Gas leak in major Istanbul hotel poisons 23 people

Around 23 people, mainly tourists, have been hospitalized after a gas leak in the Modern Sultan Hotel in Istanbul, Turkey.

According to the local newspaper, Today's Zaman, the incident happened at the hotel, located in İstanbul's Fatih district, early on Monday. 21 of the people affected are foreign tourists and two are hotel employees.

Four people are apparently in a critical condition and ambulances rushed them to local hospitals. Apparently the patients were described as unconscious, with white foam coming from their mouths.

The tourists were taken to the Haseki Education and Research Hospital, Istanbul University Hospital, and other hospitals in Istanbul, Okmeydani, Taksim and Sisli Etfal.

Firefighters and gas experts are on the scene, investigating the cause.

Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/340199

Video: Nicaragua volcano awakens spewing gas and ash

Showing ash and gas spewing out around 5 km into the air, the video of the San Cristobal volcano also shows the area being inundated with ash and volcanic dust.

Digital Journal reported on Saturday that the San Cristobal volcano, located just outside the city of Chichigalpa, about 154 km north of the capital, Managua, had started spewing gas and ash into the air... read more and watch video.

Egypt cuts natural gas supply to Israel

While insisting the move is not political, Egypt has cut the country's natural gas supply to Israel on Sunday. Egypt cited violations of contractual obligations.

On Sunday, Egypt's Natural Gas Holding Company announced the termination of its contract with Israel. Company head, Mohamed Shoeb has stated that Israel has not paid for its gas in 4 months. Shoeb stated: "This has nothing to do with anything outside of the commercial relations."

Israel purchases 40% of its natural gas supply from Egypt.

This move by Egypt also comes in the wake of cross-border attacks at gas pipelines following last year’s uprising... read full article.

Research: most recent U.S. earthquakes are likely man-made

In the past decade there has been a remarkable increase in earthquake activity in the U.S.A. A U.S. Geological Survey research team says that these earthquakes are "almost certainly man-made."

Researchers for the U.S. Geological Survey have presented a study which states that natural gas and oil extraction activity has most likely provoked the series of recent earthquakes in the U.S.A, from Alabama through to the Northern Rocky Mountains.

They have not yet estimated a direct cause-effect relationship between gas and oil activity and earthquakes.... read full article.