Chủ Nhật, 27 tháng 3, 2011
Ouattara rejects African Union envoy in Ivory Coast political standoff By the CNN Wire Staff Abidjan, Ivory Coast (CNN) -- The internationally recognized president of Ivory Coast said he rejects the latest African Union envoy selected to help resolve the nation's tense political standoff. The African Union on Saturday chose the ex-foreign minister of Cape Verde to help implement proposed solutions to the stalemate, which began when incumbent leader Laurent Gbagbo refused to step down after November elections. Election officials and the international community consider Alassane Ouattara the rightful winner of the vote. The choice of Jose Brito was a surprise, Ouattara said in a statement, "given his (Brito's) personal and his political connections" with the disputed president. Ouattara said he was not consulted before the decision was made on Saturday. "Furthermore, this decision does not conform to the wishes expressed to appoint a former head of state for this function," he said. "Consequently, the Presidency of the Republic of Ivory Coast rejects Jose Brito as high representative of the A.U." African Union officials did not answer repeated calls for comment. Someone who answered the phone at Gbagbo's communications office declined to comment. The African Union is made up of more than 50 countries in the continent. The organization has made several attempts at mediating the standoff, including sending heads of state to meet with both leaders. A team of African heads of state came up with suggested resolutions for the crisis, said Patrick Achi, a spokesman for Ouattara. Ouattara has support from many world leaders, including U.S. President Barack Obama, who has said he recognizes him as the nation's rightful leader. Obama warned on Friday that Gbagbo's hold on power will lead to more violence and bloodshed. Clashes have left at least 462 dead since December, according to the United Nations. Escalated violence and fears of war have forced nearly 1 million residents to flee the commercial capital of Abidjan, the U.N. refugee agency said, with scores more uprooted across the country. As clashes rage on, analysts fear the country -- once one of Africa's success stories -- is on the brink of a civil war. A 2002 civil war plunged it into political instability. "You have a proud past from gaining your independence to overcoming civil war, now you have the opportunity to realize your future," Obama said. Ivorians deserve leaders who can restore their rightful place in the world, the U.S. president said. Obama's message comes after the U.N. Security Council discussed a draft resolution introduced by France and Nigeria on a weapons ban in Abidjan. It also calls for sanctions against Gbagbo and his inner circle.
Thứ Bảy, 26 tháng 3, 2011
Libya rebels recapture key town
The BBC's Ben Brown says the rebels have made gains because of allied air raids
Libyan rebels backed by extensive allied air raids have seized control of the frontline oil town of Ajdabiya from Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's forces.
Insurgents have been celebrating amid the ruins of tanks and artillery pieces left behind after air strikes.
Gaddafi loyalists seized the town last week as they advanced east to quell an uprising which began in mid-February.
A Libyan minister said the army had left the town after the "heavy involvement" of Western forces.
The rebel breakthrough came after a seventh night of bombardment by allies enforcing a UN resolution against Col Gaddafi.
British RAF Tornado aircraft have been firing Brimstone guided missiles at his forces in recent days around Ajdabiya, a town of about 100,000 people.
The BBC's Ben Brown in Ajdabiya says those strikes seemed to be even heavier overnight.
Gaddafi 'promotes everyone'
He counted about two dozen Libyan government tanks, armoured vehicles and artillery pieces which have been either abandoned or destroyed at the eastern gate of the town.
There is even more wrecked weaponry at the western gate and lots of bodies of pro-Gaddafi fighters, our correspondent has been told.
People have been standing on abandoned government tanks, firing guns into air, dancing in the streets and blaring car horns, he adds.
Some of them chanted "Thank you, Obama", "Thank you, Cameron" - references to the US president and British prime minister.
The rebels say they are going through the town street by street trying to make sure there are no government fighters or snipers left.
Reuters news agency, which earlier said the town's western gate was still in the hands of pro-Gaddafi forces, later quoted a Libyan government official as admitting they had abandoned the town.
"They [Western forces] were heavily involved, so the Libyan armed forces decided to leave Ajdabiya this morning," Khaled Kaim, a deputy foreign minister, told reporters.
Overnight strikes by international forces also reportedly hit an air base on the outskirts of Misrata, a rebel-held city further west which pro-Gaddafi forces have been shelling.
A rebel spokesman in the city told Reuters on Saturday that the government assault had eased as a result.
Large explosions were also heard in the Libyan capital Tripoli on Saturday morning.
Witnesses said a military radar site was set on fire in that city's suburb of Tajura, a previous target of the air raids.
In his weekly address, US President Barack Obama said that the "clear and focused" military mission in Libya was succeeding.
"Make no mistake, because we acted quickly, a humanitarian catastrophe has been avoided and the lives of countless civilians - innocent men, women and children - have been saved," he said.
Col Gaddafi is meanwhile said to have ordered a universal promotion for everyone in the army and police, and proposed arming civilian volunteers.
The BBC's Kevin Connolly in the eastern rebel stronghold of Benghazi says the administration's latest move smacks of desperation.
The BBC's Ben Brown says the rebels have made gains because of allied air raids
Libyan rebels backed by extensive allied air raids have seized control of the frontline oil town of Ajdabiya from Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's forces.
Insurgents have been celebrating amid the ruins of tanks and artillery pieces left behind after air strikes.
Gaddafi loyalists seized the town last week as they advanced east to quell an uprising which began in mid-February.
A Libyan minister said the army had left the town after the "heavy involvement" of Western forces.
The rebel breakthrough came after a seventh night of bombardment by allies enforcing a UN resolution against Col Gaddafi.
British RAF Tornado aircraft have been firing Brimstone guided missiles at his forces in recent days around Ajdabiya, a town of about 100,000 people.
The BBC's Ben Brown in Ajdabiya says those strikes seemed to be even heavier overnight.
Gaddafi 'promotes everyone'
He counted about two dozen Libyan government tanks, armoured vehicles and artillery pieces which have been either abandoned or destroyed at the eastern gate of the town.
There is even more wrecked weaponry at the western gate and lots of bodies of pro-Gaddafi fighters, our correspondent has been told.
People have been standing on abandoned government tanks, firing guns into air, dancing in the streets and blaring car horns, he adds.
Some of them chanted "Thank you, Obama", "Thank you, Cameron" - references to the US president and British prime minister.
The rebels say they are going through the town street by street trying to make sure there are no government fighters or snipers left.
Reuters news agency, which earlier said the town's western gate was still in the hands of pro-Gaddafi forces, later quoted a Libyan government official as admitting they had abandoned the town.
"They [Western forces] were heavily involved, so the Libyan armed forces decided to leave Ajdabiya this morning," Khaled Kaim, a deputy foreign minister, told reporters.
Overnight strikes by international forces also reportedly hit an air base on the outskirts of Misrata, a rebel-held city further west which pro-Gaddafi forces have been shelling.
A rebel spokesman in the city told Reuters on Saturday that the government assault had eased as a result.
Large explosions were also heard in the Libyan capital Tripoli on Saturday morning.
Witnesses said a military radar site was set on fire in that city's suburb of Tajura, a previous target of the air raids.
In his weekly address, US President Barack Obama said that the "clear and focused" military mission in Libya was succeeding.
"Make no mistake, because we acted quickly, a humanitarian catastrophe has been avoided and the lives of countless civilians - innocent men, women and children - have been saved," he said.
Col Gaddafi is meanwhile said to have ordered a universal promotion for everyone in the army and police, and proposed arming civilian volunteers.
The BBC's Kevin Connolly in the eastern rebel stronghold of Benghazi says the administration's latest move smacks of desperation.
Japan nuclear plant: Radioactivity rises in sea nearby
Levels of radioactive iodine in the sea near the tsunami-stricken Fukushima nuclear plant are 1,250 times higher than the safety limit, officials say.
The readings were taken about 300m (984ft) offshore. It is feared the radiation could be seeping into groundwater from one of the reactors.
But the radiation will no longer be a risk after eight days, officials say.
There are areas of radioactive water in four of the reactors at the plant, and two workers are in hospital.
The plant's operator says the core of one of the six reactors may have been damaged.
It has announced that fresh water rather than seawater will now be used to cool the damaged reactors, in the hope that this will be more effective.
Prime Minister Naoto Kan said the situation was "very unpredictable".
The official death toll from the 11 March earthquake and tsunami has passed 10,000, and more than 17,440 people are missing.
Hundreds of thousands of people have been made homeless; an estimated 250,000 people are living in emergency shelters. Food, water and fuel are in short supply.
The Japanese government has put the rebuilding cost at $309bn (£191.8bn).
Safety measures
The levels of radiation found in the sea near the plant were more than eight times higher than those found in the same area last week, the Japanese officials said.
A spokesman for Japan's Nuclear Safety Agency said the radioactivity level in the sea off the nuclear plant was "relatively high" but the impact on marine life would be minor.
"Generally speaking," spokesman Hidehiko Nishiyama told a news conference, "radioactive material released into the sea will spread due to tides, so you need much more for seaweed and sea life to absorb it."
He continued: "And, since [the iodine] has a half-life of eight days, by the time people eat the sea products its amount is likely to have diminished significantly."
The contamination probably came from both airborne radiation released from the reactors or tainted water that spilled into the sea, Mr Nishiyama said.
In a televised address on Friday, Prime Minister Kan said: "The current situation is still very unpredictable. We're working to stop the situation from worsening. We need to continue to be extremely vigilant."
He also thanked the workers, firefighters and Self-Defence Forces for "risking their lives" to try to cool the reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi plant.
Japan's chief cabinet secretary Yukio Edano has said a rigorous inquiry is under way to establish the cause of a leak at the plant, after tests showed water in the turbine halls of reactors 1 and 3 had radiation levels 10,000 times higher than normal.
Japan's Nuclear Safety Agency has reiterated its position that it believes the reactor may have been damaged but it is going no further than that, says the BBC's Mark Worthington in Tokyo.
The agency has denied any suggestion that the reactor core may have cracked, Kyodo news agency reports.
The two affected workers, who remain in hospital, had reportedly not been wearing the correct protective boots and had ignored a radiation alarm at the plant.
A revision of safety measures has been ordered.
The government has asked people still living within 20-30km (12-18 miles) of the nuclear facility to leave voluntarily. Until now, residents in the zone had been advised to stay indoors.
Food fears
Japan has banned shipments of foodstuffs grown in several prefectures around the damaged nuclear plant.
Searches continue with 17,440 people still missing
People in Fukushima prefecture have been told not to eat 11 types of green leafy vegetables because of contamination worries.
Importers of Japanese products are finding low levels of radiation in some food stuffs, however the amounts found do not pose a health hazard.
China, Singapore, Hong Kong, and other Asian importers have already placed bans on some imports of vegetables, seafood and milk products.
Australia, the European Union, the United States and Russia have followed suit.
The Fukushima plant is 250km north-east of the capital, Tokyo.
Radioactive iodine was detected in Tokyo's water supply earlier this week. Levels have since fallen, but remain high in other areas of northern Japan.
Levels of radioactive iodine in the sea near the tsunami-stricken Fukushima nuclear plant are 1,250 times higher than the safety limit, officials say.
The readings were taken about 300m (984ft) offshore. It is feared the radiation could be seeping into groundwater from one of the reactors.
But the radiation will no longer be a risk after eight days, officials say.
There are areas of radioactive water in four of the reactors at the plant, and two workers are in hospital.
The plant's operator says the core of one of the six reactors may have been damaged.
It has announced that fresh water rather than seawater will now be used to cool the damaged reactors, in the hope that this will be more effective.
Prime Minister Naoto Kan said the situation was "very unpredictable".
The official death toll from the 11 March earthquake and tsunami has passed 10,000, and more than 17,440 people are missing.
Hundreds of thousands of people have been made homeless; an estimated 250,000 people are living in emergency shelters. Food, water and fuel are in short supply.
The Japanese government has put the rebuilding cost at $309bn (£191.8bn).
Safety measures
The levels of radiation found in the sea near the plant were more than eight times higher than those found in the same area last week, the Japanese officials said.
A spokesman for Japan's Nuclear Safety Agency said the radioactivity level in the sea off the nuclear plant was "relatively high" but the impact on marine life would be minor.
"Generally speaking," spokesman Hidehiko Nishiyama told a news conference, "radioactive material released into the sea will spread due to tides, so you need much more for seaweed and sea life to absorb it."
He continued: "And, since [the iodine] has a half-life of eight days, by the time people eat the sea products its amount is likely to have diminished significantly."
The contamination probably came from both airborne radiation released from the reactors or tainted water that spilled into the sea, Mr Nishiyama said.
In a televised address on Friday, Prime Minister Kan said: "The current situation is still very unpredictable. We're working to stop the situation from worsening. We need to continue to be extremely vigilant."
He also thanked the workers, firefighters and Self-Defence Forces for "risking their lives" to try to cool the reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi plant.
Japan's chief cabinet secretary Yukio Edano has said a rigorous inquiry is under way to establish the cause of a leak at the plant, after tests showed water in the turbine halls of reactors 1 and 3 had radiation levels 10,000 times higher than normal.
Japan's Nuclear Safety Agency has reiterated its position that it believes the reactor may have been damaged but it is going no further than that, says the BBC's Mark Worthington in Tokyo.
The agency has denied any suggestion that the reactor core may have cracked, Kyodo news agency reports.
The two affected workers, who remain in hospital, had reportedly not been wearing the correct protective boots and had ignored a radiation alarm at the plant.
A revision of safety measures has been ordered.
The government has asked people still living within 20-30km (12-18 miles) of the nuclear facility to leave voluntarily. Until now, residents in the zone had been advised to stay indoors.
Food fears
Japan has banned shipments of foodstuffs grown in several prefectures around the damaged nuclear plant.
Searches continue with 17,440 people still missing
People in Fukushima prefecture have been told not to eat 11 types of green leafy vegetables because of contamination worries.
Importers of Japanese products are finding low levels of radiation in some food stuffs, however the amounts found do not pose a health hazard.
China, Singapore, Hong Kong, and other Asian importers have already placed bans on some imports of vegetables, seafood and milk products.
Australia, the European Union, the United States and Russia have followed suit.
The Fukushima plant is 250km north-east of the capital, Tokyo.
Radioactive iodine was detected in Tokyo's water supply earlier this week. Levels have since fallen, but remain high in other areas of northern Japan.
Thứ Sáu, 25 tháng 3, 2011
Explosions heard on outskirts of Tripoli
By the CNN Wire Staff
Tripoli, Libya (CNN) -- Warplanes roared through the skies over the Libya capital, Tripoli, early Friday, dropping bombs on the outskirts of the city where military bases are located.
Anti-aircraft fire quickly punctuated the darkness, and then fell silent again.
In Ajdabiya, about 430 miles (700 km) south-southeast of the capital, the British Ministry of Defense on Friday reported airstrikes on "Libyan armoured vehicles which were threatening the civilian population."
The latest military action marks a sixth consecutive night of pounding by coalition jets and came after NATO members agreed to take over enforcement of the no-fly zone over Libya.
The attack "is an indication ... of how the coalition feels that it now dominates the skies here," CNN's Nic Robertson reported from Tripoli.
Under the agreement, NATO forces will be able to close air space to all flights except for humanitarian ones and will be able to use force in self-defense. That mandate is not being interpreted as a license to attack Libyan government troops who may be threatening unarmed civilians.
But that could change.
NATO also has sent a directive to its military chain of command asking for a plan on how to execute an expanded role for enforcement of U.N. Resolution 1973, according to NATO sources. Under what some officials were calling "no-fly plus," NATO would be given more robust rules of engagement to ensure that civilians are protected, the sources said.
And, in an effort to ease concerns from Turkey -- the organization's sole Muslim country -- coalition forces would be allowed to withdraw from certain missions, such as those involving attacking Libyan soldiers, the sources said.
As for the prospect of a more robust mandate, one that the U.S.-led coalition has followed so far, "That decision has not been made yet," NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said from the organization's headquarters in Brussels.
He added that NATO will have outside help in whatever mission it opts to pursue. "It's of utmost importance to stress that this is not primarily a NATO operation," he said. "It is a broad international effort in which we will include partners from the region that have pledged to contribute to this protection of civilians in Libya."
Michael Burns, a former U.S. ambassador to NATO, said he expects the defense alliance to take over command of the entire operation in a few days to keep pressure on Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi.
"The no-flight zone alone can not protect the civilians of Libya," Burns said on CNN's "AC360" Thursday night "Gadhafi is still attacking ... He is still on the move in some places."
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Thursday he has seen no signs of the cease-fire called for under U.N. Resolution 1973, which was hurriedly passed March 17 as Libyan forces were closing in on the rebel stronghold of Benghazi.
"To the contrary, fierce battles continue in and around the cities of" Ajdabiya, Misrata and Zinan," Ban said, adding his envoy told Libyan authorities that if the government did not comply with the cease-fire resolution, "the Security Council was prepared to take additional measures."
Ban sent envoy to Friday's African Union meeting in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, at which representatives of the Gadhafi government and the opposition were expected to attend. "Their aim: to reach a cease-fire and political solution."
But there was no sign that any such solution was near. The battle for Misrata, Libya's third-largest city, has been ongoing for more than a week.
So far, U.S. forces have shouldered the bulk of the mission, according to figures provided by the Pentagon. Of the 175 Tomahawk missiles fired, 168 were from the United States and seven from Great Britain, the only two countries to possess them, while U.S. planes have flown almost two-thirds of the sorties and U.S. ships comprise more than two-thirds of the total involved.
Thursday's flurry of diplomatic activity came as the battle for control of Libya was continuing to unfold.
Libyans gathered at a seaside cemetery in Tripoli on Thursday for the funerals of 33 people Gadhafi's government said were victims of an airstrike.
State television said the dead were victims of the "crusader colonial aggression." Earlier, a Libyan government official said coalition planes struck the suburb of Tajura and state TV showed images of fires, smoldering vehicles and the charred bodies of the dead.
At the cemetery, anger trumped grief and Gadhafi's message was loud and clear: innocent people were wrongly killed and the Libyan people will fight back.
CNN could not independently verify the circumstances of the deaths or who the victims were. In Tripoli, CNN reporters go on government-organized tours in an effort to do their own reporting; Libyan authorities forbid independent movement by international journalists in Tripoli.
The reports of civilian deaths were given little credence by coalition forces, which launched airstrikes Thursday near Tripoli, Misrata and Ajdabiya in Libya.
"The only civilian casualties we know are for certain are the ones that the Libyan government itself has caused," U.S. Navy Vice Adm. Bill Gortney said.
The coalition has established a no-fly zone that spans from east to west along Libya's coast. French jets fired air-to-ground missiles on a Libyan combat aircraft Thursday that was in violation of the no-fly mandate, destroying it, the French Defense Ministry said. The plane was struck as it was landing in a Misrata airfield.
The civil war was sparked in February by protests demanding an end to Gadhafi's nearly 42-year rule. The Libyan strongman responded with force against civilians, prompting the international community to take action beginning last weekend.
Though the rebels' position may have improved since then, a U.S. official said Gadhafi's forces still have the upper hand. They remain capable of carrying out attacks on the opposition, are relatively well-organized and continue to fight effectively, the official said.
By the CNN Wire Staff
Tripoli, Libya (CNN) -- Warplanes roared through the skies over the Libya capital, Tripoli, early Friday, dropping bombs on the outskirts of the city where military bases are located.
Anti-aircraft fire quickly punctuated the darkness, and then fell silent again.
In Ajdabiya, about 430 miles (700 km) south-southeast of the capital, the British Ministry of Defense on Friday reported airstrikes on "Libyan armoured vehicles which were threatening the civilian population."
The latest military action marks a sixth consecutive night of pounding by coalition jets and came after NATO members agreed to take over enforcement of the no-fly zone over Libya.
The attack "is an indication ... of how the coalition feels that it now dominates the skies here," CNN's Nic Robertson reported from Tripoli.
Under the agreement, NATO forces will be able to close air space to all flights except for humanitarian ones and will be able to use force in self-defense. That mandate is not being interpreted as a license to attack Libyan government troops who may be threatening unarmed civilians.
But that could change.
NATO also has sent a directive to its military chain of command asking for a plan on how to execute an expanded role for enforcement of U.N. Resolution 1973, according to NATO sources. Under what some officials were calling "no-fly plus," NATO would be given more robust rules of engagement to ensure that civilians are protected, the sources said.
And, in an effort to ease concerns from Turkey -- the organization's sole Muslim country -- coalition forces would be allowed to withdraw from certain missions, such as those involving attacking Libyan soldiers, the sources said.
As for the prospect of a more robust mandate, one that the U.S.-led coalition has followed so far, "That decision has not been made yet," NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said from the organization's headquarters in Brussels.
He added that NATO will have outside help in whatever mission it opts to pursue. "It's of utmost importance to stress that this is not primarily a NATO operation," he said. "It is a broad international effort in which we will include partners from the region that have pledged to contribute to this protection of civilians in Libya."
Michael Burns, a former U.S. ambassador to NATO, said he expects the defense alliance to take over command of the entire operation in a few days to keep pressure on Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi.
"The no-flight zone alone can not protect the civilians of Libya," Burns said on CNN's "AC360" Thursday night "Gadhafi is still attacking ... He is still on the move in some places."
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Thursday he has seen no signs of the cease-fire called for under U.N. Resolution 1973, which was hurriedly passed March 17 as Libyan forces were closing in on the rebel stronghold of Benghazi.
"To the contrary, fierce battles continue in and around the cities of" Ajdabiya, Misrata and Zinan," Ban said, adding his envoy told Libyan authorities that if the government did not comply with the cease-fire resolution, "the Security Council was prepared to take additional measures."
Ban sent envoy to Friday's African Union meeting in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, at which representatives of the Gadhafi government and the opposition were expected to attend. "Their aim: to reach a cease-fire and political solution."
But there was no sign that any such solution was near. The battle for Misrata, Libya's third-largest city, has been ongoing for more than a week.
So far, U.S. forces have shouldered the bulk of the mission, according to figures provided by the Pentagon. Of the 175 Tomahawk missiles fired, 168 were from the United States and seven from Great Britain, the only two countries to possess them, while U.S. planes have flown almost two-thirds of the sorties and U.S. ships comprise more than two-thirds of the total involved.
Thursday's flurry of diplomatic activity came as the battle for control of Libya was continuing to unfold.
Libyans gathered at a seaside cemetery in Tripoli on Thursday for the funerals of 33 people Gadhafi's government said were victims of an airstrike.
State television said the dead were victims of the "crusader colonial aggression." Earlier, a Libyan government official said coalition planes struck the suburb of Tajura and state TV showed images of fires, smoldering vehicles and the charred bodies of the dead.
At the cemetery, anger trumped grief and Gadhafi's message was loud and clear: innocent people were wrongly killed and the Libyan people will fight back.
CNN could not independently verify the circumstances of the deaths or who the victims were. In Tripoli, CNN reporters go on government-organized tours in an effort to do their own reporting; Libyan authorities forbid independent movement by international journalists in Tripoli.
The reports of civilian deaths were given little credence by coalition forces, which launched airstrikes Thursday near Tripoli, Misrata and Ajdabiya in Libya.
"The only civilian casualties we know are for certain are the ones that the Libyan government itself has caused," U.S. Navy Vice Adm. Bill Gortney said.
The coalition has established a no-fly zone that spans from east to west along Libya's coast. French jets fired air-to-ground missiles on a Libyan combat aircraft Thursday that was in violation of the no-fly mandate, destroying it, the French Defense Ministry said. The plane was struck as it was landing in a Misrata airfield.
The civil war was sparked in February by protests demanding an end to Gadhafi's nearly 42-year rule. The Libyan strongman responded with force against civilians, prompting the international community to take action beginning last weekend.
Though the rebels' position may have improved since then, a U.S. official said Gadhafi's forces still have the upper hand. They remain capable of carrying out attacks on the opposition, are relatively well-organized and continue to fight effectively, the official said.
NATO announces agreement on enforcing no-fly zone over Libya
From Elise Labott and Paula Newton, CNN
(CNN) -- NATO agreed Thursday to take command of enforcing a no-fly zone over Libya and was considering taking control of the full U.N.-backed military mission, Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen told CNN.
Rasmussen's announcement fell short of what U.S. President Barack Obama has sought, and it was unclear if concerns by Turkey and some other NATO allies over coalition airstrikes on Libyan ground forces would prevent NATO from agreeing to expand its command over the entire mission.
"What we have decided today is that NATO will enforce the no-fly zone," Rasmussen said in an interview with CNN's Wolf Blitzer. "We are considering whether NATO should take on overall responsibility. That decision has not been made yet."
Rasmussen said he expected NATO to take over full control of the no-fly-zone enforcement in a few days, and to decide on the issue of broader responsibility "within the coming days."
However, a senior administration official said that in fact, NATO reached an understanding that it will control the rest of the mission, with details on the extent of the mission still being worked out.
The administration official, who spoke to reporters on condition of not being identified by name, said NATO ambassadors actually made two decisions Thursday. One was to take over command of the no-fly zone, and the other was a political decision to take responsibility for enforcing the full U.N. Security Council resolution authorizing the military mission.
"That latter part, we are still completing the operational planning and expect to be completed by this weekend," the administration official said.
The U.N. resolution authorizes a no-fly zone, enforcement of an arms ban, and other steps as necessary to protect Libyan civilians. So far, the U.S.-led coalition has interpreted that to include airstrikes on Libyan ground forces threatening the rebel stronghold of Benghazi and in other areas.
Thursday's agreement was reached in a conference call between U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and her counterparts from Britain, France and Turkey, according to the senior administration official and diplomatic officials who spoke on condition of not being identified by name.
At NATO headquarters later, the meeting of ambassadors extended long past its expected conclusion. NATO sources said a major sticking point involved the rules of engagement for coalition forces enforcing the U.N. resolution, with Turkey raising concerns over details.
When Rasmussen finally emerged to announce an agreement, it was clear that questions over the rules of engagement remained unresolved.
Asked if the announcement revealed a split in NATO over the mission, Rasmussen said no. However, he also acknowledged that if unaltered, the agreement would mean the overall Libyan mission would have two parts, with NATO enforcing the no-fly zone and arms blockade, and the U.S.-led coalition that launched the mission handling other necessary civilian protection.
Rasmussen said NATO would use the mission's already established chain of command for enforcing the no-fly zone. The NATO supreme commander, an American, would be in charge, but the mission would be under NATO control, Rasmussen noted.
In addition, non-NATO partners including Arab countries would participate, Rasmussen said.
After Rasmussen's announcement, Clinton told reporters that all 28 NATO allies authorized military authorities to develop a plan for NATO to take on the broader mission of civilian protection under U.N. Security Council Resolution 1973.
"NATO is well-suited to coordinating this international effort and ensuring that all participating nations are working effectively together toward our shared goals," said Clinton, who took no questions. "This coalition includes countries beyond NATO, including Arab partners, and we expect all of them to be providing important political guidance going forward. We have always said that Arab leadership and participation is crucial."
Clinton also said she will travel to London on Tuesday to attend an international meeting on Libya that will include NATO allies and Arab partners in the Libya mission.
NATO sources told CNN that the shift in command for enforcing a no-fly zone was expected by Sunday night.
According to the sources, NATO has sent a directive to NATO's military chain of command asking for a plan on how to execute an expanded role for enforcement of U.N. Resolution 1973. Under the expanded role, called "no-fly plus" by some officials, NATO might be given more robust rules of engagement to ensure that civilians are protected, the sources said.
One proposal for "no-fly plus" would allow some coalition forces to withdraw from certain missions, the sources said.
So far, U.S. forces have taken on the bulk of the Libyan mission, according to figures provided by the Pentagon. Of a total of 175 Tomahawk missiles fired, 168 were from the United States and seven from Great Britain, the only two countries to possess them, while U.S. planes have flown almost two-thirds of the sorties and U.S. ships comprise more than two-thirds of the total involved.
The U.S. aerial involvement will ease once NATO assumes full operational control of the no-fly zone, officials say. It was unclear whether the number of U.S. Navy ships taking part also would decrease, as well as what role U.S. forces would play in the civilian protection part of the mission.
Obama has repeatedly said that the United States will turn over control of the Libya mission to allies within "days, not weeks." While he specified that would mean no U.S. planes in the air over Libya, Obama left open the possibility of U.S. naval vessels playing a role in blockading Libya against arms shipments
From Elise Labott and Paula Newton, CNN
(CNN) -- NATO agreed Thursday to take command of enforcing a no-fly zone over Libya and was considering taking control of the full U.N.-backed military mission, Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen told CNN.
Rasmussen's announcement fell short of what U.S. President Barack Obama has sought, and it was unclear if concerns by Turkey and some other NATO allies over coalition airstrikes on Libyan ground forces would prevent NATO from agreeing to expand its command over the entire mission.
"What we have decided today is that NATO will enforce the no-fly zone," Rasmussen said in an interview with CNN's Wolf Blitzer. "We are considering whether NATO should take on overall responsibility. That decision has not been made yet."
Rasmussen said he expected NATO to take over full control of the no-fly-zone enforcement in a few days, and to decide on the issue of broader responsibility "within the coming days."
However, a senior administration official said that in fact, NATO reached an understanding that it will control the rest of the mission, with details on the extent of the mission still being worked out.
The administration official, who spoke to reporters on condition of not being identified by name, said NATO ambassadors actually made two decisions Thursday. One was to take over command of the no-fly zone, and the other was a political decision to take responsibility for enforcing the full U.N. Security Council resolution authorizing the military mission.
"That latter part, we are still completing the operational planning and expect to be completed by this weekend," the administration official said.
The U.N. resolution authorizes a no-fly zone, enforcement of an arms ban, and other steps as necessary to protect Libyan civilians. So far, the U.S.-led coalition has interpreted that to include airstrikes on Libyan ground forces threatening the rebel stronghold of Benghazi and in other areas.
Thursday's agreement was reached in a conference call between U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and her counterparts from Britain, France and Turkey, according to the senior administration official and diplomatic officials who spoke on condition of not being identified by name.
At NATO headquarters later, the meeting of ambassadors extended long past its expected conclusion. NATO sources said a major sticking point involved the rules of engagement for coalition forces enforcing the U.N. resolution, with Turkey raising concerns over details.
When Rasmussen finally emerged to announce an agreement, it was clear that questions over the rules of engagement remained unresolved.
Asked if the announcement revealed a split in NATO over the mission, Rasmussen said no. However, he also acknowledged that if unaltered, the agreement would mean the overall Libyan mission would have two parts, with NATO enforcing the no-fly zone and arms blockade, and the U.S.-led coalition that launched the mission handling other necessary civilian protection.
Rasmussen said NATO would use the mission's already established chain of command for enforcing the no-fly zone. The NATO supreme commander, an American, would be in charge, but the mission would be under NATO control, Rasmussen noted.
In addition, non-NATO partners including Arab countries would participate, Rasmussen said.
After Rasmussen's announcement, Clinton told reporters that all 28 NATO allies authorized military authorities to develop a plan for NATO to take on the broader mission of civilian protection under U.N. Security Council Resolution 1973.
"NATO is well-suited to coordinating this international effort and ensuring that all participating nations are working effectively together toward our shared goals," said Clinton, who took no questions. "This coalition includes countries beyond NATO, including Arab partners, and we expect all of them to be providing important political guidance going forward. We have always said that Arab leadership and participation is crucial."
Clinton also said she will travel to London on Tuesday to attend an international meeting on Libya that will include NATO allies and Arab partners in the Libya mission.
NATO sources told CNN that the shift in command for enforcing a no-fly zone was expected by Sunday night.
According to the sources, NATO has sent a directive to NATO's military chain of command asking for a plan on how to execute an expanded role for enforcement of U.N. Resolution 1973. Under the expanded role, called "no-fly plus" by some officials, NATO might be given more robust rules of engagement to ensure that civilians are protected, the sources said.
One proposal for "no-fly plus" would allow some coalition forces to withdraw from certain missions, the sources said.
So far, U.S. forces have taken on the bulk of the Libyan mission, according to figures provided by the Pentagon. Of a total of 175 Tomahawk missiles fired, 168 were from the United States and seven from Great Britain, the only two countries to possess them, while U.S. planes have flown almost two-thirds of the sorties and U.S. ships comprise more than two-thirds of the total involved.
The U.S. aerial involvement will ease once NATO assumes full operational control of the no-fly zone, officials say. It was unclear whether the number of U.S. Navy ships taking part also would decrease, as well as what role U.S. forces would play in the civilian protection part of the mission.
Obama has repeatedly said that the United States will turn over control of the Libya mission to allies within "days, not weeks." While he specified that would mean no U.S. planes in the air over Libya, Obama left open the possibility of U.S. naval vessels playing a role in blockading Libya against arms shipments
Water radiation 10,000 times above normal spurs leakage fears
By the CNN Wire Staff
(CNN) -- The water three men were exposed to while working at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant had 10,000 times the amount of radiation typical for that locale, an official with the Japan nuclear and industrial safety agency said Friday.
The contamination is likely from the No. 3 reactor's core, the official, Hidehiko Nishiyama said.
He said there's a possibility of "some sort of leakage" -- including potentially from a crack in the unit's containment vessel.
The incident raised questions about radiation control measures at the plant as 536 people -- including government authorities and firefighters continued working there Friday, according to an official with the plant's owner, Tokyo Electric Power Co.
Workers are undertaking various measures to prevent the further release of radioactive substances into the air and beyond.
Some 17 people already have been exposed to 100 or more millisieverts of radiation since the plant's crisis began two weeks ago after a 9.0-magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunami struck.
A person in an industrialized country is naturally exposed to 3 millisieverts of radiation a year.
But Japan's health ministry recently raised the maximum level of exposure for a person working to address the crisis at the nuclear plant from 100 millisieverts to 250 millisieverts per year.
The three workers exposed to radiation Thursday had the highest levels recorded so far, Tokyo Electric said.
They had been laying cables in the No. 3 reactor turbine building's basement when they stepped in the water. It seeped into the ankle-height boots of two, according to the power company.
The workers remained in the 15-centimeter (5-inch) deep water for about 40 to 50 minutes.
Two of them were admitted to Japan's National Institute of Radiological Sciences: one in his 30s who was exposed to 180.7 millisieverts and the other in his 20s who tested at 179.37 millisieverts.
Nishiyama said the third man -- who was exposed to 173 millisieverts but first did not go to the hospital because his boots were high enough to cover his skin -- has also gone to the same research hospital out of "an abundance of caution."
The water in this location is typically boiled and has low levels of radiation, Nishiyama said.
The high measure prompted a top official with Nishiyama's agency to urge Tokyo Electric to "improve its radiation management measures."
The No. 1 reactor remains a chief concern, with the Japan Atomic Industrial Forum noting Friday that its containment vessel was experiencing "increased" pressure.
Earlier, buildups of hydrogen gas had driven up pressure that led to explosions at three of the nuclear plant's reactors, including the No. 1 unit.
Nishiyama conceded that "controlling the temperature and pressure has been difficult" for that reactor. Still, he told reporters Friday that the situation then was "rather stable," given indications the pressure was decreasing.
As to that unit's spent nuclear fuel pool, Nishiyama said the hope is to start pumping in fresh water -- rather than seawater, as has been done.
Such pools, which are distinct but tied to a given reactor, have nuclear fuel rods that can emit radiation especially if they heat, which is more likely to happen without any functional cooling system in place and when the rods are not fully covered in water.
Switching to fresh water, instead of seawater, is also a priority for the No. 2 reactor's core (as well as for its spent fuel pool), said Nishiyama. The aim is to prevent further corrosion and damage inside, which may be worsened by the buildup of salt.
Japanese defense minister Toshimi Kitazawa said Friday that a U.S. military ship filled with fresh water is heading toward the Fukushima Daiichi power plant. The ship will serve as a back-up for Japanese systems addressing the same problem, he said.
Beyond the seawater/saltwater issue, water in and around the Nos. 1 and 2 reactors had "high radiation levels," Nishiyama said Friday -- though not as high as that of the No. 3 unit.
Thursday's incident has further made the latter reactor a prime focus, and Nishiyama said Friday that "radiation levels are high" in some locales near that unit.
He said that authorities were considering "other routes" to accomplish their goals of restarting its cooling systems around No. 3, keeping its spent nuclear fuel pool in check and other aims. Later in the day, Nishiyama said authorities hadn't yet determined how to get around the obstacle.
To this end, firefighters from Tokyo and Kawasaki were expected to resume spraying toward the No. 3 reactor and its fuel pool on Friday afternoon, according to Nishiyama.
Efforts are ongoing, too, on the Nos. 4, 5 and 6 reactors -- each of which have their own concerns, though less pronounced because the units were on scheduled outages when the quake struck. None of these three units had nuclear fuel inside their reactors, though efforts are ongoing to control temperatures inside the spent fuel pools.
On Friday morning, a concrete pump truck was used once again to inject seawater into the No. 4 unit's fuel pool.
By the CNN Wire Staff
(CNN) -- The water three men were exposed to while working at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant had 10,000 times the amount of radiation typical for that locale, an official with the Japan nuclear and industrial safety agency said Friday.
The contamination is likely from the No. 3 reactor's core, the official, Hidehiko Nishiyama said.
He said there's a possibility of "some sort of leakage" -- including potentially from a crack in the unit's containment vessel.
The incident raised questions about radiation control measures at the plant as 536 people -- including government authorities and firefighters continued working there Friday, according to an official with the plant's owner, Tokyo Electric Power Co.
Workers are undertaking various measures to prevent the further release of radioactive substances into the air and beyond.
Some 17 people already have been exposed to 100 or more millisieverts of radiation since the plant's crisis began two weeks ago after a 9.0-magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunami struck.
A person in an industrialized country is naturally exposed to 3 millisieverts of radiation a year.
But Japan's health ministry recently raised the maximum level of exposure for a person working to address the crisis at the nuclear plant from 100 millisieverts to 250 millisieverts per year.
The three workers exposed to radiation Thursday had the highest levels recorded so far, Tokyo Electric said.
They had been laying cables in the No. 3 reactor turbine building's basement when they stepped in the water. It seeped into the ankle-height boots of two, according to the power company.
The workers remained in the 15-centimeter (5-inch) deep water for about 40 to 50 minutes.
Two of them were admitted to Japan's National Institute of Radiological Sciences: one in his 30s who was exposed to 180.7 millisieverts and the other in his 20s who tested at 179.37 millisieverts.
Nishiyama said the third man -- who was exposed to 173 millisieverts but first did not go to the hospital because his boots were high enough to cover his skin -- has also gone to the same research hospital out of "an abundance of caution."
The water in this location is typically boiled and has low levels of radiation, Nishiyama said.
The high measure prompted a top official with Nishiyama's agency to urge Tokyo Electric to "improve its radiation management measures."
The No. 1 reactor remains a chief concern, with the Japan Atomic Industrial Forum noting Friday that its containment vessel was experiencing "increased" pressure.
Earlier, buildups of hydrogen gas had driven up pressure that led to explosions at three of the nuclear plant's reactors, including the No. 1 unit.
Nishiyama conceded that "controlling the temperature and pressure has been difficult" for that reactor. Still, he told reporters Friday that the situation then was "rather stable," given indications the pressure was decreasing.
As to that unit's spent nuclear fuel pool, Nishiyama said the hope is to start pumping in fresh water -- rather than seawater, as has been done.
Such pools, which are distinct but tied to a given reactor, have nuclear fuel rods that can emit radiation especially if they heat, which is more likely to happen without any functional cooling system in place and when the rods are not fully covered in water.
Switching to fresh water, instead of seawater, is also a priority for the No. 2 reactor's core (as well as for its spent fuel pool), said Nishiyama. The aim is to prevent further corrosion and damage inside, which may be worsened by the buildup of salt.
Japanese defense minister Toshimi Kitazawa said Friday that a U.S. military ship filled with fresh water is heading toward the Fukushima Daiichi power plant. The ship will serve as a back-up for Japanese systems addressing the same problem, he said.
Beyond the seawater/saltwater issue, water in and around the Nos. 1 and 2 reactors had "high radiation levels," Nishiyama said Friday -- though not as high as that of the No. 3 unit.
Thursday's incident has further made the latter reactor a prime focus, and Nishiyama said Friday that "radiation levels are high" in some locales near that unit.
He said that authorities were considering "other routes" to accomplish their goals of restarting its cooling systems around No. 3, keeping its spent nuclear fuel pool in check and other aims. Later in the day, Nishiyama said authorities hadn't yet determined how to get around the obstacle.
To this end, firefighters from Tokyo and Kawasaki were expected to resume spraying toward the No. 3 reactor and its fuel pool on Friday afternoon, according to Nishiyama.
Efforts are ongoing, too, on the Nos. 4, 5 and 6 reactors -- each of which have their own concerns, though less pronounced because the units were on scheduled outages when the quake struck. None of these three units had nuclear fuel inside their reactors, though efforts are ongoing to control temperatures inside the spent fuel pools.
On Friday morning, a concrete pump truck was used once again to inject seawater into the No. 4 unit's fuel pool.
Number of dead in Japan disaster grows, thousands still missing
By Ben Brumfield, CNN
Tokyo (CNN) -- The number of people confirmed dead in Japan rose past 10,000 on Friday -- two weeks after one of the strongest earthquakes on record sent a tsunami plowing over the nation's eastern shore.
At least 10,035 people were killed and 17,443 are missing, the Japan National Police Agency said in its latest tally.
The numbers are expected to go up as rescuers comb through miles of coastline piled high with rubble.
As the nations faces massive reconstruction, signs of recovery are visible in some areas devastated by the disaster.
Some roads are cleared and repaired, and electricity lines are reconnected. Major reconstruction of buildings has yet to begin.
An expressway operator in eastern Japan said nearly all its roads damaged by the quake and tsunami are now passable.
Since Monday, at least 813 kilometers of 870 kilometers of damaged roadway operated by transportation contractor NEXCO were "temporarily recovered," according to a news release.
The length of the tsunami that battered the coastline was about 550 kilometers (340 miles), according to Japan's National Meteorological Agency.
Its devastation of cities and towns along the eastern shoreline is extensive enough to be seen by satellite.
At an estimated monetary damage of up to $309 billion, it is the most costly natural disaster in recorded history and tops Hurricane Katrina, which devastated New Orleans and the U.S. Gulf Coast in 2005.
Katrina had estimated losses of $125 billion, according to the Insurance Information Institute.
The repair and replacement of homes, businesses and infrastructure in Japan could cost between $185 billion and $309 billion, Japan's Cabinet Office announced Wednesday, according to reports by the nation's Kyodo News Agency.
Those estimates did not include the effect of the nuclear crisis at the Fukushima power plant and subsequent power outages.
More than 25,000 buildings were washed away, completely demolished or half destroyed, according to the official national police count Friday. At least 100,000 more buildings have been damaged.
The devastation has sent at least 244,361 people to evacuation centers, according to the national police.
The number includes those who left their homes for shelters because of radiation concerns from the Fukushima nuclear power plant.
Many residents are determined to rebuild.
"Not that it's easy," said Daiji Murai, a spokesman for Kaimaishi City.
The tsunami triggered by the 9.0 magnitude earthquake flattened roughly half of Murai's city.
"I don't want to lose my home town," he said, fighting back tears. " I want it to come back. We won't give up,"
By Ben Brumfield, CNN
Tokyo (CNN) -- The number of people confirmed dead in Japan rose past 10,000 on Friday -- two weeks after one of the strongest earthquakes on record sent a tsunami plowing over the nation's eastern shore.
At least 10,035 people were killed and 17,443 are missing, the Japan National Police Agency said in its latest tally.
The numbers are expected to go up as rescuers comb through miles of coastline piled high with rubble.
As the nations faces massive reconstruction, signs of recovery are visible in some areas devastated by the disaster.
Some roads are cleared and repaired, and electricity lines are reconnected. Major reconstruction of buildings has yet to begin.
An expressway operator in eastern Japan said nearly all its roads damaged by the quake and tsunami are now passable.
Since Monday, at least 813 kilometers of 870 kilometers of damaged roadway operated by transportation contractor NEXCO were "temporarily recovered," according to a news release.
The length of the tsunami that battered the coastline was about 550 kilometers (340 miles), according to Japan's National Meteorological Agency.
Its devastation of cities and towns along the eastern shoreline is extensive enough to be seen by satellite.
At an estimated monetary damage of up to $309 billion, it is the most costly natural disaster in recorded history and tops Hurricane Katrina, which devastated New Orleans and the U.S. Gulf Coast in 2005.
Katrina had estimated losses of $125 billion, according to the Insurance Information Institute.
The repair and replacement of homes, businesses and infrastructure in Japan could cost between $185 billion and $309 billion, Japan's Cabinet Office announced Wednesday, according to reports by the nation's Kyodo News Agency.
Those estimates did not include the effect of the nuclear crisis at the Fukushima power plant and subsequent power outages.
More than 25,000 buildings were washed away, completely demolished or half destroyed, according to the official national police count Friday. At least 100,000 more buildings have been damaged.
The devastation has sent at least 244,361 people to evacuation centers, according to the national police.
The number includes those who left their homes for shelters because of radiation concerns from the Fukushima nuclear power plant.
Many residents are determined to rebuild.
"Not that it's easy," said Daiji Murai, a spokesman for Kaimaishi City.
The tsunami triggered by the 9.0 magnitude earthquake flattened roughly half of Murai's city.
"I don't want to lose my home town," he said, fighting back tears. " I want it to come back. We won't give up,"
Gates meets with Israeli, Palestinian PMs
By Charley Keyes, CNN
Caesarea, Israel (CNN) -- U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates conferred with the Israeli and Palestinian prime ministers on Friday, a visit that comes amid new tensions between both sides.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, with Gates by his side, said Friday that Israel is ready to act "with great force and great determination" against terror attacks.
They had a breakfast meeting at the Mediterranean resort of Caesarea.
Gates offered his condolences to families of victims of the Wednesday bombing in Jerusalem, when an explosive device in a bag exploded near the city's central bus station.
A 59-year-old British woman was killed and more than 50 other people were wounded. There has been no claim of responsibility.
Israeli forces have also struck targets in Gaza lately in response to rocket fire from the Palestinian territory into southern Israel.
Netanyahu said civilized countries have a common stake in fighting terrorism.
"We seek to establish security for the establishment of peace," Netanyahu said.
Gates said the U.S. - Israeli defense-security relationship never has been stronger.
"We both face a region that is in turmoil," Gates said.
In the West Bank city of Ramallah, Gates met Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, the first visit of a U.S. defense secretary to the city.
Fayyad said this was a time of great challenge that required the redoubling of the effort to pursue peace, and Gates told Fayyad he looked forward to talking about the prospects for a two-state solution.
By Charley Keyes, CNN
Caesarea, Israel (CNN) -- U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates conferred with the Israeli and Palestinian prime ministers on Friday, a visit that comes amid new tensions between both sides.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, with Gates by his side, said Friday that Israel is ready to act "with great force and great determination" against terror attacks.
They had a breakfast meeting at the Mediterranean resort of Caesarea.
Gates offered his condolences to families of victims of the Wednesday bombing in Jerusalem, when an explosive device in a bag exploded near the city's central bus station.
A 59-year-old British woman was killed and more than 50 other people were wounded. There has been no claim of responsibility.
Israeli forces have also struck targets in Gaza lately in response to rocket fire from the Palestinian territory into southern Israel.
Netanyahu said civilized countries have a common stake in fighting terrorism.
"We seek to establish security for the establishment of peace," Netanyahu said.
Gates said the U.S. - Israeli defense-security relationship never has been stronger.
"We both face a region that is in turmoil," Gates said.
In the West Bank city of Ramallah, Gates met Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, the first visit of a U.S. defense secretary to the city.
Fayyad said this was a time of great challenge that required the redoubling of the effort to pursue peace, and Gates told Fayyad he looked forward to talking about the prospects for a two-state solution.
As unrest spreads, Syrian government promises to respond
By Joe Sterling and Salma Abdelaziz, CNN
(CNN) -- Tensions boiled in a volatile Syrian community Thursday as thousands turned up for the funerals of people killed in unrest. Meanwhile, Syria's government blamed the instability on outsiders and announced plans to study popular demands, including the lifting of the country's decades-old emergency law.
Syria is the latest in a string of Arabic-speaking nations beset with discontent over economic and human rights issues. Syrian discontent centers on Daraa, a southern city in the impoverished country's agricultural region, where violence has been escalating between security forces and anti-government protesters since late last week.
Wissam Tarif, executive director of the human rights organization Insan, said at least 34 people have been killed in Daraa in the past two days. Other activists believe many more have been killed.
Tarif said as many as 20,000 people followed the funeral procession for those who died in the violence, including a conscripted soldier who was reportedly shot and wounded because he refused to fire on demonstrators.
A witness, who asked not to be named, said 10 "martyrs" were buried following afternoon prayers, with the people in the procession mourning the loss of the victims and chanting anti-government slogans.
Kamal Aswad, a political activist in Daraa, said people in the funeral procession were chanting: "Those who kill their own people are traitors" and he said activists are trying to generate support for a big protest on Friday -- a "Day of Martyrs" to be held after Friday prayers.
Syrian state TV portrayed an opposite picture of the public mood. Scenes broadcast Thursday included fireworks and crowds of pro-government supporters waving pictures of President Bashar al-Assad and shouting, "with our bloods and our souls, we defend you Bashar!"
The footage was marked onscreen as "live," but it could not be determined when the footage actually originated.
Also Thursday, state TV broadcast an "urgent" message that read: "Following a directive by President Assad, all those who were detained in the latest events were released."
It could not be determined whether the statement was true.
State TV reported on Wednesday that the government fired the provincial governor amid the demonstrations.
The Obama administration on Thursday released a statement condemning "the Syrian government's brutal repression of demonstrations, in particular the violence and killings of civilians at the hands of security forces."
"We call on the Syrian government to exercise restraint and respect the rights of its people and call on all citizens to exercise their rights peacefully," the White House statement read.
Al-Assad's government on Thursday announced a number of measures apparently addressing protesters' demands. Among them, decrees to cut taxes and raise government workers salaries by 1,500 Syrian pounds ($32.60 US) a month, as well as pledges to provide more press freedoms, increased job opportunities and curbs on government corruption.
The government also said it would study lifting the country's emergency law and new legislation that would license political parties.
Syria's emergency law has been in effect since 1963. The law allows the government to make preventive arrests and override constitutional and penal code statutes. It also bars detainees who haven't been charged from filing court complaints or from having a lawyer present during interrogations.
The government also announced Thursday it will form a committee "to contact and listen to citizens in Daraa."
Bouthina Shaaban, a spokeswoman for al-Assad, passed along his condolences to those killed in Daraa and said the president "would not accept any bloodshed."
"I was an eyewitness to his excellency's orders that no live bullets would be used against the demonstrators," Shaaban said.
Shaaban also said the government is investigating the unrest in Daraa and that there are "indications and proof that there is a foreign financial support."
"Daraa was chosen because of its geographic location near the borders and how easy it is to transfer money and weapons to the city," Shaaban said, referring to the area's proximity to Jordan.
The Jordanian government on Thursday released a statement on state TV denying "as baseless, reports that fighters and vehicles loaded with weapons entered Syria from inside Jordanian territory."
"Such reports are nothing but media allegations that will not affect the good relations between the two countries," the statement read.
Syria is a diverse country, largely Sunni Muslim but ruled by the minority Alawite Muslim sect. It is also populated by Christians and members of the Druze sect. Along with Arabs, it has a significant Kurdish minority, which has been restive in recent years, and an Armenian population.
Those populations are controlled by a government that human rights groups consider one of the most repressive in the world.
In 2010, Syria ranked 127th out of 178 countries in transparency and accountability to the public, according to the international government watchdog group Transparency International. On a scale of 0 to 10, the lowest score representing the world's most corrupt governments, Syria scored a 2.5, Transparency International reported.
Human rights groups estimate that tens of thousands of people were killed in Syria during the three decades under the rule of Hafez al-Assad, the current president's father. Bashar al-Assad came to power in 2000 promising reforms, but aside from implementing some economic reforms, failed to deliver, according to human rights groups.
Joshua Landis, who runs the Syria Comment blog and is director of the Center for Middle East Studies and associate professor at University of Oklahoma, told CNN that the unrest in Daraa is spurred by a number of factors, widespread poverty, a dislike for the emergency law and the arrests two weeks ago of young people who scrawled anti-government graffiti.
It is also driven by Sunni resentment against a government controlled by Alawites, among them, al-Assad.
So far, Landis said, the rallies been localized to Daraa but it's possible that there will be demonstrations elsewhere on Friday.
"Daraa is very poor and Islamic -- it optimizes everything that troubles Syria -- a failed economy, the population explosion, a bad governor and overbearing security forces," Landis wrote in his blog. "It is an explosive brew. Even if the government can contain violence to Daraa for the time-being, protests will spread. The wall of fear has broken. Apathy of the young has turned to anger,"
Because there are so few sources available from what has been a closed, authoritarian society, human rights activists are trying to get a handle on the number of casualties and the context behind the unrest in Daraa, which is a more conservative, tribal and close-knit community.
Amnesty International said it has been "deeply disturbed by reports of multiple deaths" in Daraa, as security forces fired "at protesters and people coming to the aid of the injured."
Along with many killed in the violence over the past 36 hours there were 92 confirmed arrests, according to Neil Sammonds an Amnesty researcher on Syria, Lebanon and Jordan. Sammonds said there are reports of army snipers shooting women carrying water and an 11-year-old girl.
It's "hard to imagine these are front-line protesters," Sammonds said.
By Joe Sterling and Salma Abdelaziz, CNN
(CNN) -- Tensions boiled in a volatile Syrian community Thursday as thousands turned up for the funerals of people killed in unrest. Meanwhile, Syria's government blamed the instability on outsiders and announced plans to study popular demands, including the lifting of the country's decades-old emergency law.
Syria is the latest in a string of Arabic-speaking nations beset with discontent over economic and human rights issues. Syrian discontent centers on Daraa, a southern city in the impoverished country's agricultural region, where violence has been escalating between security forces and anti-government protesters since late last week.
Wissam Tarif, executive director of the human rights organization Insan, said at least 34 people have been killed in Daraa in the past two days. Other activists believe many more have been killed.
Tarif said as many as 20,000 people followed the funeral procession for those who died in the violence, including a conscripted soldier who was reportedly shot and wounded because he refused to fire on demonstrators.
A witness, who asked not to be named, said 10 "martyrs" were buried following afternoon prayers, with the people in the procession mourning the loss of the victims and chanting anti-government slogans.
Kamal Aswad, a political activist in Daraa, said people in the funeral procession were chanting: "Those who kill their own people are traitors" and he said activists are trying to generate support for a big protest on Friday -- a "Day of Martyrs" to be held after Friday prayers.
Syrian state TV portrayed an opposite picture of the public mood. Scenes broadcast Thursday included fireworks and crowds of pro-government supporters waving pictures of President Bashar al-Assad and shouting, "with our bloods and our souls, we defend you Bashar!"
The footage was marked onscreen as "live," but it could not be determined when the footage actually originated.
Also Thursday, state TV broadcast an "urgent" message that read: "Following a directive by President Assad, all those who were detained in the latest events were released."
It could not be determined whether the statement was true.
State TV reported on Wednesday that the government fired the provincial governor amid the demonstrations.
The Obama administration on Thursday released a statement condemning "the Syrian government's brutal repression of demonstrations, in particular the violence and killings of civilians at the hands of security forces."
"We call on the Syrian government to exercise restraint and respect the rights of its people and call on all citizens to exercise their rights peacefully," the White House statement read.
Al-Assad's government on Thursday announced a number of measures apparently addressing protesters' demands. Among them, decrees to cut taxes and raise government workers salaries by 1,500 Syrian pounds ($32.60 US) a month, as well as pledges to provide more press freedoms, increased job opportunities and curbs on government corruption.
The government also said it would study lifting the country's emergency law and new legislation that would license political parties.
Syria's emergency law has been in effect since 1963. The law allows the government to make preventive arrests and override constitutional and penal code statutes. It also bars detainees who haven't been charged from filing court complaints or from having a lawyer present during interrogations.
The government also announced Thursday it will form a committee "to contact and listen to citizens in Daraa."
Bouthina Shaaban, a spokeswoman for al-Assad, passed along his condolences to those killed in Daraa and said the president "would not accept any bloodshed."
"I was an eyewitness to his excellency's orders that no live bullets would be used against the demonstrators," Shaaban said.
Shaaban also said the government is investigating the unrest in Daraa and that there are "indications and proof that there is a foreign financial support."
"Daraa was chosen because of its geographic location near the borders and how easy it is to transfer money and weapons to the city," Shaaban said, referring to the area's proximity to Jordan.
The Jordanian government on Thursday released a statement on state TV denying "as baseless, reports that fighters and vehicles loaded with weapons entered Syria from inside Jordanian territory."
"Such reports are nothing but media allegations that will not affect the good relations between the two countries," the statement read.
Syria is a diverse country, largely Sunni Muslim but ruled by the minority Alawite Muslim sect. It is also populated by Christians and members of the Druze sect. Along with Arabs, it has a significant Kurdish minority, which has been restive in recent years, and an Armenian population.
Those populations are controlled by a government that human rights groups consider one of the most repressive in the world.
In 2010, Syria ranked 127th out of 178 countries in transparency and accountability to the public, according to the international government watchdog group Transparency International. On a scale of 0 to 10, the lowest score representing the world's most corrupt governments, Syria scored a 2.5, Transparency International reported.
Human rights groups estimate that tens of thousands of people were killed in Syria during the three decades under the rule of Hafez al-Assad, the current president's father. Bashar al-Assad came to power in 2000 promising reforms, but aside from implementing some economic reforms, failed to deliver, according to human rights groups.
Joshua Landis, who runs the Syria Comment blog and is director of the Center for Middle East Studies and associate professor at University of Oklahoma, told CNN that the unrest in Daraa is spurred by a number of factors, widespread poverty, a dislike for the emergency law and the arrests two weeks ago of young people who scrawled anti-government graffiti.
It is also driven by Sunni resentment against a government controlled by Alawites, among them, al-Assad.
So far, Landis said, the rallies been localized to Daraa but it's possible that there will be demonstrations elsewhere on Friday.
"Daraa is very poor and Islamic -- it optimizes everything that troubles Syria -- a failed economy, the population explosion, a bad governor and overbearing security forces," Landis wrote in his blog. "It is an explosive brew. Even if the government can contain violence to Daraa for the time-being, protests will spread. The wall of fear has broken. Apathy of the young has turned to anger,"
Because there are so few sources available from what has been a closed, authoritarian society, human rights activists are trying to get a handle on the number of casualties and the context behind the unrest in Daraa, which is a more conservative, tribal and close-knit community.
Amnesty International said it has been "deeply disturbed by reports of multiple deaths" in Daraa, as security forces fired "at protesters and people coming to the aid of the injured."
Along with many killed in the violence over the past 36 hours there were 92 confirmed arrests, according to Neil Sammonds an Amnesty researcher on Syria, Lebanon and Jordan. Sammonds said there are reports of army snipers shooting women carrying water and an 11-year-old girl.
It's "hard to imagine these are front-line protesters," Sammonds said.
Kurds in Syria 'waiting to take to the streets,' academic says
By David Wilkinson, CNN
(CNN) -- The Kurdish people of Syria have not joined the current wave of unrest with any significant demonstrations against President Bashar al-Assad and his ruling Baath party. But that could change.
The Kurds, representing around 10% of the country's population, are "ready, watching and waiting to take to the streets, as their cause is the strongest," according to Robert Lowe, manager of the Middle East Centre at the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Largely concentrated along the borders with Turkey and Iraq in the northeast of the country, the Kurds have long been described as a repressed minority in Syria. Since the break-up of the Ottoman Empire after World War I, they have fought for an independent Kurdistan with fellow Kurds in Iran, Iraq and Turkey. Their situation in Syria has been particularly difficult in the past five decades.
"They didn't have problems before this regime," said Obeida Nahas, director of the Levant Institute, a London-based Syrian think tank. "Now they are denied the right to speak or even write in their own language and are told to use Arab names."
The government has been regularly accused of sanctioning a heavy-handed and in some cases violent approach to controlling the annual Nowruz, or Kurdish new year celebrations, which have become increasingly politicized since the Baath party took office in 1963. That is, until this year.
On Sunday, Nowruz festivities across Syria passed without any major incidents and members of the Kurdish community noted that police allowed them an unusual level of freedom.
Nahas said this was a government attempt to "bribe" the Kurdish people into not following the example of the largely Sunni Muslim tribes demonstrating in the south of the country. Presidential advisor Buthaina Shaaban offered her greeting of "Nowruz Mubarak" or "happy new year," to the Kurdish people Thursday, when she told a news conference about the "wonderful coexistence" among Syrian people.
The political move won't work, though, according to Ribal al-Assad, the first cousin of President al-Assad now living in exile in London. "They can't suddenly give the Kurds freedom to celebrate Nowruz without expecting them to ask for their other rights, like owning an ID card or using their own language," al-Assad said. "The Syrian secret service and police are very good at dividing people, but most Kurds want to be part of Syria."
The Kurdish community is not expected to keep quiet.
"There has been a lack of trust from the Kurds since 2004," said Khalaf Dahowd, co-chair of the International Support Kurds in Syria Association. Violence involving Kurds, Arabs and police broke out after a soccer match in Al-Qamishli in March 2004. Several people were killed and over a hundred were injured.
Dahowd, a Syrian Kurdish refugee now living in England, believes that the resentment felt by many Kurds toward Arabs after that event has also divided Kurdish people. He speculates that many will find it very difficult to join their Arab neighbors in protest against President al-Assad and his government.
As an activist for Kurdish rights and a united Syria, Dahowd argues that Kurds should put aside any bad feeling they have for other opposition factions. "Everybody in Syria needs to rise up. This regime needs to go," he said.
With several leading Kurds already imprisoned for speaking out and the Kurdish political movement divided between as many as 15 parties, the impetus to demonstrate will need to come from ordinary Kurds, many of them classed as "stateless" without Syrian citizenship.
"These people are desperately poor and weak, but ripe for protesting," Lowe said.
After a week of anti-regime protests in Syria, it has become clear that the opposition there is divided along lines of ethnicity, religion, tribes and families. Presidential advisor Shaaban may have stated the government's intention to avoid referring to Syrians based on their 'religious, ethnic or sectarian identity" but, according to Lowe, "there is a weak sense of Syrian identity because the country is such an artificial creation."
However, the big challenge for Kurds and other minority groups according to, Ribal al-Assad, the president's cousin, is to show the overwhelming scale of feeling against the government. "Everybody is in opposition in Syria," he said.
By David Wilkinson, CNN
(CNN) -- The Kurdish people of Syria have not joined the current wave of unrest with any significant demonstrations against President Bashar al-Assad and his ruling Baath party. But that could change.
The Kurds, representing around 10% of the country's population, are "ready, watching and waiting to take to the streets, as their cause is the strongest," according to Robert Lowe, manager of the Middle East Centre at the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Largely concentrated along the borders with Turkey and Iraq in the northeast of the country, the Kurds have long been described as a repressed minority in Syria. Since the break-up of the Ottoman Empire after World War I, they have fought for an independent Kurdistan with fellow Kurds in Iran, Iraq and Turkey. Their situation in Syria has been particularly difficult in the past five decades.
"They didn't have problems before this regime," said Obeida Nahas, director of the Levant Institute, a London-based Syrian think tank. "Now they are denied the right to speak or even write in their own language and are told to use Arab names."
The government has been regularly accused of sanctioning a heavy-handed and in some cases violent approach to controlling the annual Nowruz, or Kurdish new year celebrations, which have become increasingly politicized since the Baath party took office in 1963. That is, until this year.
On Sunday, Nowruz festivities across Syria passed without any major incidents and members of the Kurdish community noted that police allowed them an unusual level of freedom.
Nahas said this was a government attempt to "bribe" the Kurdish people into not following the example of the largely Sunni Muslim tribes demonstrating in the south of the country. Presidential advisor Buthaina Shaaban offered her greeting of "Nowruz Mubarak" or "happy new year," to the Kurdish people Thursday, when she told a news conference about the "wonderful coexistence" among Syrian people.
The political move won't work, though, according to Ribal al-Assad, the first cousin of President al-Assad now living in exile in London. "They can't suddenly give the Kurds freedom to celebrate Nowruz without expecting them to ask for their other rights, like owning an ID card or using their own language," al-Assad said. "The Syrian secret service and police are very good at dividing people, but most Kurds want to be part of Syria."
The Kurdish community is not expected to keep quiet.
"There has been a lack of trust from the Kurds since 2004," said Khalaf Dahowd, co-chair of the International Support Kurds in Syria Association. Violence involving Kurds, Arabs and police broke out after a soccer match in Al-Qamishli in March 2004. Several people were killed and over a hundred were injured.
Dahowd, a Syrian Kurdish refugee now living in England, believes that the resentment felt by many Kurds toward Arabs after that event has also divided Kurdish people. He speculates that many will find it very difficult to join their Arab neighbors in protest against President al-Assad and his government.
As an activist for Kurdish rights and a united Syria, Dahowd argues that Kurds should put aside any bad feeling they have for other opposition factions. "Everybody in Syria needs to rise up. This regime needs to go," he said.
With several leading Kurds already imprisoned for speaking out and the Kurdish political movement divided between as many as 15 parties, the impetus to demonstrate will need to come from ordinary Kurds, many of them classed as "stateless" without Syrian citizenship.
"These people are desperately poor and weak, but ripe for protesting," Lowe said.
After a week of anti-regime protests in Syria, it has become clear that the opposition there is divided along lines of ethnicity, religion, tribes and families. Presidential advisor Shaaban may have stated the government's intention to avoid referring to Syrians based on their 'religious, ethnic or sectarian identity" but, according to Lowe, "there is a weak sense of Syrian identity because the country is such an artificial creation."
However, the big challenge for Kurds and other minority groups according to, Ribal al-Assad, the president's cousin, is to show the overwhelming scale of feeling against the government. "Everybody is in opposition in Syria," he said.
String of rocket attacks follows fatal Jerusalem bombing
By the CNN Wire Staff
Jerusalem (CNN) -- Eleven rockets were fired into Israel from Gaza on Thursday, a day after a fatal terrorist bombing in Jerusalem killed a woman and wounded more than 50 other people, the Israel Defense Forces said.
"The question is why," Brig. Gen. Yossi Kuperwasser said in a phone call Thursday, speaking about the increase in attacks, which the IDF said caused no injuries.
Israel's ambassador to the United States said Thursday the rocket attacks appear "unrelated" to Wednesday's bombing in Jerusalem.
Michael Oren said the rocket attacks probably have to do with infighting in the Hamas-controlled territory of Gaza. However, he said, there has also been an escalation in violence against his country.
"Israel has been under attack on several fronts," Oren said, also citing the recent murder of an Israeli family in the West Bank.
One of the rockets fired Thursday hit near the southern Israeli town of Ashdod, and another landed in the southern town of Sderot, causing damage to an industrial area of the town, according to Israeli Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld.
In response to the rocket attacks, the Israeli military launched airstrikes in Gaza on Thursday night. Two were in the Beit Hanoun area of northern Gaza and two were in Gaza City, according to journalist Ibrahim Dahman.
A Hamas building and a Hamas training camp were hit, he reported.
Kuperwasser said Thursday night's strikes were aimed at trying to prevent more attacks on Israel.
"Right now there is no one in Gaza to stop this, so it's up to us to try to stop it," he said.
"It seems no one speaks for the Palestinians," he added. "Hamas is not in charge."
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the Jerusalem attack, which was caused by a medium-sized device in a bag that had been left near Jerusalem's central bus station as the evening rush hour began.
Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs named the woman who died as Mary Jane Gardner, a 59-year-old British national who was studying at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem.
Israeli officials were continuing their investigation into Wednesday's attack, Kuperwasser said, without giving details.
U.S. President Barack Obama called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday to express his condolences over the Jerusalem bombing and his concern about the attacks against Israel from Gaza, the White House said in a statement.
Obama "reaffirmed the United States' unwavering commitment to Israel's security," it said.
U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates also paid a visit to Israel on Thursday. He met with his Israeli counterpart, Ehud Barak, who said Israel will not "tolerate" terrorist attacks.
British Foreign Secretary William Hague also spoke out against the attack, calling it "a callous and disgusting act of terrorism directed against innocent civilians which I condemn unreservedly."
The Palestinian Authority also condemned the attack, but Oren, the Israeli ambassador, criticized their comments.
They "say one thing" and "do another thing," he said.
He said prominent members of the Palestinian government recently attended a ceremony at a central square near Ramallah that was named after a "Palestinian terrorist who killed dozens of Israelis, including about 13 children."
"The message gets out that killing Israelis is a good thing," Oren said. "We need to see not just words, but deeds."
CNN's Charley Keyes, Michal Zippori, Paul Colsey, and Melissa Gray contributed to this report
By the CNN Wire Staff
Jerusalem (CNN) -- Eleven rockets were fired into Israel from Gaza on Thursday, a day after a fatal terrorist bombing in Jerusalem killed a woman and wounded more than 50 other people, the Israel Defense Forces said.
"The question is why," Brig. Gen. Yossi Kuperwasser said in a phone call Thursday, speaking about the increase in attacks, which the IDF said caused no injuries.
Israel's ambassador to the United States said Thursday the rocket attacks appear "unrelated" to Wednesday's bombing in Jerusalem.
Michael Oren said the rocket attacks probably have to do with infighting in the Hamas-controlled territory of Gaza. However, he said, there has also been an escalation in violence against his country.
"Israel has been under attack on several fronts," Oren said, also citing the recent murder of an Israeli family in the West Bank.
One of the rockets fired Thursday hit near the southern Israeli town of Ashdod, and another landed in the southern town of Sderot, causing damage to an industrial area of the town, according to Israeli Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld.
In response to the rocket attacks, the Israeli military launched airstrikes in Gaza on Thursday night. Two were in the Beit Hanoun area of northern Gaza and two were in Gaza City, according to journalist Ibrahim Dahman.
A Hamas building and a Hamas training camp were hit, he reported.
Kuperwasser said Thursday night's strikes were aimed at trying to prevent more attacks on Israel.
"Right now there is no one in Gaza to stop this, so it's up to us to try to stop it," he said.
"It seems no one speaks for the Palestinians," he added. "Hamas is not in charge."
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the Jerusalem attack, which was caused by a medium-sized device in a bag that had been left near Jerusalem's central bus station as the evening rush hour began.
Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs named the woman who died as Mary Jane Gardner, a 59-year-old British national who was studying at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem.
Israeli officials were continuing their investigation into Wednesday's attack, Kuperwasser said, without giving details.
U.S. President Barack Obama called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday to express his condolences over the Jerusalem bombing and his concern about the attacks against Israel from Gaza, the White House said in a statement.
Obama "reaffirmed the United States' unwavering commitment to Israel's security," it said.
U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates also paid a visit to Israel on Thursday. He met with his Israeli counterpart, Ehud Barak, who said Israel will not "tolerate" terrorist attacks.
British Foreign Secretary William Hague also spoke out against the attack, calling it "a callous and disgusting act of terrorism directed against innocent civilians which I condemn unreservedly."
The Palestinian Authority also condemned the attack, but Oren, the Israeli ambassador, criticized their comments.
They "say one thing" and "do another thing," he said.
He said prominent members of the Palestinian government recently attended a ceremony at a central square near Ramallah that was named after a "Palestinian terrorist who killed dozens of Israelis, including about 13 children."
"The message gets out that killing Israelis is a good thing," Oren said. "We need to see not just words, but deeds."
CNN's Charley Keyes, Michal Zippori, Paul Colsey, and Melissa Gray contributed to this report
Dubai police seize arms shipment
By the CNN Wire Staff
Dubai, Uae (CNN) -- Dubai police have intercepted an illegal shipment of 16,000 pistols from Turkey to Yemen, Dhahi Khalfan Tamim, the Dubai Police commander-in-chief, said Thursday.
"We shall not allow any criminal elements to use our territories to carry out any illicit plot that poses threat to peace and security of any country," Tamim said.
The weapons were found in a shipping container in Dubai's port.
Six people were arrested for their alleged links to the smuggling of the weapons valued at more than $2 million, Tamim said.
"The huge amount of brand-faked hand guns along with additional bullet chambers, manufactured in Turkey, were carefully hidden among wrapped boxes carrying furniture in a container which was temporarily stored in one of Dubai's storehouses," a government statement said.
Like a number of nations in the Middle East and North Africa, Yemen has experienced growing unrest. A crackdown on protesters last week left 52 people dead.
Protesters have called for the ouster of President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who has ruled Yemen since 1978. The country has been wracked by a Shiite Muslim uprising, a U.S.-aided crackdown on al Qaeda operatives and a looming shortage of water.
High unemployment fuels much of the anger among a growing young population suffering from poverty. The protesters also cite government corruption and a lack of political freedom. Saleh has promised not to run for president in the next round of elections.
By the CNN Wire Staff
Dubai, Uae (CNN) -- Dubai police have intercepted an illegal shipment of 16,000 pistols from Turkey to Yemen, Dhahi Khalfan Tamim, the Dubai Police commander-in-chief, said Thursday.
"We shall not allow any criminal elements to use our territories to carry out any illicit plot that poses threat to peace and security of any country," Tamim said.
The weapons were found in a shipping container in Dubai's port.
Six people were arrested for their alleged links to the smuggling of the weapons valued at more than $2 million, Tamim said.
"The huge amount of brand-faked hand guns along with additional bullet chambers, manufactured in Turkey, were carefully hidden among wrapped boxes carrying furniture in a container which was temporarily stored in one of Dubai's storehouses," a government statement said.
Like a number of nations in the Middle East and North Africa, Yemen has experienced growing unrest. A crackdown on protesters last week left 52 people dead.
Protesters have called for the ouster of President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who has ruled Yemen since 1978. The country has been wracked by a Shiite Muslim uprising, a U.S.-aided crackdown on al Qaeda operatives and a looming shortage of water.
High unemployment fuels much of the anger among a growing young population suffering from poverty. The protesters also cite government corruption and a lack of political freedom. Saleh has promised not to run for president in the next round of elections.
Thứ Ba, 22 tháng 3, 2011
Gates to meet with Russian president on Moscow visit
By Charley Keyes, CNN Senior National Security Producer
St. Petersburg, Russia (CNN) -- U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates arrived in Moscow Tuesday while Russia's two most powerful leaders publicly argued over the U.S. and allied mission in Libya.
Gates is scheduled to hold meetings with Russian President Dimitri Medvedev and other top officials.
Not on the itinerary is Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, who a day earlier delivered a scorching critique of the attacks on Libya and the U.N. resolution that authorized the United States and allies to launch the mission.
Putin, with politically loaded language, compared the resolution to a medieval appeal for a crusade. Under Medvedev, Russia abstained from the U.N. vote, stopping short of a veto that Putin might have preferred.
Gates has stayed on the sidelines of the Medvedev-Putin clash. In public events Monday, he avoided speaking about Libya and told Russia's Interfax news agency that the United States only wants a limited role in the Libyan mission.
"While we have had a major role in the first two or three days, I expect us very soon to recede back into a supporting role with other nations carrying a significant proportion of the burden in -- implement and enforcing the no-fly zone," Gates said in the Interfax interview according to a transcript provided by the Defense Department. "And the president has made very clear the United States will not put any forces in Libya, on Libyan soil."
Gates has maintained that the fate of Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi is in the hands of his people.
"I think it's pretty clear to everybody that Libya would be better off without Gadhafi. But that is a matter for the Libyans themselves to decide," Gates told Interfax.
By Charley Keyes, CNN Senior National Security Producer
St. Petersburg, Russia (CNN) -- U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates arrived in Moscow Tuesday while Russia's two most powerful leaders publicly argued over the U.S. and allied mission in Libya.
Gates is scheduled to hold meetings with Russian President Dimitri Medvedev and other top officials.
Not on the itinerary is Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, who a day earlier delivered a scorching critique of the attacks on Libya and the U.N. resolution that authorized the United States and allies to launch the mission.
Putin, with politically loaded language, compared the resolution to a medieval appeal for a crusade. Under Medvedev, Russia abstained from the U.N. vote, stopping short of a veto that Putin might have preferred.
Gates has stayed on the sidelines of the Medvedev-Putin clash. In public events Monday, he avoided speaking about Libya and told Russia's Interfax news agency that the United States only wants a limited role in the Libyan mission.
"While we have had a major role in the first two or three days, I expect us very soon to recede back into a supporting role with other nations carrying a significant proportion of the burden in -- implement and enforcing the no-fly zone," Gates said in the Interfax interview according to a transcript provided by the Defense Department. "And the president has made very clear the United States will not put any forces in Libya, on Libyan soil."
Gates has maintained that the fate of Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi is in the hands of his people.
"I think it's pretty clear to everybody that Libya would be better off without Gadhafi. But that is a matter for the Libyans themselves to decide," Gates told Interfax.
Japanese officials will test food, seawater to determine health risks
By the CNN Wire Staff
Tokyo (CNN) -- Japanese officials' concerns over food contamination expanded beyond the country's borders Tuesday as tests detected radiation in ocean water offshore.
Plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co. said that high levels of radioactive substances were found in seawater near the plant, but said that the results did not represent a threat to human health.
"There should be no immediate health impact. If this situation continues for a long period of time, some impact can occur," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano told reporters.
The impact such radiation could have on marine life was unclear. Japanese authorities were scheduled to measure radioactivity in waters around the plant on Tuesday and Wednesday, the International Atomic Energy Agency said.
Earlier seawater radiation monitoring detected levels of iodine-131 that were 126.7 times higher than government-set standards, the electric company said on its website. Its monitors detected cesium-134, which has a half-life of about two years, about 24.8 times higher than the government standards. Cesium-137 was found to be 16.5 times higher than the standard.
The electric company detected these levels in seawater 100 meters (328 feet) south of the nuclear power plant Monday afternoon. Radioactive particles disperse in the ocean, and the farther away from the shore a sample is taken, the less concentrated the contamination should be.
Because of the huge amount of dilution that happens in the ocean, there's not much chance of deep-water fish being tainted, said Murray McBride, a professor at Cornell University who studies soil and water contamination.
"I think the ocean can handle that a lot better than the physical environment and population centers," said Jim Walsh, an international security expert at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a CNN consultant. "We don't want any of this to happen, but better it go out to sea than stay in Japan."
Winds have largely blown radioactive material emitted by the plant offshore since an earthquake and tsunami crippled cooling systems at the plant March 11.
But tests have detected contamination of food grown near the plant.
The Japanese government has banned the sale of raw milk from Fukushima Prefecture, where the plant is located, and prohibited the sale of spinach from neighboring Ibaraki Prefecture after finding levels of radioactive iodine and cesium higher than government standards, the country's health ministry reported.
And officials in Fukushima halted the distribution of locally grown vegetables outside the prefecture.
The government has also banned sales of spinach and milk from parts of Gunma and Tochigi Prefectures, according to the prime minister's office.
On Tuesday Edano said contamination had not been detected in other agricultural products.
"The products which are being grown in these areas are being monitored and the monitoring will continue," he said.
He urged consumers to "try not to panic," noting that the government had stopped shipments of any farm products they believed could be contaminated.
Edano has stressed that officials believe the levels of radiation in food -- while above the legal standards -- do not pose any immediate health risk, saying they were mostly dangerous only if consumed repeatedly over one's lifetime.
On Monday a spokesman for the World Health Organization said short-term exposure to food contaminated by radiation from Japan's damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant poses no immediate health risk.
Tests have also detected radiation in tap water.
On Monday, authorities in the village of Iitake urged residents to avoid drinking tap water that tests showed contained more than three times the maximum standard of radioactive iodine.
Water in other jurisdictions showed lesser signs of contamination, although far below levels of concern under Japanese law, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency website. The U.N. agency said it had received reports from Japan's government that six out of 46 samples tested positive for the iodine-131 radioactive isotope.
Iodine and cesium isotopes are byproducts of nuclear fission in reactors such as the ones damaged in the March 11 earthquake and tsunami that devastated northern Honshu, Japan's main island. Although iodine-131 has a radioactive half-life of eight days, cesium-137's half-life is about 30 years.
The decision to prohibit produce sales is another potentially devastating blow to a part of northeast Japan hit by the earthquake, tsunami and other potential fallout from the Fukushima plant.
Edano has said farmers will be compensated for revenue lost by the restrictions.
"Primarily this is due to the nuclear reactor accident, so we assume (Tokyo Electric Power Company) will be held responsible for compensation. The government might take some supplementary action," he said.
Fukushima ranks among Japan's top producer of fruits, vegetables and rice. Ibaraki, south of Fukushima, supplies Tokyo with a significant amount of fruits and vegetables and is Japan's third-largest pork producer.
For radiation to be an issue for rice, the contamination would have to be more severe and prolonged that what has been seen so far, said McBride, the Cornell University professor.
Soil contamination was a huge issue around Chernobyl, but the radiation emitted from the Fukushima Daiichi plant isn't anywhere near that level, he said.
"We're not at that stage; that's the scenario you have to consider if contamination gets severe enough," McBride said.
CNN's Jo Kent, Steven Jiang, Martin Savidge, Paul Ferguson, Thom Patterson, Matt Smith and Elizabeth Landau contributed to this report.
By the CNN Wire Staff
Tokyo (CNN) -- Japanese officials' concerns over food contamination expanded beyond the country's borders Tuesday as tests detected radiation in ocean water offshore.
Plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co. said that high levels of radioactive substances were found in seawater near the plant, but said that the results did not represent a threat to human health.
"There should be no immediate health impact. If this situation continues for a long period of time, some impact can occur," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano told reporters.
The impact such radiation could have on marine life was unclear. Japanese authorities were scheduled to measure radioactivity in waters around the plant on Tuesday and Wednesday, the International Atomic Energy Agency said.
Earlier seawater radiation monitoring detected levels of iodine-131 that were 126.7 times higher than government-set standards, the electric company said on its website. Its monitors detected cesium-134, which has a half-life of about two years, about 24.8 times higher than the government standards. Cesium-137 was found to be 16.5 times higher than the standard.
The electric company detected these levels in seawater 100 meters (328 feet) south of the nuclear power plant Monday afternoon. Radioactive particles disperse in the ocean, and the farther away from the shore a sample is taken, the less concentrated the contamination should be.
Because of the huge amount of dilution that happens in the ocean, there's not much chance of deep-water fish being tainted, said Murray McBride, a professor at Cornell University who studies soil and water contamination.
"I think the ocean can handle that a lot better than the physical environment and population centers," said Jim Walsh, an international security expert at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a CNN consultant. "We don't want any of this to happen, but better it go out to sea than stay in Japan."
Winds have largely blown radioactive material emitted by the plant offshore since an earthquake and tsunami crippled cooling systems at the plant March 11.
But tests have detected contamination of food grown near the plant.
The Japanese government has banned the sale of raw milk from Fukushima Prefecture, where the plant is located, and prohibited the sale of spinach from neighboring Ibaraki Prefecture after finding levels of radioactive iodine and cesium higher than government standards, the country's health ministry reported.
And officials in Fukushima halted the distribution of locally grown vegetables outside the prefecture.
The government has also banned sales of spinach and milk from parts of Gunma and Tochigi Prefectures, according to the prime minister's office.
On Tuesday Edano said contamination had not been detected in other agricultural products.
"The products which are being grown in these areas are being monitored and the monitoring will continue," he said.
He urged consumers to "try not to panic," noting that the government had stopped shipments of any farm products they believed could be contaminated.
Edano has stressed that officials believe the levels of radiation in food -- while above the legal standards -- do not pose any immediate health risk, saying they were mostly dangerous only if consumed repeatedly over one's lifetime.
On Monday a spokesman for the World Health Organization said short-term exposure to food contaminated by radiation from Japan's damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant poses no immediate health risk.
Tests have also detected radiation in tap water.
On Monday, authorities in the village of Iitake urged residents to avoid drinking tap water that tests showed contained more than three times the maximum standard of radioactive iodine.
Water in other jurisdictions showed lesser signs of contamination, although far below levels of concern under Japanese law, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency website. The U.N. agency said it had received reports from Japan's government that six out of 46 samples tested positive for the iodine-131 radioactive isotope.
Iodine and cesium isotopes are byproducts of nuclear fission in reactors such as the ones damaged in the March 11 earthquake and tsunami that devastated northern Honshu, Japan's main island. Although iodine-131 has a radioactive half-life of eight days, cesium-137's half-life is about 30 years.
The decision to prohibit produce sales is another potentially devastating blow to a part of northeast Japan hit by the earthquake, tsunami and other potential fallout from the Fukushima plant.
Edano has said farmers will be compensated for revenue lost by the restrictions.
"Primarily this is due to the nuclear reactor accident, so we assume (Tokyo Electric Power Company) will be held responsible for compensation. The government might take some supplementary action," he said.
Fukushima ranks among Japan's top producer of fruits, vegetables and rice. Ibaraki, south of Fukushima, supplies Tokyo with a significant amount of fruits and vegetables and is Japan's third-largest pork producer.
For radiation to be an issue for rice, the contamination would have to be more severe and prolonged that what has been seen so far, said McBride, the Cornell University professor.
Soil contamination was a huge issue around Chernobyl, but the radiation emitted from the Fukushima Daiichi plant isn't anywhere near that level, he said.
"We're not at that stage; that's the scenario you have to consider if contamination gets severe enough," McBride said.
CNN's Jo Kent, Steven Jiang, Martin Savidge, Paul Ferguson, Thom Patterson, Matt Smith and Elizabeth Landau contributed to this report.
Seawater damage to reactors worse than thought, official says
By the CNN Wire Staff
Tokyo (CNN) -- Reactors 1 and 2 at Japan's earthquake-stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant suffered more damage from seawater than originally believed and will take more time to repair, the plant's owner said Tuesday.
The tsunami that followed the 9.0-magnitude earthquake March 11 damaged electrical components and coolant pumps in units No. 1 and 2. Those are two of the three units now believed to have suffered damage to their reactor cores, said Sakae Muto, vice president of the Tokyo Electric Power Company.
Reactor No. 2 suffered more damage than No. 1, and the earliest those parts can be replaced is Wednesday, Muto said. The cause of the damage was unclear, but seawater was pumped in previously to cool the reactors as an emergency measure after the earthquake.
Reactors No. 3 and 4 were still being evaluated to determine which parts need repair or replacement, he said. The first priority is to work on the lighting and air conditioning in the central control room so crews can work from inside and gather further data.
Efforts to restore power at the Fukushima Daiichi plant -- a key step that officials hope will allow them to bring cooling systems back online -- were ongoing. Earlier Tuesday, a faint trail of white smoke could be seen rising over the damaged nuclear plant.
Japan's nuclear safety agency said it was not immediately clear why smoke was rising from the plant's No. 2 and No. 3 reactors. Tokyo Electric said in a statement that the smoke was decreasing and barely visible.
Officials temporarily evacuated workers from the plant Monday when smoke was spotted in the same area. But the agency said Tuesday that workers planned to continue efforts to restore power.
"This is going to be a two steps forward, one step back evolution," said Michael Friedlander, a former senior operator at three U.S. power plants who has been closely following the situation at the Fukushima Daiichi plant.
In terms of restoring power at the plant, workers are "on the verge of success," he told CNN's AC360.
But while work to reconnect cooling systems continued, workers and firefighters resumed spraying water at the buildings housing the No. 3 reactor Tuesday afternoon, Tokyo Electric said.
Crews also began using concrete pumps to pour water on the No. 4 reactor building, Kyodo News reported.
Workers have been scrambling to cool down fuel rods since the earthquake and massive tsunami earlier this month knocked out cooling systems at the plant.
Police say the dual disaster has killed at least 9,080 people and left at least 13,561 missing, many of them killed as a wall of water rushed in following the quake.
Officials say some radiation has been released from the crippled plant since the quake and tsunami. And with the nuclear plant's six reactors in various states of disrepair, concerns have mounted over a potentially larger release of radioactive material from the facility, located about 240 kilometers (150 miles) north of Tokyo.
Officials said Tuesday that electrical cables had been laid to connect the No. 3 reactor and the neighboring No. 4 reactor with an outside power source.
That meant that power can now be funneled to all six of the plant's reactors for its cooling systems. But Tokyo Electric said Monday that electricity was still not moving to units No. 1 through No. 4 because the quake and tsunami had damaged numerous pumps and other gear. The company said spare parts were being brought in so that everything could work again.
The No. 3 reactor has been the top priority for authorities trying to contain damage to the plant and stave off a possible meltdown. Its fuel includes a small percentage of plutonium mixed with the uranium in its fuel rods, which experts say could cause more harm than regular uranium fuels in the event of a meltdown.
Hidehiko Nishiyama of Japan's Nuclear and Industrial Agency said there was no evident explosion, spike in radiation or injuries at the No. 3 reactor Monday. The smoke came from the building's southeastern side, where the reactor's spent nuclear fuel pool is located, but the origin of the smoke at either reactor was unknown.
A spent fuel pool is also a concern in the building housing the No. 4 reactor.
The coolant pools contain used fuel rods that contain radioactive material and still generate high amounts of heat. Authorities have been working to keep them full to prevent the rods from being exposed and releasing radiation.
"The crisis has still not been resolved, and the situation at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant remains very serious," Yukiya Amano, the director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency told the U.N. watchdog's board of governors Monday after a visit to the site.
On the other hand, Amano told reporters, rising pressure inside the containment unit at reactor No. 3, a concern from the weekend, was down and power had been restored to some of the reactors.
About 660 workers were at the site Tuesday, Tokyo Electric said. About 330 of those were employees of the power company.
Authorities said potential food contamination remains a concern.
The Japanese government has banned the sale of raw milk from Fukushima Prefecture, where the plant is located, and prohibited the sale of spinach from neighboring Ibaraki Prefecture after finding levels of radioactive iodine and cesium higher than government standards, the country's health ministry reported.
And officials in Fukushima halted the distribution of locally grown vegetables outside the prefecture.
High levels of radioactive substances have also been found in seawater near the plant, Tokyo Electric said Tuesday, adding that the results do not represent a threat to human health.
"There should be no immediate health impact. If this situation continues for a long period of time, some impact can occur," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano told reporters.
CNN's Matt Smith and Whitney Hurst contributed to this report
By the CNN Wire Staff
Tokyo (CNN) -- Reactors 1 and 2 at Japan's earthquake-stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant suffered more damage from seawater than originally believed and will take more time to repair, the plant's owner said Tuesday.
The tsunami that followed the 9.0-magnitude earthquake March 11 damaged electrical components and coolant pumps in units No. 1 and 2. Those are two of the three units now believed to have suffered damage to their reactor cores, said Sakae Muto, vice president of the Tokyo Electric Power Company.
Reactor No. 2 suffered more damage than No. 1, and the earliest those parts can be replaced is Wednesday, Muto said. The cause of the damage was unclear, but seawater was pumped in previously to cool the reactors as an emergency measure after the earthquake.
Reactors No. 3 and 4 were still being evaluated to determine which parts need repair or replacement, he said. The first priority is to work on the lighting and air conditioning in the central control room so crews can work from inside and gather further data.
Efforts to restore power at the Fukushima Daiichi plant -- a key step that officials hope will allow them to bring cooling systems back online -- were ongoing. Earlier Tuesday, a faint trail of white smoke could be seen rising over the damaged nuclear plant.
Japan's nuclear safety agency said it was not immediately clear why smoke was rising from the plant's No. 2 and No. 3 reactors. Tokyo Electric said in a statement that the smoke was decreasing and barely visible.
Officials temporarily evacuated workers from the plant Monday when smoke was spotted in the same area. But the agency said Tuesday that workers planned to continue efforts to restore power.
"This is going to be a two steps forward, one step back evolution," said Michael Friedlander, a former senior operator at three U.S. power plants who has been closely following the situation at the Fukushima Daiichi plant.
In terms of restoring power at the plant, workers are "on the verge of success," he told CNN's AC360.
But while work to reconnect cooling systems continued, workers and firefighters resumed spraying water at the buildings housing the No. 3 reactor Tuesday afternoon, Tokyo Electric said.
Crews also began using concrete pumps to pour water on the No. 4 reactor building, Kyodo News reported.
Workers have been scrambling to cool down fuel rods since the earthquake and massive tsunami earlier this month knocked out cooling systems at the plant.
Police say the dual disaster has killed at least 9,080 people and left at least 13,561 missing, many of them killed as a wall of water rushed in following the quake.
Officials say some radiation has been released from the crippled plant since the quake and tsunami. And with the nuclear plant's six reactors in various states of disrepair, concerns have mounted over a potentially larger release of radioactive material from the facility, located about 240 kilometers (150 miles) north of Tokyo.
Officials said Tuesday that electrical cables had been laid to connect the No. 3 reactor and the neighboring No. 4 reactor with an outside power source.
That meant that power can now be funneled to all six of the plant's reactors for its cooling systems. But Tokyo Electric said Monday that electricity was still not moving to units No. 1 through No. 4 because the quake and tsunami had damaged numerous pumps and other gear. The company said spare parts were being brought in so that everything could work again.
The No. 3 reactor has been the top priority for authorities trying to contain damage to the plant and stave off a possible meltdown. Its fuel includes a small percentage of plutonium mixed with the uranium in its fuel rods, which experts say could cause more harm than regular uranium fuels in the event of a meltdown.
Hidehiko Nishiyama of Japan's Nuclear and Industrial Agency said there was no evident explosion, spike in radiation or injuries at the No. 3 reactor Monday. The smoke came from the building's southeastern side, where the reactor's spent nuclear fuel pool is located, but the origin of the smoke at either reactor was unknown.
A spent fuel pool is also a concern in the building housing the No. 4 reactor.
The coolant pools contain used fuel rods that contain radioactive material and still generate high amounts of heat. Authorities have been working to keep them full to prevent the rods from being exposed and releasing radiation.
"The crisis has still not been resolved, and the situation at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant remains very serious," Yukiya Amano, the director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency told the U.N. watchdog's board of governors Monday after a visit to the site.
On the other hand, Amano told reporters, rising pressure inside the containment unit at reactor No. 3, a concern from the weekend, was down and power had been restored to some of the reactors.
About 660 workers were at the site Tuesday, Tokyo Electric said. About 330 of those were employees of the power company.
Authorities said potential food contamination remains a concern.
The Japanese government has banned the sale of raw milk from Fukushima Prefecture, where the plant is located, and prohibited the sale of spinach from neighboring Ibaraki Prefecture after finding levels of radioactive iodine and cesium higher than government standards, the country's health ministry reported.
And officials in Fukushima halted the distribution of locally grown vegetables outside the prefecture.
High levels of radioactive substances have also been found in seawater near the plant, Tokyo Electric said Tuesday, adding that the results do not represent a threat to human health.
"There should be no immediate health impact. If this situation continues for a long period of time, some impact can occur," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano told reporters.
CNN's Matt Smith and Whitney Hurst contributed to this report
In northeastern Japan, hope dwindles as death toll mounts
By the CNN Wire Staff
Tune in to "Piers Morgan Tonight" at 9 ET for the latest on Japan's nuclear plant and "Nance Grace" on HLN for more on the rescue effort in Japan as survivors are still emerging.
Kamaishi, Japan (CNN) -- Toyoko Numayama walks from town to town, clutching a photograph of her husband and praying someone recognizes him.
"Of course, I have to have hope," she says.
Missing-persons notices are like wallpaper at the city office in this quake-ravaged coastal town in northeastern Japan. Signs posted show pictures of mothers, grandmothers and husbands.
Survivors sift through evacuation center and hospital logs as the government's tally of the missing grows daily. By 9 a.m. Tuesday, officials said they still had not accounted for 12,664 people, and police say they fear at least half of those are dead.
A glimmer of optimism surged Sunday after rescuers found a grandmother and her teenage grandson, who had been trapped for nine days in their Ishinokmaki home. But happy reunions are increasingly rare.
Japan's national police say 8,928 people are confirmed dead after a 9.0-magnitude earthquake and devastating tsunami March 11 pulverized entire towns, leaving broken wood beams and massive piles of rubble where organized neighborhoods once stood.
All the rooms are empty at the Ishinomaki City Hospital. There are no doctors or nurses or patients.
Along the cold, dark hallways, half-eaten food remains on trays. Cell phones and shoes are on the floor. A message written with bright orange tape on the hospital's roof says: "SOS."
The tsunami sent water rushing into the first floor. Patients panicked, surgeon Dr. Yashuhiko Yamiyama said, and at least two people died in the lobby.
Helicopters arrived four days later, lifting doctors and patients strapped to stretchers to safety. But it is impossible to know how many people perished when the waters rushed in, or how many were swept away.
Akihito Yamaguchi doesn't know what happened to his 71-year-old father after the tsunami hit Kamaishi.
"I held my father above the water, but the force of the tsunami was too strong. I couldn't hold on," he says.
Now, Yamaguchi flips through the pages of a soggy photo album from his childhood, pointing at pictures of his parents.
He says he won't leave what's left of his house. He thinks his mother may be buried in the rubble of the first floor.
Across the country, some 380,000 people are staying at 2,200 shelters, Kyodo News reported.
Many of them are frail and elderly. Officials say that in the hardest hit region, 30 percent of the population is over the age of 65.
"There are so many of them, particularly in this area," Dr. Takahiko Naruko said. "The number of young people has been falling for years."
Emiko Sato sits in a school gym with her 93-year-old grandmother and her 73-year-old father.
I'm afraid of the radiation because it's something I can't see--Maya Nagase, Tokyo resident
She says both of them need constant medical care that just isn't available. Ever since the tsunami, her grandmother only responds to questions with moans.
"It's really difficult, but when I look around this room, it's the same for everybody," she says.
Even in parts of the country that were not directly impacted by the quake, concerns are high -- particularly as workers scramble to cool down fuel rods to prevent a full meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.
Akira Shioi of Kawasaki said he's changed his daily routine so he can keep up with the latest developments, carrying a radio with him 24 hours a day so he can listen to the news.
He said he is following closely updates about radioactive contamination in milk and spinach near the plant, but feels confident that the government is monitoring data to protect the population.
"I don't feel risk at this moment. ... I think it's under control," he said.
Efforts to cool down reactors at the plant saw a setback Monday as officials evacuated workers after gray smoke spewed from the building housing the plant's No. 3 reactor. Japan's nuclear safety agency said it was still investigating what caused the smoke, and that preliminary readings indicated radiation levels had not spiked.
A World Health Organization official said Monday that the detection of high levels of radioactivity in certain foods -- and the nation's subsequent clampdown on their sales -- signals the food safety situation is "more serious" than originally thought.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano urged people "to behave and act calmly" even as officials banned the shipping of some products.
But some have said the government's announcements do not reassure them.
"I'm afraid of the radiation because it's something I can't see," said Maya Nagase of Tokyo. "And we just can't trust the information that we're getting."
CNN's Kyung Lah, Gary Tuchman, Anna Coren and Catherine E. Shoichet contributed to this report.
By the CNN Wire Staff
Tune in to "Piers Morgan Tonight" at 9 ET for the latest on Japan's nuclear plant and "Nance Grace" on HLN for more on the rescue effort in Japan as survivors are still emerging.
Kamaishi, Japan (CNN) -- Toyoko Numayama walks from town to town, clutching a photograph of her husband and praying someone recognizes him.
"Of course, I have to have hope," she says.
Missing-persons notices are like wallpaper at the city office in this quake-ravaged coastal town in northeastern Japan. Signs posted show pictures of mothers, grandmothers and husbands.
Survivors sift through evacuation center and hospital logs as the government's tally of the missing grows daily. By 9 a.m. Tuesday, officials said they still had not accounted for 12,664 people, and police say they fear at least half of those are dead.
A glimmer of optimism surged Sunday after rescuers found a grandmother and her teenage grandson, who had been trapped for nine days in their Ishinokmaki home. But happy reunions are increasingly rare.
Japan's national police say 8,928 people are confirmed dead after a 9.0-magnitude earthquake and devastating tsunami March 11 pulverized entire towns, leaving broken wood beams and massive piles of rubble where organized neighborhoods once stood.
All the rooms are empty at the Ishinomaki City Hospital. There are no doctors or nurses or patients.
Along the cold, dark hallways, half-eaten food remains on trays. Cell phones and shoes are on the floor. A message written with bright orange tape on the hospital's roof says: "SOS."
The tsunami sent water rushing into the first floor. Patients panicked, surgeon Dr. Yashuhiko Yamiyama said, and at least two people died in the lobby.
Helicopters arrived four days later, lifting doctors and patients strapped to stretchers to safety. But it is impossible to know how many people perished when the waters rushed in, or how many were swept away.
Akihito Yamaguchi doesn't know what happened to his 71-year-old father after the tsunami hit Kamaishi.
"I held my father above the water, but the force of the tsunami was too strong. I couldn't hold on," he says.
Now, Yamaguchi flips through the pages of a soggy photo album from his childhood, pointing at pictures of his parents.
He says he won't leave what's left of his house. He thinks his mother may be buried in the rubble of the first floor.
Across the country, some 380,000 people are staying at 2,200 shelters, Kyodo News reported.
Many of them are frail and elderly. Officials say that in the hardest hit region, 30 percent of the population is over the age of 65.
"There are so many of them, particularly in this area," Dr. Takahiko Naruko said. "The number of young people has been falling for years."
Emiko Sato sits in a school gym with her 93-year-old grandmother and her 73-year-old father.
I'm afraid of the radiation because it's something I can't see--Maya Nagase, Tokyo resident
She says both of them need constant medical care that just isn't available. Ever since the tsunami, her grandmother only responds to questions with moans.
"It's really difficult, but when I look around this room, it's the same for everybody," she says.
Even in parts of the country that were not directly impacted by the quake, concerns are high -- particularly as workers scramble to cool down fuel rods to prevent a full meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.
Akira Shioi of Kawasaki said he's changed his daily routine so he can keep up with the latest developments, carrying a radio with him 24 hours a day so he can listen to the news.
He said he is following closely updates about radioactive contamination in milk and spinach near the plant, but feels confident that the government is monitoring data to protect the population.
"I don't feel risk at this moment. ... I think it's under control," he said.
Efforts to cool down reactors at the plant saw a setback Monday as officials evacuated workers after gray smoke spewed from the building housing the plant's No. 3 reactor. Japan's nuclear safety agency said it was still investigating what caused the smoke, and that preliminary readings indicated radiation levels had not spiked.
A World Health Organization official said Monday that the detection of high levels of radioactivity in certain foods -- and the nation's subsequent clampdown on their sales -- signals the food safety situation is "more serious" than originally thought.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano urged people "to behave and act calmly" even as officials banned the shipping of some products.
But some have said the government's announcements do not reassure them.
"I'm afraid of the radiation because it's something I can't see," said Maya Nagase of Tokyo. "And we just can't trust the information that we're getting."
CNN's Kyung Lah, Gary Tuchman, Anna Coren and Catherine E. Shoichet contributed to this report.
Karzai: Afghanistan to take over security in parts of the country
By the CNN Wire Staff
Kabul, Afghanistan (CNN) -- Seven areas of Afghanistan, including parts of the capital Kabul and a city in the restless province of Helmand, will begin to be handed over to Afghan forces to maintain their security in July, Afghan President Hamid Karzai said on Tuesday.
The announcement from the president marks the first step in NATO's long-awaited plan to hand over security to a series of provinces across the country, leading up to 2014 when it is expected that Afghan security forces will be in control of the whole country.
Members of NATO applauded the announcement.
"This represents the next stage of Afghanistan's journey," said NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen. "We are committed not to leave any security vacuum that could breed extremism."
The "transition is a process. It is not flipping a switch. Certainly Afghans will be in the lead but we are still here and will still help," said Lt. Col. John Dorrian, a spokesman for NATO's International Security Assistance Force.
He said the decision to begin transitioning Lashkar Gah, an area in Helmand province, was a "testament to the progress made in the south."
Southern regions such as Kandahar and Helmand provinces have long been major fronts in the war against the Taliban.
In speech last month, Karzai talked about this upcoming transition. During that speech, Karzai credited the influx of 70,000 international forces in 2010 for improving the situation and helping Afghan security forces.
"We are determined to demonstrate Afghan leadership and ownership of the transition process," he said.
CNN's Matiullah Mati and journalist Nick Paton Walsh contributed to this report.
By the CNN Wire Staff
Kabul, Afghanistan (CNN) -- Seven areas of Afghanistan, including parts of the capital Kabul and a city in the restless province of Helmand, will begin to be handed over to Afghan forces to maintain their security in July, Afghan President Hamid Karzai said on Tuesday.
The announcement from the president marks the first step in NATO's long-awaited plan to hand over security to a series of provinces across the country, leading up to 2014 when it is expected that Afghan security forces will be in control of the whole country.
Members of NATO applauded the announcement.
"This represents the next stage of Afghanistan's journey," said NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen. "We are committed not to leave any security vacuum that could breed extremism."
The "transition is a process. It is not flipping a switch. Certainly Afghans will be in the lead but we are still here and will still help," said Lt. Col. John Dorrian, a spokesman for NATO's International Security Assistance Force.
He said the decision to begin transitioning Lashkar Gah, an area in Helmand province, was a "testament to the progress made in the south."
Southern regions such as Kandahar and Helmand provinces have long been major fronts in the war against the Taliban.
In speech last month, Karzai talked about this upcoming transition. During that speech, Karzai credited the influx of 70,000 international forces in 2010 for improving the situation and helping Afghan security forces.
"We are determined to demonstrate Afghan leadership and ownership of the transition process," he said.
CNN's Matiullah Mati and journalist Nick Paton Walsh contributed to this report.
Photos published of alleged U.S. atrocities in Afghanistan
By the CNN Wire Staff
Kabul, Afghanistan (CNN) -- The German news outlet Der Spiegel has published photographs of what appear to be two U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan posing over the bodies of dead Afghans -- images which threaten to further complicate the American military effort there.
Two images show the soldiers kneeling by a bloody body sprawled over a patch of sand and grass. A third shows what appears to be two bodies propped up, back to back, against a post in front of a military vehicle.
Der Spiegel identifies the soldiers as Spc. Jeremy Morlock and Pfc. Andrew Holmes, who are both facing charges relating to the wrongful deaths of Afghan civilians.
Specifically, Holmes is charged with the premeditated deaths of three civilians, possessing a dismembered human finger, wrongfully possessing photographs of human casualties, and smoking hashish.
He is also accused of conspiring with Morlock to shoot at a civilian and then toss a grenade so it would look like the soldiers were under attack.
Morlock is charged with three counts of murder. He is accused of killing one Afghan civilian in January 2010 with a grenade and rifle; killing another in May 2010 in a similar manner; and shooting a third to death in February 2010.
U.S. military rules also prohibit "taking or retaining individual souvenirs or trophies," which the photographs may be construed as.
The trial for the two soldiers is being conducted at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington. Morlock's court martial is slated to begin Wednesday, while the start date for Holmes' court martial has not been publicly announced.
The U.S. Army released a statement Monday calling the photographs "repugnant to us as human beings and contrary to the standards and values of the United States Army."
"We apologize for the distress these photos cause," the statement said.
Army officials asserted in the statement that ongoing court-martial proceedings related to the alleged atrocities "speak for themselves. The photos appear in stark contrast to the discipline, professionalism and respect that have characterized our soldiers' performance during nearly 10 years of sustained operations."
They also stressed that the "United States Army is committed to adherence to the Law of War and the humane and respectful treatment of combatants, noncombatants, and the dead. ... Soldiers who commit offenses will be held accountable as appropriate."
In all, officials have charged 12 U.S. soldiers in what they called a conspiracy to murder Afghan civilians and cover it up, along with charges they mutilated corpses and kept grisly souvenirs. Five of the soldiers face murder charges, while seven others are charged with participating in a coverup.
All of the accused men were members of a 2nd Infantry Division brigade operating near Kandahar in southern Afghanistan in 2009 and 2010.
CNN's Alan Silverleib and Scott Zamost contributed to this report
By the CNN Wire Staff
Kabul, Afghanistan (CNN) -- The German news outlet Der Spiegel has published photographs of what appear to be two U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan posing over the bodies of dead Afghans -- images which threaten to further complicate the American military effort there.
Two images show the soldiers kneeling by a bloody body sprawled over a patch of sand and grass. A third shows what appears to be two bodies propped up, back to back, against a post in front of a military vehicle.
Der Spiegel identifies the soldiers as Spc. Jeremy Morlock and Pfc. Andrew Holmes, who are both facing charges relating to the wrongful deaths of Afghan civilians.
Specifically, Holmes is charged with the premeditated deaths of three civilians, possessing a dismembered human finger, wrongfully possessing photographs of human casualties, and smoking hashish.
He is also accused of conspiring with Morlock to shoot at a civilian and then toss a grenade so it would look like the soldiers were under attack.
Morlock is charged with three counts of murder. He is accused of killing one Afghan civilian in January 2010 with a grenade and rifle; killing another in May 2010 in a similar manner; and shooting a third to death in February 2010.
U.S. military rules also prohibit "taking or retaining individual souvenirs or trophies," which the photographs may be construed as.
The trial for the two soldiers is being conducted at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington. Morlock's court martial is slated to begin Wednesday, while the start date for Holmes' court martial has not been publicly announced.
The U.S. Army released a statement Monday calling the photographs "repugnant to us as human beings and contrary to the standards and values of the United States Army."
"We apologize for the distress these photos cause," the statement said.
Army officials asserted in the statement that ongoing court-martial proceedings related to the alleged atrocities "speak for themselves. The photos appear in stark contrast to the discipline, professionalism and respect that have characterized our soldiers' performance during nearly 10 years of sustained operations."
They also stressed that the "United States Army is committed to adherence to the Law of War and the humane and respectful treatment of combatants, noncombatants, and the dead. ... Soldiers who commit offenses will be held accountable as appropriate."
In all, officials have charged 12 U.S. soldiers in what they called a conspiracy to murder Afghan civilians and cover it up, along with charges they mutilated corpses and kept grisly souvenirs. Five of the soldiers face murder charges, while seven others are charged with participating in a coverup.
All of the accused men were members of a 2nd Infantry Division brigade operating near Kandahar in southern Afghanistan in 2009 and 2010.
CNN's Alan Silverleib and Scott Zamost contributed to this report
Yemen leader, top general discuss transition of power
From Mohammed Jamjoom, CNN
(CNN) -- Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh and a top military general are discussing a deal for a peaceful transition of power that would allow Saleh to stay in place for the rest of the year, a Yemeni official and senior U.S. official said Monday.
The discussions come amid cracks in support for Saleh's 32-year rule after weeks of anti-government protests.
Three top generals declared their support for the protests Monday, including Maj. Gen. Ali Mohsen Al-Ahmar, the man now discussing the deal with Saleh.
Al-Ahmar, who belongs to an important tribe whose backing is significant for Saleh, also said he will order his troops to protect civilians demonstrating against the president.
A wave of other officials announced their support for the opposition Monday.
They included Yemen's ambassador to Britain and the embassy's entire diplomatic staff, and Yemen's ambassador to the European Union, Mohamed Jaffer. They did not resign but rather threw their support behind the protesters.
Dozens of other ambassadors and officials also announced their support for the "peaceful revolution," a high-level Yemeni source said. Among them were a provincial governor, members of parliament and the governing party, an official in the prime minister's office, top envoys to Saudi Arabia, China and Pakistan, and diplomats in the U.S. and Russia.
Yemen's United Nations ambassador, who resigned Sunday, said Monday that Saleh should make a dignified exit for the good of the country.
"The president has done some good things, but everything has an end, and he should step down," Abdullah Al-Saidi said.
According to the Yemeni official who confirmed the talks between Saleh and the general, the president has officially accepted five points demanded by the opposition and is now waiting for a response from the opposition and the generals who defected.
The five points are that Saleh step down by the end of the year; that Yemenis be allowed to protest without fear of violence; that a committee be formed to investigate attacks against protesters; that families of all protesters killed or wounded be compensated by the state; and that the government implement constitutional and electoral reforms, including the removal of Saleh's family members from the armed services.
"The ultimate goal is peaceful transition with a clear, set timeline" that has yet to be determined, the Yemeni official said.
A U.S. official said Monday that Saleh is losing the support of his political and military leaders. Although most of the top brass still supports the regime, the official said, their support is "tenuous."
Saleh has been a key United States ally as al Qaeda turns his country into a base. Radical American-born cleric Anwar al-Awlaki is believed to be hiding in Yemen.
The cleric has been linked to terror plots including the attempt to bomb a Detroit-bound plane on Christmas Day 2009, and he corresponded separately with a British Airways employee about trying to smuggle explosives onto planes.
Top American officials including U.S. President Barack Obama's counterterrorism chief have traveled to Yemen to meet with Saleh, and leaked diplomatic cables suggest Saleh's government helped disguise strikes by U.S. unmanned drones on terror targets in Yemen by calling them Yemeni actions.
In terms of U.S. counterterrorism efforts with Yemen, the U.S. official said it "doesn't help when you don't have government cooperation," but there are "other things being done" to continue the work, including "dialogue with partners" as well as the use of other "multiple means to gain information on terrorist activities."
A high-level Yemeni source said Saleh can hang on to power if he unleashes the forces still loyal to him. The source did not know whether the president will do that, however, and was not sure a tipping point has been reached.
Saleh may be reaching out to regional powers for support in the face of protests.
He is sending Foreign Minister Abu Bakr Al-Qirbi to Saudi Arabia with "a presidential letter to the Saudi monarch," the first Yemeni source said, adding that he did not know what is in the letter.
The Saudis did not respond to requests for comments about the message from Saleh.
"Government officials in Yemen see what's going on today as having the signs of an early stage of a bloodless coup," the Yemeni official said.
Saleh dismissed his Cabinet on Sunday, after the weekend resignations of two top officials to protest a government crackdown on protesters that left 52 people dead Friday.
Saleh expressed his "deep regret" over the casualties and asked the officials to stay on until a new Cabinet is appointed, according to Tareq Al-Shami, a spokesman for the country's ruling party.
Yemen's chief prosecutor has launched an investigation into the shootings in Sanaa and is questioning 17 people accused of orchestrating the massacre, the country's embassy in the United States announced.
Human Rights Minister Huda al-Bann resigned over the crackdown, according to an official in her office who is not authorized to speak to the media and asked not to be named.
Senior ruling party member Mohammed Abulahoum said Sunday that Saleh "should seriously consider a good, safe exit strategy" to "prepare the foundation in Yemen for a good transfer of power from him to the next authority or president."
Abulahoum "strongly" condemned Friday's violence and, in protest, withdrew a plan he proposed to mediate between the president and the opposition.
High unemployment has fueled much of the anger among a growing young population steeped in poverty. The protesters also cite government corruption and a lack of political freedom.
The president has said he will not run for another term in the next round of elections. He also has pledged to bring a new constitution to a vote by the end of the year and transfer government power to an elected parliamentary system.
CNN's Caroline Faraj, Elise Labott, Richard Roth, Pam Benson and Jo Shelley and journalist Hakim Almasmari contributed to this report.
From Mohammed Jamjoom, CNN
(CNN) -- Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh and a top military general are discussing a deal for a peaceful transition of power that would allow Saleh to stay in place for the rest of the year, a Yemeni official and senior U.S. official said Monday.
The discussions come amid cracks in support for Saleh's 32-year rule after weeks of anti-government protests.
Three top generals declared their support for the protests Monday, including Maj. Gen. Ali Mohsen Al-Ahmar, the man now discussing the deal with Saleh.
Al-Ahmar, who belongs to an important tribe whose backing is significant for Saleh, also said he will order his troops to protect civilians demonstrating against the president.
A wave of other officials announced their support for the opposition Monday.
They included Yemen's ambassador to Britain and the embassy's entire diplomatic staff, and Yemen's ambassador to the European Union, Mohamed Jaffer. They did not resign but rather threw their support behind the protesters.
Dozens of other ambassadors and officials also announced their support for the "peaceful revolution," a high-level Yemeni source said. Among them were a provincial governor, members of parliament and the governing party, an official in the prime minister's office, top envoys to Saudi Arabia, China and Pakistan, and diplomats in the U.S. and Russia.
Yemen's United Nations ambassador, who resigned Sunday, said Monday that Saleh should make a dignified exit for the good of the country.
"The president has done some good things, but everything has an end, and he should step down," Abdullah Al-Saidi said.
According to the Yemeni official who confirmed the talks between Saleh and the general, the president has officially accepted five points demanded by the opposition and is now waiting for a response from the opposition and the generals who defected.
The five points are that Saleh step down by the end of the year; that Yemenis be allowed to protest without fear of violence; that a committee be formed to investigate attacks against protesters; that families of all protesters killed or wounded be compensated by the state; and that the government implement constitutional and electoral reforms, including the removal of Saleh's family members from the armed services.
"The ultimate goal is peaceful transition with a clear, set timeline" that has yet to be determined, the Yemeni official said.
A U.S. official said Monday that Saleh is losing the support of his political and military leaders. Although most of the top brass still supports the regime, the official said, their support is "tenuous."
Saleh has been a key United States ally as al Qaeda turns his country into a base. Radical American-born cleric Anwar al-Awlaki is believed to be hiding in Yemen.
The cleric has been linked to terror plots including the attempt to bomb a Detroit-bound plane on Christmas Day 2009, and he corresponded separately with a British Airways employee about trying to smuggle explosives onto planes.
Top American officials including U.S. President Barack Obama's counterterrorism chief have traveled to Yemen to meet with Saleh, and leaked diplomatic cables suggest Saleh's government helped disguise strikes by U.S. unmanned drones on terror targets in Yemen by calling them Yemeni actions.
In terms of U.S. counterterrorism efforts with Yemen, the U.S. official said it "doesn't help when you don't have government cooperation," but there are "other things being done" to continue the work, including "dialogue with partners" as well as the use of other "multiple means to gain information on terrorist activities."
A high-level Yemeni source said Saleh can hang on to power if he unleashes the forces still loyal to him. The source did not know whether the president will do that, however, and was not sure a tipping point has been reached.
Saleh may be reaching out to regional powers for support in the face of protests.
He is sending Foreign Minister Abu Bakr Al-Qirbi to Saudi Arabia with "a presidential letter to the Saudi monarch," the first Yemeni source said, adding that he did not know what is in the letter.
The Saudis did not respond to requests for comments about the message from Saleh.
"Government officials in Yemen see what's going on today as having the signs of an early stage of a bloodless coup," the Yemeni official said.
Saleh dismissed his Cabinet on Sunday, after the weekend resignations of two top officials to protest a government crackdown on protesters that left 52 people dead Friday.
Saleh expressed his "deep regret" over the casualties and asked the officials to stay on until a new Cabinet is appointed, according to Tareq Al-Shami, a spokesman for the country's ruling party.
Yemen's chief prosecutor has launched an investigation into the shootings in Sanaa and is questioning 17 people accused of orchestrating the massacre, the country's embassy in the United States announced.
Human Rights Minister Huda al-Bann resigned over the crackdown, according to an official in her office who is not authorized to speak to the media and asked not to be named.
Senior ruling party member Mohammed Abulahoum said Sunday that Saleh "should seriously consider a good, safe exit strategy" to "prepare the foundation in Yemen for a good transfer of power from him to the next authority or president."
Abulahoum "strongly" condemned Friday's violence and, in protest, withdrew a plan he proposed to mediate between the president and the opposition.
High unemployment has fueled much of the anger among a growing young population steeped in poverty. The protesters also cite government corruption and a lack of political freedom.
The president has said he will not run for another term in the next round of elections. He also has pledged to bring a new constitution to a vote by the end of the year and transfer government power to an elected parliamentary system.
CNN's Caroline Faraj, Elise Labott, Richard Roth, Pam Benson and Jo Shelley and journalist Hakim Almasmari contributed to this report.
Thứ Bảy, 19 tháng 3, 2011
Search for missing continues in Japan as death toll rises
By the CNN Wire Staff
Tokyo (CNN) -- As searches for thousands of missing continued Saturday, police in Japan said more than 7,300 people had died since the monster earthquake and ensuing tsunami struck last week.
On Saturday evening, 7,348 people were confirmed dead, according to Japan's National Police Agency. An additional 10,947 people were missing and 2,603 were injured, the agency said.
Search and rescue efforts have been hampered by snowfall in the hardest-hit areas, said spokesman Patrick Fuller of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
"The cold is a real issue, particularly for the thousands of people in shelters, many of them elderly," he said, describing providing medical care as a "massive challenge."
While efforts accelerated Saturday to restore power to cooling systems at the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, the focus shifted toward rebuilding in some parts of the country hardest hit by the temblor and the devastating wall of water that followed.
"We need to go forward," Rikuzentakata Mayor Futoshi Toba told construction workers, according to Kyodo News.
Crews began building hundreds of temporary, pre-fabricated housing units in the coastal city, the agency said.
A widely reported rescue Saturday offered a brief glimmer of hope amid headlines of death and destruction. But Japanese authorities later changed their story, saying a man rescued from the rubble of his home Saturday had actually been staying in a shelter.
Originally, the Japanese Self-Defense Force reported that the man had been trapped for eight days.
Meanwhile, the Tokyo Electric Power Co. said workers had laid extensive electrical cable near the Fukushima Daiichi power plant's No. 2 nuclear reactor -- a key step in an effort to restore power to the plant in an effort authorities hope will keep temperatures low. That would curb the emission of radioactive material and, in a worst case scenario, a full nuclear meltdown.
Tokyo's fire department also began a new method of spraying water in and around the Fukushima Daiichi power plant's No. 3 reactor using an unmanned system that can spray seawater for up to seven hours at a time. In previous missions, firefighters, soldiers and plant owner Tokyo Electric Power Co. workers had manually done the same in brief intervals to avoid prolonged radiation exposure.
Tests revealed abnormally high levels of radiation that violate Japanese food safety laws in samples of spinach and milk from areas near the nuclear plant, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano told reporters Saturday.
Authorities are mulling regulating movement of agricultural products from the area, as well as collecting more data for analysis, Edano said.
On Friday, authorities acknowledged that the situation at the troubled power plant was far more serious than they'd originally estimated.
Tokyo Electric's managing director, Akio Komiri, broke down in a tears after leaving a news conference in Fukushima at which exposure levels were discussed.
In a written statement, the company's president Masataka Shimizu said "we sincerely apologize ... for causing such a great concern and nuisance."
Even as the country's emergency agency raised its rating of the crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant from a 4 to 5 -- putting it on par with the 1979 incident at Pennsylvania's Three Mile Island -- Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan told his compatriots to bury their pessimism Friday.
"With a tsunami and earthquake we don't have any room to be pessimistic," he said. "We are going to create Japan again from scratch. We should face this challenge together."
Kan acknowledged the situation at the Fukushima plant remains "very grave" and said his government has disclosed all that it knows to both the Japanese people and the international community.
"The police, fire department and self defense forces are all working together, putting their lives on the line, in an attempt to resolve the situation," he said.
Meanwhile, the government raised the radiation level for workers trying to avert a further crisis, Japanese public broadcaster NHK reported Saturday.
Tokyo Electric said workers at the plant -- including company employees, members of the military and firefighters -- can now be exposed to 250 millisieverts of radiation before they must leave the area.
An individual in a developed country is naturally exposed to about 3 millisieverts of radiation a year. The International Commission on Radiological Protection recommends no more than 50 millisieverts exposure in a given year for nuclear rescue and recovery workers. It offers no restriction in a crisis when "the benefit to others clearly outweighs the rescuer's risk."
Tokyo Electric has said it was doing all it can to protect workers' health. Japan's nuclear agency said Friday several hundred workers, including nonpower company employees, remained on site.
In populated areas outside of the nuclear facility, there have been few indications of any immediate, dangerous fall-out from the crisis so far. For the past eight days, weather patterns indicate that the wind has likely blown most emitted radiation out to sea.
CNN's Yoko Wakatsuki contributed to this report.
By the CNN Wire Staff
Tokyo (CNN) -- As searches for thousands of missing continued Saturday, police in Japan said more than 7,300 people had died since the monster earthquake and ensuing tsunami struck last week.
On Saturday evening, 7,348 people were confirmed dead, according to Japan's National Police Agency. An additional 10,947 people were missing and 2,603 were injured, the agency said.
Search and rescue efforts have been hampered by snowfall in the hardest-hit areas, said spokesman Patrick Fuller of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
"The cold is a real issue, particularly for the thousands of people in shelters, many of them elderly," he said, describing providing medical care as a "massive challenge."
While efforts accelerated Saturday to restore power to cooling systems at the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, the focus shifted toward rebuilding in some parts of the country hardest hit by the temblor and the devastating wall of water that followed.
"We need to go forward," Rikuzentakata Mayor Futoshi Toba told construction workers, according to Kyodo News.
Crews began building hundreds of temporary, pre-fabricated housing units in the coastal city, the agency said.
A widely reported rescue Saturday offered a brief glimmer of hope amid headlines of death and destruction. But Japanese authorities later changed their story, saying a man rescued from the rubble of his home Saturday had actually been staying in a shelter.
Originally, the Japanese Self-Defense Force reported that the man had been trapped for eight days.
Meanwhile, the Tokyo Electric Power Co. said workers had laid extensive electrical cable near the Fukushima Daiichi power plant's No. 2 nuclear reactor -- a key step in an effort to restore power to the plant in an effort authorities hope will keep temperatures low. That would curb the emission of radioactive material and, in a worst case scenario, a full nuclear meltdown.
Tokyo's fire department also began a new method of spraying water in and around the Fukushima Daiichi power plant's No. 3 reactor using an unmanned system that can spray seawater for up to seven hours at a time. In previous missions, firefighters, soldiers and plant owner Tokyo Electric Power Co. workers had manually done the same in brief intervals to avoid prolonged radiation exposure.
Tests revealed abnormally high levels of radiation that violate Japanese food safety laws in samples of spinach and milk from areas near the nuclear plant, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano told reporters Saturday.
Authorities are mulling regulating movement of agricultural products from the area, as well as collecting more data for analysis, Edano said.
On Friday, authorities acknowledged that the situation at the troubled power plant was far more serious than they'd originally estimated.
Tokyo Electric's managing director, Akio Komiri, broke down in a tears after leaving a news conference in Fukushima at which exposure levels were discussed.
In a written statement, the company's president Masataka Shimizu said "we sincerely apologize ... for causing such a great concern and nuisance."
Even as the country's emergency agency raised its rating of the crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant from a 4 to 5 -- putting it on par with the 1979 incident at Pennsylvania's Three Mile Island -- Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan told his compatriots to bury their pessimism Friday.
"With a tsunami and earthquake we don't have any room to be pessimistic," he said. "We are going to create Japan again from scratch. We should face this challenge together."
Kan acknowledged the situation at the Fukushima plant remains "very grave" and said his government has disclosed all that it knows to both the Japanese people and the international community.
"The police, fire department and self defense forces are all working together, putting their lives on the line, in an attempt to resolve the situation," he said.
Meanwhile, the government raised the radiation level for workers trying to avert a further crisis, Japanese public broadcaster NHK reported Saturday.
Tokyo Electric said workers at the plant -- including company employees, members of the military and firefighters -- can now be exposed to 250 millisieverts of radiation before they must leave the area.
An individual in a developed country is naturally exposed to about 3 millisieverts of radiation a year. The International Commission on Radiological Protection recommends no more than 50 millisieverts exposure in a given year for nuclear rescue and recovery workers. It offers no restriction in a crisis when "the benefit to others clearly outweighs the rescuer's risk."
Tokyo Electric has said it was doing all it can to protect workers' health. Japan's nuclear agency said Friday several hundred workers, including nonpower company employees, remained on site.
In populated areas outside of the nuclear facility, there have been few indications of any immediate, dangerous fall-out from the crisis so far. For the past eight days, weather patterns indicate that the wind has likely blown most emitted radiation out to sea.
CNN's Yoko Wakatsuki contributed to this report.
Radiation found in food as workers scramble to curb nuclear crisis
By the CNN Wire Staff
Tokyo (CNN) -- The Japanese government said Saturday that abnormally high levels of radiation were detected in spinach and milk that came from farms near a tsunami-affected nuclear plant as emergency workers moved closer to restoring cooling systems in the reactors.
Crews connected electric cables needed to power up cooling systems in the six stricken reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, inoperable since last Friday's monster earthquake and tsunami.
Authorities also reported progress when an unmanned contraption began spraying seawater continuously Saturday to cool down the Number 3 reactor's overheating spent nuclear fuel pool.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said levels of radiation found in some but not all samples of spinach and milk from the Fukushima and Ibaraki prefectures exceeded the limits stipulated by Japan's food safety law.
Edano, however, insisted they weren't extremely high.
If a person consumed these products continuously for a year, he said, he or she would take in the same amount of radiation as a single CT scan. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration equates that to roughly 7 millisieverts, over double what a person in an industrialized country naturally gets in a year.
Authorities are mulling regulating movement of agricultural products from within the vicinity of the Fukushima plant, some 240 kilometers (150 miles) north of Tokyo, as well as getting more data for analysis under Japan's health ministry's watch, Edano said.
The news about food contamination came as emergency workers scrambled Saturday to set up electricity to power cooling systems for the reactors.
Tokyo Electric and Power Company officials told CNN that the connection of electric cabling has been completed, but the company still has to conduct safety and stability checks on the circuit before throwing the switch.
The company said workers hope to fully restore a stable power supply by day's end to the plant's Numbers 1, 2, 5 and 6 reactors. The plan is to get power up and running Sunday for the Numbers 3 and 4 reactors.
The cooling systems are essential to keep temperatures low, curb the further emission of radioactive material and, in a worst case scenario, prevent a full nuclear meltdown. A meltdown could occurs when nuclear fuel rods get so hot that they melt the steel and concrete structure containing them, spilling out into the air and water with potentially deadly results.
Meanwhile, authorities set up a new system to spray seawater continuously on the Number 3 reactor's overheating spent nuclear fuel pool.
A Tokyo fire department official said an unmanned contraption began operating around 2 p.m. Saturday and can spray water for up to seven hours at a time. In previous missions, firefighters, soldiers and plant owner Tokyo Electric Power Company workers had manually done the same in brief intervals to avoid prolonged radiation exposure.
The water, pumped from a nearby port and then funneled to the system, is being directed at the Number 3 reactor's spent fuel pool in order to cool it and prevent the emission of more radioactive material into the atmosphere.
"We believe the situation has been stabilized, though much remains to be seen," said Edano, adding that authorities are also looking into spraying the Number 4 reactor and its spent fuel pool as well.
Also Saturday, a Tokyo Electric official said three holes apiece have been drilled in the ceilings of the Numbers 5 and 6 units in order to alleviate pressure. A hydrogen gas buildup had previously contributed to explosions at the Numbers 1, 2 and 3 reactors.
A water pump, powered by a second diesel generator, began circulating water in the Number 6 units spent fuel pool shortly after 5 a.m. Saturday, according to a news release from Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan's office.
Graham Andrew, a special assistant to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) director, noted Friday that efforts to use seawater to cool overheated spent nuclear fuel pools -- both by pumping in seawater, as well as in the case of Unit 3 in which water has come from the ground -- in and around the Numbers 1, 2 and 3 reactors appear to be working.
While each of those reactors have damage to their fuel cores, Andrew said they appear to be relatively stable for now.
Beyond Saturday's food safety announcement, there have been few indications of any immediate fallout from the nuclear crisis.
Airborne radiation levels around Japan have shown no signs of spiking drastically, according to measurements posted online Saturday by the nation's education and science ministry.
Most readings showed detectable but relatively small amounts of radiation. Even the two top readings in Mito (in Ibaraki prefecture) and Utsonomiya (in Toshigi prefecture) are well below what's considered dangerous to humans and had fallen in recent days.
Still, no one has said that authorities are in the clear. In fact, authorities acknowledged Friday that the situation is far more serious than they'd originally estimated.
"We sincerely apologize ... for causing such a great concern and nuisance," said a statement from Masataka Shimizu, the president of Tokyo Electric.
And the company's managing director, Akio Komori, broke down in a tears after leaving a news conference in Fukushima at which exposure levels were discussed.
This came shortly after Japan's nuclear and industrial safety agency raised its rating for the crisis' severity (specifically, at the Numbers 2 and 3 reactors) from a Level 4 to a Level 5 -- putting it on par with the 1979 accident at Pennsylvania's Three Mile Island plant, the worst nuclear accident in U.S. history.
According to the International Nuclear Events Scale, a level 5 indicates the likelihood of a release of radioactive material, several deaths from radiation and severe damage to a reactor core. Each step on the scale indicates an increase of 10 times the severity of the step below it, the International Atomic Energy Agency says.
The Chernobyl nuclear accident in the former Soviet Union rated a 7, the highest level on the scale, while Japan's other nuclear crisis -- a 1999 accident at Tokaimura in which workers died after being exposed to radiation -- rated a 4.
But the rating change was not due to new problems at the plant, said Hidehiko Nishiyama, deputy head of the nuclear safety agency.
Rather, it came after Japanese authorities got a better assessment of what had happened, partly based on images showing damage to fuel rods and other structures inside certain reactor buildings.
IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano cautioned against reading too much into the raised assessment, saying it is too early to make a full assessment.
Yet Peter Bradford, a member of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission when the Three Mile Island incident occurred, said the Fukushima Daiichi crisis is worse than the partial meltdown of a single reactor at the Pennsylvania plant.
"In terms of severity, this accident left Three Mile Island in the rear-view mirror several days ago," he said.
Tokyo Electric has more than doubled the radiation threshold for those on-site trying to avert a further crisis.
The company said those at the Fukushima Daiichi plant can now be exposed to 250 millisieverts of radiation before they must leave the area, up from its previous standard of 100 millisieverts.
People are naturally exposed to about 3 millisieverts of radiation a year. The International Commission on Radiological Protection recommends no more than 50 millisieverts exposure in a given year for nuclear rescue and recovery workers. It offers no restriction in a crisis when "the benefit to others clearly outweighs the rescuer's risk."
A Tokyo Electric official said Saturday afternoon that the new standard applies to the several hundred people -- power company employees as well as soldiers, firefighters and others -- now on the site.
CNN's Yoko Wakatsuki, Stan Grant and Steven Jiang contributed to this report.
By the CNN Wire Staff
Tokyo (CNN) -- The Japanese government said Saturday that abnormally high levels of radiation were detected in spinach and milk that came from farms near a tsunami-affected nuclear plant as emergency workers moved closer to restoring cooling systems in the reactors.
Crews connected electric cables needed to power up cooling systems in the six stricken reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, inoperable since last Friday's monster earthquake and tsunami.
Authorities also reported progress when an unmanned contraption began spraying seawater continuously Saturday to cool down the Number 3 reactor's overheating spent nuclear fuel pool.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said levels of radiation found in some but not all samples of spinach and milk from the Fukushima and Ibaraki prefectures exceeded the limits stipulated by Japan's food safety law.
Edano, however, insisted they weren't extremely high.
If a person consumed these products continuously for a year, he said, he or she would take in the same amount of radiation as a single CT scan. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration equates that to roughly 7 millisieverts, over double what a person in an industrialized country naturally gets in a year.
Authorities are mulling regulating movement of agricultural products from within the vicinity of the Fukushima plant, some 240 kilometers (150 miles) north of Tokyo, as well as getting more data for analysis under Japan's health ministry's watch, Edano said.
The news about food contamination came as emergency workers scrambled Saturday to set up electricity to power cooling systems for the reactors.
Tokyo Electric and Power Company officials told CNN that the connection of electric cabling has been completed, but the company still has to conduct safety and stability checks on the circuit before throwing the switch.
The company said workers hope to fully restore a stable power supply by day's end to the plant's Numbers 1, 2, 5 and 6 reactors. The plan is to get power up and running Sunday for the Numbers 3 and 4 reactors.
The cooling systems are essential to keep temperatures low, curb the further emission of radioactive material and, in a worst case scenario, prevent a full nuclear meltdown. A meltdown could occurs when nuclear fuel rods get so hot that they melt the steel and concrete structure containing them, spilling out into the air and water with potentially deadly results.
Meanwhile, authorities set up a new system to spray seawater continuously on the Number 3 reactor's overheating spent nuclear fuel pool.
A Tokyo fire department official said an unmanned contraption began operating around 2 p.m. Saturday and can spray water for up to seven hours at a time. In previous missions, firefighters, soldiers and plant owner Tokyo Electric Power Company workers had manually done the same in brief intervals to avoid prolonged radiation exposure.
The water, pumped from a nearby port and then funneled to the system, is being directed at the Number 3 reactor's spent fuel pool in order to cool it and prevent the emission of more radioactive material into the atmosphere.
"We believe the situation has been stabilized, though much remains to be seen," said Edano, adding that authorities are also looking into spraying the Number 4 reactor and its spent fuel pool as well.
Also Saturday, a Tokyo Electric official said three holes apiece have been drilled in the ceilings of the Numbers 5 and 6 units in order to alleviate pressure. A hydrogen gas buildup had previously contributed to explosions at the Numbers 1, 2 and 3 reactors.
A water pump, powered by a second diesel generator, began circulating water in the Number 6 units spent fuel pool shortly after 5 a.m. Saturday, according to a news release from Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan's office.
Graham Andrew, a special assistant to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) director, noted Friday that efforts to use seawater to cool overheated spent nuclear fuel pools -- both by pumping in seawater, as well as in the case of Unit 3 in which water has come from the ground -- in and around the Numbers 1, 2 and 3 reactors appear to be working.
While each of those reactors have damage to their fuel cores, Andrew said they appear to be relatively stable for now.
Beyond Saturday's food safety announcement, there have been few indications of any immediate fallout from the nuclear crisis.
Airborne radiation levels around Japan have shown no signs of spiking drastically, according to measurements posted online Saturday by the nation's education and science ministry.
Most readings showed detectable but relatively small amounts of radiation. Even the two top readings in Mito (in Ibaraki prefecture) and Utsonomiya (in Toshigi prefecture) are well below what's considered dangerous to humans and had fallen in recent days.
Still, no one has said that authorities are in the clear. In fact, authorities acknowledged Friday that the situation is far more serious than they'd originally estimated.
"We sincerely apologize ... for causing such a great concern and nuisance," said a statement from Masataka Shimizu, the president of Tokyo Electric.
And the company's managing director, Akio Komori, broke down in a tears after leaving a news conference in Fukushima at which exposure levels were discussed.
This came shortly after Japan's nuclear and industrial safety agency raised its rating for the crisis' severity (specifically, at the Numbers 2 and 3 reactors) from a Level 4 to a Level 5 -- putting it on par with the 1979 accident at Pennsylvania's Three Mile Island plant, the worst nuclear accident in U.S. history.
According to the International Nuclear Events Scale, a level 5 indicates the likelihood of a release of radioactive material, several deaths from radiation and severe damage to a reactor core. Each step on the scale indicates an increase of 10 times the severity of the step below it, the International Atomic Energy Agency says.
The Chernobyl nuclear accident in the former Soviet Union rated a 7, the highest level on the scale, while Japan's other nuclear crisis -- a 1999 accident at Tokaimura in which workers died after being exposed to radiation -- rated a 4.
But the rating change was not due to new problems at the plant, said Hidehiko Nishiyama, deputy head of the nuclear safety agency.
Rather, it came after Japanese authorities got a better assessment of what had happened, partly based on images showing damage to fuel rods and other structures inside certain reactor buildings.
IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano cautioned against reading too much into the raised assessment, saying it is too early to make a full assessment.
Yet Peter Bradford, a member of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission when the Three Mile Island incident occurred, said the Fukushima Daiichi crisis is worse than the partial meltdown of a single reactor at the Pennsylvania plant.
"In terms of severity, this accident left Three Mile Island in the rear-view mirror several days ago," he said.
Tokyo Electric has more than doubled the radiation threshold for those on-site trying to avert a further crisis.
The company said those at the Fukushima Daiichi plant can now be exposed to 250 millisieverts of radiation before they must leave the area, up from its previous standard of 100 millisieverts.
People are naturally exposed to about 3 millisieverts of radiation a year. The International Commission on Radiological Protection recommends no more than 50 millisieverts exposure in a given year for nuclear rescue and recovery workers. It offers no restriction in a crisis when "the benefit to others clearly outweighs the rescuer's risk."
A Tokyo Electric official said Saturday afternoon that the new standard applies to the several hundred people -- power company employees as well as soldiers, firefighters and others -- now on the site.
CNN's Yoko Wakatsuki, Stan Grant and Steven Jiang contributed to this report.
Egypt considers constitutional amendments
By Reza Sayah, CNN
Cairo, Egypt (CNN) -- Egyptians proudly streamed to the polls Saturday to vote on proposed constitutional amendments, the first democratic initiative after the fall of Hosni Mubarak's regime.
An estimated 45 million Egyptians are eligible to vote in what is widely viewed as the country's first free election in decades, and the poll would set the stage for parliamentary and presidential elections later this year.
"I am very very happy," said Mohamed El Hourushy, a 19-year-old political science student. "This is something I've been fighting for all my life. I didn't think I would live to see this scene."
The proposed amendments include limiting the president to two four-year terms, capping emergency laws to six months unless they are extended by public referendum, and placing elections under judicial oversight.
Opponents say the proposed amendments were rushed and fall short of the people's demands. Many demand a new constitution and claim an early referendum gives an unfair edge to the Muslim Brotherhood and remnants of Mubarak's National Democratic Party -- well entrenched and politically savvy groups that are much better prepared to mobilize voters than newer factions still scrambling to get organized.
But presidential candidate and head of the Arab League, Amr Moussa, who is urging a "no" vote, lauded the referendum as "the first official step towards the democracy called for in the January 25 movements."
" 'Yes' or 'no' is not the issue -- that Egyptians are participating and voting today is what's important," he said.
The polls opened at 8 a.m. at more than 13,000 polling stations across the country, and many arrived early to polling stations to beat the crowds.
Outside the polling station at Kasr el Eini el Doubara -- a Cairo language school -- around 50 people lined up just before voting started. Many Egyptians, even senior citizens, said this was their first time voting.
"It feels good," said 80-year-old Nadia Risk. "It feels like, although I'm a senior citizen, I might be able to contribute to something that will be very democratic."
"I feel my vote will make a difference for the first time in my life," said 58-year-old Ibrahim Fahmy.
"I was born in 1952 during the first revolution and ever since I did not feel this country belongs to me. This is the first time I feel my vote will make a difference."
Voters filed in to a room where they picked up their ballots and went behind a blue curtain to mark their vote. A check inside the green circle was a "yes" vote. The black circle was a "no" vote.
Election officials marked voters' fingers with pink ink to keep them from voting more than once.
At about 8:30 a.m., Moussa, who called on Egyptians to vote against the amendments, arrived to cast his vote. A throng of reporters and cameramen surrounded him as he made his way to the ballot box.
"I honestly passed by many polling stations and they were all filled with people awaiting to make their decision. It is our duty to accept whatever they decide," Moussa said.
"It's very strange to have a referendum organized and implemented in one month," said Karim Elias, a 33-year-old software engineer who said he voted "no." "I want a new constitution. I want something that represents the Egyptian people."
Judge Mahmoud Atiya -- the head of the judicial committee overseeing the referendum -- told CNN the next step in the transition to a civilian government depends on the outcome of Saturday's referendum.
If the measures are voted down, the military will go back to the drawing board, Atiya said, and eventually issue another order, in accordance with the constitution, on what will come next in the transition to a civilian government.
It's not clear exactly what the army's instructions will be in case of a "no" vote or whether they'll extend their self-imposed six-month deadline to transfer power to an elected civilian government.
If the measures are approved, the military will move forward with parliamentary elections in June, Atiya said.
Analysts say it's hard to predict the outcome of the vote.
The ruling Egyptian Armed Forces announced this week that thousands of international monitors will be in place at polling stations across the country to ensure transparency in the voting process. More than 30,000 soldiers and security agents are also manning polling stations, security officials said.
Journalists Dina Amer and Mohamed Fadel Fahmy contributed to this report
By Reza Sayah, CNN
Cairo, Egypt (CNN) -- Egyptians proudly streamed to the polls Saturday to vote on proposed constitutional amendments, the first democratic initiative after the fall of Hosni Mubarak's regime.
An estimated 45 million Egyptians are eligible to vote in what is widely viewed as the country's first free election in decades, and the poll would set the stage for parliamentary and presidential elections later this year.
"I am very very happy," said Mohamed El Hourushy, a 19-year-old political science student. "This is something I've been fighting for all my life. I didn't think I would live to see this scene."
The proposed amendments include limiting the president to two four-year terms, capping emergency laws to six months unless they are extended by public referendum, and placing elections under judicial oversight.
Opponents say the proposed amendments were rushed and fall short of the people's demands. Many demand a new constitution and claim an early referendum gives an unfair edge to the Muslim Brotherhood and remnants of Mubarak's National Democratic Party -- well entrenched and politically savvy groups that are much better prepared to mobilize voters than newer factions still scrambling to get organized.
But presidential candidate and head of the Arab League, Amr Moussa, who is urging a "no" vote, lauded the referendum as "the first official step towards the democracy called for in the January 25 movements."
" 'Yes' or 'no' is not the issue -- that Egyptians are participating and voting today is what's important," he said.
The polls opened at 8 a.m. at more than 13,000 polling stations across the country, and many arrived early to polling stations to beat the crowds.
Outside the polling station at Kasr el Eini el Doubara -- a Cairo language school -- around 50 people lined up just before voting started. Many Egyptians, even senior citizens, said this was their first time voting.
"It feels good," said 80-year-old Nadia Risk. "It feels like, although I'm a senior citizen, I might be able to contribute to something that will be very democratic."
"I feel my vote will make a difference for the first time in my life," said 58-year-old Ibrahim Fahmy.
"I was born in 1952 during the first revolution and ever since I did not feel this country belongs to me. This is the first time I feel my vote will make a difference."
Voters filed in to a room where they picked up their ballots and went behind a blue curtain to mark their vote. A check inside the green circle was a "yes" vote. The black circle was a "no" vote.
Election officials marked voters' fingers with pink ink to keep them from voting more than once.
At about 8:30 a.m., Moussa, who called on Egyptians to vote against the amendments, arrived to cast his vote. A throng of reporters and cameramen surrounded him as he made his way to the ballot box.
"I honestly passed by many polling stations and they were all filled with people awaiting to make their decision. It is our duty to accept whatever they decide," Moussa said.
"It's very strange to have a referendum organized and implemented in one month," said Karim Elias, a 33-year-old software engineer who said he voted "no." "I want a new constitution. I want something that represents the Egyptian people."
Judge Mahmoud Atiya -- the head of the judicial committee overseeing the referendum -- told CNN the next step in the transition to a civilian government depends on the outcome of Saturday's referendum.
If the measures are voted down, the military will go back to the drawing board, Atiya said, and eventually issue another order, in accordance with the constitution, on what will come next in the transition to a civilian government.
It's not clear exactly what the army's instructions will be in case of a "no" vote or whether they'll extend their self-imposed six-month deadline to transfer power to an elected civilian government.
If the measures are approved, the military will move forward with parliamentary elections in June, Atiya said.
Analysts say it's hard to predict the outcome of the vote.
The ruling Egyptian Armed Forces announced this week that thousands of international monitors will be in place at polling stations across the country to ensure transparency in the voting process. More than 30,000 soldiers and security agents are also manning polling stations, security officials said.
Journalists Dina Amer and Mohamed Fadel Fahmy contributed to this report
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