Sunday, March 3, 2013

Monkey Temporarily Escapes Colorado Zoo

A seven year old howler monkey escaped from her enclosure at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, in Colorado Springs.

On Saturday, Eva was able to pull back some mesh and squeeze out.

Her escape was witnessed by visitors, and a green alert was announced nearly immediately.

She didn't go far, just onto the roof of the enclosure, and lay there sunbathing until she was recaptured.

Eva was then put back into her enclosure as zoo workers repaired and strengthened the area where she escaped at.

International Brigade of Shiites Fights to Defend Shrine in Damascus

Shiites from around the Middle East are coming to Syria to fight in the Abu al-Fadl al-Abbas brigade.

Most of the brigade is made up of Shiites from Iraq, Lebanon, and Syria.

They have come to protect the shrine of Sayyida Zeinab, in Damascus, which has found itself on the front line of the Syrian civil war.

The brigade was formed after an online video showed Sunnis desecrating and burning another Shiite holy site.

Existence of such a brigade shows how the Syrian civil war is much more than one nation fighting itself, but is a growing conflict between the two main branches of Islam.

Kerry Gives Egypt $250 Million

On Sunday, Secretary of State Kerry announced that the US will be granting Egypt a financial reward.

Two hundred and fifty million dollars will go to Egypt for it's promises to eventually have political and economic reforms.

Kerry warned that any future aid would be dependent on the reforms actually taking place.

If Egypt can show reforms in action, another billion US dollars is headed their way, as well as nearly five billion from the IMF.

The secretary also touched on the importance of Egypt's regime and the opposition working together.

Most of the opposition plans on boycotting the upcoming elections, in protest of what they say is an already rigged system.

Explosion Strikes Near Shia Mosque in Karachi

Flames lit the night ski of Karachi after an explosion ripped through a Shia part of Pakistan's largest city.

Forty-five people were killed and over one hundred and fifty injured.

The explosion struck near a mosque, as people were leaving evening prayers.

Several buildings were destroyed by the blast, which caused fires in even more.

No one has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Saturday, March 2, 2013

Gas Leak on I225 Causes Hours of Delays

A gas tank on a semi truck was punctured by road debris, as it drove down I225, on Saturday.

The incident happened just south of Parker Road, in Aurora, Colorado, on the south bound side of the freeway.

Traffic was delayed for hours as crews stopped the leak and cleaned up from it.

According to authorities, the leak was actually very small, thanks to the driver noticing and stopping his truck.

Eastwood Comes Out Against Prop 8

Clint Eastwood became the latest big name Republican to come out in support of gay marriage.

Earlier this week, he signed the American Foundation for Equal Rights' petition to the Supreme Court for the overturning of Prop 8.

Eastwood's political clout has been rising, as witnessed by his appearance at the Republican National Committee, in August.

His signature joined over one hundred other top Republicans in their belief that it should be overturned.

California's Proposition 8 defined marriage as only being between one man and one woman.
merican Foundation for Equal Rights’s “Friend of the Court - See more at: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/03/clint-eastwood-pledges-support-for-gay-marriage/#sthash.iwmHL7fk.dpu

Kenyans Hold Last Rallies Before Election

Kenyatta, left, Odinga, right
Saturday saw the last major political rallies in Kenya, before the elections take place.

Kenyans will head to the polls, on Monday, to decide who their next president will be.

Prime Minister Raila Odinga and Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta are the two leading candidates.

Thousands of Kenyans showed at their competing rallies, in Nairobi.

President Mwai Kibaki is urging the people of Kenya to vote peacefully and for the losers of the election to do so graciously.

After the election in 2007, violence broke out, killing at least twelve hundred people.

Portuguese Protest Austerity

As many as half a million Portuguese protested in Lisbon, on Saturday.

Hundreds of thousands more protested in cities and towns across the country.

They marched through the streets to let the government know their anger over austerity measures.

Taxes have gone up as the government tries to bring an end to the country's deficit.

Unemployment is closing in on eighteen percent as Portugal is in it's third year of recession.

The protests have the backing of most of the major union organizations.

Al Qaeda English Language Magazine Gives Terrorism Tips

Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula regularly puts out an online magazine entitled Inspire, which is in English.

Now they've put Inspire into print.

Inspire regularly gives out tips on how to create bombs, set up traps, and other delightful crafts towards becoming a terrorist.

It also has a hit list of westerners who are wanted by AQAP, dead or alive.

Opeds regularly warn foreign governments to stop trying to fight Al Qaeda's forces, around the world.

They also have a section calling for martyrs to sacrifice themselves for the glory of Al Qaeda and Islam.

Iran and Syria Decry Western Aid to Syrian Rebels

Walid al-Moualem
Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem let the displeasure of his government be known, on Saturday.

He was joined by Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi in decrying the US's plan to give non military aid to the Syrian rebels.

The two countries condemned the move as a "double standard policy" that was out to "punish the Syrian people".

Salehi said that if the US really wanted to bring an end to the war that they would, "force the opposition to sit at the negotiation table with the Syrian government".

Meanwhile, President Assad, of Syria, accused Britain of trying to lengthen the conflict and of arming rebel forces.