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Estimated 10,000 Dead in Japan Amid Fears of Nuclear Meltdowns


Associated Press
Sun, 13 Mar 2011 12:38 UTC
earthquake Japan 2011 overturned highway
© t.sina.com.cn
The estimated death toll from Japan's disasters climbed past 10,000 Sunday as authorities raced to combat the threat of multiple nuclear reactor meltdowns and hundreds of thousands of people struggled to find food and water. The prime minister said it was the nation's worst crisis since World War II.

Nuclear plant operators worked frantically to try to keep temperatures down in several reactors crippled by the earthquake and tsunami, wrecking at least two by dumping sea water into them in last-ditch efforts to avoid meltdowns. Officials warned of a second explosion but said it would not pose a health threat.

Near-freezing temperatures compounded the misery of survivors along hundreds of miles of the northeastern coast battered by the tsunami that smashed inland with breathtaking fury. Rescuers pulled bodies from mud-covered jumbles of wrecked houses, shattered tree trunks, twisted cars and tangled power lines while survivors examined the ruined remains.
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Stormtrooper

Yemen police kill protesters in crackdown on dissent

Alan Evans
The Guardian
Sun, 13 Mar 2011 12:18 UTC
Image
© Muhammed Muheisen/AP
Yemeni security forces have killed four people in a crackdown on protests against president Ali Abdullah Saleh.
Four dead and hundreds wounded in Sana'a and Aden as William Hague expresses concern over ongoing violence

Yemeni security forces have killed four people and wounded hundreds more in the second day of a harsh crackdown on anti-government protests, witnesses said. One of the dead was a 15-year-old student.

The assault with gunfire and tear gas was the toughest yet by the government in a month of protests aimed at unseating the president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, who has been in power for 32 years. An ally in the Obama administration's fight against al-Qaida, Saleh had appeared to be one of the Arab leaders most threatened by the regional unrest inspired by revolts in Egypt and Tunisia.

The violence began with a pre-dawn raid on a central square in the capital, Sana'a, where thousands of pro-democracy protesters have been camped out.
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Stormtrooper

Bahraini police use tear gas on rally


Press TV
Sun, 13 Mar 2011 12:17 UTC
Image

Bahraini ani-government protesters hold rally in Manama.
Bahraini security forces have fired tear gas at anti-government protesters in the capital Manama as demonstrators vow to continue their protest, witnesses say.

Riot police opened fire on hundreds of demonstrators that tried to reach Bahrain's Financial Harbor, a key business district, Press TV correspondent reported.

Bahrainis have been staging protests since mid-February, demanding the resignation of King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and constitutional reforms to the Sunni-led government.

Inspired by revolutions that toppled the despotic regimes in Egypt and Tunisia, Bahraini protesters also demand free and fair elections as well as the release of political prisoners.

Trying to prevent the protesters from staging rallies near the major business district, Bahraini security forces blocked a key roadway on Sunday.

Police also clashed with protesters and took measures to push them back towards Pearl Square roundabout.

"Riot police once again are using excessive force against protesters," said the Press TV correspondent. "The protesters closed down one of the highways in response to the attack on peaceful demonstrations on Friday."
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Megaphone

300,000 people rally across Portugal


Press TV
Sun, 13 Mar 2011 11:25 UTC
Image
© Unknown
Protesters shout slogans as they take part in a demonstration in central Lisbon on March 11.
More than 300,000 people have taken to streets in Portugal's capital Lisbon and 10 other major cities to protest lack of job opportunities in their country.

An estimated 200,000 protesters in Lisbon crammed the wide Liberdade Avenue and the Rossio Square, carrying banners with slogans urging a policy change to reverse surging unemployment, precarious working conditions for young people and falling living standards.

Last year, Portugal reported a record unemployment rate of 10.8 percent.

In addition to Lisbon protesters, another 80,000 people demonstrated in Portugal's second largest city of Porto, and a Facebook appeal gathered 65,000 signatures in support of the move, LUSA news agency reported.
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Arrow Down

US: Schoolboy Survives 220-Foot Drop from Golden Gate Bridge


The Telegraph, UK
Fri, 11 Mar 2011 06:51 UTC
Image
© Alamy
The 17 year-old survived the 220-foot drop from the Golden Gate bridge into San Francisco Bay with only minor injuries.
A California high school pupil visiting the Golden Gate Bridge on a field trip climbed over a railing, jumped - possibly on a dare by fellow classmates - and somehow survived the 220-foot plunge into San Francisco Bay that kills dozens of people each year.

Most jumpers die, of internal injuries, broken bones and skull fractures, or drowning.

But the 17 year-old lived, and a statement from his school said he suffered no severe injuries beyond bruising and tenderness. He was rescued by a surfer who paddled over and took him ashore, California Highway Patrol Officer Chris Rardin said.

"It's a miracle in itself," Rardin said. "The majority of folks do not survive this type of fall."

Windsor Unified School District Superintendent Bill McDermott said he did not think the teen was trying to commit suicide, but instead jumped after other pupils from Windsor High School in Sonoma County urged him on. Several witnesses saw the teen go over the railing.

An ambulance rushed the teen to a San Francisco hospital. Officials couldn't provide further details Thursday night on his condition.

Someone leaps off the bridge an average of once every two weeks, with 32 deaths last year. About 98 percent of those plunges are fatal, and authorities rule most of those deaths suicides.
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Nuke

US Experts Fear 'Chernobyl-like' Crisis for Japan


Channel News Asia
Sun, 13 Mar 2011 00:00 UTC
Image
© Reuters
Natural gas containers burn at a facility following an earthquake in Chiba Prefecture near Tokyo, Japan March 11, 2011.Explosion was heard at Japan's nuclear plant on Saturday, following melt-down.
US nuclear experts warned Saturday that pumping sea water to cool a quake-hit Japanese nuclear reactor was an "act of desperation" that may foreshadow a Chernobyl-like disaster.

Several experts, in a conference call with reporters, also predicted that regardless of the outcome at the Fukushima No. 1 atomic plant crisis, the accident will seriously damage the nuclear power renaissance.

"The situation has become desperate enough that they apparently don't have the capability to deliver fresh water or plain water to cool the reactor and stabilize it, and now, in an act of desperation, are having to resort to diverting and using sea water," said Robert Alvarez, who works on nuclear disarmament at the Institute for Policy Studies.

"I would describe this measure as a 'Hail Mary' pass," added Alvarez, using American football slang for a final effort to win the game as time expires.

An 8.9 magnitude earthquake that struck Japan on Friday set off the emergency at the plant, which was then hit by an explosion Saturday that prompted an evacuation of the surrounding area.

Workers doused the stricken reactor with sea water to try to avert catastrophe, after the quake knocked out power to the cooling system.

What occurred at the plant was a "station blackout," which is the loss of offsite air-conditioning power combined with the failure of onsite power, in this case diesel generators.
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Butterfly

US: Giffords Makes 'Leaps and Bounds' in Recovery

Ramit Plushnick-Masti
The Associated Press
Sat, 12 Mar 2011 03:40 UTC
Gabrielle Giffords
© The Associated Press
Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., seen here with House Speaker John Boehner, was shot at a public event in Tucson, Ariz.
Doctors helping Rep. Gabrielle Giffords recover from a gunshot wound to the head talk enthusiastically about her progress, saying some of the greatest moments come when her personality shines through with big grins and excitement over her rehabilitation milestones.

"That's Gabby. It's a constant, wonderful thing," said Dr. Dong Kim, a neuroscientist.

Doctors provided the new details about Giffords' condition Friday, saying she now can talk in short sentences, and can walk with some help. She also knows that she was shot.

Previously, tidbits of information came from friends and family, but the doctors, those with the understanding and knowledge of what each setback and step forward means for long-term recovery, remained tight-lipped.

They gave their first official update since she began intensive rehabilitation in Houston on Jan. 26.

Kim and two other members of her medical team described several breakthroughs in Giffords' recovery from her brain injury, saying she has made "leaps and bounds."

He breathing tube was removed last week, a "fist-pump" moment, said Dr. Imoigele Aisiku, a neurosurgeon. She also can express desires, such as "I'm tired. I want to go to bed."
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No Entry

Japan Earthquake Strands Sony Employees, Shuts Down Six Factories

Mitsutoshi Miyagi
Techie Insider
Sat, 12 Mar 2011 00:00 UTC
Image
© unknown
Japanese electronics manufacturer Sony airlifted supplies to employees stuck inside its Blu-ray Disc factory in Miyagi, Japan, on Saturday after a tsunami triggered by a massive earthquake swept through the area. Sony has six factories closed down in the region hardest hit by the quake and subsequent tsunami.

The earthquake struck about 125 kilometers (about 78 miles) off the northeast coast of Japan on Friday and measured 8.9 on the Richter scale. Experts believe this is the greatest quake Japan has ever experienced since seismic activity tracking began.

Employees working at Sony's Tokyo headquarters, hundreds of kilometers from Miyagi, were also stranded. Unable to return to home because of inoperative building elevators and crippled transportation, workers spent the night in offices.

Sony was able to evacuate all staff from factories disabled by the quake except for the Miyagi plant, which appears to have received the most damage. The Miyagi factory employs about 1,000 people, with the latest reports saying there are about 400 workers still in the building. Employees were able to find safety on the second floor of the building as the first floor was besieged by the tsunami. No fatalities have been reported.
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Info

Major Japanese Industries Close to Assess Damage


Calcutta News
Sat, 12 Mar 2011 00:00 UTC
Image
© unknown
Japan's economy was left limping through Saturday in the wake of Friday's devastating earthquake, with many factories shut to examine the damage caused.

Many industries vital to the economy of Japan were left limping through Saturday following a devastating earthquake and tsunami as factories closed to assess damage throughout Japan's northern region.

Japan relies on its massive export industries to drive the economy, but many of the companies that drive this industry have halted production to assess the damage from the quake and tsunami.

Sony, Toyota, Nissan and Honda are among the major corporations to have closed factories, while transport of manufactured goods remains difficult due to damage to roads and rail lines.

In addition, many ports on the northeast coast have been severely damaged by the tsunami that struck on Friday, making exports impossible.
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Ambulance

US: Woman jumps to death inside Salt Lake City Library


Utah News
Sat, 12 Mar 2011 21:34 UTC
A woman jumped to her death off an indoor pedestrian bridge at the main branch of the Salt Lake City Library Friday - the third public suicide reported at the downtown site since 2006.

Salt Lake City police Lt. Bryce Johnson said that about 9:30 a.m. Friday, several people around the library saw and heard a woman screaming and then saw her lying on the ground inside the library.

Johnson said the woman, who did not have any identification, apparently jumped off a fourth-floor pedestrian bridge.

"There was no question how it took place," Johnson said Saturday, adding library surveillance footage recorded what happened. "It was an intentional suicide."

Police later identified the woman.

Salt Lake City Library Executive Director Beth Elder said the woman jumped from a bridge used to walk to bathrooms in a public area on the west side of the building.

Elder said trauma and grief counseling was immediately offered to staff witnesses.
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