Sunday, March 13, 2011

Updates:

Just a few updates on Japan and an update on the Israeli efforts to find the Fogel family's murderers.

Japan crisis 'worst since WWII'

Engineers in Japan are working to prevent a nuclear catastrophe at a power plant damaged by the huge earthquake that struck on Friday. At Fukushima 1, more than 200km (124 miles) north-east of Tokyo, crews have been pumping sea water into two reactors in a last-ditch effort to control their temperatures and stop a meltdown

Food, water and fuel are reported to be running short in some parts of Japan and, as large swathes of the country remain without power, the government is beginning a programme of rolling electricity blackouts


Now, a volcano?

Japanese Volcano Erupts

A volcano in southwestern Japan erupted Sunday after nearly two weeks of relative silence, sending ash and rocks up to four kilometres (two and a half miles) into the air, a local official says.

It was not immediately clear if the eruption was a direct result of the massive 8.9-magnitude earthquake that rocked northern areas Friday, unleashing a fierce tsunami and sparking fears that more than 10,000 may have been killed.

The 1,421-metre (4,689-feet) Shinmoedake volcano in the Kirishima range saw its first major eruption for 52 years in January. There had not been any major activity at the site since March 1.

Authorities have maintained a volcano warning at a level of three out of five, restricting access to the entire mountain.


Energy markets brace for shockwaves after Japan

And briefly, back to Israel and an ongoing story there:

IDF hunts door-to-door for Fogel family's killers

The search for the perpetrators of Friday night’s Itamar massacre continued on Sunday as the army stepped up its presence in nearby Awarta, going door-to-door in search of suspects.

Soldiers and border policemen rounded up several dozen Palestinians from villages near Itamar in an effort to identify and apprehend the people who murdered Udi and Ruth Fogel and three of their children. Military sources said they were confident the army would capture the killers in the coming days.

The attack was a “painful reminder of the unbearable bloody price that we must pay in the struggle for sovereignty,” Barak said.

The IDF beefed-up its forces in the West Bank on Sunday in an effort to prevent clashes between settlers and Palestinians.

On Sunday morning, Palestinians claimed that hundreds of armed settlers were demonstrating in the Nablus area, blocking access to roads and throwing rocks at Arab vehicles.

2 comments:

cheri said...

Did you see this posted on Bill Koening's web site? www.watch.org

The day of the earthquake the government of Japan issued a statement
regarding their condemnation of building new apartments in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

Check out Bill - he has written two books about when a nation does or says something negative to Israel, they are faced with catastrophic events.
For example the day, Bush force Israelis to vacate Gaza - Hurricane Katrina began forming.

Scott said...

Cheri - Thanks so much for the link - I hadn't seen this one, so its greatly appreciated.

Maranatha!
Scott