Six In The Morning

Japanese nuclear plants' operator scrambles to avert meltdowns

By Steven Mufson
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, March 13, 2011; 12:29 AM
Japanese authorities said Sunday that efforts to restart the cooling system at one of the reactors damaged by Friday's earthquake had failed, a major setback in the struggle to contain what has become the most serious nuclear power crisis in a quarter century.
Officials said utility workers released "air containing radioactive materials" in an effort to relieve pressure inside the reactor, even as they raced to bring several other imperiled reactors under control.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said officials were acting on the assumption that a meltdown could be underway at that reactor, Fukushima Daiichi's unit 3, and that it was "highly possible" that a meltdown was underway at Fukushima Daiichi's unit 1 reactor, where an explosion destroyed a building a day earlier.

Gaddafi's men poised to strike at Benghazi
Rebels' failings and lack of support have sent them into retreat.
By Kim Sengupta in El Agheila, Libya Sunday, 13 March 2011
A strategic town is lost in the east with another expected to follow soon. In the west, a symbolic centre of resistance is about to suffer an onslaught that it is unlikely to survive. With no international action to stop Muammar Gaddafi's fierce offensive, the survival of Libya's revolution hangs in a precarious balance.

Just four days ago the picture was very different: the rebel fighters were seemingly on a march to the capital, Tripoli, and the enemy was in disarray and retreat. But a series of misjudgements, and chronic lack of planning and organisation, have resulted in a dramatic reversal. The regime's troops are poised to strike at Benghazi, the capital of "Free Libya''.

Quake shifted rotation of the Earth

Cameron Houston
March 13, 2011
AS THE task of rescuing survivors moves into top gear, scientists and geologists are struggling to comprehend the scale and impact of Friday's earthquake that destroyed large areas of northern Japan.

The 8.9-magnitude earthquake shifted the Earth's rotation axis by about 25 centimetres, which could literally change time.

Only after centuries would a second be lost as each day is shortened by a millionth of a second, according to University of Toronto geology professor Andrew Miall.

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''Ten inches [25 centimetres] sounds like quite a lot when you hold a ruler in front of you.

Egypt to lift restrictions on political parties

CAIRO, EGYPT - Mar 13 2011 07:53
It is the latest political reform push following the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak last month in a popular uprising.

A military official said on Saturday that the restrictions on establishing political parties would be lifted after a referendum next week on constitutional changes to allow for fair parliamentary and presidential elections.

The official said new political parties will only need to notify authorities. Under Mubarak, they had to apply to a committee dominated by the ruling party, which ensured his control over rivals.

The official was speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to talk to the media.

Venice residents claim victory in battle to preserve the city's heritage
Activists defeat development that would have shut Rialto bridge fish market – and pledge to reverse decline of city in thrall to tourism
Tom Kington Rome
The Observer, Sunday 13 March 2011
After a remarkable week, Michela Scibilia is breathing a sigh of relief. The Venetian activist has been at the forefront of a successful battle to safeguard the future of one of the city's best loved institutions, the fish market at the foot of the Rialto bridge where locals have shopped for their food for 1,000 years.

"If the people who still live here are going to protect this city, we have to pull together, and I think that's finally happening," said the head of the growing residents' association 40xVenezia.

It was a victory that will pass unnoticed by the millions of tourists who visit Venice every year, but that does not diminish its significance for locals. "They understood we were serious," said Scibilia, 44, a graphic designer and mother of two. "We are standing firm against all choices made without consulting Venetians first." And last week's victory was just a start, they claim.

SDF in full disaster deployment; U.S. military pitches in
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Kyodo News
The Self-Defense Forces swung into full action Saturday, less than 24 hours after the most powerful earthquake in the nation's recorded history caused devastating tsunami in northeastern Japan.
All available SDF resources, including personnel, vehicles, aircraft and vessels, were mobilized for rescue and other efforts in areas hit by the quake and tsunami.

At a meeting of the government's antidisaster countermeasure headquarters, Prime Minister Naoto Kan said the government would increase the number of SDF personnel detailed for rescue efforts to about 50,000.