By: AFP, 12/02/2013

JAKARTA: A 6.3-magnitude quake hit off eastern Indonesia and East Timor on Sunday, seismologists said, but there was no tsunami alert or reports of damage or casualties. The quake struck at 10:24am local time (0124 GMT), 351 kilometres (217 miles) east-northeast of the East Timor capital Dili at a relatively shallow depth of 10 kilometres, the US Geological Survey said. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center did not issue any alerts following the tremor in the remote region at the eastern end of the Indonesian archipelago between the islands of Timor and New Guinea.

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By: Associated Press, 12/02/2013

KARO, Indonesia (AP) Landslides triggered by torrential rain buried houses near a rumbling volcano in western Indonesia and searchers found nine bodies in the mud and water, a disaster official said Sunday. Four of the dead were children. Several houses were buried when mud gushed down the surrounding hills late Saturday into Gundaling village, about 12 kilometers (7.4 miles) east of Mount Sinabung volcano in North Sumatra province.

For more on this story visit www.nzherald.co.nz

Weatherzone, By: Ben McBurney, 12/02/2013

Sydney has recorded its warmest spring on record, largely due to a fiery September and October. The combined minimum and maximum for the New South Wales capital of 19.9 degrees for spring comfortably broke the previous record of 19.5 degrees set in 1988. The average maximum of 24.7 degrees smashed the previous record set in 2002 of 24.2 degrees.

Despite November coming in close to average, October and particularly September were largely responsible for the record. The average maximum of 24.4 degrees in September was more than four degrees above the long term average, and more than one degree above the previous record of 23.3 degrees set in 1980.

For more on this story visit www.weatherzone.au

VolcanoDiscovery.com Dec 1 2013

Etna (Sicily, Italy): The amplitude of tremor rose over night to levels that in the past weeks normally corresponded to intermittent strombolian activity at the New SE crater. However, bad visibility prevents direct observations.

Merapi (Central Java): Another phreatic explosion was reported yesterday 11:00 (local time). According to a news article, the eruption produced an ash plume of about 500 m height.

You are invited to read more: http://www.volcanodiscovery.com/volcanoes/today.html

Suspicious Observers, 12/1/13