Japanese government warned over nuclear plants
Japan was warned more than two years ago by the international nuclear watchdog that safety rules were out of date and strong earthquakes would pose a "serious problem" for nuclear power stations, leaked diplomatic cables reveal, Kazakhstan Today reports.
Almaty. March 16. Kazakhstan Today - Japan was warned more than two years ago by the international nuclear watchdog that safety rules were out of date and strong earthquakes would pose a "serious problem" for nuclear power stations, leaked diplomatic cables reveal, Kazakhstan Today reports.
Japanese officials faced added pressure today after it emerged that they were warned more than two years ago that the country's nuclear power plants could not withstand powerful earthquakes, Daily Mail reported.
The international nuclear watchdog raised concerns that safety measures were outdated and a major tremor could cause 'serious problems', leaks cables have revealed.
It is not known what changes the Japanese government made after an official from the International Atomic Energy Agency made the comments in December 2008.
The government will face tough questions on whether they acted on a pledge to upgrade all their nuclear facilities to be able to withstand a quake as powerful as the one that struck last Friday.
Details of the warnings came from a US Embassy diplomatic cable that was leaked to the information website Wikileaks.
The government is said to have responded to the nuclear watchdog's concerns by building an emergency response centre at the Fukushima powerplant.
The doomed plant has suffered three major explosions and one fire that have spilled radiation into the atmosphere and forced thousands of people to be evacuated.
The plant was only designed to withstand 7.0 magnitude quakes but the massive disaster that struck last Friday measured 9.0 on the Richter scale.
The cables reveal how the Japanese government even opposed a court order to close down a nuclear plant that was feared unsafe in the face of an earthquake above 6.5 magnitude. The government later overturned in 2009 the court's ruling top shut down the 'unsafe' plant.
The cable added: 'Japan's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency believes the reactor is safe and that all safety analyses were appropriately conducted.'
Cables also revealed to US officials in Washington that there were concerns that the new nuclear power stations were jeopardising safety ahead of profit.
Taro Kono, a senior member of the Japan's lower house, told the US said that the Japanese government was covering up nuclear incidents.
The Telegraph informs today that panic started to spread throughout Japan yesterday following the news that a third explosion at the plant might have damaged the protective casing around the reactor core, increasing the threat of radioactive leaks.
The government was considering using helicopters to spray water over the Fukushima site to limit the spread of radioactive particles as part of its increasingly desperate attempts to keep the situation under control.
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Number of dead seals along Caspian coast rises to 850
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Thus, the number of dead seals has already reached 850.
According to Andrey Rutskoy, acting chief of Mangistau region’s fishery inspection department, a working group consisting of inspectors, ecologists, local officials and representatives of public associations, is examining the beach. "Rocky beaches are hard to reach. The working group will go there on foot," he said.
He added that collecting samples from the last seals found is impossible, as the carcasses decomposed at the 3rd and 4th stages. The results of the samples taken at the end of October are not ready yet.
Recall that from October 24 to 28, 289 carcasses of dead seals were discovered by the employees of the Zhaiyk-Caspian Interregional Basin Fisheries Inspectorate together with the representatives of the Institute of Hydrobiology and Ecology. Over half of the dead female seals were pregnant, Assel Baimukanova, an operator at the Institute of Hydrobiology and Ecology, said.
In 2020, the Caspian seal was included in Kazakhstan’s Red Book of Endangered Species.
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Large boulder kills three people in Uzbekistan
Images | the road safety service of the Republic of Uzbekistan
A massive boulder fell from a mountain in southern Uzbekistan and smashed a passing Chevrolet Cobalt vehicle, killing three people inside, Kazinform News Agency reports.
According to the road safety service, the incident took place at the Takhtakaracha pass in Kashkadarya region on November 6.
Due to the incident that occurred at the 1138th km of the M-39 Tashkent-Termez highway at Takhtakaracha pass in the Kitob district of the Kashkadarya province and links Samarkand and Kashkadarya regions, traffic was temporarily halted," the road safety service stated.
Recall that a total 19,302 road accidents, affecting more than 26,703 individuals have been recorded in Kazakhstan over the course of nine months in 2024.
This information may not be reproduced without reference to Kazakhstan Today. Copyright of materials of News Agency Kazakhstan Today.
Earthquake hits Almaty
The citizens of Almaty felt an earthquake today, at around 10:00 am, Kazinform News Agency reports.
According to the national seismological center, the quake’s preliminary magnitude was 4.5, local emergencies authorities said.
The epicenter of the quake was 33 kilometers east of Almaty, in the territory of Kazakhstan. The coordinates of the epicenter are 43.261 north latitude, and 77.310 east longitude.
The earthquake was felt in the following settlements: Almaty - 3 points, Talgar - 4 points, Yessik - 4 points, Turgen village - 3 points, Otegen Batyr village - 3 points, Boralday village - 2 points, Malovodnoye village - 2 points, Kaiypov village - 2 points, Alatau (Zhetigen) - 2 points, and Karassai (Kaskelen) - 2 points.
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Wildfires in Pavlodar region extinguished, localized in Karaganda region
Images | Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Republic of Kazakhstan
The wildfire in Pavlodar region has been extinguished, Kazinform News Agency learned from the ministry of emergencies.
The wildfire in Pavlodar region has been extinguished. The area of the fire is being determined," a statement from the ministry reads.
As reported, on October 6, a steppe fire broke out in Karaganda region, which then spread to the territory of Pavlodar region. The fire covered an area of 3,000 hectares. At 02:20 the fire, which had already spread to an area of 10,000 hectares in the Bayanaul district of Pavlodar region, was localized.
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The wildfire in Karaganda region was localized. The area of the fire is being determined.
33-year-old firefighter from Saran town, Karaganda region, Khali Khairat, died during the steppe fire in Karkaraly district on Sunday, October 6. Another four firefighters got injuries and were hospitalized.
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One firefighter died, four injured in steppe fire in Karaganda region
Images | Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Republic of Kazakhstan
33-year-old firefighter from Saran town, Karaganda region, died during the steppe fire in Karkaraly district on Sunday, October 6. Another four firefighters got injuries and were hospitalized, Kazinform News Agency learned from the local emergencies department.
Khali Khairat has served in the civil protection authorities since May 12, 2014. Governor of the region Yermaganbet Bulekpayev and Mayor of Saran Yerkin Baulikov visited his family and expressed their condolences. Local officials provided necessary assistance in the organization of the funeral.
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Passenger bus falls off bridge on a minivan in Almaty region
Images | gov.kz
A passenger bus crashed through the guardrails on a bridge and fell on a minibus in Kaskelen, Almaty region, Kazinform News Agency reports.
The video capturing the crash was shared on social media. A criminal case was initiated.
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The bus driver tested negative for alcohol.
For the past four years, nearly 1,000 road accidents involving public transport occurred in Almaty.
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