Sunday, 10 March 2019

News in brief - 10th/11th March

Cracks appearing in Scottish nuclear reactor
Hairline fractures have appeared in the bricks of a nuclear reactor in Ayrshire, south-west Scotland; the owners of the power plant (EDF Energy) are seeking permission to restart the reactor, following a safety inspection

Health concerns over use of the herbicide 'Roundup'
Farmers in the USA who have used the herbicide 'Roundup' for decades are now facing serious health issues; the weed-killing manufacturer is being charged with a series of court cases from people who have been diagnosed with various cancers and non-Hodgkin lymphoma, claiming they were not aware of the carcinogenic properties of the chemical before using it on their crops

Oil spill in the Solomon Islands
An oil tanker has run aground on the Kongobainiu reef near Rennell Island in the south of the Solomon Islands, turning the waters black and killing many of the fish; the locals are left with no livelihood as they cannot go fishing in the oily sea and many have no access to clean drinking water either