5.2 Magnitude Earthquake NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN - 19th Apr 2012

A magnitude 5.2 earthquake has struck near the East Coast of Honshu, Japan at a depth of 18 km (11.2 miles), the quake hit at 03:33:25 UTC Thursday 19th April 2012
The epicenter was 37 km (23 miles) East from Iwaki, Honshu, Japan
No Tsunami Warning Issued - No Reports of Damage or Injuries at this time

Is the EU 'juking the stats' of its carbon schemes?

The EU's climate goal is the world's most ambitious, but how much of it is based on false accounting?

The EU has earned a lot of credit on the international climate scene. It has pushed through a roadmap to a second Kyoto deal at the Durban climate change summit, and stood firm on tugging global airlines into a carbon-pricing scheme.

More than anything it has demonstrated its good faith with a pioneering set of decarbonisation targets at home: the "20-20-20" goals. By 2020, the EU has pledged to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 20% of their 1990 level, and to increase the share of renewables to 20% of the energy mix. It also has a voluntary target to increase energy efficiency by 20% on 2005 levels, and an obligation to source 10% of its transport fuels from renewable energy sources by the same year.

"We're not waiting for talks to end in binding targets," the climate commissioner, Connie Hedegaard, said in Brussels, shortly before the Durban summit. "We're trying to move forward with our low-carbon roadmap, energy efficiency, discussing how we can increase efforts back home."

She had reason to sound confident. The EU's climate and environment directorates are staffed with some of the most talented and dedicated friends of the earth that you could find. But what if a culture of creative accounting, for reasons of political expediency, was robbing the targets they were working for of any credibility? Read More

IMF says secures $320 bln in drive for new funds....How much MORE money will they be prepared to Throw away untill they face the EURO isn't Working?

WASHINGTON, April 18 (Reuters) - The International Monetary Fund said on Wednesday it had raised $320 billion so far in a bid to boost its firepower to deal with the euro zone debt crisis, with Poland and Switzerland joining the effort.

IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde said she had received commitments of $34 billion on Wednesday, including $8 billion from Poland and "a substantial amount" from Switzerland.

"Ensuring that the Fund has sufficient resources to tackle crises and to promote global economic stability is in the interests of all our members," she said in a statement.

Lagarde is hoping to secure at least $400 billion in commitments from finance officials from around the globe, who meet this week in Washington under the auspices of the Group of 20 nations and the IMF and World Bank. Read More

Secretary Theresa May is facing demands for an urgent statement to Parliament in Regards to the Qatada Fiasco...Again

Home Secretary Theresa May is facing demands for an urgent statement to Parliament amid the "confusion" over the Government's latest bid to deport the terrorist suspect Abu Qatada.

Lawyers for the radical cleric have lodged an appeal with Europe's human rights judges following his rearrest on Tuesday, effectively putting moves to return him to stand trial in his native Jordan on hold.

Mrs May dismissed it as a "delaying tactic" - insisting the deadline for an appeal passed on Monday - three months after the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled he could be returned.

However, after the court refused to confirm that the Home Office had calculated the deadline correctly, shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper said she must return to the Commons to explain what had happened.

"We need urgent clarification from the Home Secretary on whether she got the timing wrong," Read More

Anders Breivik Told To Drop Right-Wing Salute

All eyes will be on Anders Behring Breivik as he enters court to see if he makes his now familiar right-wing salute when his handcuffs are removed.

The families of his victims have complained about the clenched fist gesture the killer has made at the start of each day of his trial.

Breivik's legal team has spoken to him, and the families are hoping he will respect their wishes and refrain from doing so at the beginning of day four of proceedings.

The prosecution in the trial of the man who killed 77 people in Norway last summer is focusing on the first of his two attacks.

The court will be looking at the circumstances leading up to the bombing of a government building in the heart of the capital, Oslo.

Breivik admits attacking the offices of the Norwegian Labour Party, whose members he condemns for supporting multiculturalism. Read More

47 countries are meeting today to decide if the European Court of Human Rights has too much power

It comes as the deportation of radical Muslim cleric Abu Qatada is thrown into doubt after his lawyers lodged an appeal with the human rights judges.

Justice Secretary Ken Clarke is hosting a conference of representatives of the member nations of the Council of Europe in Brighton.

The Government hopes to secure a deal on reforms that will see European human rights judges intervene less in British affairs.

The deal, called the Brighton Declaration, is expected to be signed at the two-day conference.

In January in a speech at the Council of Europe, Prime Minister David Cameron claimed that the Strasbourg-based court's work defending human freedom and dignity was being put "under threat" due to public unease over some of its decisions. Read More

Some of its decisions?..... Try Most of its decisions, if not all.

5.0 Magnitude Earthquake VOLCANO ISLANDS, JAPAN REGION - 19th Apr 2012

A magnitude 5.0 earthquake has struck the Volcano Islands, Japan Region at a depth of 30 km (18.6 miles), the quake hit at 02:48:50 UTC Thursday 19th April 2012
The epicenter was 1069 km (662.7 miles) South of Shimoda, Shizuoka, Japan
No Tsunami Warning Issued - No Reports of Damage or Injuries at this time

5.1 Magnitude Earthquake TAIWAN - 19th Apr 2012

A magnitude 5.1 earthquake has struck Taiwan at a depth of 18.8 km (11.7 miles), the quake hit at 01:58:07 UTC Thursday 19th April 2012
The epicenter was 16 km (9.9 miles) NNE of Hualien, Taiwan
No Tsunami Warning Issued - No Reports of Damage or Injuries at this time

4.8 Magnitude Earthquake NORTH OF SVALBARD - 19th Apr 2012

A magnitude 4.8 earthquake has struck North of Svalbard at a depth of 14.9 km (9.3 miles), the quake hit at 01:41:34 UTC Thursday 19th April 2012
The epicenter was 344 km (214 miles) Northeast from Nord, Greenland
No Tsunami Warning Issued - No Reports of Damage or Injuries at this time

4.7 Magnitude Earthquake COQUIMBO, CHILE - 19th Apr 2012

A magnitude 4.7 earthquake has struck Coquimbo, Chile at a depth of 52.3 km (32.5 miles), the quake hit at 01:14:05 UTC Thursday 19th April 2012
The epicenter was 40 km (24.8 miles) South of Ovalle, Coquimbo, Chile
No Reports of Damage or Injuries at this time

4.4 Magnitude Earthquake EL SALVADOR - 19th Apr 2012

A magnitude 4.4 earthquake has struck El Salvador at a depth of 94 km (58.4 miles), the quake hit at 00:48:02 UTC Thursday 19th April 2012
The epicenter was 10 km (6.2 miles) Northeast of Acajutla, El Salvador
No Tsunami Warning Issued - No Reports of Damage or Injuries at this time

4.8 Magnitude Earthquake KURIL ISLANDS, RUSSIA - 19th Apr 2012

A magnitude 4.8 earthquake has struck the Kuril Islands, Russia at a depth of 71.8 km (44.6 miles), the quake hit at 00:24:38 UTC Thursday 19th April 2012
The epicenter was 430 km (267 miles) SSW from Severo-Kuril'sk, Kuril Islands, Russia
No Tsunami Warning Issued - No Reports of Damage or Injuries at this time

4.5 Magnitude Earthquake EASTERN TURKEY - 18th Apr 2012

A magnitude 4.5 earthquake has struck Eastern Turkey at a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles), the quake hit at 23:30:58 UTC Wednesday 18th April 2012
The epicenter was 55 km (34 miles) NNE from Van, Turkey
No Reports of Damage or Injuries at this time

4.6 Magnitude Earthquake NORTH INDIAN OCEAN - 18th Apr 2012

A magnitude 4.6 earthquake has struck the North Indian Ocean, Indonesia at a depth of 15 km (9.3 miles), the quake hit at 22:53:36 UTC Wednesday 18th April 2012
The epicenter was 614 km (382 miles) Southwest from Banda Aceh, Sumatra, Indonesia
No Tsunami Warning Issued - No Reports of Damage or Injuries at this time

4.4 Magnitude Earthquake IRAN-IRAQ BORDER REGION - 18th Apr 2012

A magnitude 4.4 earthquake has struck the Iran-Iraq Border Region at a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles), the quake hit at 20:04:10 UTC Wednesday 18th April 2012
The epicenter was 16 km (9.9 miles) South of Dehloran, Iran
No Reports of Damage or Injuries at this time

5.3 Magnitude Earthquake NEAR NORTH COAST OF PAPUA, INDONESIA - 18th Apr 2012

A magnitude 5.3 earthquake has struck near the North Coast of Papua, Indonesia at a depth of 37.3 km (23.2 miles), the quake hit at 19:52:40 UTC Wednesday 18th April 2012
The epicenter was 80 km (49 miles) ENE of Sorong, Papua, Indonesia
No Tsunami Warning Issued - No Reports of Damage or Injuries at this time

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5.0 Magnitude Earthquake OFF THE WEST COAST OF NORTHERN SUMATRA - 18th Apr 2012

A magnitude 5.0 earthquake has struck off the West Coast of Northern Sumatra, Indonesia at a depth of 29.4 km (18.3 miles), the quake hit at 19:08:02 UTC Wednesday 18th April 2012
The epicenter was 335 km (208 miles) Southwest of Banda Aceh, Sumatra, Indonesia
No Tsunami Warning Issued - No Reports of Damage or Injuries at this time

China reports bird flu outbreak‎ Sparking Chicken Cull

Agricultural authorities in northwest China have culled about 95,000 chickens after an outbreak of the H5N1 bird flu virus, state press reported Wednesday.

The outbreak in Touying township of the Ningxia region was discovered on Friday last week after over 23,000 chickens began showing symptoms, Xinhua news agency said, citing the Ministry of Agriculture.

The ministry said the "epidemic is now under control", the report said, while work teams have been sent to the area to step up prevention measures.

China is considered one of the nations most at risk of bird flu epidemics because it has the world's biggest poultry population and many chickens in rural areas are kept close to humans.

In January, a man in southwest China's Guizhou province died after contracting the bird flu virus, the second such fatality reported in China this year, health authorities said. Source

Radioactive device found on campus, University of Memphis.

Brian Wilson: University of Memphis officials recently discovered a radioactive device inside of a Dumpster on campus. The device was discovered on April 5 and its radioactive nature was confirmed on April 9.

A radioactive device was extracted from a scrap metal Dumpster in an alley between the Heating and Cooling Plant and the Meeman Journalism Building on April 12.

Sharon Whitaker, who works inside Meeman, said she was alarmed when she looked out her window and saw men in HAZMAT suits inside the Dumpster.

“I just kept thinking in my mind, ‘Something is not right,’” she said. “Whenever you put on a HAZMAT suit, it’s got to be something that has to do with your health.”

The radioactivity in the Dumpster was first detected on April 5 by monitors at Sims Metal Management, where a truck took the bin to dispose of the waste.

The metal processing company routinely scans the contents of bins brought there to check for radioactive substances before admitting their contents into its facilities.

Monitors initially detected radiation levels that were 35 percent above normal background radiation, also known as naturally-occurring radiation, in the bin brought from The University of Memphis. Read More

Heavy rain, flash floods cause road chaos across New South Wales

WITH Sydney and parts of NSW experiencing the heaviest rainfall of 2012 the weather has caused road chaos with closures and delays hitting drivers.

A number of roads across Sydney have been affected by flooding due to the heavy rain and forecasters have warned more flash flooding could strike again as some of the heaviest rainfall of 2012 drenches coastal NSW.

Up to 100mm of rain has been forecast for parts of the city, much of it expected to fall in brief, torrential downpours.

"We will see localised, heavy rainfall and the intense nature of these falls could lead to some form of flash flooding," Weather Channel's Felim Hanniffy warned. Read More

Bizarre skin disease continues to spread‎ in Vietnam

More people are reported suffering from stiffness of the limbs, respiratory problems and miscarriages, caused by a peculiar and unidentified skin ulceration that has plagued the central province of Quang Ngai since April, said medical authorities from the province.

According to statistics of the Son Ha District Medical Centre on April 11, the numbers of people suffering from the bizarre skin disease have increased to 50, most of them being residents of Son Ba and Son Ky Communes.

Since March 8 to date, three inhabitants of Son Ky Commune have succumbed to the disease and 13 others are suffering from eye disease and respiratory problems.

Medical experts suspect the victims are suffering from poisoning from chemical herbicides, as they were affected soon after spraying the chemical in cassava fields.

The provincial health authorities have yet to determine the cause of deaths, but believe use of high contents of chemical herbicides have polluted the water sources in the commune. Read More

Road workers ill after finding suspected radioactive waste after they unearth 1980 toxic site, Australia

Road workers have become sick after finding suspected radioactive material during an upgrade to the Pacific Highway south of Port Macquarie on the NSW mid north coast.

A truck believed to be carrying radioactive waste from Sydney's Lucas Heights nuclear reactor was involved in a crash on that stretch of highway in 1980 and the waste was subsequently buried near the crash site. Source

Bee Attack in Nightclub Parking Lot Sends 2 to Hospital, San Diego, California

A swarm of bees sent two people to the hospital Tuesday afternoon after being stung in parking lot of Lydia's Cafe and Nightclub, a San Diego Fire-Rescue dispatcher said.

The two injured people who were not identified were transported to Scripps Chula Vista. A Fire-Rescue medic was also stung.

Luc Gomez said bees have been a problem where the attack occurred Tuesday since she moved into the Bayside Palms Mobile Home Village with her family and one-year-old son more than a year ago. She believes there is a hive nearby.

"I can't even get out of my car right now cause they're right there," said Gomez. Though the incident occurred in San Diego, she was in the IB City Hall parking lot an hour after to seek the help of Animal Control Officer Arturo Cuevas. Read More

Bee attack leaves 15 kids injured, India

CHANDIGARH: On the first day of school after 10 days of vacation, more than a dozen students of Class VI in Government High School, Sector 40, were bitten by a swarm of honeybees on Tuesday.

As many as 15 students, including eight girls, were playing kho-kho during their games period when bees attacked them. One of them, Pardeep Kumar, was injured critically and was rushed to Government Multi-speciality Hospital (GMSH), Sector 16 with serious injuries.

Schoolteacher Rama Jain, who accompanied the students to hospital, said the incident took place around 12.10pm when students were playing. She said some of the students managed to save themselves after running inside the classrooms.

"The beehive was on a tree and bees attacked the children suddenly," Rama said adding that the injured children were rushed to civil dispensary in Sector 40, but were then referred to GMSH-16 in the absence of proper medical staff in the dispensary. Injured students were rushed at GMSH-16 in police vehicles. Read More

Officials respond to oil spill on Elliott Bay in Seattle‎

Coast Guard and state officials are responding to an oil spill at the Bell Harbor Marina on Elliott Bay in Seattle.

Ecology spokesman Larry Altose says there's enough oil to coat the marina area, but it's difficult to tell how much has spilled. It appears to be tens of gallons.

The spill was reported Tuesday morning by employees of the Port of Seattle, which owns the boat harbor.

The port has hired a contractor to clean the oil. Source

Freak phenomenon along the southern coast of India

U.N. recognises terminology borrowed from Kerala fishermen

T. Peter vividly recalls the panic that gripped the coast for five days from May 17 in 2005. “The sea came surging in, inundating vast areas… It was an unprecedented phenomenon, occurring as it did in perfectly fair weather.”

With memories of the 2004 tsunami still fresh in the minds of people, the event sparked alarm all along the coast. As many as 12,000 people were affected as the tidal swell slammed the coastal belt, from Adimalathura to Pozhiyoor.

Residents fled their waterlogged houses; boats and fishing equipment were damaged. “It took several days for the situation to return to normality,” remembers Mr. Peter, president of the Kerala Swathantra Matsya Thozhilali Federation, who was at the forefront of relief operations.

Baffled by the freak phenomenon, scientists initially attributed it to an intensive pre-monsoon swell. The Centre for Earth Science Studies (CESS) later conducted a detailed study, which traced the origin of the swell to a cyclonic storm off the west coast of Australia. Read More

Hailstorms hammer San Joaquin Valley crops, California

A series of freak April storms hammered the San Joaquin Valley last week, damaging vulnerable crops with a one-two-three punch of hail, lightning and tornados that caused millions of dollars of crop losses.

It will be several weeks before an accurate tabulation of losses can be made, but for some growers it amounted to 100 percent of this year's production. A number of crops suffered damage from the unrelenting power of hailstones measuring 1.5 inches in diameter or larger.

Nature's fury came in the form of "supercells"—large thunderstorms that moved slowly across the valley from Kings County, through parts of Tulare County, up to Merced County and all the way eastward to Mariposa County.

The most destructive storm brought torrents of hail across a six-to-eight mile-wide swath of farmland that extended some 30 miles, accompanied by thunderstorms and numerous lightning strikes. Read More

5.0 Magnitude Earthquake IRAN-IRAQ BORDER REGION - 18th Apr 2012

A magnitude 5.0 earthquake has struck the Iran-Iraq Border Region at a depth of 80 km (49.6 miles), the quake hit at 18:43:07 UTC Wednesday 18th April 2012
The epicenter was 22 km (13.6 miles) West of Dehloran, Iran
No Reports of Damage or Injuries at this time

4.8 Magnitude Earthquake NEAR NORTH COAST OF PAPUA, INDONESIA - 18th Apr 2012

A magnitude 4.8 earthquake has struck near the North Coast of Papua, Indonesia at a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles), the quake hit at 18:38:11 UTC Wednesday 18th April 2012
The epicenter was 45 km (29.9 miles) East of Sorong, Papua, Indonesia
No Tsunami Warning Issued - No Reports of Damage or Injuries at this time

U.N. monitors face angry citizens in Syria

April 18 - Syrian protesters mob U.N. monitor vehicles in Erbin, accusing the international community and the United Nations of ignoring the violence. Deborah Lutterbeck reports.

"Not if, but when" for Spain bailout, experts say

(Reuters) - Economic experts watching Spain don't know how much money will be needed or precisely when, but some are near certain that Madrid will eventually seek a multi-billion euro bailout for its banks, and perhaps even for the state itself.

Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has repeatedly said Spain doesn't need or want an international bailout, and the European Union, which along with the IMF has already rescued Greece, Ireland and Portugal, also dismisses such talk.

But economists believe that Spanish banks will have to turn to the euro zone's rescue fund, the European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF), for help in covering losses caused by a property market crash which has yet to end.

Likewise, investors are fretting about how Rajoy's centre-right government can enforce deep austerity while reviving a recession-bound economy at the same time.

"They're going to need EFSF money to recapitalize the banking sector," said Carsten Brzeski, a senior economist at ING in Brussels. "I think we'll only see a real end to the Spanish misery if the real estate market stabilizes." Read More

Nuclear test expected from bristling North Korea

(Reuters) - A bristling North Korea said on Wednesday it was ready to retaliate in the face of international condemnation over its failed rocket launch, increasing the likelihood the hermit state will push ahead with a third nuclear test.

The North also ditched an agreement to allow back inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency. That followed a U.S. decision, in response to a rocket launch the United States says was a disguised long-range missile test, to break off a deal earlier this year to provide the impoverished state with food aid.

Pyongyang called the U.S. move a hostile act and said it was no longer bound to stick to its side of the February 29 agreement, dashing any hopes that new leader Kim Jong-un would soften a foreign policy that has for years been based on the threat of an atomic arsenal to leverage concessions out of regional powers.

"We have thus become able to take necessary retaliatory measures, free from the agreement," the official KCNA news agency said, without specifying what actions it might take. Read More

Bolivia poised to de-flag Iranian ships

(Reuters) - Bolivia is poised to strike fifteen vessels linked to the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines off its shipping register just weeks after IRISL found Bolivian replacements for their Maltese and Cypriot flags.

IRISL, its many subsidiaries and their dozens of ships have been sanctioned by the United States, United Nations and the European Union for their suspected role in transporting military equipment for Tehran.

Merchant ships need a flag from national ship registries to gain access to most of the world's ports and many fly those of other countries - especially Panama, Liberia, the Bahamas, Malta and Cyprus - to avoid paying taxes in their home countries.

Despite a 2010 U.N. resolution on dealing with Iranian government front companies, until recently Maltese flags still fluttered at the masts of 48 of 144 IRISL vessels identified by the EU, while Cypriot colors flew above 12.

Malta delisted one Iranian tanker, the M.T.Tour, after reports it had loaded up with sanctioned Syrian crude in late March, and threatened to deflag others found violating EU rules. Read More

Judge may step aside George Zimmerman case

(CNN) -- A Florida judge will decide by Friday whether to step aside from a criminal case involving a neighborhood watch volunteer who fatally shot 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, according to the court.

The defense team for George Zimmerman requested Monday that Seminole Circuit Judge Jessica Recksiedler, who is assigned to Zimmerman's case, be removed after she revealed that her husband works with a CNN legal analyst.

Zimmerman's defense attorney, Mark O'Mara, said Monday night that he is confident his motion will be granted.

This week, Recksiedler is on temporary assignment from the Florida Supreme Court and is hearing oral arguments at the Fifth District Court of Appeal in Daytona Beach, Florida, court spokeswoman Michelle Kennedy said in a statement Tuesday. Recksiedler will issue a written order on the matter no later than Friday, Kennedy said. Read More

Crisis fears for South Sudan conflict

Sweden's art minister takes heat over 'racist' cake

(CNN) -- Sweden's culture minister was feeling the heat Wednesday after a weekend art exhibit in which she cut up a cake baked into the shape of a cartoonishly stereotyped African woman.

A group representing Swedes of African descent has called for Lena Adelsohn Liljeroth to resign over that it called a racist caricature. But Liljeroth defended her participation, saying the cake was designed to "challenge the traditional image of racism."

"While the symbolism in the piece is despicable, it is unfortunate and highly regrettable that the presentation has been interpreted as an expression of racism by some," Liljeroth said in a statement issued by her office. "The artistic intent was the exact opposite." Read More

5.1 Magnitude Earthquake SOUTHEASTERN IRAN - 18th Apr 2012

A magnitude 5.1 earthquake has struck Southeastern Iran at a depth of 62 km (38.5 miles), the quake hit at 17:40:38 UTC Wednesday 18th April 2012
The epicenter was 198 km (123 miles) ENE from Bandar-e Abbas, Iran
No Reports of Damage or Injuries at this time

Anders Breivik has declared Norway's prison sentences "pathetic" and demanded he either be executed or cleared.

Mass killer Anders Breivik has declared Norway's prison sentences "pathetic" and demanded he either be executed or cleared.

He claimed the choices were the "only logical outcomes" for his massacre of 77 people - even though the country does not have the death penalty.

"If I had feared death I would not have dared to carry out this operation," he said, referring to his July 22 attacks - a bombing in Oslo that killed eight people and a shooting massacre at a youth camp outside the Norwegian capital that killed 69.

Breivik's comments, on the third day of his terror trial, came as he was pressed to give details on the anti-Muslim militant group he claims to belong to but which prosecutors say does not exist.
The issue is of key importance in determining Breivik's sanity, and whether he is sent to prison or compulsory psychiatric care.

If found sane, Breivik could face a maximum 21-year prison sentence or an alternate custody arrangement that would keep him locked up as long as he is considered a menace to society. If declared insane he would be committed to psychiatric care for as long as he's considered ill. "I view 21 years in prison as a pathetic sentence," Breivik said. "There are only two outcomes in this case that I had respected, that that is the death penalty or acquittal." Read More

4.9 Magnitude Earthquake SOLOMON ISLANDS - 18th Apr 2012

A magnitude 4.8 earthquake has struck the Solomon Islands at a depth of 414.3 km (257.4 miles), the quake hit at 16:21:41 UTC Wednesday 18th April 2012
The epicenter was 71 km (44 miles) North of Gizo, New Georgia Islands, Solomon Islands
No Tsunami Warning Issued - No Reports of Damage or Injuries at this time

4.7 Magnitude Earthquake OFF THE WEST COAST OF NORTHERN SUMATRA - 18th Apr 2012

A magnitude 4.7 earthquake has struck off the West Coast of Northern Sumatra, Indonesia at a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles), the quake hit at 16:08:23 UTC Wednesday 18th April 2012
The epicenter was 554 km (344 miles) SSW of Banda Aceh, Sumatra, Indonesia
No Tsunami Warning Issued - No Reports of Damage or Injuries at this time

4.7 Magnitude Earthquake NEAR NORTH COAST OF NEW GUINEA, PAPUA NEW GUINEA - 18th Apr 2012

A magnitude 4.7 earthquake has struck near the North Coast New Guinea, Papua New Guinea at a depth of 34.1 km (21.2 miles), the quake hit at 14:54:47 UTC Wednesday 18th April 2012
The epicenter was 28 km (17 miles) Southeast from Vanimo, New Guinea, Papua New Guinea
No Tsunami Warning Issued - No Reports of Damage or Injuries at this time

If I Were the Devil: Paul Harvey (Absolute must-watch)

Radical Qatada Blocks Deportation With Appeal with Europe's human rights judges....Well that puts a dampener on things, has Theresa Messed up Again?

Terror suspect Abu Qatada today lodged an appeal with Europe's human rights judges which effectively blocks the Government's attempts to deport him to Jordan, officials said.

Qatada's legal team claims that judges at the European Court of Human Rights were wrong three months ago when they ruled that he would not be at risk of torture if returned to Jordan, a court spokeswoman said.

The court's Grand Chamber will decide whether to hear his appeal, but the radical cleric, once described by a judge as Osama bin Laden's right hand man in Europe, cannot be deported until the court has reached a decision. Read More

Fuel Tanker Drivers' Leaders Reject Deal

Leaders of fuel tanker drivers have rejected a deal aimed at averting strikes but want further talks, the Unite union says.

Around 60 representatives of drivers at seven haulage firms discussed proposals drawn up during six days of negotiations with the conciliation service Acas.

Unite Assistant General Secretary Diana Holland told reporters today that progress had been made in the talks, but not enough.

"The overwhelming feeling was the proposals do not go far enough in guaranteeing industry-wide minimum standards, terms, conditions and pensions," she said.

"We remain committed to achieving a negotiated settlement that brings stability and security to a vital industry.

"We call on the employers to engage with us so that we can reach a meaningful settlement that brings an end to the uncertainty in the industry."

Unite urged motorists not to panic buy and stressed that it had not yet decided whether to name any strike dates.

The union only has until Friday to call a strike and will have to give seven days notice of industrial action. Read More

Car crashes through supermarket injuring 10

Video text: A 76-year-old woman in the US state of Florida has been charged with careless driving after her Toyota Camry crashed through a supermarket on Saturday, injuring ten people. 33-year-old Lasaunda Hampton was recovering at home with her 3-month-old baby Tyshawn Davis, who was in the stroller visible in the video and escaped with minor injuries.Her 15-year-old daughter, Marshanna Jones, required 32 stitches to cuts from glass. Crews attending the scene said it was a miracle no one got killed.

How Arab Spring exodus hit economy

N'Djamena, Chad (CNN) -- After spending years of working in neighboring Libya, the last place Daoud Mohammed wants to be right now is back to his home in Chad, the landlocked country in central Africa.

With no work and few opportunities, he is worried about his and his family's future in Chad's capital N'Djamena.

"To survive I had to be away -- though my family was here in Chad -- because there is nothing for me to do here," says Mohammed. He is one of the tens of thousands of Chadians who fled last year's fighting in Libya and are now back in their homeland.

"I don't have any skills, I don't have any qualifications and the rainy seasons here don't come often enough, so we can't cultivate," adds Mohammed, who used to work on construction sites in Libya.

Like Mohammed, around 300,000 Chadians made their living in Libya, often filling a gap at the lower end of the labor market, working in oil fields and construction sites. Read More

4.9 Magnitude Earthquake SOUTHERN XINJIANG, CHINA - 18th Apr 2012

A magnitude 4.9 earthquake has struck Southern Xinjiang, China at a depth of 40 km (24.8 miles), the quake hit at 14:48:01 UTC Wednesday 18th April 2012
The epicenter was 107 km (66.3 miles) East of Kashi, Xinjiang, China
No Reports of Damage or Injuries at this time

Israeli officer fired for striking activist

Jerusalem (CNN) -- The Israeli military said Wednesday that it had dismissed an officer who was caught on video striking a pro-Palestinian activist in the face.

"Lt. Col. Eisner was dismissed from his position and will not serve as the Deputy Commander of the IDF Officer School, and will not be eligible to serve in commanding positions in the next two years," an Israeli Defense Forces statement said of Shalom Eisner, who served as commander for soldiers in the West Bank.

Eisner's dismissal also follows the Tuesday night broadcast of comments he made to friends defending his actions. In an audiotape quoted widely in the Israeli media, Eisner is heard saying that he used his rifle as a stick in order to prevent his soldiers from being harmed. He also admitted that the pictures of the incident looked bad but that it did not represent a failure of values.

"I didn't kill anyone and didn't endanger anyone's life," Eisner said. Read More

Afghan police question school workers over poisoning of Students

Kabul, Afghanistan (CNN) -- Afghan police are questioning two school caretakers after more than 170 women and girls were hospitalized with suspected poisoning, a district official said Wednesday.

Police took the school employees into custody in the town of Rostaq, district administrator Moelam Hussein said.

Local health officials blamed the act on extremists opposed to women's education.

A total of 171 women and girls were hospitalized Tuesday, and four remained semi-conscious in the hospital Wednesday, Dr. Hafizullah Safi said.

Some 25 women and girls returned to the hospital Wednesday morning, complaining of more stomach pains, fever and vomiting. They were given medication and released, said Safi, the provincial health department director. Read More