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28 Mar 2011 15:31

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World: Gaddafi’s advisors getting nervous, say U.S. official

  • Gaddafi’s advisors may be cracking: A U.S. intelligence official, as reported by CNN, has suggested that advisors and aides to Muammar Gaddafi may be losing some of their resolve, as NATO airstrikes continue against the dictator’s forces. The official suggests that the perception that rebel forces are beginning to close in on Tripoli, following battles in Sirte and their victory in Ajdabiya, is going to increase pressure on those around Gaddafi who are averse to going down with the ship. As the battles continue, the possibility of Gaddafi’s people turning on him remains a tantalizing hope to end the violence in Libya. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

28 Mar 2011 13:19

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World: Tough times for Sarkozy in wake of French elections

  • 35.7% the vote, in yesterday’s French elections, for the Socialist Party under Martine Aubry
  • 11.6% the vote for the far-right National Front Party, headed by Marine LePen, a strong showing
  • 20.3% the vote for Nicolas Sarkozy’s Union for a Popular Majority Party, a weak outcome source
  • » Sarkozy may be sweating right now: The election had a low turnout at just 45% of the nation’s voters (still, turnout like that trounces the U.S. average for non-Presidential elections). While the threat to President Sarkozy posed by the Socialists is well known, as polls show him trailing their yet unknown candidate in his reelection effort, the big takeaway concern may be the rising power of the National Front Party under Marine Le Pen. The far-right nationalist party took 2 seats in the 102-seat general council, and have effectively flexed more political muscle much quicker than most thought they could.
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

28 Mar 2011 12:46

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World: A grim mark: China ranked as 2010’s world leader in executions

  • Crime and punishment in China: Amnesty International claimed yesterday that while the exact number is guarded as a state secret, they believe thousands of people were executed in the China last year, more than every other country combined. While China has maintained they’ve taken steps to lower their rate of execution, such as mandatory review of all death penalty cases since 2007, Amnesty International says they’ve still been executing people for “a wide range of crimes that include nonviolent offences and after proceedings that did not meet international fair trial standards.” source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

28 Mar 2011 11:16

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World: Yemen protests: Terrible explosions at bullet factory kill dozens

  • action A number of militants of the Yemeni town of Jaar in Abyan province, fighting against the army, raided a bullet factory in an attempt to steal ammuniton. (Al-Qaeda is strong in this region, by the way.)
  • result Explosions occurred, possibly caused by a cigarette, killing at least 110. “There are so many burned bodies,” said one doctor on the scene. “I can’t even describe the situation.” source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

28 Mar 2011 09:53

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World: TEPCO spokesperson: Highly-radioactive water found in trench

  • The trench is located outside the building and the water contains radioactive materials. There is normally no water found in this area so it is difficult to compare this to normal levels.
  • TEPCO spokesperson Hiro Hasegawa • Discussing the finding of highly-radioactive water inside of a trench, outside of the Fukushima No. 2 reactor. The level matches the 1,000 millisievert level found inside the No. 2 reactor yesterday. “But we do not believe it is leaking into the ocean,” Hasegawa continued. “We are now working out where the cause of the leak is and finding ways to remove the water as soon as possible.”  source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

27 Mar 2011 12:23

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World: The “Fukushima Fifty” comes forward with a harrowing story

  • It was just pitch black. It was the middle of the night and all we had to see with were our own head torches. We could see smoke and vapour coming up from the reactor. Everything else had failed, so they called us in to pump seawater to try to cool the thing. We don’t even work for the government, but for the city of Tokyo. They were desperate. They must have been on their last legs.
  • Fukushima crew leader Kazuhiko Fukudome • Describing what he saw as a member of the “Fukushima Fifty.” Fukudome was tracked down by The Daily Telegraph, who got the first interview with the once-anonymous crew of workers. We recommend you read the whole thing, but we’re sure you will after you read Fukudome’s description of the inside of the plant: “It was far worse than I expected. Everything was covered in rubble,” he said. Harrowing. (via Josh Sternberg) source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

27 Mar 2011 12:04

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World: TEPCO corrections: Not “10 million times” normal level, “100,000 times”

  • errors As you might have noticed earlier today, TEPCO reported a level of radiation that was insanely high — 10 million times the usual level — coming from the water at a Fukushima reactor. This was very wrong, so much so that we took down our posts about this.
  • correctionsTEPCO apologized — while noting the amount was a still-very-high 100,000 times its normal level. “I am very sorry,” said TEPCO’s vice president, Sakae Muto. “I would like to make sure that such a mistake will not happen again.” Good apology, Muto. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

27 Mar 2011 11:23

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World: After the fact: London protests cause tons of freaking damage

  • 201 people were arrested after London’s austerity protests last night
  • 100 street cleaners worked overnight to fix the damage caused
  • tens the amount, in thousands of pounds, officials say cleanup will cost source
  • » And ol’ Clocky suffered “superficial damage”: A number of major structures were hit, including the Olympic clock, the memorial, the Ritz and Fortnum and Mason, were damaged. Nearby businesses may have also gotten nailed very badly.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

27 Mar 2011 10:01

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World: That “10 million times” number at Fukushima? An error, guys.

  • what The high level of radiation reported by TEPCO was a huge freaking error, and in reality, the level is much lower.
  • how The worker taking the test freaked out, apparently — wouldn’t you? — before doing a backup test to confirm.
  • reaction A TEPCO spokesperson apologized. “The number is not credible,” said  Takashi Kurita. “We are very sorry.”  source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

26 Mar 2011 20:18

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World: Japan update: Lots of people trying to get Fukushima under control

  • 700+ engineers are battling the Fukushima crisis source
  • » Progress, but no end in sight: Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano had these vaguely calming words about the incident: “We are preventing the situation from worsening — we’ve restored power and pumped in fresh water — and making basic steps toward improvement,” he said, “but there is still no room for complacency.” There are good and bad parts about the overall situation right now — while aftershocks are starting to tail off, radiation levels in seawater miles away are very high, but are said to be of little threat to those eating seafood from the ocean. Still, though …
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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