Saturday, March 15, 2014

Malaysia's Prime Minister Declares Flight 370's Disappearance Was Deliberate

In a press conference, on Saturday, Malaysia's Prime Minister Najib Razak declared that the disappearance of Flight 370 was deliberate.

The plane disappeared from radar, last Saturday morning, and was never heard from again.

No distress call was ever received, nor has any wreckage been found.

Investigators were able to track the plane using satellites, for a time, even after it left radar, but were not able to determine where it ended up.

Officials from the US, Britain, and elsewhere in the world aided Malaysia in their investigation.

Razak stated that, "Evidence is consistent with someone acting deliberately from inside the plane".

It is believed that someone purposefully disable the plane's transponder, which helps track the plane.

Flight 370 would have had enough fuel to fly on for seven more hours, after it disappeared.

Authorities believe that it's most likely route was south into the Indian Ocean, as other routes would have put it in range of radar systems that would have picked it up.

Two hundred and thirty-nine people were aboard the plane.

Friday, March 14, 2014

GM Recalls 1.6 Million Vehicles

General Motors has announced a massive recall of over one and a half million vehicles.

Faulty ignition switches could turn off the ignition, while the vehicles are being driven.

Airbags could also be disabled by the faulty switches.

The recall covers 2005-07 Chevrolet Cobalt, 2006-07 Chevrolet HHR, 2007 Pontiac G5, 2006-07 Pontiac Solstice, 2003-07 Saturn Ion, and 2007 Saturn Sky.

Dealers will inspect and replaces faulty switches for free.

Donetsk Clashes Leave 2 Dead in Ukraine as Russia Masses Troops at The Border

Violent clashes took place in Donestk, Ukraine, Thursday night, between pro Russian and pro Ukrainian groups. Two people were killed and at least twenty-eight injured in the fighting. Witnesses say that the pro Russian groups started the fighting.

Russia is once again saying it will move troops into Eastern Ukraine, to "protect ethnic Russians from the violence". They have warned Ukraine's military to stand down and not interfere, should they cross the border.

Over two hundred thousand troops are conducting maneuvers not far from the border. On Thursday,  some of the units came right up to the border and parked, making it clear they are prepared to cross. Ukraine has promised to defend itself against any further Russian intrusions.

On Tuesday, Ukraine announced the formation of a new National Guard, which will be compromised of their veteran troops and the best equipment. The government called upon the US, UK, and NATO to aid them militarily as they are outmatched by the Russian forces. 

Around fifty thousand Russian troops have already occupied Crimea. The region has since declared itself independent from Ukraine and is holding a referendum, on Sunday, to decide whether or not to join Russia.

Russia continues to deny it is their troops in Crimea, noting that they do not have any kind of Russian insignia or unit markings, and claims that they are militia from within the Crimea. Despite their attempts at denial, it is clear they are Russian due to the numbers, weaponry, quality of training, and that they speak Russian. Various news sources have also caught them crossing over from Russia. Monday saw the troops begin clearing out besieged Ukrainian bases, which had previously been disarmed.

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.

Hundreds of Boko Haram Fighters Attack Maiduguri, Nigeria

Hundreds of members of Boko Haram attacked the Nigerian city of Maiduguri, on Friday.

They targeted the military barracks, prison, university, and a housing development for the city's government workers.

Military forces were able to defeat the attack, but not before dozens of the city's citizens had been murdered by the terrorists.

According to the government, nearly one hundred Boko Haram fighters were killed, in the attack.

2 Bombs in Pakistan Leave 18 Dead

Quetta
Two separate bombings left eighteen dead, in Pakistan, on Friday.

Ten people were killed in Quetta, when a remote controlled bicycle bomb exploded.

Dozens more were injured in the blast, which struck a busy street.

The explosion just missed a convoy of security personnel, believed to be the intended target.

In the Sarband market of Peshawar eight people were killed when a suicide bomber attacked an armored personnel carrier.

More than thirty other people were injured, some critically.

No one has claimed responsibility for either of the attacks.

Mumbai Building Collapse Kills 7

A seven story building collapsed and fell onto neighboring houses, in Mumbai, India, on Friday.

Seven people are confirmed dead and five injured, with an unknown number still trapped under the rubble.

Rescue efforts are underway to save as many as they can.

The building had been condemned months ago, but a court battle was ongoing, which had kept it from being demolished.

6 Killed in Market Stabbing in China

Six people died as the result of a stabbing in Changsha, China, on Friday.

An argument broke out in a market, between a bread salesman and a customer.

The customer eventually pulled a knife and stabbed the vendor repeatedly, killing him.

The knife wielding man then stabbed several other people, killing four of them.

When police showed up he charged at them, with the knife, so they shot and killed him.

Tropical Cyclone Lusi Kills 3 in Vanuatu Islands

The Vanuatu Islands were roughed up on Friday, by tropical cyclone Lusi.

Three people were confirmed dead, with another six missing.

Lusi caused flooding and did damage to the country's crops.

The storm headed for New Zealand, losing strength as it went, and is expected to make landfall on Saturday.

Thursday, March 13, 2014

2 Killed at SXSW When Car Plows Into Crowd

Two people were killed and twenty-three injured when a car plowed through a crowd at SXSW in Austin, Texas.

The accident occurred shortly after midnight Thursday morning.

Witnesses say that the driver appeared to be drunk.

After plowing through the crowd and striking two other vehicles, he attempted to escape the scene, but was brought down by a police officer's stun gun.

SXSW is the South by Southwest music and film festival, this was it's twenty-seventh year.

Tanker Crash Damages Train Service in New Jersey

A tanker crash and explosion damaged train tracks nearby, early Thursday morning, in Newark, New Jersey.

A car collided with the gas tanker, causing a fire and then an explosion of about eighty-five hundred gallons of gas.

Amazingly no one was injured in the incident.

It happened on McCarter Highway, right next to Amtrak train lines.

Damage to signals, wires, and tracks was being repaired as quickly as possible.

Service delays are to be expected throughout the rest of Thursday, but Amtrak hopes to have everything back to normal for Friday.

An investigation of the crash is underway.