By Julian Ryall, Tokyo26 August 2013 TOKYO (Telegraph) – Toshimitsu Motegi, the minister of trade and industry visited the plant on Monday to determine progress to date on decommissioning the three damaged reactors at the plant. Speaking after being shown around the site, Mr Motegi said, “The urgency of the situation is very high. From […]
By MARI YAMAGUCHI23 August 2013 TOKYO (AP) – Deep beneath Fukushima’s crippled nuclear power station, a massive underground reservoir of contaminated water that began spilling from the plant’s reactors after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami has been creeping slowly toward the Pacific. Now, 2 1/2 years later, experts fear it is about to reach the […]
FRESNO, California, August 24, 2013 (AP) — A wildfire raging out of control has grown to nearly 200 square miles and spread into Yosemite National Park at the height of the summer season for one of California’s most popular tourist destinations. While it has closed some backcountry hiking, it was not threatening the Yosemite Valley, […]
By HRVOJE HRANJSKI 22 August 2013 MANILA, Philippines, (AP) – Lashed each year by typhoons and stuck with outdated drainage systems, the Philippine capital has been hit by ever-worsening floods. Population growth, inadequate infrastructure, corruption, deforestation and even trash build-up combine to exacerbate the impact. It’s a trend experts expect to continue. Here’s why: “NO […]
By Matt McGrath, Environment correspondent22 August 2013 (BBC News) – A nuclear expert has told the BBC that he believes the current water leaks at Fukushima are much worse than the authorities have stated. Mycle Schneider is an independent consultant who has previously advised the French and German governments. He says water is leaking out […]
By Chris Christoff20 August 2013 (Bloomberg) – As many as 50,000 stray dogs roam the streets and vacant homes of bankrupt Detroit, replacing residents, menacing humans who remain and overwhelming the city’s ability to find them homes or peaceful deaths. Dens of as many as 20 canines have been found in boarded-up homes in […]
By Jethro Mullen1 August 2013 Hong Kong (CNN) – Record-breaking temperatures have been searing large swaths of China, resulting in dozens of heat-related deaths and prompting authorities to issue a national alert. People are packing into swimming pools or taking refuge in caves in their attempts to escape the fierce temperatures. Local governments are resorting […]
By John Roach 19 August 2013 (NBC News) – Flood damage in the world’s major coastal cities may top $1 trillion a year by 2050 due to rising seas and subsiding land, according to a new study. The startling figure is “not a forecast or a prediction,” but rather a means to “show that not […]
By Shigeru Sato and Yuji Okada15 August 2013 (Bloomberg) – Hanford Engineer Works produced the 20 pounds of plutonium for the bomb dropped on Nagasaki. It’s among the most toxic nuclear waste sites and the place Japan is turning to for help dealing with melted reactors in Fukushima. Tokyo Electric Power Co. has sent engineers […]
14 August 2013 (Bloomberg) – Record temperatures across North Asia have killed dozens and pushed electricity grids to near breaking point, forcing governments to introduce emergency measures as more of the same heat is forecast. Air-conditioning in South Korea’s public buildings has been shut off as the government Monday warned of power shortages. China has […]
