Tuesday, April 23, 2013

AP Twitter Account Hacked Causing Wall Street Scare

On Tuesday, The Associated Press' Twitter account was hacked.

The hackers only made one tweet, before Twitter suspended the account.

However, that one tweet made headlines as it stated that President Obama had been injured in explosions at the White House.

Every other news source around the world rushed to check the information, and within moments it had been confirmed to be false.

Wall Street had one of the most blatant displays of the effect that the news had.

The Dow Jones dropped about one hundred and fifty points within moments of the false tweet.

Within minutes of the news being proven false, it had reclaimed those points.

41 Killed in Fighting Between Militants and Iraqi Soldiers

At least forty-one people were killed in violent clashes between Iraqi soldiers and Sunni militants.

Security forces raided a Sunni protest camp in Hawija.

Three soldiers and twenty-five militants died in clashes there.

Seventy-five were arrested and the camp was burned.

More militants responded by attacking out posts in Riyadh and Rashad.

Another thirteen militants were killed in the fighting there.

The militants are linked with Al Qaeda, but not directly part of the terrorist organization.

French Embassy in Libya Bombed

A car bomb targeted the French embassy in Tripoli, Libya, on Tuesday.

Two guards were injured in the blast, which did some damage the building.

No one has claimed responsibility for the attack, but it is believed to be the work of Islamist militants angry over France's involvement in Mali.

The French entered Mali, in January, to stop Al Qaeda from taking over the country.

France helped Libyans over throw Muammar Qaddafi, by launching air strikes against Qaddafi's troops.

US Army: Private First Class Barrett L. Austin

Private First Class Barrett L. Austin, twenty of Easley, South Carolina, died on April 21, in Landstuhl, Germany, from wounds sustained.

His vehicle was hit by an IED, on April 17, in Wardak Province, Afghanistan.

Austin had been assigned to the 4th Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, out of Fort Stewart, Georgia.

Monday, April 22, 2013

Colorado House Passes 2 More Gun Bills

The Colorado House of Representatives passed two more gun bills, on Monday.

One requires people prove their ability to use a handgun, in person, before being granted an online permit.

That bill will now head to Governor Hickenlooper.

The second establishes a process for guns to be taken away from domestic offenders.

Despite it's being passed, there are still amendments connected to it, that need to be agreed upon, before it can continue on.

Colorado's House Passes Controversial Registration Bill

Colorado's House of Representatives passed a controversial voter registration bill.

Currently, people must register at least twenty-nine days before an election.

Under the bill voters can now register on election day, avoiding any way for the state to actually check their legal status.

This causes increased worry over voter fraud, due to the lack of accountability.

The bill reduces the time required to become recognized as a Colorado resident, from thirty days down to twenty-two.

It also requires the state to increase spending by requiring mail ballots to be sent to every registered voter.

The House passed the bill strictly on party lines, with Democrats voting for and Republicans voting against it.

It now heads to the Democrat controlled Senate.

Wisconsin Considering Ending Tornado Siren Use

Wisconsin is considering removing it's tornado sirens from service.

According to supporters of the idea, they are now outdated by current technology.

They say that the sirens are no longer needed as the public can be alerted via their cell phones.

Tornado and other severe weather alerts are already sent via text messages to all people within range of cell towers near the alerts.

The sirens can't always be heard from inside buildings, and cost money to keep running and updated.

At this point, the only concern is people who do not have cell phones, or have older models, but as the majority have phones capable of receiving the messages that concern is considered negligible.

Midwest Flooding Leaves 5 Dead

Five people have been killed by flooding in the Midwest US.

The Governors of Illinois and Missouri have both declared states of emergency, as has the mayor of Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Indiana has also been hard hit by the rising waters.

Rain and snow keep coming, with more in the forecast, which will only add more to the problems being faced.

Some areas have seen the highest waters ever recorded.

Worries are that the flooding will only be added to once snow in Minnesota and the Dakotas starts melting.

Canadian Police Thwart Terrorist Plot

Canadian police announced that they have arrested two men for plotting an attack on Toronto's commuter trains.

Chiheb Esseghaier and Raed Jaser are charged with conspiracy to carry out a terrorist attack and "conspiring to murder persons unknown for the benefit of, at the direction of, or in association with a terrorist group."

According to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the two men were working with Al Qaeda to gain materials for the attack.

Police have been investigating the two men for over a year and made the arrests after they had selected which train route they would attack, but before any imminent threat existed.

Both men are foreign nationals, but authorities have not released information on what country or countries they are from.

Threat Closes Schools in Netherlands

Schools in Leiden, Netherlands were closed on Monday after an anonymous threat was made.

The threat, which was posted online Sunday, promised to shoot students and teachers, but didn't name what school was the target.

As a precaution, the government ordered all schools closed, and placed police on each campus.

Police have made an arrest, but have not disclosed any further information in the matter.

Everything is expected to be reopen for classes, on Tuesday.