Colorado Fires Inching Towards Containment

Multiple fires remain burning in Colorado, but all of those that were considered threatening are now well contained.

Over a thousand firefighters remain battling the Black Forest Fire. They have got it up to seventy-five percent contained. Full containment is expected on Thursday.

It killed two people, burned down four hundred and eighty-three homes, and damaged seventeen houses. Many of the mandatory evacuations, due to the fire, have been lifted, but some do remain in affect.

Investigators have not yet determined the cause of the fire. They are finally able to get near where it is believed to have started.

The Big Meadows Fire is just over six hundred acres, but is listed at seventy-five percent containment. Five of the seven trails closed by the fire have been reopened.

Residents, who had been evacuated from near Rifle, due to the Ward Gulf Fire, are being allowed back home. The fire is now sixty percent contained, after burning nearly five hundred acres.

Other fires, burning throughout the state, have either been completely stopped, or are still being allowed to freely burn as they do not threaten anything. Helicopters continuing working on some of those as a precaution.

7 Killed, 41 Injured Over Weekend in Chicago

Seven people were killed and forty-one injured in shootings across Chicago, over the weekend.

So far in 2013, one hundred and forty have died and six hundred and fifty have been wounded in gun violence.

Despite these numbers Chicago's government and police say that their crack down on guns continues to lessen violence.

Chicago has the strictest gun laws, in the country, yet the city remains the US city with the most gun violence.

Almost all of the gun violence is gang related.

For nearly thirty years, Chicago had a total gun ban, but it was struck down by the Supreme Court, in 2010, as violating the Constitution.

Since then, the city has passed multiple ordinances, which stop just short of coming to a full ban.

The city regularly brags about how many guns it confiscates, weekly displaying the confiscations.

During 2012, Chicago confiscated nearly 7,500 guns.

Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy is asking for stricter laws and stronger punishment, for anyone who violates the gun laws.

Opponents of the laws say that the problem isn't a lack of gun laws, but too many.

They believe that if the public had freer access to guns then they could defend themselves, and gangs would be more wary.

In support of this, they point to stats from other states that have more gun access, but less gun violence.

Towards this, the Illinois state house is working towards allowing for concealed carry permits.

Turkey Threatens Use of Military Against Protesters and Rioters

As protests and riots in Turkey continue, the government threatened to bring in the military.

Riot police using water cannons, tear gas, and rubber bullets have been unable to clear the streets and squares of the people.

Instead of leaving, protesters numbers have only grown, now officially being joined by the labor unions.

The inability of the police to end the protests has led the government to consider the military as an option.

It is unclear how much more effective the military could be.

During the now eighteen days of clashes, four civilians and a police officer have been killed and more than seventy-five hundred have been injured.

19 Killed in India Floods

Nineteen people have been killed in flooding in northern India.

Entire buildings were washed away by the raging waters.

Dozens more have been damaged by the waters, as well as by mudslides that the rains have triggered.

Most of the deaths occurred in Uttarakhand, where fifteen people have died, with the other four being in Himachal Pradesh.

At least forty more are missing in Uttarakhand and five in Himachal Pradesh.

Thousands of pilgrims had recently arrived in the state, and are now stranded.

Haryana and Punjab are also experiencing the floods, but not quite as severely.

India's monsoon season has just begun, and normally lasts through September.

Iran Officially Joins Syrian Civil War

Iran is officially and openly taking part in the Syrian Civil War.

The Iranian government has sent four thousand members of the Revolutionary Guard to support President Assad, in Syria.

They say they are fully committed to preserving the Assad regime, and that the four thousand is but the first contingent of troops.

The decision was apparently made before the Iranian presidential elections took place.

It also appears that the decision was made within hours of US President Obama's decision to send weapons to the Syrian rebels.

All this just goes to show that the war continues to spread, further than just in Syria.

33 Killed in Iraq Bombings

Thirty-three people were killed and over one hundred injured in a series of bombings in Iraq, on Sunday.

Most of the attacks were aimed at Shiite neighborhoods, while some were aimed at security forces.

At least ten bombings occurred as well as a shooting.

No one has claimed responsibility for the attacks, but their targets suggest that they were the work of Al Qaeda or other Sunni groups connected to them.

12 Fires Now Burning in Colorado

Two new fires joined ten others burning in Colorado.

The weather has been cooperating a bit with fire fighting efforts, with cooling temperatures and higher humidity, but winds are still sticking around.

Beaver Creek Fire is nearly completely contained. Hopes are for full containment, late Saturday. The fire started on Thursday, after a lightning strike. About fourteen acres have been burned. No structures were threatened.

Bergen Rock Fire continues to smoulder, since being contained on Tuesday. Expectations are for all hot spots to be eliminated by Sunday. No structures were ever in danger.

Big Meadows Fire is thirty percent contained. Nearly three hundred and fifty-three acres were lost to it. Two hundred and sixty fire fighters and aircraft are working on it. Seven trails, in the area, have been closed to the public. No structures are in danger, due to the blaze.

Black Forest Fire, by far the largest of the fires is now up to thirty percent containment. It has burned sixteen thousand acres, destroyed four hundred and seventy-three homes, and damaged at least seventeen more. Two bodies have been found in it's wake. Some of the forty thousand evacuations, due to the fire, have been lifted. Eight hundred firefighters and aircraft are continuing the battle against it. Hopes are for full containment on June 20.

Fern Creek Fire is at about ten acres. It's remote location and difficult terrain has led to only aircraft being able to fight it. No structures are in danger. Officials are hoping that it will not expand and eventually burn itself out.

Hacking Fire is one of two fires in the Dinosaur National Monument, combining at one hundred and fifty acres. It is in a remote area of the park and not threatening any structures. A helicopter is working on that blaze.

Klikus Fire has burnt sixty acres. Located about five miles west of La Veta it is seventy-five percent contained. Thirty firefighters are battling it. No structures are in danger. All evacuations have been lifted.

La Veta Fire has burnt forty-two acres. It is now considered one hundred percent contained. Efforts are now being aimed at eliminate hotspots.

Royal Gorge Fire destroyed twenty buildings around the Royal Gorge Bridge. Thirty-two hundred acres have been burnt by it. It is forty percent contained. One hundred and fifty firefighters are busy with it. Twelve people were temporarily hospitalized due to smoke inhalation and other breathing problems related to the smoke. Some evacuations are still in place, because of the fire.

Ward Gulch Fire began on Friday, due to lightning, and quickly grew to more than three hundred acres. It is threatening buildings at the Rifle Mountain Park and a nearby fish hatchery. The area has been closed to the public. Three aircraft are battling the blaze.

West Fork Fire began on Friday, and has already burnt nearly five hundred acres. Various cabins in the Weminuche Wilderness are threatened by it. Concerns are high as much of the trees in the area are dead, and so will burn quite easily. Fifty firefighters and aircraft are battling the blaze.

Wild Fire is currently burning on Wild Mountain in the Dinosaur National Monument. It's location has prompted warnings to stay away from the mountain and it's popular trails. Combined with the Hacking Fire, one hundred and fifty acres of the park are burning. No structures are in danger. A helicopter is working on drowning it.

Louisiana Plant Explosion Kills 1, Injures 7

An explosion occurred at CF Industries facility in Donaldsonville, Louisiana, Friday night.

One person was killed and seven were injured in the blast.

According to authorities, nitrogen was being offloaded from a tanker truck, when the pressure rose extremely quickly, causing the explosion.

Officials said there was no danger to the public, as a result of the blast.

This came just a day after an explosion at another plant killed two in Geismar, just a few miles away.

Brazilians Violently Protest Increase in Public Transportation Fares

Protests broke out in Brazil as people reacted to an increase in public transportation fares.

Bus and subway tickets are increasing from 3 reals to 3.2, or from $1.40 to $1.49.

Both Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro saw the protests turn violent.

Government officials say that the protests turned into riots, with public and private property being damaged.

As protesters lit fires in the streets, police responded with tear gas and rubber bullets.

Fifty-five people were injured and one hundred and sixty arrests were made.

Iranians Elect Rouhani as Next President

Iranians have elected Hassan Rouhani as their next President.

Beating out five other candidates, Rouhani took more than half of the votes, making him a clear winner.

Rouhani was the lone moderate candidate, making him the most palatable for Iranians who had felt their last election was stolen from them.

Going in, he had been considered the long shot, and there were times it was thought that the government would not let him run.

But he was not blocked from running was able to gain the support of moderates and reformists, handily winning him the election.

Of the six candidates he had been seen, by the west, as the best hope for renewing negotiations with Iran.

Now it will remain to be seen if Rouhani will be able to, or even actually try to, reform the country.