Chernobyl accident marks 25th anniversary

Ukrainians observed the silver anniversary of the Soviet-era Chernobyl nuclear power plant Tuesday with candles and a bell that rang 25 times since the disaster erupted on 26 April 1986—what the world considers as the worst nuclear accident on record.

"The world had not known a catastrophe in peaceful times that could be compared to what happened in Chernobyl," said Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill.

High levels of mercury detected in the air of Manila

Environmentalists in the Philippine capital and several other international non-governmental organizations have urged the proper disposal of toxic waste after they detected high levels of mercury smoke in the harbor area of Tondo district.

An investigation conducted on 19 April at the Pier 18 Garbage Transfer Station showed 117.2 micrograms per cubic meter (µg/m3) in 14 used mercury-containing compact fluorescent lamps in two separate disposal areas in Manila's district, which is one of the most densely populated areas in the world. One lamp registered mercury vapor at 502.4 µg/m3, the PDI reported.

Jordan, Thailand to send medical teams to Japan

Jordan and Thailand will deploy medical teams to the calamity affected areas in northeastern Japan, said the Foreign Ministry on Friday.

During their three-week stay that will start on Monday, Jordan’s four-member medical team that includes vascular surgeons and ultrasound engineers will stay at temporary centers in the heavily-hit Fukushima Prefecture to examine patients if they have developed blood clots, Deutsche Presse Agentur reported.

Doctor says nuclear workers are in danger of overwork death

Japan's nuclear workers who are battling the crisis at the crippled power plant are at risk of depression, poor diet and sanitation and stress, said Dr. Takeshi Tanigawa.

They are not only exposed to the dangers of the radioactive substances of Fukushima Dai-Ichi reactors but are also working in severe conditions, according to Dr. Tanigawa, an industrial physician in two of Tokyo Electric Power Company's (TEPCO) plants, who examined them on Wednesday, The Japan Times reported.

Surgeon operates on the wrong eye of a boy

A Washington couple is considering a malpractice suit when an Oregon doctor performed surgery to their 4-year-old son Jesse Matlock on the wrong eye.

Tasha Gaul, the boy's mother said of his surgeon after last week's operation, "She said, 'Frankly, I lost sense of direction and didn't realize I had operated on the wrong eye until I was done operating on the eye,'" in a report by the AP.

Donors pledge $788-M to seal Chernobyl

A three-day international conference was held in Kiev, Ukraine on Tuesday that raised $788 million of pledges to help build a temporary encasement at the site of the Soviet-era Chernobyl nuclear power plant that exploded 25 years ago.

Falling short of the $1 billion target, the project that will seal the plant from releasing radioactive materials during the dismantling of the sarcophagus was delayed for three years due to budgetary constraints, said Al Jazeera.

American College of Surgeons head resigns over unsavory commentary

The president-elect of the American College of Surgeons, resigned on Sunday over his regrettable editorial in Surgey News where he was also the editor in chief.

In his controversial February commentary, the 78-year-old Dr. Lazar Greenfield made reference to the sexual behaviors of lower forms of animals such as flies going up to humans surrounding Valentine's Day, in a report by the New York Times.

US iRobots make their way in Japan

A few weeks ago, it was reported that four US-made iRobots were sent to Japan to assist nuclear plant workers in areas that are too risky for humans to go inside the radiation-emitting Fukushima power plant.

It took sometime before the Japanese learned how to use the robots.

Teen yawns but her mouth won't close

Be careful when you yawn. Your mouth could lock open.

Holly Thompson of Northampton, UK was attending a lecture on politics. And then she yawned.

The 17-year-old resident of Kingsthorpe could not close her mouth. Yikes!

Japan's first child organ transplant donor

This news is not for the weak at heart.

A boy less than 15 years old was confirmed to be brain dead in an unidentified hospital in the Kanto-Koshinetsu region of Japan at 7:37 Tuesday after he figured from a vehicular accident, in a report from the Yomiuri Shimbun.

The first brain death diagnosis was made at 20:25 Monday.

With his family's consent, he will become the nation's first child to become a multiple-organ donor.