Russia issues stark warning over the nuclear power plant it's occupying; Kyiv urges inspection of damaged facility

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Wednesday night that Ukrainian diplomats and nuclear scientists are in "constant touch" with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and working to get a team of inspectors into the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.

The plant has been occupied by Russian troops since the start of the war in Ukraine but there have been increasing fears that a nuclear catastrophe could take place as shelling has intensified around the plant, which Ukraine says has been used by Russia to store ammunition and military equipment. Russia has accused Ukraine of shelling the plant.

There are heightened fears that a catastrophe could occur at the plant, which is Europe's largest of its kind. Yesterday, Ukraine's Emergency Ministry conducted a nuclear catastrophe exercise in Zaporizhzhia in case of an accident.

In other news, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is in Lviv in Ukraine on Thursday to meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and President Zelenskyy.

The three are expected to discuss the ongoing Black Sea Initiative to export grains from Ukraine. Guterres will also meet with Zelenskyy to discuss the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba on continued U.S. support for Ukraine's defense needs.

Blinken updated Kuleba on U.S. deliveries of security assistance and condemned Russia's actions at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, according to a State Department readout of the call.

"Additionally, the secretary reaffirmed the United States will continue to call for an end to all military operations at or near Ukraine's nuclear facilities, the return of full control of these facilities to Ukraine and Moscow to end its war of choice against its sovereign neighbor," the readout said.

The two also discussed Ukraine's upcoming Independence Day on Aug. 24...

Comments

Desperate’ UK councils hiring out more parks to festivals, warns expert

Surge in festivals after Covid lull risks making green spaces elitist as councils try to offset tightened budgets Cash-strapped councils are increasingly hiring out their green spaces to festivals, an expert has warned, blocking them off from residents for weeks at a time, damaging grass and causing congestion. Councils were “more desperate than ever” to attract commercial income to supplement their reduced budgets after a pandemic hiatus, risking making public parks “more exclusive and more elitist” in the process. Community groups have raised concerns about lack of access for local people during the recent unprecedented heatwave and the school holidays. Andrew Smith, professor of urban experiences at the University of Westminster, said there now seemed to be more festivals in some parts of the country than before the pandemic. A big factor driving this, he said, was that festival organisers were trying to make up for the financial shortfalls of 2020 and 2021, while local ...

Australian government launches offshore petroleum exploration permits for 47,000 sq km of ocean

Resources minister says exploration ‘central to alleviating future domestic gas shortfalls’ but Greens slam ‘mockery’ of climate target The Albanese government has launched its first offshore petroleum exploration permits, opening up nearly 47,000 sq km of Australian waters to oil and gas exploration. Ten areas stretching from the Ashmore and Cartier Islands in the Indian Ocean to Victoria’s Gippsland basin have been opened for exploration, in what the resources minister, Madeleine King, said would “play an important role in securing future energy supplies”. “At the same time as we strive to reduce emissions, it must be emphasised that continued exploration for oil and gas in commonwealth waters is central to alleviating future domestic gas shortfalls,” she said. “Australia’s energy sector also continues to support international energy security, particularly during the global turbulence caused largely by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.”. But the move will further alarm enviro...

Crime increased in areas trialling cashless debit card programs, government analysis suggests

Coalition claims scrapping cards could lead to ‘tsunami of trauma’ but federal department analysis of available data paints a different picture Crime rates have increased or remained steady in regions hosting cashless debit card programs, according to the department of social services, as the Albanese government prepares to abolish the controversial welfare program within weeks. Critics of the government’s decision have claimed the card’s axing would increase crime and alcohol abuse, but the department has claimed its analysis of police data has shown total crime rates, assault and property damage have gone up in areas where the income management tool was being trialled. Labor promised during the election campaign to abolish the cashless debit card, which quarantines between 30% and 80% of welfare payments and was designed to prevent money being withdrawn as cash or used to pay for alcohol or gambling. A bill to scrap the card passed the House of Representatives earlier thi...

24-7newsallround

Search This Blog