IAEA issues results of probe into Kiev’s claim mines were laid at nuclear plant

The UN agency’s experts have found no mines at Zaporozhye power plant as situation there remains ‘tense’

Specialists from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have found no signs of any mines at Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP), the UN agency said in a statement on Wednesday, following an inspection carried out by its staff at the site.

The experts checked some parts of the facility, including “sections of the perimeter of the large cooling pond,” over the past days and weeks, the statement said, adding that they also “conducted regular walkdowns across the site.”

So far, no “visible indications of mines or explosives” have been observed, IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said in the statement. The agency’s team requested additional access to certain parts of the facility, including the rooftops of reactor units 3 and 4, as well as turbine halls and cooling system facilities, he added.

“Their independent and objective reporting would help clarify the current situation at the site,” he said, pointing to some “unconfirmed allegations” indicating some potential security risks at the site. The director general also confirmed that the team stationed at ZNPP had not reported any recent shelling or explosions near the site.

The facility, which is Europe’s largest, returned to the spotlight in recent weeks after senior officials in Kiev claimed that Russia was planning a nuclear incident at the facility. Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky alleged that Moscow wanted to cause a “radiation leak” at the plant. A key aide to Vladimir Zelensky, Mikhail Podoliak, also accused the Russian military of laying mines at the plant’s cooling pond.

Moscow has rejected these claims as “yet another lie.” The UN nuclear watchdog previously denied the claims about mines in the cooling pond as well.

On Wednesday, the Kremlin warned about a “high threat of sabotage” at the plant in Kiev. Such an action could lead to “catastrophic” results, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, adding that the situation around ZNPP remains “tense.”

On Tuesday, Renat Karchaa, a senior official at Russia’s nuclear power plant operator Rosenergoatom, warned that the Ukrainian military might strike the facility with long-range, high-precision weapons or kamikaze drones. He also claimed that Kiev might target the plant with a Soviet-made ballistic missile loaded with radioactive waste.

Moscow and Kiev have repeatedly accused each other of shelling the Zaporozhye plant throughout their conflict. The facility has been under Russian control since March 2022.

https://www.rt.com/russia/579258-iaea-inspection-zaporozhye-nuclear-mining/

Ban On Recording Without Consent Is Unconstitutional, US Court Rules

An Oregon law that forbids recording in public without consent runs afoul of the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment, a U.S. court has ruled.

Oregon law 165.540, first enacted in 1955 and subsequently broadened to bar secret recording of conversations, is unconstitutional, Judge Sandra Ikuta, a George W. Bush appointee writing for the majority in the 2–1 ruling, said.

Exceptions to the prohibition include recording at public meetings, such as city council hearings; while a felony that endangers human life is being committed; and by law enforcement officers while performing their jobs.

The law is content-based because certain groups, such as the law enforcement officers, are treated different than others, Ms. Ikuta said. That means it has to be narrowly tailored for a compelling governmental interest, or survive a test known as strict scrutiny.

Oregon does not have a compelling interest in protecting people’s privacy in public places, the majority ruled. Even if it did, the law is not tailored enough because Oregon has other laws that cover privacy concerns, such as a law allowing tort lawsuits by people who are recorded without consent.

The law “burdens more protected speech than is necessary to achieve its stated interest,” the judge wrote.

The judge also said that the law regulates speech to protect people’s privacy but that many people in public places don’t seek privacy. Instead of acknowledging that point, the law treats all speech in public the same.

When people talk in public places, the privacy of other individuals is only implicated if the speech is unwanted but the law does not incorporate that point, the majority said. They used the example of protesters who may want their conversations recorded in the hopes it will lead to publicity for their cause.

Ms. Ikuta was joined by Circuit Judge Carlos Bea, another George W. Bush appointee.

Judge Morgan Christen, an Obama appointee, wrote in a dissent that the law should be upheld because Oregon “has a significant interest in preventing the secret recording of private conversations even when those conversations occur in public or semi-public locations.”

Ms. Christen also said the law is narrowly tailored to serve that interest.

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/ban-recording-without-consent-unconstitutional-us-court-rules

Toxic gas leak in South Africa kills at least 16, including 3 children

Johannesburg is situated in a mineral-rich area and unlicensed mining operations are a common illegal enterprise.

A toxic gas leak has resulted in the deaths of at least 16 people, among them three children, in the outskirts of the South African city of Johannesburg.

The Associated Press attributed the 16 figure to local police, but noted that emergency services had put the count at 24 dead.

Wednesday's deaths stemmed from a leak in a gas cylinder in the area, according to emergency services spokesman William Ntladi, who noted that an investigation is ongoing. The cylinder, Ntladi stated, is believed to have been part of an illegal mining operation and was allegedly used to process gold.

Johannesburg is situated in a mineral-rich area and unlicensed mining operations are a common illegal enterprise.

Though two injured persons were rushed to the hospital, authorities have not moved the bodies of the death due to an ongoing investigation.

"The bodies are still where they are on the ground. We can't move anybody," Ntladi stated.

That presumably includes the children, whom police said were ages 1, 6, and 15.

https://justthenews.com/world/africa/toxic-gas-leak-south-africa-kills-least-16-including-3-children