Blasts deepen Japan nuclear crisis Third explosion deals another blow to Fukushima atomic plant after earthquake and tsunami crippled its cooling systems.

Explosions and fire have rocked quake-stricken Fukushima nuclear plant in northeast Japan, pumping out dangerous radiation and sparking panic in nearby town and cities.

Fearful citizens stripped supermarket shelves on Tuesday, prompting the government to warn against panic-buying, saying this could hurt the provision of relief supplies to quake-hit areas.

But scared Tokyo residents filled outbound trains and rushed to shops to stock up on food, water, face masks and emergency supplies amid heightening fears of radiation.LIVE BLOG



Radiation levels around the Fukushima No.1 plant on the eastern coast had "risen considerably", Naoto Kan, the prime minister said, and his chief spokesman announced the level was now high enough to endanger human health.

In Tokyo, some 250km to the southwest, authorities also said that higher than normal radiation levels had been detected in the capital, the world's biggest urban area, but not at harmful levels.

Kan warned people living up to 10km beyond a 20km exclusion zone around the nuclear plant to stay indoors.

"I would like to ask the nation, although this incident is of great concern, I ask you to react very calmly," he said.

Al Jazeera’s Steve Chao, reporting from Yamagata, said a no-fly zone has been established in a 30 km radius over the Fukushima nuclear plant.

The fire, which was later extinguished, broke out in the plant's number-four reactor, he said, meaning that four out of six reactors at the facility were in trouble - and temperatures were reportedly rising in the last two.

Damage is 'massive'

Radiation levels later dropped at both the plant and in Tokyo, Yukio Edano, the chief government spokesman, said.

As well as the atomic emergency, Japan is struggling to cope with the enormity of the damage from Friday's record quake and the tsunami that raced across vast tracts of its northeast, destroying all before it.

The official death toll rose to 2,414, police said on Tuesday, while officials said at least 10,000 were likely to have perished.

But the only country in the world to have experienced a nuclear attack - two bombs dropped by the US during World War II killed some 200,000 people - Japanese citizens are gripped by fear of nuclear fallout.

"What we most fear is a radiation leak from the nuclear plant," Kaoru Hashimoto, 36, a housewife living in Fukushima city 80km northwest of the stricken plant, said.

Hashimoto said supermarkets were open but shelves were completely empty.

"Many children are sick in this cold weather but pharmacies are closed. Emergency relief goods have not reached evacuation centres in the city.

"Everyone is anxious and wants to get out of town. But there is no more petrol."

More than 200,000 people have already been evacuated from the exclusion zone around the crippled plant.

At one shelter, a young woman holding her baby told public broadcaster NHK: "I didn't want this baby to be exposed to radiation. I wanted to avoid that, no matter what."

However, even in evacuation centres filled with quake-shocked and tsunami survivors, Japan's famed emphasis on social harmony is in evidence.

From the sharing of tasks among volunteers to the neat arrangement of shoes outside the living areas, life in the shelters is orderly and peaceful.

But the crisis at the ageing Fukushima nuclear plant has worsened daily since Friday's quake and tsunami knocked out cooling systems.

On Saturday an explosion blew apart the building surrounding the plant's NO.1 reactor.

On Monday, a blast hit the No.3 reactor, injuring 11 people and sending plumes of smoke billowing into the sky.

Early on Tuesday a third blast rocked the No.2 reactor. That was followed by a hydrogen explosion that started a fire at the No.4 reactor.

Expert assistance

Edano, the chief government spokesman, said radioactive particulates leaked along with the hydrogen.

The UN's nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, said Tokyo had asked for expert assistance in the aftermath of the quake, which US seismologists are now measuring at 9.0-magnitude, revised up from 8.9.
Search intensifies for Japan survivors [Al Jazeera]


But the IAEA's Japanese chief Yukiya Amano moved to calm global fears that the situation could escalate to rival the world's worst nuclear accident at Chernobyl in Ukraine in 1986.

"Let me say that the possibility that the development of this accident into one like Chernobyl is very unlikely," he said.

In Tokyo, the French embassy on Tuesday retracted an earlier statement indicating that a radioactive cloud was headed for the capital, saying the city was not at risk.

But the devastation in tsunami-hit areas such as Sendai city in the northeast is absolute.

Aid workers and search teams from across the world have joined 100,000 Japanese soldiers in a massive relief push in the shattered areas.

Rising death toll

In the region of Miyagi, which took the full brunt of Friday's terrifying wall of water, rescue teams searching through the shattered debris of towns and villages have found 2,000 bodies.

And the Miyagi police chief has said he is certain more than 10,000 people perished in his prefecture alone.

Millions have been left without water, electricity, fuel or enough food and hundreds of thousands more are homeless and facing harsh conditions with sub-zero temperatures overnight, and snow and rain are forecast.

history will judge.

There have been continuing calls from certain quarters for the US administration to forge more steel into their response to the Libyan crisis.

If the US military is hesitant to enact a no-fly zone over Libya, they should perhaps arm the opposition, says Senator Joe Lieberman.

That could yet happen via multi-lateral consensus, should the tide turn in Gaddafi's favour. The alternative is unlikely to be acceptable to the international community. But steady as she goes is the measured call from the White House – let's not act without knowing exactly what we're getting into.

In a chill wind whistling through leafless trees, on a hill overlooking Washington DC, stands one reminder of why the administration thinks the way it does.

On April 25 1980, President Jimmy Carter authorised a secret military operation aimed at rescuing American hostages held in the immediate aftermath of post-revolution Iran. It went wrong and eight American service personnel were killed.

Now at Arlington National Cemetery, a large white stone marker bears a bronze plaque listing the names of the three Marines and five airmen who died.

Clearly the situation in Libya is different, nevertheless a hostage situation had to be avoided at all costs. A rescue mission would have been fraught with immediate danger and who knows how it might have spiralled. Hence the cushioned statements from the White House until US citizens had been evacuated.

America's saddest acre

Ongoing missions in Afghanistan and Iraq are a continuing reminder of the cost of war in foreign lands, financial and human. There's a quiet pocket of land at Arlington called Section 60 - it's been described as the saddest acre in America. It is the final resting place for those men and women who have died fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Arlington holds the remains of more than 320,000 servicemen and women, from every war and major conflict in United States history, almost all fought on foreign soil.

At the Tomb of the Unknowns a sentinel of the Third US Infantry maintains vigil around the clock, 365 days a year.

Not far away burns the eternal flame above the grave of President John F Kennedy where the words "with history the final judge of our deeds ..." are quoted from his inaugural address.

Right now it's anyone's guess how history will judge the deeds of the international community over Libya and a changing Middle East. The future has rarely been so uncertain.h

What Charlie Sheen tells us about China

The Global Times is the national English daily newspaper published by the Communist Party. Its Chinese counterpart and the other major party paper, The People's Daily, provides official information on the policies and viewpoints of the government.

And this paper joined the likes of TMZ.com and People Magazine this week, by writing about Charlie Sheen.

The Global Times' op-ed excoriates the actor, jumping at the case of his two girlfriends he lives with and asking, "Is he too poor to set up his wives and mistresses in different houses?" Like a good Chinese philanderer should.

It further points out "racism, spousal abuse, addiction, politics, mental illness, boasting about mistresses are all subjects best dealt with behind closed doors. It also suggests that Sheen "take a tip from the Chinese business community, and make visits to a KTV [karaoke] parlour".

If you're wondering whether this a joke -- it indeed is. But it also isn't. The Global Times is not in the business of emulating The Onion, the popular online spoof newspaper, but in the serious business of exercising Chinese soft power by providing its take on news around the world. Chief editor of the English paper, Hu Xijin, has said the paper reaches millions of readers and that readers "trust The Global Times and its representation of China's diverse society".

So what's with the Charlie Sheen?

The Global Times is run by Chinese -- but its staff of English-language writers include Chinese as well as foreign reporters. Clues in the op-ed show a wit who has seen The West Wing, which suggests someone who is not Chinese (Sorkin's series looking at drama inside the beltway has not been a successful crossover to Chinese viewers). It appears the mischievous staffer has gotten away with gold -- his Chinese editors unaware the op-ed ridicules Sheen as much as China.

It is fascinating that one of the hallmarks of authoritarian states is that they don't get the joke. Editors with no sense of humour just let it print. Having been born into the propaganda and having drunk the Kool-Aid all their lives, they're unable to see satire -- a frequent weapon used for social criticism throughout history, against clueless governments.

"[It] makes me think of Poe's Law," says Jeremy Goldkorn, editor and founder of popular China media website, Danwei.org.

"Without a smiley or other blatant display of humour, it is impossible to create a parody of religious or ideological fundamentalism that someone won't mistake for the real thing."

Goldkorn points out the Sheen op-ed's byline is a pseudonym -- a Hao Leifeng, another poke alluding to China's best-known Communist model worker. But what Hao Leifeng writes, uncannily resembles the serious op-eds issued by the Party -- such as those of Li Hongmei's from the People's Daily.

"Both could be parody, both could be genuine."

And so The Global Times editors signed off on a piece ostensibly about Charlie Sheen, probably believed there was some merit to the argument for Eastern values, recognised the reality of how business and mistresses are dealt with in China -- and in doing so, published a piece that was also mocking The Global Times itself.

carlos slim tops forbes list of wealtiest tycoons

Carlos Slim's wealth increased by 38 per cent from last year's estimate of $53.5bn [Reuters]


Mexican telecom magnet Carlos Slim has topped Forbes magazine's list of the world's richest people second year in a row.

Slim’s wealth grew by $20.5bn to $74bn, widening his lead over other billionaires, according to Forbes on Wednesday.

Bill Gates with $56bn was at the second place and investor Warren Buffett stood at third place with $50bn. French luxury-goods magnate Bernard Arnault was fourth with $41bn.

The Mexican’s wealth increased by 38 per cent from last year's estimate of $53.5bn, which has been attributed to a rise in Mexican stock prices as well as successful mining and real estate projects carried out through his Grupo Carso conglomerate.

Asia's rise

The number of billionaires in Asia's booming new economies has displaced Europe, coming second only to the United States, Forbes said.
India's Mukesh Ambani, valued at $27bn, has been placed ninth on the Forbes list [Reuters]


A total of 332 Asians made the list, as against Europe's 300. Moscow, with 79 billionaires, racked up more berths on the list than any other city in the world.

The United States still has the lead in total number of billionaires, with 413 of the 1,210 on the list.

Slim, 71, built his fortune in a country where most people - 59.5 per cent – are paid $15 a day or less, and 38.7 per cent get $10 or less.

Son of an immigrant shopkeeper, he amassed a range of retail, industrial and telecom holdings and has ventured into oil, construction and infrastructure sectors.

A civil engineer by training, Slim has bought up troubled or government-owned companies of all types, fixed them and resold them for huge profits.

He is no stranger to controversy at home, where detractors accuse him of using political connections to kick-start his rise two decades ago.

what it takes to be a citizen journalist

Ever captured a natural disaster or a crime on your cell-phone camera? Filmed a political rally or protest, and then interviewed the participants afterward? Produced a story about a local issue in your community? If you’ve done any of these things or aspire to, then you’re part of the enormous community of citizen reporters on YouTube, and this channel is for you. The YouTube Reporters’ Center is a new resource to help you learn more about how to report the news. It features some of the nation’s top journalists and news organizations sharing instructional videos with tips and advice for better reporting.

US-focused of course but a pretty good place to get some tips and ideas on how to create video content that has a better chance of standing out, being noticed, being commented on, linked to, etc.

Does a place on the web like this make everyone a “citizen journalist”?  Arianna Huffington thinks it does in  this video, one of more than 30 on the site.

Pay attention at around the 3:40 mark as Arianna tells that that to be a citizen journalist, “all you need is passion, a little training and the desire to tell a good story” (that “little training” bit might be a big step for some).
I’d add “be in the right place at the right time with a device that has a network connection.”

So is that all it would take to be a citizen journalist? Maybe it is – take a look at the  Wikipedia definition.

In any event, the  YouTube Reporters’ Center is a useful resource wherever and however you plan to use your video content, on YouTube or any other place, or provide guidance and help to others.

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LIBYA UPRISSING

Forces loyal to Gaddafi have increased attacks in an attempt to retake areas controlled by opposition groups

Muammar Gaddafi, the Libyan leader, has launched a fresh military offensive to retake some of the towns he lost control over the past 18 days.
Opposition to his decades-old rule has quickly swelled into a full-blown rebellion, but Gaddafi stepped up attacks on Friday. By Saturday morning, his forces broke through opposition defences in the city of Az Zawiyah after they began renewed attacks at 6am local time, eyewitnesses told Al Jazeera.
The loyalist forces attacked residential areas in the city, firing heavy artillery from all sides, including from the sea. Tanks and armoured vehicles had broken through defences into Martyrs' Square, in the heart of the town, early in the day.
By 10am, the people of the town had retaken Martyrs' Square, after hours of intense fighting and a high number of casualties. At least 30 people were killed in fierce clashes in the town the previous day, but the death toll from the assault on Saturday morning was unclear.
But Gaddafi's forces had encircled the town and were closing in on the centre again. By midday, they had blocked off all access to the town, the Reuters news agency reported.
"Az Zawiyah is encircled by Gaddafi's forces, there are a lot of checkpoints. They are tightening their grip on the centre," a Reuters journalist said, adding government forces were manning checkpoints some 3km from the centre of town.
Dr Hamdi estimated more than 150 people had been injured on Saturday morning.
"A large number of people are gathered in the centre of the square after they pushed forces out of the city," Dr Hamdi told Al Jazeera.

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Thousands of people were assembled at the square, he added, preparing to defend it from any further assaults by Gaddafi's forces.
"There is news that the [pro-]Gaddafi security forces are gathering at the outside of the city and we are bracing ourselves for another attack," Dr Hamdi said.
Others called for foreign intervention to prevent further loss of life.
"There is a very tragic situation in the city," Ahmed, a resident of Az Zawiyah, said. "We were expecting the world to intervene but they have let us down."
"It's not a matter of oil or gas being taken out of our country, it's human lives," he said, pleading for the United Nations or the Arab League to step in to protect Libyan civilians.
"They have no mercy on civilians; the regime is attacking everything indiscriminately," Ahmed said.
Gaddafi's security forces were using ambulances to kidnap wounded people, Human Rights Solidarity, a Geneva-based organisation, told Al Jazeera.
"Now with all the artillery, tanks and armored vehicles, the fierce fighting is ongoing and people are massacred in a way that we didn't see in Iraq,” Abdul-Fatah Az-Zawi, another local, told Al Jazeera.
Deadlock
The opposition has wrested the entire eastern half of the country from Gaddafi's grip, along with several cities in the west close to the capital Tripoli, which is now symbolic to his defiance.
In the past few weeks, the opposition forces were able to fend off several assaults on the territory they control.
Members of Gaddafi's government, diplomats, soldiers and even some of his closest allies have renounced their allegiance, and foreign leaders are becoming increasingly vocal in their calls for the besieged leader to step down.
Anti-Gaddafi protests had been planned on Friday afternoon in the capital, but Al Jazeera's Anita McNaught reported that security personnel were out in force in sensitive parts of the city, and quickly surrounded people who appeared likely to demonstrate.
"Tripoli itself is a city almost completely locked down, electronic communications cut off for the previous 24 hours, shops shut, particularly nobody on the street," she said.

Read more of our Libya coverage

Meanwhile, rebels claimed control of the strategic town of Ras Lanuf, after exchanging heavy shelling and machine gun fire with pro-Gaddafi forces on Friday.
There was no sign of soldiers loyal to Gaddafi in the town on Saturday, although the Gaddafi government's denials  that the opposition controlled Ras Lanuf.
Rebel fighters opened fire on a helicopter flying overhead on Saturday, according to the Reuters news agency.
At least eight people were killed and more than 20 wounded during the fighting on Friday, a doctor said.
It was unclear what the rebels would do following the battle in Ras Lanuf. The next major town along the coastal road to the west is Sirte, Gaddafi's home town.
The fighting underlined how both sides are pushing against the deadlock. Both sides are struggling to take new territory, Al Jazeera’s Jacky Rowland reported.
"The situation in the east of the country is really a stalemate, with anti-Gaddafi forces either unable or unwilling to advance further to the west and to try to take the fight closer to Gaddafi's strongholds like Sirte and Tripoli," she said.
"If you look at the rebel forces, they're a rather undisciplined, orderly bunch," she said.
For many of the anti-Gaddafi fighters, this is their first military experience.
Tarik Yousef, dean of the Dubai School of government, told Al Jazeera that foreign powers are likely to be trying to assess the new dynamics that have emerged in the wake of the transformative changes that have rocked the country in recent weeks.
"Effectively, Libya is now a failed state, with two divided geographies," he explained.
Diplomatic battles
Not to be outdone on the diplomatic front, Gaddafi's government on Friday asked that Ali Abdussalam Treki, a senior Libyan diplomat, be accepted as the country's new envoy to the UN after the entire Libyan delegation in New York backed the pro-democracy protesters.
Gaddafi's government made its first official reaction to sanctions announced by the UN, in a letter by Mussa Kussa, his foreign minister.
The letter called for the travel ban and assets freeze ordered against Gaddafi and his close aides "to be suspended until such time as the truth is established".
Kussa demanded that the Security Council "stand up to the states that are threatening force against it."
The foreign minister added that military action against Libya would be "inconsistent" with the UN charter and international law and "compromise a threat to peace and security in the region and indeed the whole world."
Western powers say they are studying a no-fly zone against Libya to prevent attacks on civilians. Yet diplomats say that no official request for such action has been made to the UN Security Council.