Japanese Nuclear Plant Operator May Release More Contaminated Water
Officials at Japan's troubled Fukushima nuclear power plant said Thursday they are considering releasing more low-level radioactive water into the ocean.
Tokyo Electric Power Company warned that by March it may no longer have space to store the massive amount of water used to cool the damaged reactors at the plant.
TEPCO says it would only release the water after it is filtered to reduce levels of radioactive substances. The utility is also considering building more storage tanks to hold the radioactive water, but says it cannot do so indefinitely.
The plant operator already released tens of thousands of tons of contaminated water into the Pacific Ocean following the March disaster at the facility, which was crippled by a massive quake and ensuing tsunami.
The company says it is working to determine the environmental impact of releasing more waste water into the sea. A group representing Japanese fishermen is demanding that TEPCO scrap the idea.
Separately, TEPCO said on Monday that 45 tons of radioactive water has recently leaked from a purification device at the plant. Some of the water included the highly dangerous substance known as strontium, which is linked to bone cancer.
China Rescues 178 Children in Massive Child Trafficking Case
Chinese police say they have rescued 178 children and arrested 608 suspects in a crackdown on suspected human trafficking gangs.
China's public security ministry said Wednesday that over 5,000 police officers made the arrests last month during a joint operation in 10 different provinces across China.
Police first uncovered a child trafficking group in the southwestern province of Sichuan while investigating a traffic accident in May. Authorities later found a similar group in the southeastern province of Fujian.
China has a thriving black market in children and women. Observers say China's one-child policy and lax adoption rules help set the stage for a rampant child market, mostly involving buyers who want more children or who want them as slave labor.
The state-run news agency Xinhua says national police have broken up over 7,000 human trafficking groups since 2009, involving more than 18,000 children and 34,000 women.
India Suspends Plan to Allow Foreign Retailers
India's government has suspended a plan to open the country's retail sector to foreign companies, following weeks of protests that have brought parliament to a halt.
The government said Wednesday the plan will remain on hold until the stakeholders can reach a consensus.
Opponents say allowing foreign retail chains, such as Walmart, will threaten the survival of millions of small shop owners in the country. Shopkeepers held a one-day strike last week to protest the plan.
Industry leaders share the government's view that modernizing India's retail sector will benefit farmers and consumers, while creating millions of jobs.
India's $450-billion domestic retail market is dominated by family-run stores, and global retail companies have waited for years for India to allow them to operate in the country.
The government plan called for allowing foreign firms to own up to 51 percent of so-called multi-brand retail companies in India, such as supermarkets. Companies could also own up to 100 percent of stores that sell just one brand of a product.
The stores would be allowed in cities with a population of at least 1 million people.
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