Rep. Dennis Kucinich was on fire up at the rally in Wisconsin today. From The Uptake — Rep. Kucinich Fires Up Madison Workers’ Rights Rally : Representative Dennis Kucinich, (D- Ohio) attacks Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker for his trashing of workers’ rights. The Governor signed a bill that eliminated most collective bargaining rights for public employees. This “Speak Up For Workers’ Rights” rally happened after a massive protest at Wisconsin’s state capitol.
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Footage of the blast at the Fukushima Daiichi No 1 nuclear plant in north-east Japan which is under a state of emergency after the earthquake and tsunami
Continue reading …ABC Exploits Japanese Tragedy to Undermine Minor GOP-Proposed Domestic U.S. Budget Reduction
March 13, 2011 No Comment
ABC’s Bill Weir inaccureately lectured Friday night: “Consider Japan's state of the art undersea sensors and tsunami gates, protecting key ports, while just last month, our House of Representatives voted to slash funding for the Hawaiian tsunami warning center that issued last night's alarm.” Then on Saturday’s World News , reporter Clayton Sandell found it newsworthy to highlight how “Democrats accuse Republicans of being irresponsible for proposing budget cuts to NOAA, the federal agency that provides forecasts and early warnings of natural disasters.” Sandell cued up a California Democrat with a loaded question: “NOAA's budget gets cut, are people's lives more at risk?” The Congressman, who represents the state’s northern coast , naturally, agreed: “Absolutely.” In fact, the funding “slash,” which is only proposed and is far from implementation since it hasn’t even passed in the House, is not for any specific program inside NOAA and is for a reduction of just 7 percent , which hardly means all of NOAA’s programs must be shut down since NOAA would still be able to spend 93 percent of what they spent in the previous fiscal year. From the Saturday, March 12 ABC World News with David Muir: CLAYTON SANDELL: The quake has also triggered a tsunami of political bickering in Congress. Democrats accuse Republicans of being irresponsible for proposing budget cuts to NOAA, the federal agency that provides forecasts and early warnings of natural disasters. SANDELL TO THOMPSON: If NOAA's budget gets cut, are people's lives more at risk? U.S. REPRESENTATIVE MIKE THOMPSON (D-CA): Absolutely. This is important stuff. It's public safety. It's an investment in our everyday lives. SANDELL: Republicans counter that it's up to NOAA how it spends its budget, as residents along the coast wonder how bad the next tsunami might be. Clayton Sandell, ABC News, Crescent City, California. From the Friday, March 11 ABC World News with Diane Sawyer: BILL WEIR: And consider Japan's state of the art undersea sensors and tsunami gates, protecting key ports, while just last month, our House of Representatives voted to slash funding for the Hawaiian tsunami warning center that issued last night's alarm. One more reason to look out for yourself…. DIANE SAWYER: And you were telling us they cut the funding for that kind of alert system. Thank you, Bill. — Brent Baker is Vice President for Research and Publications at the Media Research Center. Click here to follow him on Twitter.
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Foreign secretary moves to end speculation he has ‘lost his mojo’ after attacks on handling of Libya crisis William Hague has dismissed claims he has “lost his mojo” and is ready to resign as foreign secretary. Hague has faced questions about his appetite for frontline politics and criticism of his handling of the Libyan crisis. In an interview with the Sunday Telegraph , he sought to end speculation about his future and David Cameron’s support for him. “If some of the people who write about mojo came with me for a week, they would drop dead on their feet,” he said. “The prime minister is extremely supportive and so are the vast majority of Conservative MPs. People had better get used to the idea.” Earlier this week, senior Liberal Democrat Sir Menzies Campbell openly questioned Hague’s commitment to the job. “I am not sure just how enthusiastic he is about this business,” Campbell said. “It is very, very hard … It is a very, very demanding job.” Challenged about his commitment the following day, Hague fuelled speculation by saying only that he would remain in the job for “an extended period of time”. Referring to events in the Middle East and north Africa, Hague said: “These are historic and momentous events that are taking place. “I say to you very seriously that all of us who have taken on the job of shouldering responsibilities at this time will see those responsibilities through for an extended period of time in the face of any criticism or setbacks.” Asked whether Hague’s position in government was under threat, the prime minister’s official spokesman said Cameron was not planning a Cabinet reshuffle “any time soon”. The foreign secretary has been criticised over the botched SAS mission to make contact with Libyan rebels, uncertainty over the government’s position on the imposition of a no-fly zone, the slow start to the evacuation of British nationals and his mistaken suggestion that Colonel Muammar Gaddafi had fled to Venezuela. William Hague Conservatives Liberal-Conservative coalition Foreign policy Libya guardian.co.uk
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Rebels driven out of town of Brega under heavy bombardment as pro-regime forces advance towards Benghazi Muammar Gaddafi’s forces were routing Libyan rebels in the east of the country today, driving the revolutionaries into full retreat from the town of Brega with a rain of rockets and shelling. The rebel army fled in hundreds of pick-up trucks, many with machine guns mounted on the back, and saloon cars back toward the nearest major town of Ajdabiya. Some of the revolutionaries, many of whom are young men with no previous combat experience, appeared close to panic. Many of the remaining civilians in the area fled with them. The rapid advance by pro-regime forces came as Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, prepared to travel to the region to meet representatives of the Libyan rebels’ revolutionary council. Clinton’s trip follows an unprecedented Arab League call for western military intervention to assist the embattled rebels. The call has increased pressure on Barack Obama to throw Washington’s full weight behind efforts to oust Gaddafi before it is too late. Suliman Refadi, a doctor fleeing Brega hospital, said the town came under intense bombardment. “They shot 40 to 60 rockets at the same time. The sky was raining with rockets, with shrapnel. There was heavy artillery. Then they advanced,” he said. “It was impossible to stay.” Refadi said that among the victims was a seven year-old boy who lost part of his skull and brain and who he expected to die. He said he also saw four civilians, three men and a woman, dead beside the road. The regime’s assault came after it seized control of the strategic oil town of Ras Lanuf yesterday. With the opposition line broken, Gaddafi’s forces appeared to have little trouble moving on Brega about 90 miles along the road towards the rebel capital of Benghazi. It is not clear if the revolutionary forces will be able to make a stand in Ajdabiya, which sits on an important intersection where the main coastal road divides. If the town falls, Gaddafi’s army would be able to move on Benghazi and head toward towns closer to the Egyptian border, notably the major oil city of Tobruk. In what is seen as a crucial week both diplomatically and militarily for Libya, Clinton is due to spend two days in Egypt and Tunisia starting on Tuesday, the first visits by the US secretary of state since the recent popular uprisings. Officials from the Benghazi-based rebel council are expected to travel to meet her. The exact venue and timing of the meeting has not been disclosed. The Obama administration has so far blocked British and French moves to impose a no-fly zone over Libya to curtail Gaddafi’s attacks on rebel forces and civilians. One stated reason for its reluctance is concern that the US has little first-hand knowledge of the embattled rebel groups, which have been asking for western military assistance with increasing urgency in recent days. Speaking at a press conference on Friday, Obama expressed caution about dealing with the Benghazi council, which France alone has recognised as Libya’s legitimate successor government. The opposition was “just getting organised”, Obama said. Clinton’s talks are intended to give the US a better picture of who it may be dealing with if Gaddafi falls. Catherine Ashton, the EU’s foreign policy chief, is also in the region and was due to hold talks about the no-fly zone proposal with the Arab League in Cairo today. It was not immediately clear whether Ashton would also seek to make contact with the Libyan rebels. Like the US, the EU has demanded Gaddafi’s resignation and an end to the violence but has so far stopped short of endorsing military intervention. With events moving fast on the ground, it seemed increasingly possible that the diplomatic initiatives would come too late to save the Libyan uprising, a fear apparently shared by the Arab League. Its unanimous weekend decision to ask the UN security council to impose a no-fly zone over Libya was seen as an extraordinary step, given historical opposition by the 22-nation bloc to western intervention in the region. The move was also a risky one for Arab leaders who face popular dissent at home. Syria and Algeria reportedly argued strongly against the decision in private discussions, insisting on a clause saying any western forces should withdraw as soon as the crisis abated. Amr Moussa, the Arab League secretary general, said: “Our goal is to protect the civilian population in Libya after what has been reported of attacks and casualties in a very bloody situation.” Describing Gaddafi’s government as “illegitimate”, the League has suspended its membership and begun talks with the rebels, although it has not extended formal recognition to the Benghazi council. Pressure on Obama to drop US objections to a no-fly zone has been increased by the Arab League decision highlighting “serious crimes and great violations” by the Libyan regime and by a statement by Mustafa Abdel Jalil, head of the Benghazi revolutionary council. Jalil claimed at the weekend that if Gaddafi’s forces, which have gained the upper hand in the fighting in recent days, succeeded in taking Benghazi, it would result in “the death of half a million people”. The US, Nato and the EU say that military intervention would be justified if there were demonstrable need to prevent criminal atrocities on the ground, if there were a sound legal basis (such as a new UN security council resolution) and if there were strong regional support. Some US officials have expressed doubts as to whether a no-fly zone would make any difference to the outcome, since most of the regime’s attacks use ground troops or artillery. William Hague, the foreign secretary, suggested in a statement yesterday that the requirement for regional support had been all but satisfied. Hague said that the outcome of the Arab League meeting showed “Gaddafi’s actions do not have support in the region”. “In brutally repressing a popular uprising by his own people, it is clear he is isolated and ignoring the will of the international community … The Arab League call for a NFZ [no-fly zone] is very significant and provides important regional support to the option of creating a NFZ,” he said. The White House said the Arab League’s declaration of support was an “important step”, but did not say whether it viewed it as definitive. Attention may soon shift to the UN security council, where British and French diplomats have reportedly drawn up a draft resolution on a no-fly zone, although it has yet to be circulated. The Arab League statement could be significant in reducing Chinese and Russian opposition to a new resolution authorising limited intervention. Both countries, veto-wielding members of the security council, continue to express reservations. “Middle Eastern countries should handle their affairs themselves and should not be subject to outside interference,” vice-foreign minister Zhai Jun said during a tour of the region. Robert Gates, the US defence secretary, who last week questioned the wisdom of imposing a no-fly zone, appeared to soften his position at the weekend. Gates said: “A little bit too much has been read into some of my remarks last week,” Gates said. “If we are directed to impose a no-fly zone, we have the resources to do it. This is not a question of whether we or our allies can do this. We can do it. The question is whether it’s a wise thing to do. And that’s the discussion that’s going on at a political level.” Libya Middle East Muammar Gaddafi Arab and Middle East protests Chris McGreal Simon Tisdall guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …You Can’t Keep A Cheesehead Down. This, Again, Is What Democracy Looks Like!
March 13, 2011 No Comment
enlarge An estimated 100,000 union supporters turned out yesterday in Madison , Wisconsin to welcome back the Democratic state senators who decamped to Illinois to prevent a vote on Gov. Scott Walker’s union busting bill. The day’s festivities included a parade of tractors around the state Capitol: The day after Scott Walker’s ceremonial signing of a bill stripping collective bargaining rights from Wisconsin’s public employees, tens of thousands of protestors once again filled the Capitol Square Saturday. “Kill the bill” was no longer heard, but a new chant rose to take its place: “What’s the word? Kloppenburg!” Although they lost a battle in the legislature, pro-union protestors have pledged to win the middle class war. Their newest slogans centered around this goal, urging protesters to recall the eight eligible Senate Republicans, and to vote JoAnne Kloppenburg to the Wisconsin Supreme Court. To that end, clipboard-wielding activists commandeered a Carroll Street bus shelter, urging protestors parading past to sign (if they hadn’t already) their senator’s recall petition. “Vote for Kloppenburg” signs suddenly became a ubiquitous fixture of the protest landscape. Overall, the rally looked to be the biggest yet, with Madison police estimating a crowd size of 85,000-100,000. The day began with a morning “Farmer Labor Tractorcade” that circled the Square with antique tractors and farmers who led the chants (and, of course, honks) of “Show me what democracy looks like!” and “Recall Walker!”. Of course, the highlight of the day was unquestionably the return of the 14 Senate Democrats. An overflow crowd that packed the Square and several State Street blocks greeted the returning senators like celebrities, chanting: “Thank you! Thank you!” and “Welcome home!” After the senators had their turn at the mic and their share of the applause, the Reverend Jesse Jackson took the stage to drive home the message of the day. A chorus of voices ricocheted off the Capitol and down State Street, taking up the reverend’s cry: “April 5, come alive!”
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• Up to 10,000 feared dead in Miyagi prefecture alone • Cooling system fails at a second nuclear plant • Japan PM: “worst crisis since WWII” • 190 people exposed to radiation • Original quake upgraded to magnitude 9 • Over 250 aftershocks so far • NEWS: Japan nuclear crisis worsens Here’s a summary of events today so far: • The original earthquake to hit Japan has been upgraded to a magnitude of 9.0 • The struggle to control a nuclear crisis at two power stations continues . Officials said there is a risk of a second explosion at the Fukushima power station but Yukio Edano, chief cabinet secretary, said the facility could withstand the impact. Technicians are battling to cool a third reactor after a blast at reactor one on Saturday. Technicians are pumping sea water into the reactor in a bid to prevent a nuclear meltdown. The size of the evacuation zone around Fukushima is now 20km. • The Japanese prime minister has called the disaster the worst crisis since WWII . There are also reports that up to 10,000 are feared dead in the Miyagi prefecture alone and up to 190 people exposed to radiation after cooling system fails at a second nuclear plant. • More than 250 aftershocks have rocked Japan since the original earthquake on Friday. The US Geological Survey said 30 of these were in excess of magnitude 6 . Japan’s meteorological agency said there was a 70% chance of a magnitude 7 aftershock striking in the next three days. • The huge rescue effort now includes 100,000 Japanese soliders, around 40% of its armed forces. International rescue teams are heading towards the region including a UK team. Tokyo’s vice-mayor said 44,000 meals of crackers, 643,000 of instant rice and 57,000 units of condensed milk are on their way to the disaster area, along with 384,000 blankets and 9000 portable toilets. • Stories of rescues and tragedies are beginning to emerge, including from Hiromitsu Shinkawa, a 60-year-old man rescued after being swept out to sea with only his roof as a makeshift raft. Our correspondent Jonathan Watts in Miyagi prefecture interviewed Harumi Watanabe who said she was unable to rescue her elderly parents from their house before the wave hit. • The UK Foreign Office has set up contact numbers for assistance for British nationals and has advised against all non-essential travel to Japan. It has also issued information about the status of Japanese airports. 12.07pm: A gallery of remarkable images from the Guardian’s Dan Chung who is in tsunami-ravaged Shiontona. 11.54am: Associated Press has this report from Banda Aceh in Indonesia of the reactions of survivors of the 2004 tsunami watching the pictures of the devastation in Japan: Tears streamed down Maisara Mucharam’s face as she watched aerial shots of the tsunami pummeling Japan’s coast and remembered the day, six years ago, when her youngest daughter was ripped out of her arms by the heavy salty sea. Survivors of the 2004 tsunami that started off Indonesia sat glued to their TV sets, stroking each other’s hands, as images of last Friday’s disaster in northern Japan flashed repeatedly across the screen. “I heard someone screaming and ran to see what was going on,” said Mucharam, who also lost her husband and two other daughters. “I tried, but couldn’t stop watching,” the 38-year-old said, her voice trembling. “It was exactly the same, except they have this horrible footage, events unfolding right before your eyes.” 11.41pm: The full piece from our Asia environment correspondent Jonathan Watts who is in Shintona, Miyagi prefecture talking to survivors and relief workers is live. Here’s some of it: The nearby bay is filled with cars, concrete and half-sunken homes that have floated away from their foundations. A railway line has been ripped from the ground and twisted vertically like a garden fence. Cars and motorbikes lie broken and so roughly re-parked by the tsunami that some balance precariously on their bonnets. Emergency and media helicopters buzz overhead and the bereaved sob by the side of the road. The air is rich with the rotting smell of disaster and death. Self-defence force personnel and rescue workers search for bodies amid the the mud. Their work is sporadically interrupted by earthquake alerts and tsunami warnings, but they do not have to look far. When found the dead are wrapped in blue tarpaulins and laid on military stretchers. In Shintona their numbers rose as quickly as the dozen or so rescue workers were able to find and carry them. “We have found 50 bodies today and there’ll be more,” said an officer in the self defence forces as his team took a quick lunchbreak. “We’re putting more efforts into rescue elsewhere as there is very little chance of anyone surviving here.” 11.33am: Japanese prime minister Naoto Kan has urged Cabinet members to ensure “maximum efforts” are made to save as many people as possible, Kyodo news agency has reported . He has also met the heads of the Tokyo Electric Power Company , which runs the Fukushima nuclear plant, and Toshiba , which supplied some of the equipment used in the facility, to discuss the crisis. Electricity providers have warned that consumers could face a week or more of rolling electricity black-outs from tomorrow, due to the shortages caused by shutting down power plants. “There is a high possibility that service areas of Tokyo Electric and Tohoku Electric will face an abnormal situation in which a great deal of supply shortage will occur,” the industry minister Banri Kaieda told reporters. His ministry has urged large firms to restrict their use of air conditioning, neon lighting and hot water to help conserve the supply. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano has said the government will use its contingency funds of some 200bn yen ($2.44bn) to pay for the relief effort. But Kyodo says the president of the opposition Liberal Democratic Party has said it will meet the government to discuss a possible temporary tax increase to fund relief work. 11.13am: Associated Press is reporting that Japan’s prime minister has called the disaster the worst crisis since World War II when two nuclear bombs were dropped of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. He has urged country to unite. 10.59am: The UK Foreign Office is advising against all non-essential travel to Tokyo and the North East of Japan . It has set up contact numbers for assistance: British nationals in Japan who require assistance should contact the Foreign Office helpline in London: +44 20 7008 0000 (from Japan) or 020 7008 0000 (in the UK). You can also e-mail the Foreign Office on japan.earthquake@fco.gov.uk or skype (text not call) on “fcojapan”. It has issued the following information about the status of Japanese airports: Sendai – Closed Sado – Closed Iwate-Hanamaki – Closed Misawa – Closed NRT/Tokyo Narita – Open, although flights to and from the airport are experiencing some disruptions. There are some train and bus services to the airport but traffic is heavy and serious disruptions in travelling to Narita continue. 1700 people are currently at Narita airport; airport authorities are distributing sleeping bags and food. HND/Tokyo Haneda – Open, though flights are subject to cancellation. UKB/Kobe Airport – Open KIX/Osaka – Open KIJ/Niigata – Open Amori – Partially open Akita – Partially open Misawa – Partially open Yamagata – Partially open Shonai – Partially open Odate Noshino – Partially open Fuksushima – Partially open 10.40am: The Tokyo Electric Power Company which operates the Fukushima Daiichi and Fukushima Daini nuclear power stations has confirmed that a crane operator has been killed at the Daini plant . The operator was trapped in the crane operating console of the exhaust stack and was transferred to the ground at 5:13pm on Saturday and confirmed the death at 5:17pm. In an update early on Sunday morning , the International Atomic Energy Agency said that four workers had been injured by the explosion at Unit 1 reactor of the Daiichi plant . In addition, one worker was exposed to higher-than-normal radiation levels that fall below the IAEA guidance for emergency situations. And at Fukushima Daini, four have been injured. 10.06am: This map from the US Geological Survey shows the aftershocks that have hit the region since Friday. There have been over 250 aftershocks , with 30 of those in excess of magnitude 6. 9.47am: Justin McCurry in Tokyo reports that Japan’s meteorological agency on Sunday upgraded last Friday’s earthquake from magnitude 8.8 to 9.0 , although it is still referring to this estimate as an “interim value”. It occurred 130km off the Pacific coast of Tokoku region at a depth of 24km. It is advising people to be vigilant for further tsunamis, landslides and further building collapses. It is also warning that there is a 70% chance of a magnitude-7 aftershock striking the country in the next three days.There will be a 50% risk over the three subsequent days. 9.39am: Japan’s Daily Yomiuri has this powerful eyewitness piece on the “hellish sight” of Kesennumma in Miyagi prefecture, hit by quake, tsunami and fires: Black smoke belched from fires that continued to spread even after daybreak in this city on the Sanriku Coast with a population of 75,700. All but the platform of Minami-Kesennuma Station on the JR Kesennuma Line was swept away by tsunami as if it had never existed. Also hit by tsunami, the city’s central community center near the station was flooded to the second-floor ceiling, forcing people evacuated there to stay overnight on the third floor, community center officials said. Many wrecked cars and trucks lay amidst heaps of rubble, while broken houses were swept down the Okawa river along the JR line. The water continued to ebb and flow with waves from the sea. 9.36am: In a a small indication of the massive relief effort now underway, Tokyo vice-mayor @inosenaoki says 44,000 meals of crackers, 643,000 of instant rice and 57,000 units of condensed milk are on their way to the disaster area, along with 384,000 blankets and 9000 portable toilets. 9.19am: Our correspondent Jonathan Watts is in Shiontona, Miyagi prefecture. He has been speaking to survivors of the tsunami. One woman, Harumi Watanabe said she rushed home from work to save her elderly parents but was unable to get them out of the house quickly enough. “There wasn’t time to save them. They were old and too weak to walk so I couldn’t get them in the car in time,” she said. When the wave hit the house, her mother and father were ripped from her grasp and dragged under-water. “I stood on the furniture, but the water came up to my neck. There was only a narrow band of air below the ceiling. I thought I would die,” said Watanabe. Early indications are that older people will make up a high proportion of the dead because they were unable to act on the tsunami warnings in time. “There are many old people here. We have evacuation drills, but people could not get to the meeting place in time. The tsunami was beyond our expectations. We must reflect on our shortcomings,” said Jiro Saito, head of the local disaster countermeasures committee. Watts reports that further round the coast in Minami Shirazu, close to 10,000 people are reportedly missing after the town was engulfed by the tsunami. The full story will be online shortly. 8.50am: Agence France Presse has more details of the extraordinary story of the 60-year-old man rescued after being swept 15km out to sea by the tsunami: A Maritime Self-Defence Force destroyer rescued 60-year-old Hiromitsu Shinkawa after discovering him floating on a piece of roof in waters off Fukushima Prefecture, two days after the disaster struck. The man, from the city of Minamisoma which has been virtually obliterated, was swept out along with his house after the massive tsunami tore into Japan’s northeast following a 8.9-magnitude earthquake on Friday. He is conscious and in “good condition” after his rescue which took place around 12:40 pm (0340 GMT), ministry officials said, adding that he was transported to hospital by helicopter. “I ran away after learning that the tsunami was coming,” Shinkawa told rescuers according to Jiji Press. “But I turned back to pick up something at home, when I was washed away. I was rescued while I was hanging to the roof from my house.” 8.40am: These remarkable interactive graphics from ABC in Australia and the New York Times use before-and-after pictures of the disaster zone to demonstrate the extent of the devastation. Another New York times interactive allows you to zoom in on a scene of devastation in Sendai, northern Japan. This interactive map help convey the scale of the disaster. 8.31am: One very welcome piece of good news: astonishingly, a 63-year-old man was rescued after his home was swept 15km out to sea by the tsunami, Japanese media are reporting. Rescuers in a helicopter spotted him waving from the rooftop near Futabacho, Fukushima prefecture. 8.19am: Good morning, we’re continuing our live coverage as Japan tackles the aftermath of Friday’s devastating 8.9 magnitude earthquake and the ensuing tsunami. Tokyo has doubled the number of rescuers to 100,000 and is still struggling to control the crisis at two nuclear power stations. The developments today: • Up to 10,000 people may have died in Miyagi prefecture, a police official there has told broadcaster NHK. Miyagi was the area worst-hit by the double disaster. The previous estimate of the death toll was around 1,800, although police had said they were unable to make contact with 9,500 people in the devastated town of Minamisanriku. • Japan is still struggling to control the crisis at two nuclear power plants damaged in Friday’s huge earthquake and tsunami. The emergency cooling system has failed at another reactor . • As many as 190 people may have been exposed to radiation. Potentially unsafe levels have been detected in 22 people. • Aftershocks also continue to hit the region , with two tremors of 6.2 magnitude earlier today. • Millions remain without power and drinking water and reports from the disaster zone suggest many survivors are struggling to find food. • International rescue teams are arriving in Japan. You can read yesterday’s live coverage here . Japan earthquake and tsunami Japan Tania Branigan James Randerson guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …New NPR CEO: Adding Beck and O’Reilly Wouldn’t Change Conservative Perceptions of NPR
March 13, 2011 No CommentNPR's On The Media is a weekly show produced by WNYC in New York. When there's a NPR scandal, they are not fair and balanced. They are liberal warriors. They have stated repeatedly that liberal bias is a “canard” that causes “false balance.”
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Binyamin Netanyahu approves hundreds of settler homes in West Bank after Palestinian militants kill family of settlers Israel has approved hundreds of settler homes after five members of an Israeli family – including three children – were knifed to death as they slept in a West Bank settlement over the weekend. The attack and the government’s response threatens to drive Israeli-Palestinian peacemaking even further out of reach. The settlement construction, approved on Saturday night by the Cabinet’s ministerial team on settlements, would take place in major West Bank settlement blocs that Israel expects to hold on to in any final peace deal, the prime minister’s office said in a text message to reporters. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is under domestic pressure to respond harshly to the killings, is a member of that team. On Saturday, Netanyahu demanded international condemnation of the murders, that Palestinian militants said was in reprisal for Israel’s occupation of the West Bank and Gaza. Israeli soldiers mounted a massive search in the West Bank after a mother, father and three children, aged between three months and 11, were attacked with knives in their house in the settlement of Itamar, near the Palestinian city of Nablus. It was believed that two of the dead had their throats cut. The alarm was raised by the couple’s 12-year-old daughter who returned home from a youth event on the settlement to find the bloodstained scene. Two other children asleep in a separate room at the time of the attack were unharmed. The surviving children were being cared for by grandparents. The area was sealed off by Israeli police and soldiers. The army launched an operation in the nearby Palestinian village of Awata, arresting about two dozen young men. The dead were named as Udi Fogel, 36, his wife Ruth, 35, and children Yoav, 11, Elad, four, and Hadas, three months. The family previously lived in the Gush Katif settlement in the Gaza Strip, which was evacuated in 2005, and recently moved to Itamar. Rabbi Yaakov Cohen, a neighbour who entered the house with the 12-year-old girl, told the Ynet website that her two-year-old brother “was lying next to his bleeding parents, shaking them with his hands and trying to get them to wake up, while crying … The sight in the house was shocking.” According to an Israeli settlement security official who visited the scene of the attack, one or two intruders scaled the security fence surrounding Itamar and entered the family’s home through a window. The father, said the official, who did not want to be named, was a teacher in a religious school. The al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, the armed wing of Fatah, the dominant political faction in the West Bank, said it had carried out the “heroic operation … in response to the fascist occupation against our people in the West Bank and Gaza Strip”. Netanyahu said: “I expect the international community to sharply and unequivocally condemn this murder, the murder of children. I have noticed that several countries that always hasten to the UN security council in order to condemn Israel, the state of the Jews, for planning a house in some locality … have been dilatory in sharply condemning the murder of Jewish infants. I expect them to issue such condemnations immediately, without balances, without understandings, without justifications. There is no justification and there can be neither excuse nor forgiveness for the murder of children.” He said he was disappointed in the reaction from the Palestinian Authority. Earlier he had blamed its “incitement against Israel” for the attack. The Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, telephoned Netanyahu to condemn the attack. “Violence will only bring more violence,” he said, urging a comprehensive agreement to end the conflict. Salam Fayyad, the Palestinian prime minister, said that “violence does not justify violence … whoever does it and whoever the victims are”. A statement from the White House said there was “no possible justification for the killings of parents and children in their home”. Britain’s foreign secretary, William Hague, denounced the attack as “an act of incomprehensible cruelty”. It was the first killing of settlers since four adults were shot dead near Hebron on the eve of direct talks between Israel and the Palestinians in September. The talks stalled following Israel’s refusal to extend a freeze on new settlement in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. The West Bank has seen few militant operations in recent years as the Palestinian Authority has stepped up security as part of its efforts to build the basis of a future state. Last month, Israel removed the Hawara checkpoint near Itamar. But there has been continued tension between Palestinian villagers and hardline settlers, with regular clashes over the destruction of olive trees. In the nearby Palestinian village of Awata, Khalil Shurrab said that “many, many soldiers” had come in the early hours, going house to house to round up people. Residents showed visitors rooms in houses that they said had been trashed by soldiers and spent tear gas canisters. Hilary Minch, a volunteer with a Christian monitoring group based near Nablus, said the army had used live ammunition and stun grenades. “The next 24 hours will be very tense,” she said. “The villagers fear retribution by the settlers.” Palestinian territories Middle East Israel Binyamin Netanyahu Harriet Sherwood guardian.co.uk
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Nick Clegg speaks at the Lib Dem spring conference, where delegates are also debating banks, legal aid the party’s future relations with the Tories. 9.17am: For the record, here are the latest YouGov GB polling figures. Labour: 44% (up 14 points since the general election) Conservatives: 33% (down 4) Lib Dems: 10% (down 14) Labour lead: 11 points Government approval: -30 9.10am: There’s some bad news for the Lib Dems this morning; support for the alternative vote is falling. Here’s the Press Association story about it. Public opinion is moving away from a change to the voting system for Westminster elections, according to a new poll. Using the question to be put to a referendum on the Alternative Vote (AV) in May, ComRes pollsters found that the No campaign was ahead for the first time. The poll, conducted for the Sunday Mirror and Independent on Sunday, suggested that support for a switch to AV had fallen to 34% from 40% last month. Those planning to vote against AV had increased from 30% to 37%. All previous polls using the wording of the referendum question have shown the Yes campaign in front. The question asked was: “At present, the UK uses the ‘first past the post’ system to elect MPs to the House of Commons. Should the ‘alternative vote’ system be used instead?” 8.45am: Alarm clock Britain is making a comeback. Today’s proceedings at the Lib Dem spring conference will be dominated by Nick Clegg’s speech and, according to the extracts released in advance, he’s going to reaffirm his commitment to speaking up for “alarm clock Britain”. When Clegg first floated this concept in an article in the Sun at the beginning of the year, the Times columnist David Aaronovitch said: “If anyone can find a worse written, more cliché-ridden, more meaningless, more patronising, more tin-eared collection of absurd propositions paraded as common sense, then I will give them £50.” As far as I know, Aaronovitch’s £50 remains unclaimed. But Clegg does not seem to mind. This is what he’s going to tell the conference. The banner at this conference says: In government, on your side. Some people have asked me: whose side, exactly? My answer is simple. We’re on the side of the people I call Alarm Clock Britain. The side of everyone who wants to get up and get on. People who, unlike the wealthy, have no choice but to work hard to make ends meet. People who are proud to support themselves but are only ever one pay cheque from their overdraft. People who believe in self-reliance but who don’t want to live in a dog-eat-dog world. Who want everyone who can to work hard but they want children, the elderly and the vulnerable to be looked after too. People who believe it is as wrong to opt out of tax as it is to opt out of working. Clegg is also going to insist that the Lib Dems are the party of the centre ground. Our opponents try to divide us with their outdated labels of left and right. But we are not on the left and we are not on the right. We have our own label: Liberal. We are liberals and we own the freehold to the centre ground of British politics. Governing from the middle, for the middle. Clegg’s speech will close the conference. But it’s not the only item on the agenda for the morning. Here’s a full list. 9am: Parliamentary party reports, with brief speeches from Alistair Carmichael, the chief whip, Lord McNally, the Lib Dem leader in the Lords, and Fiona Hall, the leader in the European Parliament. 9.20am: Emergency debate on a motion calling for tougher action on banks and bonuses. 9.50am: Debate on a strategy motion saying the Lib Dems should fight the next election as an independent party “with no preference for potential future coalition partners”. 11am: Simon Woolley, director of Operation Black Vote and one of the vice chairs of Yes to Fairer Votes, gives a speech on the alternative vote campaign. 11.15am: Debate on an access to justice motion calling for a proper impact assessment before further cuts are made to legal aid. 11.45am: Nick Clegg speech. I’ll be blogging from the conference throughout the morning. Nick Clegg Liberal Democrats AV Andrew Sparrow guardian.co.uk
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