The New York Times
By William J. Broad

The failed Chernobyl nuclear power plant in northern Ukraine as well as the nation’s 15 operating reactors are safe and secure amid Russia’s invasion, according to nuclear experts and the International Atomic Energy Agency, an arm of the United Nations that sets safety standards for the world’s nuclear reactors and inspects them for compliance.

“The only real issue is if a nearby target got hit and caused some collateral damage,” said Edwin Lyman, a reactor expert at the Union of Concerned Scientists, a private group in Cambridge, Mass. “I don’t see this as an imminent radiological threat. I don’t think Russia would deliberately target a plant.”

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The New York Times
By Daniel Victor

In the version of the story we thought we understood, Hank the Tank was a hungry, hungry trespasser, unbothered by human concerns like doors and manners, who had broken into dozens of homes to maintain his 500-pound frame.

That is still mostly correct. But in an unexpected twist since the black bear’s story attracted international media attention this week, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife said on Thursday that the bear had not acted alone.

According to the agency, DNA evidence collected over the past several months showed that at least three bears were involved in the break-ins that had been reported in the Lake Tahoe area in California and Nevada. Until the update, all of the incidents had been pinned on Hank, whose portly frame and prodigious appetite were looked on across the world as some mix of admirable and relatable — and, to those whose homes were invaded, perhaps as a little terrifying.

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Democracy NOW!

Russian military activity near Ukraine’s nuclear sites have raised alarm, as triggering any of the volatile reactors around the country could cause nuclear catastrophe for the entire European continent. Russian troops have seized the site of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster and have reportedly taken staff hostage, raising fear that any disturbance could rerelease deadly radiation that has been sealed off for years. As Ukraine relies on nuclear power for 50% of its electricity, shutting down active nuclear reactors would alleviate the potential for nuclear catastrophe at the cost of leaving many deprived of electricity during the war. “This is the first time that we’ve ever seen a war zone in a location where there are operating nuclear power plants,” says Linda Pentz Gunter, international specialist at Beyond Nuclear. “Any manner of situations could lead to a catastrophic meltdown.”

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Turns out, Hank the Tank wasn't on a one-bear crime spree — he had accomplices.

And thanks to DNA evidence clearing his name, Hank won't be killed or moved to a sanctuary.

Earlier, officials with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) said that the 500-pound bear was the culprit in more than two dozen home break-ins around South Lake Tahoe, Calif., adding that he was responsible for "152 reports of conflict behavior."

On Thursday, however, they said Hank wasn't the only one responsible for the crimes.

According to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, DNA samples show that at least two other bears have broken into area homes.

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Concerns are mounting about the safety of Ukraine’s 15 nuclear reactors and the possibility of an ecological disaster in the midst of the Russian invasion.

Experts said that those reactors, at four power plants around the country, had layers of safeguards to prevent a catastrophic meltdown of their cores, but in a full scale war of the kind Vladimir Putin has unleashed, there was a heightened risk of those safety layers all failing at once.

Radiation spikes were reported on Friday from Chernobyl, the site of the 1986 nuclear disaster which has been overrun by Russian forces. The remains of the reactor core are buried under concrete and the plant is also a storage facility for spent nuclear fuel.

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