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Popocatepetl rumbled for 4 minutes on Saturday, then spewed ash on nearby communities. Residents had all returned home after being evacuated on December 18, when showers of red-hot rock began shooting out of the volcano. This was its biggest eruption in 1,200 years.

Scientists say that the volcano is trying to dislodge a mass of lava that is stuck deep in its crater. They expect it to continue erupting for several weeks. The ash could further pollute the air in Mexico City, which already has one of the worst air quality levels in the world, and even effect the southwest United States. It could also contaminate the underground water supply of one of the world?s largest cities.
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An unusually high number of shooting stars, as many as 100 per hour, will be seen in the U.S., Mexico and western Canada on January 3, as the Quadrantids pass over those areas. You can see them starting at 4 am Pacific time (7 am EST).

“The east coast of North America will be in bright morning twilight,” says Robert Lunsford of the International Meteor Organization. “Sky watchers there may miss the very best rates.” The closer you are to the west coast, the better you?ll be able to see them. “This is the best chance for North American observers to see this shower until the year 2009,” Lunsford adds.
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Munich Re, the world?s largest insurance company, said that the world experienced a record number of natural disasters in 2000, although the number of deaths was lower because fewer populated areas were affected. 10,000 people died as a result of natural disasters in 2000, compared with 75,000 in 1999, while the number of disasters rose from 750 to 850.

Damage was estimated to be $30 billion, but despite this, 2000 wasn?t an expensive year for insurance companies, because only $7.5 billion of these losses were covered by insurance. This is partly because so many of the problems occurred in poorer countries, where people are less likely to be insured.
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