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The New York Times has begun a two-part series in which they investigate the lacking regulation to protect workers in third-world garment factories.

The investigation was sparked by a recent factory fire in Bangladesh that killed many factory workers. To further illustrate the trouble with safety regulations, the Times pulled data from several US corporations like Walmart that produce much of their textiles in these factories.

The writer, Tehera Begum, not only uses firsthand experiences from people associated with the Bangladesh fire, but draws an analysis based on data from companies like Sears and Walmart and offshore factories that are known for their complex global supply systems.

A senior al Qaeda leader was killed during a US drone strike Thursday in Pakistan, according to two of the country's intelligence leaders who reported to CNN Sunday.

Sheik Khalid bin Abdel Rehman al-Hussainan, who was also known as Abu Zaid al-Kuwaiti, was killed when missiles hit his house near Mir Ali, a town in a tribal region near the Afghan border, according to Fox News.

Al-Kuwaiti replaced Abu Yahya al-Libi, al Qaeda's second in command, earlier this year after he was killed in a US drone in North Waziristan in June, according to CNN. Fox reports that al-Kuwaiti was a lesser-known leader who was not on the US State Department's list of most-wanted terrorists, as al-Libi had been.

CNN reports that another suspected drone hit a hideout in the village of Tabbi in North Waziristan Sunday, killing four militants.

Firefighters pulled a body from the Mississippi in Northeast Minneapolis Saturday afternoon, according to KARE 11.

The Hennepin County Sheriff's Office received information around 12:30 p.m. reporting that a homeless man camping near 18th Avenue and Marshall Street NE walked into the water and slipped.

Another man that he was with ran to find help, coming across firefighters who pulled the body 15 feet from the shore. According to the Star Tribune, the man reported to an emergency dispatch supervisor that his friend was intoxicated when he drowned,

The Hennepin's County Sheriff's Office and the Minneapolis Police Department responded to the scene. The case remains under investigation, according to KARE 11.

Police are searching for answers after a man was found on the side of Hwy. 65 in Fridley with severe head injuries early Saturday, according to the Pioneer Press.

The Star Tribune reports that a driver's headlights found a 23-year-old man around 3 a.m. on the east side of the 7300 block of Hwy. 65. He had what appeared to be a blunt-force trauma to his head, and was found along an region of gas stations and trailer parks.

The man's identity has not been released, and he remains in critical condition at Hennepin County Medical Center. Minnesota State Patrol, the Anoka County Sheriff's Office, and the Fridley Police Department are still investigating the case.

A controversial bid has come to Congress proposing the establishment of national parks in three US regions that once housed top-secret research sites for the Manhattan Project, according to NPR.

The Manhattan Project, a WWII operation responsible for the creation of the atomic bomb, largely took place in Los Alamos, N.M., Oak Ridge, Tenn., and Hanford, Wash. Both Hiroshima and Nagasaki were bombed soon after the first atomic bomb was tested at the N.M. site in July of 1945.

The New York Times reports that national parks are being pushed in order to preserve the historical remnants of the sites, including a small log cabin in N.M. which served as an administrative base where it was discovered that splitting atoms could harness enormous amounts of energy.

NPR reports that construction crews at Los Alamos National Laboratory are already doing historical restoration on site buildings. But, if parks were to be established, visitors likely wouldn't have direct access to "restricted sites" where weapon research is still underway.

House Speaker John Boehner and House representatives came up with a counter-proposal in response to President Obama's latest offer to avert the upcoming "fiscal cliff", according to CBS News.

The proposal would cut $2.2 trillion from the deficit by cutting $900 billion in social spending with programs like Medicare and Social Security. It would additionally raise $800 billion in tax revenue due to tax reform, without raising the tax rate on the upper 2 percent as proposed by Obama, according to CBS.

As reported by the New York Times, offers from both sides stuck close with earlier bipartisan budget proposals, making the potential for a fair compromise slim.

The GOP remains set on refusing tax increases, which translates in its proposal through implementing tax breaks by closing loopholes and ending deductions. With this offer, tax revenue would reach $800 billion over 10 years, according to the Times.

A rollover accident on Hwy 77 Sunday night took the life of a 26-year-old Farmington man, according to KARE 11.

According to the Minnesota State Patrol and reported by KARE 11, the accident happened near Apple Valley off of McAndrews Rd. around 6pm. The driver of a white van veered off of 77 South, hit the metal guardrail and landed in the northbound lanes, where it was then struck by a 2007 Chevy Tahoe.

The impact killed the passenger of the van, Inoncencio Munoz-Gutierrez, 26, and left the driver, Salmon Adorno, 31, in critical condition. Only the driver of the Tahoe sustained minor injuries, the passenger and a 7-year-old girl unharmed.

According to the Star Tribune, another rollover accident occurred on I-94 near Brooklyn Park, where no injuries were reported. Both accidents left debris scattered across lanes, blocking rush hour traffic for hours. While the conditions were foggy, it isn't yet known if weather was a factor.

Representatives of North Korea said Saturday that they would be launching a long-range rocket later this month, according to ABC News.

North Korea claims that the rocket is carrying a communications satellite, as reported by ABC, and will be launched south over the Philippines and Australia before going into orbit.

This move has caused great upset among the US and its allies, according to the New York Times. Critics claim that this "communications satellite" is a cover for continued testing that may lead to a rocket launch containing nuclear warheads.

The last rocket that North Korea launched in April broke apart and landed in the Yellow Sea about a mile after take-off . ABC reports that after the incident, rumors spread around Pyongyang concerning the sudden disappearance of a couple of rocket scientists.

According to a press release from the US Department of State, the use of scarce resources for the development of nuclear weapons in North Korea will only bring further isolation and poverty to its citizens. It also reports that the US is working with allies and partners concerning next steps.

A player for the Kansas City Chiefs killed himself at the team's practice facility Saturday morning after allegedly murdering his girlfriend at their home, according to Sports Illustrated.

The player who shot himself is 25-year-old fourth-year linebacker Jovan Belcher. CBS News reports that police received a call around 8 am from a woman saying that her daughter, 22, had been shot multiple times in her home.

Belcher then drove five miles to the team's practice facility and shot himself in his car after allegedly speaking with coach Romeo Crennel and team manager Scott Pioli, according to SI. Belcher and his girlfriend had a three-month-old child.

Over 130 nations voted Thursday to rise Palestine's status from a "non-member observer entity," to "non-member observer state", according to The Examiner.

While this move was a triumph for the Palestinian Authority and its supporters, it was strongly opposed by both Israel and the US, according to the New York Times.

The victory for Palestine gains them more tools toward legally combating Israel, but there there was little accomplished in reaching their goal of obtaining their own state within the boundaries of the West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem, as reported in the Examiner.

With this new status, The Hindu reports that Palestine will be able to participate in General Assembly debates, as well as apply to sign the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. This could bring trouble for Israel, who will likely be tried for crimes committed against the civilians of Gaza.