4,200 Firefighters Gain 23% Containment on The Rim Fire

Forty-two hundred firefighters and two dozen aircraft have battled the Rim Fire to twenty-three percent containment.

The fire has burnt one hundred and eighty-eight thousand acres in California, including forty-three thousand in Yosemite National Park.

One hundred and eleven buildings, including thirty-one homes, have now been lost to the flames.

Forty-five hundred homes and a thousand other buildings lie with a mandatory evacuation area, that is threatened by the blaze.

Winds continue to help the fire expand and drown nearby towns in smoke, making breathing difficult.

Yosemite National Park has remained opened, the main part of the park lies more than twenty miles away and authorities say that it is not in any danger.

Most worries are focused on the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir and the O'Shaughnessy Dam, which are now less than half a mile from the flames.

San Fransisco gets eighty-five percent of it's water from the reservoir and significant amounts of power from the dam.

City officials say that they have adequate emergency reserves, should the water become reached by the smoke.

They are also doing hourly checks of water quality to ensure that contaminants from the fire are not reaching people's drinking water.

Power supply has already been interrupted, as some power lines have fallen victim to flames.

Hasan Sentenced to Die by Lethal Injection

After being found guilty, on Friday, Nidal Malik Hasan was sentenced on Wednesday to death by lethal injection.

He was found guilty of the November 5, 2009 shooting at Fort Hood, Texas, in which thirteen people were killed.

Hasan will now be taken to Fore Leavenworth, Kansas to await his execution.

It may be several years til that can take place, as there are several automatic appeals which must be gone through first.

SEIU Calls for Fast Food Strike Across the US

The SEIU has called for all fast food workers to join them in a strike, across the US, on Monday.

While they did call for a general strike, they have singled out McDonald's, Pizza Hut, Subway, and Taco Bell.

They are demanding that fast food workers be paid a minimum of fifteen dollars an hour, from now on.

That is nearly double the average.

In a statement, the SEIU said that such an increase would boost the economy.

However, they had no comment when asked what the increase in costs to companies would do to the economy.

Iraq's Government Increases Alert Level After 80 are Killed in Baghdad Bombings

Eighty people were killed in Baghdad, on Wednesday, in a series of bombings.

Most of the bombs went off within moments of each other, showing that the attacks were carefully coordinated.

During the day, the bombs targeted busy Shiite parts of town.

Restaurants, markets, and mosques were all hit, leaving hundreds injured.

In the evening retaliation came as Sunni neighborhoods were struck at.

Al Qaeda is being blamed for the attacks in Shiite areas.

The Iraqi government raised alert levels, but it is unclear what more they can do to stop the violence.

US Soldier Among 29 Killed in Afghanistan

Three separate attacks killed twenty-nine people in Afghanistan, on Wednesday.

A car bomb struck a joint NATO Afghan base, in Ghazni. The explosion was followed by a militant attack on the base, which lasted several hours.

Between the bomb and the attack, ten militants, four policemen, three civilians, and a US soldier were killed. Ten Polish soldiers were wounded during the firefight.

In Farrah province, six truck drivers were killed and ten wounded when their convoy came under attack. Forty trucks, filled with fuel, caught fire and exploded.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for both of those attacks.

Four civilians were killed and fifteen wounded when a suicide bomber blew up his vehicle in Lashkar Gah.

No one has claimed responsibility for that attack.

Bubonic Plague Kills 15 Year Old in Kyrgyzstan

A fifteen year old boy died in Kyrgyzstan from the bubonic plague.

Officials believe that he was bitten by an infected flea.

The plague is often carried by wild rodents and can be transmitted to humans if they are bitten by an infected rodent or flea.

As a herder, the boy was quite often out in brush lands where wild rodents live.

Over one hundred people have now been quarantined, as a precaution, and two thousand have been tested.

The government has placed a ban on livestock travel and set up check points in the area, to further ensure nothing can be spread.

Rim Fire Burns Over 100 Buildings as it Reaches 180,000 Acres

One hundred and one buildings, including thirty homes, have now been lost to the Rim Fire.

Forty-five hundred homes and a thousand other buildings lie with a mandatory evacuation area, that is threatened by the blaze.

The fire has burnt one hundred and eighty thousand acres in California, including forty thousand in Yosemite National Park.

Nearly four thousand firefighters and two dozen aircraft have battled the flames to twenty percent containment.

Winds continue to help the fire expand and drown nearby towns in smoke, making breathing difficult.

Yosemite National Park has remained opened, the main part of the park lies more than twenty miles away and authorities say that it is not in any danger.

Most worries are focused on the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir and the O'Shaughnessy Dam, which are now less than half a mile from the flames.

San Fransisco gets eighty-five percent of it's water from the reservoir and significant amounts of power from the dam.

City officials say that they have adequate emergency reserves, should the water become reached by the smoke.

They are also doing hourly checks of water quality to ensure that contaminants from the fire are not reaching people's drinking water.

Power supply has already been interrupted, as some power lines have fallen victim to flames. 

Montana Teacher Given 30 Days in Jail for Raping 14 Year Old Student

A Montana judge sentenced a former teacher to just thirty days in jail, after the teacher plead guilty to raping a fourteen year old student, who later committed suicide.

District Judge G. Todd Baugh stated that the victim had been "older than her chronological age" and "as much in control of the situation" as the teacher.

The full sentence was fifteen years, however the judge suspended all but thirty-one days, and then gave Stacey Dean Rambold credit for one day served.

The courtroom broke into mayhem as the sentence was announced, with most completely appalled that the fifty-four year old is being given such a light sentence for his crimes.

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2013/08/27/4440584/former-mont-teacher-gets-30-days.html#storylink=cpy

Sao Paulo Building Collapse Leaves 11 Missing in Brazil

A two story commercial building collapsed in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on Tuesday morning.

Authorities believe that thirty-five people were in the building.

Thirteen escaped and eleven have been rescued.

The search is ongoing for the remaining eleven.

Surrounding buildings were also damaged, when the one collapsed.

Those buildings have been evacuated and are being investigated for any structural issues.

US, UK, and NATO Prepare for Likely Strike on Syria

As the world blames the Syrian regime for using chemical weapons on it's own people, they also decide what to do about it.

The US, UK, and NATO all have brought up the use of military force to punish Syria's government.

US and UK military forces have said that they are ready to go and could strike as early as Thursday.

Russia is demanding that no strikes happen and that any decisions be made in the UN, where they have vetoed any strict measures against the Syrian regime.

The Arab League strongly condemned the use of chemical weapons and demanded that the UN intervene, but did not specify how they should do so.

It is unclear if foreign military intervention would be limited to strikes on Syria's known chemical weapon sites or if the western governments are seeking to force the removal of Assad's government.

Syria's rebel forces have asked the west to strike at the country's air power, which has given the government a significant advantage in the civil war.

Any attempt to force regime change could very well see the war spread fully to Iran and Lebanon as Iran's government would likely back their ally and Hezbollah in Lebanon is already fighting on the side of the regime.

Iran and Syria have also made it clear that any strike could see them retaliate against Israel.

Israel has warned them against doing so, and on Tuesday began military exercises near the border with Syria.

Western involvement is also complicated by the fact their enemy Al Qaeda is an active participant in the civil war.

Al Qaeda is a possible suspect in the chemical weapons attack, but western governments seem very purposeful in their lack of discussing that possibility.