Jon Fosse wins Nobel Prize in literature
Stockholm, Oct 5: Jon Fosse, a master of spare Nordic writing in a sprawling body of work ranging from plays to novels and children’s books, won the Nobel Prize in literature on Thursday for works that “give voice to the unsayable.” Anders Olsson, chair of the Nobel literature committee, said Fosse’s work is rooted “in the language and nature of his Norwegian background”. “I was surprised when they called, yet at the same time not. I have cautiously prepared myself for the possibility that this could happen in the past 10 years,” Fosse, 64, told Norwegian public broadcaster NRK. “It was a great joy for me to get the phone call.” One of his country’s most-performed dramatists, Fosse has written some 40 plays as well as novels, short stories, children’s books, poetry and essays. The Swedish Academy, which awards the prize, said it was “for his innovative plays and prose which give voice to the unsayable”. (AP)
Fukushima nuke plant releases wastewater
Tokyo, Oct 5: Japan’s wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant said it began releasing a second batch of treated radioactive wastewater into the sea on Thursday after the first round of discharges ended smoothly. Plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings said workers activated pumps to dilute the treated water with large amounts of seawater, slowly sending the mixture into the ocean through an undersea tunnel for an offshore release. The wastewater discharges, which are expected to continue for decades, have been strongly opposed by fishing groups and neighboring countries including South Korea, where hundreds of people staged protest rallies. China reacted and banned all imports of Japanese seafood, badly hurting Japanese seafood producers and exporters. The plant’s first wastewater release began on August 24 and ended on September 11. During that release, TEPCO said it discharged 7,800 tons of treated water from 10 tanks. In the second discharge, TEPCO plans to release another 7,800 tons of treated water into the Pacific Ocean (AP)
Mysterious disease paralyses 95 schoolgirls
Nairobi, Oct 5: A mysterious disease has affected about 95 schoolgirls in Kenya who have been paralysed, according to media reports. Officials from Kakamega county confirmed 95 students from St. Theresa’s Eregi Girls High School, located 374 kilometres northwest of Nairobi, had been hospitalised after alleged paralysis in the leg, KBC.co.ke reported. Kakamega County’s CEC for Health, Bernard Wesonga, said samples of blood, urine, and stool have been collected and sent for extensive testing to determine the cause of the unknown illness that has caused panic and anxiety among parents. Some students are responding positively to medication, while others are still under medical care” he was quoted as saying. The affected students have reportedly displayed symptoms of knee pain, which has resulted in difficulty walking. Local media reports claim that the girls are experiencing a condition that renders their legs numb and immobile. (IANS)