MFS - The Other News

                       Afternoon Posting.

• Live broadcast info from Japan directly ! Here.

• Libya Live Blog - April 12. Here .(Al-Jazeera).

• Middle East Live Blog April 10 here .(Al-Jazeera)

• Updated !Earthquakes in the last 24 hours in the world increased seismic activity in Japan  today between 4.9 and 6.2! More info here.

• Japan - Latest official Situation Update No. 84.On 12.04.2011 at 02:59 GMT+2. Here .

• HT:NuclearHistory.Fukushima Farmers hit hard and face heart break.The Mainichi Daily News Japan.IITATE, Fukushima — For one farmer here, the newly expanded evacuation zone around the crippled nuclear power plant nearby may mean doing the unthinkable: abandoning his cows.“You can’t just leave living things behind,” says village cattle farmer Nagakiyo Yamada, 60. “Compensation hasn’t been decided, either. If I have to move to a shelter, I want to stay as close to my farm as I can and keep taking care of my cows.”While part of the village of Iitate has been in the band 20-30 kilometers from the Fukushima No. 1 Nuclear Power Plant, the entire village will now be subject to new government evacuation orders announced on April 11. Residents within the 10-kilometer-wide ring are currently advised to remain indoors.Yamada has dutifully followed the indoor standby advisory, but not in his house. Since hydrogen explosions shook the nuclear plant soon after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, he has been living in his barn with 13 calves he intends to enter in livestock competitions, intent on saving them from exposure to radiation. The young cows haven’t been put out to pasture since the nuclear crisis began, and Yamada replies to their soft “moos” with some of his own, trying to give them company.Farmers in Miyazaki Prefecture — which sold Yamada the mother cow — have been sending water and instant noodles, apparently worried about the effect of the March 11 disaster and nuclear crisis on their Fukushima counterparts.“I think of the help as a message encouraging me to raise these calves properly,” Yamada says.Calves from the Iitate region are highly regarded, and ordinarily command an equivalently high price at market. However, the bottom has fallen out of the animals’ value with the current crisis.“Market confidence in these calves was built up over decades,” Yamada says. “This problem can’t be solved just with money,” he continues, stroking the head of one of his cows.However, even if Yamada can stay close enough to care for his livestock, the resources to do so are running low. He only has two months of feed hay left, and if radioactive contamination prevents him from harvesting more, his prized calves will starve to death.Yamada’s farm also produces 15 metric tons of rice and 750 kilograms of tobacco a year, but both will very probably be subject to planting restrictions this year. Meanwhile, his household’s emergency stockpile of rice will likely run out during the coming summer.“Even if we evacuate, how are we supposed to live?” Yamada laments.Adding to Yamada’s worries, with no resolution to the nuclear crisis in sight and the future of the area uncertain, many of the village’s young people could leave.“Even if the evacuation order is lifted, the village could end up a wasteland,” he says.The situation may be even more heartbreaking for elder members of the Yamada clan.“Even during World War II, at least we could go outside,” says Yamada’s 80-year-old mother Toshiko. “I plan to die here. I’ve just given up cause I’ve been exposed to so much radiation,” she mutters.end quote.According to Ziggy, former head of ANSTO, Japanese nuclear industry is one of the best in the world. How do you turn off a nuke plant Ziggy? there’s no off switch for decay heat. And that has been known to be the case since 1942.Hmmm....And to top off things "Radioactive Tuna Fish Migrating From Japan To U.S. Waters".Read the full story here.

• Hosni Mubarak in hospital.Egyptian security, health officials say former Egyptian president admitted to Sharm el-Sheikh hospital. Hospital director says Mubarak 'more or less' stable as court hearing looms.Former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak was taken to hospital on Tuesday after suffering a "heart crisis" when he was being questioned during an investigation, Egyptian television reported. Hospital director Mohammed Fathallah discussed Mubarak's health status on Egyptian television saying the former president was "more or less" stable. Mubarak had been hospitalized under the pretext of being sick in order not to appear before investigators, the website of the state-owned publisher of Al-Ahram newspaper said.Television correspondent in Sharm el-Sheikh said that Mubarak was hospitalized in the VIP wing and the hospital was placed under close police surveillance. Dozens of demonstrators picketed the hospital in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, denouncing the president and carrying a sign reading "Here is the butcher." They scuffled with supporters of Mubarak amid a massive security presence."The former president Hosni Mubarak entered ... Sharm el-Sheikh hospital," according to Al-Ahram.It said the president may not have to travel to Cairo to attend the investigation because of his admittance to hospital.A hospital official told AFP they cannot comment on the former president's condition but added that "the health minister will issue a statement" shortly.
  He has kept a low profile since, living in Sharm el-Sheikh. According to reports in al-Ahram, Mubarak had been expected to be questioned by investigators for the first time on Tuesday in connection with corruption allegations and violence against protesters during the uprising under heavy security. It remains unclear when the testimony will take place and what exactly he is accused of. Mubarak's two sons, Alaa and Gamal have also been ordered to appear in court.Read the full story here.

• Some 250,000 children sexually abused in Turkey in past decade.At least 250,000 minors have been sexually abused in Turkey over the past decade, with 7,000 raped in 2010 alone, according to a survey conducted by a prominent Turkish researcher.The research by Tuncer Günay also revealed that some 350,000 to 400,000 children are thought to have been sexually abused over the past 20 years by first-degree relatives or other close kin. Of these incidents, just 600 were referred to the country’s courts.Mistreatment of minors seems to have been harshest on Turkey’s streets, with 30,000 of 50,000 homeless children reportedly having been either raped or sexually abused.Last year, some 4,000 street children were sentenced and sent to correctional facilities, where 250 juveniles over the past five years have reported being raped by their peers or older inmates, Günay said in his research. Seventy-five percent of all street children have some kind of police record for committing crimes such as theft, extortion, causing personal injury or rape.About 200 cases were referred to the judiciary in 2009 in which children had been sexually abused by their teachers, local shopkeepers, deputy principals or other personnel at boarding schools and kindergartens, according to Günay’s findings.Günay’s research also showed that 51 percent of murder victims killed by a member of their family were women, with men and children respectively making up 39 percent and 10 percent of the total. Moreover, 70 percent of all victims of intra-family sexual assault were also women, while children were targeted in 25 percent of such cases.Figures extracted from a report prepared by the Police Department Headquarters revealed that women were the victims in the majority – 71 percent – of all cases of sexual assault in 2010. Of the rest, 17 percent were children and 12 percent were men.In cases of sexual harassment, 66 percent of all victims were women and 22 percent were children, while 89 percent of all suspects were men. Women also constituted 58 percent of all victims of sexual harassment within family circles, while children were the victims in 38 percent of all cases.The police report, which was also sent to the Turkish Parliament, further stated that Istanbul ranked first among provinces in Turkey regarding the volume of cases involving sexual assault, sexual harassment and intentional murder, while the Marmara region ranked first among Turkey’s regions in the same categories. The survey by Günay also showed that access to 23,000 porn sites, of which 15,000 dealt in child pornography, was barred in 2010 by units responsible for information technologies and telecommunications monitoring.Hmmmm.....Please Lord keep Turkey out of the European Union!Read the full story here.

• Why Ankara should not be helping Iran go nuclear.Will a nuclear Iran be good or bad for Turkey? If Iran goes nuclear, it will become the regional hegemon, extinguishing Ankara’s hopes of becoming a key player in the Middle East. Recently, however, Turkey has helped Iran circumvent international sanctions that target its nuclearization. Turkish companies and banks regularly abuse the financial system to facilitate payments to the Islamic republic, perhaps unwittingly assisting its effort of becoming a nuclear power. Turkey’s failure to prevent this type of abuse not only pokes a finger in the eye of the West, but also allows a rogue regime to fill its coffers with hard currency and materiel as it attempts to become the dominant power in the region – at Turkey’s expense.The Turkish-Iranian relationship has revolved around bilateral trade. In 2008, the two countries conducted $10 billion of business, and officials from both countries have called for an increase to $20 billion by 2012. Iran exports mostly oil and gas to the Turkish market. Naturally, Turkey wants to fuel its economy, and Turkish officials have made it clear that they will look to all available sources of energy, including Iran.The international community has assured Ankara of its commitment to Turkish energy needs, and has pointed out that in the past, Iran has proven to be an unreliable partner in this regard. Since other sources of energy are available to Turkey, Ankara’s insistence on buying oil from a rogue regime seems to demonstrate a strong desire to do business with Iran.What is really behind Ankara’s insistence on developing and strengthening its relationship with Tehran? There appear to be two primary motivating factors: an aversion to regional instability and a desire to get closer to the Tehran regime.Ankara seems to fear new American or coalition military action in the region, including an attack on Iran, more than it fears a nuclear-armed Iran. Turkey’s present reality is shaped by the instability in Iraq caused by the second Gulf War, and the low-intensity conflict that continues to the present. According to a recent poll, 43 percent of Turks consider the biggest threat to Turkey to come from the United States, while only 3 percent believe it comes from Iran.There are those who people believe that the Justice and Development Party, or AKP, has an ideological agenda that favors Tehran’s regime. One way of determining whether this is true is the party’s stance on Tehran; Iran should serve as a litmus test for the leanings of the AKP.If seen in this light, the Turkish government’s stance on Iran is telling. Ankara has consistently expanded its financial ties to Iran. For instance, Iranian Bank Mellat, blacklisted by both the United States and the United Nations, has been operating openly in Turkey. Mellat branches conduct business in Istanbul, Ankara, and İzmir, despite the U.N. restrictions on the bank for facilitating payments tied to Iran’s nuclear program. Mellat was also designated by the U.S. Treasury Department for allowing weapons of mass destruction to spread. Subsidiaries of the bank around the globe have reportedly been involved in the Iranian missile industry, spreading terrorism and assisting Iran’s nuclear regime. In addition, Mellat has agreed to facilitate trade between Turkey and Iran using Turkish Liras and/or Iranian rials, which helps them avoid the use of euros and dollars. International financial regulators and sanction-watchers cannot easily detect payments that bypass the European or American financial systems.Wittingly or unwittingly, Turkey seems to be helping Iran go nuclear. This is bad news for Ankara, for once an authoritarian country becomes a nuclear power, its neighbors are subject to abuse. The example of North Korea is telling in this regard. Since becoming a nuclear power, Pyongyang has fired rockets over Japan and sunk South Korean ships. Does Ankara want a nuclear Iran next door that can flout international law at Turkey’s expense?Hmmmmm.....Why?Because the Turkish 'regime' hates the Jews and the US as much as Iran.Get Turkey out of NATO!Read the full story here.

• HT:Memri.Following Closure of 'Third Palestinian Intifada' Facebook Pages, New Ones Are Launched.Despite the closure of several Facebook pages promoting the campaign for the Third Palestinian Intifada, set for May 15, 2011, hundreds of Facebook pages promoting the same aim still exist. Many of these pages feature statements in praise of martyrdom, jihad, and the killing of Jews. There are also statements against Jews on the page, such as the slogan "Khaybar, Khaybar, o Jews, the army of Muhammad shall return," as well as calls condemning Jews translated into broken Hebrew: "Dear Jews, don't be afraid, death will be swift. Expect an Arab deluge, we are coming. We will help the religion of Allah and Palestine to triumph"; "Death to the Jews, murderers of the prophets"; and "The offspring of the sons of Zion are going to Hell."The page shows photos of burning Israeli flags. One is headed "This is the photo that the Facebook administration doesn't like" and a second is headed "Another gift to the Facebook administration." In another post, the page's administrators noted: "O Israel, burn, the Arab rebels are coming." One of the page's wall photos shows a map of Palestine (disregarding the existence of Israel) in the colors of the Palestinian flag.Hmmmm......Why does Facebook allow these pages to excist?And is the Obama administration (Robert Gibbs) working with facebook?Read the full story here.

• HT:BigPeace.Huh? Obama Administration Does NOT Want To Interrogate Key Terrorist Suspect.How is this policy even defensible? We helped the Pakistanis capture this guy, but we don’t want to talk to him? This terror mastermind probably doesn’t have anything of value to tell us. Yeah, right. The Los Angeles Times reports:Reporting from Washington— He’s considered one of world’s most dangerous terrorism suspects, and the U.S. offered a $1-million reward for his capture in 2005. Intelligence experts say he’s a master bomb maker and extremist leader who possesses a wealth of information about Al Qaeda-linked groups in Southeast Asia.Yet the U.S. has made no move to interrogate or seek custody of Indonesian militant Umar Patek since he was apprehended this year by officials in Pakistan with the help of a CIA tip, U.S. and Pakistani officials say.”Hmmmm......"What's going on in Pakistan with the Obama regime?"Read the full story here.

• Israel worried by 'weakening' US.ISRAEL is troubled by the perception the US is an "empire of the past" and wants a resurgent America to lead a decisive confrontation with Iran, a top official has said."America is tested" at a pivotal moment in the history of the Middle East, said Israel's Deputy Prime Minister, Dan Meridor, who is also the Minister for Intelligence and Nuclear Energy.The Arab world was watching the US closely: "They look to America. If America does not seem to be able to contain the Iranian threat, will they go with Iran?"Advertisement: Story continues below "This is of world-order magnitude," he told the Herald in an interview. Israel, which depends on the US as its security guarantor, itself appears to have new doubts about US judgment.Mr Meridor said he was "surprised" at the Obama administration's treatment of a longstanding US ally, Egypt's former president: "Was it necessary to immediately empower the demonstrators against him and let [Hosni] Mubarak go? It's seen by all the allies of America in the Arab world. I don't know where the tide of history will go and I'm not sure they know.""The perception, that I hope is wrong, that America is weakening is not good, but I hope that America will find a way, and I believe they can, to restore itself as the leading country and not allow those impressions spread by the Iraq war that America is an empire of the past. All this is here on the table."America has started wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Is it a success story or not? What happens in Pakistan? … It may be the use of power showed the limits of power."Mr Meridor, a senior member of the Likud party of the Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said the confrontation with Iran was "a decisive conflict"."The end of it is very important.If the end of it is that Iran has nuclear power, it will have grave effects on world order, on balance of power, and on the Middle East."It may spell the end of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty regime, not only because Iran will be nuclear, but because other countries say they will need to be nuclear, Egypt and Saudi Arabia and others may do it. "No more the responsible adults tell the kids what to do. When everybody has the bomb you can't contain or control or interfere as America could do."The US President, Barack Obama, last week called on Israel to take the initiative to break the stalemate over peace talks.Mr Meridor said the Netanyahu government was still debating its position internally.His personal position, he said, was "we should be very active in trying to bring them to the table."Time is not neutral here. Neither the Palestinians nor we gain from the passage of time. I don't think their situation gets better."This would mean "the strengthening of the religious paradigm and the weakening of the national paradigm," Mr Meridor said. And Israel did not benefit from delay either: "We can't stay like this with undefined borders. We need to put an end to it if we can."Hmmmmm.......We need another President in the US one who act as a Christian instead of one pretending to be a Christian, 2012 can't come soon enough.Read the full story here.

• HT:Memri.Pakistani Daily Report: 'Are The Drone Attacks Over?'Ever since the condemnation of drone attacks by Pakistan Army Chief General Ashfaq Kayani last month, there has been no drone attack in Pakistan during the past three weeks, according to a Pakistani daily.The CIA has been launching drone attacks on almost a daily basis but a substantial decrease was witnessed after the arrest of CIA contractor Raymond Davis, who was later released following a deal.A drone attack carried out within hours of Davis's release in the Datta Khel area of North Waziristan had elicited strong criticism from General Kayani. The Conflict Monitoring Centre (CMC), a watchdog that closely monitors the drones and other anti-state militancy, says that ever since General Kayani condemned the drone attacks, the CIA has stopped its drone operations in Pakistan.Hmmmm.....Was this part of the deal "stop the drone attacks and we'll release Davis"?Read the full story here.

• Armenia agrees long-term Russian army presence.Armenia's parliament on Tuesday ratified a deal to allow Russian troops to remain in the country for more than 30 years, boosting Moscow's military influence in the strategic South Caucasus region.The deal sees Russian forces extending their lease on a military base in Armenia until 2044 and upgrading the mission of the estimated 3,000 troops stationed there. Deputy Defense Minister Ara Nazarian said that the agreement would ensure Armenia's security and protect Russian interests in the former Soviet region where the Kremlin wants to play a leading role. "In addition, according to the amendments, the Russian side will assist Armenia in the provision of armaments and modern military equipment," Nazarian told lawmakers.The deal has caused unease in Azerbaijan, which is locked in a long-running conflict with Armenia over the disputed territory of Nagorny Karabakh, and in neighboring Georgia, which fought a brief war with Russia in 2008."After the Russian-Georgian conflict, Russia understandably wants to strengthen its positions in the Caucasus," said independent lawmaker Tigran Torosian, expressing concern that Yerevan was making too deep a commitment to Moscow.Russia however has not openly committed itself to intervening militarily in any conflict involving Armenia. As well as infantry and artillery units, the Russian base in the Armenian city of Gyumri, near the border with Turkey, hosts S-300 missile defense systems and MiG-29 fighter jets.Hmmmm......"The die has been cast"?Read the full story here.

• Dubai - Maid chops off 70-year-old employer's genitals.An Ethiopian housemaid who allegedly cut off her 70-year-old employer's genitals has confessed to committing the act as she was 'tired of being harrassed by him', reported 'Emarat Al Youm'.The elderly man, a GCC national, called the police early Monday morning to report the incident. The cops rushed to his Deira residence and shifted him to hospital where he had undergo an operation.The maid revealed during investigations that the old man had been regularly harrassing her. On Monday morning he asked her to give him a massage. She lost her cool, took a knife and chopped his organ off.The maid was arrested from the place of crime.Meanwhile, according to Dubai Police statistics about 665 crimes were committed by housemaids in Dubai last year. Of which, there were 305 absconders, 113 rape cases, 85 cases of illegal residence; 68 breach-of-trust cases and 63 thefts.Hmmmm.......Take note "don't hire Ethiopian maid"?Read the full story here.