MFS - The Other News

                      Morning   Posting.

• Live broadcast info from Japan directly ! Here.

• Libya Live Blog - April 02. Here .(Al-Jazeera)And  here (BBC).

• Sirya live blog - March 30  here.(Al -Jazeera).

• Updated !Earthquakes in the last 24 hours in the world seismic activity in Japan between 4.4 and 5.2 today. More info here.

• Latest official Situation Update No. 70. On 02.04.2011 at 12:02 GMT+2 .

Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO) said Saturday it had found radioactive water leaking into the sea from a cracked concrete pit at its No.2 reactor in Fukushima. Russian nuclear energy expert Natalia Mironova says that Fukushima disaster is “much bigger than Chernobyl.” The radiation in the pit was measured 1,000 millisieverts per hour, TEPCO said in a statement adding that they were planning to pour concrete into the pit to seal the crack, the Reuters reported. "With radiation levels rising in the seawater near the plant, we have been trying to confirm the reason why, and in that context, this could be one source. We are testing samples of water from the pit and from the sea near the plant, and we cannot really say for certain until we've studied the results," Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency Deputy Director Hidehiko Nishiyama said. Exposure to 500 millisieverts over a short period of time can increase the long-term risk of cancer. Meanwhile the Russian nuclear energy expert has assessed that Japan's unfolding nuclear disaster is "much bigger than Chernobyl" and could rewrite the international scale used to measure the severity of atomic accidents. "Chernobyl was a dirty bomb explosion. The next dirty bomb is Fukushima and it will cost much more" in economic and human terms, Mironova was cited by the agencies. Mironova is a thermodynamic engineer who became a leading anti-nuclear activist in Russia in the wake of the accident at the Soviet-built reactor in Ukraine in 1986. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) called Chernobyl "the most severe in the history of the nuclear power industry" and ranked it a seven on the International Nuclear Event Scale (INES), and “it had only one reactor and lasted only two weeks. We have now three weeks (at Fukushima) and we have four reactors which we know are in very dangerous situations," she warned. IAEA says the Fukushima is ranked five on the INES scale. Source .

• First clear pictures show the true devastation at the Fukushima nuclear plant as Japan flies unmanned drone over stricken reactor. Here .

• HT:WhyIAmACatholic.Because the Disciples Were Just Like You (Friday Funnies). Is Don Miller a Catholic? I don't think so, but as I've explained here before I don't hold that against anybody, especially when they are as funny as what I will be sharing with you here. See, he put together a wee list of traits of true disciplines of Christ. Guess what? You'll make the cut. Take a look,

Here are some actual characteristics of the disciples I think we can safely trust. If you resonate with any of these, you’re in a good spot and likely following Jesus:

1. You think Jesus wants to take over the government so you cut off a soldiers ear in order to get the fighting started. (The neo cons are definitely disciples!)
2. You keep pestering Jesus about who he will give more power to in heaven.
3. You have no theological training but own a small fishing business which somehow makes you qualified because you “get it.”
4. The Holy Spirit crashes into one of your mini sermons so everybody can speak different languages and outsiders think you’re drunk.
5. People ask you if you know Jesus and you freak out and say no and run away.
6. You hear they killed Jesus on a cross and you figure the whole thing was a wash and you got duped.
7. You choose other disciples by playing rock, paper scissors.
8. You teach bad theology and have to have somebody else come over and correct you.Hmmmm......9.You got a bunch of female followers who cook and do the laundry for you?Read the full story here.

• 'Like a gun-shot': Passengers tell of their terror as three-foot hole explodes above their heads in plane's cabin at 36,000ft.Southwest Airlines passengers have said they are lucky to be alive and spoken of their terror the moment a three-foot hole 'exploded' in their plane's fuselage, forcing them into a terrifying descent and emergency landing.The Southwest Flight 812 from Phoenix to Sacramento, with 118 passengers on board, descended into chaos at 36,000 feet when a bang that sounded like a 'gun-shot' tore through the cabin, sending terrified passengers reaching for oxygen masks that dropped in front of them.As cabin pressure dropped dramatically, a passenger and flight attendant passed out, banging their heads in the process, while others watched in fear.The plane then made what passengers called a ' terrifying but controlled descent' before landing safely at the Yuma Marine Corps Air Station around 4pm local time.Passenger Brenda Reese said she woke up to the 'gun-shot like sound' to see a gaping hole torn through the cabin roof, 'at the top of the plane, right where you store your luggage'.She said: 'The panel's not completely off. It's like ripped down, but you can see completely outside, you can see the sky.'Another passengers called the scene 'pandemonium' as two people fainted and others were crying from fear.The plane reportedly took 'four terrifying minutes' to dip from 36,000 to 11,000 feet.The cause of the hole was not immediately known. The FBI called it a 'mechanical failure', not an act of terror or other foul play.A passenger who gave her name as Cindy told CNN: 'They had just taken drink orders when I heard a huge sound and oxygen masks came down and we started making a rapid descent. They said we'd be making an emergency landing.'There was a hole in the fuselage about three feet long. You could see the insulation and the wiring. You could see a tear the length of one of the ceiling panels.'Other passengers told CNN it sounded as though an explosion had torn through the cabin.Julie O'Donnell, an aviation safety spokeswoman for Seattle-based Boeing Commercial Airplanes, confirmed 'a hole in the fuselage and a de-pressurization event' in the latest incident but declined to speculate on what caused it.Hmmmm......Aviation safety : 'Don't want to speculate'....FBI :'It's mechanical'...A hole blown where you store your hand luggage...why do i get the coverup feeling?Read the full story here.

• Facebook, Zuckerberg Sued for $1 Billion!Judicial and Freedom Watch Founder Alleges Misuse of “Social Network” In Threatening Jews with Death For Profit.Larry Klayman, the founder of Judicial Watch and Freedom Watch, and a U.S. Senate candidate in 2004, today filed suit against the "founder" of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook itself for their role in furthering a radical Palestinian page called "Third Intifada," which threatened Jews in particular with death. Mr. Klayman, who is of Jewish origin, is a prominent public interest advocate and as Chairman of Judicial Watch and now Freedom Watch has pursued court cases and other activities that involve radical Palestinians. He is also known to be a strong supporter of Israel, and has been called a "Zionist" publicly by radical Palestinians and other such Arabic interests. Mr. Klayman is thus a target of this call to kill Jews.

Over the course of the last week, Defendants were asked to take this Third Intifada and related sites down, but refused. Only in the last few days did they do so, after increased pressure was exerted by the Israeli government.

However, the damage had already been done and it is believed that this and other pages will soon reappear on Facebook.

As alleged in the complaint, one can explain the initial refusal to take down the page as an effort by the Zuckerberg and Facebook to increase the social network's net worth based on viewership and use. It is not in dispute that Facebook has profited handsomely by the turmoil in the Middle East.The complaint alleges assault and negligence, including willful and wanton conduct, gross negligence and recklessness on the part of the Defendants, as it has put Mr. Klayman's life at risk, as well as other similarly situated Jews who are prominent public figures and otherwise. The complaint reserves the right to be amended into a class action suit and prays for compensatory and punitive damages in excess of $1 Billion Dollars.

"While Facebook has accomplished a lot of good, it can, as in this instance, be used for nefarious and evil purposes. Defendants Zuckerberg's and Facebook's callous and greedy actions in not taking down the page, but willfully allowing it to stay up for many days, has caused huge damage, for which they must be held accountable, so as to prevent this from ever happening again. They must be not only enjoined but also hit in their purse, which is where they understand matters best. Apparently, the ethically compromised Zuckerberg has no conscience or sense of right or wrong, as depicted recently in the award winning film "Social Network."Hmmmm......Go get them tiger?read the full story here.

• Deadly protests against Quran burning reach Kandahar.Violent protests over the burning of a Koran in Florida flared for a second straight day, with young men rampaging through the streets of this southern capital, flying Taliban flags and wielding sticks. Eight people were killed and 61 injured in the disturbances, according to Zalmai Ayoubi, spokesman for the provincial governor. Kandahar has long been the heartland of the Taliban insurgency but has been relatively quiet in recent months since a surge of additional American troops arrived here. The protests here came a day after a mob overran the headquarters of the United Nations in Mazar-i-Sharif Friday, killing 12 persons, seven of them international staff. The mob gathered after three mullahs at Friday Prayer urged action in response to the Koran burning by a pastor, Terry Jones, in Florida on March 20. In Kandahar, several thousand young men, shouting slogans calling for death to Americans and to the Karzai government, were still rampaging after several hours on Saturday, setting tires aflame throughout the city, burning cars and attacking journalists trying to cover the disorder. Shops and businesses were closed and most people stayed off the street. Many of the protesters were waving the white flag of the Taliban.Mr. Ayoubi said the crowd attacked the Zarghona Ana High School for Girls, burning some classrooms and a school bus. The school is supported by the United States Agency for International Development. The Taliban have opposed girls' education. A spokesman for the American military in Kandahar, Lt. Col. Web Wright, said relatively small crowds were involved in the disturbances, with the biggest group of about 100 demonstrators gathered outside the governor's offices. So far, no coalition military had been targeted. "If we need to get involved we will, but now we're content to let the Afghan national security forces handle it," he said. Although Mazar-i-Sharif has little or no Taliban presence, Kandahar has significant numbers of residents who sympathize with the insurgents.Both Afghan and international news media had initially played down or ignored the action of Mr. Jones, the Florida pastor. This Thursday, however, President Hamid Karzai made a speech and issued statements condemning the Koran burning and calling for the arrest of Mr. Jones for his actions. On Friday that theme was picked up in mosques throughout Afghanistan. There is no provision in American law for arresting anyone for burning a Koran, or for that matter a Bible, which the courts would consider protected free speech. "Karzai brought this issue back to life, and he has to take some responsibility for starting this up," said a prominent Afghan businessman, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of concern over retribution if he was publicly critical of the president.Also on Saturday, a team of suicide bombers made an attempt to breach the front gate at an American military base in Kabul, Camp Phoenix, according to Mohammed Zahir, chief of the Criminal Investigation Division of the Kabul Police. Two of them were disguised as women, wearing full-length burqas, and two others were carrying small arms, he said. One of the burqa-clad bombers blew up at the gate of the camp, and the other managed to get about five yards inside the gate before also detonating. The other two attackers were shot and killed by guards before they could enter, he said. None of the defenders were injured or killed, authorities said.Hmmmm.....So it's Karzai stirring up the hatred?Read the full story here.

• HT:Aina.Argentine Judge: Turkey Caused 'Armenian Genocide'.Buenos Aires (AP) -- An Argentine judge says "the Turkish state committed the crime of genocide against the Armenian people" between 1915 and 1923.The ruling Friday also says Turkey should help an Armenian descendant living in Argentina learn the fate of more than 50 of his relatives who disappeared nearly a century ago.Many international experts say the killing of up to 1.5 million Armenians by Ottoman Turks around the time of World War I was genocide. Turkey maintains that far fewer died and due to civil war and unrest, rather than genocide.The Turkish Embassy in Buenos Aires has not immediately responded to a request for comment.Judge Norberto Oyarbide says his ruling is "declarative" only, with no value other than the truth.Hmmmm......Erdogan "Muslims don't commit genocide"?Read the full story here.More on the Armenian Genocide here.

• HT:Aina.400 Organizations From 22 European Countries Urge Obama to Recognize Genocide.Nearly 400 organizations from 22 European countries signed on to a letter launched by the European Armenian Federation urging the president of the United States to recognize the Armenian Genocide. The petition was submitted to the White House on April 3, the day before President Barack Obama's trip to Turkey; by then, 340 organizations had already co-signed the letter.

In it, the Federation reminds the president that "European Armenians as well as the large democratic mainstream of Europe's civil society will continue to strongly oppose Turkey's membership in the EU as long as the Turkish state denies the Armenian Genocide, promotes racism, and pursues a policy of discrimination towards its minorities." The Federation further notes that "the commitment that President Obama made to recognize the genocide will unleash the momentum of true change and democratization inside Turkey" and "will also provide an unprecedented momentum to the process of dialogue between Turkey and Armenia" by clearly stating "that denial of this crime against humanity will no longer be supported and that the way forward will definitely require of Turkey a fundamental commitment to just peace."

The European Armenian Federation concludes the letter by reminding that "any retreat by the United States at this defining moment would be interpreted by genocide-perpetrating governments as full license to continue their bloody acts and criminal complicity, as witnessed in Turkey's recent support for the Sudanese president who is under an arrest warrant by the International Criminal Court."

"President Obama has the opportunity to demonstrate a real political sea-change compared to his predecessors, by promoting a policy of ethical responsibility, respect, justice, and truth on this issue as well as others. The anticipation of this change has elicited tremendous enthusiasm in Europe and in the world. If the U.S. president does not affirm his commitment to recognize the Armenian Genocide, Europeans would view it as a disappointing affirmation of the same old tactical schemes and maneuvers which so harmed the United States these last years," said Hilda Tchoboian, the chairperson of the European Armenian Federation.

Recent rumors of "understandings" between Turkey and a hostage Armenia (Turkey has blockaded Armenia for more than 15 years), are intended to cast doubts on what Obama will say on April 24, she added.

"The Armenian Genocide is an established fact that is independent of any 'understanding' between Armenia and Turkey. Likewise, the condemnation and repression of this crime is essential in all countries independent of political circumstances because it is about a crime that is indefeasible and that struck the whole of Humanity," she said, adding that the recognition by the United States and other countries of an unpunished genocide with the purpose of its reparation by the criminal state constitutes an obligation under international law.The list of signatory associations is available by visiting the website of the European Armenian Federation, at http://www.eafjd.eu/.Hmmmm......There's in my opinion no way on Earth that Obama will upset his buddy Erdogan,especially after Erdogan declared that "Muslims don't commit genocide"."I will stand with my muslim brothers".Read the full story here.

• Saudi Arabia Dismisses Iran Shura Statement as ‘Irresponsible’.Saudi Arabia dismissed as “irresponsible” a statement released by the Iranian Shura Council describing the kingdom’s policy in the Gulf region as “playing with fire,” the Saudi Press Agency reported late yesterday, citing an unidentified official. The Iranian Shura Council’s national security and foreign policy committee called on Saudi Arabia to withdraw its troops from neighboring Bahrain, the news service said, citing the individual. The troops are part of the Peninsula Shield Force, a Gulf Cooperation Council military coalition established to protect the six member states from outside attack.The Iranian committee ignored Bahrain’s right to use the joint GCC force to preserve the island’s security and peace, SPA cited the official as saying. The Iranian statement failed to mention Iran’s “blatant” interference in the affairs of Kuwait, SPA said, citing the individual. Troops from the GCC, including Saudi Arabia, moved into Bahrain on March 14, the first cross-border intervention since a popular uprising broke out on the island in February.Hmmmmm......The scorpion against the snake?Read the full story here. More here.

• Act like a tourist: this is Syria.It was one week ago Friday when clashes broke out near the main mosque in the old city of Damascus. And while we have permission from the president’s office to film around the city, the security apparatus in this country is so extensive, it often operates independently without the knowledge of those at the topYou may have permission, but still end up being detained. With all the recent detentions, and warnings from the US state department and governments of other countries, we did not want to take our large camera out in the city on such a day.Looking around the square outside our hotel this morning, it was clear. The secret police were not being so secret, standing on every corner in groups of eight to ten.The first sign of trouble was spotted on the edge of the old city. Men, grouped in dozens, stood on the side of the street holding wooden batons. They were dressed in plain clothes but had the look of Syrian secret police. Even in a crowd it’s usually easy to spot secret police. Sometimes the radio is a dead give away, although this group seemed to make some attempt to blend in - aside from the wooden implements of destruction, of course.We made our way to a coffee shop near to the mosque and waited for the call to prayer. We sat and sipped coffee talking about what a nice day it was. Everyone around you is always listening here, and it’s clear that the secret police were already onto us.Once the call to prayer was over, we started walking the old streets of the souq. At one point I noticed we were being followed, so we ducked into a souvenir shop. They didn’t buy it, waiting for us around the next corner. So we doubled back on the mosque using one of the many narrow alleyways.As we approached the main square that lies in front of the mosque, we could hear the faint sound of chanting. As we came around the corner we saw a few hundred people gathered tightly together chanting pro-Assad slogans. It was clear that this demonstration was pre-planned and was happening right in front of the throngs of secret police.I managed to snap off a couple of quick pictures. Occasionally, Afaf would step in front of me to give the appearance I was taking a picture of her. I managed to get a few snaps of some of the uniformed security guards - without them noticing and shutting our mini-trip down.Hmmmm.....Assad is a reformer,well so say Erdogan and Hillary.Read the full story here.

• HT:RedState.Iraq vs. Libya: A Graphic Interpretation.Read and SEE the full story here.

• BERMAN: Obama’s selective outrage.President backs freedom for some but not for others.By most objective standards, President Obama’s Libya speech can be considered a success. After weeks of comparative silence, the president’s address - delivered on March 28 before the National Defense University - was as spirited a defense of America’s decision to intervene forcefully in Libya as any we have seen to date. So much so, in fact, that it raised eyebrows in many quarters. “Serious question,” one foreign policy observer asked wryly on Twitter in the wake of the president’s remarks. “Who did the neocons have to trade to get Barack Obama on their team?”

Indeed, with his newfound emphasis on humanitarian intervention, pro-democracy activism and the use of force, Mr. Obama these days sounds a great deal like his predecessor. Upon closer inspection, however, the similarities break down. The George W. Bush administration, in its 2003 national security strategy, boldly proclaimed a “forward strategy that favors freedom” - an idea that subsequently served as the cornerstone of its ambitious effort to remake the Middle East. The approach of the current White House, by contrast, can be described more accurately as supporting freedom for some, but not for all.Take Mr. Obama’s contention, articulated in his Libya speech, that “when our interests and values are at stake, we have a responsibility to act.” A nice sentiment, to be sure, but a deeply problematic one, especially given that the Libyan scenario isn’t unique - quite the contrary, in fact. The brutality of Col. Moammar Gadhafi’s regime is commonplace in a region riddled with authoritarian governments and repressive juntas. Yet Washington, under Mr. Obama, has shied away from taking up the issues of these iniquities in other corners of the Middle East. Nor has it weighed in decisively in favor of the anti-regime stirrings in many of those same places.

Iran is a case in point. Recent weeks have seen a resurgence of the widespread grass-roots protests that erupted within the Islamic republic following President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s fraudulent re-election in June 2009. Unlike in the past, Mr. Obama has responded positively to these developments and taken a stand in support of Iran’s opposition forces. In his latest message, commemorating the Persian New Year, the president told the Iranian people in no uncertain terms that he supported their “freedom of peaceful assembly and association; the ability to speak your mind and choose your leaders.”But that appears to be where the administration’s endorsement ends. At least so far, there is little indication that Mr. Obama’s support is anything other than notional - or that his government is prepared to commit any real political, economic or military resources in support of the cause of freedom within Iran.On Syria, Team Obama has done even less.Hmmmm......Read the full story here.

• HT:TundraTabloids.UK police issues warning of possible threat to EDL leaders on eve of demo in Blackburn.Ring of steel around Blackburn. Aeneas has just called in from Blackburn where the EDL demo takes place today. The police have erected 8ft high steel barricades around the town to keep everyone in place. Tommy and Kev have been issued with “Osman” orders, i.e. the police cannot guarantee their safety which is left to their own responsibility”Hmmm....."The police can not guarantee their safety"?Makes you wonder what they will manage for the Royal wedding considering the number of deadly threats?Read the full story here.

• India - FIR against Poonam Pandey who vowed to strip if India wins World Cup.Balrampur (Uttar Pradesh): Complying with a court order, an FIR was lodged against model Poonam Pandey, who had reportedly said she would bare all if India win the World Cup cricket final on Saturday, on the charge of obscenity.The FIR was registered against the model at Balrampur Dehat police station after Chief Judicial Magistrate Subhash Chandra issued an order to this effect, taking suo motu cognizance of media reports about her announcement, police sources said.The Kingfisher model said this would be her way of expressing support to Team India.Hmmm..........You might loose for other reasons then this?Read the full story here