Disney Confirms Stand Alone Star Wars Movies

Bob Iger, CEO at Disney, confirmed a few rumors, on Tuesday.

He confirmed that at least two non trilogy, or stand alone, Star Wars films are in the making. Two of the writers will be Larry Kasdan and Simon Kinberg.

Iger also said that they will be released within the same six years as the new trilogy is supposed to be, starting in 2015.

We had already told you that Zack Snyder is set to direct one of those films.

With the confirmation that there are multiple films in the making, really makes us wonder, where in the galaxy they could take place.

However, Iger's comment that they'll be released at the same time makes one wonder if they'll also likely take place in the same period of time.

French Already Looking to Leave Mali

Three weeks in and France is talking four weeks out.

France's storm into Mali has been seen as extremely successful.

So successful that they are already talking about leaving.

Laurent Fabius, the French Foreign Minister, has been quoted as saying that French numbers could begin to diminish as early as the beginning of March.

Their hope is that by then enough African troops will be in place to replace them and take over the future mission of ensuring security.

Some worry that once France leaves, the Al Qaeda forces will strike back and push through the allied troops.

While France is dedicated to ensuring Al Qaeda does not have any control, in the region, they do not wish to get drawn into a long fight, as happened to allied nations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

If France can make this blitzkrieg effort a success, then it will likely be used as a threat to keep Al Qaeda from trying to take down any other countries.

8.0 Quake Strikes Pacific Causing Tsunami Warnings

An 8.0 earthquake struck just after noon (SITZ), on Wednesday. The initial quake was followed by aftershocks as high as 6.6, 6.4, and 6.3.

It occurred in the Pacific Ocean, about two hundred miles east of the Solomon Islands and fifty miles west of the Santa Cruz Islands.

Reports are coming in that some villages, in the Solomon Islands, were destroyed by the quake. A shallow quake, it occurred less than four miles below the surface.

Various tsunami warnings were issued for Pacific rim countries with island countries across the ocean sounding the alarm, for people to seek high ground.

Tsunami warnings were put into place for: Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Tuvalu, New Caledonia, Kosrae, Fiji, Kiribati, Wallis, and Futuna. Tsunami watches were created for: American Samoa, Australia, New Zealand, and eastern Indonesia.

Lata Wharf, in the Solomon Islands, saw a surge of three and a half feet. Expectations are that some areas may see around six feet of tsunami.

Same Sex Marriage Passes House of Commons

Wish a vote of four hundred to one hundred and seventy-five, the British Parliament voted to allow for same sex marriage.

The bill will now have to pass the House of Lords.

Even if it makes it pass there, it will likely face many legal challenges before it could become fully legal.

But it is a significant step taken by Parliament.

It also showed that Prime Minister David Cameron can only count on half of his own party supporting him, in fact he only garnered just over a third of them.

Cameron had come out supporting the bill, but many Conservatives broke ranks with him and voted against it, others yet simply abstained.

Man Arrested After Barricading Himself Inside Colorado Hotel

A man barricaded himself inside of the Crossland Economy Studios at 4850 Leetsdale Drive in Glendale, Colorado, Tuesday.

He managed to place himself in the crawlspace, above a room, and claimed to have a gun.

Police had arrived at about 11:30 MST with warrants for his arrest.

They found him waiting and ready for them, refusing to come out and telling them to stay away.

The neighboring rooms were evacuated and the entire building was cordoned off, as a precaution.

A Denver SWAT team joined Glendale police, as the standoff continued.

Eventually, after nearly six hours, negotiations failed, and K9s were sent into the crawl space.

The man quickly surrendered, without incident.

The man has not yet been identified, but the warrants were for felonies and misdemeanors, for multiple jurisdictions.

Israel Places 3rd Iron Dome Along Syria Lebanon Border

Israel has placed a third Iron Dome battery near the border with Syria and Lebanon.

They are being mixed with Patriot missile batteries as Israel continues building defenses there.

Defenses are being built up to discourage and block any spillover, from the Syrian civil war.

Israeli officials have repeatedly stressed that they won't see any danger to her citizens, come from the conflict next door.

They've also made it clear that they won't see Hezbollah or Hamas gain any weapons out of the confusion.

A convoy, in Syria, carrying weapons towards Hezbollah, in Lebanon, was struck in what is believed to have been an Israeli air strike, last week.

Since then, threats against Israel, from Syria, Iran, and others have increased, making it wise to prepare the defenses, just in case.

Students Lose Fingers During High School Spirit Week Event

Two teens had their fingers severed at a South El Monte High School spirit week event, on Monday.

One of the events, at the Southern California school, was tug of war.

During seniors vs juniors, the rope snapped and in doing so, managed to sever fingers off the hands of two of the students.

Each of the students lost four fingers and both were rushed to Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center, and efforts were to be made to reattach the fingers.

It is unclear, at this time, if reattachment was successful, but both patients were said to be in as good condition as possible.

The El Monte Union High School District says it has no plans to change future events.

Everyone involves seems to realize that this was a freak accident.

Chinese Ship Aims Targeting Radar at Japanese Vessel

Tensions rose again, after a Chinese naval ship aimed targeting radar at a Japanese naval vessel. The incident was yet the latest of things between the two countries, in the East China Sea.

According to Japanese officials, it actually occurred on January 30, but took until Tuesday to confirm and investigate. Japan has officially protested the incident, one of the highest diplomatic actions available to them.

For centuries, both countries have laid claim to islands, resources, and waters that have traditionally been recognized as Japanese. Over the last year, China has been pushing their claims.

The last incident, occurred on January 12, when both countries scrambled fighters, but then pulled back before any confrontation could occur. Japan also scrambled jets, on December 25, when their airspace was violated.

China is also pushing claims in the South China Sea. Their claims there have put the entire region into worry as China enlarges it's military presence. Issues with China have seen unprecedented cooperation between the other nations.

Official North Korean Video Shows New York Being Destroyed

North Korea's propaganda department regularly puts out videos portraying other countries in bad lights.

The country's official site, Uriminzokkiri, is hosting a video which starts off with a man dreaming, as the song We Are the World, plays.

As the man dreams he is taken aboard a North Korean space shuttle, which travels around the world, showing random parts of the world, such as a reunified Korea.

Then the shuttle flies towards a US flag, under which New York City is burning as missiles strike the towers.

The video is captioned in Korean, but that part of it says, "Somewhere in the United States, black clouds of smoke are billowing. It seems that the nest of wickedness is ablaze."

It then concludes with the man deciding that his dream must "surely come true. Despite all kinds of attempts by imperialists to isolate and crush us ... never will anyone be able to stop the people marching toward a final victory."

Child Safe After 6 Day Standoff in Alabama

A five year old child is safe after being held hostage for six days.

It all began last Tuesday afternoon when sixty-five year old Jimmy Lee Dykes boarded a school bus in Midland City, Alabama.

Dykes shot the driver, sixty-six year old Charles Albert Poland Jr., killing him, and grabbed a five year old little boy, named Ethan.

He then took the child to his property, and locked himself and his hostage inside a bunker, he had constructed.

Police had been in negotiations with Dykes, since Tuesday evening, and Dykes had agreed to allow things for Ethan to be sent down, such as medicine, toys, and his favorite snack.

However, things deteriorated over the last few hours.

The FBI made the decision to go in, on Monday afternoon, as they felt Ethan was in serious imminent danger.

Exact details have not been released yet, but officers managed to breach the bunker and save five year old Ethan.

During the rescue, Dykes was shot and killed.