Zeidan Voted Out of Office After Tanker Escapes Libya

Zeidan

Ali Zeidan was voted out of office by Libya's parliament, on Tuesday.

Zeidan had been prime minister, but the escape of an oil tanker from a rebel port was the end to his holding the position.

The tanker had made it to the port of Sidra, a rebel held port, on Saturday.

It was there loaded with oil and on Tuesday morning made for open waters, despite threats by Libya to blow it up.

Libyan gun ships shot at the tanker, damaging it, but were unable to stop it from escaping into the Mediterranean Sea.

Hours later, parliament pushed through a vote of no confidence in Zeidan, for his handling of the situation.

7 Hamas Members Killed in Exchange of Fire With Israel

Seven members of Hamas were killed on Tuesday, in the Gaza Strip.

Members of the terrorist organization fired mortars at Israeli Defense Forces, across the border.

Israel responded with air strikes, which targeted the locations the mortars came from.

Three Hamas fighters were killed in the strikes.

Hours later four more members of Hamas were killed while trying to assemble bombs, to be used against Israel. 

Russia Begins Clearing Out Ukraine's Bases in Crimea

On Monday, Russian forces forced their way into several Ukrainian bases, in Crimea. Once there they forced out Ukrainian forces who had been staying at their posts, even after being previously disarmed.

Soldiers on the remaining bases are feeling abandoned by the Ukrainian government. They have been besieged by Russian forces since February 28.

Pro Ukraine rallies took place for a second day, in various parts of Crimea. Police protected them from groups of Pro Russian militias. The militias and their supporters had attacked some of the rallies, on Sunday.

Militias are still maintaining a presence along the region's border, keeping international observers and everyday Ukrainians out. However, reports have come that in some cases they are kidnapping Ukrainian activists and reporters who attempt to cross over. In all known cases they were women in their twenties.

Ukraine's interim government passed warrants for the leaders of the separatist government in Crimea. The separatist leaders have pushed through a referendum on leaving Ukraine and joining Russia, which is set to take place on Sunday, March 9. Governments around the world have joined Ukraine in condemning the referendum.

Russia continues to move more unmarked troops into Crimea, while denying that they are theirs. NATO has announced that they will maintain an AWAC watch over the eastern borders of alliance countries. That watch will also give them sight over Ukraine and part of southwest Russia to look for any attempts to send Russian troops into eastern Ukraine.

Fighting Breaks Out During Competing Rallies in Ukraine

Competing rallies in Crimea led to clashes, on Sunday.

Citizens across Ukraine rallied to celebrate the two hundredth birthday of Taras Shevchenko, an ardent nationalist and Ukrainian poet.

In Crimea, they were countered by rallies by proRussian groups, leading to arguing, pushing matches, and in some cases fighting.

Police in Simferopol kept the two sides apart, while in Sevastopol the proRussians attacked the proUkrainians with whips.

A referendum has been set for Sunday, March 16, in which Crime's government plans to let the people decide whether to join Russia or not.

The vote is being prepared while around thirty thousand Russian troops besiege Ukrainian forces, in the region.

Ukraine's government has been joined by much of the world in decrying the "invasion" and calling the referendum illegal.

However, as no one is willing to back up Ukraine, militarily, there may be nothing that can be done to keep Russia from keeping the area.

International objection did keep Russia from sending troops into more of Ukraine.

International Observers Fired Upon in Crimea

International observers were fired upon, on Saturday, as they attempted to enter Armyansk, Ukraine, in the Crimea region. The observers belonged to the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe, or OSCE.

No one was hurt in the incident, but it was a clear warning that the controllers of Crimea will not allow international access. For now, the observers have fallen back, and are waiting for things to calm down before deciding to try again.

As many as thirty thousand Russian troops have crossed into Crimea, ensuring that Ukraine is unable to take the region back. Russia still denies that the troops are theirs, and they are unmarked, but they carry Russian equipment, speak Russian, and have been seen crossing the straight from Russia.

Inside Crimea, Ukrainian troops maintain positions on their bases, but are besieged by the unmarked Russian troops as well as pro Russian militias. In several cases the Ukrainian troops have been harassed by Russian forces that Russia says aren't there.

Officials in the Crimea plan a referendum, to decide if they should join Russia or not. However, the referendum has been deemed illegal by Ukraine, the EU, and the UN.

Ukraine and the international community continue to speak out against this "invasion", demanding that Russia withdraw. However, other than sanctions nothing has been done or threatened. It seems that the world can not stop Russia from taking over Crimea, without going to war with Russia.

Libya Threatens to Bomb Ship From North Korea

Libya has threatened to bomb a North Korean flagged oil tanker if it leaves the port of Sidra with oil.

Sidra is controlled by rebel forces and the government does not want the international community dealing with them.

The Morning Glory docked in Sidra, on Saturday, and is reportedly being filled with oil.

In January, a Libyan navy vessel fired warning shots at a Maltese flagged vessel which attempted to dock there.

No one is currently claiming ownership of the ship, leaving Libya with no one to complain to.

They promise to destroy her if she leaves port with a cargo.

Jet From India Catches Fire Upon Landing in Nepal

IndiGo Airlines 6E031 caught fire when it landed in Kathmandu, Nepal, on Saturday.

Upon landing the tires on the right side of the plane caught fire, spewing smoke.

Ground crews were able to put a stop to the fire.

All one hundred and seventy-eight people aboard the Airbus 320 were evacuated safely.

An investigation is underway to determine what caused the tires to burst into flames.

239 Feared Dead After Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 Disappears

Early Saturday morning Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 disappeared from radar.

No distress call was ever received, the plane simply stopped existing.

The Boeing 770-200 had left Kuala Lumpur for Beijing, with two hundred and thirty-nine people aboard.

Saturday evening an oil slick was found in the Gulf of Thailand, which is believed to be where the plane may have gone down.

Ships and aircraft from Malaysia, Vietnam, and the US Navy are taking part in the search for wreckage and survivors.
 
Concerns that terrorism was involved became heightened after it was revealed two of the passengers had boarded with stolen passports.

However, at this time there are no leads and all options are being considered as part of the investigation.

Aboard the plane had been one hundred and fifty-four citizens of China or Taiwan, thirty-eight Malaysians, seven Indonesians, six Australians, five Indians, four French, three Americans; two citizens each from Canada, New Zealand, and Ukraine; and one each from Austria, Italy, the Netherlands, and Russia.

Nationalities for the other one hundred and twelve had not yet been released at the time of publishing.

Parker, Colorado's Legend High School Closed by Bomb Threat

Legend High School in Parker, Colorado has been closed for the day by a bomb threat.

School had been underway but was shutdown just before 11:00 MST, when the threat was received.

Police are using bomb sniffing dogs to search through the school.

They are evacuating on a room by room basis and then allowing kids who have been cleared to leave the building.

Douglas County Schools reached out to parents to get information out to them and is using that method to coordinate pickups of students.

Albertsons Buys Safeway in $9 Billion Deal

In a nine billion dollar deal the owners of Albertsons bought out Safeway.

The buy out was unanimously approved by Safeway's board.

Safeway's holdings also include the Vons and Pavilions chains.

All involved companies will retain their names, in the merger.

With the acquisition Cerberus Capital Management now controls the second largest grocery chain, in the US. Previously, Safeway had been second, with Albertsons fifth.

Kroger, which itself owns multiple other chains, such as King Soopers and Farmers Market, maintains it's spot as the largest grocery chain.

At this time, the company has no plans of closing any stores, however locations which are too close to each other may see one closed to avoid competing with each other.