Australia’s Rio Tinto, the world’s second-biggest iron ore miner, is worried the disaster in Japan will disrupt supplies of mining equipment, tires and other components.
Hitachi Construction, Japan’s No.2 maker of earthmoving equipment, and a big suppler to Rio Tinto, said five plants are closed. Three have partially reopened.
“There are a huge number of little bits of the high-tech food chain which are done nowhere but in Japan. Nobody else has the quality or the consistency, and in some cases the technology to do it.”-Sam Perry, senior investment manager of Pictet Japanese Equity Selection Fund.
Canon Inc has suspended all of its domestic camera production. One of the problems was a lack of gas which was affecting distribution, and stopping employees from getting to work where train services are minimal.
Nikon warned that power cuts, and shortages of parts, will make full production difficult.
Renesas Electronics Corp, the world’s No.5 chipmaker, started operations at one semiconductor plant. Six of the company’s 22 factories remain closed.
The British parliament, in the United Kingdom, voted in favor of the attacks on Libya. At the same time surveys of Britons show most people are against, or not sure of the action.
ComRes/ITN poll found 43% against the action and 22% were unsure.
Almost from day one of the so called revolution in Libya, President Obama said “It’s time for Gaddafi to go.” He didn’t say that about Mubarak, not for several weeks of the Egyptian Revolution anyway.
Obama has said many times he wanted Gaddafi out. Then Gaddafi’s compound is bombed by coalition forces, and the official statement from coalition leaders is that they were not trying to bomb Gaddafi. That’s one dumb smart bomb then.
Here is what Obama said today: “Now, I also have stated that it is U.S. policy that Gadhafi needs to go.” President Obama has basically admitted that trying to get rid of Gaddafi IS what he’s trying to do. Obama then goes on to admit that UNSCR 1973 does not allow him to do that: “But when it comes to the military action, we are doing so in support of U.N. Resolution 1973 that specifically talks about humanitarian efforts, and we are going to make sure we stick to that mandate.”
Obama also says he’s hoping that other “tools” will be used to allow the Libyan people to kick Gaddafi out. Remember, UNSCR 1973 is supposed to be about protecting peaceful civilians, not regime change. Lies. lies and more lies!
Democrat AND Republican Congressman are demanding that Obama explain himself, regarding the military action against Libya.
Democrat Eleanor Holmes Norton: “We’re not coordinating with the rebels. Are we going to leave them surrounded, and with the mercy of Gadhafi? I’ve never seen anything so confused in my life.”
Republican Candice Miller: “The president should come home and call the Congress back into session and to make his case. He needs to define what the United States’ vital mission is here, what is our vital interest, how does he see the potential cost unfolding here.”
Democrat Mark Begich: “Specifically, Congress needs to understand the risk involved to the lives of our service members, how long the administration anticipates U.S. involvement, the impact of our involvement on our other national security priorities like Afghanistan, and what the ultimate objective is.”
Republican Richard Lugar: “I do not understand the mission because as far as I can tell in the United States there is no mission and there are no guidelines for success.”
Fox news said that CNN journalists were used as human shields to prevent any attack on Gaddafi’s compound.
CNN reporter Nic Robertson basically said Fox news was full of sh*t. Robertson called the Fox news claims “…outrageous and hypocritical,” adding, “If they wanted to use us as human shields … they would have kept us there longer. That’s not what happened.”
I have relatives in the U.S. Navy Reserve, and they’ve been told to prepare to ship out for Japan. They thought it’s to help with disaster relief but now it looks like it might be to evacuate U.S. military personnel and their families.
The U.S. Pacific Command has been making plans for mandatory evacuations, just in case. If things got bad enough they would use large military air transports (C-17, C-5) to fly out as many personnel and families as they could, as fast as they could.
Currently the evacuations of military families are voluntary. On Saturday 230 people voluntarily left, on Monday 154 people left Japan.
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said the military action against Libya resembled a crusade.
“The resolution is defective and flawed. It allows everything. It resembles medieval calls for crusades.”-Vladimir Putin
What happened to democracy? The Libyan rebels declared themselves as the new government, with no democratic anything before hand, and several European governments have already recognized the rebels as the true government of Libya.
To top that the rebels, calling themselves The Transitional National Council, have now declared themselves as the new oil officials of Libya. Already several European countries announced that they will be making oil deals with this “government” of Libya.
Not only that but the rebels have already set up their own central bank to handle oil transaction deals, sure sounds like this “revolution of the people for democracy” is all about oil.
Canadian aircraft are helping to enforce the bogus no fly zone over Libya, as well as Canadian naval vessels, 380 Canadian troops, including pilots and ground crews, are in the Mediterranean Sea.
“This morning, four CF-18 fighter aircraft and two CC-150 Polaris strategic air refuelers departed Italy and conducted patrols off the northern coast of Libya. “They did not fire upon any targets.” -Defense Minister Peter MacKay