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TOPIC: nuclear plant

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Fukushima Nuclear Disaster: A Failed Decontamination Process

A recent study shows the tens of billions of dollars spent to decontaminate land following the areas affected by the 2011 Fukushima nuclear accident may not have been worthwhile and have encouraged only a minority of residents to come back. A better option could be to declare the zone a natural reserve. (new subheadline)

The Chernobyl and (to a lesser extent) Fukushima nuclear accidents contaminated large areas of land with low-level radioactivity. After both accidents, huge efforts were taken to decontaminate the affected areas.

But a recent study at Fukushima raises doubts about whether these decontamination efforts were worthwhile. Less than one-third of the population has returned to the evacuated zones and extensive areas of forest in the region remain contaminated.

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More Ukraine Drones On Russia, Idalia Fallout, G20’s Monkey-Men

👋 Ia Orana!*

Welcome to Friday, where Ukrainian drones keep hitting targets in Russia, the leader of the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riots is sentenced to 17 years, and New Delhi is not monkeying around ahead of the G20 summit. Meanwhile, for French economic daily Les Echos, Pierre de Gasquet looks at how a Kremlin takeover of the Wagner Group, post-Prigozhin, could help Russia strengthen its presence in Africa.

[*Tahiti]

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From East And West, Two Ways To Scare Putin Off The Nuclear Option

Kyiv is accusing Russia of planning to blow up the occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in eastern Ukraine, which would cause incalculable horror, and extend beyond the borders of Ukraine. But it may be messages in Beijing and Washington that can dissuade Vladimir Putin even more than exposing civilians, including Russians, to nuclear fallout.

-Analysis-

PARIS — Is Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky crying wolf, or does he have bonafide information? On Saturday, during a joint press conference with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, Zelensky accused Russia of making preparations to blow up the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.

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This is not just a subplot in a cruel war; it would be the unprecedented violation of an absolute taboo, the consequences of which would be incalculable and undoubtedly extend beyond the borders of Ukraine. It is the first time in history that a nuclear power plant has become a possible war target — and international law is powerless.

Since its occupation by the Russian army in March of last year, at the very beginning of the invasion of Ukraine, the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant – let's not forget, it is the largest in Europe – has been a constant focus of attention. Concerns have been raised about its operation, its cooling system, and its use as a shield by Russian soldiers. But nothing comes close to the deliberate destruction of nuclear reactors.

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Did Putin Tip Off Dam Attack With A Veiled Nuclear Threat Last Week?

After significant sections of the Nova Kakhovka dam were destroyed in a Russian-controlled part of southern Ukraine, independent Russian media Agents.Media has pieced together Vladimir Putin declarations on May 30 that may have been a warning of a false-flag attack.

The torrent of water unleashed after the attack of the Nova Kakhovka dam has flooded several nearby villages and sparked widespread evacuations. But it has also prompted fears for the security of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which depends on water from the river for cooling.

The proximity to the plant is, however, not the only link to a possible nuclear risk. After the breach of the dam, the Russian secret service FSB claimed to have thwarted a planned dirty bomb attack on Russian soil. The FSB claim comes exactly a week after Russian President Vladimir Putin raised the specter of a dirty bomb attack and threats to the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which is just upstream from the Nova Kakhovka dam.

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Commentators have interpreted Putin’s statements as a veiled threat directed towards Ukraine, and the latest allusion to a possible Russian "false flag" operation that is used as a pretext for a major attack in response.

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Yannick Champion-Osselin, Chloé Touchard, Marine Béguin and Jeff Israely

Zelensky To Hiroshima, Israel Flag Day Clashes, Nadal Knocked Out

👋 Bonjour!*

Welcome to Friday where Volodymyr Zelensky is expected to show up in person at the Hiroshima G7 summit, violence erupts again over Israel’s flag day holiday and tennis legend Rafal Nadal says he’s out of this year’s French Open (with an announcement about next year). We also feature a reportage from Brazilian news media Agência Pública on the continuing influence of Nazi ideology in parts of the country’s far right.

[*French]

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Shaun Lavelle, Anna Akage, Bertrand Hauger and Emma Albright

Russia Also Takes Aim At Civilians Indirectly, 30% Of Power Stations Destroyed

Blackouts and water shortages will cause major suffering, especially as winter arrives.

Russian attacks have continued into Tuesday on Ukraine’s energy and water facilities. Parts of Kyiv and other cities were left without power and water. In a video released on Twitter, Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelensky said that 30% of Ukraine’s power stations had been destroyed in the past eight days, causing massive blackouts across the country.

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Zelensky noted that Moscow was continuing to target civilians both directly and indirectly through air strikes aimed at energy supplies as winter approaches. It’s “another kind of Russian terrorist attacks: targeting energy & critical infrastructure,” the Ukrainian president said.

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Anne-Sophie Goninet, Lisa Berdet, Chloé Touchard and Lila Paulou

Russia Pressured IAEA, Vietnam Karaoke Blaze, World’s Oldest Mammal

👋 Allegra!*

Welcome to Wednesday, where the IAEA says Russia puts pressure on the UN team of nuclear inspectors, there isn’t a white man in sight in Liz Truss’ cabinet, and mammal mia! that’s one very old shrew. Meanwhile, Indian news website The Wire gauges the magnitude of the destruction caused by the recent “monster” monsoon.

[*Romansh, Switzerland]

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Anna Akage, Meike Eijsberg, Lisa Berdet, Chloé Touchard, Bertrand Hauger and Emma Albright

“Palpable” Nuclear Fears As Artillery Fire Returns To Zaporizhzhia

Below is an extract from a rare on-the-ground report from Nikopol, across the river from the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant.

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“The presence of the IAEA task force is apparently not a deterrent,” writes Francesco Semprini for Italian daily La Stampa. “In recent days shelling intensified, including in surrounding areas. As in the Nikopol district, on the other side of the Dnipro River, exactly five kilometers from the plant. On Tuesday the electric towers were reached.

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In The News
Lisa Berdet, Chloé Touchard, Lila Paulou and Bertrand Hauger

Nuclear Experts Arrive At Zaporizhzhia, UN Condemns China For Uyghur Crimes, “Just Serena”

👋 សួស្តី!*

Welcome to Thursday, where the team of UN nuclear experts have arrived at Zaporizhzhia after being delayed by shelling, the UN reports “serious human rights violations” in China’s treatment of Muslim minorities, and Serena Williams’ on-court interview goes viral. And for Global Press Journal, Coraly Cruz Mejías looks at the effects of Puerto Rico’s updated gun laws.

[*Susadei - Khmer, Cambodia]

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Cameron Manley, Bertrand Hauger, Meike Eijsberg, Lila Paulou, Chloé Touchard and Emma Albright

Chairman Of Russia’s Lukoil “Falls Out Window,” Reported As Suicide

Ravil Maganov, chairman of the Russian oil company Lukoil, died on Thursday after "he fell out of the window of a Moscow hospital," according to Russian media reports. Meanwhile TASS news agency reported his death as a suicide. The 67 year-old was hospitalized after suffering from a heart attack.

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Maganov was one of the historical leaders of Lukoil, Russia’s second-largest oil producer, founded in November 1991 as the Soviet Union collapsed.

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Anna Akage, Bertrand Hauger, Lisa Berdet, Chloe Touchard, and Emma Albright

Russia Agrees To Nuclear Inspectors' Visit To Zaporizhzhia

A team from the United Nations nuclear watchdog IAEA is on its way to Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, after Russia agreed to secure their safety. This comes after weeks of Russia and Ukraine accusing each other of attacks near the plant that have raised the risk of a major nuclear accident.

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Russian media reports Monday that Moscow said it welcomes the IAEA’s visit to Zaporizhzhia. The inspectors are expected to enter the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant from the Ukrainian side, but Russia will ensure its safety on the territory occupied by the Russian army. When asked about the possibility of creating a demilitarized zone around the plant, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said it was “not under discussion.”

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In The News
Anna Akage, Bertrand Hauger, Lila Paulou, Chloé Touchard and Emma Albright

Pressure On Putin In Aftermath Of Darya Dugina’s Murder

Russian authorities opened a murder investigation after Darya Dugina was murdered in a car bomb on the outskirts of Moscow on Saturday. Dugina’s father is Russian author and staunch Putin ally Alexander Dugin: Both of them were together before the attack, though Dugin took a different car than his daughter’s and minutes later the explosion occurred. It is believed he was the intended target of the car bomb.

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Based on evidence collected from the explosion, the Russian Investigative Committee said it believed someone planned and ordered the car blast. “Taking into account the data already obtained, the investigation believes that the crime was pre-planned and was of an ordered nature," the investigative committee said in a statement Sunday.

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