RAF warplanes will be in place “in the coming hours”, the Prime Minister told MPs.

RAF warplanes will be in place “in the coming hours”, the Prime Minister told MPs.
As Gaddafi’s forces regain ground from rebel forces, Britain “cannot stand back” and let the Libyan dictator kill his people indiscriminately, he said.
“Any decision to put the men and women of our armed services in harm’s way should only ever be taken when it’s absolutely necessary,” Mr Cameron said. “But we simply can not stand back and let a dictator whose people have rejected him, kill his people indiscriminately.”
RAF Tornadoes and Typhoons will take part in operations over Libya, Mr Cameron said. British refuelling and reconnaissance aircraft will also be deployed.
“In the coming hours they will move to airbases where they can start to take the necessary action,” he said.

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Britain is poised to move fighter jets to bases from where they can help enforce a no-fly zone over Libya

Britain is poised to move fighter jets to bases from where they can help enforce a no-fly zone over Libya, after the UN Security Council gave the green light to conduct air strikes against Colonel Gaddafi’s forces, Prime Minister David Cameron said on Friday.

“Preparations to deploy these aircraft have already started and in the coming hours they will move to airbases from where they can start to take the necessary action.” Mr Cameron told parliament.
French president Nicholas Sarkozy will host talks in Paris on Saturday to discuss co-operation and co-ordinated action against Libya with representatives “at the highest level possible level” of the European Union, Arab League and African Union.

The UN Security Council on Thursday night approved a resolution authorising “all necessary measures’’ to protect civilians under threat from the Libyan regime.

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UK was preparing "to be able to respond to a terrorist incident like the world witnessed in Mumbai".

Baroness Neville-Jones said the UK was preparing "to be able to respond to a terrorist incident like the world witnessed in Mumbai".
More officers are being trained to respond to an armed attack, the level of firearms training is increasing and ministers are involved in mock scenarios, she said.
Lady Neville-Jones said the UK faced a "serious and sustained" threat which had not diminished in recent years.
"The possibility of a scenario similar to the devastating incident in Mumbai in 2008 is one for which we must be prepared," she said.
"We have been training more officers to respond to armed attack and enhancing the existing levels of firearms training.

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Japanese earthquake how the disaster unfolded

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Two thousand bodies were washed up on the shores of north-east Japan yesterday.

Two thousand bodies were washed up on the shores of north-east Japan yesterday.

The horrifying tide of death in Miyagi province raised fears that the official expected toll of 10,000 could be a huge under-estimate.

Bodies wrapped in blue tarpaulins were laid on military stretchers and lined up for collection.

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There was growing panic in Japan today as a third massive explosion at a nuclear power station hit by the tsunami pushed the country to the brink of catastrophe.

There was growing panic in Japan today as a third massive explosion at a nuclear power station hit by the tsunami pushed the country to the brink of catastrophe.

The government was forced to to order 140,000 residents to seal themselves indoors today as more radioactive material was released into the atmosphere by the latest explosion early this morning. 

It is another dramatic escalation in the nuclear crisis facing the country after Friday's tsunami knocked out cooling systems at the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant - leaving engineers struggling to avoid a catastrophic meltdown.

In a televised address to the nation after the third explosion in four days, Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan confirmed radiation had been released into the atmosphere after the latest blast at the Number 2 reactor. 

It follows explosions at Number 1 and Number 3 reactors and the Number 4 reactor, which was shut down when the tsunami hit, caught fire last night.

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Operator TEPCO said a fuel rod meltdown could not be ruled out

The Fukushima plant has been hit by two explosions at buildings housing two reactors since a massive 9.0-magnitude earthquake hit on Friday, and the cooling system at a third reactor stopped working on Monday.
Operator TEPCO said a fuel rod meltdown could not be ruled out after cooling water levels dropped sharply at the No. 2 reactor, according to Jiji Press. A meltdown could release radioactive material into the air.
TEPCO said that more than 12 feet of the No.2 reactor's four-metre fuel rods were exposed to the air as of 8.07 pm (11.07AM GMT), before the pumping of seawater resumed in an attempt to cool them.
But chief government spokesman Yukio Edano said that ongoing work to cool that reactor would hopefully stabilise the situation.

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Frankfurt Airport shooting: Two US servicemen dead

Frankfurt Airport shooting: Two US servicemen dead: "Two US Air Force servicemen have died after a gunman opened fire on a bus carrying American military personnel at Frankfurt Airport, police say.

Two servicemen were also wounded. One of the dead is said to have been the driver. All four were based at RAF Lakenheath in eastern England.

A 21-year-old man from Kosovo was arrested at Terminal 2 close to where the attack took place.

US President Barack Obama condemned it as an 'outrageous act'.

He said the US would spare no effort in investigating the shootings to 'ensure that all the perpetrators are brought to justice'.

We will spare no effort in learning how this outrageous act took place'
'I think the American people are united in expressing our gratitude for the service of those who were lost,' Mr Obama said."

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Cameron is in a constant spin of Cobra meetings and high powered talks. The language he has used against Colonel Gaddafi has been more aggressive than any other world leader.

Speaking to Sky's Lisa Holland, Colonel Gaddafi's most high-profile son derided Mr Cameron and claimed Britain needed "to stop thinking greedily about oil".

He referred to the Prime Minster's response to the Libyan crisis as "a joke" and said "we are not listening to him".

Refusing to accept that the Libyan government has lost control of the east of the country, Saif Gaddafi called the rebels occupying the city of Zawiyah "terrorists" and reiterated his stance that he would live and die in Libya.

Cameron is in a constant spin of Cobra meetings and high powered talks. The language he has used against Colonel Gaddafi has been more aggressive than any other world leader.

Sky political correspondent Sophy Ridge

Warning countries who could be considering military action, Mr Gaddafi said the use of force against Libya was "not acceptable" but claimed "we are not afraid".

He said the regime's priority was to restore peace and security in Libya.

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Tunisian border guards struggle to control tidal wave of refugees - Telegraph

Tunisian border guards struggle to control tidal wave of refugees - Telegraph: "Police and aid workers dragged dozens of unconscious people from the seething tide of desperate migrant workers crushed up against the concrete wall that divides the two countries at the Ras Jedir frontier post, while soldiers have fired in the air to disperse gangs of criminals seeking to extort money from the refugees."

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Libya: mustard gas 'most potent chemical weapon'

Libya: mustard gas 'most potent chemical weapon'  "Mustard Gas, a chemical agent that attacks the skin and eyes, is considered one of the best known, and most potent, chemical weapons. The chemical agent was used for the first time as a weapon on a large scale during the first World War.
The deadly and dehabilitating poison was the most deadly weapon used during the war because it could penetrate all protective materials and masks that were available at the time.
The ouderless and colourless gas does not produce immediate side effects and usually takes between six and 12 hours to take effect."

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