May 18, Wednesday, 2022 (1:30 p.m.) Newsline

1.Japan’s nuclear regulator has approved a plan to release treated water from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the ocean. At a meeting on Wednesday, members of the authority concluded they could find no problems in the submitted document. Their review included how to check the levels of tritium and other substances before releasing treated water into the sea. They also discussed effects on the surrounding environment and people.
2.Finland and Sweden have officially applied for NATO membership. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg in Brussels called it a “historic moment” and said he warmly welcomes the requests by Finland and Sweden to join NATO. He added, “You are our closest partners, and your membership in NATO will increase our shared security.”
3.Mariupol has become both a symbol of Ukrainian resistance and a sign of Russia’s relentless military drive. Now a final stronghold has fallen. Ukrainians who fought for weeks to defend a steel mill have been carried out on stretchers.