Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Obama: We're On Course To Destroy Al Qaeda
Barack Obama has told the US that a decade under "the dark cloud of war" is almost over and that his administration is on course to destroy Al Qaeda.
The US President told the American people in a primetime speech that the US combat role in Afghanistan was now also winding down, just as it already has in Iraq.
Speaking from a military airbase in Afghanistan on the anniversary of Osama bin Laden's death, he insisted: "We can see the light of a new day on the horizon."
But within hours of his trip to the war-torn country, a car bomb exploded in Kabul where the leader had been just hours earlier. The Taliban quickly claimed responsibility.
Mr Obama's secret visit and address to the nation came as the leader focuses on his battle for re-election and looks to portray his foreign policy as a success.
He said: "As we emerge from a decade of conflict abroad and economic crisis at home, it's time to renew America. This time of war began in Afghanistan, and this is where it will end." Read More
5.0 Magnitude Earthquake SOUTHEAST OF THE LOYALTY ISLANDS - 2nd May 2012
A magnitude 5.0 earthquake has struck Southeast of the Loyalty Islands at a depth of 15.1 km (9.4 miles), the quake hit at 02:53:07 UTC Wednesday 2nd May 2012The epicenter was 276 km (171 miles) Southeast of Ile Hunter, Loyalty Islands, New Caledonia
No Tsunami Warning Issued - No Reports of Damage or Injuries at this time
4.1 Magnitude Earthquake CAUCASUS REGION, RUSSIA - 2nd May 2012
A magnitude 4.1 earthquake has struck Caucasus Region, Russia at a depth of 12 km (7.4), the quake hit at 00:44:20 UTC Wednesday 2nd May 2012The epicenter was 10 km (6.2 miles) Northeast of Uspenskoye, Russia
No Reports of Damage or Injuries at this time
4.6 Magnitude Earthquake LOMBOK REGION, INDONESIA - 2nd May 2012
A magnitude 4.6 earthquake has struck Lombok Region, Indonesia at a depth of 257 km (159.3 miles), the quake hit at 00:16:10 UTC Wednesday 2nd May 2012The epicenter was 71 km (44 miles) Northeast of Praya, Indonesia
No Tsunami Warning Issued - No Reports of Damage or Injuries at this time
3.9 Magnitude Earthquake ONTARIO, CANADA - 2nd May 2012
A magnitude 3.9 earthquake has struck Ontario, Canada at a depth of 15 km (9.3 miles), the quake hit at 00:03:38 UTC Wednesday 2nd May 2012The epicenter was 82 km (65 miles) NNW of Moosonee, Ontario, Canada
No Reports of Damage or Injuries at this time
4.6 Magnitude Earthquake NEAR THE COAST OF WESTERN TURKEY - 2nd May 2012
A magnitude 4.6 earthquake has struck near the Coast of Western Turkey at a depth of 13 km (8.6 miles), the quake hit at 00:02:41 UTC Wednesday 2nd May 2012The epicenter was 10 km (6.2 miles) East of Karaburun, Turkey
No Tsunami Warning Issued - No Reports of Damage or Injuries at this time
4.4 Magnitude Earthquake OFFSHORE CHIAPAS, MEXICO - 1st May 2012
A magnitude 4.4 earthquake has struck offshore Chiapas, Mexico at a depth of 35.9 km (22.3 miles), the quake hit at 23:52:43 UTC Tuesday 1st May 2012The epicenter was 79 km (49 miles) Southwest of Tapachula, Chiapas, Mexico
No Tsunami Warning Issued - No Reports of Damage or Injuries at this time
4.6 Magnitude Earthquake OFF THE WEST COAST OF NORTHERN SUMATRA - 1st May 2012
A magnitude 4.6 earthquake has struck off the West Coast of Northern Sumatra, Indonesia at a depth of 10.1 km (6.3 miles), the quake hit at 23:41:45 UTC Tuesday 1st May 2012The epicenter was 345 km (214 miles) Southwest of Banda Aceh, Sumatra, Indonesia
No Tsunami Warning Issued - No Reports of Damage or Injuries at this time
4.6 Magnitude Earthquake OFFSHORE CHIAPAS, MEXICO - 1st May 2012
A magnitude 4.6 earthquake has struck offshore Chiapas, Mexico at a depth of 35 km (21.7 miles), the quake hit at 22:56:21 UTC Tuesday 1st May 2012The epicenter was 119 km (73 miles) Southwest of Tapachula, Chiapas, Mexico
No Tsunami Warning Issued - No Reports of Damage or Injuries at this time
4.5 Magnitude Earthquake VANCOUVER ISLAND, CANADA REGION - 1st May 2012
A magnitude 4.5 earthquake has struck Vancouver Island, Canada Region at a depth of 12.1 km (7.5 miles), the quake hit at 22:53:44 UTC Tuesday 1st May 2012The epicenter was 202 km (125 miles) West of Port Hardy, British Columbia, Canada
No Tsunami Warning Issued - No Reports of Damage or Injuries at this time
6.0 Magnitude Earthquake OFFSHORE CHIAPAS, MEXICO - 1st May 2012
A magnitude 6.0 earthquake has struck offshore Chiapas, Mexico at a depth of 36.3 km (22.6 miles), the quake hit at 22:43:37 UTC Tuesday 1st May 2012The epicenter was 93 km (57 miles) Southwest of Tapachula, Chiapas, Mexico
No Tsunami Warning Issued - No Reports of Damage or Injuries at this time
4.9 Magnitude Earthquake KERMADEC ISLANDS REGION - 1st May 2012
A magnitude 4.9 earthquake has struck the Kermadec Island Region at a depth of 44 km (27.2 miles), the quake hit at 22:13:26 UTC Tuesday 1st May 2012The epicenter was 986 km (611.3 miles) South of Nuku'alofa Tonga
No Tsunami Warning Issued - No Reports of Damage or Injuries at this time
4.2 Magnitude Earthquake SOUTHWESTERN SIBERIA, RUSSIA - 1st May 2012
A magnitude 4.2 earthquake has struck Southwestern Siberia, Russia at a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles), the quake hit at 17:42:55 UTC Tuesday 1st May 2012The epicenter was 54 km (34.8 miles) Northeast Saryg-sep, Siberia, Russia
No Reports of Damage or Injuries at this time
4.5 Magnitude Earthquake KODIAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA - 1st May 2012
A magnitude 4.5 earthquake has struck the Kodiak Island Region, Alaska at a depth of 40.4 km (25.1 miles), the quake hit at 17:38:44 UTC Tuesday 1st May 2012The epicenter was 106 km (66 miles) SSE from Akhiok, Alaska
No Tsunami Warning Issued - No Reports of Damage or Injuries at this time
U.S., EU, South Korea, Japan urge sanctions for North Korea firms
(Reuters) - The United States, European Union, South Korea and Japan have submitted a list of around 40 North Korean companies to the U.N. Security Council's sanctions committee for possible blacklisting due to Pyongyang's recent rocket launch, envoys said on Tuesday.The committee, which includes all 15 Security Council members, is awaiting a response from China regarding which, if any, of the firms Beijing will consent to adding to the U.N. list of banned North Korean firms, diplomats told Reuters on the condition of anonymity. Source
U.S. plot to blow up bridge: 5 Arrested, Cleveland
(Reuters) - U.S. authorities arrested five self-described anarchists in the Cleveland area for allegedly plotting to blow up a four-lane highway bridge over a national park, but had no ties to foreign terrorism, the U.S. Justice Department said on Tuesday.The group, ranging in ages from 20 to 37, were arrested overnight by the FBI after planting the explosives on the bridge. Three have been charged already with conspiracy and attempting to use explosive materials and the other two are expected to be charged later on Tuesday.
The FBI said the five arrested, identified as Douglas Wright, Brandon Baxter, Anthony Hayne, Connor Stevens and Joshua Stafford, were under continuous watch as part of an undercover operation and therefore the public was never in danger. The explosives, supplied by an undercover FBI agent, were inert.
"I want to stress ... at no time during this investigation was the public in danger," FBI agent Stephen Anthony told reporters in Cleveland. The bridge is about 15 miles south of Cleveland in an area popular with hikers and joggers. Read More
'High Alert' As Fresh Flood Warnings Issued
Emergency services are on "high alert" across England and Wales after fresh flood warnings - as police name the man who died in the treacherous conditions.
Jonathan Gammon, 52, was trapped in his car as it was swept away by 5ft of water in Compton Wood, Hampshire, on Monday.
His 55-year-old wife, who is thought to have been driving the car, managed to escape from the vehicle but he was pronounced dead at the scene. Their dog also died.
The Environment Agency now has more than 30 flood warnings in force across the South West, the Midlands, the North East, Anglia and Wales.
People in the affected areas are advised to move to a safe place, turn off gas, electricity and water supplies and put flood protection equipment in place. Read More
Re-Occupied! Thousands of activists swarm across New York as May Day protests spread across dozens of U.S. cities
Thousands of Occupy Wall Street activists have swarmed banks and blue-chip companies in New York City as part of the movement's massive May Day protests across the country today.In a deliberate attempt to bring large-scale European-style May 1 protests to America for the first time, Occupy called for a general strike, urging workers to attend marches rather than work.
The biggest swell of defiance is in New York, where protesters had planned to bring the city to a halt by blockading major arteries like the Brooklyn Bridge.
Activists brandishing banners with anti-capitalist slogans swarmed picket lines at the Chase Building on Park Ave, while others gathered behind barricades at the Bank of America tower at Bryant Park. Read More
4.9 Magnitude Earthquake WYOMING - 1st May 2012
A magnitude 4.9 earthquake has struck Wyoming at a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles), the quake hit at 17:11:18 UTC Tuesday 1st May 2012The epicenter was 25 km (15.5 miles) Southwest of Moorcroft, Wyoming
No Reports of Damage or Injuries at this time
NOTE: Update USGS has removed this earthquake 30 min after publishing the above details.
Update 2: This earthquake has been upgraded to a 4.9 Magnitude from 4.0 Magnitude, USGS has still not returned the Wyoming Earthquake as it remains completely removed.
26 Stations measured this earthquake ranging from 4.3 Magnitude to 5.6 Magnitude
Space station captures 75-mile plume of snow-white powder blowing over dune fields of New Mexico
The plume of icy white dust stretches for more than 75 miles - and the sheer force of the wind 'lifts' the dust more than four thousand feet so they float over the Sacramento mountains.The photograph was taken from the International Space Station, 245 miles up - and shows one of the only places on Earth where white dust 'takes flight' on the wind.
The white dunes’ brilliance - they are made of gypsum - especially contrasted against the nearby dark mountain slopes, makes them easily identifiable to orbiting astronauts. The white speck of the dunes was even visible to astronaut crews looking back at Earth on the way to the Moon.
Driven by southwesterly winter winds, dust from the White Sands dune field in New Mexico rises thousands of feet from the valley floor and drifts over the snowy peaks of the Sacramento Mountains. Read More
Mystery as NASA spots black hole 'super X-ray emission' 3,000 times greater than usual
A 'remarkable outburst' from a black hole has astronomers puzzled after they saw X-ray output increase by about 3,000 times.The black hole is located in M83, a spiral galaxy about 15 million light years from Earth, and the huge output suggests there is a population of older, volatile black holes that we have yet to learn about.
The flash in the skies was noted by NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory, a space-based telescope which was launched into orbit in 1999.
Using Chandra, astronomers found the new ultraluminous X-ray source within the galaxy.
Ultralumous (ULX) sources emit more 'luminous' energy than is thought to possible by a 'traditional' black hole.
They are rare items, with only a couple spotted in each of our neighbouring galaxies - indeed, one has not been discovered in our own Milky Way galaxy. Read More
Rosa Tullis the 4ft 11ins firefighter squeezes into tiny storm drain to rescue toddler
A toddler was rescued by a fire fighter after falling 20 feet down a storm drain, and it wasn't the truck's strongest or biggest member who brought the boy to safety.The smallest person in the East Point Fire Department, Rosa Tullis, was the 4 foot 11 inch hero on Sunday.
Darnell Brown, 1, was sitting with his father outside of Atlanta, Georgia when his foot slipped in the drain.
When he stood up to steady himself, the boy ended up falling in and landed at the bottom of the drain 20 to 25 feet below.
The local fire crew responded to the scene and when they saw that the hole was too small to fit the ladder, they had to come up with another solution.
They then turned to Ms Tullis whose small stature allowed her to maneuverer into the storm drain. Read More
Tessa L. Vanvlerah Jailed With No Chance of Parole for allowing professor Kenneth Kyle to Rape her five-month-old daughter
A woman who admitting allowing her five-month-old daughter to be raped by a man she met online was handed down two consecutive life sentences without probation today.Tessa L. Vanvlerah, 22, from St Louis, was charged with first-degree statutory rape and sodomy, as well as incest and child pornography.
Her attorneys failed to convince a judge that she should get probation because she suffers from a psychological disorder.
Dr Brooke Kraushaar said a dependent-personality disorder caused Vanvlerah to participate in the sexual fantasies of Kenneth M. Kyle, 49, a college professor from California, even though she knew sex acts involving her then-five-month-old daughter were wrong.
Kyle was sentenced to 37-and-a-half years in prison in March after pleading guilty of abusing the infant during several occasions in 2009, according to St Louis Today. Read More
Note: They should have the Death Penalty for people like this.
5.7 Magnitude Earthquake MICHOACAN, MEXICO - 1st May 2012
A magnitude 5.7 earthquake has struck Michoacán, Mexico at a depth of 80.8 km (50.2miles), the quake hit at 16:38:00 UTC Tuesday 1st May 2012The epicenter was 7 km (4.3 miles) South from Huetamo, Michoacán, Mexico
No Reports of Damage or Injuries at this time
Jennifer Mothershead 'repeatedly poured bleach into her toddler's EYES until her sight was permanently damaged'
A mother from Washington has been charged with assault after it was alleged she repeatedly put bleach into her young daughter’s eyes.Jennifer Mothershead, 29 from Bonney Lake, is thought to have caused permanent vision loss in her 15-month-old daughter’s right eye.
Authorities became suspicious in May last year when the little girl was airlifted from Tacoma to Seattle’s Harborview Medical Center after suffering a blow to the head, according to Q13 FOX News.
When she was treated, medical staff observed a previously diagnosed eye condition had got worse.
Doctors became suspicious that the head injury was a result of abuse and called the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department.
Mothershead did not explain how her daughter had got the head injury, and according to a detective, did not show any emotion about the girl’s injuries. The 15-month-old was taken into protective custody. Read More
North Korean Nuclear Test 'Within 2 Weeks'
NBC News last week also cited a U.S. government official as saying the North is likely to conduct a nuclear test in the next two weeks.
AP cited experts at Johns Hopkins University as saying that mining boxcars were spotted moving and piles of soil building up at the North's nuclear test site in Punggye-ri, North Hamgyong Province. more
Jacqueline Woodhouse admits racial harassment on Central Line
A woman has admitted racially harassing a fellow Tube passenger after a video of her appeared on the internet.
Jacqueline Woodhouse, 42, was filmed delivering an expletive-ridden rant on a Central Line train travelling between St Paul's and Mile End on 23 January.
A seven-minute long video of the incident was uploaded to YouTube.
Woodhouse, of Romford, Essex, admitted racially aggravated intentional harassment, at Westminster Magistrates' Court.
The prosecution offered no evidence on a separate charge of racially aggravated common assault.
She will be sentenced at the same court on 29 May. Source
5.0 Magnitude Earthquake OFF THE COAST OF BAJA CALIFORNIA SUR - 1st May 2012
A magnitude 5.0 earthquake has struck off the Coast of Baja California Sur at a depth of 10.9 km (6.8 miles), the quake hit at 15:44:39 UTC Tuesday 1st May 2012The epicenter was 185 km (115 miles) ESE from Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, Mexico
No Tsunami Warning Issued - No Reports of Damage or Injuries at this time
World's Largest 'Fossil Forest' Found In US
Scientists have found a 300-million-year-old subterranean 'fossil forest' in the US, thought to be more than 50 times bigger than anything of its kind previously discovered.Researchers uncovered the forest, which is believed to extend for up to 100 miles, encased in shale above coal seams in the state of Illinois.
Complete trees, delicate ferns and even cockroach wings were fossilised during the carboniferous "coal age" after global warming caused rising water levels, which are believed to have flooded forests and choked them with sediment.
The forest is entombed in eight working coal mines in depths that vary from 250ft to 800ft below ground level and researchers believe the forest may extend for 100 miles. Read More
5.0 Magnitude Earthquake NEAR THE COAST OF WESTERN TURKEY - 1st May 2012
A magnitude 5.0 earthquake has struck near the Coast of Western Turkey at a depth of 5.9 km (3.7 miles Poorly Constrained), the quake hit at 14:48:29 UTC Tuesday 1st May 2012The epicenter was 48 km (30 miles) Northwest from Izmir, Turkey
No Tsunami Warning Issued - No Reports of Damage or Injuries at this time
5.5 Magnitude Earthquake SULAWESI, INDONESIA - 1st May 2012
A magnitude 5.5 earthquake has struck Sulawesi, Indonesia at a depth of 34 km (21.1 miles), the quake hit at 13:59:43 UTC Tuesday 1st May 2012The epicenter was 163 km (101.6 miles) Northwest of Kendari, Sulawesi, Indonesia
No Tsunami Warning Issued - No Reports of Damage or Injuries at this time
Alexander Dale Oen has died at the age of just 26 of Cardiac Arrest
Norwegian world champion Alexander Dale Oen has died of a cardiac arrest at the age of 26 at a training camp in Arizona.The Norwegian Swimming Federation President Per Rune Eknes said that Dale Oen had suffered a cardiac arrest.
The Associated Press reported that the swimmer had been found collapsed on the floor of his bathroom on Monday. He was taken to Flagstaff Medical Center close to the site of the training camp, where he was pronounced dead. Read More
Syrian Regime Confiscates Sky News Camera
A television camera belonging to Sky News has been confiscated by Syrian officials after the crew filmed an impromptu protest in the capital, Damascus.Sky News foreign affairs editor Tim Marshall, reporting from the city, said: "We were filming near a statue in the centre of town and about 20 activists started a protest near us.
"They walked through traffic, not stopping it, and went on for about four minutes.
"Suddenly guys ran out from the court building with truncheons and guns and a lot in plain clothes.
"A uniformed officer with a machine gun approached us and violently ripped the camera away from us.
"There was a struggle between us and the policeman. He then ran off down the road with it and I subsequently followed the policeman.
"More armed men with truncheons later came out towards my two colleagues, who were taken into the court building.
"I could see them heading towards my colleagues and so I slipped away, a couple of streets, to get this news out." Read More
4.1 Magnitude Earthquake TAIWAN - 1st May 2012
A magnitude 4.1 earthquake has struck Taiwan at a depth of 54 km (33.8 miles), the quake hit at 12:36:00 UTC Tuesday 1st May 2012The epicenter was 15 km (9.3 miles) Northeast of Fenglin, Taiwan
No Tsunami Warning Issued - No Reports of Damage or Injuries at this time
Sumatran elephant found poisoned in Indonesia
BANDA ACEH, Indonesia (AP) — A ranger says an endangered Sumatran elephant has died in a palm oil plantation in western Indonesia, apparently after being poisoned by villagers trying to protect their crops.Fewer than 3,000 of the animals are left in the wild and environmentalists warn they could be extinct within three decades unless steps are taken to protect them.
Mukhtar, a ranger with Fauna-Flora International, says the 18-year-old elephant was not yet dead when she was found Monday in Aceh province.
Rangers unsuccessfully tried to save her by giving her medicine.
Mukhtar said it is not uncommon for elephants to be poisoned. As forests disappear, elephants stray into inhabited areas in search of food. Villagers trying to protect their property sometimes leave fruits laced with cyanide. Source
Mt Merapi enters preparation phase before eruption: Expert
Image: Mount Merapi, Indonesia eruption 12th November 2010The Mt. Merapi volcano restarted its inflation process immediately after the 2010 eruption and has entered its preparation stage of a forthcoming eruption, a Japanese researcher has said.
Masako Iguchi, a researcher from the Disaster Prevention Research Institute at Kyoto University, said Tuesday that the global positioning system (GPS) installed on three Indonesian volcanoes, namely Guntur, Sinabung and Merapi, to detect their ground deformations, had signaled the inflation of Mt. Merapi.
Before the 2010 eruption, he said, Merapi had erupted in 2001 and 2006. This showed that there were some periods in which the volcano had no deformation until it inflated and the next eruption occurred on Oct. 26, 2010.
“But in this latest case, we detected that after its 2010 eruption, Merapi inflated again very quickly. This means that Merapi is a very active volcano,” Iguchi said during a meeting to present the team’s project report titled “Multi-Disciplinary Hazard Reduction from Earthquakes and Volcanoes in Indonesia”. Read More
North Sulawesi Airport Should Be Closed After Volcano Eruption, Expert Says
North Sulawesi's Sam Ratulangi Airport should be temporarily closed as the Mount Lokon volcano erupted again on Tuesday, Indonesia's top volcanologist said. The volcano, located in Tomohon — about 10 kilometers south of Manado, erupted at 11:55 a.m. on Tuesday, spraying volcanic ash across an area 2.5 kilometers from Mount Lokon's Tompaluan crater. The eruption was bigger than last week's, said Surono, the head of the Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation Agency at the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry.
“I cannot force Sam Ratulangi Airport to be closed, but I’ve recommended the closing,” Surono said.
He also urged the government to prepare alternative ways to connect Manado and Tomohon, stating that past eruptions had left the town isolated. Anyone living within 2.5 kilometer radius from the mountain’s crater should be evacuated Surono said. Read More
Tornado hits Medford Oklahoma, knocks out power
OKLAHOMA CITY (Reuters) - A tornado hit a small Oklahoma town on Monday, knocking out power to the community of 1,000 residents and damaging a farm just two weeks after a tornado elsewhere in the state killed at least six people, the National Weather Service said.No injuries were immediately reported in Monday night's twister in Medford, but much of northern Oklahoma was placed under tornado watch through the night, and flash flood warnings were issued due to heavy rains the past two days, said Forrest Mitchell of the National Weather Service in Norman, Oklahoma.
In nearby Deer Creek, Oklahoma, authorities began evacuating residents late Monday when a leak was discovered in a 30,000-gallon tank of volatile anhydrous ammonia at the farmer's grain co-op, a spokeswoman for the Grant County Sheriff's Department said.
It was unclear if the leak was caused by the tornado, high winds and hail that swept through the area, said Shari Payne of the sheriff's department.
The U.S. tornado season started early this year, with twisters already blamed for 63 deaths in 2012 in the Midwest and South, raising concerns that this year would be a repeat of 2011, the deadliest tornado year in nearly a century. Read More
317 Youths, Adults Sickened at Mexico Party
The toll of those sickened by apparent food poisoning at a Children's Day festival in a Mexican village has risen to 302 children and 15 adults.The health department in southern Guerrero state says 47 children and one adult remain hospitalized. The others have been released.
The department said Monday that all of those who fell ill ate spaghetti, beef, salsa and cake at a grade school celebration in the hamlet of Los Organos, on the outskirts of the Pacific coast resort of Acapulco.
The adults who fell ill were teachers, parents and school staff.
State health authorities are analyzing food served at the party to determine exactly what caused the food poisoning. Source
Crookston: U.S. Troops In Neighboorhood Streets Fully Armed...“training exercise” but they Don't Know Why
A photo showing fully armed U.S. National Guard troops patrolling a quiet residential street in Crookston, Minnesota has gone viral, once again underscoring concerns that Americans are being conditioned to accept the gradual imposition of martial law.Although the photo is undated, Guard troops from the local Crookston Armory routinely take part in off-base exercises which train the local population to accept the sight of armed soldiers patrolling their neighborhoods as normal.
One such exercise in February 2011 dubbed “Urban Operations Training” involved military Humvees and 27 armed soldiers conducting a drill around the Bridge Street area of Crookston.
According to “Maggie,” the woman who took the photograph, when she started taking pictures of the troops one of them told her, “Just training Ma’am. Joining up with another patrol at the rally point.”
When Maggie asked why they were training on the streets of a quiet residential area, a younger soldier responded, “To be honest ma’am, I don’t know.” Read More
Salem nuclear power plant in New Jersey experienced an automatic reactor shutdown on Monday morning
Public Service Enterprise Group Inc said its 1,174-megawatt Unit 1 at the Salem nuclear power plant in New Jersey experienced an automatic reactor shutdown on Monday morning. The plant is stable and the cause of the trip is under
investigation, PSEG spokesman Joseph Delmar said. "A return to service is unavailable at this time."
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) spokesman, Neil Sheehan, told Reuters earlier that the unit had experienced an inadvertent safety injection (SI) and reactor trip during reactor protection system testing.
An Unusual Event, which was declared due to multiple fire alarms involving the containment building, was terminated after operators determined that there was no fire. An unusual event is
the lowest of the NRC's four emergency classifications.
Electricity traders guessed the unit could be down for about a week.
Meanwhile, Unit 2 at the Salem nuclear power plant was not impacted and continued to remain at full power. Read More
Anti- and pro-Syrian government rallies
May 1 - Thousands attend funeral for victims killed in the latest uprisings in Syria. Julie Noce reports
Europe braced for May Day protests
May 1 - Hundreds of thousands set to take to the streets across Europe in protest at austerity cuts.
May Day protests are crucial test for Occupy
(Reuters) - Occupy Wall Street vows a day of demonstrations in New York and across the United States on Tuesday, in a crucial test of its staying power some eight months after emerging as a movement against corporate greed and economic inequality.The "99 Percent" populist movement, which began as a 24-hour encampment in lower Manhattan last fall and spread to cities across the country, will join organized labor for a day of May 1 protests, in what it has called a "day without the 99 percent."
Dozens of actions are planned across the country, though there is some skepticism over how many people will turn out and whether it will spell Occupy's resurgence. The event was first billed as a "General Strike," but organized labor declined to sign on to that call.
Inspired by the pro-democracy Arab Spring, the Wall Street protesters last year targeted U.S. financial policies they blamed for the yawning income gap between rich and poor - between what they called the 1 percent and the 99 percent. Read More
Clinton heads to China amid dissident drama
(Reuters) - Secretary of State Hillary Clinton left on Monday on a high-stakes trip to Beijing, where a blind dissident is reportedly holed up in the U.S. embassy in a drama threatening to overshadow top-level meetings between the two governments.Dissident Chen Guangcheng, according to one of his helpers, will demand to stay in China and press on with his campaign for reform, adding to tension between Beijing and Washington that poses risks for both governments as well as to relations between the world's two biggest economies.
Both governments have scrupulously avoided official comment on the Chen case and neither has confirmed that he is under U.S. protection in Beijing.
Chen's audacious escape from house arrest, under the watch of the world's largest domestic security apparatus, was a "miracle" of planning and endurance, said Guo Yushan, a Beijing-based researcher and rights advocate who has campaigned for Chen and helped bring him to the Chinese capital after his escape. Read More
4.5 Magnitude Earthquake OFFSHORE CHIAPAS, MEXICO - 1st May 2012
A magnitude 4.5 earthquake has struck offshore Chiapas, Mexico at a depth of 61.8 km (38.4 miles), the quake hit at 12:09:48 UTC Tuesday 1st May 2012The epicenter was 103 km (64 miles) West from Suchiate, Chiapas, Mexico
No Tsunami Warning Issued - No Reports of Damage or Injuries at this time
Murdoch unfit to run a major company: UK lawmakers
(Reuters) - Rupert Murdoch is unfit to run a major international company and should take responsibility for a culture of illegal phone hacking that has shaken News Corp, a powerful British parliamentary committee said on Tuesday.Pulling few punches, lawmakers focused on the failings of the 81-year-old News Corp chief executive, his son James and a company which they said had showed "willful blindness" about the scale of phone-hacking that first emerged at Murdoch's News of the World newspaper.
The cross-party committee, which approved the report by a majority of six to four, scolded News Corp for misleading the British parliament and trying to cover up illegal phone hacking. It said that there had been huge failures in corporate governance which raised questions about the competence of Rupert's son, James. Read More
At least four killed in bombing in southeastern Nepal
Kathmandu, Nepal (CNN) -- At least four people were killed in a bomb explosion near a political rally in southeastern Nepal on Monday, authorities said.Officials said 18 people were injured in the blast, which occurred in the holy city of Janakpur, about 250 kilometers (155 miles) southeast of Kathmandu.
State-run Nepal Television reported that one person was arrested on suspicion of involvement and is being treated at a local hospital.
Local authorities said no one claimed responsibility for the blast. But in a text message to local media, an armed group took responsibility. Janatantrik Terai Mukti Morcha (the Democratic Terai Liberation Front) demanded that regional parties in southern Nepal stand up for the rights of people in the south. Read More
Afghan children die in insurgent attack
(CNN) -- Three Afghan children were killed when insurgents attacked police and troops who were visiting villagers in Zabul province, the deputy provincial governor said Tuesday.The incident occurred Monday afternoon, as Afghan local police and International Security Assistance Forces were attacked by insurgents while visiting residents of Ludin village, said Mohammad Jan Rasolyar, deputy governor of Zabul province.
The children were killed in the crossfire of the ensuing gunfight, and three other people were injured, Rasolyar said.
After the gunfight, the Taliban forced villagers to conduct riots, blocking the Kabul-Kandahar highway briefly. Read More
Colombian Air Force helicopter crashes, killing 13
(CNN) -- A helicopter carrying members of the Colombian Air Force and police crashed in the north of the Latin American nation on Monday, killing all 13 people on board.The crash took place at 4:30 p.m. local time (5:30 p.m. ET) in the municipality of Sabanagrande, near Colombia's Caribbean coast, according to a statement from the Colombian Air Force.
Seven of the dead were from the air force and six were from the police.
"We regret the accident of the Air Force helicopter crash," President Juan Manuel Santos of Colombia said in a message posted on his official twitter account. "Our condolences to the families of the patriotic heroes who died in this accident." Read More
No 'credible threats' on bin Laden date
Washington (CNN) -- Authorities have "no indication of any specific, credible threats or plots" against the United States as a result of the one-year anniversary of the death of Osama bin Laden, a Department of Homeland Security spokesman said Monday.Peter Boogaard spoke nearly one year after Navy SEALs killed the al Qaeda leader during a raid on a compound in Pakistan. He died May 2, 2011.
"DHS understands that threats to our security continue to evolve. Although al Qaeda, its affiliates and allies have expressed continued interest to carry out attacks against Western interests, we have no indication of any specific, credible threats or plots against the U.S. tied to the one year anniversary of bin Laden's death," he said in a statement. Read More
5 percent of foreigners living in Tokyo left Japan temporarily after March 11 quake
Twenty five percent of foreigners living in Tokyo left the country temporarily following the March 11, 2011 disasters, according to a recent Tokyo Metropolitan Government survey.The survey was conducted between October and November 2011 as part of the metropolitan government's efforts to re-examine the way information is delivered to foreigners residing in the capital in case of a disaster. It obtained responses from a total of 169 Tokyo-based foreigners.
According to the survey, among those who had briefly returned to their home countries following the disasters, nearly half were foreigners who have lived in Japan for less than three years, hinting at the tendency that the shorter a foreigner had lived in Tokyo, the more likely they were to leave after the disasters.
Among the most common reasons for those who had briefly left Japan were, "Strongly urged by families abroad," and "Following embassies or employers' instructions to leave temporarily." Read More
