Category: General

The “nuclear coffin” is leaking. An ecological disaster is inevitable unless we act

Runit is one of the forty islands of the Enewetak Atoll in the Marshall Islands in the Pacific Ocean, about halfway between Papua New Guinea and Hawaii. The site is known as a repository for radioactive waste left by the United States after a series of nuclear tests in 1947-1958.



Runit Island is considered more inaccessible and dangerous than Chernobyl because of the 67 atomic bombs dropped by the United States on the Bikini and Enewetak Atolls more than 60 years ago. One of the attempts – Castle Bravo – is the largest US-induced nuclear explosion that unleashed hell on Bikini Atoll on March 1, 1954. Its power was almost 1,000 times greater than the bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.



How was the “nuclear coffin” created?

The story of the “nuclear coffin” dates back to the 70s of the last century, when tons of irradiated soil and debris from six different islands where nuclear tests were carried out were transported to a giant pit on the island of Runit. There they were mixed with concrete and enclosed in a dome 45 cm thick and 115 m in diameter. On satellite images it looks spectacular and looks like a flying saucer that crashed and got stuck in the tropics.



The sarcophagus for radioactive waste (m.in. plutonium-239) was supposed to be a temporary solution (as is often the case), but since it worked, there was no need to move it so far. For decades it was airtight, but global warming and the tooth of time added their two cents. Cracks have begun to appear on the dome, which are growing in size and possibly deepening, and the waste affects the surrounding environment. The situation is so serious that UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has expressed his concern.



There are many indications that the “nuclear coffin” will cause many more problems and inflame many political disputes. The Marshall Islands are an island nation with over 60,000 inhabitants. inhabitants, and the dropping of the atomic bombs had a terrifying effect on their lives, leading to an increase in cancer cases, as well as numerous displacements. The US authorities also paid huge compensation to all those affected by the tests. However, many argue that this is not enough, and decision-makers have never been held accountable for their actions.



Experts are calling for the creation of an independent research team to assess the condition of the dome on Runit Island and whether something can be done to seal it. Perhaps the right solution would be to create an additional sarcophagus, as was done in Chernobyl.



Marcin Poweska

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International Women’s Day: why is it celebrated?

Every year on March 8, we celebrate International Women’s Day. The rights of women are being highlighted on this day. Many nations observe International Women’s Day as a national holiday. It is observed as a day of protest in many nations, while feminism is also honoured on this day in other nations. In Pakistan, the first Aurat March took place in 2018, and this year is the second march in the series. The goal of the Aurat March is to give Pakistani women a platform to advocate for their legal rights.

International Women’s Day started as a labour movement, but now the United Nations celebrates it every year.

In 1908, 15,000 women marched in New York City for shorter work hours, better pay, and the right to vote. The Socialist Party of America held the first National Women’s Day in the fall of that year.

A communist and women’s rights activist named Clara Zatkin had the idea to take it to the world stage. In 1910, at the International Conference of Working Women in Copenhagen, she talked about this idea. There were 100 women from 17 different countries who all agreed with it.

. The first time it was celebrated was in 1911 in Austria, Denmark, Germany, and Switzerland.

In 1975, when the United Nations began to celebrate it, it became an official holiday. The United Nations used it as its first theme in 1996, which was “Celebrating the Past and Planning for the Future.”

Why the date of March 8?

Clara hadn’t decided when International Women’s Day would be. It wasn’t even set up until 1917, when Russian women went on strike during the First World War to ask for “bread and peace.”

After four days, the Russian leader had to step down, and women got the provisional right to vote. The Russian women’s strike started on February 23 of the Julian calendar, which is March 8 of the modern calendar. This day is celebrated as the anniversary of the strike.

Why do people wear purple?

International Women’s Day colours include purple, green, and white. Purple is a symbol of justice and dignity. Green represents hope. White is thought to mean purity, but this is not universally agreed upon. In 1908, the Women’s Social and Political Union in Britain was the first place where these colours were used.

purple color for justice

How is International Women’s Day celebrated?

International Women’s Day is a national holiday in many countries, including Russia. In the three to four days before March 8, flower sales there double.

In China, the government gives women a half-day off, but many companies don’t let their employees take this time off.

In Italy, people give each other flowers with mimosa flowers on this day. No one knows how this tradition got started, but it is said to have started in Rome after World War II.

Women’s day is celebrated in the United States during the month of March. In this case, the president also makes a proclamation that honours the things that women have done throughout the year.

Pakistan’s first transgender anchor Marvia Malik narrowly survived armed attack

Pakistan’s first transgender news anchor, Marvia Malik, narrowly escaped an armed attack outside her residence in The Lahore Cantonment area.

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According to Malik, she was returning from a pharmacy when two assailants opened fire indiscriminately.

In her statement to the police, Malik claimed that she had been receiving threatening phone calls and messages from unknown numbers for raising her voice for transgenders.

She said that fearing for her life, she had left Lahore and shifted to Multan and Islamabad.

However, a few days ago, she returned to Lahore for a surgery.

According to Marwiya Malik, one of the main reasons behind his attempted murder is his activism

DawnNews.tv