Watched Toxic sludge no longer poses threat to Danube, says Hungary

Toxic sludge no longer poses threat to Danube, says Hungary


DANIEL McLAUGHLIN

SLUDGE RELEASED by a deadly industrial accident is no longer a danger to the river Danube, according to Hungary.

However, environmental groups have challenged that claim and questioned whether the disaster could have been prevented.

Some 700,000 cubic metres of toxic mud burst from a waste pool at an alumina plant in southwest Hungary on Monday, devastating nearby villages and about 40sq km and killing all life in the river Marcal, which flows into the Danube.

One of about 120 people injured by the wave of caustic filth died yesterday and two bodies were found, bringing the death toll to seven. One person is still missing.

Workers poured tonnes of neutralising agents into the Marcal to reduce the acidity before it reached Europe’s second longest river. Although dead fish were spotted in the Danube on Thursday, officials said yesterday that the emergency was easing.

“The good news is that we have succeeded in bringing it under control and very probably waters threatening the environment will not enter the Danube, even on Hungarian territory,” said prime minister Viktor Orban.

The government said drinking water supplies had not been affected and that the acidity level of the Danube near the site of the spill was almost neutral.
Coppied by http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/world/2010/1009/1224280699449.html

We are see the No excuse' for Pak's inaction against terrorists: US

No excuse' for Pak's inaction against terrorists: US


WASHINGTON: The US on Thursday said the current "status quo" in Pakistan's restive tribal areas, which has become a safe haven for Taliban and al-Qaida terrorists, is "unacceptable" amid growing fears that Islamabad was not doing enough to battle militants holed up near the Af-Pak border.

Robert Gibbs , the White House press secretary, told reporters that there is "no excuse" for not taking action against the al-Qaida and Taliban terrorists and their allies in the tribal and border areas of the country.

Top US officials have repeatedly asserted that the restive tribal areas near the Af-Pak border is a safe haven for terrorists and Pakistan needs to act fast.

Gibbs assertted that while "we understand that the status quo as are there now is also not acceptable." He said there is "no excuse for not taking action" against the al-Qaida and Taliban terrorists.

The issue would be taken up with the top Pakistani leadership, who would be in Washington later this month to attend the third US-Pak strategic dialogue.

While Gibbs indicated US taking tough stance against Pakistan's continued inability to address America's concerns with regard to the terrorist from its safe haven posing a serious threat to the US, he was also appreciative of the steps taken by the Pakistan army in the last one year.

The Obama administration, Gibbs said, is "heartened" by the steps taken by Pakistan to put al-Qaida "under pressure" in the tribal areas.

"We will continue to work on the relationship," he said.

Describing the relationship between the US and Pakistan, Gibbs said it is a "difficult and complex" situation.

"We see improvements in some aspects, but more improvements have to be made," Gibbs said.

The hard hitting US statement comes amid a media report that Pakistan's powerful spy agency ISI is pushing the Taliban to attack US troops and their allies based in Afghanistan.

Several similar charges against ISI have been made in the past but 'The Wall Street Journal' has suggested that this one was the "strongest yet" and showed a "deteriorating relationship with an essential ally in the Afghan campaign" which had received billions of dollars in aid.
Coppied by http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics/nation/No-excuse-for-Paks-inaction-against-terrorists-US/articleshow/6709985.cms