BREAKING NEWS: 6.6 Magnitude Earthquake Solomon Islands - 7th Mar 2011

A 6.6-magnitude earthquake has hit off the Solomon Islands this morning, but no region-wide tsunami is expected, the US Geological Survey says.

The earthquake took place at a depth of 30 kilometres about 11.10am, about 133 kilometres from Solomon Islands' capital Honiara, the USGS reported.

A USGS spokesman said that, while the undersea quake had struck at a shallow depth, the lower magnitude of the quake combined with its occurrence "on the lower part of the earth's crust" meant a tsunami affecting the Pacific region was unlikely.

But the spokesman added that a local tsunami was possible. He said the USGS had not received any reports of damage or casualties.

Nelson Anaia, a provincial disaster officer at the Solomon Islands' National Disaster Management Office, said there was no threat of a tsunami and everything was "normal".

A Bureau of Meteorology spokesman said there was no tsunami threat to Australia. Read More

Libya could split, says Liam Fox, as regime hits rebels hard

"We could see the Gaddafi forces centred around Tripoli," Dr Fox said. "We could see a de facto partition of the country."

As he spoke, Libya was veering towards open civil war.

Government troops launched assaults on three rebel-held towns: Zawiya 30 miles to the west of Tripoli, Misurata 120 miles to the east, and the oil port of Ras Lanuf, taken by the opposition on Saturday.

To the west of Ras Lanuf, the Libyan leader aimed to repel a gathering rebel advance on his birthplace of Sirte 100 miles to the west.

Bombed from the skies and confronted by a barrage of artillery fire and katyusha rockets, the rebels' disorderly ranks cracked and then broke as fighters fled back to the town in panicked disarray, abandoning vehicles, weapons and even wounded comrades on the battlefield. (read more)

Zimbabwe to sell uranium to Iran

Simbarashe Mumbengegwi, Zimbabwe's foreign minister, said the sanctions – which prohibit member states from providing Iran with raw materials that it could use to make a nuclear weapon – were unfair and hypocritical.

He said that Zimbabwe, which is also the subject of sanctions over human rights abuses perpetrated by President Robert Mugabe's supporters, would benefit economically from the agreement.

A leaked intelligence report suggests Iran will be awarded with exclusive access to Zimbabwe's uranium in return for providing the country with fuel.

The report – compiled by the United Nations' nuclear watchdog – said Iran's Foreign and Co-operative Ministers had visited Zimbabwe to strike a deal, and sent engineers to assess uranium deposits.

Experts say the move contradicts Iran's claim that it now has enough domestic uranium supplies to sustain its nuclear energy ambitions. They say Zimbabwe's defiance of sanctions and its support for the pariah state will scare those considering investing in its economy, which is only just starting to recover after years of hyperinflation. (read more)

US Fuel Woes: Gas prices headed toward $4 a gallo

It won’t be long before we’re paying $4 a gallon for regular unleaded gasoline, at least if prices keep going up at their current pace.

Prices have already surged 38 cents a gallon in metro Detroit since President’s Day and likely will jump again by early next week as crude oil prices shot up nearly $3 Friday to $104.63 a barrel.

While Californians are already paying $4 a gallon for premium, unleaded regular reached an average of $3.53 for metro Detroit on Friday, according to AAA’s Daily Fuel Gauge Report. That reflected a range from $3.29 at a BP outlet at Jefferson Avenue and Masonic in St. Clair Shores to $3.79 at the Metro Airport BP at Middlebelt and Wick Road in Romulus. (read more)

Shiite protesters in Bahrain encircle capital

MANAMA, Bahrain – Thousands of Shiite protesters in Bahrain have formed a huge human chain around the capital, Manama, as their campaign to loosen the Sunni monarchy's grip on power in the strategic Gulf nation enters its third week.

No police were in sight Saturday as protesters — men and women — held hands to encircle Manama, where Bahrain's Shiite majority has been leading daily demonstrations to end what they say are discriminatory policies and political persecution.

Tensions have been high in the Gulf kingdom, the host of the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet, since a street battle between Sunnis and Shiites on Thursday left at least a dozen people injured. (read more)

Obama continues to golf and party while world collapses

Well, the mercury has crept back up above 60 degrees here in Washington, and so it’s time once again for President Obama to head out to the golf course.

This is the president’s 60th time golfing as president, meaning Obama has spent two months of his presidency on the golf course. (!!!!!)

The rounds usually take about five hours, including motorcading back an forth to the course.

According to statistics compiled by CBS News White House correspondent Mark Knoller, who keeps close tabs on the president’s activities, Obama played 30 rounds in 2010, 28 rounds in 2009, and two this year, including today.

George W. Bush gave up golfing in 2003, explaining why he did it in a 2008 interview with POLITICO.

“I don’t want some mom whose son may have recently died to see the commander in chief playing golf,” he said. “I feel I owe it to the families to be in solidarity as best as I can with them. And I think playing golf during a war just sends the wrong signal.” (read more)

SAS and MI6 spies poised to help Libyan rebels

Britain is to send teams of spies and diplomats into Libya to help oust Colonel Gaddafi, it emerged last night.

MI6 operatives backed by the SAS are to land in the east around the key rebel stronghold of Benghazi 'within days'.

In addition, 600 soldiers of the Black Watch are on 24-hour standby to fly in and avert a humanitarian catastrophe as Libya erupted into a new wave of bloodshed. (read more)

Michael Moore rallies Wisconsin pro-union protesters, warns this city "just the beginning"

MADISON, Wis. – Liberal filmmaker Michael Moore urged Wisconsin residents Saturday to fight against Republican efforts to strip most public workers of their collective bargaining rights, telling thousands of protesters that "Madison is only the beginning."

The crowd roared in approval as Moore implored demonstrators to keep up their struggle against Republican Gov. Scott Walker's legislation, saying they've galvanized the nation against the wealthy elite and comparing their fight to Egypt's revolt. He also thanked the 14 state Democratic senators who fled Wisconsin to block a vote on the bill, saying they'll go down in history books.

"We're going to do this together. Don't give up. Please don't give up," Moore told the protesters, who have swarmed the Capitol every day for close to three weeks.

Police said there were "tens of thousands" of protesters but didn't give a specific count. The vast majority of the crowd was pro-union, and no one was arrested or cited. Rallies drew huge crowds the previous two Saturdays, too: about 70,000 on Feb. 19, and an even larger one on Feb. 26. (read more)

Update: Kilauea volcano continues to erupt, two more lava fissures open - 6th Mar 2011

HAWAIIAN VOLCANO OBSERVATORY DAILY UPDATE
Sunday, March 6, 2011 7:30 AM HST (Sunday, March 6, 2011 17:30 UTC)

KILAUEA VOLCANO (CAVW #1302-01-)
19°25’16″ N 155°17’13″ W, Summit Elevation 4091 ft (1247 m)
Current Volcano Alert Level: WARNING
Current Aviation Color Code: RED

Activity Summary for past 24 hours: There have been significant changes as Kilauea volcano continued to erupt at two locations: On the east rift zone, a fissure eruption that started yesterday afternoon is continuing intermittently at a location approximately 2 km WSW of Pu`u `O`o. The floor of Pu`u `O`o collapsed yesterday and the Nov. 29 flows were weakly active this morning. At the summit, the lava lake level receded deep below the rim of the vent inset within the east wall of Halema`uma`u Crater. Summit and east rift zone seismicity remained significantly elevated. Read More

White hot: The stunning satellite image of a volcano's most dangerous threat in the frozen extremity of Russia - 6th Mar 2011

It is one of the hottest occurrences in nature taking place in one of the planet's most frozen regions.

This Nasa images shows the aftermath of a pyroclastic flow at the Shiveluch volcano in the remote eastern region of Kamchatka Krai, Russia.

These avalanches of superheated ash, gas, and rock are responsible for some of the most famous volcanic disasters in history, including the burial of the ancient Roman city of Pompei and the destruction of Saint-Pierre in 1902.

More recently, pyroclastic flows from Mount Merapi in Indonesia caused most of the casualties during the volcano’s 2010 eruption.

The intense heat (over 1,000C), the terrific speed (up to 450 miles per hour) and the mixture of toxic gases all contribute to the deadly potential. Read More

After Beijing sends a frigate to the Med, a leading author poses a chilling question... How long until a Chinese aircraft carrier sails up the Thames?

6th Mar 2011 -

Almost 600 years have passed since Chinese warships last cruised the coasts of Africa. But now they are back.

In 1418, China’s Ming dynasty sent its eunuch admiral Zheng He into the Indian Ocean at the head of the largest armada the world had ever seen.

Sweeping aside all opposition, Zheng suppressed pirates, extorted payoffs from princes and sent missions as far as Kenya and Arabia.

And then, as suddenly as they had come, the Chinese warships disappeared.
They returned in 2008. Once again Somali pirates were robbing at will in the Gulf of Aden, and once again a Chinese navy wanted to stop them.

But history never repeats itself exactly. The Chinese knew almost nothing about Africa in 1418; now China is Africa’s biggest trading partner. Hundreds of thousands of Chinese work there, in everything from oil and iron to farming and finance.

Last month, Beijing took another step beyond anything that happened 600 years ago.

With Libya teetering on the brink of civil war, it ordered the 4,000-ton frigate Xuzhou through the Suez Canal to cover the escape of 30,000 Chinese workers. For the first time in history, a Chinese warship sailed on the Mediterranean Sea. Read more

White House considers tapping oil reserves - 6th Mar 2011

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – White House Chief of Staff William Daley said on Sunday the Obama administration was considering tapping into the U.S. strategic oil reserve as a way to help ease soaring oil prices.

Speaking on NBC television's "Meet the Press," Daley said: "We are looking at the options. The issue of the reserves is one we are considering. It is something that only is done -- and has been done -- in very rare occasions. There's a bunch of factors that have to be looked at. And it is just not the price."

"All matters have to be on the table when you see the difficulty coming out of this economic crisis we're in and the fragility," Daley added.

Congress has pressured the Obama administration to look to the emergency oil supply to ease consumers' fears over rising gasoline prices, which are threatening again to top $4 per gallon at U.S. gas stations.

Higher oil prices could undermine the fragile U.S. economic recovery and politically damage President Barack Obama as he moves toward his 2012 re-election bid. Read More

BREAKING NEWS: 6.6 Magnitude Earthquake South Sandwich Islands Region - 6th Mar 2011

A 6.6 Magnitude Earthquake struck in the region just south of Sandwhich Islands at 14.32 UTC

The earthquake registered at a depth of 86.9 Km (54 Miles) with the epicentre being 37 km from Visokoi Island, South Sandwich Island.

No Stunami warning is in place and no reports of damage or casualties have been reported

BREAKING NEWS: 6.2 Magnitude Earthquake Tarapaca, Chile - 6th Mar 2011

SANTIAGO, March 6 (Reuters) - A magnitude 6.2 earthquake jolted northern Chile on Sunday, the U.S. Geological Survey said, but there were no reports of any damage and the linchpin copper mining sector was not affected.

The quake struck about 67 miles (108 km) northeast of Arica, Chile, at a depth of 55 miles (88 km), it said. It originally reported the quake was magnitude 6.3.

"There are no reports of any injuries or damage to infrastructure," a spokesman for state emergency office ONEMI told Reuters.

State copper giant Codelco [CODEL.UL], the world's top producer, said it had not received any reports of damage to installations. Read More

China: Media Crackdown Over Unrest Fears

The Chinese government has cracked down on dissent and foreign journalists over fears turmoil in the Middle East could spark unrest within China.

For the past two weeks, anonymous calls to take part in Middle East-inspired pro-democracy protests have gone out over Chinese-language websites, only to be quickly deleted by the country's online censors.

The planned protests were a far cry from events in Egypt and Libya.

They suggested participants "stroll, watch or even just pretend to pass by", at locations in 23 cities across China.

On February 27, at the appointed meeting place in Beijing - a busy shopping street in the centre of the city - it was not clear whether any demonstrators had turned up at all.

But in an indication of the Chinese government's anxiety over the impact of events in the Arab world, an army of several hundred police - both uniformed and plain-clothed - lined the street.

Several foreign journalists were assaulted, including one who suffered a broken rib, while others were detained by state security.

Since then, authorities have been flexing their muscles, repeatedly warning the foreign media against trying to cover further protests. (read more)

UK: Secret 'X-Files' Of UFO Sightings Released

UFO sightings and an "alien abduction" are detailed in thousands of close-encounter documents released by the National Archives.

Previously classified documents reveal the UFO phenomenon was discussed at the highest level of government worldwide.

In December 1977, the Government used its influence to talk down a call by Grenada president Sir Eric Gairy for a UN agency to conduct research into alien sightings.

About a year later, the House of Lords held a debate on the subject of UFOs, the files show.

One of the documents describes a "War of the Worlds" incident in 1967 that was treated as a potentially real alien invasion of the UK. (read more)

China warns foreign media not to cover protests

Chinese police are further intensifying pressure on foreign reporters, warning them to stay away from spots designated for Middle East-inspired protests and threatening them with expulsion or a revoking of their credentials.

The warnings show how unnerved the authorities are by the online calls for protests every Sunday. The appeals, which started two weeks ago, have attracted few outright demonstrators but many onlookers, loads of journalists and swarms of police.

Staff from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and numerous other overseas news organizations were called in for videotaped meetings with Beijing police Wednesday and Thursday and told that reporters trying to film or interview near the proposed demonstration spots in Beijing or Shanghai this weekend would be punished.

The Foreign Correspondents' Club of China said in a statement that some journalists reported being accused by police "of trying to help stir up a revolution, disrupt harmony in China and simply cause trouble." (read more)

Incredible UFO sighting over Moscow - late February

Latest Pennsylvania UFO sighting: Orbs "dropping" objects to ground over forests

The Extraordinary Events in the Middle East and the Coming Global Tsunami

The extraordinary events in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya are the initial high tides of an eventual tsunami that will impact the world that globalists have so fervently promoted for decades, in ways not necessarily to their liking. The first wave has struck and is now retreating from the shore, but will shortly return with redoubled force, and what and who will be swept away and what will be left standing is anyone's guess.

Per usual, America's intelligence agencies on which $60 billion a year is lavished, or $200 for every man, woman and child in the U.S., have given zero benefit to the American citizenry in anticipating events in the North African Magreb, as the CIA along with America's 15 other federal intelligence agencies were completely blindsided by events, if public information is to be believed. If any comfort can be had in this, it is the fact that America's favorite bête noire, al Qaida, much less other Islamic fundamentalists such as the Islamic Brotherhood in Egypt, were apparently caught flatfooted as well. (read more)

Farrakhan: Mideast uprisings will come to US

Nation of Islam leader Minister Louis Farrakhan predicted on Sunday that America faces imminent uprisings that mirror those in the Middle East.

“What you are looking at in Tunisia, in Egypt … Libya, in Bahrain … what you see happening there … you’d better prepare because it will be coming to your door,” Farrakhan said in a booming voice, thousands of followers cheering in his wake.

Farrakhan also called on President Barack Obama to allow protesters to march, urging the president not to attack innocent people when they do. (read more)

Small Nuclear War Could Reverse Global Warming for Years

Even a regional nuclear war could spark "unprecedented" global cooling and reduce rainfall for years, according to U.S. government computer models.

Widespread famine and disease would likely follow, experts speculate.

During the Cold War a nuclear exchange between superpowers—such as the one feared for years between the United States and the former Soviet Union—was predicted to cause a "nuclear winter."

In that scenario hundreds of nuclear explosions spark huge fires, whose smoke, dust, and ash blot out the sun for weeks amid a backdrop of dangerous radiation levels. Much of humanity eventually dies of starvation and disease. (read more)

Federal agency official declares that the Eastern Cougar species is extinct - 2nd Mar 2011

** The last known eastern cougar was trapped in Maine in 1938. It was mounted for display and is seen in this undated photo with wildlife biologist Bruce Wright.

HADLEY, Massachusetts — The eastern cougar, a large and elusive tawny wild cat that once prowled over wilderness in 21 states, is now extinct, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said on Wednesday.

Experts had long questioned the cougar's existence. Though it has been on the endangered species list since 1973, the animal likely has been extinct since the 1930s, said Dr. Mark McCollough, a senior scientist with the FWS.

Federal researchers had been studying whether the eastern cougar was present in the 21 states where it had a historical range.

"(Researchers) found no information to support the existence of the eastern cougar," said Martin Miller, the FWS Northeast head of endangered species. Read More

Is this what an alien looks like? Nasa scientist claims to have found out-of-this-world bacteria in meteorite - 6th Feb 2011

A Nasa scientist believes he has discovered an alien life form which may explain how life on earth started and has called on any scientist worldwide to try and prove him wrong.

The extraordinary claim by Dr Richard Hoover, an astrobiologist with Nasa’s Marshall Space Flight Center, comes after ten years of studying tiny bacteria in meteorites that have fallen in remote areas across the globe.

He explains that travelling to Antarctica, Siberia and Alaska he has studied an extremely rare form of meteorites - CI1 carbonaceous chondrites – of which only nine are known to exist on earth.

Looking at these meteorites under microscopes he said he has found numerous different fossils of bacteria – some which are similar to ones on earth and others which are complete, um, alien.

Read More

£10 Million TO GET GADDAFI DEAD OR ALIVE - 6th Mar 2011

Colonel Gaddafi has had a £10million bounty placed on his head.

The Wild West style reward is being offered by special agents to the Libyan who can deliver them Gaddafi – dead or alive.

British and US spies are in Libya with bundles of cash to tempt Gaddafi’s closest bodyguards and aides to turn hitman or hand him over.

Elite Brit troops from the SAS and SBS are protecting cash-carrying MI6 and CIA agents as they move around the country assembling a hit squad for the daring plan called “The Policy”.

Despite the international hatred of Gaddafi, the West would prefer him alive to face a trial at the International Criminal Court to answer for 40 years of crimes against humanity.

A well-placed security source said: “There is about £10million from the Brits and Americans to make it happen.

“They have infiltrated his closest body- guards. With the right people together it could happen in days. Read More

Note: This article came from the Daily Star and was ready last noght for todays print, could it have anything to do with this mornings breaking news?

"Up to eight members of an SAS unit and a British diplomat have been detained in Libya by Rebels, it has been reported"

2nd beaching in 2 days - 22 melon-headed whales rescued, JAPAN - 6th Mar 2011

MITO, Ibaraki Pref. (Kyodo) Twenty-two melon-headed whales that had washed ashore in Kashima, Ibaraki Prefecture, were rescued and returned to the sea Saturday by authorities and local volunteers.

About 50 of the whales were found beached Friday night.

Around 200 people, including staff from Ibaraki's Oarai Aquarium, municipal government officials and local residents and surfers tried to save the whales by keeping them hydrated while they tried to refloat them, but about 30 of them died, according to the municipal government.

It took around eight hours to return the surviving whales to the sea, the officials said, adding they buried the bodies of the dead whales on the shore nearby.

Melon-headed whales are commonly seen offshore around the area in early spring, and they may have been drawn into shallow waters while searching for food, said Masayuki Shimada, chief of the marine animal exhibition section of Oarai Aquarium. Source

Bali Beach Warning as Bacterial Bloom Poses Danger to Swimmers - 6th Mar 2011

Denpasar. Authorities in Bali have advised against swimming off Kuta Beach, one of the resort island’s most popular tourist sites, due to a reported bacterial bloom in the water.

The government-run Ngurah Rai Fish Quarantine Laboratory announced on Thursday that the bloom caused a drastic drop in the pH level of the water, making it more acidic and killing off large amounts of plankton.

Laboratory head Putu Eka Sudaryatma said the sudden die-off of micro-organisms had colored the water a turgid brown.

“Under normal conditions a pH test of the water should have yielded a 7, which means it’s neutral,” he said. “But when we tested a sample taken on Tuesday night, it had a pH of 4. Plankton can’t thrive in water with acidity levels that high.” Read More

Govt: Britain 'Must Wean Itself Off Oil' - 6th Mar 2011

The unrest in the Arab world makes it "all the more urgent" to wean Britain off oil and onto greener sources of power, according to a Government minister.

Britain has no other option but to speed up efforts to move away from oil towards other energy sources, Energy and Climate Change Secretary Chris Huhne said.

As a result of soaring petrol prices, the energy minister said Britain will launch a new national "Carbon Plan" this week.

It is aimed at getting government departments to shake up their operations and make their projects less dependent on fossil fuels.

"Getting off the oil hook is made all the more urgent by the crisis in the Middle East," Mr Huhne told The Observer. Read More

Gunfire On The Streets Of Libyan Capital - 6th Mar 2011

Heavy gunfire has shattered the pre-dawn calm in the Libyan capital Tripoli as rebel groups advanced on Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's hometown of Sirte.

The intense gunfire, which included machine gun, semi-automatic and tracer fire, was unleashed in the heart of Tripoli.

"This has been the most intense gun fire we have heard in Tripoli in the week we have been here," Sky News foreign correspondent Lisa Holland, reporting for the capital, said.

The gun fire was interspersed with the honking of car horns and cheering but a government spokesman denied fighting was under way in Tripoli.

"I assure you, I assure you, I assure you, I assure you, there is no fighting going on in Tripoli," Mussa Ibrahim, a government spokesman, said. Read More