MFS - The Other News

                        Morning Posting.

• Live broadcast info from Japan directly ! Here.

• Libya Live Blog - April 27. Here .(Al-Jazeera).

• Syria Live Blog - April 27. Here (Al-Jazeera).

• Updated !Earthquakes in the last 24 hours in the world low seismic activity in Japan  today between 4.9 and 5.0! More info here.

• Japan - Latest official Situation Update No. 100.On 26.04.2011 at 16:23 GMT+2
  
  Japan's nuclear safety agency said Tuesday that water may be leaking from a reactor containment at the quake-damaged Fukushima nuclear plant, likely hampering efforts to cool down its fuel. 'We are currently examining data, but we think that there is water leakage to some extent,' Hidehiko Nishiyama, the agency's spokesman, told a news conference. Data suggested the leak at reactor 1 was caused by nitrogen being injected into the container to reduce the risks of hydrogen explosions, Kyodo News reported citing the agency. Remote-controlled robots were to enter the building later Tuesday to observe the primary reactor container, Nishiyama said. Officials from plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO) did not notice signs of any leakage in earlier data collected by the robots. Meanwhile, Industry Minister Banri Kaieda ordered TEPCO to report data on the plant's reactors, such as pressure and temperature, taken during the immediate aftermath of the March 11 earthquake. 'There was about an hour until a tsunami hit the plant after the quake. So we believe that some of the data remain at the site,' Nishiyama said.
  
  TEPCO has so far released post-quake data starting about five hours after the 2:46 pm (0546 GMT) quake. The data is believed to be inside the plant's central control rooms where radiation levels are still high, Kyodo said. The levels of radioactive water in reactors have risen over the past month, public broadcaster NHK reported, citing TEPCO. The levels of caesium-134 and -137 increased about 250-fold and iodine-131 increased about 12 times in the basement of the turbine building of reactor number 4. That level of contamination requires TEPCO to prioritize the transfer or disposal of the rapidly rising water. Highly contaminated water in some of the plant's six reactors has prevented workers from restoring key cooling functions at the plant. TEPCO is currently transferring highly radioactive water from the trench of reactor number 2 to a temporary storage facility. In Tokyo, farmers affected by the nuclear fallout staged a protest in front of the TEPCO headquarters, demanding the company put the plant under control and compensate them as soon as possible.
  
  Some 200 farmers from Fukushima, Chiba, Ibaraki and other prefectures joined in the protest, displaying vegetables and milk cows, shipments of which have been banned due to radiation concerns, NHK reported. With Tuesday marking the 25th anniversary of the 1986 Chernobyl disaster in Ukraine, the Japanese government said the nation had taken advantage of lessons learned in the aftermath of the accident to cope with its own ongoing nuclear crisis. 'The studies and research on what kind of health problems could emerge based on Chernobyl have become an asset and knowledge shared by all humanity,' Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said. Source : Here .

• Japan  : For the most accurate info on the nuclear disaster go to : Paul Langley's Nuclear History Blog

• RSOE Emergency and Disaster Information Service - Event : Epedemic Measles virus .As of 18 Apr 2011, 33 countries in Europe have reported more than 6500 measles cases. Epidemiological investigations and genotyping have confirmed transmission of measles virus among several countries in the Region and to the Americas. Affected countries:

- Belgium - Bulgaria - France - Serbia - Spain - Macedonia - Turkey - Netherlands - Norway - Romania - Russian Federation - Switzerland - United Kingdom

Belgium has reported 100 cases to date, compared to 40 cases in all of 2010. Bulgaria has reported 131 cases this year, compared to 24 000 cases in 2009-10. France reported 4 937 cases from January to March 2011, compared to 5 090 cases reported in all of 2010. In Serbia, nearly 300 cases have been reported from Leskovac in the southeastern part of the country. Spain has reported 2 ongoing measles outbreaks since October 2010, with more than 600 cases reported in Andalusia. In the 1st outbreak, the most affected areas are Sevilla and surrounding municipalities, where more than 350 measles cases have been reported since January 2011. Cases of measles are reported among health care workers as well. The 2nd outbreak was reported in the province of Granada, where about 250 cases have been reported since October 2010.Read the full story here.

• Breaking - Fatah, Hamas hammer out reconciliation deal.(Jpost).Parties reach agreement on intern government, set a date for elections; Hamas says all points of contention have been solved, Fatah and Hamas leaders will soon be invited together to Cairo for additional talks.Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah movement and its rival Hamas said on Wednesday they had resolved their deep divisions, opening the way for a unity government and national elections. The deal, which took many officials by surprise, was thrashed out in Egypt and followed a series of secret meetings. The two groups hammered out an agreement, setting the stage for forming an interim government as well as fixing a date for a general election. The accord was first reported by Egypt's intelligence service, which brokered the talks.In a statement carried by the Egyptian state news agency MENA, the intelligence service said the deal was hatched by a Hamas delegation led by Moussa Abu Marzouk, deputy head of the group's politburo, and Fatah Central Committee member Azzam al-Ahmad."The consultations resulted in full understandings on all points of discussions, including setting up an interim agreement with specific tasks and to set a date for election," the statement said.It said the agreement would allow Egypt to invite all Palestinian factions to sign a national reconciliation agreement in Cairo in the next few days.Spokespeople for both Hamas and Fatah confirmed that "all differences" have been worked out between the long-feuding Palestinians political movements.A spokesperson for Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said that Hamas has agreed to hold elections within a year, a part of the reconciliation deal it signed in Cairo."The two sides signed initial letters on an agreement. All points of differences have been overcome," Taher Al-Nono, the Hamas government spokesman in Gaza, said.The delegation, headed by Musa Abu Marzouk, deputy head of Hamas’s political bureau, met with Egyptian Foreign Minister Nabil Elaraby and members of the ruling military council.At the same time that the Hamas delegation was meeting with officials in Cairo, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas sat down with an Egyptian diplomat in Ramallah.In the meeting with Egyptian Ambassador to the PA Yasser Othman, Abbas said, "Egypt is the backbone of our people's aspirations toward having an independent state with Jerusalem as its capital," official Palestinian Authority news agency WAFA reported.Abbas's meeting in Ramallah had the same agenda as Hamas's in Cairo: reconciliation between Fatah and Hamas rulers in the Gaza Strip.Hmmmm....The pending War in the Middle East has just taken a giant leap!Read the full story here.

• President Obama's Long Form Birth Certificate released. The President believed the distraction over his birth certificate wasn’t good for the country. It may have been good politics and good TV, but it was bad for the American people and distracting from the many challenges we face as a country. Therefore, the President directed his counsel to review the legal authority for seeking access to the long form certificate and to request on that basis that the Hawaii State Department of Health make an exception to release a copy of his long form birth certificate. They granted that exception in part because of the tremendous volume of requests they had been getting.Here .More here.

• Open Letter to Anderson Cooper of CNN. THE MAINSTREAM MEDIA’S SHAMEFUL CHARADE.(ThePost&Email).Open Letter to Anderson Cooper of CNN

First, the Constitutional requirement is a ‘natural born citizen’ which requires two, that would be one, two, citizens of the United States to be the parents of the child. Obama Sr. was NEVER a citizen.Go back to all the hubub surrounding Senate Resolution 511 regarding McCain. Both Senators Leahy, and McCaskil, along with Secretary Chertoff (also a former Judge), and others all agreed, and it is on the record, that ‘natural born citizen’ requires TWO citizen parents.That is issue one.

Issue two, he (Obama, or Soetoro, or whoever) never had his own American passport before he received a diplomatic passport as a US Senator. He had travelled on his mother’s US passport, which is quite common for kids. That being the case, how did he get into Indonesia, and Pakistan in the early 80′s? Well, it turns out he went there on his INDONESIAN passport, which he received (as a juvenile who had become an Indonesian citizen) before Mom shipped him off to Hawaii to be with granny and gramps. He couldn’t get an American passport, as he could not PROVE American citizenship. His Indonesian passport was about to run out, and had to be renewed before he could embark on his travels with his Pakistani boyfirend, Mohammed Hasan Chandoo. He was an adult at the time, and the process of getting or renewing a passport from another country (Indonesdia) would have required that he admit he was a citizen of that country. Whoops. Can’t be president of the USA if you are a citizen of Indonesia. And have you people, in all of your very extensive and thorough investigation (yeah, right) of this issue discovered when and in what ceremony he NATURALIZED as an American Citizen after going to Pakistan on an Indonesian passport? Have you discovered in what court he legally changed his name while going to Occidental from Barry Soetoro Soebarkah to Barack Hussein Obama?I didn’t think so. Don’t waste your time looking. Neither event ever happened. This fraud is an Indonesian citizen, even now, and his name is NOT Barack Hussein Obama I, II, or X.Oh, by the way, his half sister, Maya Soetoro Ng was definitely born in Indonesia. To an Indonesian father. She was an Indonesian citizen at birth. Can you explain how it is possible for her to also have a Hawaiian COLB, just like her big bro, ‘Barack’?No? Didn’t think so.But she does.Rob Lamb.Hmmm.....BRAVO !Source.

• 61 Libyan tribes call for Gadhafi to go as fighting rages.(Hurriyetdaily).Chiefs or representatives of 61 tribes from across Libya call for an end to Moammar Gadhafi's rule, in a joint statement as Libyan rebels appear to be gaining ground against the regime, the British defense minister says, despite a deadly attack on Misrata port by the Gadhafi forces. US and UK, meanwhile, paint an optimistic picture of the conflict.Libya's tribes issued a statement on Wednesday calling for Moammar Gadhafi to cede power, after rebels fighting to oust the strongman were said to be gaining ground.Chiefs or representatives of 61 tribes from across the North African country called for an end to Gadhafi's four-decade rule in a joint statement released by French writer Bernard-Henri Levy. "Faced with the threats weighing on the unity of our country, faced with the maneuvers and propaganda of the dictator and his family, we solemnly declare: Nothing will divide us," said the text, drawn up in Benghazi on April 12. "We share the same ideal of a free, democratic and united Libya," it said."It is still hard for NATO to catch them. Gadhafi is staying far from the centre because it is safe for him," he said, warning that losing the port would be a "real disaster," leaving civilians stranded without aid. He warned Gadhafi could take "revenge" on the city that rose up against him on Feb. 19, two days after Benghazi."This is the culture of Gadhafi: revenge, revenge, revenge. If this port fell down, what will happen to civilians is the question?" The African Union meanwhile urged an end to military actions targeting senior Libyan officials and key infrastructure, after the United States and Britain had said it was legitimate to strike Gadhafi's compound, as NATO did two days ago.Read the full story here.

• CIA boss after five days of secret talks with Erdogan to be new US defence secretary. Leon Panetta will take over following Robert Gates' retirement later this year.CIA director Leon Panetta will become US defence secretary and be replaced at the spy agency's helm by General David Petraeus, current head of military operations in Afghanistan, ABC News reported on Wednesday.Panetta, a 72-year-old Democratic politician, lawyer and professor will take over from Robert Gates following his planned retirement this year. President Barack Obama will also nominate veteran diplomat Ryan Crocker as the next US ambassador to Afghanistan, according to an NBC News report.The moves comes as Turkish news agency Sabah released a report Tuesday on secret 5-day meetings held in Ankara at the end of March between CIA Director Leon Panetta and Turkey’s national intelligence agency, the Milli Istihbarat Teskilati (MIT). According to the report,

During the meetings, apprehensions regarding the developments in the region were relayed to Panetta. Details were shared on Turkish-Israel relations, joint intelligence between Turkey-USA and Iraq as well as on collaboration with Afghanistan and the PKK terrorist organization’s recent activities.As the uprisings in Syria were assessed as being at a ‘critical threshold’, during meetings it was also emphasized that the demonstrations by the Syrian public could be characterized as being Sunni. It was emphasized that a balance must be met between leader Bashar Assad and the Sunni opposition. It was determined that Nusayri, considered to be an element of ‘deep state’, was influential in Assad’s decisions and should he not take an immediate step towards reforms, then the nation could be drawn into serious internal strife.Sabah’s English translation of the report suggests, additionally, that Turkey provided the U.S. with details -referred to as ‘Secret Code’- which involve providing protection for Assad and his family should Syria experience a regime change. While it appears then that contingency plans for Assad’s topple are ready, Obama has so far refused to call directly for him to step down.Hmmmm.....Since when is Turkey dictating US foreign policy?Lately the obama regime talks more to Erdogan then to Congress.Are there plans to put UN troops on Israeli soil?Read the full story here.

• Obama found a quick way to crash the economy overnight ,lets raise the gas prices!(Foxnews).Obama asks Congress to abolish tax breaks for oil companies.Washington – President Barack Obama on Tuesday proposed to Congress the abolition of tax breaks enjoyed by the petroleum sector and using that money to develop clean sources of energy.High gas prices "are weighing on the minds and pocketbooks of every American family," he said in a letter sent to the leaders of both houses of Congress.The president's recommendation, which he had already set forth in his budget proposal for 2010, came one day after House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) said that he was ready to "consider" abolishing the tax exemptions.Obama said that he had been heartened" by Boehner's remarks, adding that "our political system has for too long avoided and ignored this important step, and I hope we can come together in a bipartisan manner to get it done."Despite all this, Obama warned that there is no "silver bullet" to solve in the short term the problem of rising oil prices, which at present are breaking records because of political uncertainty in the Middle East, among other reasons.The rise in oil prices has reduced Obama's popularity, according to the latest polls, which show that less than 50 percent of the electorate approve of his job performance.Hmmmm.....Trying to blame Boehner for the high gas prices,how childish.Read the full madness here.

• Superb: President Obama unilaterally overrides Congress to permit unchecked Mexican trucks carrying heaven knows what into the U.S.(Townhall).Barack Obama's deal with the president of Mexico to allow Mexican trucks to carry their loads onto U.S. highways and roads is new evidence of his high-handed solo behavior that has become Standard Operating Procedure in the administration.Barack Obama's deal with the president of Mexico to allow Mexican trucks to carry their loads onto U.S. highways and roads is new evidence of his high-handed solo behavior that has become Standard Operating Procedure in the administration. Here are 10 reasons why Obama's plan is dangerous and must be stopped by Congress and public protest.

1. Obama's deal with President Felipe Calderon, announced on March 3, bypasses Congress, defies the wishes of the American people, and looks like the action of a Third World dictator who thinks representative government is a nuisance and can be ignored. Congress made its wishes emphatically clear in 2007 when it voted to continue our ban on Mexican trucks. The House roll-call vote was 411 to 3, and the Senate's was 75 to 23.

2. Obama's deal is a direct attack on the jobs available to U.S. truck drivers because it helps big-business interests cut their costs by hiring cheaper Mexican drivers. Obama's deal is also an attack on small business (i.e., the owner-operated and independent truck drivers) who constitute the big majority of U.S. trucks.

3. The claim that Obama's deal is reciprocal (i.e., U.S. trucks will be allowed to drive into Mexico) is so cynical that we can hardly believe anyone says it with a straight face. "South of the border down Mexico way" (in the words of the old popular song) is the most dangerous war zone in the world (more dangerous than Afghanistan or Libya), where U.S. truck drivers would become the targets of hijackings, theft, murder, kidnappings and even beheadings committed by the drug cartels.

4. Built into the Obama deal is the sneaky imposition of costs on both U.S. truck drivers and U.S. taxpayers. Each truck will be required to install an EOBR (electronic on-board recorder) costing $3,000 plus maintenance fees: U.S. drivers at their own expense and Mexican trucks as a gift from U.S. taxpayers paid out of the Highway Trust Fund. U.S. taxpayers are already paying $1,600 each for many Mexican trucks to replace their old mufflers with catalytic converters.

5. Obama's deal will make it easy for Mexican trucks to bring in loads of illegal aliens and illegal drugs. Border inspection will be a farce, maybe only one in 10 trucks inspected, perhaps merely one in 20.Don't let anybody get by with saying that NAFTA requires us to admit Mexican trucks because it's a treaty. It isn't -- NAFTA never complied with the treaty provision in the U.S. Constitution and is merely a law passed by Congress that can be changed or overturned. Tell your member of Congress to take action to cancel Obama's truck deal with the Mexican president. Solo deals like this one cannot be tolerated under constitutional government.Hmmmm.....Democracy or DICTATORSHIP? Read the rest of the points here.

• Catastrophe: State pension systems $1.26T in the red -- up 26% in one year.(DougRoss). suspect that the members of America's public sector unions will be nonplussed to discover that their platinum-plated benefits have all the likelihood of surviving as Tyrannosaurus Rex. Pew Research reports that these pensions, by and large, are headed right into the tarmac.States are $1.26 trillion in the hole when it comes to their pension and retiree health obligations, according to a report released Tuesday.....And taxpayers are ultimately on the hook for this shortfall, which soared 26% in one year......States are largely responsible for this predicament. As tax revenues plummeted, many skipped part or all of their annual retiree benefits contributions as they struggled to pay for education, Medicaid and other services.States only contributed a total of 64% of the nearly $115 billion their actuaries recommended they put in their pension funds for that year, the center said. They now face a $660 billion gap in these accounts... Meanwhile states socked away a mere 36% of the recommended $47 billion in funding for their retiree health and other benefits. Even more concerning -- 19 states have saved nothing for these obligations, instead of paying the costs as they are incurred, the Pew Center said...A commenter observes that ""Pennsylvania retired teachers receive 80% of their working salary and some receive free health care insurance for life. And, a 35 year 'pension/career' in teaching is the equivalent of about 28 years on the job in the private sector... There's not one company in the private sector, none, that allows you to retire with that exorbitant package - not one. No wonder states are flat broke. We're approaching the tipping point."Approaching? I think we're well past it, folks. And to minimize the economic damage, we've got to contain the Statists and begin rolling back their insane fiscal policies.Hmmmm.......Read the full story here.

• ROOT: The Marxist in the mirror,Obama publicly declares war on capitalism.(WashingtonTimes).It’s official. President Obama has declared war on capitalism, which is funny because he never officially declared war on Libya. But our fearless Marxist-in-chief reserves a special brand of hatred for capitalism, entrepreneurship and rich people. Just days ago, Mr. Obama publicly blamed “speculators” for the rising price of gas. Mr. Obama publicly announced a war on speculators and speculation, imposing the Justice Department, government lawyers, Cabinet heads and the whole Big Brother kitchen sink on this “evil” bunch of capitalists.Well I have news for you, Mr. Obama. You better go after many other Americans, too: home buyers, stock buyers, gold buyers, art buyers, classic-car buyers, wholesalers, small-business owners and investors. Because everyone who risks money to buy things and attempts to resell later at a profit is a speculator.By going after oil speculators, Mr. Obama is setting the stage to go after every businessman and woman in America, seeking to redefine profits as either immoral or criminal, and targeting, demonizing and punishing the people who invest in America, courageously take financial risk and create most new jobs.Why is Mr. Obama engaging in class warfare? Because :

A) he has to blame and demonize someone for his failures;

B) he has to distract American consumers and voters from a failing economy and $5 per gallon gas; and

C) most investors and speculators are fiscal conservatives, many of whom contribute to Mr. Obama’s political opposition.

Perhaps El Presidente is much too busy looting producers to watch the movie “Atlas Shrugged.”

So, let’s teach our Marxist-in-chief an economics lesson. Speculation is the underpinning of our entire economy, the very foundation of capitalism. It’s what has made America the greatest nation in world history. Profit - the end result of speculation - is why Americans are willing to take risks with their hard-earned money. It’s why they invest in business, which creates jobs for Americans.Here’s one more economics lesson for you, Mr. Obama. You know why the price of gas is going up? Just look at the Marxist in the mirror. It’s your refusal to issue permits for oil drilling that has allowed the speculators to bet the price of oil up. It’s your federal taxes on each gallon of gasoline that are actually higher than the profit for each gallon earned by ExxonMobil. It’s your Federal Reserve printing unlimited sums of fake money to pay for your irresponsible spending that makes our dollars lose value and therefore, raises the price of gas. Look in the mirror, Mr. President - you are the problem, not speculation nor capitalism. It’s the Marxist in the mirror that is responsible.It’s time to stop Mr. Obama before his gangster government shuts down all forms of enterprise. Before all the money is stolen, extorted or redistributed from the productive class to the entitlement class in naked vote-buying schemes. Before Mr. Obama declares profits a dirty word, before speculation, investing and profit-taking become a crime in Mr. Obama’s Marxist States of America. It’s time to recognize that this president is anathema to the freedoms and ideals of our Founding Fathers and send this Wesley Mouch (the villain from “Atlas Shrugged,” a typical government bureaucrat who cripples the economy) to early retirement.Hmmmm......."Sincerely We the people"?Read the full story here.

• Obama’s Sordid Past Back in the News.(BigGovernment).There is an old saying in politics: “What’s old is new.” And with a presidential election around the corner, some of Obama’s sordid connections are now back in the news and being investigated with renewed fervor.Of course, if you’ve been following the news, you know billionaire businessman and star of the show Celebrity Apprentice, Donald Trump, has been banging the drums the loudest on some of these issues. The press has focused heavily on his criticism of Obama on the subject of his birth certificate, an issue first raised by supporters of Hillary Clinton that continues to dog the president. But there were other comments by Trump last week that caught my attention, specifically Obama’s ties to Antoin “Tony” Rezko and William Ayers.As Newsmax reported, Trump suggested the unrepentant terrorist Bill Ayers wrote Obama’s book “Dreams of My Father.” (Though the terrorist may have been joking, Ayers actually said the same thing in a speech at Montclair State University last month.) Judicial Watch has highlighted Obama’s ties to radicals such as Ayers, race-baiter “Reverend” Jeremiah Wright and convicted felon Rezko. But the Big Media (and too many Republicans) seems uninterested that Obama was a close ally and funder of an unrepentant terrorist or entered into a shady real estate deal with Rezko, who everyone knew at the time to be under criminal investigation. So it is good that Trump highlighted the corruption issue that is so important to Judicial Watch and the hundreds of thousands of Americans who support our cause: “So you got Reverend Wright, you got Bill Ayers, you got Tony Rezko. He drops these guys, and the press leaves him alone,” Trump told Fox News Channel’s Sean Hannity.While Trump may be just now coming to some new revelations regarding Obama’s suspect ties, Judicial Watch has been investigating them for years. In fact, we put boots on the ground in Chicago to get to the truth in the matter. Now that these characters are back in the news, I think it’s a good idea to review some of what we’ve already uncovered.The point of this review is this: Obama’s suspicious connections were important in 2008. And they’re just as important now, especially since the press has let Obama completely off the hook over these concerns. It’ll be interesting to see what happens this time around, now that Trump is using his various public vehicles to raise these issues once again. (Judicial Watch does not endorse candidates for public office.)The fact that Trump is doing so well in the polls should be a signal to both Democrats and Republicans that corruption matters.Hmmmm......."The truth will emerge,even if the crows have to tell"?Why did both Obama's put their Law Licence on 'inactive'?Read the full story here.

• Four Ethiopian Muslims Beat Evangelist to Death, Assault His Pregnant Wife.(Aina).Washington -- International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that on April 21 four Muslims beat an evangelist to death and assaulted his pregnant wife in Worabe, Ethiopia, an area that is 97% Muslim.The Muslims lured Evangelist Abraham Abera from Kale Hiwot Church, his home and place of ministry, at 9:30 p.m. They told him that his friend was sick and needed his immediate attention. Abraham left with the men; they turned on him and began to beat him with rods. The minister's wife, Birtukan, saw the men attack her husband and ran to intervene, but the Muslims beat her as well.Abraham died on the spot and his wife, who sustained a severe head injury, was left unconscious in the street. She was found and taken to a hospital in Butajira, where she regained consciousness on April 22nd and was able to recount the details of the attack. Birtukan spoke with an ICC source and said that she knew two of the attackers. She said that as the Muslims were beating her and her husband, they told them, "You (Christians) are growing in number in our area. You are spreading your message (the gospel). We will destroy you."Though Birtukan did suffer injuries to her mid-section, her unborn baby did fortunately survive the attack.The attackers still remain at large. A Christian leader in the area told ICC that the men may not be arrested because the local officials are also Muslims. "Christians in Worabe and its surrounding areas are persecuted at the hands of Muslim radicals, and the local government officials, who are Muslims, don't protect Christians. We urge the higher government authorities [state and federal officials] to intervene and protect us," said the Christian leader."The brutal killing of Evangelist Abraham and the beating of his wife, Birtukan, is deeply troubling. We urge the federal government authorities to investigate this latest attack as well as reports of persecution against Christians in the Silte zone," said Jonathan Racho, ICC's Regional Manager for Africa.Hmmmm........The religion of peace.Read the full story here.

• Report: New Gaza flotilla postponed.(Ynet).IHH claims delay due to Turkish elections in June, but reports cite trouble recruiting activists.Pro-Palestinian activists organizing the next Gaza flotilla said Tuesday they are having a hard time recruiting activists, vessels and crew members.Apparently many fear a confrontation with the Israeli naval commandoes after eight Turks and one Turkish-American died during an IDF raid last May onboard the Mavi Marmara, according to reports making their way to the political echelon in Jerusalem. The sea convoy was set to sail to the Gaza Strip in late May, the first anniversary of the raid, but it could be delayed, partly because it clashes with Turkish election campaigning.IHH officials, an Islamic aid group that operates the Mavi Marmara, announced they plan to postpone the flotilla until after the June 12 parliamentary elections.IHH, which says it plans to send 100 to 150 people on the flotilla, is inclined to launch its ship after the vote for fear controversy could disrupt the election debate. The group communicates closely with the Turkish government, but says it does not need "permission" to send its boat to Gaza. However recent reports claimed there is another reason for the delay: Many of the activists who signed up for the mission canceled after learning the flotilla is illegal and might lead to their arrest by Israel.It also turns out the Turkish organizers have been largely unsuccessful in raising donations to fund the operation. Many ship owners refused to loan their vessels for the cause, fearing they might be confiscated by Israel. Now the activists are forced to buy the ships themselves. Organizers said they expect at least 1,000 people to participate this year, adding that the new effort includes activists from Europe, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, Latin America, Canada and the United States.Hmmm......"A flotilla too far"?Read the full story here.

• Canadian Muslim Group: “Only Support Non-Muslim Candidates Who Are Willing to Make it a Hate Crime to Publicly Associate Islam to Terrorism”.The next federal election is set for May 2, 2011 and campaigns are in full swing. Canadian Muslims’ reactions to elections and political campaigns vary significantly; some participate for personal reasons, others for community benefit, and many others do not participate at all. What is the proper approach and what is not? To help Muslims answer this question, the following points are presented for your reflection: . . .We should support only those non-Muslim candidates who are willing to present and support a Private Members’ Bill making it a hate-crime to publicly associate Islam to terrorism, whether in written, spoken, printed, broadcast or electronic media. At the same time, we must take a balanced approach instead of being carried away by a single issue. The following are examples of other important issues against which we should evaluate all candidates.Hmmmm.....In plain terms "Abolish free speech in Canada"?Read the full story here.

• Turkish Committee Arrives in France to Lobby Against Armenian Bill.(Aina).Turkish Parliament and the Foreign Ministry have sent a committee to France prior to the vote on the law penalizing the denial of the Armenian genocide claims, which is scheduled to appear on the French Parliament's agenda on May 4.The bill, recently denied by the French Senate Constitution Commission, envisions five years' imprisonment and a fine of up to 45,000 euros for people on French territory who deny the Armenian genocide claims.The Turkish committee lobbying against the bill consists of representatives specializing in foreign politics from political parties in Parliament, headed by the ruling Justice and Development Party, or AKP, Düzce deputy Yaşar Yakış.Osman Korutürk, who served as the Turkish Ambassador to France from 2005-2009 when the draft was first brought to the agenda, is part of the committee. He told Hürriyet Daily News that the Turkish committee was conducting meetings in France regarding the bill in order to preserve Turkish-French relations.Yakış and Korutürk will be joined by AKP Istanbul deputy Nur Suna Memecan, Nationalist Movement Party, or MHP, Ankara deputy Tuğrul Türkeş, and Republican People's Party, or CHP, deputy leader Gülsün Bilgehan.Hmmmm....denial of the Armenian genocide.Read the full story here.

• "Life and death in Iran's prisons".At Least Two Juvenile Offenders Hanged in Iran Last Week.The Iran Human Rights group reported on April 25 that, according to reliable sources, at least two of those who were hanged in Bandar Abbas last week were 17 years old at the time of the alleged offence.Four young men were hanged by cranes on April 21. on a beach in the Iranian city of Bandar Abbas. Three of the men were convicted of rape and murdering a 15 years old boy November 30th 2008. Another man was convicted of raping a girl in May 8th 2009.According to IHR’s sources the three men in the murder case were arrested few months after the alleged offence. At that time they were identified as “S. N.” (18 years old), “A. N.” (17 years old) and “H. B.” (17 years old).It is not clear whether “S.N.” was 18 or 17 years old at the time of the alleged offence which was several months prior to the arrest.The person who was convicted of raping a 17 years old girl in 2009 was identified as “S. M.” (22 years old).Iran has ratified the UN’s convention of the Child’s rights that bans death penalty for offences convicted at less than 18 years of age, and which is legally binding. But despite this fact, Iran is on the top of the world in regard to execution of minors. Iranian authorities have executed more than 25 minor offenders since 2007. According to the annual reports of IHR, at least 9 minor offenders were executed in 2007, 9 in 2008, 5 in 2009; 2 in 2010 and at least two minor offenders have been executed so far in 2011.Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, the spokesperson of IHR, urges the UN’s Special Rapporteur who is scheduled to travel to Iran during the 2011 to give special attention to the minors on the death row.Read the full story here.

• Belarus dictator leader Lukashenka fumes over Chernobyl anniversary.(Hurriyetdaily).Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko Tuesday denounced the head of the EU commission as an "ass" and rounded on Ukraine's president in apparent fury at arrangements for the Chernobyl anniversary.Lukashenko was notably absent from ceremonies at Chernobyl to mark the 25th anniversary of the nuclear disaster, even though his country was badly affected and his Ukrainian and Russian counterparts visited the power station.Instead, Lukashenko made his own solo tour Tuesday of farmlands in the Gomel region of southern Belarus worst affected by the disaster. Asked by Belarussian media why he had not travelled to Ukraine to join Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych for the ceremonies at Chernobyl, he replied: "Ask Yanukovych that question, why the Belarussian president is not present at the events. Ask them! Unfortunately the current Ukrainian leadership has an absolute nerve," he said. "I don't intend to play the second fiddle".Ukrainian media said that EU commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso had asked Kiev not to invite the authoritarian Belarussian leader to a conference in Kiev last week on the consequences of the disaster. Ukraine complied with the EU demand, hoping he would still show up to the Chernobyl anniversary, but it appeared the Belarussian strongman had taken offence.Turning on the Portuguese EU commission chief, Lukashenko added: "As for asses like Barroso, well there was once some Barroso in Portugal, they kicked him out and then sorted him out with work in the EU commission."Lukashenko has been ostracized by the European Union since his December 19 election victory, which Western monitors said was flawed and was also followed by an unprecedented crackdown on the opposition. He slammed the EU for imposing sanctions against his regime since the election. "They are just morons. For them, we are competitors. We are ideological opponents.”"We are people who lead a different way of life. We are dangerous for them. We do not need their kind of democracy."Hmmmmm.....Poor Lukashenka once a Kolkhoz leader allways a Kolkhoz leader?Read the full story here.

• Video - Nightly visit to Joseph's tomb.(Ynet).Four days prior to Ben-Yosef Livnat's death in Palestinian police-involved shooting at Joseph's Tomb, Yedioth Ahronoth reporter visits Nablus' holy site with group of Breslovers led by victim.The fear kicked in a few moments after crossing Hawara checkpoint. The dogs barking behind you and the green lights of the mosques ahead indicated we were on our way to Nablus, the so-called "terror capital." Everything in this city makes you feel unwelcomed. The graffiti on the walls, Shahid ("martyr") posters hanging in the streets. You are frightened even when driving with five other people in a small car, singing aloud. Entering Nablus with a group of Breslov Hasidim is terrifying. "Don't take a picture," Ben-Yosef Livnat ordered, only four days prior to his death. "It's bad luck." Around 30 Breslov Hasidim met in a spring located south of Nablus, in the West Bank. This is their semi-secret meeting place where they gather to bathe before the journey begins. It was nearly 2 am on Thursday. The group's last visit to Nablus before the fatal shooting incident which claimed Livnat's life – and I was along for the ride. We stood by the spring with our six vehicles. In the valley below us we spotted an IDF force at Hawara checkpoint, in charge of preventing worshipers from entering the holy city.We entered Nablus through a secret side entrance. The cars turned off their lights, driving slowly into the night. The group began singing. "Do you know the IDF only enters the city in a shielded convoy?" I asked. "We all have our own bullet-proof vests," the guy sitting next to me told me. "The IDF have theirs and we have our prayers and ancestral merits." We soon reached the main streets of Nablus. I gathered the courage to open the window and take some pictures. Livnat was driving right behind us. The Palestinian police post near Joseph's Tomb was empty. No time to waste. We quickly ran to the tomb, leaving the keys in the cars, ready to take off in any moment. Livnat ran out of his car, lifting his hands in excitement. "To the righteous one!" they yelled heading towards the holy site. Meanwhile, the Hasidim were praying quickly, trying to utter as many prayers as they can before having to dash. They leaned down and kissed the tomb. Their eyes sparkled, as if they had just met their love for a brief moment. Then the group encircled the holy site in an ecstasy filled dance. Suddenly they stopped and ran towards the cars. In that exact point, only four days later, the Palestinian police officers would open fire at the group. We headed south, taking a different route this time. Livnat was leading the convoy. Livnat broke the law when he entered Joseph's Tomb without authorization, but that is not the reason he was killed. It is deeper than that. Joseph's Tomb is a sensitive subject in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Livnat was killed because he was part of the battle to control the holy site. Everybody wants to renovate it, preserve it – but those who try the hardest are the Breslov Hasidim, and Livnat was one of their most vigorous standouts. Read and see the full story here.

• Saudi Ambassador to Pakistan Rejects NATO-Like Military Alliance of Muslim Nations, Says: 'OIC is Striving to Protect the Interests of the Muslim Ummah'.(Memri)."[King Abdullah] Thinks that We as the Muslim Ummah must Unite in All Situations; Therefore, He Speaks for the Unity of Muslim Ummah at Every Forum and Every Opportunity""The [Palestinian] Issue Should Be Resolved According to the UN Resolutions""[On Arab Uprisings:] The Nature of the Problems Varies from Country to Country; We Can Not Describe It as Only the Conspiracy of Foreign Powers""Pakistanis and Saudis have Religious, Cultural, and Historic Relationships, and Its Example Can Not be Found Anywhere in the World"Read the full interview here.