Japan Declares Emergencies at two damaged Nuclear Reactors
Japan has declared states of emergency at two nuclear plants damaged by Friday’s massive earthquake along the country’s northeastern coast. Officials said the 8.9 magnitude quake and subsequent tsunami knocked power out and caused cooling systems to fail at two plants in Fukushima.
Japan has declared states of emergency at two nuclear plants damaged by Friday’s massive earthquake along the country’s northeastern coast.
Officials said the 8.9 magnitude quake and subsequent tsunami knocked power out and caused cooling systems to fail at two plants in Fukushima. They warned of radiation leaks as steam was vented from reactors in an effort to relieve growing pressure.
Japanese officials said Saturday the venting would not pose a major safety risk to the public, although authorities ordered people living around the plants to evacuate.
Strong aftershocks rocked Japan as Japanese troops and helicopters worked Saturday to rescue people stranded by the tsunami. More than 1,000 people are feared dead.
Entire villages were washed away Friday by waves as high as 10 meters that carried vehicles, buildings and debris several kilometers inland.
Social Media: Disaster in Japan The Crisis Commons volunteer community has mobilized, and part of the effort is being coordinated by Japanese students at U.S. universities. The Red Cross has opened a page on causes.com to raise money for the victims of Friday’s disaster in Japan. Many photos are being tweeted of empty market shelves: @happyten – People are preparing for the worst to come. @tokyoreporter – Frightening video of the tsunami hitting a Japanese airport
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Japan Declares Emergencies at Nuclear Reactors Following Quake

Economics
Thai fruit exports to FTA markets up 107 percent
China, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines, Hong Kong, Australia and Chile are top importers of Thai fruits, especially fresh durian, mangosteen, longan and mango. Thai exporters are able to benefit from FTA privileges.

BANGKOK (NNT) – Thailand’s fruit exports continue to increase, despite the sluggish global economy caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, with key trade partners being countries that have free trade agreements (FTAs) with the kingdom.
Myanmar
Digital Revolution and Repression in Myanmar and Thailand
Activists have also proactively published social media content in multiple languages using the hashtags #WhatsHappeningInMyanmar and #WhatsHappeningInThailand to boost coverage of events on the ground.

By Karen Lee
Following the February 1 coup, Myanmar’s netizens became the latest to join the #MilkTeaAlliance, an online collective of pro-democracy youth across Asia.
(more…)Currencies
3 Reasons to Be Optimistic About the Baht Right Now
Probably one of the most important factors for the rise of the Baht is the continued weakness of the US dollar, which most experts agree is going to continue declining throughout the rest of the year.

The Thai Baht, our beleaguered currency, has had something of a difficult few years. Successful debt and inflation crises have eroded the value of the Baht numerous times, not least the events of 2015-16, which saw the Baht plunge to some of the lowest levels against the Dollar in history.