Tuesday, January 07, 2020

EARTHQUAKES PUERTO RICO 2020 UPDATED

A 6.5 magnitude earthquake hit Puerto Rico a day after another quake rocked the island
SINCE JAN 2 PR HAS HAD EARTHQUAKES WEEKLY AND THEY HAVE BEEN GETTING STRONGER AS QUAKES, AFTERSHOCKS AND AS TREMBLORS SINCE THEN AWAITING THE BIG ONE, A CENTURY 
AFTER A 7.1 QUAKE HIT THE ISLAND IN 1918

By Joe Sutton and Hollie Silverman, CNN
Updated 4:
47 AM ET, Tue January 7, 2020
(CNN)A 6.5 magnitude earthquake rocked Puerto Rico early Tuesday morning, just one day after a 5.8 magnitude quake shook the island, according to the United States Geological Service earthquake map.
The 6.5 quake struck at 3:24 a.m. local time about 10 kilometers south of Indios, Puerto Rico USGS said.
The Authority of Electrical Energy, the power company for Puerto Rico, said that power plants have activated an auto protective mechanism and are out of service following the earthquake.
On Twitter, Puerto Rico Governor Wanda Vazquez Garced told citizens to remain calm as the government responds to the most recent quake.
    "I hope all are well. We are getting our information from @NMEADpr and @DSPnoticias," the tweet said. "The entire government is active and in action. I ask our people to remain calm and urge you to remain safe."
    No tsunami is expected following the earthquake, the US National Tsunami Warning Center said.
    There were no immediate reports of damage following Tuesday's quake.
    Geologists warned that more earthquakes, known as aftershocks and tremors, would follow Monday's quake.
    "When there are more earthquakes, the chance of a large earthquake is greater which means that the chance of damage is greater," the USGS said.
    On Monday, the early morning quake in the same area caused some damage, including a home collapse in Guayanilla, Puerto Rico, Director of Emergency Management Carlos Acevedo said.
      Acevedo also said that rock slides along Route 2 were reported.
      This is a developing story and CNN will update as more information becomes available.
      Jeremiah Rodriguez
      Published Monday, January 6, 2020


      This combo of two photos shows "Punta Ventana," or Window Point, in Guayanilla, Puerto Rico 

      on Jan. 27, 2019, top, before it fell, and after it fell on Jan. 6, 2020 due to an earthquake. 
      (Edgar Gracia Portello via AP, top, and AP Photo by Jorge A Ramirez Portela, bottom)

      TORONTO -- Popular tourist attraction Punta Ventana, a natural rock formation, appears to have been destroyed by a 5.8-magnitute earthquake in Puerto Rico.

      The temblor has destroyed homes and buildings in the U.S. territory’s southern end and appears to have affected the local landmark natural rock archway, which was shaped by centuries of ocean waves.

      Tourists had regularly snapped pictures of videos atop of Punta Ventana in Guayanilla, Puerto Rico.

      Related Stories
      5.8-magnitude quake strikes Puerto Rico, damaging homes


      Read more about the Puerto Rican earthquake here

      In a Facebook post, Guayanilla press official Glidden López Torres touched upon the destruction and wrote, “today our icon remains in the memory of all.”

      On Monday, side-by-side images of the destruction of the iconic wonder were widely shared on social media.



      [GUAYANILLA] Desaparece la ventana natural en Punta Ventana, Guayanilla. pic.twitter.com/IN0LI7XuKK— UPRM Meteorological Laboratory (@UPRMetLab) January 6, 2020



      Glid López
      14 hours ago
      Luego del sismo de esta madrugada personal del Municipio visitó las diferentes comunidades para verificar viviendas afectadas.
      Hasta el momento el informe señala una vivienda colapsada en el barrio Playa, una residencia en el barrio Indios desalojada por prevención.
      La carretera PR-335 hubo deslizamiento de terreno que fue resuelto temprano en la mañana. 
      ...See More

      Some of these included a tweet from a student-run meteorological laboratory at the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez. Translated from Spanish, their tweet read in part: “The Punta Ventana (Window Point ) has disappeared.”

      The New York Times, NPR and The Miami Herald have also reported on the rock formation appearing to collapse after the earthquake.

      The Herald spoke to a 22-year-old Guayanilla resident Denniza Colon who said she walked by the arch on Monday and noticed it was gone. “This is really sad,” she told the outlet.

      NPR reported that a “string of recent seismic movements had already knocked a large chunk out of the window.”

      QUAKE HIT EARLY MONDAY MORNING

      This latest quake hit at about 6:32 a.m. local time and led to homes being destroyed, loss of power across swaths of the island and rockslides covering entire roads.

      No casualties have been reported.

      But this devastating quake is simply the latest in a flurry of earthquakes -- ranging from 4.7 to 5.1 on the Richter Scale -- that have rocked the U.S. territory since Dec. 28.

      There is no public earthquake warning system in Puerto Rico except for the sirens that are supposed to ring in case of a tsunami.

      With files from The Associated Press


      Puerto Rico earthquakes destroy tourist landmarks Punta Ventana, Cueva Ventana and Ruinas del Fara
      Sara M Moniuszko
      USA TODAY
      A popular tourist landmark in Puerto Rico, Punta Ventana, was destroyed in the Puerto Rico earthquakes Monday..

      Additionally, the Puerto Rico Tourism Company confirmed in a statement to USA TODAY that two other sites, Cueva Ventana and Ruinas del Faro, also suffered irreparable damage.

      A 5.8-magnitude quake hit the Caribbean island before dawn Monday, unleashing small landslides, causing power outages and severely cracking homes. It was one of the strongest quakes yet to hit the U.S. territory, which has been hit by temblors for the past week.

      There were no immediate reports of casualties.

      The tourism company said no damage was reported in most other regions of the island.

      The head of the organization encourages tourists and locals to stay calm and review their action plans in case of emergencies.

      The beachside rock formation was located in the town of Guayanilla and was aptly named Punta Ventana (or "Window Point") as it resembled a stone window that looked out to a beautiful view of the ocean behind it.

      According to The New York Times, Mayor Nelson Torres Yordán said "it finally fell" on Monday after the formation started to look vulnerable when smaller temblors began hitting the area a week earlier.

      Denniza Colon, a 22-year-old resident of Guayanilla, told the Miami Herald that she was shocked when she saw the arch had vanished.

      “This is really sad,” she told the outlet in a telephone interview. “It was one of the biggest tourism draws of Guayanilla.”

      A tourism draw, indeed. Some of the over 16,000 Instagram results for the hashtag #Guayanilla feature shots of Punta Ventana.

      Side-by-side images of the destruction are also being shared around social media, though USA TODAY was unable to verify the photos' authenticity.

      User @savingpuertorico shared a post along with the caption: "One of Puerto Rico’s iconic natural wonders — a soaring stone arch along the southern coast known as Punta Ventana or Window Point — collapsed early Monday"
      Punta Ventana


      Contributing: Danico Coto, The Associated Press

      More:'Panic' in Puerto Rico as two strong earthquakes strike within hour


      EARTHQUAKES SWARM PUERTO RICO
      5.8 magnitude earthquake rocks Puerto Rico
      It's the latest in a string of earthquakes to hit the island's southern region.


      By Morgan Winsor
      6 January 2020

      A 5.8 magnitude earthquake rocked Puerto Rico early Monday morning, according to the U.S. Geological Service.




      A house is seen collapsed on its foundation after an earthquake in Guanica, Puerto Rico, Jan. 6, 2020.A house is seen collapsed on its foundation after an earthquake in Guanica, Puerto Rico, Jan. 6, 2020.Ricardo Ortiz/Reuters


      The quake struck off the southern coast of the U.S. territory in the Caribbean Sea at a shallow depth of 6 kilometers, or under 4 miles. The epicenter was recorded just 8 miles south of Indios, Puerto Rico, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
      (MORE: Already bracing for tropical depression, Puerto Rico rocked by 6.0 earthquake)

      It's the latest in a string of earthquakes to hit the island's southern region over the past several days.
      (MORE: FEMA official accused of bribery, fraud following Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico)

      Angel Vazquez, the emergency management director for the city of Ponce, 17 miles east of Indios, told The Associated Press that the shaking from Monday's quake "lasted a long time."




      A Puerto Rican flag hangs from the porch of a home that collapsed on top of parked cars after an earthquake hit Guanica, Puerto Rico, Jan. 6, 2020.A Puerto Rican flag hangs from the porch of a home that collapsed on top of parked cars after an earthquake hit Guanica, Puerto Rico, Jan. 6, 2020.Carlos Giusti/AP

      "This is one of the strongest quakes to date since it started shaking on Dec. 28," he said.



      PUERTO RICO 

      A Pair of Earthquakes Shake Puerto Rico

      A 5.8-magnitude earthquake was felt throughout Puerto Rico on Monday morning after a shallow quake originated just south of the Island. A 5.1-magnitude earthquake was felt shortly after the initial quake.

      Mayor Bill de Blasio
      NYCMayor
      Our fellow Americans in Puerto Rico have endured so much pain these past few years, and today's earthquake has brought even more. We're standing with our sixth borough tonight. And we'll be there for them as they recover. https://t.co/jZX8UI9GqS

      Jan. 6, 2020

      ENTERING THE NEW YEAR AND NEW DECADE 
      WITH A SHAKE RATTLE AND ROLL, A HARBINGER
      OF THINGS TO COME 
      4.5-magnitude earthquake hits Puerto Rico amid rare seismic activity
      UPDATED ON: JANUARY 2, 2020 / 7:18 PM / AP

      A 4.5-magnitude earthquake hit Puerto Rico on Thursday in the latest of a rare string of quakes that has frightened many in the U.S. territory. The most recent quake occurred eight miles south of Guayanilla at a shallow depth of four miles and was felt in the capital of San Juan and elsewhere in Puerto Rico, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. No immediate damage was reported.


      "We haven't stopped shaking," said Ángel Vázquez, emergency management director for the southern coastal town of Ponce. "It's the first time something like this happens."

      The flurry of quakes began the night of December 28, with a 4.7-magnitude quake followed by a 5.1-magnitude one that hit near Puerto Rico's south coast and sent dozens of panicked people into the streets. Goods fell off supermarket shelves, cracks in homes were reported in some coastal towns, and a large rock fell and blocked a road. No injuries were reported.

      Earthquake jolts Puerto Rico, causing damage and "state of panic"

      Since then, more than 1,100 earthquakes have occurred in that region. The majority have not been felt, except for the 4.2-magnitude one that hit December 31 and the one on Thursday.

      "I've spent 29 years with Puerto Rico's Seismic Network, and it's the first time I observe this kind of activity," director Víctor Huérfano told The Associated Press. "There's no way to predict when it's going to end, or if it's going to lead to a major event."

      He said the flurry of quakes have been extremely superficial and have occurred along three faults in Puerto Rico's southwest region: Lajas Valley, Montalva Point and the Guayanilla Canyon.

      "In general, the force behind all of this is the North American plate and the Caribbean plate squeezing Puerto Rico," he said.

      A similar cluster of quakes occurred last year along Puerto Rico's northwest coast following a 6.0-magnitude earthquake in late September that led to more than 1,200 quakes in that area, Huérfano said. One of the largest and most damaging earthquakes to hit Puerto Rico occurred in October 1918, when a 7.3-magnitude quake struck near the island's northwest coast, unleashing a tsunami and killing 116 people.

      First published on January 2, 2020 / 7:13 PM

      © 2020 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. 


      SEE  https://plawiuk.blogspot.com/search?q=PUERTO+RICO

      BIBI BOASTS ABOUT HAVING A-BOMB

      I SAID WE HAD A BOMB NOT WE HAVE A-BOMB


      Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared to accidentally admit his country has nuclear capabilities with an apparent slip of the tongue on Sunday.


      Mr Netanyahu described his country as a “nuclear power” at a weekly cabinet meeting before quickly correcting himself with an embarrassed smile.


      Israel is widely-believed to possess nuclear weapons but it has never confirmed or denied claims about its atomic arsenal and has maintained a policy of deliberate ambiguity on the issue for decades.

      While reading prepared remarks in Hebrew on a deal with Greece and Cyprus for a subsea gas pipeline, Mr Netanyahu said: “The significance of this project is that we are turning Israel into a nuclear power.”



      He immediately corrected himself to say “energy power” and then paused before continuing with his comments.



      The apparent blunder comes at a time of heightened tensions between the US, an ally of Israel, and arch-foe Iran after Donald Trump ordered an airstrike which killed top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani in Iraq.
      Mr Netanyahu has welcomed the killing and praised Mr Trump for ordering the strike, which sparked anger in the Middle East and threats of retaliation from Iran.

      The Israeli prime minister is currently fighting for his political survival after two inconclusive election results in April and September last year and an indictment on corruption charges in November.

      He has denied the charges, which include bribery, fraud and breach of trust, and asked to be granted immunity.
      Read more
      Benjamin Netanyahu asks for immunity from corruption chargesThe request is expected to delay his trial until after another election in March, which is now likely to focus on whether he should be granted immunity or step down to stand trial.
      Despite international pressure, Israel has refused to sign the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, which aims to further the goal of nuclear disarmament.
      Video: 200 Israeli Nuclear Weapons Targeted against Iran ...
      https://www.globalresearch.ca › video-israel-200-nuclear-weapons-targeted...Jun 19, 2019 - This incisive article by award winning author Manlio Dinucci was first published in May 2019. The decision by the United States to exit the ...
       
      Israel has 200 nukes pointed at Iran, according to Powell emails  https://nypost.com › 2016/09/16 › israel-has-200-nukes-pointed-at-iran-ac...Sep 16, 2016 - Former Secretary of State Colin Powell blew the lid off Israel’s hush-hush nuclear program — saying the country has 200 warheads pointed at Iran, according to his hacked emails. In the March 2015 missives — which reveal information the Jewish state has long sought to keep under ...




      Its nuclear capabilities have been considered an open secret for years after Mordechai Vanunu, a former nuclear technician, revealed details of the country’s alleged nuclear weapons programme in 1986.



      Mr Vanunu was later kidnapped by the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad and brought back to Israel, where he was sentenced to 18 years in jail for treason and espionage.



      ---30---


      Mar 28, 2018 - Mordechai Vanunu, the former technician convicted last week of treason and espionage for revealing the secrets of Israel’s nuclear arsenal to a British newspaper, was yesterday sentenced to 18 years in prison. The three judges in the Jerusalem district court said in passing ...
      The latest Tweets from Vanunu Mordechai (@vanunumordechai). Nuclear Whistleblower, Expose israel Nuclear secrets , ,1986-2004:18 years in israel prison ...
      Kristin Joachimsen with Mordechai Vanunu (Facebook). September 30, 2017, 7:14 pm. Nuclear secrets-spiller Vanunu invited to live in Norway with his wife.
      Nearly 11 years after he was released from an 18-year prison sentence for leaking information on Israel's top-secret nuclear program, Mordechai Vanunu is still ...
      Other articles where Mordechai Vanunu is discussed: nuclear weapon: Israel: …a result of revelations by Mordechai Vanunu, a technician who worked at ...
      by P Hounam - ‎2004 - ‎Cited by 1 - ‎Related articles
      Almost 18 years ago, I flew halfway around the world — to Sydney in. Australia — to meet a man who had taken a momentous decision. MordechaiVanunu ..

      The recent release on April 22 of Mordechai Vanunu from an Israeli prison provides an opportunity to challenge the U.S. policy of supporting Israel 's ...

      Monday, January 06, 2020

      Stunning images of snowy owl caught by Montreal traffic camera

      The Canadian bird was captured in full flight while looking for a spot to perch


      Jake Alden-Falconer London
      Friday 8 January 2016 09:17


      A traffic camera has captured a spectacular image of a snowy owl in full flight.

      The picture is one of a series taken by a CCTV camera on Highway 40 in the West Island of Montreal, on 3 January.

      The Quebec Transport Minister, Robert Poetin, then shared the photos on Twitter, writing: “Magnificent snowy owl picked up by surveillance cameras of the road network on the A-40 in the West of MTL."

      Barbara Frei, director of the McGill Bird Observatory, told the CBC that the bird was likely looking for somewhere to perch:



      “I think they are attracted specifically to the highway because it has open, grassy fields nearby which is perfect for hunting their favourite prey, which is small rodents,” she said. “They like to get a good lay of the land and the high lamp posts or other posts that they can perch on while hunting just suits them perfectly.”

      Although the bird breeds only in the arctic tundra of Quebec, in winter, they tend to migrate further south.

      The snowy owl has special significance in Canada, where it has legal protection from hunters and is the official symbol of Quebec.

      Extinction Rebellion protesters occupy Shell gas rig to stop it heading out to North Sea


      Activists urge UK government to ‘tell the truth’ about impact of fossil fuel industry


      Conrad Duncan

      Three members of Extinction Rebellion Scotland have climbed aboard the Valaris 122 rig in Dundee ( Extinction Rebellion Scotland )

      Climate activists have boarded a gas mining rig in Dundee in an attempt to stop it from heading out to the North Sea.

      Extinction Rebellion (XR) Scotland has said three of its members had climbed aboard the Valaris 122 rig and intended to there for as long as possible to prevent it from operating.

      The environmental group added that the trio had taken all necessary safety precautions and informed police of their “peaceful occupation”.

      The rig is currently at Princess Alexandra Wharf at the Port of Dundee and is due to begin a nine-month contract for Shell later this month.

      An XR Scotland spokesperson said protesters have been equipped with supplies and plan to hang an XR flag from the rig.

      Extinction Rebellion protesters shut down London roads
      Show all 59





      The group is demanding the Scottish and UK governments “tell the truth” about the impact of the fossil fuel industry and its effect on climate change.











      Activists have also urged politicians to decommission fossil fuel infrastructure, introduce a “just transition” for workers and communities, and establish a legally binding citizens’ assembly for environmental issues.

      One of the members who boarded the rig, Jo, who declined to give her full name, said she was taking part in the protest for her niece.


      “I don’t want to say to her that I didn’t take a stand when I had the choice and left it to other people to sort it out,” she said.
      Read more
       
      ‘Noble’ climate activists who glued themselves to trains spared jail

      “I am going to give it my best shot and go down fighting because I can see the world through her eyes and I want to protect things for her.”


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      A fellow protester, Fiona, said the world has “zero chance” of staying below the 2C global warming limit set by the Paris climate agreement with the current size of the fossil fuel industry.

      “We are currently living in a world warmed by 1.1C – and we are seeing the catastrophic, heartbreaking and devastating effects every day,” she said.

      A spokesperson for Forth Ports, the owner of the Port of Dundee, said they are aware of the protest and have a pilot boat at the scene as a “safety precaution should anyone require assistance”.

      Shell said it is aware of the incident and its “prime concern” is the safety of the workers and protesters involved.

      Additional reporting by PA