Officials investigating Illinois reactor shutdown (AP)

CHICAGO ? Officials are investigating the events surrounding a power failure at a nuclear reactor in northern Illinois, where steam was vented to reduce pressure after it shut down.

After the shut down Monday morning at Exelon Nuclear's Byron Generating Station, operators began releasing steam to cool the reactor from the part of the plant where turbines are producing electricity, not from within the nuclear reactor itself, officials said. The steam contains low levels of tritium, a radioactive form of hydrogen, but federal and plant officials insisted the levels were safe for workers and the public.

Diesel generators were supplying the reactor with electricity, though it hasn't been generating power during the investigation into what happened. One question is why smoke was seen from an onsite station transformer, though no evidence of a fire was found when the plant's fire brigade responded, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission spokeswoman Viktoria Mitlyng said.

Exelon Nuclear officials believe a failed piece of equipment at a switchyard at the plant about 95 miles northwest of Chicago caused the shutdown, but they were still investigating an exact cause. The switchyard is similar to a large substation that delivers power to the plant from the electrical grid and from the plant to the electrical grid.

The commission declared the incident an "unusual event," the lowest of four levels of emergency. Commission officials also said the release of tritium was expected.

Mitlyng said officials can't yet calculate how much tritium was being released. They know the amounts were small because monitors around the plant didn't show increased levels of radiation, she said.

Tritium molecules are so microscopic that small amounts are able to pass from radioactive steam that originates in the reactor through tubing and into the water used to cool turbines and other equipment outside the reactor, Mitlyng said. The steam that was being released was coming from the turbine side.

Tritium is relatively short-lived and penetrates the body weakly through the air compared to other radioactive contaminants.

Releasing steam helps "take away some of that energy still being produced by nuclear reaction but that doesn't have anywhere to go now," Mitlyng said. Even though the turbine is not turning to produce electricity, she said, "you still need to cool the equipment."

Candace Humphrey, Ogle County's emergency management coordinator, said county officials were notified of the incident as soon as it happened and that public safety was never in danger.

"It was standard procedure that they would notify county officials," she said. "There is always concern. But, it never crossed my mind that there was any danger to the people of Ogle County."

Another reactor at the plant was operating normally.

In March 2008, federal officials said they were investigating a problem with electrical transformers at the plant after outside power to a unit was interrupted.

In an unrelated issue last April, the commission said it was conducting special inspections of backup water pumps at the Byron and Braidwood generating stations after the agency's inspectors raised concerns about whether the pumps would be able to cool the reactors if the normal system wasn't working. The plants' operator, Exelon Corp., initially said the pumps would work but later concluded they wouldn't.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/environment/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120131/ap_on_re_us/us_nuclear_plant_illinois

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Water leaks found at stricken Japan nuclear plant

Japan's stricken nuclear power plant has leaked more than 160 gallons of water, forcing it to briefly suspend cooling operations at a spent-fuel pond at the weekend, the plant's operator and domestic media said.

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The Fukushima plant, on the coast north of Tokyo, was wrecked by a huge earthquake and tsunami in March last year, triggering the evacuation of around 80,000 people in the world's worst nuclear crisis in 25 years.

The operator of the complex, the Tokyo Electric Power Co (Tepco), reported two main leakages on its website on Sunday, one from a pump near the plant's office building and another from a back-up cooling system at reactor No.4.

"The cooling water is from a filtrate tank for fire extinction and doesn't contain radioactive materials," Tepco said of the incident at reactor No. 4. It added that some water from the other leakage had flowed into a drain and "we are examining whether this water has flowed into the ocean or not."

The Nikkei newspaper Monday quoted Tepco as saying around 40 liters (10.6 gallons) had leaked from the pool-cooling system of the No. 4 reactor Sunday morning, with probably 600 liters (158.5 gallons) of purified water leaking from another point. Water had also leaked at other facilities within the complex, the Nikkei added.

However, the Nikkei newspaper quoted Tepco Monday as saying that it believed no water had escaped into the sea.

"The leakage is believed to have been caused by freezing due to cold weather, and the leaked water included radioactively contaminated water that has been purified," the Nikkei said in its online edition, quoting Tepco. "The contamination level is low."

Meanwhile, Japan's deputy prime minister has acknowledged that the government failed to take minutes of 10 meetings last year on the response to the country's disasters and nuclear crisis and called for officials to compile reports on the meetings retroactively.

Slideshow: A month of misery (on this page)

The missing minutes have become a hot political debate, with opposition lawmakers saying they are necessary to provide a transparent record of the government's discussion after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami touched off the worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl in 1986.

Deputy Prime Minister Katsuya Okada confirmed Friday that the minutes were not fully recorded at the time and called for them to be written up, retroactively, by the end of February. Three of the meetings during the chaotic period had no record at all, not even an agenda, including a government nuclear crisis meeting headed by the prime minister.

Okada has set up a panel to investigate the extent of the problem and its cause.

The missing minutes are the latest example of the government missteps in disclosing information.

Japanese authorities and regulators already have been repeatedly criticized for how they handled information amid the unfolding nuclear crisis. Officials initially denied that the reactors had melted down, and have been accused of playing down the health risks of exposure to radiation.

The government also kept secret a worst-case scenario that tens of millions of people, including Tokyo residents, might need to leave their homes, according to a report obtained recently by The Associated Press.

Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/46186286/ns/world_news-asia_pacific/

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Gaborik claims NHL All-Star Game MVP (AP)

OTTAWA ? Marian Gaborik staked his claim to NHL All-Star game MVP honors.

The high-scoring Rangers forward scored twice in the first period against New York teammate Henrik Lundqvist, completed his hat trick in the second period with another goal, and added an assist in the third to carry Team Chara over Team Alfredsson 12-9 on Sunday.

Gaborik, who made his third All-Star appearance, became the 16th player to record a hat trick in the midseason showcase. The previous one was in 2008 by Columbus' Rick Nash, Gaborik's Western Conference teammate in that game.

It has already been a stellar season for Gaborik, who has a team-high 25 goals and 39 points for the Eastern Conference-leading Rangers.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/sports/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120130/ap_on_sp_ho_ne/hkn_all_star_game_mvp

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Are We Heading for a Brokered Convention? (ContributorNetwork)

Newt Gingrich recently told reporters in Florida that "he is going all the way to the convention" this summer where he will win the Republican Party's nomination. And following the South Carolina primary earlier this month, former GOP national chairman Michael Steele said he thought there was a "50-50 chance" the Republican convention would be brokered.

Given how close the race is between Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich, let's take a look at some brokered, or nearly brokered political conventions of the past.

Election of 1948 (Republicans)

With Franklin Roosevelt's death in 1945 the Republicans had high hopes for this election, but they didn't have a clear candidate going into the convention. New Yorker Thomas Dewy, who had run against Roosevelt, was the favorite, but he had some strong competition. Republican stalwart Robert Taft from Ohio, Herold Strassen of Minnesota and Douglas MacArthur were making a run against Dewy. It took three ballots but eventually Dewy prevailed in what was the first political convention to be televised. He went on to lose a close election to incumbent Harry Truman.

Election of 1952 (Democrats)

When Harry Truman decided not to seek re-election in 1952 the Democrats found themselves scrambling for a candidate. When it came time for the convention that July in Chicago, there was no clear nominee and 11 candidates were put forward, the most prominent being Tennessean Estes Kefauver and Illinois Gov. Adlai Stevenson. On the first ballot Kefauver had more votes but not enough to win the nomination. By the third ballot, Stevenson had gained enough votes to clinch victory for the Democrats. He went on to lose to Dwight Eisenhower in the general election.

Election of 1976 (Republicans)

The 1976 Republican convention began in Kansas City, Mo., with two possible nominees: incumbent President Gerald Ford and surprise challenger Ronald Reagan. A fierce challenge from within the party, like Reagan's, against a sitting president is highly unusual, but the former California governor only backed down at the last moment. The delegates nominated Ford, but Reagan gave a speech to a rapt audience who seemed more enthralled with him than they were with their president who had never been elected. Ford went on to lose the general election to Jimmy Carter, while Reagan would win the White House four years later in 1980.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/gop/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ac/20120129/pl_ac/10897909_are_we_heading_for_a_brokered_convention

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U.S. citizen freed a week after kidnapping in Nigeria (Reuters)

YENAGOA, Nigeria (Reuters) ? A U.S. citizen working for Marubeni Corp who was kidnapped in Nigeria's oil rich Niger Delta on January 20 has been released, police and the U.S. embassy said Friday.

Gunmen kidnapped the man last Friday in the southeastern town of Warri. They killed his driver and demanding a 50 million naira ($310,300) ransom, a security source said.

"The US citizen kidnapped a week ago has been released by his captors," Charles Muka, police spokesman for Delta state, said, identifying him as William Gregory, 50. "We are informed by the company he works for that no ransom was paid."

A spokeswoman in the U.S. embassy said: "I can confirm he was released, but can't comment further."

The Niger Delta, heartland of Africa's biggest oil and gas industry, is prone to bouts of unrest and riven by militant factions. Gangs use guns and speedboats to run criminal fiefdoms that profit from kidnapping, robbery and oil theft.

Militant activity decreased after an amnesty for several commanders in 2009, but the region remains volatile.

Gangs in the region usually kidnap for ransoms rather than for political or ideological reasons.

The German Foreign Ministry confirmed Friday that a German citizen had been kidnapped in northern Nigeria, where a violent Islamist sect is waging an insurgency against President Goodluck Jonathan's government.

(Reporting by Tife Owolabi in Yenagoa and Tim Cocks in Abuja; Writing by Tim Cocks Editing by Maria Golovnina)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/crime/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120127/us_nm/us_nigeria_kidnap

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Arab League halts observer mission in Syria

This citizen journalism image provide by the Local Coordination Committees in Syria and released early Friday Jan. 27, 2012, purports to show a Syrian man, right, mourning over the dead body of his son, who was shot by the Syrian forces, in Idlib province, Syria, on Thursday Jan. 26, 2012. A "terrifying massacre" in the restive Syrian city of Homs has killed more than 30 people, including small children, in a barrage of mortar fire and attacks by armed forces loyal to President Bashar Assad, activists said Friday. (AP Photo/Local Coordination Committees in Syria) EDITORIAL USE ONLY, NO SALES, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS IS UNABLE TO INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY THE AUTHENTICITY, CONTENT, LOCATION OR DATE OF THIS HANDOUT PHOTO

This citizen journalism image provide by the Local Coordination Committees in Syria and released early Friday Jan. 27, 2012, purports to show a Syrian man, right, mourning over the dead body of his son, who was shot by the Syrian forces, in Idlib province, Syria, on Thursday Jan. 26, 2012. A "terrifying massacre" in the restive Syrian city of Homs has killed more than 30 people, including small children, in a barrage of mortar fire and attacks by armed forces loyal to President Bashar Assad, activists said Friday. (AP Photo/Local Coordination Committees in Syria) EDITORIAL USE ONLY, NO SALES, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS IS UNABLE TO INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY THE AUTHENTICITY, CONTENT, LOCATION OR DATE OF THIS HANDOUT PHOTO

This citizen journalism image provided by the Local Coordination Committees in Syria and released on Friday Jan. 27, 2012, purports to show the bodies of five Syrian children wrapped in plastic bags, with signs in Arabic identifying them by name. Activists say the children were killed in a shelling attack by Syrian forces, in the Karm el-Zaytoun neighborhood of Homs, Syria, on Thursday Jan. 26, 2012 A "terrifying massacre" in the restive Syrian city of Homs has killed more than 30 people, including small children, in a barrage of mortar fire and attacks by armed forces loyal to President Bashar Assad, activists said Friday. (AP Photo/Local Coordination Committees in Syria) THE ASSOCIATED PRESS IS UNABLE TO INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY THE AUTHENTICITY, CONTENT, LOCATION OR DATE OF THIS HANDOUT PHOTO EDITORIAL USE ONLY

An anti-Syrian regime protester, gestures during a demonstration against Syrian President Bashar Assad, at Khalidya area in Homs province, central Syria, on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2012. Syrian troops stormed a flashpoint suburb of Damascus on Thursday, rounding people up in house-to-house raids and clashing with army defectors, activists said, as the 10-month-old uprising inches ever closer to the capital. (AP Photo)

Syrian army defectors stand guard on a rooftop to secure an anti-Syrian regime protest in the Deir Baghlaba area in Homs province, central Syria, on Friday, Jan. 27, 2012. Armed forces loyal to President Bashar Assad barraged residential buildings with mortars and machine-gun fire, killing at least 30 people, including a family of women and children during a day of sectarian killings and kidnappings in the besieged Syrian city of Homs, activists said Friday. (AP Photo)

Syrian army defectors secure a street near an anti-Syrian regime protest in the Deir Baghlaba area of Homs province, central Syria, on Friday, Jan. 27, 2012. Armed forces loyal to President Bashar Assad barraged residential buildings with mortars and machine-gun fire, killing at least 30 people, including a family of women and children during a day of sectarian killings and kidnappings in the besieged Syrian city of Homs, activists said Friday. (AP Photo)

BEIRUT (AP) ? The Arab League halted its observer mission to Syria on Saturday, sharply criticizing the regime of President Bashar Assad for escalating violence in recent days that has killed nearly 100 people across the country.

The rising bloodshed has added urgency to new attempts by Arab and Western countries to find a resolution to the 10 months of violence that according to the United Nations has killed at least 5,400 people as Assad seeks to crush persistent protests demanding an end to his rule.

But the initiatives continue to face two major obstacles: Damascus' rejection of an Arab peace plan which it says impinges on its sovereignty, and Russia's willingness to use its U.N. Security Council veto to protect Syria from sanctions.

Syrian government forces clashed with anti-regime army defectors across the country on Saturday. At least 20 were reported killed in the clashes and other violence. The new deaths come after two days of bloody turmoil killed at least 74 people, including small children.

The clashes have been the most intense near the tightly-controlled capital since the uprising began in March.

Syrian Interior Minister Mohammed Shaar was quoted by state-media as telling families of security members killed during the crackdown that the government "will continue their struggle to clean Syria's soil of the outlaws."

The month-old Arab observer mission in Syria has come under widespread criticism for failing to bring a halt to the regime's crackdown. Gulf states led by Saudi Arabia pulled out of the mission Tuesday, asking the U.N. Security Council to intervene.

League Secretary-General Nabil Elaraby said in a statement that after discussions with Arab foreign ministers, the organization decided to halt the observers' work immediately because of the increasing violence, until the League's council can meet to decide the mission's fate.

He blamed Damascus for the spike in bloodshed, saying the regime has "resorted to escalating the military option in complete violation of (its) commitments" to end the crackdown, Elaraby said. He said the victims of the violence have been "innocent citizens," in an implicit rejection of Syria's claims that it is fighting "terrorists."

Elaraby's deputy, Ahmed Ben Heli, told reporters that the around 100 observers will remain in Damascus while their mission is "reevaluated."

Ben Heli suggested the observers could resume their work later. Asked if the mission would be withdrawn, he said the halt was "forced by events" and aimed to ensure the observers' safety, but he spoke of a possible "new map" of places where the teams would visit, and said the mission would wait to see what new personnel and logistical help the League would give it.

Elaraby and the prime minister of Qatar were set to leave for New York on Sunday to seek U.N. support for the latest Arab plan to end Syria's crisis. The plan calls for a two-month transition to a unity government, with Assad giving his vice president full powers to work with the proposed government.

Syria has rejected the proposal, saying it violates its sovereignty. Elaraby had previously been due to travel Saturday, but his trip was pushed back to Sunday with no explanation.

The U.N. Security Council began closed-door negotiations Friday on a new Arab-European draft resolution aimed at resolving the crisis, but Russia's envoy said he could not back the current language as it stands.

Any resolution faces strong opposition from China and Russia, and both nations have veto power. Russia's U.N. Ambassador Vitaly Churkin told reporters that the text introduced by new Arab Security Council member Morocco has "red lines" for Moscow, but he's willing to "engage" with the resolution's sponsors.

Churkin said those lines include any indication of sanctions, including an arms embargo. "We need to concentrate on establishing political dialogue," he said.

Arab League chief Elaraby has been holding talks with Russia's foreign minister over the crisis ahead of the visit to the U.N., Ben Heli said.

In the bloodiest incident reported on Saturday, Syria's state-run news agency SANA said "terrorists" ambushed a bus carrying army officers near the tense Damascus suburb of Douma, killing seven of them.

Although Damascus has been relatively quiet since the uprising began, its suburbs have witnessed intense anti-regime protests and army defectors have become more visible and active in the past few months.

Syrian opposition groups had no immediate reports on the ambush in Douma, but the Local Coordination Councils activist network said government troops were attacking several other Damascus suburbs ? Kfar Batna, Saqba, Jisreen and Arbeen ? using tanks and armored personnel carriers. It added that defectors were fighting advancing troops.

In the eastern oil-rich province of Deir el-Zour, an oil pipeline took a direct hit and caught fire as government troops shelled a town, activists said.

The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and the LCC said the early morning shelling of the town of Qoriah killed at least one person and set the pipeline on fire.

Syria's state-run media blamed anti-government "terrorists" for the attack, saying the fire was extinguished four hours later. It said the pipeline carried crude oil from al-Omar field to a station in the area.

SANA also reported that Syrian troops prevented gunmen from crossing from neighboring Turkey into the northwestern province of Idlib. SANA said a Syrian soldier was wounded while many of the infiltrators were either killed or wounded, adding that the rest returned to Turkey.

The Free Syrian Army force of anti-regime military defectors is based in Turkey, and its fighters frequently try to cross into Syria through the mountainous border area in the northwest.

The LCC and the Observatory also reported intense fighting between troops and defectors in the town of Rastan near the restive central city of Homs.

The observatory said at least 34 people, including 15 civilians, three defectors and 16 troops were killed across the country in Saturday's violence while the LCC said 20 died, half of them in the central province of Homs, which has been one of the areas hardest hit by government crackdowns.

___

Associated Press writers Aya Batrawy in Cairo, and Albert Aji in Damascus, Syria, contributed to this report.

___

Bassem Mroue can be reached on twitter at http://twitter.com/bmroue

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-01-28-ML-Syria/id-c29a78b3e54e42aba0088d49fe3d8c77

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Australia close to 4-0 sweep of India

AAP

Adelaide Oval's former groundsman Nathan Lyon took his dream wicket by dismissing India's Sachin Tendulkar on Friday as Australia edged closer to a 4-0 series sweep.

India will resume on Saturday's final day of the fourth Test on 6-166 after the home side set the tourists a world-record target of 500 to win.

Lyon, playing his first Test on his home ground, has taken 3-57 in India's second innings in his best haul of the series.

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The 24-year-old offspinner claimed the big scalps of Virender Sehwag (62), VVS Laxman (35) and Tendulkar (13).

Laxman fell in the third-last over of the day as Shaun Marsh took a sharp catch at mid-wicket.

In the following over, Ben Hilfenhaus showed his athleticism to run out Virat Kohli for 22. The pair had exchanged angry words during India's first innings when Kohli scored his maiden hundred.

Wriddhiman Saha is yet to score and Ishant Sharma is two not out.

Kohli had complained in his press conference on Thursday that Hilfenhaus had sledged him with an unnecessary comment "out of the blue".

"What's been said on the field stays on the field as far as I'm concerned. Ben Hilfenhaus's run out was pretty special," Lyon said.

Perhaps only rain can save India, with possible showers forecast for Saturday.

Earlier, Gautam Gambhir was caught behind off Ryan Harris for three before fellow opener Sehwag blasted a half-century off 36 balls.

The Delhi thrasher took a huge swipe at a full toss from Lyon and top-edged a catch to cover.

Rahul Dravid (25) was caught at gully off Harris.

In a key breakthrough, Test cricket's leading runscorer Tendulkar was caught at short leg.

The 38-year-old, set to become the first player to score 100 international centuries since notching his 99th ton in March 2011, was given a standing ovation by the crowd of 17,408.

"It has been an absolute privilege to get him out," Lyon said.

Lyon admitted the delivery to remove Sehwag was not one of his best.

"I'm not going to call him back, that's for sure," he said.

Lyon had taken 2-180 in the first two Tests and the spinner was dropped for the third Test on the bouncy Perth pitch.

But the crafty 10-Test spinner has taken 1-48 and 3-57 in a solid effort in Adelaide.

"It's just good to be able to contribute to hopefully a team victory," added Lyon, who was a groundsman at Adelaide Oval last summer.

"I'm enjoying the Test match rather than sitting on the roller watching it," he said.

"It has been a fantastic experience playing in front of the home crowd and I've really enjoyed every moment of it."

Australia declared their second innings closed three overs after lunch at 5-167 with Ricky Ponting unbeaten on 60 and Brad Haddin 11 not out.

Skipper Michael Clarke contributed 37 and Mike Hussey made 15.

Spinner Ravi Ashwin, who took five wickets in the match, said there were no excuses for the second-ranked India's likely run of eight consecutive Test defeats in England and Australia.

"A team that wants to count themselves to be on top of the world has to really perform all over the place," he said.

Source: http://news.theage.com.au/breaking-news-sport/australia-close-to-40-sweep-of-india-20120127-1qljo.html

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