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krisluke
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26-Mar-2011 23:23
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Fukushima Nuclear Accident Update LogUpdates of 26 March 2011IAEA Briefing on Fukushima Nuclear Accident (26 March 2011, 14:30 UTC)On Saturday, 26 March 2011, Graham Andrew, Special Adviser to the IAEA Director General on Scientific and Technical Affairs, provided the following briefing on the current status of nuclear safety in Japan. His remarks are provided below: 1. Current Situation The situation at the Fukushima Daiichi plant remains very serious. The restoration of off-site power is still progressing and instrumentation is being tested in Units 1, 2 and 4. At Unit 1, the main change is the injection of freshwater to the Reactor Pressure Vessel (RPV). The temperature measured at the bottom of the RPV is stable at 144 °C. Pressure in the RPV, containment vessel and suppression pool have come back down after having increased from 22 to 24 March. At Unit 2, the injection of freshwater to the RPV commenced at 01:00 on 26 March. The RPV temperature is stable at 100 °C at the bottom of the RPV. The pressure measured in the RPV and in the containment pressure vessel is stable at circa one atmosphere. Freshwater is also being injected in the RPV of Unit 3. Temperature measurement at the feed-water nozzle of Unit 3's RPV is still judged to be unreliable, but at the bottom of the RPV it is stable at 102 °C. White " smoke" continues to be emitted as of 23:00 UTC on 25 March from Unit 3, as it does from Unit 4. Unit 3 shows a consistently low containment drywell pressure of circa 1 atmosphere. There have been high radiation readings in Units 1 and 3, the likelihood of damage to the containment integrity of Unit 3 is a cause for concern. We understand that a total of 17 TEPCO workers and contractors have received doses between 100 and 180 millisievert. TEPCO measured the dose rate of 400 millisievert per hour above the surface of the water in the Unit 3 turbine building where 2 workers had been contaminated. Units 5 and 6 are still in cold shutdown, with slight variations in RPV water temperatures (down a few degrees at Unit 5, up a few at Unit 6). 2. Radiation Monitoring Deposition of radioactivity is monitored daily by Japanese authorities in all 47 prefectures. From 24 to 25 March, the daily level of deposition decreased in all but one prefecture. The highest value was observed in the prefecture of Ibaraki, where on 25 March a deposition of 480 becquerel per square metre for iodine-131 was observed the highest value for caesium 137 was measured in Yamagata at 150 becquerel per square metre. For the Shinjyuku district of Tokyo, the additional deposition of iodine-131 and caesium-137 on 25 March was below 200 becquerel per square metre. Monitoring of the marine environment has continued. New data for 21 to 25 March on radionuclide concentrations were made available for the discharge area 330 metres south of the pipeline of Fukushima Daiichi. The levels are generally quite high and vary significantly with time. The highest levels were detected at 25 March with, for example, 50  000 becquerel per litre of iodine-131, 7,200 becquerel per litre of caesium-137, and 7  000 becquerel per litre of caesium-134. Other short lived radionuclides were also reported. No new data has been reported by Japan from the monitoring stations located about 30 km offshore. Monitoring of drinking water is on-going: iodine-131 in drinking water was detected on 24 March in 12 prefectures, whereas caesium-137 was detected in 6 of the 47 prefectures. In Tochigi, a value of 110 becquerel per litre was observed, which is above the recommended value for drinking water to be consumed by infants (i.e. 100 becquerel per litre). All other measurements were far below 100 becquerel per litre. All caesium-137 concentrations measured were lower than 10 becquerel per litre, which is significantly below the limit set by Japan of 200 becquerel per litre. Environmental monitoring of soil, surface water, vegetation and air continues to be carried out in the Fukushima prefecture. The monitoring results indicate high levels of contamination. The values reported are generally consistent with measurements of gamma dose rates and beta-gamma contamination carried out by an IAEA monitoring team. Two IAEA teams are currently monitoring in Japan. One team made gamma-dose rate measurements in Tokyo and the south of Tokyo in the prefecture of Kanagawa. Gamma-dose rates ranged from 0.05 to 0.2 microsievert. Another monitoring team made additional measurements at distances of 23 to 97 km (in a southerly and south westerly direction) from the Fukushima nuclear power plant. At these locations, the dose rates ranged from 0.73 to 8.8 microsievert per hour. At the same locations, results of beta-gamma contamination measurements ranged from 0.02 to 0.4 Megabecquerel per square metre. Two prefectures (Ibaraki, Tochigi) reported iodine-131 in unprocessed raw milk, but the measurement results were below the regulation values set by the Japanese authorities. In addition, iodine-131 was not detected in any of the samples taken from the remaining four prefectures (Chiba, Gunma, Kanagawa and Saitama) and Tokyo. Caesium-137 was not detected in any of the samples. For two prefectures (Ibaraki, Tochigi) iodine-131 and cesium-137 were reported in spinach and other leafy vegetables above the regulation values set by the Japanese authorities. However, iodine-131 and caesium-137 were either not detected or were below the regulation values, in all of the samples taken from the remaining four prefectures (Chiba, Gunma, Kanagawa and Saitama) and Tokyo. In all six prefectures and Tokyo, no iodine-131 and caesium-137 were detected in leeks, or measurements were well below the regulation values set by the Japanese authorities. Fukushima Nuclear Accident Update (26 March 2011, 10:30 UTC)IAEA Sends Second and Third Teams to Japan to Aid Response to Nuclear Emergency The IAEA has dispatched additional teams to Japan to assist in the response to the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant emergency. On 24 March, a team of IAEA specialists travelled to Japan, where they will continue efforts to supplement Japan's radiation monitoring efforts. Team members include worker radiation protection experts and safeguards department officials. On 25 March, a joint IAEA/Food and Agriculture Organization team departed Vienna. The three-person team included the Head of the IAEA Food and Environmental Protection Laboratory, an IAEA soil scientist, and an FAO food safety specialist from FAO's headquarters in Rome. This food safety assessment team will provide advice and assistance on sampling and analytical strategies and will help interpret Japanese monitoring data. Fukushima Nuclear Accident Update (26 March 2011, 05:15 UTC)Brief Update on State of Fukushima Daiichi Reactors Japanese authorities today confirmed a number of developments at the nuclear reactors at Fukushima Daiichi. Unit 1 Workers have restored lighting in the control room and have recovered some instrumentation. As of 25 March, fresh water is now being pumped into the reactor pressure vessel (RPV) instead of seawater. Unit 2 Seawater injection into the reactor pressure vessel continues, and RPV pressures remain stable. Unit 3 Workers are now pumping fresh water into the RPV, while seawater is pumped into the spent fuel pool. In addition, firefighters sprayed water into the reactor building yesterday from the outside. Unit 4 With no fuel in the RPV, concerns remain focused on the condition of the spent fuel pool, and workers continued to use a concrete pump truck to pour water into the pool from above while pumping seawater into the pool through the fuel pool cooling line. Units 5 and 6 Both reactors have achieved safe, cold shutdown, and their fuel pool temperatures have stabilised at acceptable levels. Fukushima Nuclear Accident Update (26 March 2011, 01:30 UTC)Radioactive Materials Found in Japanese Seawater Sampling - Updated Japanese authorities today reported data on radiation samples collected 30 kilometres off shore of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant on 24 March, and the levels of iodine-131 and cesium-137 showed slight variations from data collected at the same locations on 23 March (See previous update).
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krisluke
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26-Mar-2011 23:21
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Do you thinky think singapore will has a nuclear energy one day. A greener source of energy? The answer is BEARISH. Singaporeans debate use of nuclear energy  AS JAPAN rushes to contain radiation leaks from the Fukushima Dai-Ichi Nuclear Power Plant, more problems loom with a multi-billion-dollar clean-up ahead and an impassioned debate about the use of nuclear energy. Japan's nuclear crisis has alerted more Singaporeans to the questions surrounding the use of nuclear energy. Many that RazorTV spoke to are in two minds about the alternative energy source. Some feel that Singapore is not situated on any earthquake zone so there is no risk of having a situation like Japan's recent Tohoku Earthquake and tsunami that ravaged the nuclear plant. Others are against developing nuclear energy here as any meltdown would completely wipe out the island. |
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krisluke
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26-Mar-2011 23:18
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Learning From ExperienceIAEA Hosts Conference on Strengthening Nuclear Power Plant SafetyExperts make notes during an Operational Safety Review Team (OSART) mission at a nuclear power plant. (Photo: T. Okamoto/IAEA)
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krisluke
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26-Mar-2011 23:10
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ECB's Gonzalez-Paramo - price stability risks up
WASHINGTON, March 25 (Reuters) - ECB Executive Board member Jose Manuel Gonzalez-Paramo said on Friday inflation risks have risen in the euro zone and repeated the central bank's pledge to remain strongly vigilant in the face of them.
  " Risks to price stability were and remain on the upside and this is the situation in which a central bank whose mandate is to preserve price stability ... has to remain strongly vigilant," he told reporters after a speech at Georgetown University.   Gonzalez-Paramo said that questions raised as a result of the sovereign debt crisis about the stability of the euro are misplaced.   " There is no crisis of the euro, there is a crisis of confidence in some specificities of Europe," he said.   The ECB official said that policy-makers had not changed their outlook for the economy since a recent statement. Japan's earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear crises and political turmoil in Portugal had added some uncertainty, he said.   " Nothing has really changed in terms of the economic assessment nor the risks to price stability. What was said at the beginning of the month remains," he said.   " Uncertainty might increase, but it's an element that we deal with by definition," he added.   The ECB has held rates at 1 percent for almost two years as the financial crisis and debt crises have unfolded, but signaled earlier this month that a rate hike was likely in April. ECB officials say the central bank has been pushed toward rate increases by faster-than-expected rises in euro zone inflation.   That contrasts with the U.S. Federal Reserve which is on track to end a $600 billion bond buying program by mid-year but has given no signal it intends to tighten financial conditions while U.S. unemployment remains high. |
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krisluke
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26-Mar-2011 23:08
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Radiation spikes in seawater off stricken Japan plant
Police who have finished measuring radiation are screened for radiation contamination in Kawamata
  TOKYO (Reuters) - Radiation levels have soared in seawater near Japan's crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, officials said on Saturday, as engineers struggled to stabilise the power station two weeks after it was hit by a massive earthquake and tsunami.   Tests on Friday showed iodine 131 levels in seawater 30 km (19 miles) from the coastal nuclear complex had spiked 1,250 times higher than normal, but it was not considered a threat to marine life or food safety, the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency said.   " Ocean currents will disperse radiation particles and so it will be very diluted by the time it gets consumed by fish and seaweed," said Hidehiko Nishiyama, a senior agency official.   Despite that reassurance, the disclosure may well heighten international concern over Japanese seafood exports. Several countries have already banned milk and produce from areas around the Fukushima Daiichi plant, while others have been monitoring Japanese seafood.   The prolonged efforts to prevent a catastrophic meltdown at the plant have also intensified concern around the world about nuclear power. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said it was time to reassess the international atomic safety regime.   Engineers were trying to pump radioactive water out of the power plant 240 km (150 miles) north of Tokyo, after it was found in buildings housing three of the six reactors. On Thursday, three workers sustained burns at reactor No. 3 after being exposed to radiation levels 10,000 times higher than usually found in a reactor.   The crisis at the nuclear plant has overshadowed a big relief and recovery effort from the magnitude 9.0 quake and the huge tsunami it triggered on March 11 that left more than 27,500 people dead or missing in northeast Japan.   Plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co said it was using fresh water instead of seawater to cool down at least some of the reactors after concern arose that salt deposits might hamper the cooling process.   Two of the plant's reactors are now seen as safe but the other four are volatile, occasionally emitting steam and smoke. However, the nuclear safety agency said on Saturday that temperature and pressure in all reactors had stabilised.   Prime Minister Naoto Kan said on Friday the situation at Fukushima was " nowhere near" being resolved. His chief cabinet secretary said the following day that at least it was not deteriorating.   " We are preventing the situation from worsening -- we've restored power and pumped in fresh water -- and making basic steps towards improvement but there is still no room for complacency," Yukio Edano told a news briefing on Saturday.   More than 700 engineers have been working in shifts to stabilise the plant with no end in sight.   At Three Mile Island, the worst nuclear power accident in the United States, workers took just four days to stabilise the reactor, which suffered a partial meltdown. No one was injured and there was no radiation release above the legal limit.   At Chernobyl in Ukraine, the worst nuclear accident in the world, it took weeks to " stabilise" what remained of the plant and months to clean up radioactive materials and cover the site with a concrete and steel sarcophagus.   So far, no significant levels of radiation have been detected beyond the vicinity of the plant in Fukushima.   The U.S. Department of Energy said on its website (http://blog.energy.gov/content/situation-japan/)   no significant quantities of radiological material had been deposited in the area around the plant since March 19, according to tests on Friday.   In Tokyo, a metropolis of 13 million people, a Reuters reading on Saturday morning showed ambient radiation of 0.22 microsieverts per hour, about six times normal for the city. That was well within the global average of naturally occurring background radiation of 0.17-0.39 microsieverts per hour, a range given by the World Nuclear Association.   The Japanese government has prodded tens of thousands of people living in a 20 km-30 km (12-18 mile) zone beyond the stricken complex to leave. Edano said the residents should move because it was difficult to get supplies to the area, and not because of elevated radiation.   Kazuo Suzuki, 56, who has moved from his house near the nuclear plant to an evacuation centre, said neighbours he had talked to by telephone said delivery trucks were not going to the exclusion zone because of radiation worries.   " So goods are running out, meaning people have to drive to the next town to buy things. But there is a fuel shortage there too, so they have to wait in long queues for gasoline to use the car."   Radiation levels at the evacuation centre were within a normal range of about 0.16 microsievert, according to a Reuters geiger counter reading.   In Japan's northeast, more than a quarter of a million people remain in shelters, and the impact on livelihoods is becoming clearer. The quake and tsunami not only wiped out homes and businesses but also a fishing industry that was the lifeblood of coastal communities.   " Fishermen lost their gear, ships and just about everything. About half will probably get out of the business," said Yuko Sasaki, a fishmonger in the tsunami-hit city of Kamaishi.   The double disaster probably destroyed aqua farms for abalone, sea urchins, oysters, scallops and seaweed that authorities say account for 80 percent of the revenue of the region's fisheries.   The tsunami obliterated centuries-old fishing ports along the northeast coast, sending ships adrift in the Pacific Ocean, to the bottom of the sea, or depositing them on land, where they now lie among the splintered remains of homes.   (Additional reporting by Bill Tarrant, Kazunori Takada and Kiyoshi Takenaka in Tokyo, Chisa Fujioka in Yamagata, Jon Herskovitz in Kamaishi, Editing by Robert Birsel) |
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krisluke
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26-Mar-2011 22:32
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krisluke
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26-Mar-2011 22:16
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Japan nuclear crisis gives Earth Hour added poignancy
A combination picture shows a view of N Seoul Tower and a traditional octagonal pavilion before and during Earth Hour in Seoul
  SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Lights started going off around the world on Saturday in a show of support for renewable energy, given added poignancy by Japan's nuclear disaster, which raises doubts about nuclear power as a possible solution.   Landmarks in thousands of cities, from Sydney Harbour Bridge to the world's tallest building, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, will turn off the power for Earth Hour, the fifth such event promoting a sustainable future for the planet.   " I think it's going to be the biggest one, but would also say it's very much up to the people," Andy Ridley, co-founder of Earth Hour, told Reuters in Sydney.   " There is no one telling you that you have to do it."   The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) initiative, along with governments, business and individuals, will cross the globe, with the first lights dimmed across Fiji and New Zealand at 8.30 p.m. (0730 GMT), to lights being turned on again in Samoa 24 hours later.   Some promoting sustainable energy have seen nuclear power as a solution. But the March 11 earthquake and tsunami that crippled the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in northeastern Japan, sending radioactive material into the atmosphere, have made many think twice.   " We did hesitate a bit (about calling for Earth Hour in Japan) because there are many without electricity in disaster-hit areas," said Naoyuki Yamagishi, climate change programme leader for WWF in Japan.   " But we thought by calling out for energy conservation nationwide it would actually boost support for those living in evacuation shelters. While not everyone participating in Earth Hour may oppose nuclear energy, I think this incident has prompted some to reflect on their stances on energy."   FRANTIC WORK AT PLANT   Engineers were frantically attempting on Saturday to pump out puddles of radioactive water at the plant, which has already sent low levels of radiation into the vegetables and milk near the site and into dust and tap water in the capital, Tokyo.   The quake and tsunami killed more than 10,000 people and left 17,000 missing and feared dead. Tens of thousands are living in evacuation centres.   One woman who lost her home and a 5O-year-old family-owned dress shop to the tsunami was Hiromi Uchikanezaki, 53, of Kirikiri village in Iwate prefecture.   " I am living at my brother's house in the hills without electricity or running water," she said when told of Earth Hour. " I can feel the support and empathy from people around the world and am grateful."   When asked about the future of nuclear power, she said: " It can be a very good thing, but when something like this happens, it is totally terrifying."   In Taiwan, lights went out on the Taipei 101 skyscraper while residents in one area of the city spent the hour of darkness praying for victims of the Japanese disaster.   As for India, a message posted on Twitter said: " In India, thousands of villages experience Earth Hour each hour of the day."   In the Philippines, bells pealed in Catholic churches and fire engines and police cars sounded their sirens.   Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard lent her voice to Earth Hour by vowing that she and her government would go beyond the hour by " doing everything in my power to deliver a carbon price," a scheme to encourage companies to minimise emissions.   Australia, a leading coal exporter, accounts for about 1.5 percent of global emissions but is one of the highest per-capita polluters in the developed world due to a reliance on coal-fired power for 80 percent of domestic electricity.   Although Earth Hour kicked off in Fiji, organisers did not have it all their own way in the rugby-crazy country. Lights were switched off but not television, due to the Hong Kong Sevens tournament.   China, the world's top energy consumer and greenhouse gas emitter, turned off the lights at the Bird's Nest Stadium and other Beijing landmarks. Missing the point slightly, officials left lights running later than usual at one section of the Great Wall so they could be turned off at the allotted time.   (Additional reporting by Asia bureaux Editing by Alan Raybould) |
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krisluke
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26-Mar-2011 22:03
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The Major World Market’s Snap ShotThe Wall St Tech Bull charged on Friday US Stocks, Wall Street advanced for a 3rd day running Friday as the Tech sector rose on upbeat outlooks, though the trading volume was light. All 3 major US stock indexes posted gains on the Day and Week after 2 straight weeks of decliners. The S& P is on track to mark its best week in 8, pointing to more upside and extending this current rally IMO. Are you watching the VIX? It is now at 17.88 last week it was 30ish. Based on the latest data we have, below are the closing numbers on the DJIA, S& P 500 and NAS. The DJIA .DJI was up 50.03 pts, or 0.41%, at 12,220.59. The S& P 500 Index .SPX was up 4.41 pts, or 0.32% at 1,313.80. The NAS Composite Index .IXIC was up 6.64 pts, or 0.24%, at 2,743.06. Oracle Corp (NASDAQ:ORCL) rose 3.3% to 33.20 and was the NAS’ most actively traded issue a day after forecasting a rise in new software sales for its current F-Q. The outlook boosted sentiment that a Global resurgence in Tech spending is on going and intact, prompting at least 12 brokerages to raise their price targets on the Oracle. In a further boost to Techs, Accenture (NTSE:ACN) rose 5.1% to 54.59 after the technology outsourcing and consulting company raised its outlook. On the downside in tech shares: BlackBerry maker Research In Motion Ltd (TO:RIM)(NASDAQ:RIMM) said earnings would slip as it spends heavily to launch its PlayBook tablet. The company’s U.S.-listed shares sank 11% to 57.05. The S& P technology index .GSPT rose 0.5% Friday, and is up more than 3% so far this Q. The US economy grew more quickly than estimated in Q-4 Y 2010 as businesses restocked to meet rising demand. US consumer sentiment in March fell to its lowest level in more than a year as gasoline and food prices rose, according to the latest consumer survey from Thomson Reuters and the University of Michigan. Commodities: a late run up made Nat Gas made it one of today’s Top performers. The energy component settled pit trade with a 3.6% gainer at almost 4.40 per MMBtu. Crude Oil had a quiet session overall. Prices settled 0.2% lower at 105.39 bbl on the week. On the precious metals front: Gold prices closed minus 0.6% at 1426.30 oz, and Silver finished at 37.18 oz for a 0.5% loss. They both saw selling pressure after Philadelphia Fed President Plosser stated his proposal for normalizing monetary policy. |
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krisluke
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26-Mar-2011 22:02
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Warren Buffett on Bonds and BusinessWarren Buffett Says, stay away from Long-Term Bonds , own businesses Warren Buffett, the billionaire who urged Congress in Y 2009 to guard against inflation, said players should avoid long-term fixed-income bets in USD’s because the currency’s purchasing power will decline. “I would recommend against buying long-term fixed-dollar investments,” Buffett, chairman and chief executive officer of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSEBRK-A), said today in New Delhi. “If you ask me if the USD is going to hold its purchasing power fully at the level of Y 2011, 5 yrs, 10 ys or 20 yrs from now, I would tell you it will not.” Buffett, 80 anni, has shortened the duration of Omaha, Nebraska- based Berkshire’s bond holdings since Y 2009 as the US Federal Reserve eased monetary policy to stimulate the economy. Over the same period, he has added to cash holdings and committed more than US$35B to company takeovers. “I would much rather own businesses,” he said. “It’s very easy to take away the value of fixed-Dollar investments.” Paul A. Ebeling, Jnr |
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krisluke
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26-Mar-2011 21:57
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Oil falls Mideast unrest, Japan dampen volume
* Concerns about demand for Japan, Europe weigh on oil
  * Mideast turmoil, Libya conflict supportive to oil   * J.P. Morgan raises 2011 oil price forecasts   * U.S. Feb pending home sales, 10 a.m. EDT Monday (Recasts, updates with settlement prices and adds detail)   By Robert Gibbons   NEW YORK, March 25 (Reuters) - Oil prices edged lower in light profit-taking on Friday, but ended higher on the week, as supply threats from the Middle East and Libya and the ongoing crisis in Japan sidelined many players.   Protests in Yemen, Syria, Bahrain and by Shi'ites in Saudi Arabia kept concerns about unrest and the threat to oil supply from region in focus, as traders braced for a long-term disruption of supplies from Libya.   But the uncertainty about the impact on oil demand of the crisis in Japan, where radiation fears escalated, have added to market concerns, pushing trading volumes for the week to the lowest level since the end of 2010.   Brent crude futures for May delivery fell 13 cents to settle at $115.59 a barrel, having seesawed between $115.20 and $116.13. Brent managed to end 0.6 percent higher for the week, a second straight weekly gain.   U.S. May crude futures fell 20 cents to settle at $105.40 a barrel, swinging between $104.50 and $105.95. For the week, front-month U.S. futures gained 4.28 percent, the best percentage rise since the week to March 4.   Data from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission showed speculators increased their bullish bets in the week to Tuesday, hiking their net-long positions in U.S. crude oil futures and options in the week to Tuesday although overall open interest was down.   " We've had a good run this week and for today, we are seeing some pre-weekend profit-taking. While there is a lot of turmoil in the Middle East, none of the ongoing unrest affects big oil producers," said Ed Meir, senior commodities analyst at MF Global in New York.   " And on balance we are not short of physical supply. Libya's outage due to the fighting there has been offset by Saudi production and the demand in Japan is down. So there's no real tightness in supply at the moment."   SPREAD NARROWS   Brent's premium to the U.S. benchmark West Texas Intermediate crude dipped slightly, down 5 cents at $10.29 a barrel late in the day but off more than $1.50 for the week as traders took profits on the spread.   Despite U.S. crude gains for the week, it stalled short of 2011 peaks, failing to breach the March 7 high of $106.95 reached on March 7.   Total U.S. crude trading volume, at just over 392,000 lots traded, was 53 percent below the 30-day average. Brent trading volume also remained anemic at just above 238,000 lots.   The weekly U.S. trading volume, at about 2.49 million lots with 1-1/2 hours of post-settlement trading left on Friday, was on track to be the lowest since the 1.379 million lots were traded in the week to Dec. 31, 2010.   EYES ON UNREST   Rebel forces and those loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi clashed as Western warplanes struck at armor used by the government to crush the revolt.   With an expected summer driving demand boost and continuing supply uncertainty, J.P. Morgan analysts headed by Lawrence Eagles raised oil price forecasts for 2011 for Brent and U.S. crude.   " So long as ongoing problems in the Middle East continue to elevate risks of a further supply disruption, there is a strong likelihood of a price spike in the second quarter as the market demands additional oil to meet summer demand," J.P. Morgan said in a research note.   Analysts polled by Reuters this week forecast oil prices will hold over $100 a barrel through 2013, due to tensions in the Middle East, with average forecasts for 2011 raised by $12 to over $104 a barrel. (Additional reporting by Gene Ramos in New York, Christopher Johnson in London and Alejandro Barbajosa in Singapore Editing by Marguerita Choy) |
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krisluke
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26-Mar-2011 21:55
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Syria's Assad faces deep crisis
Syrians shout " freedom" during a protest at Dael region, near the city of Deraa, southern Syria
  Mosques across Deraa announced the names of " martyrs" whose funerals would be held on Saturday in the southern city, which was described as quiet but tense after reformists were fired on on Friday. The government said protesters were armed.   Municipal workers cleared debris around a statue of Assad's father, Hafez al-Assad, toppled on Friday by protesters in a scene that recalled the toppling of Saddam Hussein's statue in Iraq in 2003 by U.S. troops.   His father ruled for 30 years until his death in 2000.   Dozens of people, inspired by successful uprisings against authoritarian rule in Egypt and Tunisia, have been killed over the past week around the southern city of Deraa, medical officials said. There were reports of more than 20 new deaths on Friday.   Such demonstrations would have been unthinkable a couple of months ago in this most tightly controlled of Arab countries.   There was a chorus of international condemnation of the shootings of demonstrators.   But analysts said foreign countries were likely to tread cautiously on Syria, which has strong defences and a close alliance with Iran and links to Palestinian Islamist militant group Hamas and Lebanese Shi'ite political and military group Hezbollah.   Bordered by Israel, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq and Turkey, Syria and its 22 million people sit at the heart of a complex web of conflict in the Middle East.   PROTESTS IN DAMASCUS   There were also protests in the capital Damascus and in Hama, a northern city where in 1982 the forces of Assad's father killed thousands of people and razed much of the old quarter to put down an armed uprising by the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood.   Abdelhalim Khaddam, a former vice president who resigned and defected from the ruling Baath Party in 2005, said on Saturday " the blood of our martyrs will burn this regime."   New York-based Human Rights Watch said on Friday Syria's security forces should immediately stop using live ammunition against protesters in Deraa which is on the border with Jordan.   " Syria's security forces are showing the same cruel disregard for protesters' lives as their counterparts in Libya, Tunisia, Egypt, Yemen, and Bahrain," said Sarah Leah Whitson, HRW's Middle East and North Africa director.   " President Bashar al-Assad's talk about reforms doesn't mean anything when his security forces are mowing down people who want to talk about them."   Some believed the crackdown followed by talks could lead to reforms but many said a tipping point had been reached in Syria.   " The barrier of fear is broken. This is a first step on the road to toppling the regime," said Ibrahim, a middle-aged lawyer in Deraa who compared events to the uprisings in Egypt and other Arab countries. " We have reached the point of no return."   Government has accused armed gangs of being behind the violence and blamed them for the killing of civilians.   Access for journalists was restricted, although a Reuters reporter in Deraa said tens of thousands of people who marched on Friday during funerals for demonstrators killed earlier in the week appeared largely to be unarmed.   Inspired by other uprisings in the region, the mourners chanted for " Freedom."   The International Crisis Group think-tank said the 45-year-old, British-educated Assad could call on reserves of goodwill among the population to steer away from confrontation and introduce political and economic reforms.   " Syria is at what is rapidly becoming a defining moment for its leadership," the thinktank wrote on Friday. " There are only two options. One involves an immediate and inevitably risky political initiative that might convince the Syrian people that the regime is willing to undertake dramatic change.   " The other entails escalating repression, which has every chance of leading to a bloody and ignominious end."   ALAWITE MINORITY   Internally, rule by the Assads has favoured the minority Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shi'ite Islam, causing resentments among the Sunni Muslim majority.   Edward Walker, a former U.S. ambassador to Egypt, said that friction made many in the establishment wary of giving ground to demands for political freedoms and economic reforms.   " They are a basically reviled minority, the Alawites, and if they lose power, if they succumb to popular revolution, they will be hanging from the lamp posts," he said.   " They have absolutely no incentive to back off."   The former vice president, Khaddam, on Saturday called on " the armed forces to take the patriotic choice ... and to specify whether it is with the people or with the ruling family."   Khaddam, who does not enjoy wide support from the opposition due to his senior role during Assad's rule before his defection, was speaking on a video posted on the Beirut Observer website.   A serving Western diplomat said he had been surprised, however, by how far demonstrators had gone in taking to the streets to demand change. " They've crossed the fear line, which in Syria is remarkable," the diplomat said.   VOLLEYS OF BULLETS   On Friday in a square in Deraa, a Reuters reporter saw protesters haul down the statue of Hafez al-Assad, before security men in plain clothes opened fire with automatic rifles from buildings.   After pulling down the statue, some protesters poured fuel into the broken cast and set it alight.   The crowd of some 3,000 scattered under volleys of bullets and tear gas. The reporter saw some wounded helped into cars and ambulances. It was unclear how many, if any, were killed.   By evening, security forces appeared to have melted away and a crowd of protesters gathered again in the main square, setting a government building on fire, witnesses said.   In the town of Sanamein, which is in the same southern area of the country as Deraa, residents said 20 people were killed when gunmen opened fire on a crowd outside a building used by military intelligence -- part of an extensive security apparatus that has protected Baath party rule since 1963.   Syria's national news agency said security forces had killed armed attackers who tried to storm the building.   Amnesty International put the death toll in and around Deraa in the past week at 55 at least.   Thousands of Assad's supporters waved flags, marched and drove in cars around Damascus and other cities to proclaim their allegiance to the Baath party and to Assad, whose father took power in a coup in 1970.   Unrest in Deraa came to a head this week after police detained more than a dozen schoolchildren for writing graffiti inspired by slogans used by pro-democracy demonstrators abroad.   Assad had promised on Thursday to look into granting Syrians greater freedoms in an attempt to defuse the outbreak of popular demands for political freedoms and an end to corruption.   He also pledged to look at ending an emergency law in place since 1963 and made an offer of large public pay rises.   Hezbollah's television station al-Manar quoted its correspondent in Damascus as saying that a cabinet reshuffle was expected as was a decision to release political prisoners.   But demonstrators said they did not believe the promises.   (Reporting by a Reuters correspondent in Deraa, Yara Bayoumy in Beirut and Arshad Mohammed in Washington, Writing by Peter Millership, Editing by Sonya Hepinstall) |
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krisluke
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26-Mar-2011 21:53
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Libyan rebels rout Gaddafi forces in strategic town
Litening pod footage from a Royal Air Force Tornado GR4 shows strikes on two Libyan main battle tanks
  AJDABIYAH, Libya (Reuters) - Libyan rebels backed by allied air strikes retook the strategic town of Ajdabiyah on Saturday after an all-night battle that suggests the tide is turning against Muammar Gaddafi's forces in the east.   Western warplanes bombed the outskirts of Misrata further west to stop Gaddafi forces shelling the city, a rebel spokesman said. One inhabitant said 115 people had died in Misrata in a week and snipers were still shooting people from rooftops.   In Ajdabiyah, rebel fighters danced on tanks, waved flags and fired in the air near buildings riddled with bulletholes. Half a dozen wrecked tanks lay near the eastern entrance to the town and the ground was strewn with empty shell casings.   There were signs of heavy fighting at Ajdabiyah's western gate. The decomposing bodies of more than a dozen Gaddafi fighters were scattered on the ground. An abandoned truckload of ammunition suggested Gaddafi forces had beaten a hasty retreat.   " All of Ajdabiyah is free and all the way to Brega is free," said Faraj Joeli, a 20-year-old computer science student turned rebel fighter.   Capturing Ajdabiyah, a gateway from western Libya to the rebel stronghold of Benghazi and the oil town of Tobruk, was a big morale boost for the rebels after two weeks on the back foot.   Western governments hope the raids, launched a week ago with the aim of protecting civilians, will also shift the balance of power in favour of the Arab world's most violent popular revolt.   The rebels say they have been asking for arms from abroad to fight the better-equipped Gaddafi forces but have received none.   A Reuters correspondent in Ajdabiyah said it seemed clear that air attacks there on Friday afternoon had been decisive.   Gaddafi's better-armed forces halted an early rebel advance near the major oil export terminal of Ras Lanuf two weeks ago and pushed them back to Benghazi, until Western powers struck Gaddafi's positions from the sea and air.   Witnesses and rebel fighters said the Gaddafi forces had now retreated from Ajdabiyah towards the oil town of Brega.   SHELLING EASES AFTER STRIKES   Shelling by Gaddafi forces in Misrata, western Libya, eased after they were bombed by foreign warplanes, rebel spokesman Abdelbasset Abu Mzereiq told Reuters by telephone from the city.   Misrata is the only big rebel stronghold left in the west of Libya and it is cut off from the main rebel force fighting Gaddafi's troops in the east. It has been encircled and under bombardment for weeks.   " There was heavy shelling earlier. We know the allied planes have made several raids and bombed several locations in the outskirts. We know they bombed an ammunition site inside the air base (south of the city)," said Mzereiq.   A rebel spokesman in Benghazi said two civilians in Misrata were killed by shelling on Saturday morning and six injured.   Rebels said aid organisations were able to deliver some supplies to Misrata but were concerned about the snipers.   U.S. President Barack Obama told Americans on Saturday the allied mission in Libya had saved countless lives.   " When the international community is prepared to come together to save many thousands of lives, then it's in our national interest to act," Obama said in a weekly radio address.   In Tripoli, explosions were heard early on Saturday, signalling possible new strikes by warplanes or missiles.   Libyan state television was broadcasting occasional, brief news reports of Western air strikes. Mostly it showed footage -- some of it grainy images years old -- of cheering crowds waving green flags and carrying portraits of Gaddafi.   Neither Gaddafi nor his sons have been shown on state television since the Libyan leader made a speech from his Tripoli compound on Wednesday.   State TV said the " brother leader" had promoted all members of his armed forces and police " for their heroic and courageous fight against the crusader, colonialist assault."   The African Union said it was planning to facilitate talks to help end the war, but NATO said its operation could last three months, and France said the conflict could go on for weeks.   (Reporting by Alexander Dziadosz in Benghazi, Tim Castle in London, Maria Golovnina and Michael Georgy in Tripoli and Ibon Villelabeitia in Cairo writing by Tom Pfeiffer editing by Andrew Roche) |
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krisluke
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26-Mar-2011 21:51
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Canadian federal election to be on May 2
Canada's PM Harper speaks following a non-confidence vote in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa
  Opposition parties toppled Harper on Friday on the grounds that his government was tainted by sleaze, had managed the economy poorly and was in contempt of Parliament.   Polls show the right-of-centre Conservatives are set to retain power in what will be Canada's fourth election in less than seven years.   Harper, in power since 2006 with two successive minority governments, says Canada does not need an election at a time when economic recovery is still fragile.   " Against our advice, the opposition parties have chosen to force an election the country doesn't' want and the economy doesn't need," he told reporters.   Harper spoke after visiting Governor General David Johnston -- the representative of Queen Elizabeth, Canada's head of state -- to seek the dissolution of Parliament.   The prime minister says that unless the Conservatives get a majority, the three opposition parties will form what he calls an unstable and reckless coalition.   Michael Ignatieff, leader of the main opposition Liberal Party, issued a statement on Saturday saying he would not form a coalition with other parties.   (Reporting by David Ljunggren editing by Peter Galloway) |
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krisluke
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26-Mar-2011 21:45
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United States Department of Defense - F-15E Strike EagleThe F-15E Strike Eagle is a modern American all-weather strike fighter, designed for long-range interdiction of enemy ground targets deep behind enemy lines. A derivative of the F-15 Eagle air superiority fighter, the Strike Eagle proved its worth in Desert Storm, carrying out deep strikes against high-value targets, performing " Wild Weasel" (SEAD) patrols and providing close air support for coalition troops. The F-15E Strike Eagle can be distinguished from other U.S. Eagle variants by its darker camouflage and the conformal fuel tanks mounted along the engine intakes. In March 1981, the USAF announced the Enhanced Tactical Fighter program to procure a replacement for the F-111 'Aardvark'. The concept envisioned an aircraft capable of launching deep interdiction missions without requiring additional support by fighter escort or jamming. General Dynamics submitted the F-16XL, while McDonnell Douglas submitted a variant of the F-15 Eagle. On February 24, 1984, the USAF awarded the ETF to McDonnell Douglas's F-15E Strike Eagle.he F-15E's first flight was on December 11, 1986.The first production model of the F-15E was delivered to the 405th Tactical Training Wing, Luke Air Force Base, Ariz., in April 1988. The " Strike Eagle" , as it was dubbed, received initial operational capability on September 30, 1989 at Seymour Johnson AFB in North Carolina with the 4th Tactical Fighter Wing, 336th Tactical Fighter Squadron. Variants of the F-15E have been developed for Israel (F-15I), Korea (F-15K), Saudi Arabia (F-15S), and Singapore (F-15SG). The F-15E will be upgraded with the Raytheon APG-63(V)4 Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar after 2007. It combines the processor of the APG-79 used on the F/A-18E/F with the antenna of the APG-63(V)3 AESA being fitted on the F-15C.The radar upgrade is expected to begin in 2008. While most of the F-15C/Ds are being replaced by the F-22 Raptor there is no slated replacement for the F-15E. The Strike Eagle is a more recent variant of the F-15, and has a sturdier airframe rated for twice the lifetime of earlier variants. The F-15Es are expected to remain in service past 2025. The Air Force is currently pursuing the 2018 Bomber, a medium bomber concept which could also take over the Strike Eagle's " deep strike" profile. The " A" variant of the F-35 Lightning II, which is projected to eventually replace many other attack aircraft such as the F-16 and A-10, could also take over much of the F-15E's role. |
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krisluke
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26-Mar-2011 21:42
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F-15E 'Strike' Eagle Long-Range Interdiction Fighter, USADimensions:Wingspan
42.8ft (13.05m)
Wing Area
608ft² (56.5m²)
Length
63.8ft (19.4m)
Height
18.5ft (5.63m)
Weights:Empty Weight
31,700lb (14,300kg)
Maximum Take-Off Weight
81,000lb (36,700kg)
Engines:Powerplant
2 × Pratt & Whitney F100-229 afterburning turbofans, 29,000lbf (129kN) each
Performance:Maximum Level Speed
Over Mach 2.5 (1,650mph, 2,660km/h)
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krisluke
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26-Mar-2011 21:37
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A U.S. Air Force F-15E fighter jet crashed in Libya overnight after a mechanical failure |
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krisluke
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26-Mar-2011 21:28
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krisluke
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26-Mar-2011 21:26
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krisluke
Supreme |
26-Mar-2011 21:22
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krisluke
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26-Mar-2011 21:19
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Italian  Eurofighters land at Trapani-Birgi air base in Sicily after a Friday mission |
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