Massive quake moves NZealand closer to Australia - Yahoo! News

Massive quake moves NZealand closer to Australia - Yahoo! News: "A massive 7.8 magnitude earthquake last week has moved the south of New Zealand closer to Australia, scientists said Wednesday."

Quake triggers tsunami in Indonesia - Yahoo! News

Quake triggers tsunami in Indonesia - Yahoo! News: "JAKARTA, Indonesia - A powerful earthquake shook Indonesia on Wednesday, killing 10 people, injuring at least 100 and triggering a small tsunami that hit one city on the island of Sumatra, authorities said."

Felix slams ashore as Category 5 storm - Yahoo! News

Felix slams ashore as Category 5 storm - Yahoo! News: "Twin Atlantic and Pacific hurricanes making landfall on the same day is unprecedented, according to National Hurricane Center records dating back to 1949. The closest comparison happened at 5 a.m. on Aug. 24, 1992, when Hurricane Andrew devastated southern Florida 23 hours after Hurricane Lester hit Baja California, Mexico."

Dean was 3rd-most intense hurricane - Yahoo! News

Dean was 3rd-most intense hurricane - Yahoo! News: "MIAMI - Hurricane Dean was the third-most intense Atlantic hurricane to make landfall since record keeping began in the 1850s, based on its central atmospheric pressure, forecasters said. ADVERTISEMENT The pressure in a hurricane's eye is often used to compare storms throughout history because in the past, wind gauges were often damaged or destroyed by powerful hurricanes. Now, technology exists to more accurately measure winds, said Jamie Rhome, a hurricane specialist with the National Hurricane Center."

Chinese couple tried to name baby "@" - Yahoo! News

You just cannot make this stuff up.

Chinese couple tried to name baby "@" - Yahoo! News: "BEIJING (Reuters) - A Chinese couple tried to name their baby '@', claiming the character used in e-mail addresses echoed their love for the child, an official trying to whip the national language into line said on Thursday.

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Peru quake death toll 355, rising - Yahoo! News

Peru quake death toll 355, rising - Yahoo! News: "The center of the destruction was in Peru's southern desert, in the oasis city of Ica and the nearby port of Pisco, about 125 miles southeast of the capital, Lima. Pisco's mayor said at least 200 people were buried in the rubble of a church where they had been attending a service."

Strong quake rocks northwestern Japan - Yahoo! News

Strong quake rocks northwestern Japan - Yahoo! News: "The quake, which left fissures 3 feet wide in the ground along the coast, hit shortly after 10 a.m. local time and was centered off Niigata state. Buildings swayed 160 miles away in Tokyo. Sirens wailed in Kashiwazaki, a city of about 90,000, which appeared to be hardest hit.

Japan's Meteorological Agency measured the quake at a 6.8 magnitude. The U.S. Geological Survey, which monitors quakes around the world, said it registered 6.7."

Missing: Large lake in southern Chile - Yahoo! News

Missing: Large lake in southern Chile - Yahoo! News: "SANTIAGO (Reuters) - A lake in southern Chile has mysteriously disappeared, prompting speculation the ground has simply opened up and swallowed it whole.
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The lake was situated in the Magallanes region in Patagonia and was fed by water, mostly from melting glaciers.

It had a surface area of between 4 and 5 hectares (10-12 acres) -- about the size of 10 soccer pitches.

'In March we patrolled the area and everything was normal ... we went again in May and to our surprise we found the lake had completely disappeared,' said Juan Jose Romero, regional director of Chile's National Forestry Corporation CONAF.

'The only things left were chunks of ice on the dry lake-bed and an enormous fissure,' he told Reuters.

CONAF is investigating the disappearance.

One theory is that the area was hit by an earth tremor that opened a crack in the ground which acted like a drain.

Southern Chile has been shaken by thousands of minor earth tremors this year."