Officials are monitoring the clean-up of a leak of 400,000 gallons (1.5m litres) of radioactive water from a local nuclear power plant in Minnesota. Xcel Energy, the utility company that runs the plant, said the spillage was “fully contained on-site and has not been detected beyond the facility”. State officials said there was no immediate public health risk. The leak was first discovered in late November, but state officials did not notify the public until Thursday. The water contains tritium, a common by-product of nuclear plant operations. A naturally occurring radioactive isotope of hydrogen, tritium emits a weak form of beta radiation that does not travel very far in air and cannot penetrate human skin, according to the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). Tritium spills occur at nuclear plants on occasion, but are typically contained on-site and rarely affect public health or safety, the NRC says. Xcel first discovered the leak on 21 November, from a pipe between two buildings at its Monticello plant. The plant is about 35 miles (56km) from the state’s most populous city, Minneapolis, upstream along the Mississippi River.(BBC)…[+]

Several cities in north east Brazil are suffering from serious unrest caused by marauding criminal gangs. For the third night, gang members set buses ablaze and carried out gun attacks on buildings in urban areas in Rio Grande do Norte state. The attacks are thought to have been sparked by conditions in jails holding gang members. Brazil’s government sent hundreds of federal security forces to the region earlier this week. Justice and Security Minister Flavio Dino said hundreds more could be sent in the coming days as unrest continues. The state government has convened a crisis cabinet and has asked the federal government for more support. The attacks were ordered from within the state’s jails when gang members’ requests for televisions, electricity and conjugal visits were turned down, Brazilian news outlet Terra quoted the state’s secretary of public security Francisco Araujo as saying. Conditions in Brazil’s notoriously overcrowded jails have long been under scrutiny.(BBC)…[+]

Hundreds of people including Ghana’s president are paying their last respects to Christian Atsu, who died in last month’s earthquake in Turkey. His funeral is being held outside State House in Ghana’s capital, Accra. “In life I love you darling, in death I’ll do the same,” read the tearful tribute from the footballer’s widow, Marie-Claire Rupio. She was overcome with emotion and handed her speech to Atsu’s sister to read. “You did not go alone, for part of me went with you,” it continued. “Your smile, your love I see in our children’s smiles.” Representatives of Ghana’s national team and Atsu’s Turkish club Hatayspor were also at the ceremony. Atsu’s body was recovered a fortnight after the quake from the rubble of his apartment building. It was returned to Ghana almost a month ago. He will be buried later in his home village in south-eastern Ghana. Atsu, 31, spent most of his career playing in the English Premier League for clubs including Chelsea, Newcastle and Everton.(BBC)…[+]

Several cities in north east Brazil are suffering from serious unrest caused by marauding criminal gangs. For the third night, gang members set buses ablaze and carried out gun attacks on buildings in urban areas in Rio Grande do Norte state. The attacks are thought to have been sparked by conditions in jails holding gang members. Brazil’s government sent hundreds of federal security forces to the region earlier this week. Justice and Security Minister Flavio Dino said hundreds more could be sent in the coming days as unrest continues. The state government has convened a crisis cabinet and has asked the federal government for more support. The attacks were ordered from within the state’s jails when gang members’ requests for televisions, electricity and conjugal visits were turned down, Brazilian news outlet Terra quoted the state’s secretary of public security Francisco Araujo as saying. Conditions in Brazil’s notoriously overcrowded jails have long been under scrutiny.(BBC)…[+]

Officials are monitoring the clean-up of a leak of 400,000 gallons (1.5m litres) of radioactive water from a local nuclear power plant in Minnesota. Xcel Energy, the utility company that runs the plant, said the spillage was “fully contained on-site and has not been detected beyond the facility”. State officials said there was no immediate public health risk. The leak was first discovered in late November, but state officials did not notify the public until Thursday. The water contains tritium, a common by-product of nuclear plant operations. A naturally occurring radioactive isotope of hydrogen, tritium emits a weak form of beta radiation that does not travel very far in air and cannot penetrate human skin, according to the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). Tritium spills occur at nuclear plants on occasion, but are typically contained on-site and rarely affect public health or safety, the NRC says. Xcel first discovered the leak on 21 November, from a pipe between two buildings at its Monticello plant. The plant is about 35 miles (56km) from the state’s most populous city, Minneapolis, upstream along the Mississippi River. The company said it had notified the state and the NRC the next day.(BBC)…[+]