fears grow of a meltdown at the fukushima nuclear power ant in japanfter a second explosion at the damaged facility. fuel rods and another reactor in fukushima are the u.n. regular agency says no chain reaction is taking place there. japanese engineers are stepping up efforts to prevent a meltdown at the nuclear power plant damaged in last friday's earthquake. the fukushima plant has been hit by two explosions. the latest happened early on monday. rapidly falling water levels have expos fuel rods in another reactor, increasing the risk of a core meltdown. >> it's the third day of japan's nuclear crisis, and the situation at the fukushima power plant remains critical. now there has been a second explosion there. aerial footage shows two damaged reactor suctures. a surveillance camera captured the moment of the blast which blew apart the concrete building surrending the number three reactor. the japanese government says this was a hydrogen explosion. >> we assume that there was a similar explosion at the third reactor as the one that occurred at the first reactor. at this point, we can confirm that t

story live from moscow well the race is on to restore electricity to japan's stricken no fukushima nuclear facility so the workers there can get their reactor cooling systems back on line. also increase the severity of the accident to a level five out of seven that means the consequences reach wider than the power plants the city it's now a week since the country was rocked by its worst ever post-war disaster that's left thousands of people dead or missing. as the ferocity. right now they're still trying to reconnect power to the site so they can get those cooling systems up and running and bring the temperature down inside the reactor things like the only way they're now going to prevent or could be a real nuclear disaster there now think on reactor number two because this morning they actually saw smoke rising from the reactor they don't know what the cause was of that they don't think it was an explosion because that wasn't heard clearly the temperature inside is very hot so what they've already managed to do was to lay a power cable from the main bridge a kilometer long cable to try and restore

the workers at the fukushima facility engaged in a disaster preparedness exercise., people are, of course, concerned and they are anxious about the situation but there isn't yet any kind of a real widespread panic. you can see today, people are out on the streets going to work and doing their shopping. the one concern that people do have that we've heard over and over again is that they're not sure they can trust the government in terms of the information they're being given about the situation at the nuclear plant. at the osaka train station we find a family of four arriving from tokyo. if i trust what the government is saying, it could be too late, this man told me. i wanted to leave tokyo before there's a panic. he tells us he hopes to be here for a few days but the reality today is that it could take weeks to bring this situation under control. for "nightline" clarissa ward in osaka. >> and our thanks to clarissa. tonight the japanese military announced it does not plan any more helicopter air drops of water over the reactor. this could be very bad news for thos

it is uncertain how much radiation has leaked from the fukushima facility, and that has led many to ban food imports from the region, but they export much more than food. there are now many unanswered questions about the possible contamination of everything from consumer electronics to automobiles. airports are already screaming ports. in the comg weeks ofeber the first container ships from japan since the crisis drug will be arriving at european ports. screening of the cargo will be a massive undertaking. -- container ships from japan since the crisis struck will be arriving. >> at the rotterdam container port, screening is routine. there are no written guarantees that the vessels have not been contaminated. >> the e.u. has asked japan to carry a increased radiation checks on anything it sends to europe. we will also be doing our own checks on anything that arrives. >> food crops from japan have been subject to additional checks since last weekend, but there is confusion over the limits acceptable in the eu, which are higher than those after the chernobyl disaster. some say it is not s

to protect a nuclear plant against the earthquake and tsunami that ended up crippling that fukushima facility. nbc's lee cowan reports from tokyo tonight. >> reporter: the weary workers struggling to keep japan's nuclear disaster from getting any worse are faced with an uncomfortable reality. the cure could be almost as bad as the disease itself. water is the key to preventing a full-scale meltdown, either sprayed into the reactors from fire hoses or injected by pumps. but the water that goes in clean is coming out radioactive. the result of a probable leak in or near a reactor core. for now the stagnant water is enough to fill two olympic sized swimming pools is simply the lesser of two evils. the other option is a meltdown. today, japan's prime minister went before parliament. acknowledged that given the news, there's little cause for optimism. >> workers continue to remove highly radioactive water. >> reporter: so far the toxic water hasn't spread, but emergency containers and sandbags have been put in place to prevent it from further seeping into the soil or making its way to the ocean. h

>> reporter: the bigger worry, she had to leave her husband behind because he works at the fukushima facility. she's worried, but also proud of his bravery. >> translator: i asked my son to do his best. as his father, who is working at the nuclear plant, is doing his best to deal with the current crisis. >> reporter: about 2,300 people are camped out here. some to escape the dangers of radiation, others who lost their homes in the earthquake and tsunami. there are bins with the items for every day living. toothbrushes, linens, diapers. the kinds of things people don't remember they've left behind until they need them. some in the arena are not here to get help, but to give it. so many volunteers are showing up, they can't take any more, they've reached their limit for the day. this woman says she couldn't watch and do nothing. >> translator: i felt the urge to want to help. i felt i was going to go mad if i did not do anything. >> reporter: junko's son has made friends. while she can't call her husband, he calls her every day. >> translator: confirming each other's safety. >> reporter: safe f

. >> reporter: those closest to the fukushima facility face an agonizing decision. leave their homes and head for safer ground, or do as the government says and stay indoors following a blunt admission from officials. it is likely that the level of radiation increased sharply due to a fire at unit 4. now we are talking about levels that can damage human health. an explosion at reactor 2 added to the tension. they said it was possible cracks in the containment vessel may have allowed radioactive material to seep out. >> this is way past three-mile island and we are heading into chernobyl territory. >> reporter: while the long-term effects are unclear, medical experts say iodine tablets are a quick and easy option in filtering out radiation. >> it will go right through. but it has to be done within two to four hours of that exposure if it's going to work. >> reporter: getting those tablets will not be easy. supplies are scarce and the threat of radiation exposure itself is making it tough for relief teams to do their jobs. elsewhere the search for survivors continues.

the economic impact of the disaster thank you well now despite the a second explosion at the fukushima facility crews are still fighting to cool down other overheating fuel rods at the site christopher simons a professor at a tokyo university believes that while the danger remains great we're not talking about a neutron knowable. the damage to the fuel rods in this case will not cause a fire and again this is a key difference between the disaster going on at the moment though it is a disaster and the charitable incident this situation is a few rods can melt they can become oxidized and the rods are protected by as zucconi an hour lloyd coating and when it comes into contact with water a result is the production of a large amount of hydrogen which is of course explosive and that causes there a large explosion as we saw whether the radiation is coming from fukushima daiichi reactor number one or number three or more locally is a very important question to sort of i would hazard a guess that it's coming from fukushima daichi number one now there are different types of radiation being released into

of a few dozen they become known as the faceless fifteen teams of workers trying to stop the fukushima facility from reaching a devastating point of no return or he's a really good go has just been injured and brings us more from seoul. we remember of course the biggest disaster ever and that is danger novel nuclear incest or it took several hundred people and it took several years actually decade or more to completely eradicate the ass to reference that disaster at this point already a week we'd have brought hundred eighty people working on the scene working in shifts but they are the only people there and nobody else is present and everything that's happening is actually rare here it's well it's actually it's a guy about a week sort gets to tick down to the scene at the country's most critical nuclear accidents and to pretty much state the obvious and that is the situation is grave and there are separate authorities need to closely cooperate with the early. thirty's as well in order to resolve this crisis entire situation with rather miniscule amount of people. not enough information. being d

toll stands at over ten thousand people with many more missing or homeless the damage at the fukushima facility has spot phase of an atomic disaster several workers a sustained radiation burns while installing cables as part of efforts to restore the critical cooling systems tests on the seawater near the plant have shown it contains over a thousand times the normal level of radioactive iodine and nuclear energy experts say the damage to the site is having a dangerous effect on the environment and on people's health. i think it's catastrophic i think that the narrative that we've had for the last week or so which is that we're trying to fix the problem and get it under control is misleading i think that there's evidence of radiation having entered the in my element in large amounts it's turning up in lots of places in water and food it's even being detected far away what this could mean is that there is really a significant entry of radiation going on into the environment right now and that there doesn't appear to be any and he said any halt to it in the near future so that's very catastrophic

a few dozen they become known as the face those fifteen teams of workers trying to stop of fukushima facility from reaching a devastating point of no return or he's a really good loucheux has been injured and she joins me live now so in fukushima spin and nathan edge for days now what's the assessment from the nuclear and all those any i yet. well it's actually to cry about a week to get to japan to the scene of the country's most horrific nuclear accidents and to pretty much state the obvious and that is that the situation is grave and the japanese authorities need to closely cooperate with the i.a.e.a. . authorities as well in order to resolve this crisis and now up until now the i.a.e.a. has been making of course similarly. alarmed statements saying that this seems to be a disaster and when the japanese authorities kept insisting that everything was more or less under control but at least now we see that in the i was on scene and was making statements not just out of the blue from across the ocean from australia wherever it could have been but it was actually on the scene in his home count

few dozen they become known as the faceless fifty eight teams of workers trying to stop the fukushima facility from reaching a devastating point of no return or he's really going to show explains how manpower is all that stands between success and disaster. and then kinds of modern marvels reaching the moon a particle collider to uncover the secrets of creation and trying to master nuclear technology but those advances can come to nothing when nature strikes and atomic energy is awesome power becomes hard to contain days after the fukushima plants first explosion japan's leaders implore everyone to stay carm helicopters and water cannons deployed to call the reactors yet the situation remains critical and it will cause i do not think it will require as much manpower it has been a lot of technological progress made over the last thirty years still it is important to understand the number of people who will have to operate in the affected area and who would be affected by radiation will be very launched that's because some things can only be done manually in one nine hundred eighty six the sovie

of a few dozen he became known as the faceless fifteen teams of workers trying to stop the fukushima facility from reaching a devastating point of no return but he's really blew show has just been in japan and brings us the latest. well it's actually to cry about it we get to japan to the scene of the country's most horrific and nuclear accidents and to pretty much state the obvious and that is that the situation is grave and japanese authorities need to closely cooperate with. authorities as well in order to resolve this crisis and now up until now the i.a.e.a. has been making of course similarly. alarmed statements saying it is asking for and when the japanese authorities say that everything was more or less under control but at least now we see that he's on scene and making statements not just out of the blue from across the ocean from monster out wherever it could have been but it is actually on the scene in his home country after all and talking proposals are pins and thirty's and possibly what they were being able now to actually puts their heads together. and possibly prevent this from

fears grow of a meltdown at the fukushima nuclear power plant in japan after a second explosion at the damaged facility. fuel rods and another reactor in fukushima are the u.n. regular agency says no chain reaction is taking place there. japanese engineers are stepping up efforts to prevent a meltdown at the nuclear power plant damaged in last friday's earthquake. the fukushima plant has been hit by two explosions. the latest happened early on monday. rapidly falling water levels have exposed fuel rods in another reactor, increasing the risk of a core meltdown. >> it's the third day of japan's nuclear crisis, and the situation at the fukushima power plant remains critical. now there has been a second explosion there. aerial footage shows two damaged reactor structures. a surveillance camera captured the moment of the blast which blew apart the concrete building surrending the number three reactor. the japanese government says this was a hydrogen explosion. >> we assume that there was a similar explosion at the third reactor as the one that occurred at the first reactor. at this point, we can confirm th

it is uncertain how much radiation has leaked from the fukushima facility, and that has led many to ban food imports from the region, but they export much more than food. there are now many unanswered questions about the possible contamination of everything from consumer electronics to automobiles. airports are already screaming imports. in the coming weeks of weber, the first container ships from japan since the crisis drug will be arriving at european ports. screening of the cargo will be a massive undertaking. -- container ships from japan since the crisis struck will be arriving. >> at the rotterdam container port, screening is routine. there are no written guarantees that the vessels have not been contaminated. >> the e.u. has asked japan to carry a increased radiation checks on anything it sends to europe. we will also be doing our own checks on anything that arrives. >> food crops from japan have been subject to additional checks since last weekend, but there is confusion over the limits acceptable in the eu, which are higher than those after the chernobyl disaster. some say it i

the fukushima nuclear facilities management has apologized for wrongly reporting that radiation levels at the top ten million times the norm and the study group the media to that creation of emergency teams at the site. now and we're exploring a controversial mining technique which spirit could bring about one of the greatest environmental catastrophes in american history the second small to ward winning film is next. on the day of this interview the small creek less than one mile from their home flows black and i it's not normal that's coming from alabama komondor it's come from starting pot. and i don't know. what to expect. out caught. maybe a few more years ma. and my health this went down tremendously. and i don't ever look to be healthy as i don't ever look at the fine now thank those in vain i can do to help me. that are only thing i want now i want a good moral i want them to quit pump and are quitting jade and whatever they're doing i want them to quit that. and. i want to be better. for the last twenty years. it's been hard. you can't make it without good water. from the mood

. >> the critical focus on the fukushima facility is causing people to reassess the danger the nuclear power. japan has now declared a nuclear emergency that atomic power plant after cooling systems failed following the powerful earthquake. japan's aging economic -- atomic power plants have been considered secure. but it is relative in earthquake prone regions and radioactive material is involved. courts around a third of japan's energy comes from nuclear power. some plants have been operating more than 40 years. but in contrast to some european countries, japan plans to rely on nuclear power in the long term. there are 55 nuclear power plants in japan. two more are under construction, and 12 are in the planning stage. several active plants are located in the northern region hit hardest by the earthquake. as a precaution, the government has put its nuclear accident in birgit the protocol into affect and evacuated thousands of residents from the region. >> our global equity markets dropped on news of the earthquake. the yen fell initially but has since been showing a bit of resilience.

the fukushima nuclear facilities management has apologized for wrong reporting that the radiation levels at the top ten million times the norm a mistake brought the media about creation of or just the teams at the site. now we explore a controversial mining technique which is fear it could bring a bald one of the greatest environmental catastrophe in american history and the. winning film is next. i am up a leg lewis blayse says good. sled sled to start a leg of the leg. a. long. pole leg long lug and leg. a leg . most of the carbon that we mine from across the the earth is millions of years old coal particularly interesting because per unit of energy generated coal actually is maybe the cheapest fuel but it also releases the most carbon to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide beginning in earnest with the development of the steam engine in the late seventeen early eighteen hundreds hemans began to ma and extract fossil carbon from the earth's crust coal oil natural gas even in the absence of humans over some time period it would be uplifted and subject to erosion and remove what would retur

and in japan the fukushima nuclear facilities management has apologized for wrongly reporting that british and levels had top ten million times the norm a mistake brought the immediate evacuation of emergency teams and the site. and i'll be back with more news in less than fifteen minutes first a look at what's happening in sport with you know. that's what's the big good to have you with us our headlines this hour. the russian vitaly petrov reaches the full no one podium for the first ever time finishing third at the season opening a stream grand prix. all changed russia say goodbye to the top of their euro twenty twelve qualifying group for now after feeling to break the deadlock against armenia . and i screw up blunt ancel about move closer to the garden cup finals both moving up in the respective series over the weekend. the telly showing he's got what it takes to contest in formula one the russian earning a first ever podium finish at the opening race of the season in melbourne the borgo rocket elite bettered by pull to fly winner with sebastian vettel lewis hamilton patrol for putting

turning to developments in japan now where the spread of radiation from the fukushima nuclear facility is rising raising i sense a concern among those in the region high levels have been found in the sea nearby and they're increasing the government's warning people to get out of the area are either bennett spoke to a man who knows firsthand what the consequences could be. leese man has borne the scars of nuclear disaster for most of his life as a resident of nagasaki you're shiri i'm a wacky has had liver and kidney problems since he was thirty five and he's already beaten cancer twice every time he falls ill now he feels it could be his last battle you sure are watches events unfold at fukushima fearing the true nature of the disaster is yet to show itself so you are saying that the result of the contamination won't just end of the event it will be handed down from generation to generation and i have four daughters the first to have leukemia another has breast cancer the results of a disaster will be shown in generations to come. you should know was just eleven when the bomb was dropp

and the fukushima nuclear facilities management has apologized for wrongly reporting that radiation levels at the top ten million times the norm in the state of the media it's about creation of emergency teams designed to. start debate show crosstalk today. discuss. awaken and what's the difference between humanitarian aid and western geopolitical interests that's next on our. came. along and welcome to cross talk i'm peter lavelle libya within the great arab awakening a one off detour for the maintenance of western military and political intervention in the arab world when it comes to libya and the arab world what is the difference between humanitarian aid and western geopolitical interests. you can. discuss libya and the great arab awakening i'm joined by islam custom in the hague he is a strategic analyst at the hague center for strategic studies in cairo we crossed the editing should go fish or he is a visiting distinguished lecturer at the american university in cairo and in san francisco we have eric harris he is the founder and managing editor of antiwar dot com all right gentlemen

and in japan the fukushima nuclear facilities management has apologized for wrong reporting that radiation levels in the top ten million times the norm in the state brought the media to that creation of the emergency teams out of the science. twenty four hour news coming to you live from the russian capital you all with r.t. it is three am in moscow libyan rebels saw advancing west towards the capital tripoli after further gains in the east of the country and they've retaken several strategic town from pro gadhafi forces but with the help of western led bombing meanwhile nato has to assume control of the coalition military operation in libya from the u.s. . reports from tripoli. right most of sunday we saw these rebel fighters advancing with almost and lightning speed westwards through eastern libya they're now in the town of bin jawad which is about a two hour drive from the city of sets and the reason why set is important is that this is the hometown of the libyan leader moammar gadhafi is where it is where he has his major supporter base now we know that the rebels along the way encount

it without a lot from moscow well japan has arranged the emergency like all the crippled fukushima nuclear facility on a huge international scale it's not five that means experts there are worried about the consequences and that they could reach far beyond the plans for seventy. latest developments. right now they're still trying to reconnect power to the side so they can get those cooling systems up and running and bring the temperature down inside the reactor seems like the only way they're now going to prevent what could be a real nuclear disaster they're now focusing on reactor number two because this morning that they actually saw smoke rising from the reactor they don't know what the cause was about i don't think it was an explosion because that wasn't hurt clearly the temperature inside is very hot so what they've already managed to do was to lay a power cable from the main bridge a kilometer long cable to try and restore power but they haven't managed to connect that up yet the radiation is very high still and also the outer casing of the reactor the containment vessel was badly damaged in

raise the emergency level at the crippled fukushima nuclear facility on a seven stage international scale it's not five that means experts there are the consequences could reach far beyond the plant's vicinity. as knowledge has been reported the plant has been connected to an external power source seen as a key step to restarting the couldn't system. as the latest developments for us. they're now focusing on reactor number two because this morning that they actually saw smoke rising from the reactor they don't know what the cause was about i don't think it was an explosion because that wasn't heard clearly the temperature inside is very hot radiation is very high still and also the outer casing of the reactor the containment vessel was badly damaged in the explosion that happened earlier this week now in the meantime they are trying everything they can to try and keep the temperature down trying to cool the reactors there. off of the first four actually had explosions since the earthquake for example yesterday at reactor number three they doused in sixty four tons of water from helicopter

let's turn to developments in japan now where the spread of radiation from the fukushima nuclear facility is raising concern among those in the region high levels have been found in the sea nearby and they're increasing the government's warning people to get out of the area workers trying to restore the cooling capacity of the plant have been evacuated from reactor number two where the radiation level is ten million times more than normal workers have already been exposed to dangerous materials and the continuing battle to avert catastrophe in the wake of the. earthquake tragedy with destroyed large parts of the country the official number of those killed by the quake and tsunami stands at over ten thousand with many more homeless or missing but focusing remains the biggest concern with the ongoing possibility of nuclear meltdown are these are bennett spoke to a man who knows firsthand what the consequences could be. lease man has borne the scars of a nuclear disaster for most of his life as a resident of nagasaki your shiria milwaukee has had liver and kidney problems since he was thirty

to japan now ternium has been detected in the soil near the crippled fukushima plant facilities operator says the radioactive substance is leaking from the nuclear fuel tepco has already confirmed that radiation levels one hundred thousand times above the norm have been found in the trench outside the plant fears of a nuclear meltdown began when for a focus reactors were severely damaged by the massive earthquake and tsunami tragedy has claimed over ten thousand lives so far on average sixteen thousand still missing. every ports leaving distraught communities struggling to cope with the overwhelming number of dead. instead of a property. a mass grave the japanese always cremate their dead but what the crematorium is at full capacity. has been turned into a merge and see graveyards. these people be buried in contravention to japanese tradition but when there is an opportunity they'll have to be exuma. cremated instead of a priest a town official conducts an impromptu ceremony is only just devised. this is horrible we're just trying to bring these people closure as best as we care. is a tr

it has been setback after setback for the poor workers at fukushima nuclear facility.mber four. the same unit damaged by fire the day before. now, the immediate impact of this latest event is still being determined but these setbacks are prompting the prime minister to come right out and say the chances of more leaked radiation are high. >> the only thing you can do at that point is try to surround that molten mass with sand and concrete, entomb it. in a concrete sarcophagus. >> today the world comes together to support japan in its hour of need. >> reporter: tepco has sent home all workers who are struggling to saturate damaged units with seawater. the company is even reportedly considering whether to ask japan and the u.s.'s militaries to spray the units with water from helicopters. hundreds continue to evacuate the surrounding areas. and one man even said, he fears this nuclear crisis more than the tsunami. meanwhile, search and rescue efforts continue, although they're less and less successful. >> it's amazing what has happened to this area. overwhelming. you wonde

officials reported another explosion at the fukushima nuclear facility. >> we are at a reactor tippingnt. either over the next 24 to 48 hours they'll get control of these reactors or they'll get meltdown at one or more reactors. a completely unprecedented situation. >> reporter: minutes earlier, warnings of a possible second tsunami, a false alarm, but no less frightening. the impact of the explosion was not immediately clear but the message from survivors of the initial disaster was. s.o.s., help. however, the mission to deliver that help has not been easy. one dramatic rescue was successful. elderly passengers pulled from their car, where they had been trapped for 20 hours with no food or water. but for too many, it's too late. hundreds of bodies have washed ashore, thousands more still missing. homes merely memories. those who survived are finding basic necessities nearly impossible to buy. this mother says, i was so stressed that i could not produce breast milk. i didn't know what to feed my baby. i didn't want her to get dehydrated. i'm so glad i could buy her formula. where they'

this time officials immediately warned everyone to stay away from the fukushima facility.rial could seep out from the damaged reactor. we understand that others may be saying there may be damage or cracks. their response earned a rare public rebuke from the prime minister. naoto kan told reporter he was not officially informed of the explosion for an hour and told tepco, pull yourself together. that was followed by reports of a fire at yet another reactor. residents are being tested for radiation exposure and authorities have distributed more than 200,000 iodine pills, a preventive measure for radiation sickness. even the "uss ronald reagan" was forced to turn back. testing showed several sailors received a month's of radiation in an hour after passing through a radiated cloud. the constant anxiety is hampering efforts to rescue survivors and deliver supplies. increasingly, their efforts are unsuccessful. those who did survive are sifting through the rubble of what's left of their homes. looking for anything to salvage. i want to point out even as far away as narita, we've

we've seen another explosion in fukushima at those nuclear facilities in the northeast of. the. cloud. dacian cloud been emitted into the atmosphere now russia of course has experience in moscow has experience of dealing with these type of nuclear situations of course. the soviet union suffering meet the chernobyl disaster in one nine hundred eighty six moscow learns a lot from that experience and that experience in lessons learned could become in true shill to any help of japan needs in the future we can now hear to alexi out a chef speak his reports from ukraine about the support that russia could give to japan. at painful trip down memory lane alexander often goes to the thirty kilometer chernobyl exclusion zone in ukraine but every visit evokes sad emotions twenty five years ago what is now the ghost town of what's his home before the chernobyl fallout changed everything. you know i didn't come here just to take photos it still feels like home i spent my best childhood years here i learnt it here. and even those who've never been here before come and feel the car. so they wa