News of the World: Japan raises nuclear damage rating; Netanyahu mulls partial West Bank pullout; allies worry at Libya stalemate

The Envoy

• Japan raises the nuclear-damage assessment at the damaged Fukushima Daiichi facility to 7—the highest-level of severity, last used for the 1986 Chernobyl disaster. (New York Times; Bloomberg)

• France and the UK say NATO must do more to hit Gadhafi's tanks, heavy weaponry. (BBC)

• The prospect of a long-term stalemate in Libya puts stress on U.S. policy. (New York Times)

• Ukrainian Oksana Balinskaya recalls her years as Gadhafi's nurse. (The Daily Beast)

• Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu considers a partial Israeli Defense Forces pull-out from Palestinian West Bank and other measures ahead of expected September Palestinian bid for statehood at the UN. (Haaretz)

• Netanyahu to receive Justin Bieber. (Haaretz)

• Pakistan tells the United States to curtail unilateral CIA activities in the country. (New York Times)

• What's at stake in U.S.-Pakistan spy talks. (David Ignatius; Washington Post)

• Italy's Berlusconi said the $60k he paid teenage belly dancer was to support her beauty business. (Guardian)

(Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan speaks during a press conference in Tokyo, Tuesday, April 12, 2011, one month and one day after the massive earthquake and tsunami devastated northeastern Japan on March 11. Koji Sasahara/AP Photo.)