Archive for March, 2011
Tokyo Bathed in Low Level Radiation
March 16th, 2011In other news, Airlines, Travelers Avoid Tokyo, Fearing Radiation. Via: Reuters: Dozens of workers battling to control radiation at Japan’s stricken reactors face a far greater risk of developing cancer than normal, but Tokyo residents are within the safe range for exposure, U.S. nuclear experts said. Radiation levels in Tokyo, one of the world’s most […]
Japan’s Disastrous Nuclear Operators
March 15th, 2011Via: Greg Palast: I need to speak to you, not as a reporter, but in my former capacity as lead investigator in several government nuclear plant fraud and racketeering investigations. I don’t know the law in Japan, so I can’t tell you if Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO) can plead insanity to the homicides about […]
Japan: Electricity Shortages Could Last for Months
March 15th, 2011The electricity generation question is the one I’m most curious about. How does Japan keep-the-lights-on, so to speak, going forward? —Implications of Japanese Earthquake Via: Reuters: Japan’s earthquake has left a gaping hole in the nation’s power capacity that looks set to last months, threatening to make economic recovery far more feeble than hoped. The […]
Germany Will Halt 25% of Nuclear Capacity for Safety Review
March 15th, 2011Via: Bloomberg: Germany will halt nuclear reactors accounting for 25 percent of its atomic energy capacity as part of a safety review after explosions at reactors in Japan. The country will keep its seven oldest nuclear reactors offline as part of a nationwide safety review to run through June, Chancellor Angela Merkel told reporters in […]
Fire in Spent Fuel Rod Cooling Pool Would Be Worse Than Meltdown
March 15th, 2011Update: Spent Fuel Rods Exposed to Open Air Via: The Journal: THE OPERATOR OF the troubled Fukushima I nuclear power plant in Japan has disclosed that an explosion at reactor 4 this morning – the cause of a fire in a storage pool for ‘spent’ fuel this morning – has caused the rods there to […]
U.S. Stocks Will Open Sharply Lower
March 15th, 2011Gold is down $41.40 or -2.90%. Silver has been whacked down $2.24 or -6.23%. U.S. Stock futures are all down between two and almost three percent. The U.S. Dollar is strong this morning, but it’s nowhere near as interesting as the action in the equities, metals and oil, which is down almost four bucks. Losses […]
Chip Prices Jump; Global Manufacturing Chain Disrupted
March 15th, 2011Here we go. Via: Reuters: Prices for key technology components extended gains on Tuesday, as damage at Japanese plants and infrastructure caused by Friday’s devastating earthquake and tsunami threatens to disrupt the global manufacturing chain longer than many had expected. Dozens of Japanese firms from component makers to electronics firms and automakers are keeping their […]
Tokyo: Panic Buying, Evacuations
March 15th, 2011Via: Reuters: Panic swept Tokyo on Tuesday after a rise in radioactive levels around an earthquake-hit nuclear power plant north of the city, causing some to leave the capital and others to stock up on food and supplies. Several embassies advised staff and citizens to leave affected areas, tourists cut short vacations and multinational companies […]
EMERGENCY: NIKKEI DOWN MORE THAN 12% INTRADAY
March 15th, 2011Update: Worst Two Day Stock Rout Since 1987 Via: Reuters: Japanese stocks plunged 10.6 percent on Tuesday, posting the worst two-day losing streak since 1987, on reports of rising radiation near Tokyo, suggesting any deterioration at a quake-hit nuclear plant could trigger more panic selling led by hedge funds. The yen tripped on talk of […]
EMERGENCY: ‘HIGH’ LEVEL RADIATION RELEASED AT FUKUSHIMA; WORKERS TOLD TO LEAVE AREA; U.S. MILITARY ASKED FOR HELP; LOW LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WIND ETA 10 HOURS TO TOKYO
March 15th, 2011Shelter-in-Place in a Radiation Emergency Via: Reuters: Japan’s prime minister warned on Tuesday that radioactive levels had become high around an earthquake-stricken nuclear power plant after explosions at two reactors, adding that the risk of more radioactive leakage was rising. Naoto Kan urged people within 30 km (18 miles) of the facility north of Tokyo […]
