Radiation Warning

Officials in Nepal warned that radiation, which may have leaked into the atmosphere during India’s nuclear tests last week, could reach the mountain kingdom within the next two weeks. Devi Dutta Poudyal, a physicist at the Royal Nepal Academy of Sciences, told reporters, “If one were to conduct a radiation test at Pokharan (the site of the Indian test) now, the atmosphere will show traces of radiation.” He believes that any precipitation falling from the allegedly contaminated air mass would bring radiation to the surface. Despite claims by Indian scientists that they have not detected any radiation leakage, Indian newspapers have reported that some villagers living near the test site have complained of nose bleeding, eye irritation and itching.

Killing Heat

Temperatures soaring to 120 degrees Fahrenheit in parts of India and Pakistan have claimed at least 34 lives. The greatest number of fatalities from heatstroke occurred in the southwestern Indian state of Maharashtra, where many shops and other businesses were closed because of the sultry conditions. The desert region is subjected to comparable temperatures during most summers, but this lingering early-season heat wave has been unusually sever.

Cyclone Season

Tropical cyclone 02B roared ashore from the Bay of Bengal, killing at least 14 people in coastal Bangladesh. Maximum winds of up to 100 mph cut communications links in some areas, preventing the full extent of the damage from immediately being known.

Fire and Smoke

Wildfires burning across many parts of Central America and Mexico continue to produce huge clouds of smoke that are blowing as far north as the American Midwest. Some of the worst blazes are centered in the Mexican state of Oaxaca, site of some of the country’s most precious tropical rain forests. The environmental disaster is becoming comparable in scope to the huge fires and smoke clouds that plagued Southeast Asia last year. Residents from Mexico City to northern Texas were advised to stay indoors if possible to reduce exposure to the air pollution.

Shark Gathering

Fishermen off southeastern England’s Cornwall coast reported seeing as many as 500 basking sharks. It is the largest number of the world’s second-largest shark ever reported in the region, according to Colin Speedie of the Cornwall Wildlife Trust. The shark’s name comes from its habit of swimming slowly at the surface of the water as it feeds off plankton. While not normally a threat to humans, the sharks have been known to attack boats. Basking sharks are frequent visitors to Britain’s coastal waters during summer, but the largest number ever observed before by the trust was 50 during the summer of 1994.

Sources: U.S. Climate Analysis Center, U.S. Earthquake Information Center and the World Meteorological Organization.