Syrian Rebels Capture Key Airbase

Syrian rebels have capture a key base in north western Syria.

Taftanaz airbase housed several helicopter squadrons, which had been used to attack rebels.

After several week of fighting, in the area, rebel forces overwhelmed loyalist troops.

The assault was lead by Islamist groups, that have been labeled terrorists, by international countries.

They were even able to capture tanks and helicopters, intact.

A spokesman, for the Syrian government, said that the helicopters left behind were no longer in working condition, and unfixable.

The base was also a key link in the supply chain, and will mean some national troops will be cut off from resupply.

News of the base's fall brought renewed outcry for peace talks, from the international community.

Over sixty thousand people have been killed in the twenty-two month long conflict.

French Troops Active in Mali

French President Francois Hollande announced that French troops were no longer just a possibility for Mali.

According to Hollande he has already sent troops in, and they had their first engagement on Friday.

This leaves the French parliament in an awkward situation, as they were set to vote on whether troops should be sent or not, on Monday.

Mali had asked for help in fighting Islamist groups who had taken over the northern part of the country.

International military intervention had been approved, by the UN, in December, but no troops were expected til September.

Just recently France denied the Central African Republic's request for troops, to help in fighting rebels.

47 States Reporting Widespread Flu Cases

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention forty-seven states are currently battling the flu.

California, Hawaii, and Mississippi are the three states that aren't reporting widespread cases.

Across the country, twenty children have died from the illness, so far in 2013.

Some are worried that the flu vaccine has stopped working, but the CDC says that it is still sixty-two percent effective.

CDC stats also say that forty-six percent of those, who have fallen ill, were above the age of sixty-five, when illness becomes more likely.

FAA to Review 787s After Safety Issues

After three safety incidents with 787s, over the last week, the Federal Aviation Administration has announced it will review them. Before initially approving them, the FAA already spent two hundred thousand hours looking over the planes.

According to the FAA they will be focusing on the planes' electrical systems, during this review. 787s rely on their electrical systems much more than previous airplanes. The FAA's review will not require the grounding of the 787 fleet.

On Wednesday, an All Nippon Airways flight from Yamaguchi prefecture to Tokyo was cancelled due to brake problems. That incident followed two that happened for Japan Airlines at Logan International Airport, in Boston. The first happened on Monday, when an auxiliary battery system caught on fire, after landing. It was followed on Tuesday, when another 787 started leaking fuel, as it was taxiing for take off.

Both airlines say that this will not change their mind about using the 787s, and neither will cancel their orders to have many more made. They feel that the problems are just growing pains, which will be worked out as the planes are used. Other airlines stated similar opinions.

Despite the support of the airlines, Boeing's stock has fallen each day this week. Aerospace analysts are suggesting that Boeing should have focused more on quality assurance and rigorous testing, instead of mass production of the planes.

Review: Gangster Squad

What happens when an East Coast mob boss is completely taking over 1949 Los Angeles?

Most fall to the bribes and the rest to the fear. But some will have the courage to do whatever it takes, to fight for their city.

In Gangster Squad, six cops have that courage and will leave behind their badges and risk everything to take back the future of what they love.

As you can expect this is violent movie, it's basically a 1949 gang war. For the most part there isn't actually that much blood, so you know Tarantino wasn't involved. But the violence does pretty much open the film, and it sticks right through til the end.

The cinematography, for the film, was very well done. It brings an almost noire feel to it, but mixed with some shots and coloring that was reminiscent of films like 300 and Immortals.

Some will be surprised to find out that Nick Nolte is the leading role, as he's barely seen in the trailers, but he's got a solid role here. Sean Penn plays an excellent villain, totally selling his portrayal of Mickey Cohen. Emma Stone is stunning as ever, and her role is both bigger and smaller than the trailer suggests.

Ryan Gosling seems to have two voices in the movie. During the first part, he's almost got a whiny tone to him, which was just odd. Luckily that does go away and the character expected from the trailers does show up.

The movie also tars: Josh Brolin, Anthony Mackie, Giovanni Ribisi, Michael Peña, and Robert Patrick.

Gangster Squad hits theaters January 11.

PKK Activists Killed in Paris

Sakine Cansiz, left, Fidan Dogan, center, and Leyla Soylemez, right

Three activists for the PKK were found dead, on Thursday, in Paris.

Workers at the Information Center of Kurdistan noticed blood coming out from under a door, Thursday morning.

When they broke the door down, they found the bodies of three of their coworkers.

All three women had been executed, with a bullet to the head.

Sakine Cansiz, fifty-six, had been one of the founders of the PKK.

Fidan Dogan, twenty-eight, and Leyla Soylemez, twenty-five, worked with her trying to build European support for the group.

Each of the women was from Turkey.

French police are working to find any clues as to who murdered the three, in what is being considered a purely political killing.

The PKK, or Kurdistan Workers Party, has been fighting since the 80s for an independent Kurdistan.

Pakistan and Inda Exchange Fire Again

For the third time this week, Indian and Pakistani forces exchanged fire.

A Pakistani soldier was killed, on Thursday, along the Kashmir border.

Both sides claim that the other started shooting first.

On Sunday, a Pakistani soldier was killed when Pakistan said they repulsed an Indian attack.

Then on Tuesday, two Indian troops were killed and their bodies mutilated, in what the country claimed was a Pakistani incursion.

The series of events, between the two, this week have started worries that peace talks will be derailed.

India and Pakistan are at odds over the Kashmir area, which the two have split, and previously fought over.

4 Injured in Tel Aviv Blast

Four people were injured when a small bomb hit a car.

It happened in Tel Aviv, Israel, on Thursday.

The explosion is under investigation.

Authorities do not believe it to be an act of terror.

They are leaning towards it being a hit against an organized crime boss.

4 Bombs Leave 115 Dead in Pakistan

Ninety three people were killed and nearly two hundred injured in Quetta, Pakistan.

Two bombs tore apart a popular pool hall, Thursday night, in the Shiite part of town, killing eighty-one and wounding over one hundred and forty.

The second bomb went off about five minutes after the first, catching many first responders who had come to help victims of the first.

A militant group, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, claimed responsibility for the attack.

Their spokesman said that the first bomb was a suicide bomber, while the second was a car bomb done by remote control.

Earlier in the day a separate bomb had killed twelve and wounded forty.

That bomb had targeted soldiers and was claimed by the United Baluch Army.

In Mingora, twenty-two people were killed and seventy wounded when a bomb hit a Sunni mosque.

17 Injured When Swiss Trains Collide

Two trains collided, in Switzerland, Thursday morning.

Seventeen people were injured in the crash, but none of them seriously.

It happened near the Neuhausen station, near the German border.

One of the trains was partially derailed.

Investigators are trying to determine what led to the trains hitting each other.

Crews are working to clear the tracks.

Until they are clear, buses are being used to transport people around the crash.