Passenger Lands Plane After Pilot Mysteriously Dies

Just recently, a passenger is forces to land a plane with it's pilot becomes incapable to. Luckily this passenger had a pilot's license and had already flown 130 hours before. On April 13, Doug White and his family were passengers on a small plane with one pilot flying them to Jackson, Mississippi from an island off the Florida coast. Just as the plane was going over 9,000 the pilot mysterious becomes unconscious and dies. So Doug had to take over, however, he had never flown this type of plane before. He radioed with the air traffic controllers and they helped guide him to land in a nearby airport. Though he did not know who to land that plane model he still knew generally how to land a plane and some buttons to push. After all this, the cause of the pilot's death is still unknown.

"Passenger land turboprop plane after pilot dies" CNN.com. Apr 13 2009. Apr 14 2009.

The YouTube Ban

Everybody know YouTube, a video-streaming site owned by Google. But today China banned the Web site and didn't explain the reason. Some people think that the ban might have been caused by some videos of abuse of Tibetans on YouTube.
When you're in China and try to access the site, all you get would be an error message saying "Network Timeout. The server at youtube.com is taking too long to respond."
This however is not the first time YouTube has been banned in China. In March 2008 during the riots in Tibet, China also blocked YouTube. This led to protests and vehicles and shops burned down. 18 civilians died just from a ban of one of the most important web sites in the world.
But the question is, why now? Why ban it again?

"YouTube blocked in China" CNN.com. Mar 25 2009. Mar 25 2009.

Image link

Current Events: Kidnapped European Journalists Freed

In November just last year, two journalists were kidnapped in Somalia. Now the British and Spanish reporters have been released, says a Somali press group.
Both journalists, Colin Freeman and Jose Cendon, both worked for London's Daily Telegraph newspaper. According to the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ), the two journalists were reporting the Somali pirate activity in a port city of Bosasso, Somali when they were captured. Along with the European journalist abducted where two Somali journalists.

So far there have been no details about the conditions of the reporters and the release. Nothing so far has been said about the two other Somali journalists that were kidnapped with the European ones. Omar Faruk Osman of the NUSOJ said in a statement, "...it is intolerable that [the two] journalists [were] kidnapped for their legitimate work in order to get ransom,"


Article (link): Two Kidnapped journalists reported freed in Somalia
January 6, 2008
CNN.com

Current Events: Death Toll In Gaza Rises After Missile Shootings

For months already has the terrorist group, the Hamas, been firing rockets towards Israel from Gaza City. The Israeli government had been trying to fight peacefully and support their country but enough has been enough for them. On Saturday night, January the 3rd, the Israeli government fired back missiles into Gaza city and the crisis has begun.
So far the death toll of Palestinians caught in the range of the Israeli missiles have bumped up to 555 people. Though most deaths are of military officers, at least 100 civilians have been killed too. Most of the injured are civilians, making the injured list to come up to 2,750, according to Palestinian medical sources.
Though the Israeli are only trying to defend their nation, and their goal was to hit at homes of people linked to the Hamas, recently they have hit an elementary school where it is to be known that 400 Palestinians were taking shelter. On this attack, three Palestinians were killed.
Just in, as an Israeli missile hits near a U.N. school, 10 people just outside the school have been killed while 3 people inside the school have been injured.

Though many nations are now sending in their diplomats to try and get a cease-fire (countries like France and the United States of America), both the Hamas and Israeli leaders seem to want to end the fighting. The Palestinian organization says that he firing may go on for several months.

Article (link): 10 dead as Israeli missile hits near U.N. school
January 6, 2008
CNN.com

Current Events

Shuttle Endeavour lands at California air base

Image Source

After a two week mission in space and several delays, the American space shuttle, Endeavour, finally lands in California's Edwards Air Force Base instead of the Kennedy Space Center. The weather in Florida had been bad with the wind, rain, and thunderstorms 30 miles from the Kennedy Space Center and forced the space shuttle to land at an Air Force Base in California.
The mission to the International Space Station brought important stuff like exercise equipment, sleeping berths, and a pee recycling system. All these equipment was for a project to double the capacity of the people who can stay at station.
There was one incident that occurred while on this mission. When one of the astronauts was on a space walk, a grease gun leaked in her tool bag causing everything inside to be covered in grease lubricant. Then when she was trying to clean the mess in the bag, it floated away. The items and equipment into the tool bag was worth $100,000.

December 1, 2008
CNN.com
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Israel to free 250 Palestinian prisoners

Israel holds more than 9,000 Palenstinian prisoners.
250 Palestinian prisoners in Israel has been approved by the government to be released as a goodwill gesture for a Muslim festival happening next week. This release is meant to strengthen the peace talks that they have been holding with the Palestinian government (Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas) for the past year. All the prisoners that are to be set free are members of the Abbas' Fatah Party.

November 30, 2008
CNN.com

Current Events

Town brought to life by solar-paneled graves


Solar Panels. Image Source.
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Everybody knows about solar panels and how they are found on houses and building to uses the sun's light as power instead of electricity. Well in a town in Spain, just outside Barcelona, called Santa Coloma de Gramenet, solar panels have been built on top of mausoleums in the cemetery.
This project began three years ago and it started working on Wednesday.
The reason why they decided to put the solar panels in a cemetery, was because that the small town are so dense and they had no where to generate it.

The power these 462 solar panels produce enough power for 60 homes, goes to the local energy grid and for use of normal consumption is one of the weird ways this town fights against global warming.

Esteve Serret, a director of the company that runs the cemetery (and know also works in renewable energy) says, "[It's] the best tribute we can pay to our ancestors, whatever your religion may be, is to generate clean energy for new generations. That is our leitmotif."

Some people have disagreed with the idea of putting these solar panels on the remains of so many dead people. However, the excuse was that the panels only take up 5% of the total surface area and will keep about 62 tons of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere. I think that the dead people would have agreed too with save the world they had left.

24 Nov 2008 CNN.com

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Deadly flooding leaves thousands homeless in Brazil

Flood affects. Image Source
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A flood in Santa Catarina, Brazil has killed 28 people and left more than 18,000 homeless. the flood affected 1.5 million people and cut off 4 cities from the rest of the nation: Rio dos Cedros, Pomerode, Itapoá and Benedito Novo were the cities. The mayor of Blumenau, Joao Paulo Kleinubing has declared a stare of emergency on Saturday. Aid has been sent to most of the cities and towns to help the now homeless people and only 2 helicopted have been sent to Blumenau to help victims.

23 Nov 2008
CNN.com

Current Events

German economy now in recession

Recession basically means when a country's economy declines significantly and thus, the trade and industrial activity are reduced. A country is classified in recession when the the GDP of the country falls in 2 successive quarters.

Another country has gone into recession after the country's economy fell by 0.5% in their third quarter. The fall of GDP in Germany was much bigger than analysts had expected and they have also predicted a fall in Europe by 0.5% in the next year.
A couple other of European countries are also in recession.
France, Ireland, Denmark, Singapore and New Zealand are some countries that are in recession.

November 13, 2008 BBC.com

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Kids' dancing causes Haiti school collapse, Red Cross says



Who would have thought that a musical could bring down a school -- literally. In Haiti, the dancing and jumping in a musical caused the Grace Diving Primary and Secondary School to collapse. Luckily, though there were no deaths, nine children were injured.
The school, which consisted of a few small buildings built on top of each other, was built on the side of a hill. Of course, the jumping and dancing could not possibly bring our school down, because this school was not constructed properly.
When the school collapsed, the ground shook and another school about a mile away felt it. The children in that school had thought that they're school was collapsing and they panicked, which caused two students to be injured.
This is the second school collapse in this month. The previous happened last week, but of course, that incident was much more fatal. That school has three levels and when it collapsed, it killed more than 90 people, most of them children. No survivors have been found since Saturday in the rubble of the school. The owner of the school, Fortin Augustin was questions by the police and turned himself in for the collapse. No charges have been pressed against him. I would consider him loyal to the school because he turned himself in when so much has happened and blamed himself.
There is no need to worry for this year's musical at our school. I highly doubt our dancing can bring down the school -- we're not that good. Also, some of the schools in Haiti are not well-built and are easy to fall whilst ours is....well I'm not so sure...;)

November 12, 2008
CNN.com

Image Source: http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/americas/11/12/haiti.school/index.html?iref=mpstoryview

Current Events

Iraq twin bombings kill 25

On Monday in Baghdad, Iraq, two bombs went off killed 25 people and injuring 48 other people.
The first bomb was in a car parked outside a crowded marketplace. This is a very smart tactic because people started to crowd around the exploded car, another bomb -- from a suicide bomber, went off, killing 25 people that had surrounded the car.

November 10, 2008
CNN.com

Afghan governor: U.S. forces killed guards

After Afghan millitants shot at the U.S. military forces, the U.S. military said that they killed 14 people. However, says the provincial governor, the 14 that died were merely security guards who were protecting the road construction crew during the shooting.
When the U.S. military stopped 3 cars they had been tracking, coalition forces for the U.S. military arrived and the militants in the cars fired on the help that had arrived. Then a helicopter was called in and they killed 14 people while trying to shoot the 3 cars.
The U.S. have been tracking those car for a long time and they needed to catch and question those people before they got away. They had been waiting for the cars to get away from the crowded cities because if there was trouble, no civilians would get killed to injured. And they were right to call upon those cars because they later found rocket-propelled grenades, hand grenades, and AK-47s in the vehicles.

November 9, 2008
CNN.com

Current Events

Note to readers: The direct link to the article is and has always been in the title of the article. I've placed another link on the news site below the date that the article was published.
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Obama, McCain campaign through swing states

The U.S. elections are just two days away the the candidates John McCain and Barack Obama are neck and neck in the polls. Just yesterday, both candidates spent the whole day holding campaign rallies on the battleground states, which are the states that have an almost even number of votes on both sides or the majority of the state supports the other candidate.
As both side attack each other in order to persuade the citizen of America, all trying to convince everyone that they would be a better president than the other.
Now it all comes down on the Americans themselves to pick who will be the better president after the disappointing 8 years.

November 2, 2008
CNN.com

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Saddam Hussein Reportedly Stabbed 6 Times After Execution

The body of dictator Saddam Hussein, who was executed in 2006 for crimes against humanity, was found stabbed six times after being hanged.The chief guard at Hussein's tomb said that there were stab wounds all over the dictator's body and another injury to the face. 300 other people also saw these injuries when the body was being buried, but yet the world only knows 3 years later? Officials are still investigating how the body came to these injuries because it might have been a soldier or guard who did this because according Mowaffak al-Rubaie, Iraq’s security advisor, Saddam Hussein wasn't harmed before and after his execution.

November 1, 2008
TheLondonTimesonline.co.uk

Current Events

U.S. helicopter shot down in Afghanistan - CNN.com

It was very lucky that all U.S. 10 soldiers survived when their helicopter was shot down in Afghanistan today. The Taliban fighters used a rocket-propelled grenade to bring down the U.S. Chinook helicopter about 30 miles west of Kabul in the Wardak province.
The helicopter, says a U.S. military spokesman Major Redfield, went down in the Wardak province after an exchange of fire with enemy on the ground.

Also, another suicide bomber killed two soldiers and injured 3 others in north Afghanistan. This bombing took place when the U.S officials were to gather and meet with the police in chief of that province. An american soldier and a small child were killed. The Taliban also took responsibility of this bombing.

October 27, 2008
CNN.com

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2 Dead in Arkansas campus shooting; one suspect in custody - CNN.com

A police van , just outside the dorms of the university where the shooting took place


This is the second campus shooting I've heard of since the summer vacation. 2 students were killed at a shooting in the University of Central Arkansas on Sunday. Shots were heard near the Arkansas Hall and the Snow Fine Arts Center at 9:22 pm, says Freshman Sam Hausen who was only 50 feet away from the shooters. One student died on campus and the other in a hospital. Hausen actually saw vans speed away but wasn't sure those were the shooters or just students trying to get away.
After the shooting, the whole campus was put on lock down and all classes were canceled.
One person, we don't know whether it was a student or part of the faculty have been held for questioning but not yet arrested.

October 27, 2008
CNN.com

Current Events

Suspected U.S. missiles kill 8 in Pakistan

Just hours after the Pakistan parliament passed a national security resolution, 2 missiles from an unmanned drone (a remote controlled aircraft or missile) hit a religious school in a village in North Waziristan. This is kind of ironic because the national security resolution stated that "the nation stands united against any incursion and invasions" and the country's national security was in need of a review of the way it was trying to stop terrorism.
Why do they suspect the U.S? Well the United States is the only country that posted there and have the capability to launch missiles from drones. The U.S military hasn't said anything about the incident. The 2 missiles filled 8 people and injured 6 others, says military sources.

October 23, 2008
CNN.com

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Ballesteros faces 3rd and 'complex' brain op

As said from my last current events, the famous Spanish golf legend Seve Ballesteros had a recent surgery on his brain tumor where surgeons tried to remove as much as the brain tumor as possible. Ballesteros was said to be in stable condition after the surgery. On Friday October 24, Ballesteros will again for the third time undergo a more "complex" surgery, says the La Paz hospital, where Ballesteros has been staying at at his current situation.
This time, the surgeons will try to relive some pressure on his brain that was caused by bleeding after the first surgery.

October 23, 2008
CNN.com

Current Events

Ballesteros conscious in intensive care

World know gold legend Seve Ballesteros is conscious after the surgical removal of his brain tumor. Most people don't survive these operations and while performing the surgery, you have to be extremely careful as one small mistake could kill the patient.
Ballesteros is a 51 year old Spanish golfer who won a record 50 times on a European golf tour and the British Open 3 times and many other competitions before retiring last year. He is right now in stable condition when doctor tried to remove as much of the tumor as possible.

October 16, 2008
CNN.com

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Spain: Mechanic of crashed plane questioned

A few months ago in August, a plane crash in Madrid killed 154 people. They're still investigating the plane crash and the court will be questioning three plane mechanics suspected of tempering with the plane. Two of the mechanics were working on the plane the day of the crash and the third was the head of maintenance.
What most people found out so far from the investigation was that the plane's wing flaps didn't deploy while the plane was taking off. The cockpit warning system didn't work and it didn't warn the pilots on time to the problem. However, they did not say that this was the reason why the plane crashed and only left 18 alive. This plane crash was the worst the Spain had had all this year.

October 16, 2008
CNN.com

Current Events

More melamine found in chocolate bars - CNN.com

China's Milk Power Scandal has caused countries like South Korea to order four more Chinese-made food products to be destroyed. Right now, the number of tainted products known to South Korea that have melamine in them are 10 products. About 430 products have already been pulled down from stores for testing. South Korea, like many other countries, has stopped all Chinese-made products that have milk (or in general dairy) altogether.
The poisonous melamine was found in Snickers bars, M&Ms, and KitKat. These products were made from different companies like Mars and Nestle. Though Nestle comes from China, I know that the Snickers were made in Russia. So right now, you'll never know where your food comes from; the milk powder may have been made in China.Lotte and Mars Korea has said they're taking back all their products and foodstuff.

October 4, 2008. CNN.com

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Four pirate attacks off Somalia in 24 hours, U.S. says - CNN.com

Pirates in the coast of Somalia have gained the international attention after a recent attack on a Ukrainian ship containing 33 Soviet-designed tanks and weaponry. Now in one day, there have been 4 pirate failed pirate attacks, although there were 6 American warships being sentinels on other ships filled with weapons.
3 of the 4 attacks were able to escape because they were so fast. The fourth, however, were foiled due to the fact that the ladder that they had brought to climb up to the ship was too short.
These failed attacks after some 26 ships successfully attacked and hijacked this year is probably because of the ships have taken these as a major priority after the attack on the 33 tanks. Already 8 European countries have offered Somalia coast to form an anti-piracy force.

October 4, 2008. CNN.com

Current Events

India temple stampede kills 100 - CNN.com

More than 100 people killed and 50 others were wounded today in a stampede on The Chamunda Devi temple in Western India. 25, 000 devotees had been trying to get to the hill-top temple though a steep and narrow pathway because they were having a gathering to celebrate the start of a religious holiday.
This is the start of a holiday known as Navaratri (or nine nights) and for nine night and 10 days, Hindus worship the different forms of a Hindu goddess.

The police do not know what caused the rush but many people said that they heard rumors of a bomb and reacted. Though these rumors where spread without a "baseline" these people would be scared anyways as across India, they have had a recent string of deadly bombings. The minister for the region has said that they had assigned 'enough' officers for crowd control but the large group of people had 'overwhelmed' them.

This stampede is a follow-up of last months, similar incident. More than 130 people were killed when the panicked worshipperes tried to run down a crowded street from a mountaintop Hindu temple in northern India when they heard of a landslide on the mountain above everyone. This landslide, of course was faked.

So much of these accidents were caused by faked panic and so many people had to die because someone started a rumor.

September 30, 2008
CNN.com

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35 people killed in Pakistan bus accident- CNN.com

In Pakistan, at least 35 people died when their bus crashed into a milk tanker and caught fire.
This happened in central Pakistan late Monday near a city of Muzaffargarh. The bus speeding on a narrow road when it collided with the milk tanker and immediately caught fire. Authorities still can't identify the bodies of the 35 killed. These kind of accidents happen almost everyday in Pakistan because people don't care about the safety rules of the road.

September 30, 2008
CNN.com

Current Events

Kidnapped European Tourists Freed - CNN.com


Tourists in Egypt...

10 days ago, 11 European tourists and their 8 Egyptian guides were kidnapped from South of Egypt in Wadi al-Gadid, which is about 400 km from the Southern Egyptian city of Aswan. They were all traveling in 4 jeeps when they were apparently taken to Sudan. This kidnapping cause a start of a small conflict between Egypt and Europe.
The tourist group included 5 Germans, 5 Italians, and 1 Romanian. The guides were all Egyptian; 4 drivers, 3 security guards assigned to accompany the group and the owner of the company.

Today, all of them have been released unharmed.
All of them now are on a military flight back to another military base near Cairo, the capital of Egypt, reported Magdy Rady, a spokesman for the Prime minister of Egypt. However, the officials have not released the information of where they were kept and whether they made any arrests of the kidnappers.

September 29, 2008
CNN.com

Current Events

'Post-Olympic Era' Off to a Rocky Start - CNN.com

China has recently finished their Olympic Games. But all this excitement, or as they call it, "post-Olympic euphoria", everyone is ignoring all the "economic worries and safety crises" [CNN.com]
People all around the world saw the Olympic Games as something that will effect the political and social change of China.
Many citizens of China sent in compliants to the government over the China's Human rights record and "treatment of minorities".
Even before then, however, reality showed itself with the collapse earlier this month at an illegal mine waste dump that killed at least 259 people and forced the resignation of a provincial governor.Now, the contaminated milk powder has killed the fourth baby, and more than 6,200 in critical condition, the government isn't paying enough attention to them and the only times we read about them are in international records. The rest of the world is worrying while China is still celebrated their success of the Olympic Games.

September 17, 2008 CNN.com

Current Events

Rove: McCain went 'too far' in ads - CNN.com

This year's Presidential Elections in the United States has been in the top news globally. This fierce battle with Barack Obama against John McCain is what most of the world is talking about. After Sen. McCain announced his pick, and took the world by surprise, as Sarah Palin, governor of Alaska, and after her speech that included many attacks against Obama, it's been a full out debate between the two parties.
Sen. McCain has had the experience, being in Congress, but many think that he may lead America to another four years of disappointment. Obama has very little experience, but he has fresh ideas from this very "young" mind of his. I think it's almost even ground here. It's like a playground fight where two kids are trying to claim the swings and the slide but to persuade the other kids they have to give them jellybeans. Both kid leaders have the same amount of jellybeans. Would American want another "Bush" as President? Or someone that doesn't have that much experience?
How are those two parties get so much votes when they are about even? To beat out the opponent, one has to persuade the citizens of America what they can do and what the opponent can't. Former Bush advisory, Karl Rove says that McCain has gone "one step too far" with the attacks against Obama in his ads. After this comment from Rove to Fox News, the Democratic party "leaped on the quote" [CNN.com].
Rove then said that both parties need to be careful what they say to each other.

On another hand, Former nominee from the Democratic party, Hilary Clinton, says, "Barack and I may have started out on two separate paths, but we are on one journey now." This, to me, shows that even though they were opponents, Clinton still remains on the Democratic side.

CNN.com September 14, 2008.

Olympic Games - Beijing

"China is sparing no expense in preparing Beijing for the Olympic spotlight—including providing English classes for cab drivers and a government-sponsored etiquette campaign."[MSN]

China is doing everything they can to make their country presentable on August 8, 2008 when the torch finally reaches Beijing and the start of the Olympic Games. With all the foreigners pilling in so fast, China is begun to take in any help they can. The organizers of the Olympic games expect 550,000 visitors to comes and so, they've lined up 550,000 locals to help - "one for every guest" [MSN] With all the excitement going on, they've expected 22,000 journalist to come too. Well if journalists and reporters come, then China's going have to put on their best shoes. This may even help their community as now even the government etiquette campaigns are work to "stamp out bad manners like jumping ahead in line, spitting, littering, and reckless driving" to impress the foreigners that have already arrived ahead of time. Cab drivers are now under pressure to learn English so that they can communicate with foreigners when they want a ride. The government has even drawn up a program called "Crazy English" with 10,000 volunteers so that people can learn English and impress the world. Officials are trying to wipe out "Chinglish" which is a mix of Chinese and English on posters, billboards, menus, and storefronts.
The China streets are beginning to grow busier and busier. But now the "city's choking pollution and snarled traffic"[MSN] will finally be controlled during the Olympics; at least 1/3 of 3.3 million vehicles will be banned so that the streets are less polluted.

China has really put everything up front, making an obvious good impression in preparing for the Olympic Games. Now all we have to do and wait to see what their "final presentation" would be when the Olympics start.

To find out more click here

Current Events

"Stonehenge was a place of burial, researchers say"[CNN]
Most people thought that Stonehenge, a couple of incredibly heavy rocks that form is circle (located in England) was placed there by aliens. Reason? Because back then, cranes weren't invented and they were too heavy to lift. But now, researchers find out that it was just a burial areas.
But since when that people start burying their dead there? Get this. Since 3000 BC.
And the homes near the site used to house people from 3000 BC. Cool~!

"The burying started at 3000 BC and continued for 500 years, said researchers" [CNN]

Well at least now I know that those weren't from aliens...woo.

China - Recycling - USA - Europe

China has been getting exports from the USA and Europe. Why? And which countries?
Why? - "As China threatens to supplant Japan as the third-largest U.S. export market, local companies are finding that China's appetite for everything from old paper to chemicals to semiconductors"[CNN]
Los Angeles has been one of those countries that send paper to China.
In Florida, there is a China-Latin America Trade Center for Recyclables.
Mostly places where there are many industries in America, they sometimes send their waste products to China.

Sometimes though, China asks the companies to send their waste products to China. It seems that China is really serious about the green movement.

In Europe, countries like England and France are sending their waste products to China and China has been converting them into recycled paper. China has been saving many forest with their new improved technique, especially in India and Russia where many people get their paper.