Kazakh Airplane Crash Kills 27

Twenty-seven people were killed when their airplane crashed in Kazakhstan, on Tuesday.

The Antonov An-72 went down near Shymkent, around 19:00 local time.

All of the passengers were security officials, including the head of the border service, Turganbek Stambekov.

Authorities are investigating the cause of the crash, but have no leads at this time.

2 Nigerian Churches Attacked

The burnt foundation of Church of Christ in Nations

Two Nigerian churches were attacked during midnight Christmas services.

Gunmen killed  six people at the Church of Christ in Nations in Postikum, and then lit the building on fire.

Another six people were killed at the First Baptist Church in Maiduguri.

While Boko Haram has not claimed the attacks, they are being blamed on the terrorist group.

Boko Haram regularly attacks Christian churches as well as Muslims that it deems not Islamic enough.

The Islamist terrorist group seeks to establish a new government that would be based in sharia law.

Guatemalan Prosecutor Among 7 Killed by Cartels

Seven people were found dead, in two vehicles, along a highway near La Mesilla, Guatemala, on Sunday.

All seven had been killed, and then their vehicles had been lit on fire.

On Tuesday, it was confirmed that one of the dead was federal prosecutor Irma Yolanda Olivares.

That confirmation only solidifies accusations that drug cartels were responsible.

Olivares had bee known for investigating and challenging the growing cartel influence, along the border with Mexico.

Two Killed in Airline Crash in Myanmar

Two people were killed an eleven injured when a plane went down near Rangoon, Myanmar.

The Air Bagan plane had been carrying at least sixty passengers.

It went down shortly before landing, after flying from Heho.

One of the dead was a person on the ground, who was hit when the plane made went down in a rice field.

When the plane hit the ground, it broke in half.

The cause of the crash is under investigation, but witnesses say that one of the engines caught on fire, just before the crash.

Japanese Fighters Scarmble After Chinese Plane Enters Airspace

Japan scrambled jets, on Tuesday, after a Chinese plane violated their airspace.

A Chinese Y12 surveillance plane flew into disputed territory, over the East China Sea.

As soon as it crossed into, international recognized, Japanese territory, Japan sent F15s to intercept it.

Once the F15s were in the air, the Y12 turned around and left.

China claims their plane never entered Japanese air space and has set it's armed forces on high alert, in response.

Firefighter Shooter Left Note

Chiapperini, left, Kaczowka, right

Police Lieutenant Michael Chiapperini and Tomasz Kaczowka were the two volunteer fire fighters who lost their lives, Monday morning. Their crew responded to a house and car fire, in Webster, New York, only to be ambushed by a gunman.

Joseph Hofstetter and Theodore Scardino, two other members of the crew, are recovering from wounds they received. An unidentified police officer, was also wounded, but no further information was released on his condition, yet. 

The shooter, William Spangler, lit his own house and car on fire, to set the trap, and eventually shot himself when police were closing in on his location. A total of eight houses and one car were destroyed or damaged during the fire, which had to be left unfought while SWAT searched for the shooter. His sister is missing and investigators are searching for her.

Spengler had previously served seventeen years in prison, for murdering his grandmother, with a hammer. As a felon he could not legally posses firearms, and it is not yet clear how he obtained a pistol, shotgun, and an AR-15. Neighbors say that he had been one of the nicest people they had known, from the time he was released from prison, until his mother died, in October, when they stopped seeing him at all. With his body, police found a note in which he said he wanted to burn down the neighborhood and would, "do what I like doing best, killing people."

Egyptian Constitution Takes 63.8% of Votes

Egypt's election commission has finished tallying the votes.

With 63.8% of voters voting yes, the controversial Constitution has passed.

Only 32.9% of registered voters took part in the referendum.

The opposition is planning to challenge the results, challenging it on several factors.

Drawn up by the Muslim Brotherhood, the constitution is seen as trying to establish sharia law.

150 Rescued From Breaking Ski Lift

About one hundred and fifty people had to be rescued from the ski lift at Mary Jane Ski Resort, in Winter Park, Colorado.

One of the lift workers noticed part of the Sunnyside lift coming apart, and shut the whole thing down.

That employee is being called a hero for taking the initiative to shut it down, otherwise the whole lift could have fallen apart.

It took workers about two hours to get everyone off the lift, via ropes, but there were no injuries.

The resort is not sure how long the lift will be down for.

US Airways Jet Catches Fire

A US Airways jet caught fire while it was sitting at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, Monday night.

The plane's auxiliary power unit, located under the tail, burst into flames.

It was quickly extinguished, and no injuries were reported.

An investigation is under way as to what caused the fire.

No passengers were on board at the time, but one hundred and one people had to be rebooked onto different flights.

 The plane had arrived from California and was supposed to head to Vancouver, British Columbia.

Winter Weather Hitting The US on Christmas

Winter is showing it's presence across the US for Christmas. Much of the country is in some sort of alert, with most being various forms of winter weather. From California to Maine snow is or has fallen, leaving freezing temperatures.

Parts of Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas, Missouri, Tennessee, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, and Ohio are under a blizzard warning. It was the first time that the National Weather Service had ever issued a blizzard warning for Little Rock.

In parts of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida tornado watches and warnings are taking place. The Houston area has had several sightings, and there are reports of buildings destroyed. One death has been reported due to a falling tree.