Saturday, November 22, 2014

Powerful Quake Hits Japan, Iranian Nuclear Negotiations On Verge Of Collapse







A strong earthquake struck central Japan on Saturday night, causing at least one building to collapse and injuring several people, according to Japanese media reports. No tsunami warning was issued.

The magnitude-6.8 earthquake hit parts of Nagano city and surrounding areas the hardest, the Japan Meteorological Agency said. The U.S. Geological Survey measured the quake's magnitude at 6.2.

The earthquake struck at 10:08 p.m. Japan time (1308 GMT) at a depth of 10 kilometers (6 miles), but since it occurred inland, there was no possibility of a tsunami. An apparent aftershock with a magnitude of 4.3 followed about 30 minutes later.

Japan's Kyodo news agency, citing fire officials, said several people reported injuries, and at least one building collapsed. It wasn't clear whether the injured were at the building.
National broadcaster NHK reported that a landslide blocked a road after the quake struck. NHK also said 200 homes were without power, and that Shinkansen bullet train service in the area was temporarily suspended.








A strong earthquake struck central Japan on Saturday night, but there were no immediate reports of injuries or damage, and no tsunami warning was issued.
The magnitude-6.8 earthquake hit parts of Nagano city and surrounding areas the hardest, the Japan Meteorological Agency said. The U.S. Geological Survey measured the quake’s magnitude at 6.2.
The earthquake struck at 10:08 p.m. Japan time (1308 GMT) at a depth of 10 kilometers (6 miles). An apparent aftershock with a magnitude of 4.3 followed about 30 minutes later.
Japanese broadcaster NHK reported that a landslide blocked a road after the quake struck. NHK also said 200 homes were without power, and that Shinkansen bullet train service in the area had been suspended.






With the November 24 extended deadline for the end of nuclear negotiations with Iran looming, talks in Vienna have apparently hit a rocky patch.
On Friday, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif revealed that he would be leaving Vienna to return to Iran for consultations ahead of the looming deadline. Secretary of State John Kerry, too, announced that he was leaving the Austrian capital to travel to Paris where he would confer with his “European counterparts.”
A State Department statement revealed that Kerry’s “future travel schedule is still being finalized, and we have not yet determined when he will return to Vienna.”
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius and British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond are not far behind their Iranian and American counterparts. Both will reportedly leave the city on Friday, with just hours left before the nuclear talks are due to conclude.
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported on Friday that the sticking points which might have led to the collapse of talks have to do with Iranian uranium enrichment capabilities:


In months of negotiations since an interim deal was reached a year ago, Iran’s refusal to substantially cut the output of centrifuges that can enrich uranium levels high enough to be used for nuclear weapons has been a major sticking point.
Iran denies Western accusations that its nuclear program is secretly aimed at developing a nuclear weapons capability.
But an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) report on November 7 said Iran was failing to address the accusations.
As part of its probe, the IAEA has for years sought access to Parchin — a sprawling military establishment southeast of Tehran.

Republicans in Congress have fretted that the White House is behaving as though a deal with Iran has not only been reached but ratified. The National Review reported:


On Tuesday, Republican senators sent the president a letter expressing alarm about the “weak and dangerous deal” they believe the administration is negotiating and said that the administration is disregarding “clear expressions from the Senate emphasizing the need for a multi-decade agreement” that would require Iran to stop enriching uranium and fully dismantle its nuclear infrastructure.





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3 comments:

KemBlank said...

Just a note on the snow situation for anyone who is interested. After five days and seven feet of snow, the large state plows have made about 16-18 passes down our short, two lane road and it is now in good shape. We are very grateful to be able to get out if necessary. The snow load on the roof is still a concern but the roof is holding up so far. I think there may be an angel in our attic holding it up.

Scott said...

Take care and stay warm...Is that roof relatively flat? Or does it matter? (exposing my ignorance here_ - is this something everyone worries about? So sorry you have to worry about that...We had so many trees fall down in last year's ice storm, I can recall that fear that a tree was going to fall on the house and thats an awful feeling - it must be the same. Are you expecting any more?

KemBlank said...

Our roof is not flat but not a strong pitch either. Mostly the roofs that have collapsed, over 30 of them, have been flat but some homes with pitched roofs have collapsed also. One 40 ft. spruce is snapped in half and most of the trees and shrubs have lost branches. We have a warm day today but windy and they are saying we may lose power. Also more snow is expected starting tomorrow night.