SAS ' before recruitment crisis '

25 April 2011 last updated at 07: 47 GMT the SAS is already Understrength to recruits of the SAS is facing a crisis of recruitment because have no time to train soldiers for demanding selection tests, has warned the head of the infantry.

Brigadier General Richard Dennis, said that there are better quality candidates, in a letter to the Daily Telegraph leaked needed.

But Brig said Dennis high tempo and "relentlessly demanding" Afghan operations, have been combined to mitigate"" against special forces recruitment.

The Ministry of defence said that it not special forces questions to comment.

"Lasting quality"

Brig Dennis said the SAS was losing his unique status among the services because "Interesting operations no longer the preserve of special forces are seen".

Read the main story that special air fall service in December 1941 during the second world war troops by parachute behind enemy LinesIts created the first successful RAID was that the SAS in Northern Ireland destroyed 61 aircraft at two airfields in North AfricaMore recently, and during the Falkland WarThe SAS operation to the Iranian embassy siege by storm London was used next you 1980 was famous captured live on TelevisionThe SAS cap badge is a winged dagger, but King Arthur one sword Excalibur with FlamesIn letter to the head of the army, Gen Sir Peter wall, he said he had deep concerns about the "challenge of complete occupation of the SAS" and urgent action was to improve "depth and quality" of potential recruits.

He cited the Commander who gave 22 special air service Regiment there a "understandable need for young people, quality voluntary".

Brig Dennis said: "I am satisfied, regardless of any complacency avoid the the infantry community sufficient officer and soldier sent volunteers to selection."

"I am less confident about how we ensure better depth of quality, choice to increase prices pass."

"In fact, for each measure, to succeed you should that army action is necessary, if we choose success and the lasting quality of our community SF [special forces] to increase."

Defence cuts

Are the BBC defence correspondent Jonathan Beale saying there are concerns about the future of SAS way will already be Understrength.

They ensure through cuts in the army, as also the other services, announced in the Government defence review, be tightened up, our correspondent says.

This means that the SAS is to recruit a smaller pool of soldiers from the.

Former soldier in the SAS, which, the Robin Horsfall the BBC join the elite service no longer said, had the same appeal.

He said: "soldiers are see active service, they will see all active duty for long protracted periods of time."

"It was on the Battlefront is less tempting for them to take more dangerous situations with special forces, because they know, which battle is really want to."

Conservative MP Patrick Mercer said: "with the introduction of special ballistics system Regiment there are now more people fishing from the same pool."

He suggested, was one that could improve the quality of the special forces an increase in the numbers.

Mr Mercer, a former infantry officer, said it would be a "dire blow", if the quality of the British special forces damaged autumn and its reputation to be.

A spokesman for the Defense Ministry said: "we normally not on special forces Affairs commenting and we see no reason, change this policy on this occasion."

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Japan crisis: "We want the truth"

12 April 2011 last updated at 14: 23 GMT

Japan raised Emergency aid for the nuclear power plant in Fukushima to level Haas the highest on the international scale of nuclear accidents. Here, residents all over Japan reflect on the revised threat.

It has been a nightmare – the earthquake stopped all the time.

Marc: "I would be lying if I said I had complete faith in what the authorities tell"

The latest large - 7.1 and 6.6 - were big enough to their own aftershocks cause and one on the way new series of earthquakes in quick succession.

A lack of transparency about what exactly happens in the Fukushima Prefecture is my last vestige of peace ruin.

The fact that this accident have set them on the same level as Chernobyl, although it adds a different kind of incident - to the stress level.

And I would tell his if I said I had complete the authorities believing in what. We are given small pieces of information, we have us together patch.

My girlfriend and I have returned recently to this area. After the first explosion, we moved another 60 km (37 km) from the hotel away.

People are trying to get back to normal here. The Town Hall is off limits because of the quake damage, but they have completely moved Board of education in an evacuation, with desk and computer.

There are no longer queues for gasoline. More grocery stores open. But the largest department store is closed due to the damage, and there are fewer people on the streets.

The Japanese not try their nervousness despite the warning of the nuclear threat and several aftershocks map on the same day. Physically are used to the shock, but they are mentally stressed.

I'm beginning, my nerves lose a little bit to the latest news about the nuclear power plant.

I am from Singapore and have lived here for 10 years. Since the disaster, I chose to Japanese media reports believe and no plan whatsoever to leave the city.

I was worried about the radiation until a few weeks before. The media had gives the impression that everything was good, if they lived within the exclusion zone.

I'm losing confidence in what the media and the authorities tell.

I have a feeling that the authorities hold back information from us are. Some of my colleagues have expressed similar fears. Some are drinking from the faucet despite advice not allow Government stocking up on water and their children.

I have come back from a big supermarket. There were long queues and mineral water was sold-out despite the rule of one litre per household. I managed to get two small bottles mineral water.

I hear that many foreigners have left Japan. I understand her fear, but I hope that people all over the world think you believe most of the cities and towns in Japan.

A businessman, I am 56 years old lives in Hiroshima. I have lived here more than 50 years and my current House is only 200 m from the atomic bomb where fell.

Despite this nuclear attack here long life many people, in the 1980s and 1990s.

The Government has said that although the threat is high, the situation with the Fukushima plant the Chernobyl situation quite different.

Life is pretty normal here in Hiroshima. We were affected by the earthquake and are far removed from the nuclear power plant in Fukushima.

People naturally take care of her family. One of my sons is life and study in Tokyo. But he is not concerned about the situation there and will leave not the city.

Ayako: "what we want, is the truth about that, what really goes on"

I do not understand why our Government required the nuclear threat up to seven to increase at this time.

People in Japan are our lives in a normal way, since Quake - exhausted on 11 March, but we try. What we want is the truth, the truth about this, what is really on.

I heard an official televised say we ready must the possibility that things take a turn for the poor. Now, it is difficult to know what we to be prepared that should enter if they change the information to keep us.

I also have been following international media, and I believe there is world as our own press presents more information in the media.

Things are relatively normal in Gunma here, but there was a lot of aftershocks. You have done since Monday - every 15 to 30 minutes, was it is pretty scary.

We can about 200 kilometers (120 miles) from Fukushima, but the nuclear event is worrying. The problem with radiation is that it invisible, so that you do not know where it is.

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Japan solve nuclear crisis

12 April 2011 last updated at 13: 08 GMT Hidehiko Nishiyama, spokesman for Japan's nuclear and industrial Agency: 'This not, security is means people in danger' Japanese authorities assessing the severity of its nuclear crisis at the highest level raised seven.

The decision reflects the entire publication of radiation on the damaged Fukushima Daiichi power plant, which is in progress, rather than a sudden deterioration.

Level seven previously only on the Chernobyl disaster in 1986, where emits 10 times more radiation was applied.

Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan said radiation leaks at the plant were declining.

To the Tokyo Electric Power Co. (Tepco), which would provide for operators of the plant, soon a schedule getting it under control, he said at a press conference.

"Step by step, the reactors at the power plant of Fukushima Daiichi move towards stability," he said.

There were no fatalities through the holes in Fukushima, and risks to human health are as low enough.

In the meantime a 6.0 earthquake on Tuesday asked the operator of the installation, your staff to spaces. There was no other damage.

The aftershocks come a month after a huge Quake and North-East Japan tsunami, so that missing 13,228 dead and 14,529. More than 150,000 people have been made homeless.

Effects of leakage

The nuclear safety Commission by Japan announced in a statement, increasing the crisis at the site of Fukushima Daiichi was, adding that it was a preliminary assessment the further technical evaluation of specialists required.

Continue reading the most important story Richard Black environment correspondent of BBC News

Why the expansion? What does this, is that things in the work have worsened. Rather has Japan's nuclear and Agency for industrial (NISA) re-analysed data from the incident and decided to share the releases of radioactivity mean it seven in a level categorization slots.

Measured radioactivity is in Bequerels (Bq); a Terabequerel (TBq) is a million million.

Fukushima is event above the threshold to be considered as a level seven, although published an order of magnitude lower than the 5.2 million TBq from Chernobyl.

But telling that you nothing about the danger to people. Bequerels are a measure of the rate of radioactive decay - a nucleus per second.

On the other hand, Sieverts measure the expected medical effects of radiation which an individual is exposed to. And a variety of Bequerels not automatically translated into a huge amount of Sieverts.

The level seven means a "serious accident" with "larger follow" than the previous level, say officials.

"We the severity to seven have updated as the effects of radiation leaks from the air, vegetables, tap water and the ocean, has been widely used", said Minoru Oogoda of Japan's nuclear and industrial Agency (NISA), the Government of nuclear watchdog.

Reporting the decision of the Commission, said the IAEA previous level five reviews had separated in workplace accidents reactors 1, 2 and 3 was offered but now as a single event had been combined. Another affected unit, reactor 4, which has kept three rating level, it said.

An official of Tepco said that radiation leaks not completely stopped and not all can finally Chernobyl news agency Reuters reported.

But a nuclear safety said to Agency spokesman reporters that the leaks were still small in comparison in the plant in Ukraine, then part of the Soviet Union.

"In terms of volume of radioactive substances released, it shows our estimate is about 10% of Chernobyl, which appeared", he said.

The decision, which was to increase threat had estimated after radiation by up to 630,000 Terabequerels on the affected plants.

The main story level 7 read on: Chernobyl, Ukraine, 1986 - explosion and fire in the operating reactor, fallout over thousands of square kilometers, possible 4,000 cancer CasesLevel 7: Fukushima, 2011 - tsunami and earthquake may have caused damage of seismic activity on plant design. Long-term effects unknown level 6: Kyshtym, Russia, 1957 - explosion in which hundreds of cancer, contamination of hundreds of square KilometresLevel 5 waste water tank: Windscale, UK, 1957 - fire in the operating reactor, release of contamination of local area, possible 240 cancer CasesLevel 5: Three mile Iceland, United States, 1979 - instrument fault leads to major meltdown, the crisis on level seven on the international nuclear and radiological event scale (INES) would classify serious damage to reactor CoreThat.

It was not clear when it reaches level. The level reported for less than a Terabequerel one hour, then discarded.

In comparison, the Japanese Government, which was 5.2 million Terabecquerels release from Chernobyl said.

These measurements must not necessarily no effect on the likely medical impact on people measured in Sieverts.

The severity of Japan's nuclear crisis had previously to five, same as, established in 1979 by the accident in three mile Iceland in the United States.

The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant cooling systems have been damaged disaster last month and have workers fight to prevent several reactors from overheating.

Officials have warned that it several months before the situation at the nuclear facility is fully brought under control.

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VIDEO: What makes a level 7 nuclear crisis?

12 April 2011 last updated at 20: 54 GMT-help

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