Second Explosion At Fukushima Nuclear Plant

A second hydrogen explosion has occurred at a quake-hit nuclear plant in Japan, as the US moved ships and aircraft away due to low level radiation.

Plumes of grey smoke were sent billowing by the blast at the Fukushima Daiichi plant's number 3 unit, although officials insist the inner reactor container remains intact. Japan's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency say there is "absolutely no possibility of a Chernobyl" style accident at the site, according to government minister Koichiro Genba. The reactor had been under emergency watch for a possible explosion as pressure built up there following a hydrogen blast on Saturday in the facility's number 1 unit. Japan's chief cabinet secretary Yukio Edano said the reactor's inner containment vessel holding nuclear rods is safe, allaying some fears of the risk to the environment and public. He said the possibility of a radioactive leak was "low". But he added that people within a 20km (12 mile) radius were being ordered to stay inside. Tokyo Electric Power Company says seven people are missing and three are injured after the blast at the plant which is 150 miles (241km) north of Tokyo.

Sky News' Anna Botting, in Sendai, says the authorities are warning people not to drink tap water and to take iodine if they have access to it as it can prevent the threat of thyroid cancer. Officials have been racing to stave off multiple reactor meltdowns after a devastating quake and tsunami incapacitated the Fukushima plant. They had to resort to cooling the reactors down with sea water. More than 180,000 people have evacuated the area, and up to 160 may have been exposed to radiation. Prime Minister Naoto Kan said the situation at the Fukushima nuclear plant remained "worrisome" and that the authorities were doing their utmost to stop damage from spreading. On Sunday he said the disaster was the biggest crisis the country had faced since World War Two. The nuclear crisis was triggered by twin disasters on Friday, when the 9.0 magnitude earthquake was followed by a tsunami that ravaged Japan's north-eastern coast. More than 1,400 people were killed, but a police chief said the death toll may be over 10,000.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has also declared a state of emergency at the Onagawa site after excessive radiation levels were recorded there. And the cooling system pump has failed at the Tokai facility but the back-up is working, according to an official. The Japanese government is planning rolling blackouts and a limited number of trains will be running in Tokyo so energy supplies can be saved. Elsewhere, a wave of around 3m (10ft) was reported off the coast of northeast Japan by a helicopter, leading to warnings of another tsunami. Residents were ordered to flee to higher ground by Japanese soldiers after reports of a sea level change. However, the Japanese Meteorological Agency said no tsunami had been spotted and it proved to be a false alarm. Earlier a strong offshore tremor struck 150km (90 miles) northeast of Tokyo shaking tall buildings in Japan's capital, but authorities did not issue a tsunami alert. The country has suffered over 150 aftershocks since the "megaquake" hit on Friday. There is currently a warning that there is a 70% chance of another strong quake of 7.0 magnitude or over occurring.

7pm: One person has been killed and four injured in a crane accident at Fukushima No. 2 power plant, the International Atomic Energy Agency says. And the UN's nuclear watchdog said at Fukushima No. 1 power plant, which suffered an explosion on Saturday a day after the massive quake, and where authorities are battling a feared meltdown of two reactors, eight workers had been affected. "Four workers were injured by the explosion at the Unit 1 reactor, and there are three other reported injuries in other incidents," the IAEA said on its website, citing Japanese authorities. "In addition, one worker was exposed to higher-than-normal radiation levels that fall below the IAEA guidance for emergency situations," it said, without giving further details.

6.35pm: Japan's Meteorological Agency says it has upgraded the magnitude of Friday's catastrophic earthquake to 9.0. The agency earlier measured it at 8.8. The quake was already the biggest to hit Japan since record-keeping began in the late 1800s and one of the biggest ever recorded in the world. The US Geological Survey has measured the quake at magnitude 8.9, and that number remains unchanged.

6.25pm: Hino Motors and Mitsubishi Motors will temporarily suspend production at their domestic plants due to uncertainty over the procurement of auto parts, according to the Kyodo News Agency. The companies will suspend production from Monday, joining other automakers including Toyota and Honda.

6.19pm: Prime Minister Naoto Kan has instructed the president of Toshiba, maker of the troubled reactors at the nuclear power plants in quake-hit Fukushima Prefecture, to do all he can to contain the problems at the plants.

5.42pm: Search and rescue teams are arriving in Japan, with more than 70 countries and international organisations offering to provide support. The Japanese Foreign Ministry said Tokyo received offers for support from 69 countries and regions along with five international organisations.

5.30pm: The Japanese government has urged large companies to limit electricity use amid fears of possible supply disruptions, the Kyodo News Agency reports.

5.05pm: The Green Party has extended its condolences to the people of Japan. "Our heartfelt sympathies go out to the Japanese for the devastation and loss of life following the earthquake and tsunami," Green Party Co-leader Metiria Turei said today. "Our thoughts and prayers are also with all those families and friends here in New Zealand. "We will do everything to support the Japanese community here through this difficult time. "And to the people of Sendai especially, all of New Zealand stands with you. Kia kaha."

4.44pm: More than 200 bodies have been found at a new site in northeast Japan. "We have received a preliminary report that more than 200 bodies were found in the city of Higashimatsushima," a National Police Agency spokesman said, adding that local police are starting to collect the bodies.

4.17pm: Japan's US ambassador Ichiro Fujisaki has told CNN a partial meltdown occurred at the Fukushima plant. "There was a partial melt of a fuel rod, melting of fuel rod. There was a part of that... but it was nothing like a whole reactor melting down," said Fujisaki, adding that he was being briefed hourly on the situation.

4.15pm: Japan's earthquake appears to have moved the island by about eight feet (2.4 m), the US Geological Survey says. "That's a reasonable number," USGS seismologist Paul Earle told AFP. "Eight feet, that's certainly going to be in the ballpark." He said similar movements would have been seen for Chile and Indonesia.

4.11pm: Chief cabinet secretary, Yukio Edano, says it's likely a meltdown has taken place at the No.1 reactor at Fukushima Daiichi. "We do believe that there is a possibility that meltdown has occurred. It is inside the reactor. We can't see. However, we are assuming that a meltdown has occurred." Authorities are concerned over the possibility of meltdowns at the second and third reactors, he said. A meltdown occurs when the reactor core fails, with potential for widespread radiation.

4pm: A team of 48 search and rescue staff from New Zealand are expected to be on the ground in Japan tomorrow but it's still unclear where they'll be deployed. An advance party from the team is expected in japan this afternoon. Christchurch fire service area manager Dan Coward said the team would be made up of search and rescue staff from across New Zealand and includes some from Christchurch. The team is taking 15 tonnes of equipment which is being sent over on a mixture of Defence Force and commercial flights. Mr Coward was confident there would be no adverse effects on the continuing recovery operation in Christchurch. There are still two full taskforces of 48 each remaining here. He said the team took pride in being able to assist a nation which had provided support in Christchurch's time of need.

3.55pm: Fresh water is being injected into the No. 3 reactor of Fukushima No. 1 plant after it lost its cooling ability. Government spokesman Yukio Edano said radiation at that reactor was under control.

3.15pm: Nineteen more people have been exposed to radiation in addition to the three reported earlier, the Kyodo News Agency says. Meanwhile, an estimated 200,000 people have been evacuated so far from the areas around the Fukushima No.1 and No. 2 nuclear plants, according to the UN atomic watchdog.

3pm: Japan has been shaken by a strong earthquake off its eastern coast, closer to Tokyo than the massive quake that hit on Friday. The latest temblor swayed buildings in the capital. The US Geological Survey says the temblor had a magnitude of 6.2 and struck at 10.26am local time. It was centred about 179km east of Tokyo, at a depth of 24.5km. Japan has been rattled by more than 150 aftershocks since Friday.

2.51pm: Nuclear plant operator Tokyo Electric Power says radiation levels have surpassed the legal limit at Fukushima No. 1 plant.

1.47pm: Prime Minister Naoto Kan is planning to double the number of defence relief personnel to 100,000.

1.39pm: The death toll is nearing 900, Japanese police say. The National Police Agency said 688 people had been confirmed dead and 642 missing, with 1,570 injured in the disaster. Police in Sendai, Miyagi prefecture, separately said Friday that at least 200 and up to 300 bodies had been found on the shore.

1.19pm: Australia is calling for urgent information from Japan on the threat posed by an explosion at Fukushima nuclear plant and says it has offered Tokyo atomic expertise. Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd said Australia and the world was awaiting further information. "We and the rest of the international community need urgent briefings on the precise status of these reactors," he told public broadcaster ABC on Sunday. "We are seeking further co-operation on the technical and safety aspects of these from the Japanese government." Meanwhile, two Queensland search and rescue dog teams just back from Christchurch will fly to Japan today to search for survivors.

1pm: It has been confirmed that 1159 Australians in Japan are safe, including four in Sendai, the seaside city badly hit by the tsunami. The number of Australians registered with the embassy is 2319, and of these 189 are in affected areas.

12.52pm: US nuclear experts say pumping sea water to cool a quake-hit nuclear reactor is an "act of desperation" that may foreshadow a Chernobyl-like disaster. "The situation has become desperate enough that they apparently don't have the capability to deliver fresh water or plain water to cool the reactor and stabilise it, and now, in an act of desperation, are having to resort to diverting and using sea water," said Robert Alvarez, who works on nuclear disarmament at the Institute for Policy Studies. Peter Bradford, former head of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, said that if the cooling attempts fail, "at that point it's a Chernobyl-like situation where you start dumping in sand and cement."

12.40pm: Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo Disney Sea, Japan's most popular amusement facilities, have been closed to carry out emergency safety checks. The operator told the Kyodo News Agency the closure will probably last about 10 days. A number of concerts, musicals, kabuki plays, exhibitions and other events across the nation have also announced cancellations.

12.30pm: California is closely monitoring efforts to contain leaks from a quake-damaged Japanese nuclear plant, as experts said radiation could be blown out across the Pacific. While officials downplayed any immediate danger, the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission deployed two experts to Japan.

12.04pm: A senior nuclear and industrial safety official says a meltdown may be underway at one of the Fukushima Dai Ichi nuclear power reactors, with there being potential for a widespread release of radiation.

Toshiro Bannai told CNN he was confident that an ensuing crisis could be controlled.

The Tokyo Electric Power Company said a second reactor at the plant failed early this morning. It said it was having trouble cooling the reactor and it may need to release radioactive steam to relieve the pressure.

11.53am: A former US energy policy adviser says the use of seawater and boron to cool the reactor at the Fukushima Dai Ichi nuclear power plant was a desperate, "Hail Mary pass" tactic, with success depending on the volume and rate at which the dousing continues.

Robert Alvarez told reporters in the US that the effort would need to continue non-stop for several days.

11.35am: Lights were switched off overnight at some of Japan's best-known landmarks in a bid to save electricity.

Kyodo News reported that the Tokyo Tower and Yokohama's Bay Bridge were among those to shut off power after Friday's earthquake and ensuing tsunami.

The operators of the Tokyo Tower said the switch-off partially reflected their intention to express their condolences in regard to those who had perished in the disaster.

10.49am: The International Atomic Energy Agency says it was informed by Japanese officials that the explosion at the Fukushima Dai Ichi plant occurred outside the primary containment vessel.

The Tokyo Electric Power Company said the primary containment vessel remains intact, and sea water mixed with boron has been injected into it to limit damage to the reactor core.

However, the explosion resulted in the roof and the walls of the building housing the reactor's container being blown away.

The IAEA said it had been told that four workers were injured at the plant when the explosion occurred.

10.13am: The International Atomic Energy Agency said in a statement today that Japanese officials would distribute iodine to people living near the damaged Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear power plant. Iodine can be used to help protect the human body from radiation exposure.

10.07am: In an apparent death hoax, Twitter users informed one another of the death of Pokemon creator Satoshi Tajiri in Friday's disaster. In a tweet, Nintendo of America said none of their Japanese staff were injured during the earthquake. Hello Kitty designer Yuko Yamaguchi was the subject of similar claims.

9.56am: Japan-based tech journalist Martyn Williams has put together a list of Japanese TV news stations being streamed online. They are: NHK (watch) TBS (watch) ANN (watch) NTV (watch)

9.39am: Japan's government broadcaster, NHK, has reported that radiation exposure testing has begun around Fukushima prefecture. Three people randomly selected from a group of 90 tested positive for radiation poisoning.

9.25am: The explosion at the Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear power plant after Friday's earthquake and tsunami should prove embarrassing to the Japanese government who were warned long ago about the dangers of building nuclear plants in areas of intense seismic activity, writesGuardian science editor Robin McKie.

9.15am: The Japanese government said radiation emanating after an explosion at the Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear power plant, 273km northeast of Tokyo, appeared to have decreased. Officials did not say why, and the precise cause of the explosion and the extent of the ongoing danger remains unclear, reports the Associated Press.

9.04am: Alan Boyle, science editor at msnbc.com, has blogged on the effectiveness of Japan's earthquake warning system and whether the "Big One" could have been predicted days in advance.

8.41am Japan's central bank has promised a "fast response" to the earthquake/tsunami tragedy in the country.

8.40am Japan's Prime Minister Naoto Kan has toured some tsunami-hit areas, by boat - the only practical method of transport in those areas.

8.30am Up to 50,000 search and rescue workers are either already at, or heading to, Japan's worst-hit disaster zones on the north-eastern coast.

8.00am The evacuation zone around the Fukushima No 1 nuclear power plant has now been extended to a 20 kilometre-wide radius. Authorities say the casing surrounding the nuclear reactor has not been damaged - only an external wall has fallen down. So, they say, there is no danger of meltdown occuring.

Anwar Ibrahim's sodomy trial visits Kuala Lumpur flat

The trial of Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim on sodomy charges has visited the apartment where his a former aide says he was assaulted.

The trial in the capital, Kuala Lumpur, opened on Wednesday after a judge rejected an appeal by defence lawyers. Mr Anwar has consistently denied the charges, saying they are part of a political conspiracy against him. Homosexual acts are illegal in Malaysia and Mr Anwar faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted. The judge denied Mr Anwar's lawyers advanced access to medical evidence, DNA and CCTV tapes, which they said were key in providing a proper defence.

Prosecutors say traces of Mr Anwar's DNA were found when Saiful Bukhari Azlan underwent medical checks two days after being assaulted in June 2008. On Wednesday, the court heard explicit testimony from Mr Saiful, prompting Judge Mohamad Zabidin Diah to agree to hear the rest of the evidence behind closed doors. Mr Anwar's press secretary, Eekmal Ahmad, told the AFP news agency: "I do not have any details on what is being said as it is closed to everyone but the lawyers and individuals involved."

On Thursday, the courtroom travelled by convoy to the apartment. The charismatic opposition leader - who was deputy prime minister until his sudden sacking in 1998 - served six years after an earlier conviction for sodomy, which was subsequently overturned on appeal. After his release, he led the opposition to election gains in 2008. Mr Anwar represents a major challenge to Prime Minister Najib Razak, whose coalition has held power for more than 50 years. He has called the sodomy allegation "malicious" and "frivolous". "It is trumped up by political masters using the prosecution for that purpose," Mr Anwar told the High Court.

'Dirty tricks'

He says he is only on trial for political reasons, and in an interview with BBC News before the trial, he referred to the allegations as a "nasty conspiracy". "We are committed to democratic ideals and some of us may have to pay the price," he said. Rights groups have also criticised the trial. Amnesty International accused the government of using "the same old dirty tricks in an attempt to remove the opposition leader from politics". There were huge protests after Mr Anwar's first conviction for sodomy a decade ago. He was freed on appeal in 2004.

UNHCR (Malaysia) Must Avoid Discrimination

Burma Democratic Concern (BDC): UNHCR (Malaysia) must avoid discrimination

Burma Democratic Concern (BDC) today calls for UNHCR (Malaysia) to respect human rights and to avoid discrimination dealing with Burmese refugees from Burma.

Burma is make up with Burmese (Bamar), Kachin, Kayar, Karean, Chin, Mon, Arakan and Shan. Burmese refugees fled from Burma due to military regime’s extreme repression. People of Burma voted for Daw Aung San Suu Kyi as their leader and they don’t agree with junta illegitimate rule in Burma. Military regime sees no difference in oppressing people of Burma and always uses ultimate force to crush all the opposition regardless of religion, race or ethnicity.

There are more than 70, 000 Burmese refugees in Malaysia according to the official figures. Since Malaysia is not party to the 1951 Refugee Convention or its Protocol, refugees are vulnerable to detention and deportation.

While we applaud the UNHCR tireless efforts helping refugees but we also have reports that UNHCR office in Malaysia is not fair in dealing with Burmese refugees issues. Addition, some of the officers at the UNHCR (Malaysia) office is creating climate of discrimination with regard to dealing with Burmese refugees.

Burma Democratic Concern (BDC) is very concerned on the reports that some UNHCR (Malaysia) officers have misunderstood that the ruling Burmese military junta does not suppress ethnic Burmese people in Burma because they are the majority ethnic group and Buddhist.

Based on unreasonable assumption which is totally wrong, most of the Burmese applying for refugees at the UNHCR (Malaysia) offices are mostly turned down.

“I am surprised to learn some UNHCR (Malaysia) officers’ misconception towards refugees from Burma. These vulnerable refugees had suffered enough at the hand of brutal military regime and they don’t deserve the injustice again especially applying for the refugee at the one of the world’s most respected humanitarian organisation, UNHCR. Mr António Guterres should addresses this matter in the matter of urgency unless it would tarnish UNHCR’s long track record of good reputation”, said Myo Thein, the Director at the Burma Democratic Concern (BDC).

Burma Democratic Concern (BDC) calls for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees Mr António Guterres to investigate fully and take timely action to avoid further discrimination.

Ezam's next move: Umno Youth chief post?

Senator Mohd Ezam Mohd Nor may go for the Umno Youth chief's post in the next party election, says former Batu Berendam MP Tamrin Ghafar.

He said Ezam needed a strong platform to climb up the party ladder.

“This is my reading of Ezam’s next move in politics. Handpicked by party president Najib Tun Razak to be a senator, he may feel he is capable of taking the Youth movement to a higher level.

“I will not be surprised if he is appointed a deputy minister in the next Cabinet reshuffle,” he added.

“I think he will be more interested in taking over Umno Youth than in contesting for a seat in the supreme council,” said Tamrin, the son of former deputy prime minister and deputy Umno president Ghafar Baba.

Ezam and two others – Abdul Rahim Abdul Rahman, executive chairman of Rahim & Co, and Noriah Mahat, Pagoh Wanita Umno chief – were appointed senators last Monday.