Japan restarts reactor after break due to Fukushima
Japan restarts reactor after break due to Fukushima
TOKYO
A power-plant operator in southern Japan has restarted a reactor, the first to begin operating under new safety requirements after the Fukushima disaster.
Kyushu Electric Power Co. said today it had restarted the No. 1 reactor at its Sendai nuclear plant as planned. The restart marks Japan’s return to nuclear energy 41/2 years after the 2011 meltdowns at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant in northeastern Japan after an earthquake and tsunami.
The disaster displaced more than 100,000 people due to radioactive contamination in the area and spurred a national debate over this resource-scarce country’s reliance on nuclear power.
Homicides reach 200 for the year so far in Baltimore
BALTIMORE
Eight months into the year, Baltimore’s homicide count has hit 200.
August’s 11th slaying, the fatal shooting of a man Monday, pushed the city’s homicide total to 200 – a dramatic rise from 2014, when the city saw 211 killings for the year. This grim milestone comes on the heels of another: With 45 homicides in July, Baltimore saw its bloodiest month since 1972.
The rise has prompted interim Police Commissioner Kevin Davis to form a task force with 10 federal agents imbedded with homicide detectives.
Afghan president to Pakistan: Rein in Taliban
KABUL, Afghanistan
The Afghan president called on Pakistan on Monday to crack down on the Taliban after a suicide car bombing earlier in the day near Kabul’s international airport killed five people, the latest in a wave of deadly attacks in the capital.
In a televised address, Ashraf Ghani also blamed neighboring Pakistan for what he described as Islamabad’s support to the insurgents whose war against Kabul is nearing its 14th year, and said he was sending a delegation to Islamabad later this week to demand a stop to this.
Man, 91, charged with importing cocaine in soap
SYDNEY
A 91-year-old Sydney man has been charged with importing cocaine hidden in soap into Australia, prompting police to warn travelers to beware they are not tricked into becoming drug mules.
The man, whose name has not been released, faces a potential life prison sentence if he is convicted of importing 10 pounds of cocaine into Sydney Airport on a flight from New Delhi last month, the Department of Immigration and Border Protection said in a statement today.
A search of the man’s luggage found 27 packages of soap, which tested positive for cocaine.
Police have not said whether the man was an unwitting drug courier. But Australian Federal Police manager Wayne Buchhorn warned that unwittingly bringing drugs into Australia could result in charges.
Wildfire expands
LOWER LAKE, Calif.
A wildfire that erupted near a destructive blaze in Northern California’s rural, rocky hills expanded farther.
The blaze had burned 9 square miles by Monday afternoon, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said. It broke out several miles away from the community of Lower Lake on Sunday afternoon and quickly spread.
Evacuations have been ordered for the fire that ignited Sunday and doubled in size overnight.
Associated Press