Ring of Fire volcano erupts for the first time for 600 years
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Scotsman
13 hours ago
- Scotsman
Hiroshima anniversary: How The Scotsman reported the atomic bomb dropping in Japan 80 years ago
First reports of the bomb that changed the world were triumphant in tone - and short of detail of destruction caused given the 'impenetrable cloud' which covered Hiroshima. Sign up to our History and Heritage newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... It was a bomb that 'harnessed the basic power of the universe' - and changed the world of warfare forever. On August 7, 1945, The Scotsman's front page delivered news of the detonation of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima the day before in an article which projected the absolute triumph of President Truman over the US strike on the army base on the island of Honshu. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The ruins of central Hiroshima pictured on September 1,1945 in the aftermath of the atomic strike on August 6. Picture:| Getty Images The bomb, one of the devastating final manoeuvres of the Second World War, was hailed as both a conquest of Allied scientists and a 'story of great discovery'. 'Stating that even more powerful bombs are in development, the President revealed that British and US scientists have been working on it for years in America, out of range of German long-range weapons,' The Scotsman article said. The article added: ''Hitler's V1 and V2' were the forerunners of the atomic bomb, but Germany lost the war before her scientists attained this goal.' President Truman described the bomb as 'harnessing of the basic power of the Universe'. He said: 'The force from which the sun draws its power has been loosened against those who brought war to the Far East. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'We have spent $2,000,000,000 [about £500,000,000 on the greatest scientific gamble in history, and we have won.' READ MORE: Why those who wish we stopped remembering the war are plain wrong The night before publication, Prime Minister Clement Atlee issued a statement that had been prepared by Winston Churchill before the Conservatives were crushed by Labour in the General Election of July 1945. The statement revealed the part played by British scientists in this 'revolutionary discovery' of atomic warfare. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Truman's statement, meanwhile, was issued to White House correspondents who had been told to 'expect a good story'. The Scotsman reported the statement 'built up to an announcement of the most amazing advance in warfare since the discovery of gunpowder', with Truman adding the bomb had more power than 20,000 tonnes of TNT. President Truman said two great plants and many lesser factories in the United States were devoted to the production of atomic power, with scientists working on the project for more than two-and-a-half years. More than 125,000 people helped to design and build the bomb, he said. He also said Mr Churchill and the late President Roosevelt 'agreed on the wisdom' of producing atomic power in the United States out of reach of enemy bombing. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad President Truman went on to say the Potsdam Declaration, the ultimatum issued by the US, Great Britain and China on July 26, 1945 calling for the ultimate surrender of Japan, was designed to save Japan from 'ultimate destruction'. Its terms had been quickly rejected. Mr Truman added: 'If they don't now accept our terms, they may expect a rain of ruin from the air, the likes of which has never been seen on this earth.' On the first day of coverage, little information was given about the impact of the bomb and the scale of death that it caused. The War Office, the night before publication, said that an 'impenetrable cloud' had covered the target area, making 'accurate reports of the damage impossible in the present'. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The article explained that Hiroshima was a fortified port and chief supply depot of the Japanese army on West Honshu, with a population of 244,000. By Thursday, August 9, 1945, the front page of The Scotsman reported 'tremendous havoc' caused by the atomic bomb. Reporting on a radio broadcast by religious leaders in Tokyo, the article said all things, human and animal, were 'literally scared to death' by the bomb. 'Those outdoors died as a result of being burned and those indoors were killed by the indescribable pressure and heat,' the article said. 'The dead are simply unaccountable.'
Metro
a day ago
- Metro
Ring of Fire volcano erupts for the first time for 600 years
Hiyah Zaidi Published August 5, 2025 3:29pm Link is copied Comments The megaquake that struck last week has led to a volcano erupting for the first time in 600 years, an expert says. The Krasheninnikov Volcano in Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia, which sits in the Ring of Fire, erupted into life on August 3, sending a plume of ash 3.7 miles (6 km) into the sky. No one was hurt, but the event was called historic. So, what happened? (Picture: Getty Images) In late July, the sixth-strongest earthquake ever recorded hit Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula. The quake was so strong it triggered tsunami warnings around the world, which affected the coasts of the US, parts of East Asia, parts of South America and New Zealand. The tremor reached a volcano in the Kamchatka region, and possibly contributed to this dormant volcano awakening (Picture: Mehmet Yaren Bozgun/Anadolu via Getty Images) One expert, Dr Alexey Ozerov, director of the Russian Institute of Volcanic and Seismic Sciences, told the Daily Mail there was a direct connection between the powerful earthquake and these eruptions. He said: 'We associate the eruptions with the earthquake, which activated magmatic centres, and "pumped" additional energy into them' (Picture: Sheldovitsky Artem Igorevich / IViS / Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images) Olga Girina, head of the Kamchatka Volcanic Eruption Response Team (KVERT), told Russian state news agency RIA Novosti: 'This is the first historically confirmed eruption of Krasheninnikov Volcano in 600 years.' And the team reported that clouds of ash travelled 46 miles from the blast. Around nine hours after the eruption, KVERT issued an aviation 'red alert' warning of significant levels of ash being sent into the atmosphere (Picture: Sheldovitsky Artem Igorevich / IViS / Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images) CNN reports that in the Telegram channel of the Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, Girina said that Krasheninnikov's last lava effusion took place in 1463, plus or minus 40 years, and no eruption has taken place since. Today (August 5), the channel reports that the volcano is still erupting, with emissions reaching six kilometers, and warns that emissions can reach up to 8 kilometers. The volcano has been assigned an orange (high) aviation hazard code (Picture: Getty) There have been no reports of injuries, and the local Nature Reserve said: 'The volcano's surroundings are volcanic wastelands, slag and lava fields without dense vegetation. There is currently no threat of a natural fire. The volcano's condition is being monitored. There is no threat to the lives of the reserve's employees, infrastructure or populated areas. Ash fall from the erupting volcano is observed in some areas of the Kronotsky Reserve' (Picture: Getty) There is an exceptionally high density of active volcanoes in Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula as it sits directly above the Ring of Fire, which is a 25,000-mile chain of volcanoes that stretches around the Pacific Ocean. The area is home to over 425 volcanoes, making up 75% of all active volcanic sites on Earth. This also includes some of the most destructive volcanoes ever to erupt, including Krakatoa, Mount Tambora, and Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai (Picture: Metro)
Scottish Sun
2 days ago
- Scottish Sun
US unveils wild plan to build nuke reactor on the MOON by 2030 in direct challenge to Russia and China in new space race
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) THE US has unveiled plans to build a nuclear reactor on the moon as it seeks to get ahead of China and Russia in the new-age space race. The aim is to mark American territory on the lunar surface by creating a power hub that could supply energy for future missions. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 5 Artist's concept of new fission power system on the lunar surface Credit: NASA 5 An artist's impression of how the nuclear power station would look like on moon Credit: 5 A conceptual image of how China and Russia's space station may look Credit: Getty 5 Nasa chief Sean Duffy is set to announce plans to build the reactor by 2030. It comes just weeks after Russia inked a deal with China to build a nuclear power station on the moon as part of their shared lunar space base. The Russian reactor will be used to power the sprawling International Lunar Research Station (ILRS), which is being jointly led with China, according to a new agreement signed by the two nations. A directive from Nasa says that such an American nuclear reactor on the moon will establish US 'keep-out' zones on the lunar surface. This is to further stop rivals like Moscow and Beijing from effectively colonising the Moon. It reads: "The first country to do so could potentially declare a keep-out zone which would significantly inhibit the United States from establishing a planned Artemis presence if not the first. "[Nasa needs to] move quickly to support a future lunar economy [and] strengthen our national security in space." In 2022, Nasa launched a mission known as the Fission Surface Power Project, hoping to establish a source that could provide abundant and continuous power on the moon regardless of environmental conditions. The project is deemed crucial for supporting long-term human settlements on the lunar surface. It could also enable the exploration of deeper space destinations in the future. Watch China's bizarre new plans for lunar base race with egg habitation domes that can resist moonquakes The reactor is expected to generate light and power during the lunar nights when there is no sunshine on the surface, making solar panels ineffective. One lunar night is the equivalent of 14 nights on Earth. And it could also help light up the permanently shadowed parts of the moon to make further space explorations. Inside a nuclear reactor, atoms of certain elements - like uranium-235 - are split when struck by neutrons. This splitting releases energy in the form of heat and additional neutrons. The released neutrons can then strike other atoms, continuing the chain reaction. Reactors are designed to control this chain reaction, preventing it from becoming uncontrolled. A Nasa official told The Telegraph: 'If we are going to have a habitable system on the Moon then we have to bring power.' He said small reactors were already in use on submarines and aircraft carriers. 'They solve the problem,' he added. During the pilot project, Nasa specified that the reactor should stay under six metric tons and be able to produce 40-kilowatt of electrical power. But Mr Duffy has now directed the space agency to seek industry proposals for a minimum 100-kilowatt reactor to launch by 2030. Former Nasa boss Bill Nelson was outspoken about his fears for a sole Chinese presence on the Moon - which are unlikely to soften with Russia's added involvement. China's military presence in the South China Sea signals how the country might behave on the lunar surface, Nelson claimed, which would breach the 1967 Outer Space Treaty. China's military presence in the South China Sea signals how the country might behave on the lunar surface, Nelson claimed, which would breach the 1967 Outer Space Treaty. Race to the lunar south pole By Sayan Bose, Foreign News Reporter THE far side of the moon, dubbed the 'dark side', has now become the focal point of numerous space exploration programs. India, Russia, China and the US have all been engaged in space developments to study the far point of the moon. It is deemed to be not only a compelling place for future space explorations but also a suitable site for lunar outposts. Scientists believe it could be the most promising location for water-based ice, which will be key to future human habitation on the Moon. It is also one of the moon's most resource-dense areas. The permanently shadowed places on the Moon could contain ice and other minerals, which would be vital resources for future explorers. Scientists reckon there is an abundance of Helium-3 in so-called 'cold traps' littered across the south pole, which can help produce huge amounts of energy here on Earth. The mountain peaks near the pole - which are illuminated for longer periods - could be used to provide solar energy to an outpost. With an outpost on the Moon, scientists will be able to analyse water and other volatile samples dating to the formation of the Solar System. For China, the landing of the Chang'e-6 lunar probe is an important milestone that the country will leverage to expand its space presence on the far side of the moon. It will use the data collected by the space lander to allow Chinese astronauts to set foot on the moon by 2030. "We better watch out that they don't get to a place on the moon under the guise of scientific research," Nelson told Politico in a 2023 interview. "And it is not beyond the realm of possibility that they say, 'Keep out, we're here, this is our territory.'' China has agreed to share the ILRS with 17 countries, including Egypt, Venezuela, South Africa, Pakistan, Thailand and Azerbaijan. Beijing has been firm that its intentions for ILRS are to collect samples and carry out 'scientific exploration", despite Nasa's suspicions. ILRS will be a permanent, manned lunar base on the Moon's south pole. Slated to be bigger than Disneyland, with a radius of 3.7miles, it is intended to host a command centre, a communication hub, and scientific facilities, alongside a power station. The groundwork will be laid by China's 2028 Chang'e-8 mission, which will be the country's first time landing an astronaut on the Moon. CHINA'S THREATENING SPACE AMBITIONS Under dictator Xi's leadership, China has been brewing ambitious plans to become the leader of the global space rush. The country spent roughly £11.2billion on its space programme in 2023, according to Statista. While China was late to the first round of the space race, Beijing is investing heavily in becoming the second nation to put humans on the Moon by 2030. The Chinese-owned Tiangong space station was completed in late 2022, and has been permanently manned since then. China has doubled the number of satellites it has in orbit since 2019, according to the US Defence Intelligence Agency. Experts also fear that China's monster network of tracking satellites could snoop on Western military operations. Washington and Beijing currently have the most developed plans for securing separate permanent bases on the Moon, out of any other country in the world. And fears are China, if it succeeds in making a giant leap ahead of the US, could threaten aggression in space. A series of non-binding bilateral agreements called the Artemis Accords have been signed between the US and other nations to assure peace in space and on other planets. However, China has stayed out of the agreement, indicating a potential threat from the communist country.
