Mali's Troubles Highlighted by Mutinee of Elite Troops

Malian red berets on a better day

Mali's elite "red berets" mutinied, on Friday, in protest over being ordered to the front.

They fired their weapons for several hours, refusing to leave the capital.

Eventually things calmed down when the orders were cancelled.

However, their actions do much to highlight but one of the problems facing the country.

Not only are internal divisions stronger than ever, but they threaten to turn things to civil war.

The country also faces the threats of insurgency, as shown by a suicide attack which struck a military outpost near Gao.

France's intervention has removed the likelihood of Mali being overrun by Al Qaeda, but threats are still there.

Belaid's Funeral Followed by Violence in Tunisia

Over fifty thousand people came out for Chokri Belaid's funeral, on Friday.

The opposition leader was never as popular as he is now. His death has united the opposition in ways not seen since the civil war, two years ago.

As they followed his body through the streets, the crowd railed against the government, against the Islamists who are running it, and they demanded a new revolution.

After the funeral, things turned violent as police fired tear gas into the crowd. Protesters responded by throwing rocks and lighting cars on fire. Demonstrations were not contained to the funeral proceedings, but were seen in areas across the country.

Prime Minister Hamdi Jebali once again said he was ready to replace the current government. On Friday, he added a claim that he does not need approval to do so. The ruling Islamist Ennahda party has said it would not allow for the government to be replaced.

5 Car Bombs Tear Through Shiite Areas in Iraq

Five car bombs ripped through Shiite areas of Iraq, on Friday.

All together thirty-four people were killed in three separate attacks.

Two simultaneous bombs struck a bus station, near a market, in Kadhimiya.

Sixteen people were killed and forty-four wounded when those blasts went off.

In Hilla, fifteen were killed and dozens injured when two sequential explosions struck a market there.

Another three were killed when a fifth bomb went off in Kerbala.

No one has claimed responsibility for the attacks.

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.