Lebanon Finally Forms Government

Salam

It took ten months, but Lebanon has finally formed a government.

Prime Minister Tammam Salam has formed a coalition evenly split between members of Hezbollah and the March 14th movement.

Lebanon has been very divided over the Syrian civil war, with Hezbollah backing the Syrian government and the March 14th movement backing rebel forces.

The divisions have caused a spill over of violence, into Lebanon.

Turkey's Parliament Gets Into Fight Over Judicial Control

Members of Turkey's parliament were left bleeding after a fight broke out during a debate.

Parliament was meeting late through Friday night and on into Saturday debating government controls over the judiciary.

Despite it's controversial nature, the bill eventually did pass.

The bill gives the government greater control over the judiciary.

Opposition members accuse Prime Minister Erdogan of violating separation of powers and seeking personal control over the judiciary.

Erdogan claims that the judiciary is controlled by radical groups and that the government must protect the country from them.

US Army: Sergeant First Class Roberto C. Skelt

Sergeant First Class Roberto C. Skelt, forty-one of York, Florida, died on February 12.

He and another soldier were killed in combat, in Kapisa province, Afghanistan.

Skelt was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne), out of Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

His decorations include: Bronze Star with third Oak Leaf Cluster, Purple Heart, Meritorious Service Medal with second Oak Leaf Cluster, Army Commendation Medal with second Oak Leaf Cluster, Army Achievement Medal with fourth Oak Leaf Cluster, four Army Good Conduct Medals, two National Defense Service Medals, Kosovo Campaign Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal with three Campaign Stars, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Korea Defense Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, three Army Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbons, four Overseas Service Ribbons, two NATO Medals, Special Forces Tab, Combat Infantryman Badge, Parachutist Badge.

US Army: Specialist John A. Pelham

Specialist John A. Pelham, twenty-two of Portland, Oregon, died on February 12.

He and another soldier were killed in combat, in Kapisa province, Afghanistan.

Pelham was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne), out of Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

His decorations include: Bronze Star, Purple Heart, Army Commendation Medal, Joint Service Achievement Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, with Campaign Star, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, Combat Action Badge, Parachutist Badge.

30 Injured in 100 Car Pileup in Pennsylvania

Thirty people were injured when a massive pileup occurred near Bensalem, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Philadelphia.

Friday morning's pileup involved as many as one hundred vehicles, over an eight mile stretch of east bound I-276.

Icy conditions and glare from the sun are being blamed for the crashes.

Crews were working nonstop to clear the highway, hoping to have it reopened for the evening rush hour.

US Storm Kills 20

A bitter winter storm continues to hit the United States, as it slowly moves north through New England.

Twenty people have been killed, due to the storm, as it has made it's way through the south and then up the Atlantic coast.

On Friday, a massive pileup occurred in Pennsylvania, injuring thirty.

As much as twenty-nine inches of snow and a half an inch of ice have fallen in various areas.

Power supplies have been knocked out for hundreds of thousands of people, with crews constantly working to bring the electricity back on.

Another storm is moving across the plain states, and is expected to add to several inches of snow, as it makes it's way east.

Police in Bangkok Begin Clearing Protest Sites

Riot police in Thailand began clearing protest sites, in Bangkok, on Friday.

Hundreds of police went to work removing barricades.

Sections of the city had been completely taken over by protesters, since January.

However, protest strength has dramatically declined and police were able to move in, with little resistance.

The opposition lost much of it's support after the government was successful in carrying out elections.

Mt. Kelud Erupts Killing 3 in Indonesia

Indonesia is dealing with yet another erupting volcano.

Mt. Kelud, located on the island of Java, began erupting Thursday night.

Three people in the village of Pandasari were killed.

Over one hundred thousand people were initially ordered to evacuate, but that number is down to around seventy-five thousand.

Seven airports have been forced to close, due to the ash in the air, which is causing respiratory issues as well.

US Army: Specialist Christopher A. Landis

Specialist Christopher A. Landis, twenty-seven of Independence, Kentucky, died on February 10.

He died at Bagram Airfield after being wounded in combat in Kapisa Province, Afghanistan.

Landis was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne) out of Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

His decorations include: Purple Heart, Army Commendation Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal with Campaign Star, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, NATO Medal, Combat Action Badge, Parachutist Badge.

Protests in Venezuela Leave 2 Dead

Protests in Venezuela turned violent, on Wednesday, leaving two dead.

Thousands had been protesting peacefully when a counter protest came out.

Police were forced to put themselves between the two groups, and then shots rang out, killing two.

It is unclear who fired the shots, and both sides claim that it was the other.

Dozens more were injured and dozens more arrested as police vehicles were burned and government offices were ransacked.

Soldiers and police fired tear gas at protesters, in an attempt to dislodge them from streets.

The protests began two weeks ago as the opposition renewed demands for a new government.

President Nicolas Maduro accuses the opposition of being led by "Nazi fascists" who want to destroy Venezuela.