Japan's tsunami death toll reaches 9.800 people

A total of over 9.800 17.500 victims were killed while another was still missing in the tsunami in Japan, according to police reports released today. A police spokesman from the Miyagi area badly affected, said the estimated number of deaths will increase to15,000 people in that area alone.

Interpol says foiled militant attack on cricket World Cup

Interpol said today it had foiled a militant plot to carry out an attack during the cricket World Cup now being played across South Asia “Last week through cooperation from Pakistan Sri Lanka and the Maldives we were able to identify locate and arrest a terrorist ” head of the Paris-based international police agency Ronald K Noble told reporters in Islamabad along with Pakistani interior minister Rehman Malik.

He said the man with “criminal intentions” whom he did not identify was arrested on his way from the Pakistani port city of Karachi to the Maldives “Thanks to the cooperation of your country and other countries we were able to make sure that the World Cup remains safe ” he said Neither he nor Malik gave further details Earlier this month India issued an alert over a possible attack on the hugely popular tournament being played until April 2 in India Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

In 2009 gunmen attacked visiting Sri Lankan cricketers in the Pakistani city of Lahore shattering a belief that the sport in the sub-continent enjoyed immunity of sorts against militancy Eight Pakistanis died in the attack and six members of the Sri Lanka team were injured Since then Pakistan one of the original four co-hosts of the World Cup has not hosted an international cricket match.

Lady Gaga flays Malaysian radio for censoring lyrics

Popstar Lady Gaga has urged young Malaysians to protest against the radio censorship of her lyrics that encourage acceptance of gays.“What I would say is for all the young people in Malaysia that want those words to be played on the radio, it is your job and it is your duty as young people to have your voices heard,” the pop star said in an interview with Google that was posted on YouTube.

Malaysia radio stations have been playing edited versions of “Born This Way” that use garble to replace the lyrics: “No matter gay, straight or bi, lesbian, transgendered life, I’m on the right track, baby.”“You must do everything that you can if you want to be liberated by your society. You must call, you must not stop, you must protest peaceably,” she added on Tuesday from Google’s headquarters in California, United States.

Broadcasters here have said they are being cautious with Lady Gaga’s song because Malaysia’s government forbids offensive content. They risk fines of up to RM50,000 and other penalties for breaking the rules.Malaysian gay rights advocates complain that the censorship is part of discrimination they face in everyday life.

US AIDS group mourns ‘passionate advocate’ Taylor

Hollywood legend Elizabeth Taylor, who died yesterday at age 79, leaves a “monumental legacy” of support for AIDS research, having touched millions with her commitment to help end the epidemic, a group she helped found said.

“Dame Elizabeth was without doubt one of the most inspirational figures in the fight against AIDS,” the American Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR) said in a statement hours after the death of the star-turned-activist, who was the founding international chairwoman of the organisation.

“She leaves a monumental legacy that has improved and extended millions of lives and will enrich countless more for generations to come.”

AmfAR and other groups were quick to hail Taylor’s compassion for people living with AIDS, particularly in the late 1980s when many around the world were still terrified about the prospect of contracting HIV, the virus which causes AIDS.

No celebrity except perhaps Princess Diana has been so singularly involved in raising funds for AIDS research or working to dispel the stigma that to a lesser degree still surrounds the tens of millions living with the disease worldwide.

Taylor, said amfAR, “was among the first to speak out on behalf of people living with HIV when others reacted with fear and often outright hostility.”

AmfAR was founded in 1985, the same year that Taylor’s fellow Hollywood giant and close friend Rock Hudson died of complications from AIDS.

Taylor, a two-time Oscar winner for starring roles in “Butterfield 8” and “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf,” started the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation in 1991.

The following year the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences presented her with the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award for her contribution to the cause of AIDS research.

Second Explosion At Fukushima Nuclear Plant

A second hydrogen explosion has occurred at a quake-hit nuclear plant in Japan, as the US moved ships and aircraft away due to low level radiation.

Plumes of grey smoke were sent billowing by the blast at the Fukushima Daiichi plant's number 3 unit, although officials insist the inner reactor container remains intact. Japan's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency say there is "absolutely no possibility of a Chernobyl" style accident at the site, according to government minister Koichiro Genba. The reactor had been under emergency watch for a possible explosion as pressure built up there following a hydrogen blast on Saturday in the facility's number 1 unit. Japan's chief cabinet secretary Yukio Edano said the reactor's inner containment vessel holding nuclear rods is safe, allaying some fears of the risk to the environment and public. He said the possibility of a radioactive leak was "low". But he added that people within a 20km (12 mile) radius were being ordered to stay inside. Tokyo Electric Power Company says seven people are missing and three are injured after the blast at the plant which is 150 miles (241km) north of Tokyo.

Sky News' Anna Botting, in Sendai, says the authorities are warning people not to drink tap water and to take iodine if they have access to it as it can prevent the threat of thyroid cancer. Officials have been racing to stave off multiple reactor meltdowns after a devastating quake and tsunami incapacitated the Fukushima plant. They had to resort to cooling the reactors down with sea water. More than 180,000 people have evacuated the area, and up to 160 may have been exposed to radiation. Prime Minister Naoto Kan said the situation at the Fukushima nuclear plant remained "worrisome" and that the authorities were doing their utmost to stop damage from spreading. On Sunday he said the disaster was the biggest crisis the country had faced since World War Two. The nuclear crisis was triggered by twin disasters on Friday, when the 9.0 magnitude earthquake was followed by a tsunami that ravaged Japan's north-eastern coast. More than 1,400 people were killed, but a police chief said the death toll may be over 10,000.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has also declared a state of emergency at the Onagawa site after excessive radiation levels were recorded there. And the cooling system pump has failed at the Tokai facility but the back-up is working, according to an official. The Japanese government is planning rolling blackouts and a limited number of trains will be running in Tokyo so energy supplies can be saved. Elsewhere, a wave of around 3m (10ft) was reported off the coast of northeast Japan by a helicopter, leading to warnings of another tsunami. Residents were ordered to flee to higher ground by Japanese soldiers after reports of a sea level change. However, the Japanese Meteorological Agency said no tsunami had been spotted and it proved to be a false alarm. Earlier a strong offshore tremor struck 150km (90 miles) northeast of Tokyo shaking tall buildings in Japan's capital, but authorities did not issue a tsunami alert. The country has suffered over 150 aftershocks since the "megaquake" hit on Friday. There is currently a warning that there is a 70% chance of another strong quake of 7.0 magnitude or over occurring.