World News from the BBC
Thousands of supporters of Ivory Coast’s 'Young Patriots' movement have answered a call to join the army to fight for Laurent Gbagbo, who’s refused to leave the presidency since last November’s election. In the city of Abidjan, the pro-Gbagbo youths chanted threats to supporters of Mr Gbagbo’s rival Allasane Ouattara, who’s internationally recognized as having won the election. In the northern city of Bouake, a BBC correspondent says thousands of people who’ve fled violence in Abidjan are arriving every day, many describing their terror at the almost
constant
gunfire.
Abnormally high levels of radio-active substances are being detected in seawater near the Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan, which was damaged by an earthquake and tsunami 10 days ago. Radio-active iodine levels are over 100 times higher than government-set standards, while radio-active ceasium levels are 25 times the official limit. Earlier, the head of the United Nations nuclear agency said the situation was still very serious at the plant. Yukiya Amano was speaking at an emergency meeting at the IAEA. Kerry Skyring reports.
The IAEA chief is calling for a
review
of nuclear safety standards, beginng with earthquake and tsunami prone areas. He says the existing system was designed in the wake of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in 1986. Mr Amano now wants improved coordination among experts during the early stages of a nuclear crisis. He says the priority remains stabilising the nuclear reactors at Fukushima and restoring safety. He is confident this will be achieved but that the current international response to a nuclear emergency needs to be reassessed.