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Calcutta
Monsoon rains, coupled with the release of water from reservoirs, claimed the lives of more than 1,000 people in India and Bangladesh. Another 20,000 were left homeless or marooned. West Bengal state was India's hardest hit area, particularly the rural districts east of Calcutta. Parts of Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand and Laos also have been devastated, with about 500 dead.
Shuicheng
Rescue workers in southwestern China all but gave up hope of rescuing about 30 coal miners trapped in caves filled with poisonous gas following an underground explosion in which at least 125 others were killed. The accident at the Muchonggou mine in Guizhou province has again highlighted the staggering rate of fatalities in Chinese coal mines, the deadliest in the world. According to official statistics, at least 2,730 people have perished in the first half of this year.
Jolo
Philippine troops freed 12 Christian evangelists held by Abu Sayyaf guerrillas on the southern island of Jolo after one of the evangelists escaped and later pointed out the rebels' camp from a military helicopter. After a brief clash, the large Abu Sayyaf group that had been holding the captives fled deeper into the jungle. With no more hostages held by the large faction, the Philippine government now has a freer hand in continuing the military offensive it began on Sept. 16. Five other hostages — another Filipino, an American and three Malaysians — are still believed to be held by two smaller Abu Sayyaf factions. The military has acknowledged underestimating the strength of the Muslim rebels, whose numbers are said to have increased considerably since Libya and Malaysia began paying millions of dollars in ransom for the scores of hostages taken since April.
Wellington
For the first time, the hole in Earth's ozone layer over Antarctica has stretched over a populated area, according to a research scientist with New Zealand's National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research. Stephen Wood, using data from the U.S. space agency nasa, said the ozone hole grew to record size last month and for two days — Sept. 9 and 10 — opened over the city of Punta Arenas in southern Chile. Residents of the city of 120,000 people were thus exposed to very high levels of ultraviolet radiation, which can cause skin cancer. Scientists believe that record-low stratospheric temperatures in the southern hemisphere's spring contributed to the expansion of the hole to more than 29.5 million sq km — over three times the size of the United States.
La Paz
In separate bitter disputes over coca production, teachers' salaries and new water and land laws, protesters blockaded roads leading into Bolivia's capital, La Paz, and the key agricultural centers of Santa Cruz and Cochabamba, forcing food prices to skyrocket. Indian farmers and other peasants took to the streets of the Chapare region near Cochabamba on Sept. 18, demanding land reform and an end to the government's destruction of lucrative coca fields. At least 10 people have been killed in protest-related violence. Bolivia, with one of the poorest economies in the western hemisphere, has reduced coca production in recent years in exchange for U.S. aid. That move has cut deeply into the livelihoods of tens of thousands of growers. The government is also embroiled in a dispute with rural teachers demanding higher pay.
Buenos Aires
Argentina's Vice President Carlos Alvarez resigned, apparently frustrated at being excluded from decisions leading to a cabinet shakeup and at a seeming lack of concern over corruption in Congress. The move — followed by the resignation of a top presidential aide — dealt another blow to the 10-month government of Fernando de la Rúa. Alvarez resigned a day after De la Rúa announced changes in his cabinet designed to strengthen ministries charged with getting the economy back on track. Labor Minister Alberto Flamarique, who led the campaign for approval of controversial labor reforms, was appointed chief of staff in the cabinet shuffle, but resigned after Alvarez's announcement. Alvarez had demanded that Flamarique step down as Labor Minister for the duration of Senate inquiries into alleged bribery of legislators to back the labor reforms.