More Bad News: Fukushima Leaks
Mari Saito reports that the “operator of Japan’s Fukushima nuclear plant said on Thursday [, 20 February 2014] that 100 tonnes of highly contaminated water had leaked out of a tank, the worst incident since last August [2013], when a series of radioactive water leaks sparked international alarm. Tokyo Electric Power Co told reporters the latest leak was unlikely to have reached the ocean. But news of the leak at the site, devastated by a 2011 earthquake and tsunami, further undercut public trust in a utility rocked by a string of mishaps and disclosure issues”.[1]
Saito continues that “Tepco said water overflowed from a large storage tank at the site late on Wednesday [, 19 February 2014] after a valve had remained open by mistake and sent too much contaminated water into a separate holding area. A worker patrolling the area, around 700 metres from the ocean, spotted drips of water leaking through a drain attached to the side of the tank. The utility has been harshly criticised for its response to the three nuclear meltdowns following the quake and tsunami at the plant, 220 km (130 miles) north of Tokyo. A nuclear regulatory official last week said Tepco delayed release of record-high measurements of strontium-90 in groundwater despite repeated requests by the regulator. Initial measurements of the latest incident showed the leaked water had a reading of 230 million becquerels per litre of beta-emitting radioactive isotopes, including strontium 90”.[2]
[1] Mari Saito, “New highly radioactive leak at Japan’s Fukushima plant” Reuters (20 Feb 2014). http://www.firstpost.com/world/new-highly-radioactive-leak-at-japans-fukushima-plant-1400111.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter.
[2] Mari Saito, “New highly radioactive leak at Japan’s Fukushima plant”.
The War in Syria: FSA Divided???
‘General Salim Idriss has rejected his dismissal as military chief of the “rebel” Free Syrian Army, saying the whole chain of command needed a “total restructuring” – highlighting deep divisions in the opposition.Al Jazeera’s Hashem Ahelbarra reports (19 Feb 2014)’.
Earlier, the pan-Arab broadcaster reported that the “rebel Free Syrian Army has fired Salim Idriss as its military chief, calling him ‘ineffective’ and lacking in experience to lead military operations on the ground. In a video broadcast on the internet on Sunday [, 16 February 2014] , the rebel coalition said its military council had decided to replace Idriss with Brigadier General Abdel-ilah Albashir. Colonel Qassem Saadeddine said the decision was taken due to ‘the paralysis within the military command these past months’. A source inside the Syrian opposition told AFP news agency that Idriss, who was appointed to the role in December 2012, had faced criticism for failings on the battlefield. Al Jazeera‘s Omar Al Saleh, reporting from Istanbul, said the Supreme Military Council said Idriss was ‘ineffective’ and ‘lacked the military experience to run operations on the ground’. They also said he had bad relations with other rebel forces fighting on the ground”.[1] The Fars News Agency, in turn, reports that ‘a FSA source on Wednesday [, 19 February] blamed the shortcomings of Idriss’ leadership on international backers of the war, which have mainly directed military aid to factions fighting on the ground rather than to Idriss’.[2] And it turns, even, or should that be, particularly, in the deadly game of war, money makes or breaks a man . . .
[1] “Free Syrian Army fires military chief” Al Jazeera (18 Feb 2014). http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2014/02/free-syrian-army-fires-military-chief-201421742719901171.html.
[2] “Rifts Deepen; Syria Rebel Leaders Say Idris Removal was a ‘Coup’” FNA (20 Feb 2014). http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13921201000320.
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