Thursday, March 17, 2011

03/17/11

* Gadhafi could return to terrorism and violent extremism In a sharp change of tone, US has begun to advocate for no-fly zone in Libya.

* Gaddafi forces bomb rebel-held Benghazi Forces loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi have launched their first bombing raids on the main rebel-held city of Benghazi.

* Japan steps up cooling operation Japan says it is stepping up efforts to cool overheating fuel at the tsunami-hit Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.

* Bahrain unrest: UN rights chief criticizes crackdown The UN human rights chief has condemned the "shocking" use of force by security forces against protesters in Bahrain.

* US backing for world currency stuns markets US Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner shocked global markets by revealing that Washington is "quite open" to Chinese proposals for the gradual development of a global reserve currency run by the International Monetary Fund.

* Shi'ites, supplied by Iran, control most of Bahrain, 'shooting back' at Saudi forces The Shi'ite opposition has taken over most of Bahrain.

* Scientists Build Tool to Spot Ancient Earthquakes Scientists at Tel Aviv University have created a new tool to help understand the patterns of ancient earthquakes.

* Diplomats: Iran weapons material seized UN sources say Singapore, South Korea intercepted nuclear, weapon materials bound for Tehran

* EU predicts certain plants will fail nuclear 'stress tests' EU energy commissioner Guenther Oettinger has suggested a number of Europe's nuclear energy plants are likely to fail upcoming safety 'stress tests', announced this week and scheduled for later this year.

* Peres: Victoria shows Syria providing Hamas arms President calls on people of Lebanon to free themselves of Hezbollah and Iranian influence and "return to be free people in the new world."