Temperature
Extremes
High
temperature extreme:
Halfa el Gedida, Sudan 123 degrees.
Low temperature extreme:
Vostok (Russia), Antarctica -101 degrees.
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Volcano
Warning
Philippine
vulcanologists issued fresh warnings that the Mayon Volcano appears
close to a violent eruption.
Mayon
suddenly resumed activity on July 12 after a three-day period of
relative quiet. Raymundo Punongbayan, director of the Philippine
Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, stated that “the magma
may have reached the summit area.’’ He stressed that residents should
be on alert for sudden explosions and remain clear of a four-mile
buffer zone on the volcano’s southeastern slopes. Many farmers are
said to be reluctant to evacuate and leave their crops and livestock
untended.
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Red
Tide
A
rapidly spreading red tide has forced shrimp farmers in eastern
China to close down their ponds to avoid contamination.
The
harmful algal bloom often appears red when viewed from above, and
can cause paralytic shellfish poisoning in humans. The tide was
first spotted a week ago and has spread to cover 600 square miles
east of the port city of Cangzhou, about 110 miles southeast of
Beijing. Environmental officials have since warned fish farmers
to stop pumping ocean water into their fish and shrimp ponds. Red
tide is a form of microscopic plankton that disables the breathing
systems of fish. The proliferation of the plankton may be caused
by rising water temperatures and by industrial pollution.
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Famine
Threat
More
than five million citizens of Ethiopia are threatened by
severe drought, according to a report issued by the United Nations.
In an urgent appeal to the world community, UN officials proposed
the launch of a massive humanitarian effort to stave off the effects
of the lingering and far-reaching drought that has plagued the country.
The agency warned that unless a relief plan is enacted soon, many
people may die of starvation within the next six months.
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Hurricane
Beatriz
Tropical
storm Beatriz formed off the Pacific coast of Mexico over the weekend,
then quickly attained hurricane status as winds increased to nearly
100 mph.
The
storm later lost force over the cooler waters of the Pacific between
Baja California and Hawaii without affecting any land areas.
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Earthquakes
A
magnitude 6.6 temblor killed two people, injured 40 others and wrecked
buildings along the Caribbean coasts of Guatemala and Honduras.
The
quake lasted 23 seconds and was followed by a series of terrifying
aftershocks. Earth movements were also felt along the Pacific coasts
of Guatemala and El Salvador, and in the southern Sierra Nevada
Mountains, eastern Turkey, northern Pakistan, West Java, the Solomon
Islands, the southern Philippines, Taiwan and just northeast of
Tokyo.
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Pakistani
Storm
Fifteen
people were killed and another 180 injured when a violent storm
hit northwestern Pakistan.
Most
of the deaths occurred when walls or roofs caved in from the force
of the wind and rain. The storm battered the provincial capital
of Peshawar and the surrounding areas with winds of up to 95 mph.
Numerous homes were damaged, and trees and power poles were toppled.
The storm heralded relief from the lingering heat wave that has
gripped the country during the past several weeks, claiming dozens
of lives.
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Drought
Breaker
A
drenching and unexpected rainfall appears to have saved some of
the rice crop in drought-stricken northern Iran.
Ismael Negaresh, head of Gilan province’s agricultural organization,
said that the rains on July 12 had saved 25 percent of the crops
in the Caspian Sea coastal province. However, the official warned
that 135,000 acres of rice crop have already withered beyond recovery
in the region. Iran is suffering its most severe drought in 30 years.
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Polar
Bear Attack
One
person was killed and two others were seriously injured when a six-foot
polar bear mauled them at a remote camp on the western shore of
Hudson Bay in the Canadian Arctic.
The attack took place at Corbett Inlet in Canada’s recently formed
territory of Nunavut. All three victims were Inuit, the native people
of Nunavut for merly known as Eskimos, who were camping at the site
when the bear stumbled onto their tent. An elderly woman who came
to the aid of the father and son that were being attacked was killed
as she tried to divert the bear’s attention. An official with the
Royal Canadian Mounted Police said it was uncertain what had triggered
the attack.
