
day 2
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Good morning, this is David Batty with live coverage of the aftermath of the devastating 8.9 magnitude earthquake that struck Japan on Friday, causing a tsunami. A huge rescue mission is underway on Saturday amid growing fears of radiation leaks at nuclear power stations damaged by the disaster. Here's a round-up of events so far in Japan on Saturday. • There are growing fears about damage to two nuclear power stations following Friday's 8.9 magnitute earthquake. There has been an explosion at a building at one of the plants, Fukushima No 1 in Futuba, 150 miles (240km) north of Tokyo.
Japan nuclear alert and earthquake - live coverage | World news
Radioactive Gas Released From Nuclear Plant Damaged by Japan’s EarthQuake
The devastating earthquake that struck Japan yesterday could affect DRAM and NAND flash memory production, causing shortages and price hikes. Japan produces more than 40% of the world's NAND flash memory chips -- and 15% of its DRAM -- so the 8.9-magnitude earthquake could have asignificant impact on worldwide semiconductor supplies, according to research firms. According to Jim Handy, an analyst with semiconductor research firm Objective Analysis, it would not take a large drop in wafer production to cause prices to increase dramatically.
Japan quake could hit semiconductor production
Radiation leaking from quake-hit nuclear plant
Top News Quake-hit Japan nuclear plant faces fresh threat Sat, Mar 12 18:55 PM ESTÉchelle de Shindo
東北地方太平洋沖地震 @ ウィキ - EnglishPage
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ese official says pumping system caused nuclear plant blast
A medical worker checks the radiation levels of a resident in Koriyama city in Fukushima prefecture. NEW: An official says there is a "possibility of a meltdown" at two nuclear reactors NEW: Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano says radiation levels aren't hazardous NEW: He says 9 people have tested positive for high radiation levels on skin and clothing One expert calls the effort to cool reactors, using salt water, "act of desparation" Editor's Note: Read live blogging of the Japan tsunami and earthquake. Are you there?Press release - March 12, 2011 Tokyo, 12 March, 2011 – Reacting to reports that radioactive materials including the isotope Cesium-137 have been released from the Fukushima power plant, and that increased levels of radiation have been detected in the immediate vicinity, Jan Beranek, Head of Greenpeace International Nuclear Campaign said: “Our thoughts continue to be with the Japanese people as they face the threat of a nuclear disaster, following already devastating earthquake and tsunami. The authorities must focus on keeping people safe, and avoiding any further releases of radioactivity”.
Response to Radioactivity Release from Fukushima Reactor
Japan earthquake: Meltdown may be occurring, Japanese nuclear official says - latimes.com
A meltdown may be occurring at one of the reactors at an earthquake-damaged nuclear power plant in northeast Japan, a government official told CNN Sunday morning Japan time. "There is a possibility, we see the possibility of a meltdown," said Toshihiro Bannai, director of the international affairs office of Japan's Nuclear and Industrial Safety, in a telephone interview with CNN from the agency's Tokyo headquarters. "At this point, we have still not confirmed that there is an actual meltdown, but there is a possibility." Bannai said engineers have been unable to get close enough to the reactor's core to know what's going on, and that he based his conclusion on radioactive cesium and iodine measured in the air near the plant Saturday night.The radiation level near the Fukushima Number One nuclear power station rose to 1,015 mircrosieverts per hour on Saturday, the prefecture said. Earlier in the day a Japanese nuclear safety panel said radiation levels were 1,000 times higher than normal in a control room and eight times higher than normal just outside the plant. Japanese authorities are preparing to hand out iodine, which helps protect the body from radioactive exposure, to residents in the area near the nuclear power plants hit by a massive earthquake. The U.S. and France also said they had plans to distribute doses of stable potassium iodine.
Radiation 'high' at Japan nuclear plant (Update 1) | Natural Disasters
Après le tsunami, l'accident nucléaire
Les autorités japonaises n'ont pas encore eu le temps faire le bilan complet des dégâts provoqués par le tremblement de terre, puis le terrible tsunami qui a suivi, et les voilà confrontées à un nouveau risque majeur : un accident grave dans une centrale nucléaire . Ce samedi midi, on avait peu d'informations précises sur cette explosion filmée (samedi après midi au Japon, samedi matin en France) par la NHK , dont les images ont aussitôt fait le tour du monde. Ayant suivi les débuts du nucléaire civil en France à l'époque de la Cogema (devenue Areva), participé à des nombreux débats sur les risques écologiques et économiques de ce type d'énergie face à une industrie et à des experts trop sûrs d'eux, j'ai été à Three Mile Island (Pennsylvanie, USA) lors de l'accident de cette centrale le 28 mars 1979. Mais c'est bien sûr le souvenir de l'accident de Tchernobyl (26 avril 1986, Ukraine) qui inquiète aussi bien les écologistes que les spécialistes du nucléaire.Vite Dit Les "vite dit" sont tous les contenus des médias français et étrangers qui nous semblent dignes d’être signalés. Si nécessaire, ils feront l'objet d'un traitement approfondi dans nos articles payants. La page des "vite dit" a pour fonction de donner aux non-abonnés une impression des centres d’intérêt du site.
L'accident nucléaire de Fukushima, en direct sur la NHK
Policemen wear gas masks and patrol near the nuclear power plant in Fukushima. AFP PHOTO /YOMIURI SHIMBUN Source: AFP Fukushima plant explosion Footage from Russia Today shows the moment of the explosion at the nuclear power plant. news.com.au 12 March 2011
Nuclear threat: Japan crisis deepens as blast rocks power station
Japanese officials were trying frantically to thwart partial meltdowns presumed under way Sunday at two earthquake-stricken nuclear reactors in Japan. Fuel rods were briefly exposed and radiation levels briefly rose above the legal limit at the second reactor Sunday, said Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano. A partial meltdown in the unit is "highly possible," he told reporters. "Because it's inside the reactor, we cannot directly check it but we are taking measures on the assumption of the possible partial meltdown." He also said a hydrogen explosion could occur at the reactor, Unit 3 of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear complex.

