Erstellt am: 5. 7. 2012 - 17:06 Uhr

Was Fukushima a man-made disaster?

Reality Check: Japan's parliament reports on Fukushima errors; Nicaragua's answer to the Panama Canal

Fukushima report

EPA

An anti-nuclear demonstration in Tokya in July. A protester holds a sign calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Yoshiko Noda. Photo: Christopher Jue/EPA

Today Japan returns to nuclear power. The first reactor to be restarted since last year's tsunami came back online. Meanwhile a Japanese parliamentary panel has said in a report that the crisis was "a profoundly man-made disaster", which "could and should have been foreseen and prevented" and its effects "mitigated by a more effective human response". Asia reporter Tony Cheng has been back to the affected region on a number of occasions since the disaster; he's also spoken anonymously to workers at the plant. What are his thoughts about Japan's nuclear industry?

Nicaragua: A rival to the Panama Canal?

Nicaraguan lawmakers have approved a law aimed at creating an alternative to the Panama Canal. It's a $30 billion project that President Daniel Ortega says will lift the country out of poverty. But what are the environmental costs? Klaus Brunner reports from Managua.

Hear the programme after the show via Podcast or at fm4.orf.at/realitycheck.