Syrian Rebels Set Fire to Oil Wells

Rebel forces seized oil and gas fields in Deir al-Zor province, Syria.

Unable to decide which of their factions should control the wells, they lit them on fire.

Furat Petroleum Corporation has been working to put out the fires.

They were able to put out six, but three are still burning.

Estimates are that over five thousand barrels of oil and fifty-two thousand cubic meters of gas are being lost daily.

Free Shotguns For Tucson Arizona

A group known as The Armed Citizen Project has a new idea for how to deal with Tucson, Arizona's rising crime rates.

They have initiated a plan to give residents free shotguns.

Armed Citizen Project will then track crime rates in the city, to see if rates go down due to the increased ability of the public to defend itself.

So far, enough money for thirty-six single shot shotguns has been raised.

Single shot shotguns were chosen as they're decent defensive weapons, yet criminals are unlikely to steal them, due to their limited round capacity and size.

The guns will be supplied by Black Weapons Armory, who will also be handling the back ground checks.

Land Day Celebrated With Violence

Palestinians celebrated their annual Land Day, by attacking each other, Israelis, and reporters.

Dozens of demonstrators were injured, when different factions clashed with each other, as well as attacking an Al Jazeera crew who was reporting on events.

A five year old Israeli child and six soldiers were hospitalized by stone throwing assailants.

IDF and police forces have used tear gas to dispel groups who became violent.

Land Day was originally created to remember six Arabs killed in riots, on March 30, 1976.

Tanzanian Building Collapse Claims 19

Rescue workers continue their efforts to find survivors after a building collapsed, on Friday.

Eighteen people have been rescued so far.

As many as thirty-five people are still unaccounted for.

Hopes are beginning to fade as it has been over twenty-four hours since any survivors were found.

Tanzanian officials announced that two more bodies were found, on Saturday, bringing the total to nineteen.

Originally the building had been listed as being twelve stories, but it has now been updated as having been sixteen.

Supreme Court Confirms Kenyatta Election

On Saturday, Kenya's Supreme Court upheld the Presidential elections, after a partial recount.

Police and military were rushed to parts of Nairobi and other cities as protests began over the decision.

In at least one instance tear gas was used to disperse demonstrators.

However, violence was quite minimal, in comparison to the last election which saw over a thousand killed.

The lack of serious injuries or deaths, on Saturday, is filling hopes that Kenyans have moved past those darker times.

US Navy Special Warfare Operator Chief Brett D. Shadle

US Navy Special Warfare Operator Chief Brett D. Shadle, thirty-one of Elizabethville, Pennsylvania, died on March 28.

He and another SEAL collided in mid air, while undergoing parachute training at Pinal Airpark in Marana, Arizona.

Chief Shadle was taken to the University of Arizona Medical Center in Tucson, where he was pronounced dead.

The other SEAL, who has not been identified, is in stable condition.

Shadle joined the Navy in 2000 and became a SEAL in 2001, eventually he became a member of SEAL Team 6.

Since then he had served in Afghanistan, Iraq, and other locations.

His awards include multiple Bronze Stars with Valor and various service ribbons.

224 Rescued From Runaway Ice Floes

Two ice floes in the Gulf of Riga came loose, on Friday morning.

Two hundred and twenty-four people became stranded on the ice.

One hundred and eighty-one were rescued by boat, from the larger floe.

A helicopter rescued forty-two from the other, while one man refused to be rescued by the helicopter.

Eventually a boat was able to rescue him, as well.

For Latvians going to the beach, even in the winter, is not an oddity.

Some were ice fishers, others out for a walk on the sunny day.

5 Shi'ite Mosques Targeted With Car Bombs

At least twenty-three people have been killed in a series of car bombings, in Iraq.

Five car bombs struck Shi'ite mosques in Baghdad and Kirkuk.

Over one hundred and thirty people were injured by the blasts, which struck just after Friday prayers.

Al Qaeda is being blamed for the attacks, due to their focus on Shi'ites.

12 Story Building Collapses in Tanzania

A twelve story building in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania came crashing down, on Friday.

The building, which was under construction, fell down onto itself, into neighboring streets, and onto a nearby soccer game.

At least two people were killed and seventeen injured.

Hundreds of rescuers rushed to the scene and spent hours digging through the rubble for survivors.

Tanzania has been experiencing a construction boom, as construction time speed up, there has been a growing concern over their safety.

UN Announces Combat Force For Democratic Republic of Congo

For the first time the UN is authorizing an offensive stance for it's troops in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Currently, twenty thousand UN troops are in the country, though they are seen as having been of little use during their presence, which has lasted over a decade.

Twenty-five hundred of them will now be put in a special brigade which will have the specific goal of seeking out and neutralizing the rebel threat.

UN soldiers from Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, and Tanzania are expected to form the new brigade.

Expectations are for the brigade to begin it's work in July, leaving three months for the rebels to prepare for them.