Cantaloupes Might be Causing Salmonella Outbreak

The deaths of two people, and sickness of at least one hundred and fifty more, has caused health officials to tell people to throw out any cantaloupes they may have, that are from Indiana.

Hardest hit have been the states of Kentucky, Minnesota, Indiana, and Illinois.

Health officials say that while salmonella outbreaks are a regular part of the year, this year has seen double the amount of normal.

Watermelons are also being looked into as a possible source.

This comes just three days after cantaloupes and honey dew melons were recalled for possible E. Coli contamination.

Thirty-Four Rioting Miners Killed by Police

South African President Jacob Zuma has announced an investigation of the shooting of thirty-four striking miners, by police.

On Thursday it was reported that twelve had been killed, after they attacked police.

But on Friday the number was raised as video of the shooting taking place was released to the world.

At least seventy-eight more of the strikers were injured by the gunfire.

Police commissioner Mangwashi Victoria Phiyega said that the five hundred police attempted to use rubber bullets, water cannons, and stun grenades in order to stop the mob coming their way.

When those failed, police were faced with the imminent threat of a riot that was armed with clubs, machetes, and other weapons.

Monday had seen two police officers killed by the miners, and so the police were not willing to take casualties again.

Moscow Bans Gay Parades for 100 Years

The top court of Moscow has put a ban on gay pride parades for the next one hundred years.

Moscow's city council had voted through the ban, but it had been challenged by Nikolay Alexeyev, a top campaigner for gay rights in Russia.

The European Court of Human Rights has previously ordered Russia to pay Alexeyev damages, after he challenged St. Petersburg's ruling that banned "homosexual propaganda".

Alexeyev now plans to take his challenge against Moscow, to the European Court.

The Council of Europe, Europe's biggest human right's watcher, is already planning to investigate Russia on it's treatment of homosexuals.

German Troops Could be Called on in a Crisis

Germany's Federal Constitution Court has announced that the German military could be called onto German streets, in a crisis.

Troops would only be called out, if the federal government decided that it was an emergency of "catastrophic proportions".

A primary example was that of a terrorist attack, if it was believed that a military presence could save lives.

Til now, the German constitution had banned troops from being armed on the streets, ever since WWII.

It wasn't until the Afghanistan war that German troops were involved in combat situations, and allowed to fire back.

Machine Gun Social

Asheville, North Carolina's Tea Party has come up with a new way to raise money, for the candidates they support.

They are holding the first ever Machine Gun Social, on September 29 at Bear Arms Indoor Range on Rosman Highway in Brevard.

For various amount of money, supporters can shoot off a clip from various guns; they also get pizza and sodas for the price.

How much per weapon; well an Uzi is twenty-five dollars, an M16 are thirty-five, and an AK47 for fifty.

The event is expected to be a huge success, with people from other states planning to attend.

Band Gets Two Years For Anti Putin Message

Punk rock band, Pussy Riot, has been sentenced to two years in jail, after a judge declared them guilty.

Judge Marina Syrova decreed that the band were guilty of "hooliganism motivated by religious hatred".

In March, the band performed an anti Putin prayer, inside Christ the Savior Cathedral.

 They claimed the did so, in protest of the Russian Orthodox Church's support of Putin; a claim the judge threw out.

After the sentence was announced, the crowd outside of the court, which was made up of hundreds of protesters, began chanting "down with the police state".

Police arrested at least fifty of the protesters, including Garry Kasparov, the former world chess champion.

Prominent musicians, activists, and politicians around the world have condemned the guilty verdict and sentence as being criminal and a strike against human rights and free speech.

Russia Claims London Embassy Was Attacked

Russia is claiming that it's embassy in London was attacked over Thursday night.

According to a spokesperson for the embassy a group protesting Russia's support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad threw stones at the building, breaking windows.

The embassy is accusing British police of doing nothing to stop the attack.

So far the British government, nor police, have had any comment regarding the incident.

The embassy is currently surrounded by other protests groups as well, specifically supporters of the punk band Pussy Riot, which was sentenced on Friday for performing an anti Putin message.

Western US on Fire

Thirteen of the western states have fires burning, with California, Idaho, and Nevada combining for thirty-five of the seventy.

National Guard and Air Force Reserve units are active in most of the thirteen states, and North Carolina's has come west to aid them.

Near San Diego the Marines have been called out to join the fight against what has become a deadly enemy.

Weather conditions in most of the states are expected to get worse, with triple digits and dry winds expected to only enlarge the fires.

In Washington, the Taylor Bridge Fire has been thirty percent contained, after it destroyed more than sixty homes whilst burning nearly twenty-five thousand acres, in just a few days. Another fire near Cle Elum, Washington is nearly twenty-five percent contained.

The Trinity Ridge Fire in Idaho has burned nearly seventy-thousand fires. Residents of several towns are about to have to evacuate.

Along the Oregon California border, the Barry Point Fire has burned sixty thousand arces, whilst the Holloway Fire along the Nevada Oregon is well over 430,000 acres. The Rush Fire, in northern California is over a hundred thousand as well.

All totaled almost six and a half million acres have been burned, so far.

Dallas Begins Spraying

Thursday night, Dallas County, Texas began spraying a pesticide known as Duet, in hopes of ending the threat of West Nile Virus.

Just this year they city has seen over two hundred cases of the disease, ten of which have resulted in deaths.

Statewide there have been more than double the amount of cases, and seventeen deaths.

Nationally around seven hundred have been infected, with around thirty having died.

Seventeen hundred people signed a petition to keep the city from spraying, but nowhere near enough to stop the city from doing so.

Low flying twin engine planes will spray over 100,000 acres of the Dallas metro, by the end of the night.

As a precaution, residents have been advised to stay indoors, with windows closed, during the spraying.

UN Withdrawing Observers From Syria

On Thursday, the United Nations announced that they will be withdrawing it's observer mission, from Syria.

It's presence had been hoped to put an end to violence in the strife torn country, but the conflict has only gotten worse.

The mandate for the mission expires on Sunday, and all observers will start to leave the country then.

Some see the withdrawal as admittance by the UN that it can not control or handle the situation in Syria.

It is highly unusual for the international body to admit any form of weakness.

With the withdrawal, any hopes for a peaceful end to the conflict are gone as well.

Now just the questions of whether the international community will become involved, with their own armed forces, remains.