Road collapses in Xiamen, no injuries reported

23:56, December 12, 2019

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  Injuries feared as popular New Zealand volcano erupts

  This file photo taken on November 29, 1999 shows New Zealands most active volcano on White Island in the Bay of Plenty giving off dense plumes of steam and gas./ AFPAround 100 people were near New Zealands White Island volcano when it erupted suddenly on Monday, leaving authorities scrambling to treat the injured and find those unaccounted for.Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the volcanic island -- also known as Whakaari -- off New Zealands north coast had erupted while groups of tourists were visiting."It is very much an evolving situation and of course all our thoughts are with those affected," she told reporters in Wellington, adding that an undetermined number of people were unaccounted for.Whakatane mayor Judy Turner told AFP "there have been people injured" and rescue missions were under way."I dont know how many or the state of their injuries but emergency services are currently frantically trying to get these people back from the island to hospital for treatment," she said.St John Ambulance said there were up to 20 people believed injured but medical teams were still en route.The countrys National Emergency Management Agency described the eruption as "moderate", although a thick plume of white ash could be seen for miles around.Several helicopters and aircraft could be seen in the area.The island is about 50 kilometres (30 miles) offshore in the picturesque Bay of Plenty and is popular with adventurous tourists willing to don hard hats and gas masks.There were particular fears for a group of visitors seen walking on the crater floor moments before the eruption occurred.Cameras providing a live feed from the volcano showed more than half a dozen people inside the rim at 2:10 pm local time (0110 GMT), before images went dark when the eruption occurred minutes later.Police said they were responding to the incident, but offered no further comment.White Island is New Zealands most...

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  Phone-in-cheek: Spike seen in cellphone-linked face injuries

  Cell-phone face injuries are on the rise. (Photo: AP)Add facial cuts, bruises and fractures to the risks from cellphones and carelessly using them.That’s according to astudypublished Thursday that found a spike in U.S. emergency room treatment for these mostly minor injuries.The research was led by a facial plastic surgeon whose patients include a woman who broke her nose when she dropped her phone on her face. Dr. Boris Paskhover of Rutgers New Jersey Medical School said his experience treating patients with cellphone injuries prompted him to look into the problem.Paskhover and others analyzed 20 years of emergency room data and found an increase in cellphone injuries starting after 2006, around the time when the first smartphones were introduced.Some injuries were caused by phones themselves, including people getting hit by a thrown phone. But Paskhover said many were caused by distracted use including texting while walking, tripping and landing face-down on the sidewalk.Most patients in the study weren’t hospitalized, but the researchers said the problem should be taken seriously.The study involved cases in a U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission database that collects emergency room visit information from about 100 hospitals. The researchers tallied 2,500 patients with cellphone-related head and neck injuries from 1998 through 2017.The study was published in the journal JAMA Otolaryngology.Nationwide, they estimated there were about 76,000 people injured during that time. Annual cases totaled fewer than 2,000 until 2006, but increased steeply after that. About 40% of those injured were ages 13 to 29, and many were hurt while walking, texting or driving.Cellphone use also has been linked with repetitive strain injuries in the hands and neck, and injuries to other parts of the body caused by distracted use.“I love my smartphone,” Paskhover said, but he added that it’s easy to get too absorbed and avoiding injury requires common sense.“People wo...

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  Belt and Road regatta goes to Thailand

  Belt.Road.Regatta.