With weeks of threats the North Koreans seem to be finally hitting the “put or shut up” level as the international community mostly shrugs the rogue state off. North Korea has now told foreigners in South Korea to take safety measures, claiming to not want to be held responsible for any non-South Koreans and Americans [...]

The war of wordsbetween China and Japan over a chain of uninhabited islands has the potential to escalate in disturbing ways, and destabilize a region that is central to the world’s economic performance. Some major Japanese brandname firms announced factory shutdowns in China on Monday and urged expatriates to stay indoors ahead of what could [...]

We haven’t heard a lot about the Fukushima nuclear disaster lately, but this story reminds us how really bad it was and remains: Japan’s science ministry says 8 per cent of the country’s surface area has been contaminated by radiation from the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant. It says more than 30,000 square kilometres of the [...]

The Fukushima nuclear disaster fell off the front pages this summer, and the media stopped monitoring the day-by-day battle at the stricken plant. If you didn’t think about it, you might be excused for believing that the worst was avoided. But the truth is much more ominous. The Japanese government is preparing to declare a [...]

Masataka Shimizu, the head of the Japanese utility TEPCO, resigned today after the nuclear accident in the wake of the earthquake and tsunami that hit the country in March. Workers are still trying, with varying degrees of success, to get the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant under control. “I take responsibility for this accident, which has [...]

French officials claim that Laurent Gbagbo is in control of less than 1,000 troops in Ivory Coast, as he continues his sojourn in a bunker under the Presidential residence in Abidjan. Two hundred of those fighters are defending the residence, which forces loyal to Alassane Ouattara tried to storm yesterday. Ouattara has several thousand troops [...]

In Japan, TEPCO finally plugged the leak of radioactive water that was streaming into the sea. Much of the damage has been done, of course, as readings of the water near the Fukushima Daiichi plant show it to be 7.5 million times above normal. Even if you believe that this will have no effect on [...]

The latest news in the efforts to stop a catastrophic event at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in Japan is that highly contaminated water has pushed through a crack in the No. 2 reactor, and is leaking into the ocean. Officials at the plant tried to use an absorbent powder, sawdust and even shredded newspaper [...]

Granted, this is a quote from a consumer, not a scientist, but it accurately conveys the fear from the population over radiation: By scientific standards, the radiation found over the last week in batches of milk on the West Coast was minuscule and, moreover, not dangerous to humans. But the mere mention of any contamination [...]

After several days of positive signs, the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant has taken a clear turn for the worse. Now there is a suspected breach in one of the nuclear reactors, which could leak radioactive material. A suspected breach in the reactor at the stricken Fukushima nuclear plant could mean more serious radioactive contamination, [...]

The locus of fear in Japan has shifted from the Fukushima Daiichi plant (although smoke was seen coming from Unit #3 today) to the produce and other food products coming out of the region. The FDA has banned the imports of milk and fresh produce from around the stricken nuclear power plant, which seems sensible. [...]