The Big Wobble - WOW, LOOK AT THE PICTURES

Although 2016 was a relatively average year for the world's active volcanoes, the activity that did take place was still spectacular.
Out of an estimated 1,500 active volcanoes, 44 erupted in 2016, spewing steam, ash, toxic gases, and lava.
2015 recorded only 43 confirmed eruptions, one less than 2016

Around 40 confirmed eruption is an average year this century with totals remaining pretty stable through the first 16 years.

Smithsonion Institution


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Photo ibtimes.co.uk

Theresa May hails the triggering of Article 50, saying:

"This is an historic moment from which there can be no turning back - Britain is leaving the European Union - we're going to make our own decisions and our own laws, we're going to take control of the things that matter most to us. And we're going to take this opportunity to build a stronger and fairer Britain that our children and grandchildren are proud to call home."

Forty-four years after Britain joined the EU, Brexit today reached the point of no return as Theresa May triggers Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty. Just before lunch Britain’s ambassador to Brussels handed over a letter, signed by the Prime Minister, that kicks off the two-year divorce. Sir Tim Barrow arrived this morning with the letter concealed safely in a diplomatic bag. At the same time as he gave the letter to European Council President Donald Tusk, Mrs May addressed MPs on a momentous day for Britain.

The left wing Guardian Newspaper reports...
Theresa May’s tactic is clear: to accuse anyone who dares question her headlong, blindfold charge towards hard Brexit of being democracy deniers.
This despite it looking increasingly likely that the result of her reckless, divisive Brexit will be to leave the single market and not reduce immigration – the very opposite of what Brexiteers pitched to the people.
As the vast Unite for Europe march last weekend showed, the anger is not ebbing, it is growing, and among some who voted leave as well as remain.
Realisation is growing that the Conservative Brexit government is stealing the result of the referendum by wilfully misinterpreting it – and then having the brass neck to accuse anyone who reminds the Brexiteers of their promises of somehow being an enemy of the people.

The right wing Daily Mail report was much more optimistic...
History was made today as the Article 50 letter confirming Britain's divorce from the EU was finally delivered - with Theresa May hailing a 'great turning point' for the country.
The Prime Minister delivered a optimistic vision of a UK whose 'best days lie ahead' as she confirmed her envoy Sir Tim Barrow has handed the formal notification to European Council president Donald Tusk in Brussels.
As the point of no return was reached, Mrs May told the House of Commons that she was 'giving effect to the democratic will of the UK people'.
'The Article 50 process is now underway... In accordance with the wishes of the people, the United Kingdom is leaving the EU



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Click on RSOE Alert map to enlarge, red squares indicate humans infected or dead

• More than a million birds destroyed this year in Taiwan
  
• 18,000 chickens killed in new outbreak in Georgia U.S.
  
• 270,000 culled chickens in Japan this week
  

Taiwan
Taipei, a poultry farm in Liujiao Township of Chiayi County, southern Taiwan, was confirmed Monday to be infected with the highly pathogenic avian influenza virus, leading to the culling of 13,349 birds, the county's Livestock Disease Control Office said.
This was the third poultry farm hit by avian influenza subtype H5 in the southern Taiwanese county so far this year, according to data released by the Cabinet-level Council of Agriculture (COA).
As of 6 p.m. Monday, a total of 1,009,068 birds have been destroyed at 110 poultry farms infected with highly pathogenic avian flu viruses across Taiwan since the beginning of this year.
United States
The Georgia Department of Agriculture reports that the state's first case of avian influenza (bird flu) has been found in Chattooga County.
Chickens, part of a flock of 18,000 birds at a commercial poultry breeding operation tested positive for H7, presumptive low pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI).
Officials for the GDA say this is the first confirmation of avian influenza in domestic poultry in Georgia.
Japan
SENDAI – The chicken cull sparked by the nation’s latest bird flu outbreaks fell short of the originally planned goal of 300,000 Sunday as authorities in Miyagi and Chiba prefectures opted to settle for roughly 209,000 and 62,000 chickens, respectively.
The two prefectures north of Tokyo were spurred into action by outbreaks of the highly pathogenic H5 strain of bird flu at local poultry farms.
Agricultural officials in Chiba finished their cull on Saturday.

Focus Taiwan

WRCBtv

The Japan Times

RSOE AVIAN FLU MAP

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Photo newsradio1310.com
HOWLING winds, heavy rain and huge seas pounded Australia's northeast today, damaging homes, wrecking jetties and cutting power to thousands of people as Tropical Cyclone Debbie tore through Queensland state's far north.
Wind gusts stronger than 160 mph were recorded at tourist resorts along the world-famous Great Barrier Reef as the powerful storm, at category four just one rung below the most dangerous wind speed level, began to make landfall.
No injuries had been reported so far but the storm was travelling southwest so slowly that weather forecasters said cyclone conditions could persist for as long as 24 hours.
"It's very noisy: Screaming, howling wind ... sounds like a freight train," Jan Clifford said by text from Airlie Beach, about 590 miles northwest of the state capital, Brisbane.
Authorities had urged thousands of people in low-lying areas to flee their homes yesterday, in what would be the biggest evacuation seen in Australia since Cyclone Tracy devastated the northern city of Darwin on Christmas Day, 1974.

On March 28 at 03:42 UTC (1:42 p.m. AEST Queensland local time /Mar. 27 at 11:42 p.m. EST) NASA-NOAA's Suomi NPP satellite captured this visible image of Tropical Cyclone Debbie over eastern Australia. Credits: NASA/NOAA

Cyclone Debbie made landfall at Airlie Beach shortly after midday local time (0200 GMT), knocking out telephone services.
Torrential rain flooded streets and wind smashed windows, uprooted trees and tossed debris through streets, while jetties at Airlie Beach marina were wrecked, pictures broadcast on Nine Network television showed.
Power was cut for 38,000 people in a wide area between the towns of Bowen and Mackay, north and south of Airlie Beach, utility Ergon Energy said. Ports at Abbot Point, Mackay and Hay Point were shut, Townsville airport was closed and airlines Qantas, Jetstar, Rex and Virgin Australia cancelled several flights to and from the region.

Cyclone Debbie from the ISS
BHP Billiton and Glencore halted work at their coal mines in the storm's path.
The cyclone had earlier swept through the Whitsunday islands further east, where tourist resorts were damaged and boats torn from moorings, guests told Reuters by phone.
Television pictures showed churning seas had washed away once-idyllic beaches.
Cyclone Debbie is the most powerful storm to hit Queensland since Cyclone Yasi destroyed homes and crops and devastated island resorts in 2011.
"The eye itself is probably 30 miles across," said senior forecaster Adam Blazak.
A tidal surge was expected to flood low-lying areas near Mackay as the storm whipped up waves and currents and lifted sea levels.
Authorities said it was too dangerous to venture outside and assess damage.
Emergency response crews were also hunkered down until the storm blew over.
It is going to take a long time, well into this afternoon and to the evening before these winds even start to die down," Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk told Australian Broadcasting Corporation television.
Holidaymakers tried to make the best of it as they bunkered down in resort buildings.
"Go to the Whitsundays they said, it'd be fun they said, beautiful weather over here ... if we had a kite," holidaymaker Kurt Moore told the Sydney Morning Herald.
Despite issuing evacuation orders, police told Reuters they were not sure how many people had heeded their advice.
Only about 400 people went to cyclone shelters as the winds gathered strength, making it more dangerous to venture outside.
That did not deter some thrill-seeking bodyboarders who paddled out to surf in the heaving seas at Airlie Beach, television footage showed.
Police blamed the wild weather associated with the storm for a traffic accident on Monday in which a 31-year-old female tourist was killed.



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Source: RPP / Rosario Coronado
Thousands of fish were found dead the Cartagena reservoir, which is administered by the Commission of Irrigators of Capote in Chiclayo (region Lambayeque). It was a group of farmers of the area, who very surprised, alerted on the unfortunate fact to reporters of RPP News.
The loss of freshwater species, including catfish, tilapia, cachuelo, life, tripón and mojarra, were found at the site, which are stranded on the banks, in a state of decomposition, and others are floating. To this sad panorama is added that the waters look a dark color and also several aquatic plants are drying, worrying still more the inhabitants and men of the field of the zone, since the reservoir is considered like one of its most important natural heritages .

Source: RPP / Rosario Coronado
Peruvians have struggled to cope with avalanches, mudslides and extensive flash flooding caused by torrential downpours, and forecasters predicted still more rain ahead, prolonging the country's woes.
It has been a bad year for flooding in Peru, and the toll including from the latest dangerous weather now stands at 75 since January, the government said.
Devastating damage reports continue to pour in.
The National Emergency Operations Center said 99,475 Peruvians had lost everything since the beginning of the year, while 626,928 had suffered serious damage to their homes.
The government predicted days of more rain ahead.

RPP Noticas

Mass animal die offs


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