South Korean Soldiers Given New Orders

South Korean soldiers have been given new orders.

They now are allowed to shoot back, immediately upon being fired at.

No longer do they need to ask for permission to do so.

The decision comes as tensions are rising again, with the North being defiant in the face of the global community.

North Korea has been promising to conduct multiple nuclear tests and more rocket tests.

They responded to the new orders, for the South by saying that they, "cannot help but feel like laughing".

Their spokesman went on to once again threaten the South.

The two Koreas are still technically at war, but a UN enforced ceasefire has been in place since 1953.

That cease fire has been broken by the North a couple times, but the war never reignited.

Battle For Damascus Continues

The battle for Damascus is more intense and grimmer than ever.

Syrian jets have begun bombing parts of the city, as rebel forces over run the army's defensive works.

Rebel forces have begun encircling the heart of the city, where key government buildings are fortified against their approach.

Abbaside Square, once a proud football stadium, then a barracks for the military, is now a battlefield to keep the rebels from gaining one more way into Damascus.

Thursday's shelling was the heaviest anyone, in Damascus, had ever heard.

If Damascus does fall, it is unclear if the regime will be able to continue, in any realistic way, shape, or form.

Arkansas Senate Passes Act Recognizing Life at 12 Weeks

Arkansas Senate chambers

With a vote of twenty-six to eight, Arkansas's senate voted for the Arkansas Human Heartbeat Protection Act.

The act would recognize human life as early as twelve weeks, if a heart beat is detected.

Under the act, anyone seeking an abortion would have to undergo a test for the heart beat.

If a heartbeat is found, no abortion would be possible, except in cases of rape, incest, or if the woman's life is in danger.

The Arkansas Human Heartbeat Protection Act now goes before a house committee, where it is expected to pass.

Governor Mike Beebe is unsure if he will sign the bill, saying he'd need to talk to lawyers before deciding anything.

Zambia Bus Crash Kills 53

Fifty-three people were killed in a three vehicle accident, in Zambia, on Thursday.

A Zambian Postal Service bus, a truck, and an SUV collided on a busy road.

All three were speeding and smashed together, disastrously.

It took emergency workers hours to enter the bus.

Twenty-two more people were injured in the crash.

Japan Scrambles Fighters Over Russian Jets

According to Japan, Russian jets violated their airspace, Thursday morning.

Japan scrambled their own fighters, in response.

Russia says that while their jets were near the area, they did not cross into Japanese airspace.

The islands are disputed by the two countries.

At the end of World War II, Russian troops seized the islands, and the dispute has kept the two countries from ever signing a peace treaty.

Tunisian Protests Growing Uglier

Protests are continuing in Tunisia, and the mood is growing uglier.

Police are showering tear gas upon the crowds.

Security forces have been singling out the international press and seizing cameras.

Military forces have already been called into some areas.

The government is splitting, trying to decide what should be done about the current situation.

Prime Minister Hamdi Jebali offered to dismiss his own government, in favor of new elections, to try and buy peace with the protesters.

However, his plan ran into trouble, when his own party said they would not support him in that decision, and that they would continue running the government.

Worries are that if the government can't regain control, that the military will step in and bring about a new government.

Manhunt Underway for Cop Killer

A massive man hunt is underway, in the Los Angeles area, for thirty-three year old Christoper Dorner. San Diego police found his badge and ID near the San Diego airport, Thursday morning. That find has expanded the area of the search to include all of Southern California.

Dorner is a naval reservist and former LAPD officer, who was fired in 2008, for making false statements. He is wanted for a double murder, which occurred Sunday night, and for shooting multiple LAPD officers, which left one officer dead and two wounded, Thursday morning.

Sunday night's murders happened in a parking garage. One of the victims is the daughter of a former police captain who represented Dorner, during disciplinary proceedings. According to the LAPD they found a "manifesto", written by Dorner, that gave them enough to make them suspicious of him in the murders.

Then Thursday morning two officers in Corona were shot at, one of whom was grazed. Later in the morning, another two officers, in Riverside, were attacked. Gunfire killed one of them and put the other into surgery.

Police are warning the public that they do not know where he currently is. Dorner is considered armed and dangerous. The public is warned to call 911 if they see him.