Taliban to build shelters for Afghan refugees
Kabul, Nov 2: The Taliban regime in Kabul announced that it will build shelters for the hundreds of thousands of Afghan refugees returning home from Pakistan after the neighbouring country formulated a phase-wise process for the expulsion of the undocumented migrants. Acting Minister for Refugees and Repatriation Khalil Rahman Haqqani instructed the construction of shelters during his recent visit to the Torkham crossing point which borders Pakistan, Xinhua news agency quoted a local media outlet as saying in a report. More than 150,000 Afghan refugees have returned home from Pakistan via Torkham over the past few days, the report said. More than 200,000 Afghan refugees, with the majority of them via Torkham border town and some via Spin Boldak and other crossing points, have reportedly returned to their homeland over the past month. (IANS)
‘Landmines kill 264 civilians in Ukraine’
Kiev, Nov 2: At least 264 civilians have been killed in landmine-related explosions in Ukraine since the start of the war with Russia, a specialized formation of the Ukrainian Defence Ministry has said. Since February 2022, at least 561 landmine incidents have occurred in Ukraine, also injuring 571 others, the State Special Transport Service said on Facebook on Wednesday, Xinhua news agency reported. Most of the incidents happened on farmland fields, roads, yards and forests, it said. According to the Ukrainian government, about 174,000 square km of the country’s territory is potentially littered with landmines and other unexploded ordnance. (IANS)
Japan’s nuke plant starts 3rd release of wastewater to sea
Tokyo, Nov 2: The tsunami-damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant began its third release of treated and diluted radioactive wastewater into the sea on Thursday after Japanese officials said the two earlier releases ended smoothly. The plant operator discharged 7,800 tons of treated water in each of the first two batches and plans to release the same amount in the current batch through November 20. Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings said its workers activated the first of the two pumps to dilute the treated water with large amounts of seawater, gradually sending the mixture into the Pacific Ocean through an undersea tunnel for an offshore release. The plant began the first wastewater release in August and will continue to do so for decades. About 1.33 million tons of radioactive wastewater is stored in about 1,000 tanks at the plant. It has accumulated since the plant was crippled by the massive earthquake and tsunami that struck northeastern Japan in 2011. TEPCO and the government say discharging the water into the sea is unavoidable because the tanks are nearly full and the plan needs to be decommissioned. The wastewater discharges have been strongly opposed by fishing groups and neighbouring countries. China immediately banned all imports of Japanese seafood, badly hurting Japanese seafood producers and exporters. Japan’s government set up a relief fund to help find new markets and reduce the impact of China’s seafood ban. (AP)