Environment

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — The police chief of Alaska’s largest city hurried out of the department’s glass building after the ground began to shake. Phone lines jammed and even police radios were spotty after a major earthquake, but his cellphone was recently equipped with a national wireless network dedicated to first responders.

Anchorage Police Chief Justin Doll was able to reach other officials who had the new high-speed connection after the 7.1 magnitude quake last year caused widespread damage.

NEW DELHI, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Indian Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba held a meeting in New Delhi on Wednesday to review the preparation to deal with cyclone Vayu, which is likely to hit the country's western coastal areas on Thursday.

At the meeting, Gauba reviewed arrangements for making available essential food, drinking water and medicines in relief camps and to ensure maintenance of all essential services such as power, telecommunications, health, among others.

Mumbai, Jun 12 (PTI) Mumbai and some neighbouring coastal areas of Maharashtra witnessed a windy Wednesday morning as cyclone 'Vayu' turned into a "very severe cyclonic storm", the weather department said.

As the cyclone continued to progress towards Saurashtra and Kutch regions of neighbouring Gujarat, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) upgraded its severity condition.

"Cyclone Vayu has turned into a very severe cyclonic storm. It would cause gusty winds to blow at a speed of 145 kmph to 170 kmph by Thursday morning," the IMD said.

Panaji, Jun 11 (PTI) Onset of cyclone "Vayu" will trigger heavy rains in Goa and the Konkan area for the next two days, the IMD said Tuesday.

The department has issued the "orange" warning for Goa in view of the deep depression over East Central and adjoining South East Arabian sea, which has intensified into cyclonic storm.

"Goa will receive widespread rainfall with heavy to very heavy falls at isolated places on June 12. There will be fairly widespread rainfall with heavy falls at isolated places on June 13 too," the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.

New Delhi, Jun 10 (PTI) The mercury shattered all records in Delhi on Monday with parts of the national capital recording an all-time high of 48 degrees Celsius for the month of June.

The city's previous high of 47.8 degrees Celsius was recorded in Palam on June 9, 2014.

PETROPAVLOVSK-KAMCHATSKY, June 11. /TASS/: An earthquake of 5.1 magnitude has rocked the Commander Islands in the Pacific Ocean, the Kamchatka department of the Geophysical Service of the Russian Academy of Sciences said on Tuesday.

"The epicenter of the earthquake registered overnight to Tuesday, lay in the Pacific Ocean at the depth of 50km to the south-east of the Medny Island (Commander Islands). The epicenter lay at the depth of 17.8 km under the seabed. The magnitude was estimated at 5.1," the service said.

BEIRUT, June 9 (Xinhua) -- Thousands of Lebanese citizens on Sunday took part in the biggest national beach clean-up campaign, the National News Agency (NNA) reported.

The campaign "Save Our Face," launched by Lebanese Environment Minister Fadi Jreissati in several locations including Beirut, Akkar, Zahrani, Batroun and Tripoli, aims at conveying a cleaner picture of Lebanon.

ADEN, Yemen, June 9 (Xinhua) -- At least three people died in Yemen following heavy rains and flood that struck several parts of the country's southern and eastern provinces over the past few hours on Sunday.

An Aden-based security official told Xinhua that torrential rains, lightning and high winds also caused a number of injuries in addition to blocking main roads in Aden and other neighboring provinces.

Washington, June 10 (AFP) The photo of Donald Trump and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron planting an oak tree in the garden of the White House symbolized the friendship shown by the two leaders.

But relations between them have since frayed -- over issues ranging from Iran to trade -- and the tree, a diplomatic source said this week, did not survive.

BEIJING, June 10 (Xinhua) -- China's meteorological authority on Monday continued a yellow alert for heavy rain in the country's southern regions.

Rainstorm is expected to hit parts of Guangxi, Guangdong, Taiwan, Fujian, Jiangxi, Hunan, Guizhou and Yunnan over the next four days, the National Meteorological Center said.

Some southern regions have experienced torrential rains from June 6 to 9, with precipitation up to 350 mm in parts of Guizhou, Guangxi, Jiangxi, Zhejiang and Fujian.