JAPAN

UPDATE: JAPAN NUCLEAR REACTORProgress was being made yesterday on the tsunami-damaged nuclear complex in Japan, officials said. The operator of the overheated Fukushima Dai-ichi plant said two of the six reactor units were safely cooled down. And according to Deputy Cabinet Secretary Tetsuro Fukuyama, officials “are very close to getting the situation under control.” The crisis is far from over, though. There was a buildup in pressure inside the vessel holding Unit 3's reactor, meaning plant operators may need to deliberately release radioactive steam. It has also just been announced that workers have been evacuated after smoke was seen rising from one of the reactors. Japan’s Health Ministry announced late yesterday that tests detected excess amounts of radiation on canola and chrysanthemum greens. The government has already halted shipments of tainted spinach from one area and raw milk from another near the nuclear plant. Meanwhile yesterday, a teenager and his grandmother were found alive, nine days after becoming trapped in their earthquake-shattered home.  Jin Abe, 16, and 80-year-old Sumi Abe had survived on the food they had in their refrigerator. The death toll from the March 11 quake and ensuing tsunami now stands at more than 8,100. You can text the word REDCROSS to the number 90999 to donate $10 toward the relief efforts.