 Four dead in landslides in New Caledonia - Noumea, Nov 22, 2016 (Agence France-Presse) - Four people -- including two children -- are dead and four missing after torrential rain triggered landslides on the French overseas territory of New Caledonia in the South Pacific, officials said Tuesday. Rain has been battering the remote islands since the weekend, sparking two mudslides in the Houailou area, around 235 kilometres (150 miles) northwest of the capital Noumea, early on Tuesday. The body of an eight-year-old girl was recovered in mountainous Gouareu, one of two remote communities hardest hit by the disaster. Her injured mother was evacuated and was in a "stable condition", officials said. A seven-year-old child and a woman in her 30s were also found dead in a nearby area. The fourth victim was a 60-year-old woman whose body was discovered in Gouareu. Rescuers, including an army medical team and 30 soldiers, have been deployed to search for those still missing. All roads, electrical supplies and telephone lines to the area have been cut off and poor weather is hampering rescue efforts. "The chance of weather conditions improving in the coming hours is not good," the government said in a statement, advising residents to avoid all but essential travel and to take extra care. Four areas have been placed on highest alert for heavy rain as forecasters predicted further downpours on Tuesday night and into Wednesday, before a lull. Although the rain had been especially heavy in the east, the main road on the west coast also had been cut and schools in several areas have been shut.
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A woman died and a pensioner was missing Tuesday as flash floods and strong winds swept across Britain, stranding a ferry carrying 150 people for 26 hours.
The 39-year-old woman was rescued from the sea off England's south coast early Tuesday, but later died in hospital, according to Kent Police.
"A 39-year-old lady rescued from the sea in Folkestone has sadly passed away despite efforts from emergency services to save her," said the force.
South Wales Police on Tuesday also resumed the search for Russell Sherwood, 69, who disappeared after setting off on a car journey as "Storm Angus" first hit on Sunday.
Fading light and bad weather had earlier forced rescue teams to call off their search.
"This remains a difficult search in very testing conditions," police chief Simon Davies said.
"The river is very swollen and fast flowing, and as such specialist officers with specialist equipment are conducting the search."
Elsewhere, howling gales marooned a ferry off the Welsh coast after it was judged to be too dangerous to dock.
The 150 passengers on board eventually reached land at Fishguard, south Wales, at 11:00am (1100 GMT), having spent over a day in the Irish Sea.
Rail operator Network Rail warned commuters of "major disruption" on some routes while hundreds of homes were left without power in north east England.
The Environment Agency issued 16 flood warnings across England and Wales, advising people to take immediate action, and 118 flood alerts, meaning flooding is possible.
Costa Rica orders evacuations for hurricane threat
San Jos� (AFP) Nov 22, 2016 -
Costa Rica on Tuesday ordered the evacuation of residents along its Caribbean coast to avoid fatalities from the approaching Tropical Storm Otto, which is forecast to grow into a hurricane.
"I ask the country to remain calm and help in the evacuation process, which will start immediately and firmly," President Luis Guillermo Solis told a news conference.
"We will not allow people to remain in at-risk areas and loss of human life."
Otto was on Tuesday several hundred miles out over the Caribbean sea with winds up to 70 miles (110 kilometers) per hour, the US National Hurricane Center in Florida said on its website.
It forecast the storm would move west overnight and could strengthen into a hurricane Wednesday before approaching Costa Rica and Nicaragua by Thursday.
The center warned of a risk of deadly flooding and mud slides.
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