Pope Benedict XVI included Libya in his Easter prayers on Sunday. He prayed for diplomacy to prevail in the country and for the citizens to build a brand new society that is rooted on respect. He also asked Europeans to welcome North African refugees.

While the pope delivered the “Urbi et Orbi” (a tradition of giving a Papal message from the central balcony of the St. Peter’s Basilica) he said that in heaven, peace and gladness overflows. Thus, it pains him that it is not the case down here on Earth.

The pope said that he is praying for dialogues and diplomacy to replace arms and wars in Libya. He also hoped that those who suffered or are suffering because of the conflict be given humanitarian aid. As a great contradiction to the Pope’s plea on Sunday, Gadhafi forces launched an attack in Misrata killing 32 people.

Moreover, the Pope prayed that everyone in the Middle East and in Africa, most especially their youth, should work hand in hand to create a society that is based on mutual respect and a community that works to beat poverty and hunger.

Repression and uprising have forced people to European shores and Europe is still battling over whether or not they should deport the migrants who are mostly from Libya and North America. Because of that, the Pope also called for European leaders and people to pity the migrants and find it in their hearts to welcome the people of North Africa and the Middle East.

The Crown Prince of Bahrain, Prince Salman bin Halmad al-Khalifa, declined the invitation to attend the wedding of Prince William to Kate Middleton. The Crown Prince said he regrets not going to Britain’s royal wedding but in light of what is going on in his country, he respectfully declined thru a letter he sent on Sunday.

In the past few months, Bahrain government has been unsettled because of a growing outcry for more freedom from a group of people. Since February of this year, at least 30 pro-democracy individuals have already been killed by the country’s security forces. Moreover, Prince Salman’s father also sought the assistance of Saudi Arabia in sweeping off demonstrators from the streets. Now, more than a hundred of them are sent to jail.

When the invitations were sent to the Crown Prince of Bahrain, the media criticized what they call an insensitive move from the British royal family. Although Prince William and Prince Salman are old friends, the Clarence House’s Foreign Office advisers (the ones who helped in the guest list) should have withdrawn the invitation as the situations in Bahrain continued to worsen.

Prince Salman bin Halmad al-Khalifa said in his letter to Prince Charles, father of the groom-to-be Prince William, that he intentionally delayed sending his letter of regrets because he was hoping that the conditions in his country would improve and he wiould have the chance to join the wedding. Reports say that the Royal Family understood Prince Salman’s decision completely.

Extensive storms are feared to once again unleash raging thunder and tornadoes on towns that were already hit by tornadoes last week.

Forecasters said that this week’s weather is threatening to dump snow as high as 12 inches on Wisconsin. Severe thunderstorms are also on their way said Accuweather meteorologists. Moreover, they said that hail storms (with hail as huge as a ping pong ball) are expected to hit St. Louis any time this week.

Powerful storms with lightning with gusting winds may unfold from central Plains, down to mid-Mississippi Valley, later today and until tomorrow morning. The same storm may push from the east to valleys in Tennessee and Ohio.

Accuweather forecasters said that we may be looking at a triple threat of disastrous tornadoes, winds, and large hails. Many towns are still recovering from last week’s natural calamity and while they try to rebuild what they have lost, tornadoes may go their way once again.

Bill Deger, a meteorologist from Accuweather, said that the tornadoes may even hit the exact same places they landed on last week. An average of 45 people was killed by the storm last week in the southern region of the United States. This is the highest storm-related death toll in the past three years.

People living on the areas hit by the tornadoes are advised to stay up to date with weather reports. Right now, we can only hope for the best.

An angry group of people who are determined to oppose the Indian government’s plan to construct a nuclear power plant in the western part of India set a couple buses on fire and ransacked a hospital.

The people of Jaitapur have been fighting against the proposal since the government announced their plans of building the power plant nearly four years ago. Their group did not attract many supporters until the recent nuclear plant disaster in Japan following a massive earthquake and a deadly tsunami.

The general strike on Tuesday was called because police officers threatened to disperse protestors after attacking a police station, leaving one person dead. The streets were mostly deserted Tuesday; but at around noon, groups of people gathered in the streets shouting slogans and chants against the Indian government.

The police report said that the mob ransacked a government hospital and burned down three buses used for public transportation. There were no reports of death or injury due to the incident.

Construction of the first unit of the nuclear plant is supposed to start later this year with a proposed budget of $10 billion. If all goes as planned, this plant will become the biggest in the world. Areva, a French nuclear energy that started this project, is expected to generate 9,900 megawatts of electrical power. The first out of six units is projected to begin producing power by 2018.

Jairam Ramesh, Environment Minister, said that what happened in Japan is devastating but it should serve as a wake-up call for everyone to increase security and strengthen contingency plans. However, he insisted that it should not stop India from pursuing cleaner energy source.

On Sunday, officials said that the three days worth of vicious storms and tornadoes in the southern part of the country left 43 people dead and ruined hundreds of infrastructures.

North Carolina suffered most with 22 people dead. More than 80 people were also injured in the series of tornadoes that hit the area Saturday night. Vehicles as huge as trucks were tossed around like toy cars, homes were flattened to pieces, and even airplanes were blown away off the tarmac. Power lines were also cut by uprooted trees and debris of ruined buildings. At present, more than 200,000 individuals in North Carolina are suffering from lack of electricity.

Governor Beverly Perdue told reporters that this is the worst tornado damage that he has seen in North Carolina. He further said that there are 23 counties that are hurt really badly by the disaster – schools ruined, properties damaged, and infrastructures brought to the ground, among many others. U.S President Barack Obama already pledged that the government will do everything to rebuild the state.

Two nuclear reactors in Surry Power Station shut down automatically Saturday night, said Dominion Virginia Power. However, they said that both reactors are in stable condition and that their backup generators are working properly.

The storms started last Thursday in Oklahoma and moved to many other states in the South. Over the weekend, as much as 241 tornadoes were accounted but only 50 were confirmed. Alabama, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Mississippi also suffered from the incident.

Homes and business were severely damaged by a tornado which struck a town in western Iowa on Saturday evening.

The torndao was about three-quarters of a mile wide. Almost half of the town had been damaged by the tornado. However, there were no reports of deaths or any serious injuries, according to Mount County Sheriff’s Sgt. Roger Krohn.

Students and casts performing a stage act on a local school in Mapleton were sent to an underground locker rooms when sirens alarmed. Officials went door-to-door to check on the situation of the residents.

Forecasters previously warned severe weather in the Midwest over the weekend. They said the first front of spring warmth will possibly bring strong and volatile storms, which include tornadoes, to the areas in Midwest and South.

Lightning struck Burke County Fairgrounds in Morganton while thunderstorms showered the city with ball-sized hail.

The News Herald reported that seven people were found on the fairgrounds. They were transported to a nearby hospital by an ambulance. However, their status were not immediately identified.

Lead forecaster in Norman, Okla’s National Storm Prediction Center, Jack Hales said the occurence of strong storms, tornadoes and hails, are typical stuation during springtime. Too much heat and weather instability causes pretty organized, yet severe thunderstorms, he said.

The peak season of tornadoes in the United States runs from March until early July. The tornado was caused by a front of warm air rushing towards north across the mid-area of the United States.

Police discovered more than 600 snakes and other kinds of reptiles in a box kept on the luggage compartment of a bus in Argentina. The box was owned by a passenger who was an alleged smuggler.

The police acted upon some advise forwarded to them. They immediately stopped the bus, which was traveling from a northern province towards Buenos Aires. They boarded the bus and asked the check the passengers’ documents. Then, they poked into their bags to check its contents.

According to ranger Daniel Cherisch from Santa Fe province a passenger rode the bus with about 40 snakes, plus the other reptiles he had in the box.

Cherisch told the Daily Clarin that the police were afraid to open the bags. Cherisch, who also joined the operation, was involved in an investigation of a wildlife trafficking network. He said the smuggler spent three months of catching various species of reptiles for the purpose of selling them.

The police found 444 vipers, boas and other kinds of snakes, as well as 40 lizards and armadillo. The trafficker was arrested because of illegal transportation of endangered species.

The police said they will keep on guard on several bus terminals and will watch out for other forms of transporting endangered wild life. Other passengers of the bus were surprised upon the discovery of the snakes and other reptiles, whose numbers are already depreciating in Argentina.

Japan was yet again rattled by a 7.4 magnitude earthquake, Thursday night. A tsunami warning was immediately announced after the quake was felt.

Broadcasters of Japan’s public news network told people living in the northeastern shore of the country to evacuate to higher grounds and as far away from the shore as possible. One hour after the quake hit Japan, no tsunami was observed hitting the shore.

Officials of Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant (a nuclear plant that is still managing the damages caused by the previous tsunami that hit Japan barely a month ago) said that they see no immediate signs of additional problems from the recent quake. No one in the plant was injured as the workers were immediately relocated to a quake-resistant area inside the complex.

Government officials said that the aftershock hit 50 kilometers off the coast of Miyagi prefecture. Buildings in Tokyo shook for as long as a minute. In Ichinoseki, a place closer to the Miyagi prefecture compared to Tokyo, shelves and furniture were knocked out. Right after the quake, electrical supply to that area was cut to prevent accidental fires.

The earthquake shook Japan at 11:32 in the evening, local time. A little earlier than that, Japanese TV already announced a warning for a possible quake and loudspeakers warned residents of the western suburbs in Tokyo.

Experts are not expecting an ocean-wide tsunami but they emphasized that quakes that strong may cause local waves that can cause vast damages.

Seventy flights from Southwest Airlines Co. were canceled on Monday as the inspection of Boeing 737 planes continued. The action was implemented after a Southwest plane with a hole in its fuselage had an emergency landing on Friday.

Southwest’s Flight 812 was supposed to head to Sacramento from Phoenix when a 5-foot long tear opened its fuselage about 20 minutes after it had taken off the airport. Southwest only runs Boeing 737 planes.

Whitney Eichinger, spokeswoman of Southwest Airlines, said seventy flights out of around 3,400 daily flights were canceled on Monday. She said out of seventy-nine older models of Boeing 737-300 that were inspected after the incident last Friday, thirty-three of them had been conferred back to service.

Over the weekend, Southwest Airlines canceled about 600 flights as it inspected 737-300 planes for cracks in fuselage and fatigue. The discount airline said there were cracks found in two other planes.

The Boeing Company has no immediate reply on Monday. According to aviation officials, the aircraft manufacturer is expected to render service bulletin to 737-300 operators all over the world to inspect the planes affected, particularly those of heavy use. Currently, there are about 280 Boeing 737-300s in the United States and a total of 900 around the world.

Analyst James Higgins of Soleil Securities said the cancellations of the Southwest flights might cause the company some revenue loss, However, he doesn’t think the effects of the incident will last.

On Monday morning trading, Southwest’s shares dropped 2.6 percent at $12.34. Meanwhile, shares of Boeing dropped 0.2 percent at $73.84.

One in five air traffic controllers recently employed by the Federal Aviation Administration was washed out before the end of their training, said a government report released on Friday.

The FAA has been taking the number of newly hired controllers, who did not complete their training, too lightly because of the blemishes in their methodology, the inspector general of Transportation Department said.

The inspector general said 22 percent of the new controllers who were hired within the new methodology were not able to complete their training last year. In 2008, 31 percent of the controllers did not finish their training. But, it was only 10 percent less two years ago.

The aviation agency formerly predicted less attrition rate for hired controllers in 2009. However, what is important to FAA now is to measure the attrition rate of newly hired controllers and to understand why trainees drop out of the program.

Right now, the FAA is finding it difficult to hire 11,000 new controllers by 2019 in order to fill in the retiring employees. Controllers are obliged to retire as they reach the age of 56 and most of the controllers today have started reaching the retirement age.

Laura Brown, spokeswoman of the agency, said FAA currently has 15,700 controllers. It has started using the new methodology and has agreed with the findings of the inspector general.

For the past two weeks, two FAA controllers were involved in high-profile suspensions. Since then, FAA’s controllers are under careful observation and inspection. The two incidents involving the controllers are currently under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board.