Page 11 - ARUBA TODAY

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WORLD NEWS Tuesday 27 augusT 2019

Russian agency reveals details of radiation after explosion

By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV microsieverts for a couple
MOSCOW (AP) — Russia's of hours before returning to
state weather and environ- normal.
ment monitoring agency The authorities said those
on Monday released new readings didn't pose any
details about a brief spike danger, and the recorded
in radioactivity following a levels were indeed several
mysterious explosion at the times less than what a pas-
navy's testing range that senger is exposed to on a
has been surrounded by long-haul flight.
secrecy and fueled fears of Still, contradictory state-
increased radiation levels. ments from the authorities
The Aug. 8 incident at the and their reluctance to re-
Russian navy's range in veal details of the explosion
Nyonoksa on the White Sea have drawn comparisons
killed two servicemen and to the Soviet cover-up of
five nuclear engineers and the 1986 explosion and fire
injured six others. The au- at the Chernobyl nuclear
thorities reported a rise in power plant, the world's
radiation levels in nearby worst nuclear disaster.
Severodvinsk, but insisted it The Defense Ministry de-
didn't pose any danger. nied any radiation leak
Russia's state weather and This Sunday, Oct. 7, 2018 file photo, shows an entrance to "The State Central Navy Testing Range" even as the local adminis-
environmental monitoring near the village of Nyonoksa, northwestern Russia. tration in Severodvinsk re-
agency Rosgidromet said Associated Press ported a hike in radiation
Monday the brief rise in ra- levels and told residents to
diation levels was caused across the area. The agen- It has previously said that in just one neighborhood stay indoors — a move that
by a cloud of radioactive cy said its monitoring has the peak radiation read- — about 16 times the av- prompted frightened resi-
gases containing isotopes found no trace of radiation ing in Severodvinsk on erage. Readings in other dents to buy iodine, which
of barium, strontium and in air or ground samples Aug. 8 briefly reached parts of Severodvinsk var- can help reduce risks from
lanthanum that drifted since Aug. 8. 1.78 microsieverts per hour ied between 0.45 and 1.33 exposure to radiation.q

Indonesia to move capital from sinking Jakarta to Borneo

By NINIEK KARMINI da, Widodo said. in terms of population den-
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) He said the burden has sity," Widodo said at a news
— Indonesia's president an- been become too heavy conference in Jakarta's
nounced Monday that the on Jakarta on Java island presidential palace. "Eco-
country's capital will move as the center of govern- nomic disparities between
from overcrowded, sinking ment, finance, business, Java and elsewhere would
and polluted Jakarta to a trade and services as well also increase."
site in sparsely populated as the location of the coun- In an interview with The As-
East Kalimantan province try's largest airport and sea- sociated Press last month,
on Borneo island, known for port. Widodo said he wants to
rainforests and orangutans. Widodo said the decision separate the center of gov-
President Joko Widodo said was made not to move ernment from the country's
intense studies over the the capital elsewhere on business and economic
past three years had result- Java because the coun- center in Jakarta. Indonesia President Joko Widodo gestures as he speaks during
ed in the choice of the lo- try's wealth and people are Jakarta is an archetypical a press conference at the palace in Jakarta, Indonesia, Mon-
cation on the eastern side highly concentrated there Asian mega-city with 10 day, Aug. 26, 2019.
of Borneo island. and should be spread out. million people, or 30 mil- Associated Press
The new capital city, which Currently 54% of the coun- lion including those in its
has not yet been named, try's nearly 270 million peo- greater metropolitan area. ers. Congestion is estimat- has removed many of its
will be in the middle of the ple live on Java, the coun- It is prone to earthquakes ed to cost the economy original growth. It is home
vast archipelago nation try's most densely populat- and flooding and is rapidly $6.5 billion a year. to only 3.5 million people
and already has relatively ed area. sinking due to uncontrolled Mineral-rich East Kaliman- and is surrounded by Kutai
complete infrastructure be- "We couldn't continue to al- extraction of ground water. tan was once almost com- National Park, known for
cause it is near the cities of low the burden on Jakarta The ground water is highly pletely covered by rain- orangutans and other pri-
Balikpapan and Samarin- and Java island to increase contaminated as are its riv- forests, but illegal logging mates and mammals.q