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PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community High radiation spreads at ruined Fukushima plant, Japan vows aid Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: High radiation levels are spreading at the ruined Fukushima nuclear plant, its operator said on Monday, and the Japanese government prepared to offer more funding and oversight to try to contain the crisis.Japanese authorities were seeking to address criticism that Tokyo Electric Power Co has bungled the response to the world’s worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl.“Tokyo Electric has been playing a game of whack-a-mole with problems at the site,” Trade and Economy Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said in a televised interview.Prime Minister Shinzo Abe vowed to “step forward and implement all necessary policies” to deal with the flood of radioactive waste building up at Fukushima since the March 2011 reactor meltdown at Fukushima.The government will present a … [Read more...] about Phuket Gazette World News: Fukushima radiation spikes; Nazi trial; Rodman returns to N Korea; Suez ship attacks; 64yo makes Cuba-Florida swim

PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Ieng Sary, minister for Cambodia’s Khmer Rouge, dies in hospital Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: Ieng Sary, who was standing trial for crimes against humanity during his time as the Khmer Rouge’s foreign minister in Cambodia in the 1970s, died this morning, the court said. — Phuket Gazette Editors … [Read more...] about Phuket Gazette World News: Khmer Rouge Ieng Sary dead

PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Israel hits Syrian artillery that fired on Golan Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Israel’s army fired tank shells into Syria yesterday and scored “direct hits” in response to a Syrian mortar shell that struck the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, the Israeli military said in a statement. It was the second time in as many days that Israel had fired across the disengagement line drawn at the end of a war in 1973, underscoring international fears that Syria’s civil war could ignite a broader regional conflict. Israeli military sources said Syrian army mobile artillery was directly hit in the incident. On Sunday the military said it had a fired a guided missile into Syria in a potent “warning shot” after errant mortar fire had fallen on land that Israel seized in a 1967 war. Israel upped the ante and carried through with a threat to target directly … [Read more...] about World News: Israel hits Syrian artillery; Deep concerns voiced by UN

PHUKET MEDIA WATCH– World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community U.S. senators hint at possible fiscal deal today Reuters / Phuket GazettePHUKET: A month of combat in the U.S. Congress over government spending showed signs of giving way to a Senate deal to reopen shuttered federal agencies and prevent an economically damaging default on federal debt.Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Democrat, and his Republican counterpart, Mitch McConnell, ended a day of constant talks with optimistic proclamations, as details leaked out of the pact they were negotiating.“We’ve made tremendous progress,” Reid said at the end of a Senate session during a federal holiday, underscoring the urgency of settling a fiscal crisis that was nearing a Thursday deadline. The U.S. Treasury Department estimates it will reach a $16.7 trillion borrowing limit on October 17.“We hope that with good fortune … that perhaps tomorrow will be a … [Read more...] about Phuket Gazette World News: US deal today – maybe; Russian police round up 1600 migrants; Major quake hits Philippines, no tsunami threat

PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community North Korea confirms third atomic test Phuket Gazette / The Nation / DPA PHUKET: North Korea said Tuesday it had carried out its third atomic test, the official Korean Central News Agency reported. Earlier UN’s Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization said North Korea was suspected to have carried out its third atomic test after a seismic shock was registered. An earthquake in North Korea that appeared to be an explosion happened in the same area as two previous nuclear tests, said Tibor Toth, the organisation’s executive secretary said. “The event shows clear explosion-like characteristics and its location is roughly congruent with the 2006 and 2009 DPRK nuclear tests,” he said in Vienna, using the official acronym of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. The United States Geological Survey reported a magnitude-4.9 quake in … [Read more...] about Phuket Gazette World News: North Korea tests nuclear bomb; Iran could be next