distraught.

“Look,” he says to the camera, “there is nothing left of the corn. The locusts ate it all, from the leaves to the cobs.”

On state television, Russian news broadcasts are linking the plague to climate change, connecting the phenomenon to recent flooding amid higher than average temperatures.

Officials from the Russian ministry of agriculture have declared a state of emergency, but appear helpless to prevent the destruction.

They say they are stepping up efforts to save the harvest by increasing crop-spraying flights.

But high summer temperatures, they say, are decreasing the effectiveness of the powerful pesticides they use.

Also, officials say the locust swarms are moving fast across southern Russia, sometimes too fast for the authorities to keep up, leaving a trail of destruction behind them.

“In Kalmikya, Astrakhan, Volgagrad, and Dagestan, there is already no food left for the locusts, so they have moved on to other sources of food,” says Tatiana Drishcheva of the Russia Argricultural Center, a government organization.

“They have wingspans of nearly 12 centimeters, like small sparrows,” she added.

Some frustrated locals, facing ruin, have posted videos of themselves desperately trying to hold back the tide. But it all seems futile in the face of such an overwhelming Russian swarm.

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UN Warns Myanmar Flood Toll To Rise As Rains Lash Region

The toll from flash floods and landslides in Myanmar caused by days of torrential rain is likely to rise, the UN warned Sunday, as monsoon downpours heaped misery on thousands across the region.

At least 27 people have been killed and more than 150,000 affected by flooding in Myanmar in recent days, with the government declaring the four worst-hit areas in central and western Myanmar “national disaster-affected regions”.

Scores have also perished in India, Nepal, Pakistan and Vietnam following floods and landslides triggered by heavy seasonal rains.

Rescue work in Myanmar has been hampered by continued downpours and the inaccessibility of many of the remote regions battered by the deluges.

In Kalay, one of the worst-hit towns in the country’s northwest Sagaing region, floodwaters on Sunday had risen as high as the roofs of houses and above the tops of coconut trees, an AFP photographer at the scene said.

Vast tracts of farmland had been swallowed up by the flooding, turning a normally fertile flat valley into an expansive lake.

An official at Myanmar’s Relief and Resettlement Department, who asked not to be named, told AFP that at least 166,000 people have now been affected by the floods.

But the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said the real figure was likely to be “significantly higher” because many areas “have still not been reached or reported on by assessment teams”.

OCHA said the official death toll of 27 was also likely an underestimate.

“As further information becomes available, this figure is also expected to increase,” the statement warned.

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‘Incredible’ Heat Dome In Middle East Lifts ‘Feels-Like’ Temperatures To 74 Degrees

If you’re grumbling about the extended cold across southern Australia this winter, spare a thought for people in the Middle East who are sweltering through heat that’s rarely been recorded before.

While it might be snowing in Hobart and Melbourne might be expecting a top of just 11 degrees on Monday, Iraq was forced to declare a four-day holiday from last Thursday to help residents cope with extreme conditions as a heat dome set in over the region.

The Iranian port city of Bandar-e Mahshahr recorded an apparent temperature of as much as 74 degrees on Friday. That remarkable reading came from a heat index that is calculated according to a formula that combines the air temperature – 46 degrees at its peak – with the top humidity or dew-point temperature reached of 32 degrees.

Dew point levels above 26 degrees are considered oppressive as the body struggles to lose heat through perspiration.
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“That was one of the most incredible temperature observations I have ever seen, and it is one of the most extreme readings ever in the world,” AccuWeather meteorologist Anthony Sagliani said in a statement.

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Magnitude 6.9 Earthquake Strikes in the South Pacific

A tsunami threat message was canceled Saturday after a strong earthquake struck the Santa Cruz Islands in the South Pacific. No damage or casualties were reported.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said the quake measured 6.9, down from a preliminary estimate of 7.5.

It hit at a depth of 33 kilometers (20 miles) and was centered undersea 75 kilometers (47 miles) northwest of Lata in the western Solomon Islands, where the Santa Cruz Islands are located.

The Santa Cruz Islands are about 2,252 kilometers (1,400 miles) northeast of Brisbane, Australia.

The Solomons comprise more than 200 islands with a population of about 552,000 people. The islands lie on the “Ring of Fire” – an arc that stretches around the Pacific rim and where about 90 percent of the world’s quakes occur.

A magnitude 8 quake near Lata in February 2013 generated a tsunami up to 1.5 meters (5 feet) high that damaged dozens of homes and left several people dead on the western side of the Santa Cruz.

More than 50 people were killed and thousands lost their homes in April 2007, when a magnitude-8.1 quake hit the western Solomon Islands, sending waves crashing into coastal villages.

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Thailand is Suffering From The Worst Drought in Decades

Thailand is experiencing the worst drought in decaes, with seven out of 67 provinces affected and water rationing taking place in almost a third of the country.

Thailand’s Irrigation Department said that the amount of usable water in dams across the country, except in the West, have dwindled to below 10 percent and in the capital Bangkok tap water production has been slowing down since May, reports the Associated Press.

Meanwhile the drought is taking its toll on the country’s farmers.

Rice farmers usually plant their paddy in June or July but because of critical water shortages, the Agriculture Ministry has asked farmers to delay planting their crop until August.

According to the Office of Agricultural Economics, the delay could cost farmers in Thailand’s central plains 60 billion baht ($1.8 billion) in losses and straddle them with significant debt.

“My entire investment for this crop could be gone with the wind,” 66-year-old rice farmer Boontham Cei-pa told Bloomberg. “I’m stressed out and don’t know what to do.”

Thailand is one of the world’s top producers of rice, exporting more than 10 million tons annually. As a result of the drought, the Thai government has lowered its forecast rice exports for this year by 2 million tons.

Fearing the drought could mean a rise in rice prices, African countries have increased their imports, the Nation reports.

“The African market remains an important market for Thailand especially rice and parboiled rice,” Chukiat Opaswong, honorary president of the Thai Rice Exporters Association.

In an effort to support farmers affected by drought, Thailand’s Finance Ministry Monday approved loans of up to 60 billion baht ($1.77 billion) for emergency funds and long-term assistance to increase farm productivity.

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Drought May Trim 2015 Growth by Half Point

Drought may shave half a percentage point off Thailand’s projected GDP growth rate to less than 3% this year, according to a research house. The University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce’s unit said said its 2015 growth forecast might be cut by 0.52 percentage points from 3.2% earlier.

“If the government wants 3.5% growth, it needs to inject 70-100 billion baht into the system and finds remedies for farmers,” said Thanawat Polvichai, director of the university’s Economic and Business Forecasting Centre. A survey on 1,200 farmers and farm officials in 62 provinces found 90% thought the drought this year was more severe than in previous years.

“Small farmers with less than 20 rai, especially those who rent the land, will be the hardest hit,” he said. The impacts were higher production costs, lower output and incomes, as well as higher household debts. Farmers tried to cope with the difficulties by seeking state help, finding new jobs and moving to cities.

“What farmers needed the most from the government was a rice price guarantee, compensation and cost-reduction measures.”

The survey also showed the drought affected farmland in 25 provinces, causing damage to 35% of the land. If the situation improves in September, 10-12 million rai of farmland will be damaged, accounting for 12-15% of all 60 million rai. This will translate into 4 million tonnes of lost rice output worth 35 billion baht, he said.

The Economic Intelligence Center, the research arm of Siam Commercial Bank, also predicted its economic growth forecast might be 0.4% points lower because of the drought.

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Harrowing New Footage Captures the Moment the Nepal Earthquake Struck

Driving through the streets of Kathmandu and walking through the city centre, this footage captures the moment a normal day turned to disaster for the people of Nepal.

More than 8,000 died after a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck the country last month, reducing large parts of the poor nation to rubble in moments.

Now shocking new footage has emerged showing the moment some of the first buildings came toppling down on to the heads of pedestrians below, as well as blocking roads.

The video, part of a documentary by campaign group Nepal Rises, also shows ordinary Nepalese speaking about their harrowing experiences during the natural disaster.

One woman describes how her house collapsed during the tremors with her husband still inside.

She says her family searched for two hours in order to find him, but he had already passed away. All she could do was hold his lifeless body in her arms.

Meanwhile another elderly Nepalese woman describes being buried in rubble for two hours before he cries for help alerted rescue workers, who manged to dig her out.

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Pakistan Heat Wave: Death Toll Passes 700 in Karachi, Sindh Province

The death toll soared to 748 people in Pakistan’s heat wave after authorities began counting deaths in the province surrounding Karachi, officials said Wednesday local time.

Authorities earlier reported 323 deaths in only Karachi in the three-day heat disaster.

But more deaths were reported by officials in the Sindh Province, said National Disaster Management Authority spokesman Ahmed Kamal.

Officials also told CNN that the number of patients treated for heat stroke in Jinnah hospital, the largest in the Karachi, is 2,360. Karachi, a seaside city, is Pakistan’s largest.

At least one city morgue, CNN affiliate Geo.tv has reported, has been overwhelmed with the numbers of dead.

Death tolls in local media reports vary.

The Sindh provincial government has declared a state of emergency in all its government hospitals, canceling leave of medical personnel and bringing in further medical supplies.

The record-breaking temperatures would likely bring more deaths before cooler weather, forecast for later in the week, arrive.

Saturday’s temperature reached 44.8 degrees Celsius (112.64 degrees Fahrenheit) — the highest-recorded temperature in Pakistan in the past 15 years.

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