Six In The Morning

Cathay Pacific Airbus 330 makes emergency landing in Singapore

‘God, save our flight! Give us your protection!’ passengers pray

msnbc.com news services

Terrified passengers aboard a blazing jetliner prayed together before the plane made an emergency landing on Monday.

An engine on a Cathay Pacific Airbus A330-300 caught fire in midair.

Cathay Pacific said the jet, bound for Jakarta with 136 passengers on board, landed back in Singapore “without incident” just before 2 a.m. It said the crew shut down the engine after receiving a “stall warning.”

Reuters photographer Beawiharta was aboard the aircraft with his wife, two sons and daughter. About 20 minutes after take-off, there were two sharp bangs, sending cabin staff scurrying to retrieve the meals they had only just begun serving.

Anwar Ibrahim sodomy case is credible, judge rules

Opposition leader’s lawyers forced to start presenting defence witnesses after judge says he believes testimony of former aide

Associated Press

guardian.co.uk, Monday 16 May 2011 08.48 BST

Malaysia’s high court has ruled that prosecutors have established a credible sodomy case against Anwar Ibrahim, forcing the opposition leader’s lawyers to start presenting defence witnesses next month.

The ruling dashed Anwar’s hopes of an immediate end to a trial that could lead to his imprisonment for up to 20 years. Anwar insists the government concocted the charge that he sodomised a 25-year-old male former aide. The prime minister, Najib Razak, and other officials have denied plotting against Anwar.

Eight shot dead on Israeli borders as Palestinians mark anniversary



By Matthew Kalman in Jerusalem Monday, 16 May 2011

The troubles sweeping the Middle East were given a new dimension yesterday as violence broke out along Israel’s borders with deadly results.

Eight people were reported killed on the country’s frontiers after pro-Palestinian protesters marched on three different frontier posts with Lebanon, Syria and Gaza to commemorate the 63rd anniversary of the Nakba (“catastrophe”) of the founding of Israel on 15 May 1948, and the creation of the Palestinian refugee crisis.

Rising Self-Interest Frays EU Spirit

European Disunion

By SPIEGEL Staff

They were the usual words of reassurance and conciliation. “Content is more important than timing,” EU Energy Commissioner Günther Oettinger said on Thursday, addressing a disagreement in Brussels over “stress tests” for 143 European nuclear reactors. “The public expects credible tests that will cover all foreseeable risks and security concerns.”

Like so much else in recent weeks, the safety tests for European nuclear plants have been a point of contention in Brussels. The meeting between Oettinger and representatives of the 27 member states ended without tangible results. In the wake of the Fukushima disaster the EU agrees that stress tests are important, but no one can agree on criteria. France and Great Britain, above all, have stonewalled detailed EU examinations — they see no reason to test their reactors with regard to anything besides natural catastrophes.

Libya offers truce as revolt enters fourth month



IMED LAMLOUM TRIPOLI, LIBYA – May 16 2011

Gaddafi’s prime minister proposed the truce Sunday to the visiting UN special envoy to Libya, Abdul-Ilah al-Khatib, as an anti-regime revolt entered a fourth month.

The head of Britain’s armed forces, meanwhile, said Nato should widen its bombing campaign to ensure Gaddafi is unable to cling to power, while Pope Benedict XVI on Sunday called for negotiations to end the violence.

Prime Minister Baghdadi Mahmudi, quoted by Jana state news agency, said after meeting Khatib that Libya wants “an immediate ceasefire to coincide with a stop to the Nato bombardment and the acceptance of international observers”.

Core of reactor 1 melted 16 hours after quake

New analysis shows damage to fuel rods was surprisingly quick

Kyodo  

The meltdown at reactor No. 1 in Fukushima happened more quickly than feared, Tokyo Electric Power Co. said Sunday in a new analysis.

The core of the heavily damaged reactor at the Fukushima No. 1 power plant is believed to have melted 16 hours after the March 11 mega-quake and tsunami rocked the complex in northeastern Japan.

Preliminary analysis shows that No. 1 had already entered a critical state by 6:50 a.m. on March 12, with most of its fuel having melted and fallen to the bottom of the pressure vessel, the plant operator said. Tepco released data Thursday showing some of the fuel rods had melted.