Arab League to Appeal for Gaza ‘No-Fly Zone’

It was only a matter of time before the Arab League, hot off the heels of their success in convincing the UN Security Council to implement a no-fly zone over Libya to protect the al Qaeda-linked rebels, would set their sights on Gaza.  So let me get this straight — the Arab League wanted al Qaeda-supported rebels protected, and now they want a second terrorist organization, Hamas, protected too?  Am I missing something here?

By William EDWARDS – “AFP – Arab League chief Amr Mussa said on Sunday the organisation will ask the UN Security Council to impose a no-fly zone over Gaza, which Israel has pounded with air strikes in response to rocket fire.

Mussa told an emergency meeting of Arab League ambassadors that ‘the Arab bloc in the United Nations has been directed to ask for the convention of the Security Council to stop the Israeli aggression on Gaza and impose a no-fly zone.’

Israeli and Palestinian officials were on Sunday floating a ceasefire to end fighting in the coastal strip where Israeli air strikes have killed at least 18 people since Thursday.” Read more.

Nuclear Experts on Japan: ‘No End In Sight’, ‘Uncharted Territory’, ‘Effort in Danger of Failing’, Reactors ‘Too Hot to Pour Concrete’

By Matt Smith, CNN -“… A month into the crisis, the utility acknowledges, there is no end in sight.

The problems are so far ‘beyond the design capacity’ of the plant that the Japanese are working in uncharted territory, said Michael Friedlander, a former senior operator at U.S. nuclear power plants.

‘No nuclear power plant has ever considered the inability to get on long-term core cooling for more than a week, much less three weeks,’ Friedlander said.

Some Japanese experts now say the effort is in danger of failing unless Japan seeks more help from international experts to bring it to an end. Tetsunari Iida, an engineer-turned-industry critic, said the situation is ‘beyond the reach’ of Japan’s closely knit nuclear establishment.”  Read more.

 

EPA: New Radiation Highs in Little Rock Milk, Philadelphia Drinking Water

By Jeff McMahon – “Milk from Little Rock and drinking water from Philadelphia contained the highest levels of Iodine-131 from Japan yet detected by the Environmental Protection Agency, according to data released by EPA Saturday.

The Philadelphia sample is below the EPA’s maximum contaminant level (MCL) for iodine-131, but the Little Rock sample is almost three times higher.”  Read more.

National Academies 2005: ‘Low Levels of Ionizing Radiation May Cause Harm’

“WASHINGTON — A preponderance of scientific evidence shows that even low doses of ionizing radiation, such as gamma rays and X-rays, are likely to pose some risk of adverse health effects, says a new report from the National Academies’ National Research Council.

The report’s focus is low-dose, low-LET — ‘linear energy transfer’ — ionizing radiation that is energetic enough to break biomolecular bonds. In living organisms, such radiation can cause DNA damage that eventually leads to cancers. However, more research is needed to determine whether low doses of radiation may also cause other health problems, such as heart disease and stroke, which are now seen with high doses of low-LET radiation.

The study committee defined low doses as those ranging from nearly zero to about 100 millisievert (mSv) — units that measure radiation energy deposited in living tissue. The radiation dose from a chest X-ray is about 0.1 mSv. In the United States, people are exposed on average to about 3 mSv of natural ‘background’ radiation annually.” Read more.

 

 

Egypt Revolution Turns More Islamic, More Anti-Israel

By Ryan Jones – “For those who thought the Egyptian revolution is done and past, think again. Former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak may be gone, but the country is currently being ruled by a temporary military regime, which means there are various forces still vying for future control of the Middle East’s largest military power.

And with the world’s attention now diverted elsewhere, the revolution in Cairo is starting to take on a more overtly Islamic and anti-Israel flavor.” Read more.

 

Mayor: Over Half of Iowa Town Damaged by Tornado

By GRANT SCHULTE – “A large tornado flattened a grain elevator and destroyed homes and buildings on its weekend rampage through the small western Iowa town of Mapleton. Authorities reported no serious injuries.

‘It was huge, just huge,’ said Thomas Mohrhauser, an attorney in the town of about 1,200 people. ‘It just kept getting bigger and bigger.’

Mohrhauser said the tornado appeared to be about a quarter-mile wide when it cut a northwest path through town Saturday evening.”  Read more.

 

Ahmadinejad: ‘A Mideast Without Israel and America Now Possible’

“The Iranian Revolutionary Guards website, Sepah News, reports:

In his first press conference of the new year 1390 [Iranian New Year was on March 21] which took place on Monday evening, April 4th, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad asserted that a new Middle East, without the specter of the Zionist regime, America and its proxies, is taking shape.”  Read more.

 

 

Priest in Finland Calls Terrorist a “Terrorist”, Now Faces Being Defrocked

“A priest in Finland faces being defrocked after describing one of the world’s most-wanted criminals as a ‘terrorist’. He was referring to Doku Umarov – the man behind the Moscow metro and airport bombings, among other crimes. RT’s Ekaterina Gracheva met the churchman, whose words are leaving him accused of inciting religious hatred.”

Muslim Immigrants in Italy Don’t Get Their Way, Riot With Shouts of ‘Allahu Akbar’

A Church at Lampedusa Island, Italy takes in a group of Tunisian Muslim immigrants fleeing their war-torn country, giving them shelter, food, and safe haven.   Then they burn the Church down and riot.  Great way to show gratitude to a country that cared enough to let you walk on its soil.

 

Saudi Arabia: Where the Public Display of Bibles Can Lead to Arrest

“26 million people live in Saudi Arabia. Over 95% are Muslim and Christians make up a little more than 3% of the total population. In Saudi Arabia the practice of any other religion except fundamentalist Sunni Islam is forbidden; prohibition of professing any other religion than Islam is grounded on the belief that Saudi Arabia is holy ground.

Temples, churches, pagodas are prohibited, as well as public displays of religious objects and private religious gatherings.

The following is an interview with Prof. Camille Eid, journalist, author, professor at the University of Milan and expert on the Middle Eastern Churches.

Q) Saudi Arabia is a hereditary monarchy based on the foundation of Wahhabi Islam. What is this branch of Islam?

A) Wahhabism is a new doctrine of Islam. Its founder is Abd-al Wahhab who was a religious scholar of the Hanafi Islam, which is the strictest doctrine of Islam. He decided that all innovations – ‘Bida’ is the term in Arabic – in Islam should be eliminated. A visit to a cemetery for instance is considered a bida-innovation and is prohibited. You cannot do anything that the Prophet Mohammed and his companions did not do.”  Read more.