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They struck the towns of Qinge, Wenshan and Benlixu during the weekend,
and heavy rains since have caused further damage to houses and crops.
Qinge village was nearly demolished by the tornado. Travellers should
keep an eye on the weather for the next week or so, and think about postponing
travel to these areas while the clean-up continues.
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Looking for a public phone in Denmark? Chances of finding one will become
even harder following Tele Danmark's decision to remove more than 1,800
public phones from service. According to Tele Danmark, more than 60% of
Danes now own a mobile phone and most public phones, especially those
in small towns and rural areas, don't make any profit because no-one uses
them. Of the remaining 2,700 public phones left, Tele Danmark plans to
convert most to card only, so at least when you do find one, chances are
it won't have been vandalised for a few krone.
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In western semi-tropical Colima a volcano has rattled state residents
and chased army troops out of local villages. After an eruption on 10
May sent smoke and ash skyward, villages were evacuated and the army was
called in to guard the abandoned property. Last weekend the protective
force withdrew to a radius between 9 and 12km (5.5 to 7.4mi) from the
peak as experts predicted a large eruption. As many as 16,000 residents
within 30km (18.5mi) of the peak have been told to prepare for evacuation.
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In northern India, Brahmin priests have begun efforts to curb the pollution
levels of Hinduism's sacred river, the Ganges. At the behest of environmentalists,
priests in the holy cities of Varanasi and Kanpur have been persuading
pilgrims to bury their relatives by the side of the river instead of cremating
them. Hindu teaching stipulates that immersion of the cremated remains
in the river frees the soul from its bondage to the cycle of bodily rebirth.
So great is demand for cremation that many of the thousands of bodies
cremated daily are dumped into the river before they have been fully cremated
to make room for others, adding to the pollution.
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Black sand beaches on the Arabian Sea contain radioactive materials such
as thorium, uranium and monazite. A government study into the local population's
health suggests that prolonged exposure to low levels of radiation may
have led to resistance to radiation poisoning and even other diseases,
although these conclusions are disputed.
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A Spanish expedition to Mt Annapurna I has found that good intentions
alone won't always get you what you want. The expedition collected 1200kg
(2652lb) of rubbish from the Himalayan mountain's base camps, in an attempt
to alleviate the environmental damage caused by mountaineering expeditions
that dispose of their waste thoughtlessly in and around base camps. The
final phase of the clean-up, however, has turned into bureaucratic nightmare:
government officials will not allow the rubbish to be flown back to Spain.
Customs needs clearance from the Department of Mines and Geology, and
vice versa.
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Age-old veins of silver and gold have attracted a Canadian mining company
to the desert town of San Luis Potosφ, and residents have drawn the line.
Over 6,000 residents of historic Potosφ are protesting the mining project,
which will jeopardise the health of thousands of families, cause irreparable
damage to the area's ecosystem and possibly destroy centuries old buildings
that dot the mineral rich hillside. In return for taxing the agriculture-stressed
aquifer, relocating 30 families and releasing 15 tons of cyanide and mercury
daily, the Canadian company has promised a botanical garden for the region's
native plant species.
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A gold cross weighing 5kg (11lb) has been returned to its rightful owners
after two years in the wilderness. The 'Afro Ayigeba' cross was stolen
from the most well known of the rock-hewn churches of Lalibela, the Medhane-Alem
or Saviour's Church. It was originally donated by the 12th century king
Lalibela, who is said to have built his capital here after having been
instructed by God in a dream. The cross was handed over by a Belgian art
collector who paid US$25,000 for it.
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Tornadoes
have swept through south-western Guangdong causing widespread death and
destruction. The tornadoes killed 13 people and injured more than 50.
A
small stretch of Indian coastline in the southern region of Kerala is
unusually rich in naturally-occurring radioactive materials. The area's
population of about 100,000 is exposed to radiation levels five to 30
times that found in most other areas on the planet - a level estimated
to be equivalent to radiation levels from 17 to 100 chest x rays. 
