Typhoon approaches Japan, may threaten nuclear plant

 

In this May 27, 2011 photo released by the International Atomic Energy Agency, or IAEA, members of the IAEA fact-finding team in Japan visit the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant in Okuma, Fukushima prefecture, northern Japan. - AP Photo

TOKYO: Japan’s crippled Fukushima nuclear plant is not fully prepared to deal with violent storms, officials admitted Saturday, as the country braced for Typhoon Songda to hit.
The storm system was located about 30 kilometres southwest of Miyako-jima Island, near Taiwan, as of 3:00 pm, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.
The typhoon, packing gusts up to 216 kilometres per hour near its centre, is moving northeast and could hit Tokyo as early as Monday, the agency said.
It is not yet clear whether it will move towards the Fukushima Daiichi plant, more than 200 kilometres northeast of the capital.
But the typhoon has already brought heavy rain to the Fukushima region, prompting worries that runoff water may wash away radioactive materials from land into the Pacific Ocean.
Plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) has been pouring synthetic resins over the complex to prevent radioactive deposits from being swept away by winds or rain.
A TEPCO spokesman said workers were mulling ways to continue their work even in storms.
“We are using a pump truck to pour water to (cool overheating) reactors. It is not yet clear how exactly we would conduct the work if strong typhoons hit the plant directly,” he said.
Goshi Hosono, an aide of Prime Minister Naoto Kan, told a news conference Friday that more work had to be done to ensure that the approaching and future typhoons would not spread radioactive materials into the environment.

Gunmen kill two policemen in Quetta

A police officer said that the attack at a checkpoint also wounded three bystanders in Quetta. – File Photo

QUETTA: At least two policemen were killed while three others injured during firing on Spinny road in the provincial capital on Sunday.
“Unknown armed men riding bikes opened fire at policemen, killing two and injuring three, including one police official and two by-standers,” police official Amir Khan Dasti told reporters.
He said that the deceased constables were identified as Ishaq and Musa. The injured were identified as sub-inspector Raza Muhammad, a passerby Yazdan Ali, while the identity of the female passerby who also sustained bullet injuries could not be ascertained.
The injured have been shifted to Bolan Medical College hospital Quetta for treatment.
Heavy contingent of law enforcement personnel reached the site and cordoned off the area to trace and arrest the suspects.
Further investigation was underway.

Enrichment continues, claims A.Q. Khan

Answering a question about safety of the nuclear assets, Dr Khan said neither the Taliban nor any external force could seize them because of a “highly secured system which has been improved gradually”. - Photo by Reuters

ISLAMABAD: The country’s nuclear programme has been “running without any break” for the past 10 years and the process of uranium enrichment is in progress, too, Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan claimed in an interview with Dawn on Saturday.
“Although I have not been associated with the programme for the past 10 years, I know that it has been running without any break and the process of uranium enrichment is in progress,” the nuclear scientist said.
He said although the departments concerned were not giving “final shape to new nuclear weapons”, the material was being prepared and they could be assembled any time if required.
Answering a question about safety of the nuclear assets, Dr Khan said neither the Taliban nor any external force could seize them because of a “highly secured system which has been improved gradually”.
He said the county’s nuclear assets were safe from day one and no country should be worried about them.
“We know how to protect our strength (nukes),” he said in reply to a question about statements from Washington and New Delhi that terrorists could seize Pakistan’s nuclear arsenals.
He said nuclear weapons were not stored at one place and very few people knew about their location. “You can count these people on fingers who exactly know about the location of nuclear arsenals,” he said.
Most of the nuclear weapons made by the Khan Research Laboratories and other departments concerned had been handed over to the military authorities and the practice still continued.
“These weapons are lying in tunnels and safe houses where no one can access them, except very few relevant people,” Dr Khan said.
In reply to a question, he said Zulfikar Ali Bhutto had made the security system of the country’s nuclear programme and nuclear assets foolproof and with the passage of time Gen Ziaul Haq, Gen Mirza Aslam Beg and Gen Abdul Waheed Kakar further beefed up security around them.
“Finally the Strategic Plans Division upgraded the system, making it inaccessible to any one inside and outside the country,” he said.
Asked if the country’s nuclear programme was running satisfactorily, Dr Khan said it was running well.
In reply to another question, the nuclear scientist said he often moved out of his residence because he had no fear about his security. “I have faith in Allah because no one can harm me if He protects me.”

Ten die from E.coli-infected cucumbers

It is unclear whether the cucumbers were infected at source or in transit

The death toll in Germany from an outbreak of E.coli caused by infected cucumbers has risen to at least 10.

The cucumbers, believed to have been imported from Spain, were infected with a severe complication of E.coli called hemolytic-uremic syndrome (HUS).
Hundreds of people are said to have fallen sick.
Officials in the Czech Republic said the cucumbers may have been exported there, as well as to Austria, Hungary and Luxembourg.
Adults at risk The aggressive form of E.coli is known to cause kidney failure and affect the central nervous system.
Most of the cases have been in the area around Hamburg.
The Sweden-based European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control said this outbreak was "one of the largest described of HUS worldwide and the largest ever reported in Germany".
It said: "While HUS cases are usually observed in children under five years of age, in this outbreak 87% are adults, with a clear predominance of women (68%)."
HUS cases have also been reported in Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands and the UK - linked to German travel.
A scientist from Munster university, Helge Karch, warned that the spread of infection was not over.
"It is possible that there will be secondary infections during this outbreak as well. These secondary infections work from man to man and they can be avoided. That's why we have to do everything possible for better personal hygiene."
Czech authorities said the European Union's rapid warning system had told them of an importation of the cucumbers into the Czech Republic.
Czech Agriculture and Food Inspection Authority spokesman Michal Spacil told Agence France-Presse: "The Germans said the cucumbers were also distributed to Hungary, Austria and Luxembourg."
Spain has announced restrictions on two suspected exporters.
It is unclear whether the cucumbers were infected at source or in transit.

London boy breaks Seven Summits record with Everest climb

George Atkinson began the Seven Summits challenge at the age of 11

A boy of 16 has become the youngest person in the world to scale the highest mountains in every continent.

George Atkinson, from Surbiton, south-west London, began the Seven Summits challenge by scaling Kilimanjaro in 2005 and completed it by reaching the top of Mount Everest on Thursday.
He broke the record of US teenager Johnny Collinson, who completed the challenge at the age of 17 last year.
George's mother Penny said she felt "elated and emotional".
The British Mountaineering Council has confirmed George's record, who was aged 16 years and 362 days when he reached the summit of Mount Everest.
George, who turns 17 on Sunday, began the challenge of climbing the highest peaks in seven continents at the age of 11 by scaling Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania.

“Start Quote

Just get my boy down safe now!”

End Quote Penny Atkinson

He then climbed Russia's Mount Elbrus in 2007 and reached the summits of Indonesia's Carstensz Pyramid and Argentina's Mount Aconcagua in 2008.

Mount McKinley in North America was next, followed by Mount Vinson in Antarctica which he climbed late last year.
In her son's blog, Penny Atkinson announced the completion of his challenge: "George has done it. He reached the summit at about 8.15am Nepali time.
"It sounds as if the weather is good...
"A big thank you to everyone who has helped George to achieve his dream."
She added: "Just get my boy down safe now!"

Twitter's European boss warns users may face court

Tony Wang has been appointed European Twitter boss

Twitter's new European boss has suggested that users who break privacy injunctions by posting on the site could face the UK courts.

Tony Wang said people who did "bad things" needed to defend themselves.
He warned that the site would hand over user information to the authorities where they were "legally required".
Lawyers are challenging Twitter in court to reveal the identities of Twitter users who violated a super-injunction.
MP John Hemming named Manchester United footballer Ryan Giggs in Parliament on Monday as the footballer who had used a super-injunction to hide an alleged affair, after Mr Giggs' name had been widely aired on Twitter.
Responding to a question from BBC News at the e-G8 forum in Paris, Mr Wang said: "Platforms have a responsibility, not to defend that user but to protect that user's right to defend him or herself".
He declined to comment on the case directly but explained that in general, when dealing with cases of illegal activity, Twitter would comply with local laws to turn over user details.
He stressed that the site would also notify those individuals of any such request.
Little sympathy Mr Wang made it clear that if the matter came to court, those people would be on their own.
He said Twitter would, "let them exercise their own legal rights under their own jurisdiction, whether that is a motion to quash the order or to oppose it or do a number of other things to defend themselves."
The subject of legal jurisdictions and the internet has been hotly debated at the first e-G8 summit.
Technology industry leaders including Google's Eric Schmidt and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg were among the speakers at the event.
While many attendees felt that there was a need for further discussion, among delegates from the United States, there was little sympathy for the British legal position.
"I do view it to being similar to the Chinese situation where they also cover up misdeeds of high ranking people," Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales told the BBC.
He said that, although the internet was a global phenomenon, it was unlikely to pander to those countries with stricter rules.
"The US is going to be absolutely inflexible on this point. It is in the constitution," he said, referring to freedom of speech provisions.
"I think that puts intergovernmental communication and co-operation on this issue into a different light, which is, there's not a whole lot to co-operate on."

US defence firm Lockheed Martin hit by cyber-attack

Lockheed Martin makes F-16 fighter jets

US defence firm Lockheed Martin says it has come under a significant cyber-attack, which took place last week.

Few details were available, but Lockheed said its security team had detected the threat quickly and ensured that none of its programmes had been compromised.
The Pentagon said it is working to establish the extent of the breach.
Lockheed makes fighter jets, warships and multi-billion dollar weapons systems sold worldwide.
Lt Col April Cunningham, speaking for the US defence department, said the impact on the Pentagon was "minimal and we don't expect any adverse effect".
Lockheed Martin said in a statement that it detected the attack on 21 May "almost immediately" and took counter-measures.
As a result, the company said, "our systems remain secure; no customer, program or employee personal data has been compromised".
But they are still working to restore employee access several days after the attack took place.
Lockheed Martin is the world's biggest aerospace company and makes F-16, F-22 and F-35 fighter jets as well as warships.

Shakira considering album in Arabic

 

RABAT: Colombian pop singer Shakira said Saturday she would one day like to sing pop songs, if not an entire album, in Arabic.

The native Spanish speaker, who also has global hits in English, was speaking at a news conference in Morocco, where she was headlining the Mawazine World Rhythms music festival.

"It would be a challenge to do an album in Arabic. I would first have to learn Arabic," she said. "I am completely open to that experience. ... At some point I would love that to happen in my life."

Born in Colombia of Syrian origin, Shakira said she grew up listening to the Arab world's premier divas of the 20th century, Egyptian Umm Kalthum and Lebanese Fairuz.

Shakira often uses eastern dance, also known as belly dancing, in her acts, and her hit Spanish language single "Ojas Asi" relies heavily on a Middle Eastern melody. Her eastern origins and musical influences have made her popular throughout the Middle East.

She admitted, however, that she only speaks a few words of Arabic, including "ateeni boosa" or give me a kiss, provoking laughter among the mostly Moroccan crowd of journalists.

Morocco's 10th-annual Mawazine festival of world music concluded Saturday after eight days of music that saw bands from 60 countries, including Kanye West, Lionel Ritchie, Egypt's Amr Diab and Senegal's Youssou N'Dour. (AP)

Barcelona swamp United to win Champions League

 

LONDON: Barcelona, inspired by the peerless Lionel Messi, delivered a soccer masterclass to overwhelm Manchester United 3-1 in the Champions League final and lift the European Cup for the fourth time on Saturday.

Messi was at his inspirational best all night at Wembley as the champions of Spain left the champions of England looking like desperate also-rans in the face of their relentless intricate passing and deadly movement.

United somehow reached halftime level at 1-1 after Wayne Rooney cancelled out Pedro's opening goal but Barcelona continued their dominance after the break.

A superb Messi goal and a precise 18-metre curler by David Villa, underlined the Spanish side's dominance over the team they also beat in the 2009 final. After a short-lived United flurry at the start, Barca were soon in control as they probed constantly in and around the United box.

UNITED UNDONE

Although the English side kept them at bay with a series of last-ditch tackles they were eventually undone in the 27th minute when Xavi cleverly delayed a pass to open space for Pedro to calmly tuck the ball beyond Edwin van der Sar.

United looked almost out of their depth but showed why they have reached three finals in the last four seasons by conjuring a well-made equaliser after 34 minutes.

Rooney played a one-two with Michael Carrick then another with Ryan Giggs before sweeping the ball high into the net.

Messi was millimetres away from a second goal after another high-speed give and go with Villa but somehow United reached halftime on level terms.

The parity on the scoreboard was short-lived though as Barca immediately regained control and, after more near misses, duly went ahead in the 54th minute.

United's defenders made the fatal error of standing off Messi on the edge of the box and the Argentine maestro took full advantage driving the ball in low for the 53rd and most important goal of his remarkable season.

It was Messi who set up the third too as he surged into the box and, though the ball was half-cleared, it went straight to Villa who killed it instantly before curling a superb 18-metreshot into the top corner. (Reuters)

NASA satellite helps find 17 Egypt pyramids

This NASA satellite image obtained on May 25 courtesy of the University of Alabama shows an infra-red image (center) of a pattern of streets and houses in the buried ancient city of Tanis, Egypt. Images produced by a state-of-the-art infrared technique allowed the researchers to clearly see the ruins underground. - AFP File Photo

WASHINGTON: Archaeologists have uncovered as many as 17 buried pyramids in Egypt with the help of NASA satellite imagery, according to a documentary to be aired by the BBC on Monday.
Led by US researcher Sarah Parcak at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, the team has already confirmed two of the suspected pyramids through excavation work.
The BBC, which funded the research, released the findings this week ahead of a broadcast describing the technique and what was uncovered.
“I couldn’t believe we could locate so many sites all over Egypt,” Parcak was quoted as telling the BBC. “To excavate a pyramid is the dream of every archaeologist.”
The team also found more than 1,000 tombs and 3,000 ancient settlements, according to the report.
Infrared images, which were taken by satellites orbiting 700 kilometers above the Earth, revealed the below-ground structures.
The satellites used powerful cameras that can “pinpoint objects less than one meter (three feet) in diameter on the Earth’s surface,” the report said.
The technology was helped by the density of houses and other buildings, made of mud brick so that they showed up somewhat clearly against the looser soil cover.
The documentary, “Egypt’s Lost Cities,” airs Monday on BBC One and will also be shown on the Discovery channel in the United States.