Hi everyone!
It's time for another week review again...

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26th April 2010, Monday
Sandstorms Kill 3 And Block Aid To Quake Area

Violent sandstorms engulfed north-west China yesterday, leaving three people dead and one missing as visibility dropped to near zero.
Flights carrying relief supplies and workers to quakestruck yushu county were delayed as the region was swept by a blast of cold weather, stirring up clouds of dust and sand in bad weather expected to continue through to today.

26th April 2010, Monday
Jakarta Sinking 10cm a Year

Jakarta, Indonesia's capital and its largest city by far, is sinking at a surprisingly speedy rate of 10cm a year, a recent study has found.
While the problem is not new, the swiftness with which it is worsening may not bode well.
The main causes for this phenomenon - which has been evidenced in recent years by several major floods - are extensive land extraction due to groundwater exploration and pressure from high-rise buildings, which are pushing parts of the city into the underlying water table.
Residents have been bypassing the water grid, which is in shambles, to sink bores to suck out groundwater.
"The land has been sinking for a long time, and the coastline is now encroaching on the heart of the city," Dr. Irwan Gumilar, a geodynamics research from the Bandung Institute of Technology, said.
Dr, Irwan was a member of a research team, led by Professor hasanuddin Abidin, that monitored Jakarta from 1997 to last year.
"Few people may realised that the land is sinking by 10cm to 12cm a year," Dr. Irwan said.
The highest rate of subsidence was recorded in coastal areas in North Jakarta, including Muara Kapuk and Ancol, where extensive development had increased pressure on the relatively young and potous soil beneath.
Eariler studies, as reported in 2008, had suggested that the city of 12 millions might sink 40cm to 60cm, which would leave parts of ir underwater ny 2025 if the sinking was not arrested.
But the rate of sinking given in those studies was not as rapid as the one Dr. Irwan has cited.
The problem has little to do with global warming or the rising of the seas, and far more to do with the problems caused by excessive development.
Dr. Irwan did not offer any fresh solutions to the emergent crisis.

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27th April 2010, Tuesday
13 Cambodians Killed By Lightning Since March

In a string of tragedies that has elicited a warning from the Prime Minister, officials say at least 13 Cambodians have so far died by lightning since rain began falling last month, reported Xinhua.
Prime Minister hun Sen called on his countrymen to be wary about the lightning threat, saying lightning has become "fiercer" in recent years.

27th April 2010, Tuesday
6.9-Magnitude Quake Hits Ocean Near Philippines

A strong 6.9-magnitude quake struck in an ocean area north of the Philippines yesterday and was felt throughout Taiwan, officials said, but there were no immediate reports of damage and no mass tsunami warnings.
The Philippine authorities forecast little damage after the 10.59am quake that struck 300km off the Batan Islangs and 314kim south-east of Taiwan.

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Weather & Natural Disasters Blogger, Cruyff