Quake rocks Japan's crippled nuclear power plant

Tokyo (AFP)
Sept 29, 2011

A 5.6-magnitude earthquake shook an area of northeast Japan which includes the tsunami-crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant Thursday but there were no reports of damage to the facility, officials said.

The moderate quake struck offshore near the coast of Fukushima at 7:05 pm (1005 GMT) with a "very shallow" focus, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.

There were no fears of a tsunami following the tremor, the agency said.

"The quake has not caused anything abnormal at Fukushima Daiichi," Masashi Kato, a spokesman for the plant's operator Tokyo Electric Power Co., told AFP.

"The plant is continuing its normal operations including the injection of water into the (molten) reactor cores," he added.

There were no immediate reports of injuries or property damage elsewhere.

A 9.0-magnitude earthquake on March 11 triggered a monster tsunami which killed some 20,000 people and crippled cooling systems at the plant, causing meltdowns in some of its reactors.

Source: Terra Daily.
Link: http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Quake_rocks_Japans_crippled_nuclear_power_plant_999.html.

Typhoon shuts down Hong Kong, hits China

Hong Kong (AFP)
Sept 29, 2011

A powerful typhoon brought Hong Kong to a shutdown Thursday, with financial markets and businesses forced to close as it swept past before slamming into the Chinese island of Hainan.

Typhoon Nesat, which claimed 35 lives when it barreled across the Philippines this week, buffeted Hong Kong with winds of up to 121 kilometers (75 miles) an hour.

Weather authorities in mainland China issued the first red typhoon alert of the year as Nesat gained momentum near Hainan, an island popular with tourists.

China's National Meteorological Centre warned of flooding and mudslide risks on Hainan and urged the cancellation of all outdoor activities.

About 300,000 people were evacuated in Hainan in the face of the strongest typhoon to hit China this year as it landed in Wenchang city packing winds of up to 151 kilometers an hour.

Authorities in the island province called boats back to port, suspended flight and ferry services and closed schools, but there were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.

In Vietnam, authorities said fishing boats should return to port and urged farmers to harvest crops quickly to reduce potential losses from Nesat, which is expected to reach Northern provinces on Friday.

The Hong Kong Observatory hoisted a number-eight tropical cyclone warning before dawn, triggering the closure of schools and transport services, and authorities opened typhoon shelters for those seeking refuge.

Three people were injured by falling scaffolding and tree branches, and about 50 people were evacuated from their homes after a barge slipped its moorings in heavy seas and crashed into a seawall, public broadcaster RTHK said.

Most businesses were shut and bus services halted, leaving the normally bustling central business district eerily quiet, with only a few people struggling to work on foot.

The observatory lowered the number-eight warning to number three at 4:10pm (0810 GMT) as Nesat made its way across the South China Sea, skirting Hong Kong before making landfall on the resort island of Hainan.

In Hong Kong, the observatory urged the public to continue to remain alert.

"Nesat has made landfall over the northeastern part of Hainan island this afternoon, and continues to move further away from Hong Kong," it said.

Financial markets, courts, schools and government buildings are all closed and ferry services suspended during a number-eight signal. The highest signal that can be issued is number 10.

Hong Kong, a major shipping hub, also suspended port services.

At least 287 flights were disrupted at Hong Kong International Airport by Thursday afternoon, including 20 cancellations and 245 delays, an airport authority spokeswoman told AFP.

A similar number-eight warning was hoisted in the southern Chinese city of Macau, which is an hour's ferry ride from Hong Kong, suspending public transportation and closing schools there too.

In the Philippines, tens of thousands of people were still battling neck-deep floodwaters Thursday after Nesat's deadly path across Luzon, and authorities said the toll was likely to rise.

Nesat made landfall in the Philippines on Tuesday, bringing heavy rains and winds that caused storm surges and massive flooding including in the capital Manila.

Source: Terra Daily.
Link: http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Typhoon_shuts_down_Hong_Kong_hits_China_999.html.

Israeli bunker-busters cause Mideast alarm

Tel Aviv, Israel (UPI)
Sep 28, 2011

The disclosure that U.S. President Barack Obama approved the sale of 5,000-pound bunker-buster bombs to Israel, which wants them for a possible attack on Iran's nuclear installations, has sent ripples of alarm across the Middle East, including Israel itself.

Fears that Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, a right-wing hawk who has vowed to eliminate what hard-liners view as an existential Iranian threat to the Jewish state, could order a pre-emptive strike, have been emblazoned in headlines run by the liberal daily Haaretz in recent days.

"Netanyahu's messianism could launch attack on Iran," said one.

"Netanyahu must be stopped from attacking Iran," declared another.

Fifty-five U.S.-made bunker-busters, designated GBU-28 Hard Target Penetrators, were secretly delivered to Israel in 2009.

But despite his determination to defang Iran, Netanyahu hasn't launched an attack on Iran, even though he had the weapons needed to blast underground nuclear facilities.

However, concerns he could unleash them remain. For one thing, Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak, himself a former prime minister and chief of staff, have in recent months carried out command changes on an unprecedented scale in Israel's military and intelligence arms.

Meir Dagan, director of Israel's foreign intelligence service until he stepped down in January, said commanders who opposed any attack on Iran because of the regional firestorm it would detonate have been dismissed.

Of the 18 living former chiefs of Israel's security establishment, eight have made known their opposition to Netanyahu's strategic thinking.

Another four "have made their alarm publicly clear though they aren't aggressively campaigning right now," one observer said.

These include Yuval Diskin, until recently director of the General Security Service, and Lt. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi, edged out as chief of the general staff earlier this year.

Six of the others retired years ago and are keeping their thoughts to themselves, even though Netanyahu's reported enthusiasm for hitting Iran is becoming a public issue.

The other two, Barak and another ex-chief of staff, Moshe Yaalon, are serving in Netanyahu's coalition Cabinet. Yaalon is strategic affairs minister.

Dagan, a hard-charging former army general with a record of ruthlessness against Israel's enemies, has publicly declared that attacking Iran "is the stupidest thing I've ever heard."

He said Netanyahu and Barak were intent on plunging Israel into "a dangerous military adventure in Iran" that was certain to trigger a regional war that would ultimately threaten Israel's existence.

Dagan told one interviewer: "I decided to speak because when I was in office, Diskin, Ashkenazi and I could block any dangerous adventure. Now I'm afraid there's no one to stop Bibi (Netanyahu) and Barak."

"Netanyahu is completely serious in his desire. And in his preparations to circumvent the warnings of the entire defense establishment in order to implement this desire, which many of those in his inner circle have defined as messianic: to attack Iran before winter," one Haaretz commentary observed.

Israel had been pressing Washington for GBU-28s since 2005 but the Americans worried the technology would find its way to China, which Israel was selling military systems.

U.S. President George W. Bush eventually sanctioned the enterprise and Obama gave final approval when he took office. Both presidents opposed any unilateral Israeli strike against Iran.

At a Nov. 18, 2009, meeting between U.S. and Israeli military chiefs, a leaked U.S. diplomatic cable stated, "both sides Â… discussed the upcoming delivery of GBU-28 bunker-busting bombs to Israel, noting that the transfer should be handled quietly to avoid any allegations the USG (U.S. government) is helping Israel prepare for a strike against Iran."

It was probably not a coincidence that a week later Netanyahu imposed a 10-month settlements freeze in the West Bank at Obama's request in bid to galvanize the moribund peace process.

So why secretly transfer GBU-28s to Israel and then give the game away?

Some observers say Washington wanted to "hug Israel close" and make it feel secure. Others suspect leaking the transfer would give the Iranians pause knowing Israel could blast their nuclear sites.

Another explanation is that Obama was simply establishing his pro-Israel credentials in advance of a tough 2012 presidential campaign.

But what doesn't appear to be in doubt is that while U.S.-Israeli diplomatic relations are distinctly strained right now, military cooperation has been stepped up -- possibly to keep an eye on the Israelis.

Source: Space War.
Link: http://www.spacewar.com/reports/Israeli_bunker-busters_cause_Mideast_alarm_999.html.

Potatoes are the cheapest source of potassium

Sept. 28, 2011

SEATTLE, Sept. 28 (UPI) -- White potatoes are the largest and most affordable source of potassium per serving of any vegetable or fruit, U.S. researchers said.

Dr. Adam Drewnowski and colleagues at the University of Washington -- in a study funded by the industry group the U.S. Potato Board -- merged nutrient composition data from the United States Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Database for Dietary Studies with the USDA Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion national food prices database.

The researchers used food frequency of consumption data obtained from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and the Affordable Nutrition Index was the metric used to assess nutritional value per dollar for potatoes and for other vegetables.

Potatoes were the lowest-cost source of dietary potassium, a nutrient identified by the 2010 Dietary Guidelines as lacking in the American diet.

The high cost of meeting federal dietary guidelines for potassium, 4,700 milligram per person per day, presents a challenge for consumers and health professionals, but the cost of potassium-rich white potatoes was half that of most other vegetables, Drewnowski said.

"Potatoes deserve credit for contributing to higher diet quality and increasing vegetable consumption," Drewnowski said in a statement.

Source: United Press International (UPI).
Link: http://www.upi.com/Health_News/2011/09/28/Potato-cheapest-source-of-potassium/UPI-12631317267688/.

Iran equips marine forces with 'cruise' missile

Tehran (AFP)
Sept 28, 2011

Iran has equipped its naval forces with a short range "cruise missile," able to hit targets in costal areas and warships within "200 kilometers (125 miles), the country's defense minister was quoted as saying on Wednesday.

"Today we are witnessing the equipping of the Guards navy and army navy with ample numbers of the Qader cruise missile," General Ahmad Vahidi said, quoted by his ministry's website referring to the elite Revolutionary Guards who are tasked with defending Iranian waters in the Gulf.

"It has 200 km range and has ability to be launched quickly against warships and costal targets. It flies in low altitude, has high destructive power, (and is) lightweight with high precision," he added.

He added that it could be fired from the coast or from vessels of different classes, increasing considerable the operational ability of the forces.

The Qader missile was unveiled last month by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, with Iranian officials dubbing it a "cruise missile" built entirely by local experts. The president said Iran's military arsenal was defensive, aimed at ensuring the country's "enemies do not dare attack."

Iran in the past two years has increased development, testing and unveiling of new "indigenous" military equipment, including missiles.

The Iranian navy recently boosted its presence in international waters, sending vessels into the Indian Ocean to protect Iranian ships from Somali pirates.

It also sent two ships into the Mediterranean for the first time in February, via the Suez Canal, to the annoyance of Israel and the United States.

Iran's navy commander, Admiral Habibollah Sayari, said on Tuesday that Iran was planning to deploy ships close to US territorial waters, without saying when.

Iranian naval forces are mainly composed of small units equipped with missiles in the Gulf and operating under the control of the Revolutionary Guards.

Source: Space War.
Link: http://www.spacewar.com/reports/Iran_equips_marine_forces_with_cruise_missile_999.html.

US, Indonesia sign $30m debt-for-nature swap

Jakarta (AFP)
Sept 29, 2011

The United States forgave almost $30 million in Indonesian debt Thursday, diverting the funds to tropical forest conservation on Borneo.

The debt-for-nature swap is authorized under the US Tropical Forest Conservation Act, aimed at mitigating climate change by reducing deforestation which releases greenhouse gases.

"We are all aware that Indonesia's forests are facing tremendous pressure domestically and globally, due both to economic growth here and an economic crisis abroad," said US embassy acting deputy chief of mission James Carouso.

Swathes of carbon-dense peatland in Kalimantan, Indonesia's part of Borneo Island, have been destroyed to make way for lucrative palm oil and pulp and paper plantations.

Burning the peatland, a traditional land-clearing method, releases enormous amounts of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, and creates haze that travels to neighboring Malaysia and Singapore.

Indonesia already receives forest conservation funds from Norway, Australia and Britain, as well as multilateral funds.

In a $1 billion deal with Norway, Jakarta in May implemented a two-year ban on new logging permits for peatland and primary forest.

Deforestation is estimated to account for almost 20 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. In Indonesia it is said to produce more carbon emissions than all the cars, buses, trains and planes in the United States, making it the world's third-biggest emitter, according to UN figures.

The swap is supported by the WWF and the Nature Conservancy, which will monitor disbursement of the funds to approved projects proposed by communities.

"The government will deposit $28.5 million dollars into a fund and will slowly disburse the money for individual projects. It is intended to benefit civil society," said WWF Indonesia's Budi Wardhana, who oversees the organization's economic instruments.

Indonesia has a history of debt swaps in other areas, such as education and health.

Source: Terra Daily.
Link: http://www.terradaily.com/reports/US_Indonesia_sign_30m_debt-for-nature_swap_999.html.

China orders safety drive after environment protests

Beijing (AFP)
Sept 29, 2011

China on Thursday ordered manufacturers of potentially toxic products to conduct safety and environmental checks after a recent spate of major anti-pollution protests triggered fears of more unrest.

The Asian nation has been hit by two large-scale demonstrations in as many months, sparked by concerns among residents that factories were polluting the environment, forcing local authorities to shut the plants.

In the northeastern city of Dalian, for instance, thousands of locals protested last month against a factory that made paraxylene (PX), a flammable carcinogenic liquid used in the production of polyester films and fabrics.

"Manufacturers of sensitive products such as PX and owners of construction projects must immediately start safety and environmental checks," said the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), the top economic planner.

It also called on local authorities to launch inspections of those manufacturers, in a statement released with four other ministries and agencies such as the State Administration of Work Safety, and published online.

The NDRC raised the example of Dalian, where people protested after a pollution scare spread when an incoming storm breached a dyke protecting the PX plant and threatened to damage the building.

"Although there were no leaks or other related accidents, it sparked concern about the PX project among some Dalian residents and triggered a mass incident," the statement said.

"In recent years, some enterprises have ignored safety production management of hazardous chemical substances, and environmental pollution accidents have occurred... which can lead to mass events."

Protests against pollution are not new to China, as breakneck economic growth over the past three decades has caused severe degradation of air, land and water quality.

But the growth of social networking, in particular Twitter-like "weibo" or microblogs, has helped spread the word about environmental issues and mobilize protests against perceived polluters.

Earlier this month, more than 500 residents living near a plant making solar panels protested for three days in the eastern city of Haining, forcing authorities to temporarily shut the factory.

Source: Terra Daily.
Link: http://www.terradaily.com/reports/China_orders_safety_drive_after_environment_protests_999.html.