Yahoo! India News – Tue, Mar 15, 2011 9:04 AM IST
The aftermath of the catastrophic earthquake in Japan worsened Tuesday, with fears of the spread of radioactive materials becoming a reality following apparent hydrogen blasts at reactors at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant. The number of casualties following last Friday's magnitude 9.0 quake also climbed, with more than 10,000 confirmed dead or reported as missing five days after the quake.
9:25pm: After three explosions and a fire in four days, the situation at Japan's earthquake-stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant grew more serious Tuesday, chasing all but a handful of workers from the site and raising fears of a far more dangerous radiation threat, CNN reports.
The latest incidents, an explosion Tuesday at the plant's No. 2 reactor and a fire in a cooling pond used for nuclear fuel at the No. 4 reactor, briefly pushed radiation levels at the plant to about 167 times the average annual dose of radiation, according to details released by the International Atomic Energy Agency.
8:30pm: Radiation levels have fallen at Japan's earthquake-stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, the government says. (BBC report) The announcement was made after a fire was extinguished at the plant. The government had earlier warned that radiation leaks from the plant had reached harmful levels.
Weather reports indicate winds are dispersing radiation from the plant to the east, over the Pacific Ocean, but the government has ordered people living within 20km (12 miles) to leave.
7:45pm: As many as 100,000 children may have been displaced by the earthquake and tsunami that devastated Japan's north-west coast last Friday, Save the Children has warned. The British charity said it was concerned that some of the children affected by the disaster may have been separated from their families. Read more
7:17pm: Strong quake of 6 magnitude shakes Kanto region, no fear of tsunami.
7:15pm: IAEA says radiation levels at quake-hit Japanese nuclear centre have fallen.
6:45pm: Death toll rises to 3,373 after earthquake, tsunami in Japan, police say. Another 6,746 people are missing, CNN reports.
6:00pm: Status of quake-stricken reactors at Fukushima nuclear power plants
Travel warnings after Japan's earthquake
5:30pm: Tohoku Electric Power Co. said Tuesday that it will implement electricity rationing in northeastern Japan from Wednesday to grapple with power shortages in the wake of Friday's killer earthquake, a day after Tokyo Electric Power Co. took the unprecedented measure in areas near the capital.
4:57pm: Winds are now dispersing radioactive material from the Japanese nuclear crisis over the Pacific Ocean, away from Japan and other Asian countries, the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) said on Tuesday.
4:54pm: 115 Pakistanis have returned from disaster-hit Japan. The passengers, brought back by a Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight, told media persons that even basic commodities are not available in Japan. So far, some 230 Pakistani nationals have returned on two PIA flights, the Dawn reports.
3:54pm: Japan's Tokyo Electric Power Co says it has pulled out 750 workers from its Daiichi nuclear plant since Tuesday morning, leaving 50 there to deal with problems with reactors.
3:34pm: Not all psychological first aid works. Time reports, "Experience with past disasters suggest that some types of psychological first aid may help those who have lived through them, but others can actually cause harm." When victims are told that they may experience nightmares, the counselling might bring the symptoms on, an expert says.
9:25pm: After three explosions and a fire in four days, the situation at Japan's earthquake-stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant grew more serious Tuesday, chasing all but a handful of workers from the site and raising fears of a far more dangerous radiation threat, CNN reports.
The latest incidents, an explosion Tuesday at the plant's No. 2 reactor and a fire in a cooling pond used for nuclear fuel at the No. 4 reactor, briefly pushed radiation levels at the plant to about 167 times the average annual dose of radiation, according to details released by the International Atomic Energy Agency.
8:30pm: Radiation levels have fallen at Japan's earthquake-stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, the government says. (BBC report) The announcement was made after a fire was extinguished at the plant. The government had earlier warned that radiation leaks from the plant had reached harmful levels.
Weather reports indicate winds are dispersing radiation from the plant to the east, over the Pacific Ocean, but the government has ordered people living within 20km (12 miles) to leave.
7:45pm: As many as 100,000 children may have been displaced by the earthquake and tsunami that devastated Japan's north-west coast last Friday, Save the Children has warned. The British charity said it was concerned that some of the children affected by the disaster may have been separated from their families. Read more
7:17pm: Strong quake of 6 magnitude shakes Kanto region, no fear of tsunami.
7:15pm: IAEA says radiation levels at quake-hit Japanese nuclear centre have fallen.
6:45pm: Death toll rises to 3,373 after earthquake, tsunami in Japan, police say. Another 6,746 people are missing, CNN reports.
6:00pm: Status of quake-stricken reactors at Fukushima nuclear power plants
Travel warnings after Japan's earthquake
5:30pm: Tohoku Electric Power Co. said Tuesday that it will implement electricity rationing in northeastern Japan from Wednesday to grapple with power shortages in the wake of Friday's killer earthquake, a day after Tokyo Electric Power Co. took the unprecedented measure in areas near the capital.
4:57pm: Winds are now dispersing radioactive material from the Japanese nuclear crisis over the Pacific Ocean, away from Japan and other Asian countries, the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) said on Tuesday.
4:54pm: 115 Pakistanis have returned from disaster-hit Japan. The passengers, brought back by a Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight, told media persons that even basic commodities are not available in Japan. So far, some 230 Pakistani nationals have returned on two PIA flights, the Dawn reports.
3:54pm: Japan's Tokyo Electric Power Co says it has pulled out 750 workers from its Daiichi nuclear plant since Tuesday morning, leaving 50 there to deal with problems with reactors.
3:34pm: Not all psychological first aid works. Time reports, "Experience with past disasters suggest that some types of psychological first aid may help those who have lived through them, but others can actually cause harm." When victims are told that they may experience nightmares, the counselling might bring the symptoms on, an expert says.
3:30pm: China plans to evacuate its citizens from Japan quake areas.
2:50pm: The central government should chalk out a foolproof strategy to protect the Kaiga nuclear power plant, which was giving Goa 'constant nightmares' in the wake of the tsunami-triggered crisis at Japan's Fukushima nuclear plant, a local Congress MP said Tuesday, IANS reports. Kaiga is in Karnataka, close to the Goa border.
2:34pm: Nuclear experts from the European Union meeting on Tuesday in Brussels must consider whether the bloc can move away from nuclear energy one day, EU Energy Commissioner Guenther Oettinger said. He called the meeting to coordinate policy in the light of Japan's nuclear crisis, and as Germany suspended a planned extension of the lifespan of its nuclear power plants, reports Reuters.
2:32pm: BBC reports: "It looks as though Thursday's nuclear accident at the Tokaimura processing plant in Japan was a classic case of human error. The facts that have emerged show that workers at the complex made a simple but terrible mistake. They were preparing uranium fuel for use in a nuclear reactor. Normally only 2.3 kgs (5 pounds) of liquid uranium is placed into a container containing nitric acid. By error nearly eight times that amount was used."
2:28pm: Japan has told the UN nuclear watchdog a spent fuel storage pond was on fire at a reactor damaged by the earthquake and radioactivity was being released "directly" into the atmosphere, the Vienna-based agency said on Tuesday. Reuters reports: "The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), citing information it had received from Japanese authorities at 0350 GMT, said dose rates of up to 400 millisievert per hour have been reported at the Fukushima power plant site."
2:24pm: Bangalore-based software major Infosys Technologies has advised its Indian employees to send their families back to India and given them the choice to return if the situation warrants it. 'We have about 350 Indian software professionals working at our proximity development centre in Tokyo. We have advised them to first send back their families and gave them a choice to return or stay back depending on the situation,' Infosys Chief Executive S. Gopalakrishnan told IANS.
1:22pm: No looting, no crime reported in the wake of the earthquake and tsunami. A journalist blogging for The Telegraph says, "Perhaps even more impressive than Japan’s technological power is its social strength, with supermarkets cutting prices and vending machine owners giving out free drinks as people work together to survive."
12:47pm: Former chairman of Atomic Energy Commission Dr Anil Kakodkar endorses nuclear energy against the backdrop of opposition to the upcoming Jaitapur nuclear power project in coastal Maharashtra.
12:34pm: Disaster fears spread across the world. Reuters reports: California will experience unthinkable damage when the next powerful quake strikes, probably within 30 years, even though the state prides itself on being on the leading edge of earthquake science.
12:24pm: A team from the International Atomic Energy Agency has arrived in Japan to investigate the country's worst nuclear accident, reports BBC. "The IAEA in Vienna said the three-man delegation will return to the agency's headquarters over the weekend and prepare a report on its findings... The Japanese Government, which initially refused the IAEA's offer of help, is promising new laws to tighten nuclear site safety."
12:16pm: Indian embassy in Japan says no reports of casualties among Indian nationals: "The Embassy of India has contacted the Indian communities in all cities in Japan as well as Indian schools and is in constant touch with various sections of the community."
12:08pm: Japanese official numbers: 2,500 confirmed dead, 17,000 missing, 5 lakh in temporary shelters.
12:03pm: The Obama administration has brushed aside calls for a freeze on new US nuclear power development, reports Wall Street Journal. They say the nation's nuclear facilities are safe and the threat of harmful radiation reaching US soil from Japan is minimal.
11:24am: Evacuation, panic buying in Tokyo as radiation fear spreads.
11:18am: 'Minute amounts' of radiation in Tokyo, government admits.
11:03am: Indian embassy in Tokyo sets up a 24-hour helpline, gets over 100 calls a day. Helpline numbers are: + 81 3 3262 2391 to 97.
10:48am: Oil prices slide further, now 99 dollars a barrel.
10:17am: Stay indoors, people in radiation-hit areas ordered.
10:12am: Ten Japanese local governments rethinking emergency response strategy, reports Japan Times.
10:04am: Telecom companies scramble to fix cables damaged by earthquake.
9:54am: Buying on bad news? Nuclear investment is a gamble riskier than before, says Reuters.
9:50am: Devastation brings back memories of World War II to Japan's elders.
9:46am: Crisis turning into a catastrophe, warns The New York Times: "...industry executives in close contact with officials in Japan said
2:50pm: The central government should chalk out a foolproof strategy to protect the Kaiga nuclear power plant, which was giving Goa 'constant nightmares' in the wake of the tsunami-triggered crisis at Japan's Fukushima nuclear plant, a local Congress MP said Tuesday, IANS reports. Kaiga is in Karnataka, close to the Goa border.
2:34pm: Nuclear experts from the European Union meeting on Tuesday in Brussels must consider whether the bloc can move away from nuclear energy one day, EU Energy Commissioner Guenther Oettinger said. He called the meeting to coordinate policy in the light of Japan's nuclear crisis, and as Germany suspended a planned extension of the lifespan of its nuclear power plants, reports Reuters.
2:32pm: BBC reports: "It looks as though Thursday's nuclear accident at the Tokaimura processing plant in Japan was a classic case of human error. The facts that have emerged show that workers at the complex made a simple but terrible mistake. They were preparing uranium fuel for use in a nuclear reactor. Normally only 2.3 kgs (5 pounds) of liquid uranium is placed into a container containing nitric acid. By error nearly eight times that amount was used."
2:28pm: Japan has told the UN nuclear watchdog a spent fuel storage pond was on fire at a reactor damaged by the earthquake and radioactivity was being released "directly" into the atmosphere, the Vienna-based agency said on Tuesday. Reuters reports: "The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), citing information it had received from Japanese authorities at 0350 GMT, said dose rates of up to 400 millisievert per hour have been reported at the Fukushima power plant site."
2:24pm: Bangalore-based software major Infosys Technologies has advised its Indian employees to send their families back to India and given them the choice to return if the situation warrants it. 'We have about 350 Indian software professionals working at our proximity development centre in Tokyo. We have advised them to first send back their families and gave them a choice to return or stay back depending on the situation,' Infosys Chief Executive S. Gopalakrishnan told IANS.
1:22pm: No looting, no crime reported in the wake of the earthquake and tsunami. A journalist blogging for The Telegraph says, "Perhaps even more impressive than Japan’s technological power is its social strength, with supermarkets cutting prices and vending machine owners giving out free drinks as people work together to survive."
12:47pm: Former chairman of Atomic Energy Commission Dr Anil Kakodkar endorses nuclear energy against the backdrop of opposition to the upcoming Jaitapur nuclear power project in coastal Maharashtra.
12:34pm: Disaster fears spread across the world. Reuters reports: California will experience unthinkable damage when the next powerful quake strikes, probably within 30 years, even though the state prides itself on being on the leading edge of earthquake science.
12:24pm: A team from the International Atomic Energy Agency has arrived in Japan to investigate the country's worst nuclear accident, reports BBC. "The IAEA in Vienna said the three-man delegation will return to the agency's headquarters over the weekend and prepare a report on its findings... The Japanese Government, which initially refused the IAEA's offer of help, is promising new laws to tighten nuclear site safety."
12:16pm: Indian embassy in Japan says no reports of casualties among Indian nationals: "The Embassy of India has contacted the Indian communities in all cities in Japan as well as Indian schools and is in constant touch with various sections of the community."
12:08pm: Japanese official numbers: 2,500 confirmed dead, 17,000 missing, 5 lakh in temporary shelters.
12:03pm: The Obama administration has brushed aside calls for a freeze on new US nuclear power development, reports Wall Street Journal. They say the nation's nuclear facilities are safe and the threat of harmful radiation reaching US soil from Japan is minimal.
11:24am: Evacuation, panic buying in Tokyo as radiation fear spreads.
11:18am: 'Minute amounts' of radiation in Tokyo, government admits.
11:03am: Indian embassy in Tokyo sets up a 24-hour helpline, gets over 100 calls a day. Helpline numbers are: + 81 3 3262 2391 to 97.
10:48am: Oil prices slide further, now 99 dollars a barrel.
10:17am: Stay indoors, people in radiation-hit areas ordered.
10:12am: Ten Japanese local governments rethinking emergency response strategy, reports Japan Times.
10:04am: Telecom companies scramble to fix cables damaged by earthquake.
9:54am: Buying on bad news? Nuclear investment is a gamble riskier than before, says Reuters.
9:50am: Devastation brings back memories of World War II to Japan's elders.
9:46am: Crisis turning into a catastrophe, warns The New York Times: "...industry executives in close contact with officials in Japan said
that the chain of events at Daiichi suggested that the authorities had
come close to losing control of the situation, and that it would be
difficult to maintain emergency seawater cooling operations at stricken
reactors if a fire at a fourth reactor nearby was releasing large
amounts of radioactive material — at least without threatening the
health of emergency workers onsite."
9:42am: Winds blowing towards Tokyo, but officials say direction could change later on Tuesday.
9:36am: “Under the best scenarios, this isn’t going to end anytime soon,” an expert tells The New York Times.
9:34am: As radiation leak spreads, many countries issue travel warnings.
9:30am: Japan police confirm 2,400 deaths from earthquake and tsunami.
9:26am: Brent crude for April fell $1.87 to $111.80 a barrel at 0256 GMT
9:42am: Winds blowing towards Tokyo, but officials say direction could change later on Tuesday.
9:36am: “Under the best scenarios, this isn’t going to end anytime soon,” an expert tells The New York Times.
9:34am: As radiation leak spreads, many countries issue travel warnings.
9:30am: Japan police confirm 2,400 deaths from earthquake and tsunami.
9:26am: Brent crude for April fell $1.87 to $111.80 a barrel at 0256 GMT
after trading as low as $111.49. U.S. crude for April dropped $1.88 to
$99.31. "People are going for risk aversion, so investors are liquidating
assets and positions including in crude oil and gold," said Tetsu
Emori, a fund manager at Tokyo-based Astmax Co Ltd..
9:18am: Radiation was briefly nine times the normal on Tuesday.
9:14am: Nikkei plunged after PM Naoto Kan confirmed that the radiation levels were no longer under control.
9:10am:Huffington Post reports, radiation could reach Tokyo in 10 hours from the nuclear plant.
9:18am: Radiation was briefly nine times the normal on Tuesday.
9:14am: Nikkei plunged after PM Naoto Kan confirmed that the radiation levels were no longer under control.
9:10am:Huffington Post reports, radiation could reach Tokyo in 10 hours from the nuclear plant.
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