New images from inside Fukushima reactor spark safety worry
By MARI YAMAGUCHI
Images captured by a robotic probe inside one of the three melted reactors at the wrecked Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant showed exposed steel bars in the main supporting structure and parts of its thick external concrete wall missing, triggering concerns about its earthquake resistance in case of another major disaster.
The plant's operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, has been sending robotic probes inside the Unit 1 primary containment chamber since last year. The new findings released Tuesday were from the latest probe conducted at the end of March.
An underwater remotely operated vehicle named ROV-A2 was sent inside the Unit 1 pedestal, a supporting structure right under the core. It came back with images seen for the first time since an earthquake and tsunami crippled the plant 12 years ago. The area inside the pedestal is where traces of the melted fuel can most likely be found.
Russian defector sheds light on Putin paranoia and his secret train network
Former security officer tells of president’s strict quarantine and says he has ‘lost touch with the world’
A senior Russian security officer who defected last year has given rare insight into the paranoid lifestyle of Vladimir Putin, confirming details of a secret train network, identical offices in different cities, a strict personal quarantine and escalating security protocols.
Gleb Karakulov, who served as a captain in the Federal Protection Service (FSO), a powerful body tasked with protecting Russia’s highest-ranking officials, said the measures were designed to mask the whereabouts of the Russian president, whom he described as “pathologically afraid for his life”.
The 36-year-old said the train was used because it “cannot be tracked on any information resource. It’s done for stealth purposes.”
International sting brings down major dark web marketplace
Law enforcement agencies say "Genesis Market" dealt in stolen identities and account details. Dubbed "Operation Cookie Monster," Wednesday's sting involved 17 nations and resulted in 120 arrests.
A 17-country police sting codenamed "Operation Cookie Monster" and led by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Dutch National Police has led to the closure of what is said to be the largest illicit market on the so-called darknet — networks using the internet but that are difficult to locate and where it is easier to conceal your identity and location.
Authorities conducted more than 200 searches and made 120 arrests while also engaging in widespread "preventative activity."
Speaking of the sting's success, Rob Jones of the UK's National Crime Agency (NCA) said, "We assess that the Genesis is one of the most significant access marketplaces anywhere in the world."
Europe's Europol police agency on Wednesday called the Genesis Market, "one of the most dangerous marketplaces selling stolen account credentials to hackers worldwide."
Tweets by Uganda president’s son spark ‘concern’ over succession question
Muhoozi Kainerugaba, the son of Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, has attracted international attention with a range of striking tweets in recent months – starting with a veiled threat to invade Kenya in October and most recently last week, when he offered to deploy Ugandan troops to defend Moscow from “imperialists”. But the running theme in his tweets is the suggestion that he will soon take over from his father.
Muhoozi Kainerugaba – known as "Muhoozi" – first attracted widespread international attention on Twitter last October when he spoke of the ease with which he could invade neighbouring Kenya: “It wouldn't take us, my army and me, 2 weeks to capture Nairobi,” he posted.
President Yoweri Museveni, 78, responded by sacking Muhoozi from his role as commander of Uganda’s land forces. Museveni also said his son “will leave Twitter”.
Israeli forces attack worshippers in Al-Aqsa Mosque raid
Israeli forces fire stun grenades and arrest worshippers from inside the mosque, drawing condemnation from the Palestinians.
The Arab League is set to hold an emergency meeting to discuss an Israeli police raid on the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem that left at least 12 Palestinians injured, as Israeli Prime Miniser Benjamin Netanyahu said he was working to “maintain the status quo” at the holy site.
The Arab League meeting was called by Jordan, Egypt and Palestinian officials, with tensions remaining high in Jerusalem since Israeli police attacked worshippers in the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound overnight on Wednesday, during the holy month of Ramadan.
The raids continued into the morning when Israeli forces were once again seen assaulting and pushing Palestinians out of the compound and preventing them from praying – before Israelis were allowed in under police protection.
Revealed: royals took more than £1bn income from controversial estates
Investigation reveals King Charles and the late queen’s income from duchies grew sixteenfold during Elizabeth’s reign
King Charles and the late Queen Elizabeth II have received payments equivalent to more than £1bn from two land and property estates that are at the centre of a centuries-old debate over whether their profits should be given to the public instead.
An investigation by the Guardian has established the full scale of income extracted by the royals from the duchies of Lancaster and Cornwall, which run giant portfolios of land and property across England.
The duchies operate as professionally run real estate empires that manage swathes of farmland, hotels, medieval castles, offices, shops and some of London’s prime luxury real estate. They also have substantial investment portfolios, but pay no corporation tax or capital gains tax.
No comments:
Post a Comment