Emperor of Japan 'Deeply Worried' About Nuclear Crisis

• In his first nationally televised address ever, Emperor Akihito -- who is 77 and apparently very shy -- said he was terribly concerned about the current Nuclear Disaster, and asked for human compassion to help "overcome these difficult times." Difficult times is a bit of an understatement. Authorities say a containment vessel at the Fukushima plant might be leaking radioactive steam, and a spike in radiation forced workers to abandon emergency cooling efforts at one reactor. Oh, and there's already a fire at a different reactor, according to the company that operates the plant. Meanwhile, there are 3,600 confirmed deaths since Friday, and more than 7,800 remain missing and unaccounted for. 440,000 people are living in makeshift shelters or evacuation centers. Perhaps a modest donation to the Red Crossmight be appropriate, even if you've been eating hobo beans and canned anus for the last six months.

  [ NYT ]

• And in Bahrain: Government forces attacked protesters and a government hospital in the capital city of Manama. [ CNN ]

• The United Nations will begin deliberations on a Security Council "draft" resolution which would impose a no-fly zone over Libya. Everybody thinks this no-fly zone/invasion is a great idea, except for a few party poopers like German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle, who "has advised against military intervention, warning of a 'slippery slope' to a full-scale war." Coward! [ BBC ]