News Watch
Guatemala earthquake
An earthquake measuring 6.2 in magnitude occurred in the mostly rural southwestern Guatemala region on Feb. 16, killing two people and triggering landslides that blocked roads. Two aftershocks measuring more than magnitude 4 followed, with no further reports of damage.
Current advisories
The US Department of State posts up-to-date travel advisories on every country and many territories, ranking each 1 (Exercise Normal Precautions), 2 (Exercise Increased Caution), 3 (Reconsider Travel) or 4 (Do Not Travel).
Deadly Brazil landslide
A landslide and flash floods killed at least 176 people in the eastern Brazilian city of Petrópolis on Feb 16, with more than 110 people still missing at press time. The city received as much rain the day before as it typically receives in the entire month of February.
Storms batter Europe
Northern Europe, particularly the United Kingdom and Ireland, experienced multiple major, named storms in February. It was the first time since the current storm-naming system went into effect, in 2015, that three such storms occurred within a week in that region.
Syria POW prison attacked
A prison in Hasaka, northeastern Syria, holding former members of the Islamist militant group Daesh (ISIL), including 850 children, some as young as 12, was attacked by at least 300 Daesh militants on Jan. 20 in an attempt to release prisoners.
Quito landslide
A landslide in Quito, Ecuador, killed at least 22 people and injured 47 others on Jan. 31, with 20 people still missing at press time.
Protesters killed in Kazakhstan
Protests in Kazakhstan, which began over a rise in fuel prices, escalated into anti-government protests in early January.
Russia threat to Ukraine
With Russia having amassed more than 100,000 troops along the border with Ukraine, NATO intelligence was suggesting, at press time, that an invasion was imminent.
Tonga tsunami
An undersea volcanic eruption in Tonga on Jan. 15 caused a tsunami that hit coasts on both sides of the Pacific Ocean, killing three people in Tonga and completely destroying coastal communities there. More than 6,000 miles away in Peru, two people were killed by tsunami waves.
Current advisories
The US Department of State posts up-to-date travel advisories on every country and many territories, ranking each 1 (Exercise Normal Precautions), 2 (Exercise Increased Caution), 3 (Reconsider Travel) or 4 (Do Not Travel).
Ottawa trucker protest
Truck drivers protesting a mandate in Canada requiring that freight transporters who cross the border into the US must be vaccinated for COVID-19 caused traffic to come to a standstill by parking their trucks in the street in parts of Ottawa, Ontario, and at a border crossing in Alberta, beginning Jan. 30.
Tropical storm in Africa
Tropical Storm Anna hit the eastern coasts of Southern Africa in late January, killing dozens of people in Madagascar, Mozambique and Malawi.
Sudan protests continue
Sudan’s prime minister, Abdalla Hamdok, stepped down from his position on Jan. 2, only one month after being released from prison and reappointed by the military junta that has been in control of the country since a coup on Oct. 25.
Current advisories
The US Department of State posts up-to-date travel advisories on every country and many territories, ranking each 1 (Exercise Normal Precautions), 2 (Exercise Increased Caution), 3 (Reconsider Travel) or 4 (Do Not Travel).
Deadly flood in Spain
A bomb cyclone named Storm Barra dropped heavy rains in northern Spain in early December, causing flooding in the Navarre region, with the water level in some villages up to roof level. One person was killed when a farmhouse was struck by a landslide.
DRC bombing
A suicide bomber attacked a packed restaurant in the city of Beni, Democratic Republic of the Congo, on Dec. 25, killing five people and injuring 13. People in the restaurant, who included children and local government officials, were celebrating Christmas at the time.