Sat, 12 Mar 2011
Tokyo - A displacement as large as 20 meters in a fault line around 500 kilometers long probably caused the deadly earthquake which rocked north-east Japan, an expert said Saturday.
The boundary between tectonic plates several hundred kilometers off Japan went through a significant realignment in Friday's 8.9-magnitude quake, Yuji Yagi, an associate professor of seismology at the University of Tsukuba, was quoted by Kyodo News agency as saying.
"Many earthquake researchers did not expect such a quake to happen," Yagi said.
The professor also said that he had estimated its magnitude to have reached 9.0 magnitude. The Japanese Meteorological Agency put the quake at 8.8 on the Richter scale, and the US Geological Survey has said it reached a magnitude of 8.9.
Yagi told Kyodo that the northern part of the fault shifted first, and the southern part started moving 70 seconds later. The cracking in the fault continued for some 150 seconds.
The death toll from the devastating quake, the nation's biggest on record, would be well over 1,000, the government said.
Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/371361,20-metre-slip-fault-line.html.
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Japan quake caused by 20-meter slip in fault line
Al-Darb Section Names:
Hindu East,
Land of the Rising Sun,
Natural Disasters
One person killed in violent crackdown on Yemeni protesters
Sat, 12 Mar 2011
Sana'a/Cairo - At least one person was killed when police used force to disperse thousands of anti-government protesters in the Yemeni capital before dawn on Saturday, according to the broadcaster Al Jazeera.
Police used tear gas and batons as they stormed a camp set up by the protesters in Sana'a, Al Jazeera reported.
Hundreds of people were injured in the crackdown, and the city remains tense.
In the south-western city of Taiz, at least three people were injured when police opened fire on protesters.
The crackdowns came a day after hundreds of thousands of demonstrators took to the streets in several Yemeni cities to demand the ouster of President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who has been in power for over 30 years.
In the port city of Aden, at least three protesters were injured by gunfire when police used live ammunition and teargas to disperse Friday protests, according to Al Jazeera.
Last week, Saleh pledged to create a new constitution which would transfer powers from the presidency to an elected parliament.
But protesters say the offer is not enough and that they will continue to demonstrate until Saleh resigns.
Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/371380,violent-crackdown-yemeni-protesters.html.
Sana'a/Cairo - At least one person was killed when police used force to disperse thousands of anti-government protesters in the Yemeni capital before dawn on Saturday, according to the broadcaster Al Jazeera.
Police used tear gas and batons as they stormed a camp set up by the protesters in Sana'a, Al Jazeera reported.
Hundreds of people were injured in the crackdown, and the city remains tense.
In the south-western city of Taiz, at least three people were injured when police opened fire on protesters.
The crackdowns came a day after hundreds of thousands of demonstrators took to the streets in several Yemeni cities to demand the ouster of President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who has been in power for over 30 years.
In the port city of Aden, at least three protesters were injured by gunfire when police used live ammunition and teargas to disperse Friday protests, according to Al Jazeera.
Last week, Saleh pledged to create a new constitution which would transfer powers from the presidency to an elected parliament.
But protesters say the offer is not enough and that they will continue to demonstrate until Saleh resigns.
Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/371380,violent-crackdown-yemeni-protesters.html.
Al-Darb Section Names:
Emirate of Yemen,
Islamic Tunnel
1,600 feared dead, missing; possible radiation leaks - Summary
Sat, 12 Mar 2011
Tokyo - The number of people feared dead or after Japan was hit by an earthquake and tsunami could top 1,600, news reports said Saturday, as concern rose over damaged nuclear reactors.
Japan was assessing the devastation a day after the 8.9-magnitude quake and devastating tsunami rocked the north-eastern part of the country on Friday
The death toll would probably be well over 1,000, said Yukio Edano, the chief cabinet secretary.
"This is the largest earthquake since the Meiji Era, and it is believed that more than 1,000 people have lost their lives," he said.
Authorities had recovered hundreds of bodies, with more than 1,000 people still missing and many injured, news reports said, the authorities warned of further tsunamis and aftershocks.
A police death toll was at 564, Kyodo News reported, but up to 500 additional bodies were reported from around Japan and about 600 remain unaccounted for.
Some 210,000 people were evacuated from the region around two nuclear power plants in Fukushima prefecture, about 250 kilometers north-east of Tokyo, where an explosion occurred earlier in the day after the reactor's cooling system started failing.
Radioactive material had been detected nearby, and radiation inside the plant had been measured at 1,000 times the normal levels, the government's nuclear safety commission said.
The Meteorological Agency said more than 100 aftershocks had occurred, many of them over 6 on the Richter scale.
The government had mobilized 50,000 military and other rescue workers, and sent 190 aircraft and 25 vessels to areas affected by the quake and tsunami, airlifting some victims to safety and evacuating others by lifeboat.
International assistance was on its way, as the United States dispatched more than 140 personnel on Friday, and New Zealand said Saturday it would send a 48-member search-and-rescue team.
About 900 Japanese troops and 250 vehicles were being transported by ships belonging to US forces stationed in the country.
Thousands of houses were destroyed, several bridges collapsed, bus and train services were shut down and many roads were closed. Mobile phone networks and land-line services were affected.
Television footage showed flattened fishing villages and shattered cities with piles of rubble on the streets as the tsunami surged 5 kilometers inland in some areas. Many people were forced to spend the night on the roofs of schools, hospitals or government buildings, as temperatures dropped to freezing.
In Rikuzen Takata, a coastal town of 23,000 people that was one of the worst-hit areas, about 5,000 of the estimated of the 8,000 homes were destroyed, news reports said.
Around 1,800 houses in Minami Soma, Fukushima Prefecture, were destroyed. Flooding and tsunami warnings were preventing relief efforts to reach survivors by road or boat.
The government ordered the extension of the evacuation zones around the Fukushima plants to 20 kilometers.
The whole country was also facing the risk of blackouts due to damage to the power grid in the affect area, the Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO) warned.
TEPCO urged businesses and residents across Japan to use electricity sparingly, as the energy supply capacity was reduced.
The company sought support from other energy operators, Kyodo news agency reported.
Officials feared the death toll could reach thousands, as the damage was reportedly more widespread that in 1995, when 6,400 people died after a 7.3-magnitude earthquake struck Kobe in western Japan.
Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/371382,radiation-leaks-summary.html.
Tokyo - The number of people feared dead or after Japan was hit by an earthquake and tsunami could top 1,600, news reports said Saturday, as concern rose over damaged nuclear reactors.
Japan was assessing the devastation a day after the 8.9-magnitude quake and devastating tsunami rocked the north-eastern part of the country on Friday
The death toll would probably be well over 1,000, said Yukio Edano, the chief cabinet secretary.
"This is the largest earthquake since the Meiji Era, and it is believed that more than 1,000 people have lost their lives," he said.
Authorities had recovered hundreds of bodies, with more than 1,000 people still missing and many injured, news reports said, the authorities warned of further tsunamis and aftershocks.
A police death toll was at 564, Kyodo News reported, but up to 500 additional bodies were reported from around Japan and about 600 remain unaccounted for.
Some 210,000 people were evacuated from the region around two nuclear power plants in Fukushima prefecture, about 250 kilometers north-east of Tokyo, where an explosion occurred earlier in the day after the reactor's cooling system started failing.
Radioactive material had been detected nearby, and radiation inside the plant had been measured at 1,000 times the normal levels, the government's nuclear safety commission said.
The Meteorological Agency said more than 100 aftershocks had occurred, many of them over 6 on the Richter scale.
The government had mobilized 50,000 military and other rescue workers, and sent 190 aircraft and 25 vessels to areas affected by the quake and tsunami, airlifting some victims to safety and evacuating others by lifeboat.
International assistance was on its way, as the United States dispatched more than 140 personnel on Friday, and New Zealand said Saturday it would send a 48-member search-and-rescue team.
About 900 Japanese troops and 250 vehicles were being transported by ships belonging to US forces stationed in the country.
Thousands of houses were destroyed, several bridges collapsed, bus and train services were shut down and many roads were closed. Mobile phone networks and land-line services were affected.
Television footage showed flattened fishing villages and shattered cities with piles of rubble on the streets as the tsunami surged 5 kilometers inland in some areas. Many people were forced to spend the night on the roofs of schools, hospitals or government buildings, as temperatures dropped to freezing.
In Rikuzen Takata, a coastal town of 23,000 people that was one of the worst-hit areas, about 5,000 of the estimated of the 8,000 homes were destroyed, news reports said.
Around 1,800 houses in Minami Soma, Fukushima Prefecture, were destroyed. Flooding and tsunami warnings were preventing relief efforts to reach survivors by road or boat.
The government ordered the extension of the evacuation zones around the Fukushima plants to 20 kilometers.
The whole country was also facing the risk of blackouts due to damage to the power grid in the affect area, the Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO) warned.
TEPCO urged businesses and residents across Japan to use electricity sparingly, as the energy supply capacity was reduced.
The company sought support from other energy operators, Kyodo news agency reported.
Officials feared the death toll could reach thousands, as the damage was reportedly more widespread that in 1995, when 6,400 people died after a 7.3-magnitude earthquake struck Kobe in western Japan.
Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/371382,radiation-leaks-summary.html.
Al-Darb Section Names:
Hindu East,
Land of the Rising Sun
Thousands of Thais mark anniversary of Bangkok protest
Sat, 12 Mar 2011
Bangkok - Tens of thousands of anti-government protesters massed in Bangkok Saturday to mark the anniversary of last year's demonstration the left about 90 people dead and up to 2,000 injured.
About 30,000 so-called "red shirts" gathered at Democracy Monument in the old part of the capital to commemorate last year's 69-day protest that started on March 12, police estimated.
The protest, led by the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD), began peacefully last year but took a violent turn on April 10, when troops were sent in to disperse demonstrators who were demanding that Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva dissolve parliament and call a new election.
By the end of the demonstration, parts of Bangkok had been turned in to a war zone, buildings were on fire and at least 91 were dead, including 11 police and military officers.
Most the UDD leadership surrendered on May 19. Seven of the top protest leaders, who face terrorism and other charges, were released late last month.
"We are happy to be out," said Weng Pochilakarn, one of the UDD leaders.
He commended Abhisit for announcing Friday that he expected to dissolve parliament in the first week of May, and hold elections as early as June.
But Weng warned the military not to interfere in the electoral process again.
"If there is another coup, not only the red shirts but all Thai people will stand up to oppose it," Weng said.
Thailand has experienced 18 coup in the past 79 years, the most recent of which was in September 19, 2006, which toppled former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
Although he has been in self-exile since 2008 to avoid a two-year prison sentence for abuse of power, Thaksin - a former billionaire telecommunications tycoon - remains the de facto leader of the UDD and the Puea Thai opposition party.
The party is expected to capture at least half of the seats in the next election, partly because of growing dissatisfaction with the economy.
"This government is shameless," said Sorasak Chapalat, a 67-year-old farmer from Ubon Ratchasima province.
"They say the economy is doing well but that's a lie. Go look at Ubon. Business is terrible and prices are going up every day."
Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/371381,mark-anniversary-bangkok-protest.html.
Bangkok - Tens of thousands of anti-government protesters massed in Bangkok Saturday to mark the anniversary of last year's demonstration the left about 90 people dead and up to 2,000 injured.
About 30,000 so-called "red shirts" gathered at Democracy Monument in the old part of the capital to commemorate last year's 69-day protest that started on March 12, police estimated.
The protest, led by the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD), began peacefully last year but took a violent turn on April 10, when troops were sent in to disperse demonstrators who were demanding that Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva dissolve parliament and call a new election.
By the end of the demonstration, parts of Bangkok had been turned in to a war zone, buildings were on fire and at least 91 were dead, including 11 police and military officers.
Most the UDD leadership surrendered on May 19. Seven of the top protest leaders, who face terrorism and other charges, were released late last month.
"We are happy to be out," said Weng Pochilakarn, one of the UDD leaders.
He commended Abhisit for announcing Friday that he expected to dissolve parliament in the first week of May, and hold elections as early as June.
But Weng warned the military not to interfere in the electoral process again.
"If there is another coup, not only the red shirts but all Thai people will stand up to oppose it," Weng said.
Thailand has experienced 18 coup in the past 79 years, the most recent of which was in September 19, 2006, which toppled former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
Although he has been in self-exile since 2008 to avoid a two-year prison sentence for abuse of power, Thaksin - a former billionaire telecommunications tycoon - remains the de facto leader of the UDD and the Puea Thai opposition party.
The party is expected to capture at least half of the seats in the next election, partly because of growing dissatisfaction with the economy.
"This government is shameless," said Sorasak Chapalat, a 67-year-old farmer from Ubon Ratchasima province.
"They say the economy is doing well but that's a lie. Go look at Ubon. Business is terrible and prices are going up every day."
Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/371381,mark-anniversary-bangkok-protest.html.
Al-Darb Section Names:
Thailand
Voting begins in second round of Niger presidential elections
Sat, 12 Mar 2011
Nairobi/Niamey - The second round of a presidential poll intended to restore democracy to Niger after a year of military rule was underway Saturday in the West African country.
Voters in the mineral-rich country were choosing between opposition leader Mahamadou Issoufou and former prime minister Seini Oumarou.
Issoufou, who won 36 per cent in the first round of voting in February, is considered the favorite going into the run-off, especially since other opposition candidates who did not make the cut in the first poll have urged their followers to throw their support behind Issoufou.
Issoufou's campaign has focused on the theme that it is time for change in Niger.
Oumarou, who got 23 per cent in the first round of voting, has long been a member of the party of Mamadou Tandja, who was removed from power in a military coup in early 2010.
Niger's military overthrew Tandja after he attempted to dissolve parliament and the constitutional court in an effort to force through constitutional changes that would have allowed him a third term.
Coup leaders said from the start that they wanted to limit the duration of military rule and supported a return to democracy.
Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/371384,voting-niger-presidential-elections.html.
Nairobi/Niamey - The second round of a presidential poll intended to restore democracy to Niger after a year of military rule was underway Saturday in the West African country.
Voters in the mineral-rich country were choosing between opposition leader Mahamadou Issoufou and former prime minister Seini Oumarou.
Issoufou, who won 36 per cent in the first round of voting in February, is considered the favorite going into the run-off, especially since other opposition candidates who did not make the cut in the first poll have urged their followers to throw their support behind Issoufou.
Issoufou's campaign has focused on the theme that it is time for change in Niger.
Oumarou, who got 23 per cent in the first round of voting, has long been a member of the party of Mamadou Tandja, who was removed from power in a military coup in early 2010.
Niger's military overthrew Tandja after he attempted to dissolve parliament and the constitutional court in an effort to force through constitutional changes that would have allowed him a third term.
Coup leaders said from the start that they wanted to limit the duration of military rule and supported a return to democracy.
Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/371384,voting-niger-presidential-elections.html.
Al-Darb Section Names:
Elections,
Sahara Land of Niger
Indonesian Red Cross to send aid workers to quake-hit Japan
Sat, 12 Mar 2011
Jakarta - The Indonesian Red Cross was to send a nine-member team to help with the relief efforts after the devastating earthquake in Japan, a spokesman said Saturday.
The team, consisting of seven rescuers workers and two surgeons, would leave for Japan on Monday, Red Cross spokeswoman Aulia Arriani said.
"They will be involved in finding the victims and caring for survivors," she said, adding that the team would be in Japan for two weeks.
Indonesia's National Disaster Management Agency said a government rescue team was ready to be sent to Japan if needed.
"We have to discuss first with the government of Japan about what they need," said agency spokesman Hartje Robert. "If they say OK, we will go."
Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/371385,aid-workers-quake-hit-japan.html.
Jakarta - The Indonesian Red Cross was to send a nine-member team to help with the relief efforts after the devastating earthquake in Japan, a spokesman said Saturday.
The team, consisting of seven rescuers workers and two surgeons, would leave for Japan on Monday, Red Cross spokeswoman Aulia Arriani said.
"They will be involved in finding the victims and caring for survivors," she said, adding that the team would be in Japan for two weeks.
Indonesia's National Disaster Management Agency said a government rescue team was ready to be sent to Japan if needed.
"We have to discuss first with the government of Japan about what they need," said agency spokesman Hartje Robert. "If they say OK, we will go."
Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/371385,aid-workers-quake-hit-japan.html.
Al-Darb Section Names:
Hindu East,
Islamic Emirate of Indonesia,
Islamic Tunnel,
Land of the Rising Sun,
Natural Disasters
Kabul, UNESCO agree not to reconstruct Bamiyan Buddha statues
Thu, 10 Mar 2011
New York - The Afghan government and the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization have agreed that the Buddha figures in Bamiyan blown up by Taliban 10 years ago this month will not be reconstructed, a UNESCO official said Thursday.
The two 1500-year-old statues, which measured 38 and 55 meters and were carved into a solid rock cliff face in the Bamiyan province, were reduced on March 12, 2001, to dust, and the small fragments that would make it impossible to reconstruct, Francesco Bandarin said in New York.
Bandarin, UNESCO's assistant director-general for culture, said little was left of the two statues after they were blown up with tons of explosives.
"Only 7 per cent of the larger statue remained and the rest was reduced to dust and rocks," Bandarin said. "The reconstruction is not possible. We are not doing it."
He said the decision not to reconstruct the statues was taken last week in Paris, where UNESCO maintains its world headquarters, by his organization and representatives of the Kabul government after a study was carried out at the Bamiyan site.
Archeologists and rock experts have been doing work to protect and preserve the site, Bandarin said. The two solid rock niches that housed the statues are still standing, but they are empty.
Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/371153,reconstruct-bamiyan-buddha-statues.html.
New York - The Afghan government and the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization have agreed that the Buddha figures in Bamiyan blown up by Taliban 10 years ago this month will not be reconstructed, a UNESCO official said Thursday.
The two 1500-year-old statues, which measured 38 and 55 meters and were carved into a solid rock cliff face in the Bamiyan province, were reduced on March 12, 2001, to dust, and the small fragments that would make it impossible to reconstruct, Francesco Bandarin said in New York.
Bandarin, UNESCO's assistant director-general for culture, said little was left of the two statues after they were blown up with tons of explosives.
"Only 7 per cent of the larger statue remained and the rest was reduced to dust and rocks," Bandarin said. "The reconstruction is not possible. We are not doing it."
He said the decision not to reconstruct the statues was taken last week in Paris, where UNESCO maintains its world headquarters, by his organization and representatives of the Kabul government after a study was carried out at the Bamiyan site.
Archeologists and rock experts have been doing work to protect and preserve the site, Bandarin said. The two solid rock niches that housed the statues are still standing, but they are empty.
Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/371153,reconstruct-bamiyan-buddha-statues.html.
Al-Darb Section Names:
Islamic Tunnel,
Land of Fallen Empires,
United Nations
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