A cloud of superheated ash and gas flows from the Soufriere Hills volcano, as seen from Olveston, Montserrat, Monday, Jan. 8, 2007. The cloud reportedly shot up more than 5 miles, 8 kilometers, into the sky, and authorities warn that more significant activity is possible in the coming days. (AP Photo/Wayne Fenton)

Montserrat volcano shoots ash 5 miles up

OLVESTON, Montserrat - The volcano that destroyed Montserrat's capital in 1997 shot a cloud of ash more than five miles into the sky on Monday, and one of the island's chief scientists said the blast was "a warning call."

The government has advised about 50 families on the northwestern side of the volcano's base that their homes were at risk from flows of blistering gas and debris if the dome collapses. Gov. Deborah Barnes Jones said she would sign an evacuation order Monday making it illegal for people to remain in the area.

The blast, accompanied by increased seismic rumbling, released gases and steam from inside a lava dome that has grown rapidly over the last week, said Dr. Vicky Hards, director of the Montserrat Volcano Observatory.

"I think it was a warning call ... of what it can do," Hards said.

The explosion around sunrise also sent a flow of volcanic material cascading two miles down the northwest flank, but did not immediately threaten any of the British Caribbean island's 5,000 inhabitants, Hards said. Sirens alerted people to listen to the radio for updates.

"People in the affected area know who they are and should work urgently on packing up and arranging for alternative accommodations," Barnes Jones said in a radio address.

Only "a handful" of residents were believed to still be living in the threatened area, said Mark Twigg, head of the governor's office.

"This causes genuine hardship for people who have to leave, and this is taken lightly by nobody," he said.

The volcano's latest burst of activity began on Dec. 24. Glowing streaks of red from the pyroclastic flows have created nighttime spectacles visible across much of the island. The volcano's rising dome remained in place after Monday's explosion, raising fears of a bigger event soon.

The Soufriere Hills volcano became active in 1995, and more than half the territory's 12,000 inhabitants moved away. An eruption in 1997 buried much of the south, including the capital of Plymouth, and killed 19 people.

Since then, the mountainous, teardrop-shaped island has gone on a building binge. A new city center is planned for Little Bay, the future capital, in northwest Montserrat. The island has a new airport to replace the one that was engulfed by lava flows and a 700-seat concert hall. A new parliament, courthouse and cricket field are planned.

Downtown Austin shut down after bird deaths

AUSTIN, Texas - Police shut down 10 blocks in downtown Austin for several hours Monday after 63 birds were found dead in the street, but officials said preliminary tests found no threat to people.

Workers in yellow hazardous-materials suits tested for contaminants in a cordoned-off section near the state Capitol and the governor’s mansion before authorities finally gave the all-clear in the afternoon.

Although officials could not immediately determine whether poison or something else killed the birds, “there’s no threat to humans at this point,” said Assistant City Manager Michael McDonald.

The dead grackles, sparrows and pigeons will be tested.

Some experts said the most likely cause of the die-off was a deliberate poisoning. “It happens quite frequently,” said Greg Butcher, director of bird conservation at the National Audubon Society in Washington.

Grackles are a crowlike bird regarded as a major pest in Texas, with Austin sidewalks sometimes covered in their droppings.

The dead birds were found overnight along Congress Avenue, a major downtown thoroughfare. Police closed the route through downtown and two side streets, and a staging area was set up near the Capitol, with dozens of fire trucks, police cars and ambulances.

The Capitol opened on schedule, however, and the governor was not asked to leave the mansion.

Dr. Adolfo Valadez, medical director for the Austin and Travis County Health and Human Services Division, said the birds will be tested for signs of poison or viral infections. But officials do not believe bird flu is involved.

It could be days or weeks before a cause is determined, he said.

The warning was lifted a little more than an hour later after emergency crews contained the leak of the colorless liquid, which has an amomonia-like odor and can cause skin and nasal irritation, and possible damage to the kidneys and liver.

The Austin street closures were not the only public health concern in Texas on Monday. In the Houston suburb of Sugar Land, authorities asked people to stay indoors with windows closed after a chemical release at an industrial plant. Ethylenediamine was released into the air while a tanker truck was unloading at a division of Nalco Co.

Three employees were sent to a hospital and about a dozen others were treated on the scene.

On the East Coast, New York City also had a scare Monday when a mysterious gas odor moved across Manhattan. It wasn’t immediately clear what had caused the odor, and it dissipated fairly quickly. No injuries or damage to wildlife was immediately reported.

'Killer' bees tracked near New Orleans

ARABI, La. - The residents of flood-damaged St. Bernard Parish, still recovering from Hurricane Katrina, have a new concern: killer bees.

Agriculturalists began setting traps around a half-mile radius of a storm-wrecked home Monday that authorities have confirmed was infested with aggressive Africanized honey bees.

The hybrids first drove away contractors hired to tear the house down. Then they drove off beekeepers called in to catch them.

Finally mosquito workers killed the bees. The state agriculture department confirmed in late December that they were hybrids with the aggressive African strain, Agriculture and Forestry Commissioner Bob Odom said.

The traps are to determine if more Africanized bees are lurking in the area. "So far, this is an isolated find in the New Orleans area," Odom said.

The bees probably were descendants of stowaways who arrived in New Orleans on a ship, said Jimmy Dunkley, the department's coordinator of nursery and apiary programs.

Nine swarms have been intercepted at state ports since 1988, some in shipping containers, some in barges, and some in the ships themselves, Dunkley said.

Africanized bees are the result of an experiment to increase honey production in Brazil. A swarm of the small, aggressive bees escaped the lab in 1957 and headed north. When they mated with native strains, the offspring turned out to be as aggressive as the African parents. They are sometimes called "killer bees" because their intense attacks can be fatal.

Strong earthquake hits in Pacific

SUVA, Fiji - A strong earthquake struck deep under the sea floor between Fiji and Tonga on Tuesday, officials said. There were no immediate reports of damage or tsunami warnings issued.

The 6.2 magnitude quake struck about 250 miles northwest of the Tongan capital of Nuku'alofa, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

The Hawaii-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center did not issue a tsunami warning.

The South Pacific is regularly rattled by earthquakes, but few cause any damage or casualties.

A fire department helicopter shines light on the ruins of a burned-out home as firefighters look for hot spots on Malibu Road in Malibu, Calif., Monday, Jan. 8, 2007. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon)

Cause of Malibu wildfire not yet known

MALIBU, Calif. - Firefighters watched for flareups Tuesday in an exclusive seaside neighborhood after a fast-moving wildfire swept through multimillion-dollar homes, destroying four and a guest house.

Four other houses were significantly damaged by the wind-driven fire Monday, and one resident who was not identified was hospitalized because of smoke inhalation.

Properties were still smoldering early Tuesday and about 150 firefighters and arson investigators were on the scene.

"Right now we cannot speculate about how this happened," Inspector Rick Dominguez said early Tuesday.

The blaze was fanned by Santa Ana wind as it raced through the celebrity enclave near Pepperdine University. "Red flag" fire danger warnings posted by the National Weather Service remained in effect for much of Southern California because of the strong wind and low humidity.

"Anything that was down there that could burn, did burn," said County Fire Chief Michael Freeman.

Fire officials didn't release the names of property owners who lost homes, but actress Victoria Principal was among those who rushed out to hose down their houses after the fire was reported about 5 p.m. Monday.

Her publicist, Alan Nierob, said her home wasn't damaged. "She covered her house with water," he said.

Victoria Pinero, co-owner of Little Angels Pet Services, which takes care of dogs and other animals, was housesitting at one of the homes destroyed in the blaze. She said she wasn't home at the time the fire erupted, but rushed back to save the owners' four dogs.

She said she found two dogs, but "we are still looking for the last two dogs. ... We did everything we could," she said, crying. "For these people, the dogs were basically their children."

The blaze burned near the Malibu Colony, one of the area's original beachfront neighborhoods, dating to the 1930s. The densely built stretch of luxury homes has been a favorite of celebrities over the years.

Residents of Malibu include Mel Gibson, Pierce Brosnan, Pamela Anderson, Barbra Streisand, Ted Danson, David Geffen, and Courteney Cox-Arquette.

Malibu has frequently been the scene of devastating fires. In 1993, hundreds of homes were lost and three people were killed. A 1996 fire injured 11 people and destroyed six homes.

Warm winter keeps bears awake

MOSCOW, Russia (Reuters) -- Russian bears at Moscow Zoo have finally dropped off into their hibernation slumber despite months of insomnia caused by a record mild start to winter, zoo officials said on Tuesday.

Russia's arctic winters, which scuttled the occupation plans of both Napoleon Bonaparte and Adolf Hitler, came to an end this year in European Russia with no snow and temperatures so warm that bears were left pacing around and unable to sleep.

"The bears have finally fallen asleep and they have not woken up yet," Natalia Istratova, a spokeswoman for Moscow Zoo, said by telephone.

"They usually fall asleep when there is continuous snow cover but despite the fact that there is no snow they are still asleep," she said.

The bears, which usually go into hibernation in November at the latest, finally dropped off at the end of December when a tiny amount of snow fell before swiftly melting, she said.

Russians, who discuss the weather with peculiar intensity, have had to leave their fur hats and ice-skates at home this Christmas, which Moscow's weather center said was the warmest since records began in 1879.

Russians have a soft spot for powerful but sometimes erratic bears -- their national symbol.

The emergency ministry has warned that wild bears who are waking up early because of the mild weather could become aggressive, Interfax news agency reported.

Rift Valley fever kills 74 in Kenya, hundreds infected

NAIROBI, Jan 9 (Reuters) - Rift Valley Fever, a highly contagious virus, has killed 74 people in Kenya and infected hundreds more after spreading from the northeastern region to the coast, the health ministry said on Tuesday.

The fever, which is spread through mosquito bites or movement of contaminated animals, causes flu-like symptoms and can lead to death through bleeding.

"Seventy four people have so far died and 219 are infected," Dr. Shahnaaz Sharif, a chief medical specialist with the ministry of health, told Reuters.

He said the disease -- which was earlier confined to the northeastern province where nomadic herders crisscross the arid land with their livestock in search of water and pasture -- had now crossed over to the neighbouring coast province.

An outbreak of Rift Valley Fever was blamed for the deaths of hundreds of people in Kenya in 1997-1998.

Brazil mudslides kill 50, mostly in Rio state

RIO DE JANEIRO, Jan 7 (Reuters) - The death toll from mudslides in southeast Brazil soared to 50 following torrential rain in recent days, Brazil's Civil Defense service said on Sunday, with more downpours forecast for this week.

Most of the latest deaths were on Thursday and Friday in mountainous areas of Rio de Janeiro state mainly when flimsy homes on steep slopes were swept away in a sea of mud, said a spokesman for the Civil Defense, who asked not to be named.

A state of emergency was declared in many districts.

"The search for victims continues," the spokesman said, adding that firefighters from the Civil Defense Department who were doing the rescue work said that the overall death toll had risen to around 50.

In Rio de Janeiro state 28 have died since the start of last week, according to the official news agency Agencia Brasil, adding that more than 16,000 people were made homeless.

Since the rainy season started in October around 20 have died in Minas Gerais state.

Rio de Janeiro's new state governor, Sergio Cabral Filho, flew by helicopter on Sunday with Minister of National Integration Pedro Britto to the hard-hit mountain town of Novo Friburgo for a meeting with mayors of the region.

The federal government has allocated 57 million reais ($26.5 million) to rehouse and support homeless families. Cabral said he expected aid to start arriving within 48 hours.

Although it was drier on Sunday, weather experts said that more heavy rain was forecast.

"Rain will continue, becoming heavier in the second half of the week," said Lucyara Rodrigues Pereira at private meteorologists Somar, adding that 3.9 inches to 5.1 inches (100 mm to 130 mm) of rain was forecast in the states of Rio de Janeiro and neighboring Minas Gerais and Sao Paulo.

Brazil's summer holiday season has been particularly wet this year as cold weather fronts moving northwards from the Antarctic meet warm humid air heading south from the Amazon.