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The food controls were imposed shortly after a 2011 tsunami destroyed the cooling systems of nuclear reactors at the Fukushima Daichi plant, triggering a meltdown. The water used to cool the reactors became contaminated with radioactive nuclides. It has since been filtered to remove most of the harmful material, but there is no practical way to filter out tritium, a radioactive isotope of hydrogen. Last week, the IAEA, the UN nuclear watchdog, approved Japan's plans to gradually release radioactive water into the Pacific, a plan that has been condemned by China and South Korea and is opposed by local fishermen. . Hong Kong has warned it will ban some Japanese seafood products if Japan releases the water. Kishida said the UN agency had concluded that releasing the water was "consistent with international standards" and "insignificant for people and the environment." The EU asked Japan to monitor fish, fishery products and seaweed near the release site for contaminated cooling water.
The bloc also agreed to greater access for European agricultural products to Japanese markets.We are working to facilitate access of agricultural products, beef, fruits and vegetables in particular, to Japan,” said Job Function Email Database Charles Michel, president of the European Council. Talks in Brussels also focused on security concerns, with the EU and Japan launching a "strategic dialogue" at the level of foreign ministers to coordinate security threats, and discussing means for both partners to diversify chains. of supply from China, in industries such as semiconductors. and critical raw materials. Ahead of the summit, Japanese officials said Russia's war in Ukraine "may be East Asia tomorrow," after North Korea fired an intercontinental ballistic missile in waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan on Wednesday and as China continued with its “military reinforcement in an opaque manner.
The UK's media regulator has accused telecoms groups of failing to offer cheaper options aimed at helping the most vulnerable customers be sufficiently visible amid the cost of living crisis. An increasing number of telecoms operators are now offering so-called 'social tariffs' - cheaper broadband and phone packages for people claiming universal credit, pension credit and other benefits. However, Dame Melanie Dawes, chief executive of Ofcom, said she wanted to see "many more people take them up" as the regulator announced plans to publish each provider's adoption of social tariffs in its annual consumer trends report. prices. at the end of this year, for the first time. "We don't think it's acceptable for these offers to be buried on the website in a place where people can't easily find them, and we think they should be included in call center scripts," Dawes told the Financial Times on Thursday. “We want businesses to do more to help, particularly people on lower incomes, find the deals they aren't aware of, but that could really help them.
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