Wednesday, March 16, 2011
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Feds deploy more rad
Feds deploy more radiation monitors in western US - Yahoo! News
SAN FRANCISCO – More radiation monitors are being deployed in the western United States and Pacific territories, as officials seek to mollify public concern over exposure from damaged nuclear plants in Japan, federal environmental regulators said.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency already monitors radiation throughout the area as part of its RadNet system, which measures levels in air, drinking water, milk and rain.
The additional monitors are being deployed in response to the ongoing nuclear crisis in Japan, where emergency workers are attempting to cool overheated reactors damaged by last week's magnitude-9.0 earthquake and tsunami.
Officials with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission said they do not expect harmful radiation levels to reach the U.S. from Japan.
"The agency decided out of an abundance of caution to send these deployable monitors in order to get some monitors on the ground closer to Japan," said Jonathan Edwards, director of EPA's radiation protection division.
California already has 12 monitoring stations scattered throughout the state that test the air for radiation levels. EPA also has 40 so-called "deployable" monitors that can be moved around in cases of emergency.
EPA told The Associated Press it is adding two more stations in Hawaii and two in Guam. In Alaska, officials are setting up three new monitors in Dutch Harbor, Nome and Juneau.
The idea is to get a better geographic spread of monitoring equipment than currently exists, Edwards said.
Once up and running, the stations will send real time data via satellite to EPA officials, who will make the data available to the public online. The monitors also contain two types of air filters that are collected and mailed to EPA's data center in Alabama.
The new stations are expected to be operational by the end of the week, Edwards said.
The agency said it does not expect to see any spike in readings on the monitors, which Edwards said measure all forms of radiation that might exist after a nuclear event like the one in Japan.
Officials in Oregon — which has two monitoring stations — held a news conference on Wednesday to reassure the public they were monitoring developments and prepared to respond.
Officials in all western states have said they do not expect to see any harmful levels of radiation reach the mainland, which is about 5,000 miles from Japan.
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STRONG 6.5-MAGNITUDE
Radiation Plume To Reach California By Late Friday - NYTimes.com
A United Nations forecast of the possible movement of the radioactive plume coming from crippled Japanese reactors shows it churning across the Pacific, and touching the Aleutian Islands on Thursday before hitting Southern California late Friday.
Panic grips Tokyo as radiation levels rise - World news - Asia-Pacific
"Radioactive material will reach Tokyo but it is not harmful to human bodies because it will be dissipated by the time it gets to Tokyo," said Koji Yamazaki, professor at Hokkaido University graduate school of environmental science.
"If the wind gets stronger, it means the material flies faster but it will be even more dispersed in the air."
Some wanted the government to expand the 18 mile evacuation zone surrounding the nuclear plant. "The evacuation zone may not be enough," said a Hiroshima-based Japanese scientist who treats nuclear radiation victims.
Story: Japan radioactivity could enter food chain, kids at risk"The main lasting effect will probably be in milk produce and the radiation in milk because the cows go around like vacuum cleaners and absorb the radiation spread over a wide range and those particles are easily transferred into the milk, which is in turn easily absorbed by babies and children."
As for the potential of radiation reaching the U.S. mainland, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission on Sunday said no harmful levels were likely.
"Given the thousands of miles between the two countries, Hawaii, Alaska, the U.S. territories and the U.S. West Coast are not expected to experience any harmful levels of radioactivity," it said in a statement.
msnbc.com
Japan's nuclear crisis was triggered by twin disasters on Friday, when the most powerful earthquake in the country's recorded history was followed by a tsunami that savaged its northeastern coast with breathtaking speed and power.
The Fukushima Dai-ichi complex was due to be decommissioned in February but was given a new 10-year lease on life.
Its reactors were designed by General Electric. (Msnbc.com is a joint venture between NBC Universal and Microsoft. GE is a part owner of NBC Universal.)
GE-designed reactors in Fukushima have 23 sisters in U.S.Japan has a total of 55 reactors spread across 17 complexes nationwide.
The worst nuclear accident since the Chernobyl disaster in Ukraine in 1986 has drawn criticism that authorities were ill-prepared and revived debate about the safety of atomic power.
In other developments Tuesday:
- Chancellor Angela Merkel said Germany will take seven of its 17 reactors offline for three months while the country reconsiders plans to extend the life of its nuclear power plants. Merkel said the country will temporarily shut down reactors that went into operation before the end of 1980.
- Prime Minister Vladimir Putin ordered officials to check Russian nuclear facilities and to review the country's ambitious plans to develop atomic energy.
Reuters, The Associated Press, msnbc.com staff and NBC News' Andy Eckardt and Robert Bazell contributed to this report.
Japan nuclear plant: Japan launches new efforts to avert nuclear meltdown - latimes.com
Reporting from Sendai and Tokyo, Japan Japanese authorities embarked Thursday on a series of desperate new measures to try to avert full reactor meltdowns at a stricken nuclear complex. At the same time, survivors of last week's earthquake and tsunami said shortages of food, water, medicine and other essentials were becoming extreme and called government relief efforts woefully inadequate.
Emperor breaks his silence as nuclear panic engulfs Japan - Asia, World - The Independent
Japanese riot police have joined the fight to stop a badly damaged nuclear plant from going into meltdown, bringing in a water canon truck to cool an overheating reactor. The deployment of the police last night heightened fears that the plant operator, Tokyo Electric Power (Tepco), is quickly running out of options
U.S. Nuclear Chief W
U.S. Nuclear Chief Warns Spent Fuel Rods Could Ultimately Melt - FoxNews.com
The situation at the crippled nuclear plant in Japan grows more dire as the U.S. nuclear agency chief says there is no more water in the spent fuel pool at the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant, where unexplained white smoke is pouring from the complex.
TSA Admits Bungling
Japanese TV Describe
Japanese TV Describes "Last Ditch" Effort Being Made
Japanese television describes a "last ditch" effort soon to be underway to use a water cannon to pour water on the reactor
Saudi Shi'ites protest, support Bahrain brethren | Reuters
(Reuters) - Saudi Shi'ites marched in the kingdom's oil-producing east Wednesday, demanding the release of prisoners and voicing support for Shi'ites in nearby Bahrain, an activist and witnesses said.
Health departments, organizations swamped with nuclear fears calls
GARFIELD COUNTY, Colo. (KKCO) - Fears over impacts of radiation from Japan are causing Western Slope residents to swamp health departments with phone calls.
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment has information on its Web site because it’s getting lots of calls. To review that information, click on the link below under Related Links.
And there’s a toll-free staffed number for residents of Garfield County if you have questions. The line is open from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. weekdays and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends. You can call them at 877.462.2911.
Centers for Disease Control is also working to get uniform messages out to all health departments to help answer those questions.
Special AI flights to bring Indians from Japan but no evacuation yet - The Times of India
NEW DELHI: With radiation scare still looming large in Japan, the government on Wednesday started facilitating return of Indians even though it said there was no need for evacuation operations yet.Unlike in the case of formal evacuation, which was carried out for Indians in strife-torn Libya, those willing to take special Air India flights from Tokyo to Delhi will have to pay for their journey.
Government charters Bahrain flights (From South Wales Guardian)
The Government is to charter planes to evacuate British citizens who want to flee the deteriorating situation in Bahrain.
The Foreign Office has urged people to leave the stricken Gulf State on commercial flights on Thursday.
Nuclear crisis a tangle of ominous, hopeful signs - SignOnSanDiego.com
FUKUSHIMA, Japan — Nuclear plant operators trying to avoid complete reactor meltdowns said Thursday that they were close to finishing a new power line that could end Japan's crisis, but several ominous signs have also emerged: a surge in radiation levels, unexplained white smoke and spent fuel rods that U.S. officials said might be on the verge of spewing more radioactive material.
Australians told to leave as nuke crisis continues - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
Australians have been told to leave Japan's capital as the earthquake and tsunami-hit country hinges on the verge of nuclear disaster.
So far attempts to bring temperatures down in four reactors at the stricken Fukushima nuclear plant have failed and the US will fly a spy plane to the region to take a closer look at the reactors.
High levels of radiation have been detected at the plant and low levels have been detected wafting over Tokyo, 250 kilometres to the south.
France24 - Foreigners advised to leave as Japan faces nuclear crisis
AFP - Foreign governments Wednesday urged their citizens to steer clear of quake-stricken northeast Japan and the capital Tokyo amid fears of further aftershocks and a widening nuclear disaster.
US officials warned citizens living within 80 kilometres (50 miles) of the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant to evacuate or seek shelter amid mounting concern of a catastrophic meltdown.
Analysis: Worst case nuclear cloud seen limited to Japan | Reuters
(Reuters) - In the worst case, any radioactive cloud from Japan's damaged nuclear plant is likely to be limited to the densely populated nation -- unlike the wider fallout from the Chernobyl disaster, experts say.
Japan Nuclear Crisis: NRC Says Spent Fuel Pool at Unit Four Has Lost Its Water - ABC News
Surging radiation levels temporarily halted work to cool the troubled reactors at the plant earlier today, raising worries that officials are running out of options to stabilize the escalating catastrophe.
"We're very close now to the point of no return," Dr. Michio Kaku, a theoretical physicist, said. "It's gotten worse. We're talking about workers coming into the reactor perhaps as a suicide mission and we may have to abandon ship."
U.S. deploys more radiation detectors on U.S. islands | Reuters
(Reuters) - The United States is deploying additional radiation monitors on Hawaii and other U.S. islands even though it does not expect harmful levels of radiation from damaged Japanese nuclear power plants to reach U.S. soil, environmental regulators said.
Foreign bankers flee Tokyo as nuclear crisis deepens - CNBC
(Reuters) - Foreign bankers are fleeing Tokyo as Japan's nuclear crisis worsens, scrambling for commercial and charter flights out of the country and into other major cities in the region.
BNP Paribas <BNPP.PA>, Standard Chartered <STAN.L> and Morgan Stanley <MS.N> were among the banks whose staff have left since Friday's earthquake and tsunami, and now a nuclear plant disaster, according to industry sources with direct knowledge of the matter.
France24 - Leaders dither as Gaddafi prepares for final showdown
REUTERS - Muammar Gaddafi's forces pushed towards the Libyan rebel stronghold of Benghazi on Wednesday and his government predicted victory within days while world powers debated imposing a no-fly zone to help stop him.
Foreign powers condemn the crackdown but show little appetite for action to support an uprising that was inspired by pro-democracy rebellions that toppled the Egyptian and Tunisian presidents. A Gaddafi victory and a crackdown on protests in Bahrain could turn the tide in the region against pro-democracy movements.
Supporters of a no-fly zone to halt Libyan government air strikes on rebels circulated a draft resolution at the U.N. Security Council on Tuesday that would authorise one, but other states said questions remained.
The draft was distributed at a closed-door meeting by Britain and Lebanon after the Arab League called on the council on Saturday to set up a no-fly zone as Gaddafi's troops advanced against the rebels based in the east.
German Ambassador Peter Wittig told reporters after the meeting his country still had queries.
"We raised questions we felt are still not fully answered, as to the Arab participation in such a measure, as to whether the implementation of such a zone would run counter to the intention of the Arab League itself, the Arab League having pointed out that there should be no foreign intervention," Wittig said.
Veto powers Russia, China and the United States, along with Portugal, Germany and South Africa are among the members that have doubts about the wisdom of a no-fly zone for Libya.
A senior Libyan foreign ministry official said the government hoped to regain control over all rebel-held territories soon.
"We hope (it will be done) as soon as possible. I hope it will be in a matter of days," Deputy Foreign Minister Khaled Kaim told Reuters in Tripoli.
In a televised speech, Gaddafi taunted Western countries that have backed the imposition of a no-fly zone to come and get him.
"France now raises its head and says that it will strike Libya," he told a gathering of supporters at his Bab al-Azizia fortified compound in central Tripoli.
"Strike Libya?" he asked. "We'll be the one who strikes you! We struck you in Algeria, in Vietnam. You want to strike us? Come and give it a try."
At an evening rally in a huge tent in Tripoli, Gaddafi condemned the rebels as rats, dogs, hypocrites and traitors. As he spoke, thousands gathered in a square in the rebel stronghold Benghazi denouncing him as a tyrant and throwing shoes and other objects at his image projected upside down on a wall.
The rebels' position looked highly vulnerable after government troops took control of the junction at Ajdabiyah, opening the way to Benghazi.
"The town of Ajdabiyah has been cleansed of mercenaries and terrorists linked to the al Qaeda organisation," state TV said, referring to the rebels fighting to end Gaddafi's 41 years of absolute power.
Looking ahead with confidence to future business deals in a Gaddafi-led Libya, deputy foreign minister Kaim said Libya will honour existing contracts with Western oil companies and that the crisis may influence future cooperation with them.
Road to Benghazi
Earlier on Tuesday, jets fired rockets at a rebel checkpoint at the western entrance to Ajdabiyah, then unleashed a rolling artillery barrage on the town and a nearby arms dump, following the same pattern of attack that has pushed back rebels more than 100 miles (160 km) in a week-long counter-offensive.
As well as the coastal road to Benghazi, there is also a 400 km (250 mile) desert road straight to Tobruk, near the Egyptian border, that would cut off Benghazi. But it was not clear whether Gaddafi's forces were strong enough to open a second front and if they could operate with such long supply lines.
The mood in Benghazi was defiant but shaky.
Mohamed Yasiri, unemployed and 55, said: "We are all afraid, to be honest."
Diplomacy drags on
NATO has set three conditions for it to enforce a no-fly zone over Libya: regional support, proof its help is needed and a Security Council resolution.
An Arab League call for a no-fly zone satisfies the first condition, but with access to most of Libya barred by Gaddafi's security forces, hard evidence that NATO intervention is needed to avert atrocities or a humanitarian disaster is scarce.
Growing numbers of Libyans are now crossing into Egypt fleeing Gaddafi's advance, the U.N. refugee agency said.
Clinton criticises B
Clinton criticises Bahrain over protester clashes
developments in Bahrain and criticised the government's use of force
against protesters. The US has made it clear to officials in Bahrain that "we think
they're on the wrong track", she told the BBC. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-12762500
BBC News – Surpris
Qaddafi Forces Near
Qaddafi Forces Near Benghazi as Rebel Commander Says World `Has Failed Us' - Bloomberg
Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi set his sights on Benghazi as government forces fought rebels for control of the cities of Ajdabiya and Misrata and prospects faded for an internationally imposed no-fly zone.
Bahrain forces expel protesters; clashes kill 5 - Yahoo! News
MANAMA, Bahrain – Soldiers and riot police expelled hundreds of protesters from a landmark square in Bahrain's capital on Wednesday, using tear gas and armored vehicles to try to subdue the growing movement challenging the 200-year-old monarchy. At least five people were killed as clashes flared across the kingdom, according to witnesses and officials.
The unrest that began last month has increasingly showed signs of a sectarian showdown:
World braces for Japan economic hit - Ben White - POLITICO.com
The economic fallout on Japan and the rest of the world in the wake of last week’s devastating earthquake and tsunami is only beginning to emerge.
DBS Bank of Singapore has estimated that the disaster will cost the Japanese economy at least $100 billion — about 2 percent of the nation’s annual gross domestic product — because of shuttered automobile and electronics plants and other disruptions. Any significant worsening of radiation releases from the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant could send that estimate skyrocketing.
Some in GOP grow tired of right wing - Marin Cogan and Jake Sherman - POLITICO.com
Some veteran Republican House members are pushing back against conservative deficit hawks who are pushing for endlessly deep spending cuts, saying the right wing of the party is creating unnecessary divisions for the GOP majority.
While the 54 Republicans who voted against the most recent stopgap spending bill didn’t derail the legislation, some GOP lawmakers are becoming increasingly wary of a faction that rejects substantial spending cuts because they want deeper ones or the inclusion of divisive social policy riders.
Bahrain expels protesters from Pearl Roundabout - CSMonitor.com
Security forces in Bahrain’s capital early Wednesday forcefully drove out hundreds of protesters from the Pearl Roundabout, the symbolic center of the month-long uprising, escalating the conflict between majority Shiite protesters and the Sunni ruling family and sharply reducing the chances of political reconciliation.
Food prices surge; housing starts plunge - USATODAY.com
WASHINGTON (AP) — A wholesale price index jumped last month the most in nearly two years due to higher energy costs and the steepest rise in food prices in 36 years. Excluding those volatile categories, inflation was tame.
Housing Starts Post Biggest Drop Since 1984 - FoxBusiness.com
U.S. housing starts see biggest drop since 1984
U.S. housing starts posted their biggest decline in 27 years in February while building permits dropped to their lowest level on record, suggesting the beleaguered real estate sector has yet to rebound from its deepest slump in modern history.
Radiation poses only slight risk to nervous Tokyo: experts | Reuters
Reuters) - Dozens of workers battling to control radiation at Japan's stricken reactors face a far greater risk of developing cancer than normal, but Tokyo residents are within the safe range for exposure, U.S. nuclear experts said.
Radiation levels in Tokyo, one of the world's most populous cities, rose 10 times above average on Tuesday evening, spreading fear among many of the 33 million residents in the metropolitan area.