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Heatstroke deaths quadrupled this spring and summer as many Japanese switched off their air-conditioners in response to government appeals to curb electricity use. Twenty-six peopled died of heatstroke from June 1 to July 10, the government said, and almost 13,000 were taken to hospitals for treatment. Japan has shut down 35 of its 54 nuclear reactors since the March earthquake and tsunami, reducing national power capacity by 11 percent. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

TOKYO -- Japan appeared to make moderate progress in stabilizing some of the nuclear reactors at the stricken Fukushima Daiichi power plant on Sunday, but at the same time it disclosed new signs of radioactive contamination in agricultural produce and livestock. The government said it was barring all shipments of milk from Fukushima Prefecture and shipments of spinach from Ibaraki Prefecture, after finding new cases of above-normal levels of radioactive elements in milk and several vegetables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Even as workers race to prevent the radioactive cores of the damaged nuclear reactors in Japan from melting down, concerns are growing that nearby pools holding spent fuel rods could pose an even greater danger. The pools, which sit on the top level of the reactor buildings and keep spent fuel submerged in water, have lost their cooling systems and the Japanese have been unable to take emergency steps because of the multiplying crises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]