Environment

The Sakurajima volcano in Kyushu, Southern Japan erupted with a blast after an unusual ‘silent’ period in the wake of the island’s recent earthquakes. Sakurajima, which is located 50 kilometres (30 miles) from the Sendai nuclear plant, resumed activity from April 29, erupting multiple times and spewing ash high into the sky. Russia Today reports: Footage captured by University of Tokyo webcams situated around the volcano show explosions of ash rising more than 3,500 meters above the crater.

Australia plans to spend 15 million dollars in a bid to exterminate European carp by releasing a strain of herpes virus into the country’s largest waterway. Tuesday’s federal budget will include funding for the clearing of the Murray-Darling Basin from the country’s worst freshwater feral pest, Australian authorities said on Sunday.

The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) has been shut down by a wayward beech marten. The European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) released a weekly report on Friday blaming a hungry beech marten for the shut-down of LHC in Geneva. The furry animal made its way into the world’s most powerful particle accelerator and caused a short circuit.

One month after we learned that the Brussels suicide bombers had planted hidden cameras at the home of the top Belgian nuclear official, we now learn that in a disturbing continuation of this story, the entire population of Belgium will be receiving iodine tablets, which helps to limit the effects of radiation on the body, as fears increase around the security of its nuclear power plants.

The Pacific nation of Vanuatu was struck by a 7.0 magnitude earthquake early on Friday prompting a tsunami warning. Minor sea level fluctuations of up to 0.3 metres have been predicted by the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre (PTWC) for the next few hours. The earthquake hit the Vanuatu island of Malekula, 64 kilometres south south-east of Luganville. It prompted a Tsunami warning which was later cancelled when no significant damage was reported.