Deadly Plane Crash in Indian

Nearly 160 people are dead now from a plane crash near the Southern Indian city of Mangalore. The Indian officials say that there were 6 survivors out of the 160 passengers and 8 crew workers. The pilot overshot the runway and burst into flames. Survivors say they heard what sounded like a tire bursting right before the plane crashed. All the people on the flight were Indian nationals. Out of the eight people rescued, one was unharmed, four had minor injuries, and three were being treated for major injuries. Not all of them made it.

Submitted by:
Madelyn Higdon

Clinton Tours East Asia

Hillary Clinton has traveled to Asia this week to address some of the tensions in the region. Her first stop is Japan, where the Air Base controversy has caused quite an uproar among the Japaneses people. She will meet with the prime minister, Yukio Hatoyama, most likely to discuss a resolution to the base issue. She will also visit China and South Korea. South Korea has announced that they blame North Korea for the sinking of the Cheonan in March. North Korea has threatened to resign from their nonaggression agreement and respond harshly to the accusation.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/05/21/japan.clinton/index.html

Submitted by: Mallory Neumann

Elvis Costello Opts Out of Scheduled Israeli Concert

Famed singer and musician Elvis Costello who's released over forty albums during the span of his career has pulled out of not only one but two concerts this summer that were to take place in Israel because of the tension amounting from the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.  He apologized to fans, concert organizers, and journalists who already took the time to interview him, for his decision in not partaking in the concert.  He also claimed that him participating in the event could be considered a "political act."  On his website, Costello noted that he is "keenly aware of the sensitivity of [the] themes in the wake of so many despicable acts of violence perpetrated in the name of liberation."  Aside from the reasons he gave on his future absence in the concerts, he also mentioned that he feels sorry that he might never be invited to Israel to perform.  

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment_and_arts/10125493.stm

Submitted by: Hanna Khan

Picasso, and 5 Others, Stolen!

Disabling the alarmed security system one masked thief made out with what first estimate to be just over500 million of euros, but now it has been determined that it is just over 100 million of euro (Museams and art gallerys price them differently). Included in the theft were five very historically significant pieces of artwork major works by Picasso and Matisse, in a brazen overnight heist at a Paris modern art museum last night (Thursday Morning) police officials said. Some of the painting stolen were: "Le pigeon aux petits-pois'' (The Pigeon with the Peas); ''La Pastorale'' (Pastoral); ''La femme a l'eventail'' (Woman with a Fan); ''Nature-mort aux chandeliers'' (Still Life with Chandeliers. This is said to have been one of the largest known art hiests in the history of the world.


http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2010/05/20/world/europe/AP-EU-France-Museum-Theft.html?_r=1&hp

By: Chase Pavlick

Passengers Voices Recorded In Cock Pit Before Polish Plan Crash

While investigating the plane crash that killed the Polish president and other top officials, they found that there were at least 2 passengers in the cockpit 16- 20 minutes before the crash. This fueled the idea that the pilots were pressured to land because the passengers on the plane were running late for their appearance at the ceremony for the 70th anniversary of the Katyn massacre. Terrorism, sabotage and technical failure have already been ruled out as causes for the crash, but no other causes have been identified. They are trying to determine if cell phone use on board or crew experience were factors, but the idea of passengers in the cock pit is starting to be investigated. One passenger in the cockpit has been identified, but the name is not being released. But, it is being published that it is the voice of the Commander of Poland's Air Force, Gen. Andrzej Blasik.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/20/world/europe/20poland.html?ref=world

Submitted by: Kathleen Tite

'North Korean torpedo' sank South's navy ship

A North Korean submarine's torpedo sank a South Korean navy ship on March 26 causing the loss of 46 sailors. There was some debate on whether the torpedo actually came from North Korea, but divers found lettering on the torpedo that linked it N. Korea. Apparently the writing was a war threat against S. Korea if they should impose sanctions. N. Korea denied these accusations, and suggested that the writing was fabricated by S. Korea. The matter even got the attention of the US, where the White House interpreted it as a hostile act by N. Korea, that challenges peace. Experts from the US, Australia, Britain, and Sweden have investigated the matter, and all of them think that N. Korea is the culprit. They say, "There is no other plausible explanation." S. Korea said, "They want N. Korea to admit to its wrongdoings and return as a responsible member of the international community." World leaders agree that N. Korea's actions will deepen the international community's mistrust, and that the attack demonstrated "a total indifference to human life and a blatant disregard of international obligations."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/asia_pacific/10129703.stm

Submitted by: Nate Heberlein

South Africa's Zuma sort of a leader on AIDS

South Africa is the center of the HIV-AIDS epidemic with 5.7 million people carrying the disease, more than any other country. Despite being run by a president with three wives and a fiancee (despite all this love, Jacob Zuma still managed to have an affair in which he had unprotected sex,) Zuma has started a program encouraging men to be circumsized, a medical procedure that can reduce a man's risk of contracting H.I.V. by half. This is despite being Zulu, an ethnic group that abandoned circumcision in the 19th century. The article goes on to describe some of Zuma's outrageous behavior as president.

By: Justin Lynch

Urban guerrillas in Greece face scrutiny

With recent large scale protests in Greece against some "brutal" cutbacks (raising the retirement age from 54, cutting pay to government workers that get 14 months pay for 12 months of work and large holiday bonuses, oh the humanity) a terrible incident occurred on May 5th in which a bank was firebombed, leading to the deaths of three employees. Responsible for this was a group known in Greek society as koukouloforoui, "hooded ones" that usually turn protests violent. These people have long been tolerated in a country with a deep understandable dislike for the corruption prevalent in Greek government, but after the bank bombing incident, people are starting to re-evaluate their feelings toward the demonstrators.

By: Justin Lynch

Mongolian Livestock Disaster

After one of the most harsh winters in Mongolian history, called a "zud," which is an abnormally long winter full of heavy snows and freezing cold temperatures, the land is now experiencing a summer drought that has left them with no grass. With snow this winter that was waist high and temperatures nearly 40 below zero, many livestock had already succumbed to the environment and were lost. With this new drought the rest of the living livestock have begun to pass as well, leaving the country, with it's nearly 800,000 herders lost. Almost 8 million livestock, which include cows, sheep, horses, camels, yaks, and goats, have been lost, and with the drought looking to keep up, it's estimated that more than 500,000 animals will be lost in the next couple weeks. This livestock catastrophe is expected to affect the countries economy more than anything, since owning livestock is one of the most popular jobs in the country. In one district of Mongolia the governor has said that nearly 70 percent of the livestock from that district have been lost, leaving 2,800 without a herd at all. During this time of crisis the government has enlisted a program, financed by the United Nations ($1.5 million), to help herders earn some money by clearing out the millions of dead animals in the country, but this will only last for a few months, after that there will be barely any income for these herders.

By: Katherine Conrad

The United States Debate For Tragedy

Extracting from Canada's oil sands is one of America's top sources of imported oil. The Obama Administration is reviewing a Canadian company's request to build a new 2,000mile underground pipeline that would run from Alberta, Conklin to the Texas Gulf Coast, increasing America's access to oil. Deciding this fall the Obama Administration is currently debating the pros and cons, and political appeal to secure a reliable source of oil from our neighbors. Canadian oil sands are expected to become America's top source of imported oil this year, which will slow down deepwater offshore drilling. Two pipelines have been approved already, with one delivering oil to Illinois in June, and if the Keystone XL pipeline is approved, the system would allow Canada to export an additional 1.1 billion barrels of oil a day. The disadvantages include most of the biggest production sites are huge mine pits accompanied by ponds of waste that are toxic to birds and fresh water. Extracting oil from sands creates more greenhouse gases than drilling, it requires more water for every barrel produced, and carving chunks from the worlds largest intact boreal forest. It is going to hard enough to monitor the pipes from leaks and maintain upkeep which could infect the groundwater, and one of the nation's main Aquifer. For more opinions & the article.

Submitted By: Jessica Seggman

Rice Or Hamburger?

Studies have show that emerging economies take up a "Western" style of food consumption as their per capita rises. Giving huge bonuses to companies like Kraft, Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, and many more. According to economist Ron Trostle, counties in the range from 3,000 to 10,000 in per capita are likely to processed foods, the amount rising as the per capita amount does as well, of course. In the past though with economic crisis throughout the world, these emerging markets would typically resort back to their staple product. For example there was a crisis in Southeast Asia in 1997 and that year the people resorted back to eating and using more traditional foods that were locally grown and produced- rice! Chief executive of Cargill, a U.S. agribusiness, Gregory Page says that this year the market has not seen this trend. He seems hopeful for the coming decade for the agribusiness stating, "global economic growth in the 2010-2020 period would be above the 1990s average, but below the "supercharged by the liquidity spree" rate of the 2000s." Let's hope Mr. Page is correct and the rest of the economy has as hopeful of an outlook as agribusiness does.

Submitted by: Emily Schaub

Facebook banned in Pakistan

The government in Pakistan is blocking the nation's access to facebook after a controversial religious issue. A group on facebook organized an "Everybody Draw Mohammed Day" to which the Pakistani government was outraged. The drawing of the prophet Mohammed is seen as offensive in the Muslim culture. This incident has caused many riots and uproars among the people calling for a ban on facebook. The block is initiated until further notice.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/05/19/pakistan.facebook.ban/index.html

Submitted by: Mallory Neumann

Attack on U.S. Base

Taliban insurgents armed to the hilt stormed a U.S. base--Bagram Air Field right before dawn on Wednesday, resulting in an 8 hour firefight that killed an American contractor & wounded nine U.S. service members.

It's the second major Taliban assault in the Kabul area within just a few days, besides the eighteen people, including 5 U.S. soldiers & a Canadian colonel, that were killed Tuesday in a suicide car bombing in Kabul. There hadn't been an insurgent attack in nearly three months around the Afghan capital.

An Afghan provincial police commander, Gen. Abdul Rahman Sayedkhail, said the attack began when U.S. guards spotted militants in a car just outside the base. The Americans opened fire, triggering running gunbattles in which at least one militant triggered his suicide vest and U.S. troops hunted down the other attackers.

The attacks in the Kabul area, in eastern Afghanistan, come as the U.S. is focusing resources on the country's south. NATO & Afghan forces are gearing up for a major operation to secure Kandahar, the biggest city in the south & the former Taliban headquarters. American officials believe control of Kandahar is the key to stabilizing the Taliban' southern heartland.

http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1990334,00.html

Submitted By: Brian C. Gaddis

Bangkok under curfew

After anti-government protesters at last surrendered, Thailand's capital city of Bangkok was put under curfew by authorities. Lingering fires left over from the protests still burn throughout the city, and some resistance was encountered even after protest leaders expressed their desire for no more deaths. The curfew is to run for 11 hours and Thai TV stations are only to broadcast officially sanctioned channels. This is the first time in 15 years that such a curfew has been imposed on the city. The red shirts have been protesting since March 14, making it 2 months that protests have gone on.

By: Anna Moric

South Korea to accuse North Korea of sinking its warship ealier this year.

South Korea is ready to accuse North Korea for sinking its warship,which killed 46 sailors on March 26, according to government officials and local reports. The Yonhap news agency said that Korean Foreign Ministry intends to give scientific and objective to prove the involvement of North Korean in this attack. Its attempt to using multinational investigation is not a surprise as to gain international support for economic and diplomatic sanctions against the North once the evidence is released.

Investigators established what they said was a critical forensic link when they matched metal pieces and traces of explosive recovered from the ship and the site where it sank with a stray North Korean torpedo secured by the South seven years ago, Yonhap and other South Korean news outlets reported. They also said they had found a fragment believed to be part of a North Korean torpedo’s propeller.
And if the result is true that North Korea is in charge of the fierce attack, the tension between these two countries in Korean Peninsula will be worst since the Korean War.

However, this case has also raised some political disputes inside political system of Korea. President Lee Myung Bak is accused of using the anti-North Korean movement to win conservative votes for his party, by opposition candidates. One of them said that the world will laugh at the country if the government can’t obtain enough factual evidence to defend its accusation. At the same time, South Korea still looks forward to China’s back in supporting resolution denouncing the North.

Submitted by Yen Do.

Sanctions in response

On May 18th, the secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, made an announcement that five veto-aiming members of the UN Security Council and Germany had consented to extend sanctions on Iran and would present this resolution to the full council soon. This is a fierce response to the triumph the regional powers – Brazil and Turkey – just touched a day earlier, a deal of exchanging low-enriched uranium for the higher enriched one between these two countries and Iran. The five permanent members found this situation faithless, in regard to the scar of the October deal in which Iran turned their back. Meanwhile, the UN Security Council requires 9 votes out of 15 (with no veto from the permanent five) for the resolution. Lebanon is skeptical; Gabon has gone for negotiation; Mexico gets stuck between its regional partners of America and Brazil; China is in no doubt for a veto, while America is considering tougher sanctions as a diplomatic manner. In conclusion, “it now seems that Iran may have successfully repeated its old trick of confusing and dividing countries preparing to tighten the net around it.”

Submitted by Yen Do.

Turkish leader begins goodwill visit to Greece

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan came into Greece Friday to work on mutual defense cuts that would drastically help out the financially bankrupt Greece. Although Greece and Turkey have long been historic rivals, Prime Minister Erdogan hopes that his coming to Greece and their discussions will put their relationship on better terms. However, there is still a little animosity between the two. Greece spends the most money on defense in the European Union due to the hostility from Turkey.

"We want to proceed to arms reduction under a basic political condition: that Turkey … respect international law on Aegean and west Mediterranean issues," Greece's Deputy Defense Minister Panos Beglitis told Greek radio.

Even so, the EU has given Greece an unprecedented $140-billion rescue package for Greece, but has pushed Athens to cut its defense spending.


Submitted by Tieren Dokes
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-0515-greece-turkey-20100515,0,405848.story

North Korean recalls parliament

North Korea called a rare second session of parliament two months after a meeting in which it changed the constitution to increase Kim Jong-il's power. Analysts say the second session could could reveal crucial personnel changes or new economic projects. State media has said the session would be held on June 7th.

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE64H0F420100518

Submitted by Derald Willey

Missing Mexican Politican

An influential Mexican politician, Diego Fernandez de Cevallos, has been missing since Friday. Mexican President Felipe Calderon has ordered that the search for the politician be expanded from Queretaro, the central state where his vehicle was found, to across the entire country. Prosecutors say that there were "signs of violence" found in the vehicle, and many worry that he has been kidnapped or killed, given the continuing violence in the country between security forces and powerful drug cartels. However, neither family nor the police has received ransom demands or any type of information concerning his whereabouts. Soldiers are searching the rural areas surrounding his ranch for evidence, and police have checked local hospitals in case he had been taken in unconscious or under a false name.
Fernandez de Cevallos lost in the Presidential election in 1994, but has continued to serve as a senator and congressman, as well as being a very successful lawyer.

Submitted by: Katie Kregor

U.S. Missionary Tries To Take Haitian Children

Laura Silsby, a U.S. missionary from Idaho, was convicted of trying to take 33 children out of Haiti illegally this past January following the massive earthquake that devastated the country. Silsby and nine other American missionaries were caught trying to take the children into the Dominican Republic. Silsby originally claimed that she thought the children were orphans, but recent information has determined that many of the children do have parents who handed them over because they felt that their children would receive better care in U.S. hands. The other missionaries were detained, but they were not charged, and returned home. Silsby was originally charged with abduction, but her charge was reduced to "illegal travel," which includes smuggling people. The judge sentenced her to three months and eight days in prison, which was the time she had already been waiting in custody. She was promptly returned to the U.S.

Submitted By: Nora Beswick

New China Rampage

Six more people were wounded in a serious of random attacks in China. A man wielding a cleaver attacked six women, the first attack occurred at night when the man attacked a lone women outside of a restaurant in the city of Foshan. The assailant then rushed into crowd and continued his rampage by attacking five more women. The attacker, named Xie, then climbed the stairs of a residential building and then jumped off committing suicide. China has seen a number of attacked similar to this in recent weeks, and the common theme among the attacks are that the attackers of males in either their 30's or 40's and use knives and hammers.



http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37187453/ns/world_news-asiapacific/

By: Shawn Lawton

MOre Iraqi Head Honchos

An insurgent group in Iraq has just released the information that Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi al-Husseini al-Qurashi is to become their new leader along with Abu Abdallah al-Husseini al-Qurashi as his deputy. The group claims this is because two of their senior leaders, Abu Omar al-Baghdadi and Abu Hamza al-Muhajir, were killed in a raid in April. Al-Muhajir was also the military commander and his replacement will be Al-Nasser Lideen Allah Abu Suleiman who has promised retribution for the deaths of his former leaders.

Submitted by: Rachael Petro

Iraq dismantling nuclear plants

The Tuwaitha research complex in Iraq (11 miles southeast of Baghdad) is now being dismantled by engineers. The complex has been bombed numerous times in the past, and was the location for Saddam Hussein's production of a nuclear bomb. The engineers are finding their jobs difficult however, because of the nuclear contamination involved in the dismantling of this type of facility. The damage already done to the structure from previous bombings also makes the dismantling process more difficult. Officials are estimating the process to take decades, there are eighteen structures at Tuwaitha, and another ten around the country.
http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/meast/05/16/iraq.nuclear.legacy/index.html

Brazil and Iran in Talks

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva went to Tehran this weekend, as another attempt to convince Iran to stop their nuclear program. da Silva was scheduled to talk to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Sunday, yet at the same time, officials in Washington are more worried about if this diplomatic talk will somehow push back or halt the sanctions against Iran. The situation that Iran is in now is very similar to Brazil in the past: both are developing countries, Brazil expanded their nuclear program to include nuclear weapons like Iran is doing now, they both faced opposing views from larger international countries. Brazil is against the sanctions that U.N. Security Council is getting closer to deciding.

Submitted By: Albie Braun

Nigeria leader resigns over fruad charges

Vincent Ogbulafor, the Chairman of the Nigeria People Democratic Party, is accused of recieving 1.5 million in federal fund. He denies the charges but was under alot of pressure to step down because of the alligations. The PDP is having leadership struggles and the belief is that Mr. Ogbulafor alligation contributes to that.

Jessica Branch
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8682164.stm

Spain's Jobless

Many people in Spain are having a difficult issue finding a job, and it is not for lack of trying. During Spain's construction boom, many people stopped working in farms and started working construction, enjoying enough money for savings and to support their families on. However, as construction bubbles begin to burst, many Spanish want to go back to the original line of work- farming. However, they can't get those jobs because they have been filled with immigrants. There are two major concerns that are drawn from this. First, many Spanish officials are worried about Spain's international image as a country of hospitality with so much xenophobia running about. Spain has traditionally been a very hospitable country, and with attitudes towards immigrants rapidly changing this may be a cause for alarm. Secondly, where are the Spanish going to get now occupied positions. Many farm owners do not want to hire Spanish - citing rationale of work ethic and tenure amongst employees as the major reasons why.

David DePino

24 Killed in Somalia

Shelling in Mogadishu, Somalia's capital, on Sunday led to the death of 24 and wounding of dozens. The parliament's speaker, Speaker Sheikh Aden Madobe, asked the country's president to form a new government.  Somalia's Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid Sharmarke said his government, which is backed by the West, would continue.  Parliament met on Sunday for the first time since December as al Shabaab fired mortars at the parliament building, African Union peacekeepers returned fire.  Many legislators living in Kenya, Europe and America because of security fears.

Submitted by Derald Willey

Iranians Looking to Escape In Armenia

More than 27,600 Iranians spent the new year in Armenia because of the freedoms it offers. It wouldn't be the first place on a list of places to go for vacation, but for the people in Iran, the little border they share is a paradise. They can dance, listen to music, drink alcohol and dress freely, so Armenia is more of an escape than just a vacation.

"Music in Iran is a complicated issue," said one Iranian tourist. "It is forbidden to listen to certain pop music, so people come to Yerevan to listen to singers give concerts. Andy, Dariush -- not female singers, of course, because women are not allowed to sing in Islam. They can sing to themselves, but it is forbidden for anyone except the husband to listen."

Submitted by Tieren Dokes
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/babylonbeyond/2010/05/iran-armenia-booze-and-relative-freedom-lure-iranians-to-christian-enclave-to-the-north.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+BabylonBeyond+%28Babylon+%26+Beyond+Blog%29

Oh North Korea...Will you ever learn?

Warning shots were fired near the border between North and South Korean again. The shots were fired from a South Korean boat at a patrol boat from North Korea. South Korea's military stated that the two vessels had violated the Northern limit line. They had crossed the border on two separate occasions so shots had to be fired. Luckily, there were no shots fired. But it is presumed that tensions will be even higher after this incident. The skirmish took place close to wear the boat sank in the 26th of March. South Korea has not officially blamed the North yet, but they have a group investigating the incident. They will reveal their findings this week.

Submitted by:
Madelyn Higdon

Iraq dismantling nuclear plants

The Tuwaitha research complex in Iraq (11 miles southeast of Baghdad) is now being dismantled by engineers. The complex has been bombed numerous times in the past, and was the location for Saddam Hussein's production of a nuclear bomb. The engineers are finding their jobs difficult however, because of the nuclear contamination involved in the dismantling of this type of facility. The damage already done to the structure from previous bombings also makes the dismantling process more difficult. Officials are estimating the process to take decades, there are eighteen structures at Tuwaitha, and another ten around the country.
http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/meast/05/16/iraq.nuclear.legacy/index.html

By: Becca Sage

Gun Battle in Bangkok

On Sunday night an "intense and fierce" gun battle broke out in Bangkok, Thailand. This occurred hours after the Thai government called on the protesters to stop the violence. The red shirts were willing to negotiate if the troops were moved out of the protest area where thousands of protesters have gathered. They want the United Nations as the mediator, but the Thai government does not due to its "policy not allowing organizations to intervene in its internal affairs." The violence has gotten worse and 31 people have died since Thursday (that's including 7 on Sunday). More than 261 people have been injured. A Thai government official said that protesters have been "deliberately provoking clashes with soldiers in order to 'get pictures of soldiers using violence to undermine the government.'" He also said that if protesters did not have arms, the military would not need to be armed. Soldiers have been authorized to open fire when armed people approach within a certain distance. A CNN commented on the gunshots he heard on Sunday night and he said that he could not tell who the shooting was coming from--the protesters or the Thai military. The Prime Minister spoke of the small group amongst the Red Shirts trying to evoke civil war "It is unbelievable that they use people's lives for political advantage."

http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/05/16/thailand.anti-government.protests/index.html

Submitted By: Erin Burneson

Two Non-Nuclear States Talk to Iran about Nuclear Program

Iran has been the center of attention with the West because of the belief that Iran is trying to build a bomb but Iran denies any involvement with a weapons program. The Turkish foreign ministry along and Brazil are requesting that Iran send its nuclear material to Turkey for processing. Both Turkey and Brazil are non-nuclear states are known to be on friendly terms with Iran. The material would then be processed into a nuclear energy resource opposed to a weapon producing material and returned back to Iran. Both Russia and the United states agree that this will be the last talking attempt to negotiate with Iran before harsher sanctions will take place.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8685846.stm

Submitted by: Sherry Klinger

Arrest of Pakistani Man at U.S. Embassy in Chile

Mohammed Saif-ur-Rehman Khan, a 28-year old Pakistani man completing an internship at a hotel in Chile, was arrested and has been charged with illegally possessing explosives, but has been released while prosecutors build a case against him, provided that he check in weekly with authorities. He was arrested last week after setting off detectors that check for explosives while at the U.S. Embassy in Santiago. Officials said, in a closed hearing on Saturday, that the detectors at the Embassy had found residues of TNT and tetryl, explosive materials, on his cell phone and documents, and these same particles were found on clothing, a suitcase, and a laptop bag after a search of Khan's apartment.

Khan came to Chile on a student visa, and a senior U.S. official says that he has "associated himself with a group that we have some knowledge of that was espousing extremist anti-Western views." Khan was on a watch-list because of this and he has been tracked for some time, and the association with this group was enough to call him to the U.S. Embassy to revoke his visa. He had been detained in Santiago for five days following his arrest, and prosecutors requested that he remain in jail during the investigation, but Judge Carolina Araya ruled that he need not be deprived of his freedom, considering his lack of a prior criminal record and lack of evidence suggesting flight risk.

Submitted by: Katie Kregor

Mild Success in Blocking Oil Leak

BP's senior executive vice-president Kent Wells has reported that the massive BP oil spill has been hopefully successfully blocked. The oil pipe that had the hole in it has apparently been plugged with a tool called a riser insertion tube, which closes off the majority of the oil leak. The tube is a five foot piece of pipe that blocks sea water from coming into the pipe. The oil leak has been leaking over 210,000 gallons of oil into the ocean a day for the past three weeks. The plug for now is only temporary, in the next ten days they hope to have a permanent solution to the problem. Overall, the oil issue is on its way to being solved, and hopefully not too late.

By: Katherine Conrad

France Denies Deal With Iran

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/17/world/europe/17france.html?ref=europe

The French Government denies reports that they negotiated the release of a French Teacher who took pictures of a demonstration in Iran. She arrived in a Paris air base today back from Iran. The Teacher was sentenced to ten years in prison for espionage but the penalty was reduced to a fine of 300,000 dollars. Which they paid so he could return home. She was arrested July 1st after being in Iran for a 6 week teaching stint. While being in Iran he attend a demonstration about the election and took picture of a clash between parties. After being in Prison his bail was posted and he was allowed to spend the rest of his sentence in the embassy.

By: Zach Mowen

Suicide Among Female Sex Workers - India

This particular article focuses on the suicide rates of female sex workers in India. India alone has suicide rates 5 times higher of those in the developed world. Due to the high rate, suicide has become a public health priority in India. Focusing on a smaller demographic, the research found 19% of femal sex workers attempted to commit suicide in the past three months. The rates are supposed to be higher with younger girls overall.
In order to complete this study, the research was gathered in Goa, India. After all the research was completed, the individuals conducting this work found the suicide rates to be higer. Among these results there were increased rates in drugs and alchohol. The women, often the providers for their family, were also without a home of their own. The social, economic, and cultural complications these women faced on a daily basis could be contributing factors to an increased suicide rate.
The research also found that women with HIV prevention education/resources were three times less likely to committ suicide. With this information, researchers are hoping to increase HIV awareness/prevention, which will decrease suicide rates.

ARTICLE

By: Meredith Hess

Water~Water~Water

Rangoon, the former capital of Burma is now stumbling upon the shortage of water and poor people are suffering from the lack of water, unable to meet their daily needs for water. Moreover, approximately the death rate of people who died from heat stroke numbers up to 400 starting from April which is abnormally hot in Burma. Right now the temperature in Rangoon is over 120 degree Fahrenheit. Burma is a place where poverty and inequity strongly dominate so its people couldn’t help but rely on the vampire junta government. And the junta government is not being responsible as they are expected to be and the necessary allegiances for the problem are not being taken at the moment. Rangoon’s municipal, electricity, water and sanitation departments were unavailable for comment. Recently Burma has been hit by a major water crisis, which results from a combination of abnormally hot weather and increasing damming of rivers. Rangoon has also been hit by REGULAR electricity cuts since the annual water festival in April. One of the residents in Rangoon said that people are very frustrated and now not only because of the broken economy- they can’t even have enough water during the damn hot weather! Read more at http://www.dvb.no/news/water-crisis-hits-rangoon/9051

PS.Let's pray for the people of Burma who are suffering from the shortage of water!

Submitted by David Gum Awng

Confict on the rise in Darfur

A Sudanese army spokesman has said that the Sudan military has gained control of a rebel base in the western area of Darfur. 100 rebels, members of the Justice and Equality Movement, have reportedly been killed by the Sudanese military. Reports have seen a rise in conflict in the region, after a few years of relative calm. The current situation in Darfur has smaller rebel groups spread out through the region.

Submitted by: Mary Naset

Internet for Western China

Today, Friday May, 14th, full Internet service was brought back to the Chinese region of Xinjiang. The ban had occurring for the past 10 months. As the ban was lifted, people swarmed Internet cafes to check emails and such that had been building up for months. The "Great Firewall", or Chinese government censorship of many web pages and social networking, is still there. A new department in Beijing was created to help monitor the social networking of social networking sites.

by Jenae Harner

Another attack on children in China

In what is viewd as "social revenge," a man equipped with kitchen cleaver attacked and killed 7 kindergarten children, their teacher and her mom. The incident which left many Chinese shocked is seventh such case around the country which started late March which caused killings of 18 innocent children and injuring 80 which includes some teachers as well. The local sociologists describe the incident as the "copy cat" attack. Although security have been provided in schools around the country, both the local and central governments could do very little in handling these kind of attacks as these are not being organzied by group but desperate individuals. Read more at http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World/China/9-slaughtered-in-Chinese-school-killer-commits-suicide/articleshow/5920056.cms

Submitted By: Namgyel Dorji