Broadcasters in Germany have decided to ban or censor episodes that poke fun at nuclear disasters in light of Japan's atomic emergency
Broadcasters in Germany have decided to ban or censor episodes that poke fun at nuclear disasters in light of Japan's atomic emergencyThe German broadcaster of The Simpsons said it has decided not to show any episodes of the satirical US cartoon series showing nuclear disasters in light of Japan's atomic emergency.
An anti-nuclear demonstrator holds a placard chanting slogans against nuclear power and The Simpsons for poking fun at the situation in Japan"We are checking all the episodes and we won't show any suspect ones, but we won't cut any scenes," Stella Rodger, said a spokeswoman for private broadcaster Pro7.
"We haven't postponed any yet."
The nuclear plant in the Simpsons' hometown of Springfield is however a key element in the long-running show, with the hapless Homer in charge of safety despite a slapdash approach evident from the opening credits onwards.
Previous episodes have shown nuclear waste dumped in a children's playground, plutonium used as a paperweight, cracked cooling towers, luminous rats and three-eyed mutant fish, as well as near-meltdowns.
"Of course we can't completely change the entire content," the spokeswoman acknowledged.
Surveys show that people in Germany are particularly uneasy about the dangers of nuclear power, with shipments of radioactive waste regularly attracting angry protests.
On Saturday, tens of thousands of people 2,50,000, according to organisers took part in demonstrations around Germany protesting against nuclear power in light of events in Japan.
However, critics of the European killjoys insist the show is harmless and cannot be compared to the situation in Japan.
The Simpsons executive producer Al Jean said he could "completely understand" the station's move. "We would never make light of what's happening in Japan," he said.
Chancellor Angela Merkel announced earlier this month a three-month moratorium on plans to extend the operating times of Germany's nuclear plants and ordered that the seven oldest reactors be shut down.
'Maximum alert'
As fears of more serious contamination grew following detection of plutonium in soil of its crippled Fukushima nuclear plant, Japan yesterday announced it was on "maximum alert" over the situation, with its workers scrambling hard to stop highly radioactive water from reaching the sea.
"This quake, tsunami and the nuclear accident are the biggest crises for Japan" in decades, Prime Minister Naoto Kan told Parliament, more than two weeks after the natural calamity struck the country's northeast leaving over 28,000 people dead or unaccounted for.
The situation at the troubled nuclear plant "continues to be unpredictable," he said, adding the government "will tackle the problem while in a state of maximum alert."
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The Prime Minister said that he was seeking advice on whether to extend the 20-km evacuation zone around the plant.
He also said that it is "highly likely" that the six-reactor Fukushima plant will eventually be decommissioned.
Meanwhile, the catastrophic earthquake and ensuing tsunami have left 11,082 people
dead and 16,717 others unaccounted for in Japan.
Where's the tissue?An acute shortage of toilet paper has hit Tokyo, as Japan's people reacted by stocking up on essentials. In a supermarket, a lone sign stands where prior to the disaster there were mountains of toilet paper, tissues and paper towels. "Due to the vast earthquake, we are currently out of stock. We apologise for the inconvenience," the sign reads. Industry data show residents also bought five times more instant noodles than normal consumption.
Sarkozy to visit JapanFrench President Nicolas Sarkozy is to meet Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan during a solidarity visit to the crisis-hit nation on tomorrow following a scheduled trip to China, his office said.
Sarkozy, who earlier this month mooted a trip to Japan as a show of solidarity in the name of the G8 and G20 blocs he heads, is due in China today and tomorrow, after which he will travel to Japan.
He said that "if the opportunity presented itself and if the Japanese authorities agreed, it goes without saying that during my Asia tour, I would go there to show our solidarity."
