Judas News

Sea radiation from Fukushima seen triple Tepco estimate

Sun, 11 Sep 2011 22:11:00 -0700

Sea radiation from Fukushima seen triple Tepco estimate :

Radioactive material released into the sea in the Fukushima nuclear power plant crisis is more than triple the amount estimated by plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co, Japanese researchers say.

Japan’s biggest utility estimated around 4,720 trillion becquerels of cesium-137 and iodine-131 was released into the Pacific Ocean between March 21 and April 30, but researchers at the Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) put the amount 15,000 trillion becquerels, or terabecquerels.

Government regulations ban shipment of foodstuff containing over 500 becquerels of radioactive material per kg.

Takuya Kobayashi, a researcher at the agency, said on Friday the difference in figures was probably because his team measured airborne radioactive material that fell into the ocean in addition to material from contaminated water that leaked from the plant.

One dead, 9 sick from fumes at McDonald's in Georgia

Sun, 11 Sep 2011 22:08:13 -0700

One dead, 9 sick from fumes at McDonald's in Georgia :

One woman died and nine others were sickened after breathing toxic fumes in the bathroom of a McDonald’s restaurant in south Georgia, authorities said on Thursday.

A total of 10 people, including three firefighters, went to the hospital after being sickened by the fumes in the bathroom, Simmons said.

Firefighters noticed a smell in the bathroom but were not able to identify the source, Simmons said.

Persistent depression risk 'doubles' in abused children

Mon, 15 Aug 2011 01:15:21 -0700

Persistent depression risk 'doubles' in abused children:

Childhood abuse doubles the risk of developing multiple and long-lasting episodes of depression, say scientists.

A review, published in the American Journal of Psychiatry, also suggests these patients are less likely to respond to treatment.

Nearly one in 20 people in the UK has this form of depression as a result of childhood abuse, say researchers.

The charity Sane said the study highlighted how damaging childhood trauma could be.

Depression in some form can affect one in five people at some point in their lives. Researchers at the Institute of Psychiatry at Kings College London were investigating depression which keeps on recurring.

They reviewed 16 studies, on a total of more than 23,000 patients, and found that maltreatment in childhood - such as rejection by the mother, harsh physical treatment or sexual abuse - more than doubled the risk of this type of depression.

Giant fossil shows huge birds lived among dinosaurs

Mon, 15 Aug 2011 01:13:58 -0700

Giant fossil shows huge birds lived among dinosaurs:

An enormous jawbone found in Kazakhstan is further evidence that giant birds roamed - or flew above - the Earth at the same time as the dinosaurs.

Writing in Biology Letters, researchers say the new species, Samrukia nessovi, had a skull some 30cm long.

If flightless, the bird would have been 2-3m tall; if it flew, it may have had a wingspan of 4m.

The find is only the second bird of such a size in the Cretaceous geologic period, and the first in Asia.

The only other evidence of a bird of such a size during the period was a fossilised spinal bone found in France and reported in a 1995 paper in Nature.

Norway attacks: Breivik taken back to shooting island

Mon, 15 Aug 2011 01:12:23 -0700

Norway attacks: Breivik taken back to shooting island:

Norwegian gunman Anders Behring Breivik has been taken back to the island of Utoeya for a police reconstruction of the killing of his 69 victims there.

Mr Breivik, wearing a bulletproof vest and tethered on a rope, was seen pointing to where he had fired shots. Police later said he showed no remorse.

Mr Breivik’s attacks on 22 July also killed eight people in an Oslo bombing.

The attack on Utoeya targeted a summer camp of the youth wing of the governing Labour Party. Most of the victims were teenagers or in their 20s. The Oslo bomb was set off near government buildings.

Mr Breivik has been charged under the criminal law for acts of terrorism. The charges include the destabilisation of vital functions of society, including government, and causing serious fear in the population.

The 32-year-old far-right extremist admits the killings but denies any criminal guilt.

Australia's Great Barrier Reef 'at risk from pesticide'

Mon, 15 Aug 2011 01:08:28 -0700

Australia's Great Barrier Reef 'at risk from pesticide':

Agricultural pesticides are causing significant damage to the Great Barrier Reef, according to a new Australian government report on water quality at the site.

The report says some farmers must be more careful with their chemicals.

It found that nearly one-quarter of horticulture producers and 12% of pastoral farmers were using practices deemed unacceptable by the industry.

The Great Barrier Reef is a World Heritage-listed natural wonder.

Egypt blogger Mahfuz quizzed for 'defaming' military

Mon, 15 Aug 2011 01:06:49 -0700

Egypt blogger Mahfuz quizzed for 'defaming' military:

Leading Egyptian blogger Asmaa Mahfouz has been questioned for allegedly defaming the military on Facebook, the official Mena news agency reports.

She was briefly detained by military prosecutors and later released on a bail of $3,356 (£2,062), it says.

Ms Mahfouz, one of the leaders of the revolution that ousted President Hosni Mubarak, is suspected of calling for assassination attacks against the military and judicial bodies.

Her lawyer denies the accusations.

‘No tolerance’

According to Mena, Ms Mahfouz wrote on Facebook: “If justice is not achieved and the justice system fails us, no-one should feel upset or surprised if armed gangs emerge to carry out assassinations.

“As long as there is no law and there is no justice, anything can happen, and nobody should be upset.”

The head of the military judicial authority, Maj Gen Mahmud Morsi, said the blogger had overstepped the limits of free speech by insulting the military, the AFP news agency reports.

He added that there would be “no tolerance to insults directed at the armed forces”.

Mena said Ms Mahfouz was released on bail until a date is was set for her trial before a military tribunal.

Guatemala arrests civil conflict massacre suspects

Mon, 15 Aug 2011 01:04:13 -0700

Guatemala arrests civil conflict massacre suspects:

Guatemalan police have detained two men accused of taking part in the massacre of 268 people during the civil war.

Lucas Tecu and Mario Acoj are the first suspects to be arrested over the 1982 killing in Plan de Sanchez.

The army and members of a civil defence force, to which the two belonged, suspected the villagers of supporting a left-wing rebel group.

Witnesses said the victims were rounded up, had grenades thrown at them, and those who tried to flee were shot.

Shell fights spill near North Sea oil platform

Mon, 15 Aug 2011 01:02:07 -0700

Shell fights spill near North Sea oil platform:

Oil giant Royal Dutch Shell has said it is working to stop a leak at one of its North Sea oil platforms.

The leak was found near the Gannet Alpha platform, 180 km (113 miles) from Aberdeen, Scotland.

Shell would not say how much oil had been released so far, merely describing it as “not a significant spill” and saying it had largely stemmed the leak.

Sugar Prices Seen Staying High as China, Indonesia Replenish Inventories

Mon, 15 Aug 2011 00:52:31 -0700

Sugar Prices Seen Staying High as China, Indonesia Replenish Inventories:

World sugar prices may range between 23 cents and 28 cents a pound as China, the second-biggest user, and Indonesia increase imports, trimming a global surplus of 4 million metric tons, the International Sugar Organization said.

The market may have a “a technical blip” to 30 cents, Executive Director Peter Baron said in an interview in the Philippines. The raw variety averaged 12.78 cents in New York in the past 10 years and ended at 27.84 cents on Aug. 12.

Mushrooms Join Growing List of Radioactive Threats to Japan’s Food Chain

Mon, 15 Aug 2011 00:51:10 -0700

Mushrooms Join Growing List of Radioactive Threats to Japan’s Food Chain:

Mushrooms joined the threats to Japan’s food chain from radiation spewed by Tokyo Electric Power Co.’s Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear plant, as the country expands efforts to limit the effects of the disaster.

Japan is under pressure to enhance food inspections as it has no centralized system for detecting radiation contamination. About two-thirds of Japan’s prefectures now plan to check rice crops, the Mainichi newspaper reported yesterday, citing its own survey. Half of Japan’s rice is grown within range of emissions from the crippled nuclear plant, and farmers are awaiting the results of tests before harvesting begins this month.

Israel’s Sewage-Eating Bacteria Lure GE Investment to Reduce Energy Costs

Mon, 15 Aug 2011 00:50:01 -0700

Israel’s Sewage-Eating Bacteria Lure GE Investment to Reduce Energy Costs:

The bacteria project is a small part of Israel’s effort to alleviate a water shortage without straining limited energy supplies. The country’s dry climate and lack of desalination capacity put it at the forefront of a global increase in water scarcity, which the United Nations says will extend to 30 countries by 2025, a gain of more than 50 percent from 1990.

Israel has doubled its exports of water technology to $1.5 billion following a state-funded program that began in 2006, said Dimitra Christakou, head of water insight services at Bloomberg New Energy Finance in London. The nation has attracted global interest as governments and utilities study how it has invested to cope with the depletion of underground aquifers.

Rice Set to Climb as Thailand Imposes Curbs

Mon, 15 Aug 2011 00:48:44 -0700

Rice Set to Climb as Thailand Imposes Curbs:

The smallest increase in rice stockpiles in five years means global grain inventories will extend a decline that already drove food costs to a record.

Combined global stores of wheat, corn and rice will drop 2.5 percent to a four-year low as farmers fail to keep pace with demand, the U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates. Rice prices will rise more than 20 percent by December as inventories expand 1.1 percent, compared with a 29 percent gain in the past four years, a Bloomberg survey of 13 millers and traders showed.

National Beef recalls 60,424 lbs ground beef for e.coli

Mon, 15 Aug 2011 00:38:40 -0700

National Beef recalls 60,424 lbs ground beef for e.coli:

The U.S. Department of Agriculture said National Beef Packing Co has recalled about 60,424 pounds of ground beef products after inspection at an Ohio processing plant produced suspicions of contamination by e.coli 0157:H7 bacteria.

USDA and the company, which is based is Dodge City, Kansas, have received no reports of illnesses associated with consumption of these products.

The beef was shipped to distributors nationwide for further processing and distribution, USDA said in a statement.

Rise in Asthma Risk Linked to Exposure to Magnetic Fields During Pregnancy

Wed, 10 Aug 2011 23:47:03 -0700

Rise in Asthma Risk Linked to Exposure to Magnetic Fields During Pregnancy:

Children whose mothers had the highest daily exposure levels to electromagnetic fields may have three times the risk of developing asthma, a study says.

The exposure may come from living near power lines, working under flourescent lights or regularly using devices such as hair dryers or vacuums, the research found. Children whose mothers had a moderate level of exposure had a 74 percent higher risk, compared with a group that had less access to the devices, according to research reported online today in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine.

Sinohydro in Talks to Build Hydropower Plant in Costa Rica

Wed, 10 Aug 2011 23:45:39 -0700

Sinohydro in Talks to Build Hydropower Plant in Costa Rica:

Sinohydro Corp. is in talks with Costa Rica to build a hydropower plant in the Central American country, the Costa Rican embassy in Beijing said in an e-mail today.

Rice Is Next Japan Radiation Food Risk From Fukushima Nuclear Fallout

Wed, 10 Aug 2011 23:43:40 -0700

Rice Is Next Japan Radiation Food Risk From Fukushima Nuclear Fallout:

Japan’s rice harvest is a time of festivities celebrated even by the emperor as farmers reap the rewards of four months of labor in a 2,000-year-old tradition. Not this year, with radiation seeping into the soil.

Farmers growing half of Japan’s rice crop are awaiting the results of tests to see if their produce has been contaminated by radiation from Tokyo Electric Power Co.’s wrecked Fukushima atomic plant. Rice, used in almost all Japanese meals and the key ingredient in sake, is being tested before the harvest starts this month. Radiation exceeding safety levels was found in produce including spinach, tea and beef.

Corn, Soybeans Climb on Speculation USDA May Reduce Production Forecasts

Wed, 10 Aug 2011 23:41:58 -0700

Corn, Soybeans Climb on Speculation USDA May Reduce Production Forecasts:

Corn and soybeans gained in Chicago ahead of the U.S. Department of Agriculture report that may show the agency cutting estimates on the nation’s harvests as hot weather curbs yields.

December-delivery corn rose 0.5 percent to $6.9175 per bushel on the Chicago Board of Trade at 10:44 a.m. in Singapore, while soybeans for November delivery climbed 0.8 percent to $13.12 per bushel. Wheat for December delivery was little changed at $7.195 per bushel.

U.S. farmers may harvest 13.079 billion bushels of corn this year, lower than the USDA’s July estimate of 13.47 billion bushels, according to the average estimate of 31 analysts in a Bloomberg News survey. Soybean output may be 3.184 billion bushels, smaller than USDA’s 3.225 billion bushel forecast, the survey showed. The USDA will release the latest outlook at 8:30 a.m. in Washington today.

Manchester clears glass-strewn streets after shops ransacked

Wed, 10 Aug 2011 23:38:49 -0700

Manchester clears glass-strewn streets after shops ransacked:

Volunteers armed with brooms swept the streets of central Manchester clear of broken glass and debris on Wednesday after gangs of hooded youths rampaged through the city overnight, smashing windows, torching shops, and ransacking businesses.

“We were told by the council to pick up anything that could be used as ammunition again tonight, such as bricks,” said student Nadia Ghani, 24, one of hundreds of volunteers who joined the clean-up operation in Britain’s third largest city.

Shops on the main commercial streets were boarded up and closed for business. Jewelry chains Swarovski and Links of London were shut. The looting echoed the violence that had tore through London on the previous three nights.

Staff in Links said they were too shaken to speak but could be seen through the broken glass sweeping shattered display cabinets and searching for any remaining stock.

Phone stores T-Mobile and 3 were smashed up and emptied by rioters during the violence. Staff in T-Mobile surveyed the destruction as torrential rain soaked the shop’s entrance. The door had been kicked in by looters.

China’s Ban on U.S. Professors Elicits Silence

Wed, 10 Aug 2011 23:36:40 -0700

China’s Ban on U.S. Professors Elicits Silence:

They call themselves the “Xinjiang 13.” They have been denied permission to enter China, prohibited from flying on a Chinese airline and pressured to adopt China- friendly views. To return to China, two wrote statements disavowing support for the independence movement in Xinjiang province.

They aren’t exiled Chinese dissidents. They are American scholars from universities, such as Georgetown and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, who have suffered a backlash from China unprecedented in academia since diplomatic relations resumed in 1979. Their offense was co-writing “Xinjiang: China’s Muslim Borderland,” a 484-page paperback published in 2004.