Jenessa Olson

CBSNews.com reports Thursday that a cruise ship carrying 122 people is adrift and taking on water after hitting the ground Thursday in the Antarctic but is in no danger of sinking, the Argentine Navy said.
The artlicle says that the ship named Ushuaia, with 89 passengers and 33 Argentine crew members, sent out an alarm around midday after it suffered two cracks and started leaking fuel and taking on water.
A Chilean Navy ship was on its way to help the Ushuaia and rescue its passengers, and was expected to arrive Friday morning.
"The ship is stable for the moment. No one has suffered any injuries and the situation on board is under control," the ship's captain, Jorge Aldegueri, told Todo Noticias. He declined to confirm the cause of the accident pending an investigation.
The ship was stuck near Wilhelmina Bay, on the western side of the Antarctic Peninsula.
According to the article, "it is not the first cruise ship to have trouble recently in the Antarctica, which has seen a surge in tourist visits."

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/12/04/world/main4648963.shtml

Posted by Jenessa Olson at 4:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

USA Today reports Sunday that a cruise ship in the Gulf of Aden was fired at by pirates today, and was packed with hundreds of American vacationers.
According to the article, "the 11-deck-high Oceania Nautica, one of the cruise industry's highest rated vessels, ultimately was able to out run the attackers, who approached on two small skiffs."
No one was injured in the incident.
Tim Rubacky, who is a spokesperson for Oceania, said the Nautica, in the midst of a 32-night cruise from Rome to Singapore, was sailing full with 684 passengers and 400 crew on board at the time of the incident.
"One of the skiffs did manage to close the range to approximately 300 yards and fired eight rifle shots in the direction of the vessel before trailing off," Rubacky says. The ship was undamaged.
The article says that cruise lines try avoid pirate hot spots, and the ones that sail through the region long have relied on the speediness of their ships as a prime defense against pirate attacks.

http://www.usatoday.com/travel/cruises/item.aspx?type=blog&ak=59258324.blog

Posted by Jenessa Olson at 4:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

USAToday.com reports Friday that, according to the U.S. military, a group of Iraqi soldiers has donated $500 to help with the victims of the recent California wildfires.
Iraqi Col. Abbas Fadhil at the Besmaya range complex south of Baghdad says his troops want to send a message to the American people with the donation that "we are a family."
A handful of wildfires raged through Southern California earlier this month. The blazes damaged or destroyed about 1,000 homes.
News spread of these fires, and Iraq is showing their support.
This is not the first time the Iraqi soldiers have sent a donation in support of the Americans. The military says it's the fourth donation sent by the Iraqis to Americans hit by tragedy.
According to a statement Thursday, they also raised $1,500 for victims of hurricanes Gustav and Ike and donated $500 to the National Sept. 11 Memorial.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/2008-11-21-iraq-california_N.htm

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CNN.com reports Thursday that residents of Gaza City were without power after the Israeli military halted some fuel shipments because of ongoing attacks on Israel, Palestinian sources said.
The article states that, "Palestinians shop by the light of a gas lamp amid electricity shortages in Gaza City on Thursday."
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency, which provides assistance to Gaza City's people, said it was forced to suspend deliveries of fuel and humanitarian relief because Israel closed its border crossings with Gaza.
There are escalating hostilities on the Gaza-Israeli border. Earlier in the day, the Israeli military said it would not allow 30 truckloads of fuel and humanitarian supplies to enter the Hamas-controlled Palestinian territory because of the ongoing rocket fire and security threats at border crossings, Defense Ministry spokesman Peter Lerner said.
Those truckloads included European Union-funded fuel for Gaza's sole power plant, which Palestinians said would be shut later in the day.
The shipments had been scheduled to cross into Gaza early Thursday, and Lerner said future deliveries will also be postponed because of terrorist threats to the crossings.
Tensions began when Israeli troops entered Gaza last week to blow up an underground tunnel from Gaza to Israel that the military believed was going to be used by militants to kidnap Israeli soldiers.
This incident set off a wave of fighting and attacks that killed 10 Palestinian gunmen.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/11/13/gaza.humanitarian/index.html

Posted by Jenessa Olson at 7:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

USA Today reports Sunday from Jerusalem that Israeli police had to rush into one of Christianity's holiest churches Sunday to arrest two clergyman after an argument between monks erupted into a brawl next to the site of Jesus' tomb.
According to the article, the clash broke out between Armenian and Greek Orthodox monks in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, which is revered as the site where Jesus was crucified, buried and resurrected.
The fight began as Armenian clergymen marched in an annual procession commemorating the 4th-century discovery of the cross believed to have been used to crucify Jesus.
The article reports that, "It ended with the arrival of dozens of riot policemen who separated the sides, seizing a bearded Armenian monk in a red-and-pink robe and a black-clad Greek Orthodox monk with a bloody gash on his forehead."
Both monks were taken away in handcuffs.
The six Christian sects that divide control of the ancient church regularly fight over turf and influence, and Israeli police are occasionally forced to intervene.
The feud revolves around a demand by the Greek Orthodox to post a monk inside the Edicule — the ancient structure built on what is believed to be the tomb of Jesus — during the Armenian procession. The Armenians refused, and when they tried to march the Greek Orthodox monks blocked their way.
"We were keeping resistance so that the procession could not pass through ... and establish a right that they don't have," said a young Greek Orthodox monk with a cut next to his left eye.
The article states that after the brawl, the church was crowded with Israeli police holding assault rifles and equipped with riot gear.
The feud is only one of a bewildering array of rivalries among churchmen in the Holy Sepulcher, and there is likely to be disputes similar to this in the future.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/2008-11-09-monks-brawl_N.htm

Posted by Jenessa Olson at 9:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CNN.com reports Sunday from Baghdad that the U.S. monthly troop death toll in Iraq is down by almost 50 percent so far in October, which is a sign of growing security across the nation.
The article states that "there have been 13 U.S. troop deaths in Iraq, compared with 25 in September. It is the second-lowest monthly troop death toll in the war, with July the lowest at 11."
An Iraqi Interior Ministry official said that the monthly Iraqi civilian death toll also dropped in October.
The official said 278 civilians were killed and 464 wounded this month, compared with 359 killed and 705 wounded in September.
The official went on to say that it is likely the lowest monthly civilian death toll since the February 2006 bombing of Al-Askariya Mosque, an event that caused widespread sectarian warfare.
CNN reports that, of the 13 Americans killed in October, six died in noncombat incidents and seven in hostilities. Of the 11 in July, five died in noncombat incidents and six in hostilities.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/10/31/iraq.main/index.html

Posted by Jenessa Olson at 6:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

USA Today reports Sunday that U.S. military helicopters launched a rare attack Sunday on Syrian territory close to the border with Iraq, which killed eight people who were participating in a strike against the government in Damascus. The strike was condemned as "serious aggression."
According to the article, "A U.S. military official said the raid by special forces targeted the foreign fighter network that travels through Syria into Iraq."
Just days before the attack, the commander of U.S. forces in western Iraq said American troops were redoubling efforts to secure the Syrian border, which he called an "uncontrolled" gateway for fighters entering Iraq.
A Syrian government statement said the helicopters attacked the Sukkariyeh Farm near the town of Abu Kamal, five miles inside the Syrian border. Four helicopters attacked a civilian building under construction and fired on workers inside, the statement said.
The article also reports that the government said civilians were among the dead, including four children.
A resident of the nearby village of Hwijeh said some of the helicopters landed and troops exited the aircraft and fired on a building. He said the aircraft flew along the Euphrates River into the area of farms and several brick factories.
According to the article, "Syria's Foreign Ministry said it summoned the charges d'affaires of the United States and Iraq to protest against the strike."
The U.S. military in Baghdad did not immediately respond to a request for comment after Sunday's raid.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/2008-10-26-syria-attack_N.htm

Posted by Jenessa Olson at 9:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The New York Times reports Sunday that Taliban militants stopped a bus traveling through a dangerous part of south Afghanistan seized about 50 people on board and killed around 30 of them.
A spokesperson for the Taliban took responsibility for the attack but claimed to have killed 27 Afghan army soldiers. Afghan officials said all of the victims on board were civilians, not soldiers.
The article says that, police chief Matiullah Khan said that, "Militants stopped the bus traveling in a two-bus convoy in a Taliban-controlled area about 40 miles west of Kandahar."
He also said that the two buses had been traveling together, and the militants had tried to stop the first one but failed. He said the first bus was fired at by insurgents, killing a child on board.
The death toll of the attack is varying, which may explain why the news on the killings did not emerge until Sunday.
The article goes on to say that, "Khan said authorities had arrested four Taliban commanders in connection with the attack."
Also, there was no way to independently verify the number of victims, which had come from northern Afghanistan and were between 20 and 25 years old.
''The Taliban want to hide the news that they arrested and killed innocent Afghan civilians,'' Khan said, dismissing their claim the victims were soldiers.
It is also mentioned that Taliban attacks have become increasingly lethal this year, as the militia has gained power and surged throughout southern and eastern Afghanistan.

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/world/AP-AS-Afghanistan.html?ref=world

Posted by Jenessa Olson at 6:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

USA Today reports Sunday that "The World Bank agreed to help developing countries strengthen their economies, bolster their financial systems, maintain growth and protect the poor against the financial turmoil roiling international markets."
Mexican Finance Minister Agustin Carstens, who is the head of the bank's policy-setting committee, and World Bank President Robert Zoellick announced the commitment at the end of a day-long meeting.
Zoellick said the financial crisis "has been a manmade catastrophe. The actions and responses to overcome it lie in our hands."
He also said that as the current crisis has unfolded, people in the United States and Europe reacted first with confusion, then anger, then fear.
"Those natural reactions will spread around the world as the impact spreads," Zoellick said. "We need to take them seriously."
He said any prolonged tightening of credit or a sustained global slowdown could cause serious setbacks to developing countries' efforts to improve the lives of their populations. These countries are already struggling with high prices for energy and food.
Zoellick also said that, "One hundred million people have already been driven into poverty this year and that number will grow."
According to the article, "Zoellick said the financial crisis underscored the need to modernize markets for a new global economy."
Carstens the Bank needs to be flexible to address the differing problems faced by poor countries and those with rapidly growing economies.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2008-10-12-world-bank_N.htm

Posted by Jenessa Olson at 10:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CNN.com reports from Algiers, Algeria Sunday that a baby was found alive after spending four days in a pool of mud following flash floods that killed at least 41 people in Algeria last week.
A local official said Sunday that rescuers found the 4-month-old baby, who appeared to be in good health after being discovered late Saturday.
After being discovered, the baby had been handed down to a family while authorities looked for its parents.
"It's a miracle, really a miracle to find it alive after all this time," the town governor of Ghardaia, Yahia Fahim, told national radio, according to the article.
The governor, Yahia Fahim, said its photo would be posted in all local media for the family to recognize it, and it was not clear from his comments whether the baby was a boy or a girl.
The CNN.com article also reports that, "Hundreds of troops and security services have deployed to prevent looting and help with recovery operations. Thousands of blankets, tents and food units were being handed out in Ghardaia, home to about 100,000 people."
The flood did extensive damage to the towns near Ghardaia, Algeria, which includes 1,400 damaged houses.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/africa/10/05/algeria.flood.baby.ap/index.html

Posted by Jenessa Olson at 9:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

USA Today reports Saturday that China has celebrated its first-ever space walk, which fueled discussion about building a space station and getting into areas of exploration previously dominated by Russia and the United States.
One month after the close of the Beijing Olympics, national pride was amplified as crowds gathered before outdoor television screens to watch the live broadcast of the event Saturday.
The article goes on to say that President Hu Jintao was present at Thursday's launch and watched the spacewalk at Beijing's ground control center. State coverage of the event reflected much of the glory of the event onto him.
"Your success represents a new breakthrough in our manned space program," Hu told the astronauts in a scripted exchange that was also broadcast live.
Hu also chairs the powerful Communist Party and government military committees that oversee the space program.
The goal of the spacewalk was to master the technology involved. USA Today says that, "Mission commander Zhai Zhigang's sole task was to retrieve a rack attached to the outside of the orbital module containing an experiment involving solid lubricants."
While the spacewalk was successful, it wasn't without its anxious moments. Zhai, a 41-year-old fighter pilot, appeared to struggle with the hatch and a fire alarm was triggered in the orbiter as he began the spacewalk.
The spacewalk paves the way for assembling a space station from two Shenzhou orbital modules, which, according to the article, is the next major goal of China's manned spaceflight program.

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/space/2008-09-26-china-spacemission_N.htm

Posted by Jenessa Olson at 8:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

ABC News reports that Asif Ali Zardari, the new president of Pakistan, may have some mental health problems.
After spending 11 years in prison, where he says he was tortured, he now suffers from trauma that led two psychologists to write that he had "emotional instability," including post-traumatic stress, depression and dementia, according to the Financial Times.
His time in prison was due to corruption and murder charges, although he was never convicted of anything.
Zardari, former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto's widower, takes power although he has a reputation of allegedly skimming off the top of every deal made when his wife was in power.
The article reports that his supporters in Islamabad, Pakistan "insist that he is perfectly healthy now, pointing out that since February he has engineered former President Pervez Musharraf's resignation, pushed a political rival out of a coalition and won a presidential election in a landslide."
"Yesterday's war may have not had the people behind it, but today's war does have the people of Pakistan -- in fact, it has the president of Pakistan, who himself is a victim of terrorism," Zardari said.
Zardari declined to criticize the United States for recent attacks on Pakistani soil and insisted he was the right man to fight the Taliban.

http://abcnews.go.com/International/story?id=5763236&page=1

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CNN.com reports that a strong earthquake struck Iran Wednesday, demolishing nearly 200 villages in Iran's Hormozgan Province.
The 6.1 magnitude quake, measured by the U.S. Geological Survey, killed at least 6 people and injured 46 others.
According to the report, Mehdi Rezapoor, head of the Iranian Seismological Center, said it was "a medium-sized quake."
CNN staff members in the nearby city of Dubai said they felt the building they were in shake for about 15 to 20 seconds.
The news report goes on to say that "there was no evidence of any damage in Dubai, where there are a lot of high-rise buildings."
This area is prone to earthquakes since "Iran lies on a series of seismic fault lines and has experienced devastating earthquakes." (CNN.com)
An article in the New York Times reports that a major earthquake in 2003 "killed more than 31,000 in the city of Bam, and 600 were killed in the city of Zarand in 2005 in an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.4."
http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/09/10/iran.earthquake/index.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/11/world/middleeast/11iran.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=iran%20earthquake&st=cse&oref=slogin

Posted by Jenessa Olson at 4:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)