US Army: Staff Sergeant Christopher M. Ward

US Army Staff Sergeant Christopher M. Ward, twenty-four of Oak Ridge, Tennessee, died on April 6 from wounds sustained.

His unit was attacked with a car bomb, in Zabul, Afghanistan.

It was his first tour of Afghanistan, following two in Iraq.

Ward was assigned to the 5th Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Armor Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division out of Fort Stewart, Georgia.

US Air Force Grounds 1/3 of Combat Aircraft

The US Air Force began to feel the effects of the sequester, on Tuesday.

One third of active duty combat aircraft are now grounded, as there isn't the finances to keep them going.

Units in active duty zones, such as Afghanistan, are not being touched by the cuts.

To meet new financial limits, the Air Force must cut at least forty-five thousand hours of flying.

Air Force sources say that the cuts mean that they may be unable to respond to any new issues, within a timely basis.

Once stood down, it will take most units sixty to ninety days of retraining to return to readiness levels.

14 Stabbed at Lone Star College in Houston

Fourteen people were stabbed at a Cypress, Texas campus, on Tuesday.

A student at Cy Fair Lone Star College attacked classmates, in the health science building, with a knife.

He stabbed fourteen people, before authorities were able to subdue him.

Four of the injured required airlifting.

In January, three people were shot at a different Lone Star College campus, thirty miles away in Harris, Texas.

2 US Troops Killed in Afghanistan

Two US troops were killed in Afghanistan when their helicopter crashed, on Tuesday.

The crash occurred in the Pachir Agam district of Nangarhar province.

A NATO spokesman said that there was no enemy activity, at the time of the crash.


No further details have yet been released.

Al Qaeda's Iraq and Syrian Wings Merge

Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi

Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of the Islamic State of Iraq, announced the official merger of his group and Syria's al-Nusra Front.

Both are members of Al Qaeda.

They will now be known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.

It is a sign of the growing prominence of Al Qaeda, in Syria, that they are now being completely open about their presence.

Other Arab countries and western powers are growing increasingly uneasy with Al Qaeda's gathering of strength in Syria.

Most of them back the rebels against the Assad regime, but Al Qaeda's presence makes it difficult for them to be active in their support.

UN Peacekeepers and Workers Killed in South Sudan

Militants in South Sudan attacked a UN convoy, on Tuesday.

Five Indian peacekeepers and seven international workers were killed and nine more were wounded, in the attack.

They were in the Jonglei state, which is one of the most dangerous areas in Africa, due to extremely active rebels.

The UN was quick to remind the world that killing UN peacekeepers is considered a war crime and punishable in the International Criminal Court.

6.3 Quake Kills 32 in Iran

A 6.3 earthquake struck southwest Iran, Tuesday morning.

Thirty-two people were killed and eight hundred and fifty injured as at least one village was destroyed.

Buildings in Bahrain, Qatar, and the UAE swayed from the force of the quake.

Iran's Bushehr nuclear plant was undamaged by the quake, despite it's proximity to the center.

Japan Readies Defenses as North Korea Warns of Nuclear War

On Tuesday, Japan joined South Korea and the US in preparing missile defenses.

AEGIS equipped ships were sent out of harbor to protect Japan's coasts from any possible launches.

Patriot missile batteries were deployed at key sites in the country.

Japan will take no chances with the safety of it's people, and states that any launch, by the North, will be considered as hostile.

Adding to their rhetoric, North Korea warned foreigners to leave the South, saying nuclear war was about to occur.

However, things in North Korea are calm, and the military does not seem to be preparing for active war.

Robbers Make Off With 2 Million Euros in Italy

Bandits made off with over two million Euros, after robbing an armored truck in Italy.

Monday morning, gunmen used a bigrig to block a highway.

When the armored truck appeared, they lit the rig on fire.

They they used an explosive charge to open the armored truck and made off with it's cargo.

As they left, they dumped nails onto the roadway, to slow any pursuit.

Their escape vehicles were later found abandoned, near a farm house.

At this point police have no leads on who the bandits were, or where they made off to.

Turks Protest Coup Trial

Thousands gathered in Silivri, Turkey to protest a coup trial.

Protesters attempted to tear down barricades as they chanted their support for those on trial.

Security forces used tear gas and water cannons against the massed protesters.

After the clashes, officials announced that the trial will be delayed, with no reschedule date yet given.

Two hundred and seventy-five are on trial for their alleged roles in plotting a supposed coup, almost all of them are military personnel.

The government's prosecutors are seeking life in prison for sixty-four of the defendants.

As no coup was attempted, the government's accusations are based on what they say is evidence of a conspiracy.

Many Turks believe that the accusations are an attempt by the government to limit the power of the military.