Deliberate Flooding In Manitoba, Same Plan For Mississippi

In an effort to stem greater destruction of property further down the river, the dyke holding back the Assiniboine River has been breached southeast of Portage la Prairie in Manitoba.  The flood is expected to cover 225 square kilometres and affect at least 150 homes.  This is being done to ensure the flood is not worse downriver, where it would affect 500 square kilometres and 850 homes.

The same idea is being pushed forward by the US for the cresting Mississippi River, and the Army is prepared to open a spillway in Cajun Country in order to avoid greater destruction in Baton Rouge and New Orleans.  11,000 structures would be affected by the opening of the spillway, submerging 7,770 square kilometres under as much as 7.6 metres of water.  If this is not done, New Orleans will be submerged under 6 metres of water in a disaster that would dwarf the damage done by Hurricane Katrina.

Both rivers have been swollen by heavy rains and large quantities of snowmelt, raising their levels to record proportions this year.

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Officials in Washington who were in their respective positions during the Bush administration are attempting to say that the information leading to the mission to kill Osama Bin Laden was gained as a direct result of using the 'waterboarding' torture technique, and trying to vindicate their position on its use in interrogation.

Pakistan lawmakers are riled by the US raid on Bin Laden's compound.  They have closed ranks behind the military might of Pakistan, who's feathers were ruffled by the mission, and the leaders of the country still claim they had no knowledge of Bin Laden's whereabouts before the raid took place.

A worker has died at the stricken Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan.  Cause of death is still undetermined, but officials are stating that no traces of radiation were found on his body.  The plant is undergoing work to repair it after the earthquake and resulting tsunami caused major damage to the site.

Denmark, planning to institute border checks, may in fact be about to violate European Union law.

More news as it happens.