Court rules Japanese gov't, TEPCO liable for Fukushima disaster

A local court ruled on Friday that the Japanese government and Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. (TEPCO) were liable for negligence in the Fukushima disaster six years ago.

Fukushima governor takes aim at Abe for language in memorial speech

Fukushima Governor Masao Uchibori has said Prime Minister Shinzo Abe did not use the mandated expression "nuclear accident" during his national address on the occasion of the sixth anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake, local media reported Monday.

MayisGeoInfo eco Energy news (May 2016)

Ukraine has held memorial services to mark the 30th anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster.

In the early hours of 26 April 1986, a botched test at the nuclear plant in then-Soviet Ukraine triggered a meltdown that spewed deadly clouds of atomic material into the atmosphere, forcing tens of thousands of people from their homes.....30th anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster

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(April 2016)

Tianjin blast: White foam on rainwater 'is normal'.

Thunderstorms on Tuesday morning made the Tianjin recovery operation more difficult, with an increased risk of rainwater becoming polluted. However, the air and water quality were still within what is considered a safe range, monitoring officials said.

China treats polluted water at Tianjin blast site

Chinese authorities are treating thousands of tonnes of polluted water at the Tianjin port, which was rocked by warehouse blasts last week.

Tianjin blasts death toll rises to 114, 70 missing

Death toll of the massive Tianjin blasts rose to 114 after rescuers found two more bodies in the debris, a municipal publicity official said on Monday.

Residents evacuated as death toll rises in Tianjin blasts

Residents near the site of two giant explosions in the northern Chinese port city of Tianjin were being evacuated on Saturday over fears of toxic contamination, the official Xinhua news agency said.

Contamination fears after deadly blast at Chinese port city of Tianjin

Residents living near the site of giant explosions in a Chinese port expressed fears for their safety Friday, after reports there could be hundreds of tonnes of dangerous chemicals at the site.

Tianjin/China: Tragedy raises questions over safety planning

The explosions in Tianjin may have raised questions over loopholes in the logistics company's safety precautions and the warehouse's location.

TEPCO recognizes need for tsunami measures in 2008

Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) was aware of the need to take anti-tsunami measures for Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in 2008, proving the nuclear disaster was a clearly man-made disaster, lawyers for plaintiffs in an ongoing damages suit said Thursday.

China extends search scope for missing shipwreck victims

Rescuers extended their search scope to some 1,300 kilometers along the Yangtze River with hopes to find over 40 people who are still unaccounted for after a Chinese passenger ship capsized on Monday night.

Disaster in the Yangtze River: Rescue team begins righting capsized Eastern Star

The search and rescue team started to right the capsized cruise ship on the Yangtze River at 8 pm Thursday, according to the Ministry of Transport (MOT).

Rescuers begin to cut capsized ship in search for survivors. The real trick is how the vessel will be held steady to prevent it from sinking further

Rescue workers are cutting into the hull of a cruise ship that capsized late on Monday, in an escalated effort to find survivors from more than 400 people believed to have been trapped inside.

China says small tornado hit area where ship sank

A small and fast-moving tornado hit the area where a Chinese cruise ship capsized leaving more than 400 missing, weather officials said, possibly shedding light on the disaster's cause.

European Union helps fight forest fires in Greece (European Commission)

European Commission, Press release, Brussels, 26 August 2014:

Greece is receiving support through the European Union's Civil Protection Mechanism to fight the forest fires raging in the central part of the country. France has responded to Greece's request for assistance in a matter of hours – its two fire-fighting planes are already operating in the affected areas.

"Forest fires are a risk we face every summer and this year is no exception; we will continue to support the efforts of Greece to prevent the fire from spreading towards populated areas.

Fighting forest fires in Europe – how it works (European Commission)

European Commission, MEMO, Brussels, 4 August 2014:

Every year there are devastating forest fires in Europe, destroying thousands of hectares of forests. The South European countries are at higher risk, but no European country is immune. When the fire gets too big for a country to extinguish it on its own, the European Union's Civil Protection Mechanism can be activated to coordinate the response from participating states.

White House: US ready to help China in quake relief

The White House on Sunday offered condolences over loss of lives in China's southwestern province of Yunnan, where a strong earthquake befell earlier in the day, saying the United States was ready to help.

"The United States offers sincere condolences to all those who lost loved ones in the Aug. 3 earthquake in southwestern China," National Security Council spokeswoman Bernadette Meehan said in a statement.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of those that lost their lives, those injured or displaced, and all the people of China on this difficult day," she added.

US West Coast on high alert against tsunami-washed Japanese invasive species

While winter storms have plunged temperatures across various parts of the United States, the West Coast is bracing itself for an altogether different – yet still very unwelcome – set of seasonal hazards: invading marine life from Japan.
Almost three years after the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami ravaged Japan’s east coast and set off the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, dislodged debris from the site is still washing up onto American shores. Yet while scientists have downplayed the possibility that the wreckage is contaminated with radiation, they are keeping their eyes peeled for hostile sea creatures hitching rides from across the Pacific. 

Fukushima debris island the size of Texas floating to the US.

A massive island of debris is slowly making its way to the United States after forming in the wake of the tsunami that rocked Japan back in 2011. The tsunami killed almost 16,000 people in Japan, caused numerous problems at the nuclear plant in Fukushima, and dislodged more than 1.5 million floating objects into the Pacific Ocean. Now, a collection of debris the size of Texas is roughly 1,700 miles off the coast of California. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the debris scattered by the tsunami has been spread around an area of the ocean that’s three times the size of the continental United States. It also said to expect trash to continue arriving on American shores for the next few years. Already, objects such as boats, rooftops, soccer balls, and docks have hit various parts of the West Coast. Even more will arrive with the Texas-sized island, but, more than the trash, scientists are interested in the organisms that could be living on them........http://rt.com/usa/fukushima-debris-island-texas-266/ 5/11/13 --