Disease

A cholera outbreak—enhanced by heavy rains, poor sanitation and inadequate medical response—has reached epidemic proportions in East Africa with 61,534 cases and 2,687 deaths.

Earthquakes

» A 7.1 magnitude quake rocked Papua New Guinea for nearly three minutes in late December. Incredibly, there was no significant damage.

» On January 10 in northern China, a 6.2 earthquake killed 50 people, injured 11,440 and flattened 103,000 homes, leaving 540,000 homeless.

Environment

A U.S. Senate study shows that animal waste on American farms often pollutes water and is 130 times the amount of human waste. Agriculture officials consider 60% of American rivers and streams as "impaired" by waste runoff. In 1996 alone, more than 40 animal waste spills killed 670,000 fish in Iowa, Minnesota and Missouri. Experts think hog waste is responsible for large fish kills and a pfiesteria outbreak in the mid-Atlantic states as well.

Religion

For the first time, a Hanukkah candle was lit in the Vatican on December 23. The candle was placed beside an olive tree planted in the gardens behind St. Peter's Basilica to mark diplomatic ties between Israel and the Holy See. Just days earlier, an agreement placed Catholic institutions in Israel under the jurisdiction of Israeli law, making it easier for the church to acquire property there.

Technology

Two University of Massachusetts scientists have cloned two calves from cells of cow fetuses. They say the cloned calves can help lead the way toward "pharming," creating genetically altered animals that produce valuable pharmaceutical substances in their milk. Another goal is to create pigs with a crucial gene deleted so that porcine organs could be transplanted into human patients without being rejected by the immune system.

Terrorism

Since Algeria's insurgency began in January 1992, the Muslim holy month of Ramadan has been a time of increased violence. On January 2, assailants brutally killed 412 people in four villages near the city of Relizane. At least 600 more were slain in western Algeria during the year's first week. On January 12 in Algiers, gangs of men hurled bombs into a mosque and a movie hall. Conflicting reports claim between 103 and 400 deaths resulted. So far, over 75,000 have died in this ongoing war between insurgents and government security forces.

Weather

» A bitter Siberian cold front plunged Europe into a deep freeze in mid-December, dropping temperatures in Russia to -49°F. At least 50 people died from England to Moscow. The same front later killed 24 in India and Bangladesh.

» A sharp cold snap hit Mexico around the same time, bringing snow for the first time in 120 years. The cold is blamed for at least 60 deaths and extensive crop losses.

» On January 9, Canada's worst ice storm on record wreaked havoc across five eastern provinces, forcing 3 million people to endure several weeks of frigid weather without electricity. Ice up to 3 inches thick coated exposed surfaces, downing trees and power lines. Insurance officials estimate damage at $350 million. America's northeastern states were also affected. The storm is blamed for 15 deaths in Canada, 5 in New York and 3 in Maine.