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 […] Continue Reading…
Sony has announced that it will close 5 more plants, due to a lack of parts. That brings the number of Sony plants affected by the 9.0 quake/tsunami to 14.
Sony officials say they might be forced to move production away from Japan.
“If the shortage of parts and materials supplied to these plants continues, we […] Continue Reading…
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.
Japanese Industry Minister Banri Kaieda apologized over reports that he threatened to ‘‘punish’’ firefighters if they did not work at the quake-hit nuclear plant in Fukushima Prefecture.
The apology came after Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara protested to Prime Minister Naoto Kan over the ‘‘forcing’’ of Tokyo Fire Department to engage in an hours-long water-spraying mission, […] Continue Reading…
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 […] Continue Reading…
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 […] Continue Reading…
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 […] Continue Reading…
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 […] Continue Reading…
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