Russia marks 50th anniversary of Yuri Gagarin's flight into space

Russia on Tuesday celebrated the 50th anniversary of the first human space flight, accomplished on April 12, 1961 by Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, with various events held in several cities.

A visitor passes by a mosaic image of Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin in Duna Plaza Shopping Center in Budapest, Hungary, on March 27, 2011. A 30 square meters large mosaic image made from 470,016 Lego pieces was finished to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the first human spaceflight accomplished on April 12, 1961. (Xinhua/Attila Volgyi)

In Moscow, a concert was dedicated to Gagarin and a 50-gun salute was fired at 22:00 Moscow time.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev attended the concert. In his address before the concert, the president highly praised Gagarin and called Gagarin's flight a "revolutionary event" that changed the world.

As part of the celebrations, Medvedev also visited the Mission Control Center outside Moscow and had a communication session with the crew members of the International Space Station (ISS).

The president wished specialists on the Earth and astronauts in orbit a happy International Day of Human Space Flight that falls on April 12.

Also in the day, the president awarded state honors to some of Russia's most senior cosmonauts and those who have devoted themselves to Russia's space industry.

"Space exploration is our priority," Medvedev stressed at the award ceremony.

Fifty years ago, Gagarin made the first manned space flight and orbited the Earth for 108 minutes before safely landing.

The UN General Assembly adopted a resolution earlier this month that declares April 12 the International Day of Human Space Flight.

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Nikkei dives 1.69% as nuke crisis level upwardly revised

Tokyo stocks plunged on Tuesday, with the key Nikkei stock index falling 1.69 percent as Japan's raising the severity of its nuclear crises to maximum level dampened investor sentiment whilst a strong yen dented exporter- related issues.

A man looks at the closing prices of Japan's Nikkei share average displayed outside a brokerage in Tokyo April 12, 2011. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

Brokers said that trading got off to a jittery start Tuesday morning with stocks opening lower following a series of seismic aftershocks that sparked concerns more trouble may arise at the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, 220 km northeast of Tokyo.

The plant's officials said a fire did break out at a battery station, but was quickly extinguished on Tuesday.

Losses were extended in the closing hours of trade as a 6.3- magnitude earthquake struck Fukushima prefecture at 02:07 p.m. local time causing the Nikkei to dive as much as 2.1 percent.

Japan's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency raised its severity rating of the Fukushima nuclear crisis to 7, the highest level possible, putting the disaster on a par with the 1986 Chernobyl disaster and the severity far exceeding that of the Three Mile Island partial meltdown in the United States.

"Investor sentiment is deteriorating because it seems uncertainty is going to remain for a long time," said one local market analysts. "There's concern about how disruptions to Japan's supply chain will affect the global economy."

Other market players said that the announcement by Japan's nuclear safety agency led some foreign investors to believe that the ongoing nuclear crisis could continue to elevate and put the nation's economic hub in danger.

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Slovenia develops new breast reconstruction treatment

Slovenian surgeons have successfully developed a new method of breast reconstruction for cancer patients, the Slovenian Press Agency (STA) reported on Tuesday.

Surgeons in Ljubljana Central Hospital use a three-dimensional mould to form a new breast from the patient's abdominal fat, and then have the tissue implanted and fixated in the place of the removed breast.

The mould making technique, developed by the Ljubljana Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, uses a laser to make an exact imprint of the healthy breast, which is then used to make a mirror-image three-dimensional mould for the reconstruction.

That is the first in the world to help woman patients overcome embarrassment of losing their breast after mastectomy, according to the report.

Speaking of the effect of the treatment, Uros Ahcan, head of plastic surgery ward in Ljubljana Central Hospital , said that the reconstructed breast is as symmetrical as possible with the healthy breast.

The latest breast reconstruction method has an advantage over artificial implants, because a breast reconstructed from adipose tissue grows and shrinks in case of weight gain and weight loss. In addition, the tissue has the same temperature as the rest of the body, the STA quoted Ahcan as saying.

The Ljubljana Central Hospital have done eight breast reconstruction operations for cancer patients, all of them were successful, with ten more planned in the coming weeks, the report added.

Some 1,200 Slovenian women are reportedly diagnosed with breast cancer annually. About 70 percent of the patients hope to have breast reconstruction after mastectomy.

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At least 10 killed in 7.0-magnitude quake in Myanmar

At least 10 people were killed in landslides and building collapse in Myanmar's northeastern Tachileik and Tarpin, Shan state, caused by a 7.0-magnitude earthquake Thursday night.

Graphics shows the information of a 7.2-magnitude earthquake which hit Myanmar on March 24, 2011, sourced by the China Earthquake Networks Center. (Xinhua/Zhang Liyun)

According to Myanmar's Meteorology and Hydrology Department, the quake that hit Loimwe, some 56 km southeast of Kengtung, Shan state, occurred at 8:29 p.m. local time (1369 GMT).

The quake, with the epicenter only 10 km deep, struck along Myanmar's borders with Thailand and Laos, about 87 km from Thai northern city of Chiang Rai. A 5.4-magnitude aftershock hit the area two hours later.

The quake affected many areas in Myanamr, with it being felt strongly in the border town of Tachilek and slightly in Taunggyi, Bago, Shwegyin, Nay Pyi Taw, Mandalay and Toungoo. It is reported that Tachilek authorities have advised people to stay out of their houses.

In Yangon, only people living in high-rise buildings slightly felt the quake, residents said, adding that some people have left their apartment buildings for safety.

The quake also affected a wide swath of land in Thailand, China and Vietnam, with a person killed in quake-caused collapse of a wall in Thai northern city of Chiang Rai.

Thai media also reported that the quake was felt in the country 's capital Bangkok, a city some 772 km away, with buildings there seen shaking and swaying.

According to Vietnam News Agency, buildings in Hanoi shook when the earthquake happened, which caused panic among residents of apartment blocks. The U.S. Geological Survey has put the quake at 6.8 magnitude.

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U.S. launches missile attack against Libya

The United States Saturday launched the first Tomahawk missile attacks against the Libyan air defense from warships deployed in the Mediterranean, the Pentagon said.

Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Barry (DDG 52) launches a Tomahawk missile in support of Operation Odyssey Dawn in the Mediterranean Seain this handout photo March 19, 2011. This was one of approximately 110 cruise missiles fired from U.S. and British ships and submarines that targeted about 20 radar and anti-aircraft sites along Libya's Mediterranean coast. Joint Task Force Odyssey Dawn is the U.S. Africa Command task force established to provide operational and tactical command and control of U.S. military forces supporting the international response to the unrest in Libya and enforcement of United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1973. (Xinhua/AFP Photo)

Speaking in condition of anonymity, a senior U.S. military official said the strikes targeted air defense sites along the Libyan coast. The sites were around Libyan capital Tripoli and western region of Misrata. The official said the strikes were the first stage of the assault that would involve U.S. Navy ships and planes.

The U.S. Navy has three submarines outfitted with Tomahawk missiles in the Mediterranean, as well as two guided-missile destroyers, and two amphibious warships, and a command-and-control ship, according to officials who spoke on condition of anonymity. The military also has five surveillance planes in the area.

Pentagon officials said earlier they intended to limit the military's involvement in Libya mainly to help and protect foreign aircraft flying into Libyan air space.

According to the Pentagon, five nations including the United States, France, Britain, Canada and Italy are participating in the strikes, and the coalition has 25 ships in the Mediterranean.

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Explosion heard at No.2 reactor of Fukushima No.1 nuke plant: agency

Japan's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency said Tuesday that an explosion was heard at the No. 2 reactor of Fukushima No.1 nuclear power plant at 6:10 a.m. Tuesday (2110 GMT).

This Oct. 2008 file photo released by Kyodo News Agency on March 15, 2011 shows the No. 2 nuclear reactor (L) of Japan's Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power station. Japan's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency said Tuesday that an explosion was heard at the No. 2 reactor of Fukushima No.1 nuclear power plant at 6:10 a.m. Tuesday (2110 GMT). (Xinhua/Kyodo)

The suppression pool of the reactor might have been damaged at No. 2 reactor, said the safety agency.

A rise in radiation was monitored near the nuclear plant shortly after the blast, said the agency. The radiation fell to 882 micro sievert after briefly rising as high as 965.5 micro sievert, topping the legal limit of 500.

But the agency said that the radiation will not immediately affect people's health at the levels of above figures.

Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO), owner and operator of the Fukushima nuclear plants, said it is evacuating some workers from the plant, but those who is working to cool the reactor will remain there.

Prime Minister Naoto Kan said earlier Tuesday that the government and TEPCO will set up an integrated headquarters, headed by the premier, to address issues at the Fukushima No. 1 plant.

* Container of Fukushima No.2 reactor damaged, radiation leak feared: TEPCO

Radiation is feared to have leaked after the containment vessel was damaged at the No. 2 reactor of Fukushima No.1 nuclear power plant early Tuesday, said Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO), owner and operator of the Fukushima nuclear plants.

Hourly radiation was measured at 8,217 micro sievert at the front door of Fukushima No.1 nuclear power plant, said an TEPCO earlier at a press conference.

The figure was three times higher than the amount of radiation a person receives in his natural state within a year, he said.

The rise in radiation was detected after an explosion was heard at the No. 2 reactor of Fukushima No.1 nuclear power plant at 6:10 a.m. Tuesday (2110 GMT Monday).

* Radiation near Fukushima nuke plant high enough to harm health: Japan gov't

Radiation released by the damaged reactors at Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant has been high enough to threat human health, said the Japanese government on Tuesday.

An explosion was heard early Tuesday morning at the No. 2 reactor of the crippled plant and a fire has just been reported at the No. 4 reactor, causing more radiation near the complex.

Prime Minister Naoto Kan warned that further leaks are possible and told people living within a radius of 30 kilometers of the troubled plant to stay indoors.

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Egypt's Mubarak to be moved to military hospital: MENA

Egyptian General Prosecutor Abdel-Meguid Mahmoud decided on Friday to move former President Hosni Mubarak to a military hospital, where he will remain in custody pending investigations, state MENA news agency reported.

Egyptian policemen and soldiers stand guard outside the prison of Torah, where

Alaa and Gamal Mubarak, the sons of former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak

are detained, on April 15, 2011 in Cairo. (Xinhua/AFP Photo)

Mubarak was taken to a hospital in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh Tuesday after he suffered a heart attack during questioning by prosecutors for investigation.

Mahmoud also decided to assign guards to keep an eye on Mubarak, the report said without mentioning the location of the military hospital, from where he will be transferred to jail as soon as his health condition improves, according to the governing prison laws, MENA reported.

The decision was made after Interior Minister Mansour al- Eissawi informed Mahmoud in a message that medical equipment at prison hospitals are not efficient to deal with the critical health complications and advised that Mubarak be admitted to a military hospital under tight security.

Mahmoud on Wednesday ordered a 15-day detention for Mubarak and his two sons, Alaa and Gamal. They are accused of corruption and use of violence against protestors during the anti-government demonstrations.

Based on the general prosecutor's previous arrangement, Mubarak would be transferred from Sharm el-Sheikh International Hospital to the Tora Prison hospital in Cairo.

Mubarak was forced to end his long-time rule on Feb. 11 after the 18-day demonstration, which left some 384 people dead.

Source: Xinhua