32 Injured in Chicago Train Derailment

Thirty-two people were injured, early Monday morning, when a train derailed, in Chicago, Illinois.

The train struck a platform at O'Hare International Airport.

It's front car went off the tracks and landed on a nearby escalator.

 None of the injuries are life threatening.

An investigation is underway to determine what caused the train to jump it's tracks, though excessive speed is considered a likely factor.

Authorities suspended train service, on that part of the line, for twenty-four hours, for the investigation to take place.

Mudslide Leaves 4 Dead, 18 Missing in Washington

A massive mudslide swallowed entire houses, Saturday morning, in Oso, Washington.

Four people have been confirmed dead, eight were injured, and eighteen are still missing.

Mud up to twenty feet deep swept in a sudden rush trapping many people.

Rescue efforts have been hampered by thick, quick sand like mud.

Concerns about the possibility of the Stillaguamish River flooding are also on the minds of officials.

Turkey Shoots Down Jet From Syria

Two Turkish F16s engaged two Syrian jets, on Sunday, after they allegedly entered Turkish airspace.

One of the Syrian jets was shot down, with it's pilot safely ejecting and parachuting down into Syria.

The Turkish government says that it repeatedly warned they Syrian jets that they were approaching Turkish airspace.

After they had entered Turkish airspace they were given one last warning, and then shots were fired once they had gone beyond a kilometer into Turkey.

Syria's government has yet to comment on the incident.

Review: Divergent

Divergent is set in a dystopian future in a ruined Chicago after an unknown war that left the land and people desolated. The exposition leading to the meat of the movie is short, sweet, and to the point letting the viewer to know exactly where and when the story is taking place. I really enjoyed the explanations of the different factions which made this viewer think of which one he would belong to.

Shailene Woodley, who played Beatris or Tris as she later named herself, played the part wonderfully. Woodley's actions, expressions, physicality, and action is true to the character she portrays. Theo James, who was cast as Four, plays both tough and tender simultaneously beautifully. You couldn’t ask for a better performance. In addition, Jai Courtney, who is Eric in the filmm had the most perfect features both physically and acting wise to portray his character. The rest of the cast really rounded out the movie to be smooth and working well.

I was happy to see the heroine in this movie, compared to the other dystopian Young Adult genre movie(s) Hunger Games, not actually minding hurting or killing people. Equally impressive were scenes where females fought males. That is not really seen a lot in movies so it was a nice change of pace. Having not read the books, I didn’t know how this first film was supposed to end. I was happy it ended the way it did though.

There were a few drawbacks. Namely the cliche montage training scenes. Also, I felt there could have been a few times where the movie could have ended which would have made the viewer to come back to see how the rest of the story ended. Another thing that I wondered about was the level of violence and blood in a PG-13 movie. So, be wary of taking your young children to see this.

Overall, there was a great cohesiveness with how the film was made. It really felt complete and left nothing to wonderment save for how the next two movies will progress.

DISCLAIMER: The reviewer is from Chicago, so it may have made the movie more enjoyable.

Ukraine Airman Injured as Russia Attacks Base

A Ukrainian airman was injured on Saturday, when Russian troops attacked two Ukrainian bases, in Crimea.

The Russian troops used armored vehicles to crash through the gates, firing stun grenades at Ukrainian troops, and firing live ammunition into the air.

They also detained the base's commander and took him away for "talks".

Ukraine has been attempting to find a way to safely evacuate their bases, in the region which Russia has stolen through force.

However it seems Russia is unwillingly to allow Ukraine time to do so, and is likely also trying to provoke a war.

If a war begins it would give Russia an excuse to roll into eastern Ukraine, if not the entire country.

While the international community is willing to put small sanctions against Russia, for it's criminal actions, they are not willing to defend Ukraine with their own troops.

35 Killed When Oil Truck Hits Buses in Pakistan

Thirty-five people were killed when an oil truck struck two buses near Hub, Balochistan, Pakistan.

Dozens more were injured in the crash and resulting fire.

The fire was made worse as both buses were carrying oil on their roofs.

It took fire fighters nearly two hours to control the flames.

Officials say that the truck driver was speeding and lost control of his vehicle.

North Korea Launches 30 Rockets

Once again North Korea fired off a series of rockets into the Sea of Japan.

Saturday's barrage involved thirty short range rockets.

The "tests" took place while the US and South Korea are conducting maneuvers.

None of the projectiles came near allied forces.

It is the fifth time during the maneuvers that North Korea has fired weaponry.

They conduct the "tests" as a form of protest against the US's continued support of South Korea.

10 Missing After Hotel Fire in New Jersey Kills 4

Four people were killed in an early morning fire at the Mariner's Cove Motor Inn, in Point Pleasant Beach, New Jersey.

Another eight people were injured in Friday's blaze, including a deputy sheriff who was injured helping with the evacuation.

Officials say that another ten are missing.

It is unclear if the missing were even present, at the time of the incident.

An investigation is underway to determine what caused the fire.

Ukraine to Withdraw From Crimea After Russia's Troops Seize Naval Bases

Ukraine announced that it will withdraw their troops, from their bases in Crimea. They will also bring their families out with them.

The announcement came just hours after Russian troops forced their way into and seized two Ukrainian naval bases in Sevastopol, on Wednesday morning.

Both sets of events happened a day after pro Russian militias attacked a Ukrainian military base in Simferopol. That attack resulted in two deaths.

Sunday saw a vote pass for Crimea to leave Ukraine and join Russia. Russia praised it as a sign that Crimeans wished to rejoin Russia, bragging about it's ninety-seven percent yes votes. However, with only a fifty-six percent turnout it would seem the vote wasn't truly that successful.

The international community has condemned the vote, calling it illegal. Only Russia is accepting the vote as having any bases. Much of the world notes that as many as fifty thousand Russian troops were in Crimea, for the vote. It is also noted that pro Russian militias stationed themselves inside most polling posts.

Sanctions were announced, on Monday, by the US, Australia, EU, and other nations. However, the sanctions are severely limited and do nothing to make Russia even pause from keeping Crimea.

On Saturday, Russian forces went north of Crimea and seized the village of Strilkove for a time. They eventually pulled back, but set up shop around and inside the village's natural gas production buildings. Ukrainian troops have since made entrenchments and other defense inside the village to block any further Russian incursions.

Ukraine has called up all of it's reserves, in case Russia attempts to push further into the country. Nearly two thousand Russian troops are setup right on the eastern border. Around two hundred thousand more are conducting maneuvers just a few hours further east. No military aid is expected from Europe, should Russia advance.

2 Dead as News Helicopter Crashes in Seattle

A news helicopter in Seattle, Washington, crashed on Tuesday morning, while attempting to land at the KOMO news helipad.

It hit the ground, striking three vehicles and bursting into flames, near the Space Needle.

Both aboard the helicopter were killed, while the driver of one of the cars was severely injured and is in serious condition, with burns to much of his body.

Firefighters were able to contain the blaze and get the flames out.

The cause of the crash is under investigation.