Death Toll Rises in Oklahoma

The death toll from last week’s Oklahoma tornado is now at 18.

The victims of Friday’s storm included three veteran storm chasers. The Storm Prediction Center said the men were involved in tornado research.

Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin says the death toll could rise as emergency workers continue searching flooded areas for missing residents.

Among the dead were two children – a baby sucked out of the car with its mother and a 4-year-old boy who had sought shelter in a drainage ditch with family.

This is very terrible news to here from Oklahoma, the fact that bodies are still being found from last week is a terrifying thought.




story here: http://globalnews.ca/news/611848/death-toll-from-oklahoma-tornado-rises-to-18/

New way to hack iphones discovered

(CNN) -- Apple devices, from Macs to iPhones, have always been able to boast of advanced safety from viruses, spam and the like. Now, apparently, not even your phone charger is safe.

A team of researchers from Georgia Tech say they've discovered, and can demonstrate, a way to to hack into an iPhone or iPad in less than a minute using a "malicious charger."

Mac and iphone users have always been proud of their virus free software but this is a serious threat to that previous sense of security. All pieces of technology have a way to be hacked and we should be more alert to these threats.






story here: http://www.cnn.com/2013/06/03/tech/mobile/hack-iphone-charger/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

4 firefighters killed in hotel blaze

Some of them then went in "because we thought we had some civilians in the structure," Garrison said.

"Unfortunately, the building had much more fire in it than we originally thought," he added. "The structure collapsed ... and our members who were trying to save lives were trapped."

Fellow firefighters quickly sprang into action, some digging through the rubble to get to their colleagues. Garrison said the death toll could have been much higher if not for their bravery and quick action

The firefighters killed are Matthew Renaud, 35, who joined the fire department in October 2001; 41-year-old Robert Bebee, who started in August 2001; 29-year-old Robert Garner, part of the department since October 2010; and Anne Sullivan, a 24-year-old who graduated from the Houston Fire Department Academy in April.

These firefighters died heros trying to help other people and ended up saving their fellow fire fighters, they will be missed and remembered for their bravery.


story here: http://us.cnn.com/2013/05/31/us/houston-fire/?iref=obinsite

Ex-Cop Accused of Murder

(CNN) -- A former policeman is on trial in Kansas, accused of killing his wife and setting their home on fire more than two years ago.

Attorneys for Brett Seacat say his wife, Vashti, started the fire and shot herself.

But prosecutors say he was upset about the dissolution of their marriage, giving him more than enough motive.

On Monday, jurors heard from the Seacats' marriage counselor,CNN affiliate KWCH reported.

Connie Suderman testified that Seacat called her just hours after his wife's death in April 2011.

"He said, 'I killed her, Vashti is dead and it's my fault.' That's what he said," Suderman said, according to KWCH.

This is definitely in need of another look by authorities as both sides have motive to forget certain details and twist the truth. It would be a shame for the man to be falsely imprisoned but justice must be served to a side.









Story here: http://www.cnn.com/2013/06/03/us/kansas-murder-trial/index.html?hpt=hp_t3

Last Boston Bombing victim sent home

Boston (CNN) -- For Erika Brannock, Monday was a long time coming -- 50 days in fact.

That's how long she was hospitalized after bomb blasts at the Boston Marathon ripped apart her legs.

She was the last of the more than 250 victims from that attack to be released.

"I leave here today -- after 11 surgeries, some pretty dark moments, and 50 days in this hospital -- with nothing but admiration for this great city," said Brannock, who was treated at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston.

On the day of the marathon, she, her sister and her brother-in-law had gone to watch Brannock's mother run.

They were standing near the finish line when the bombs went off.

Its very sad to see how this tragedy forever changed her life but it is very good to see her in recovery and leaving the hospital to continue with her life and move on after this stressful time.

Story: http://www.cnn.com/2013/06/03/us/boston-bombing-victim/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

US sends missiles to Jordan

The US sends Patriot missile battery and fighter jets to Jordan as part of an exercise. This was done to boost US military support for Jordan which is a important ally for the US in the middle east. Jordan is currently housing many Syrian refugees and is in a very fragile state in need of support.

Article here: http://security.blogs.cnn.com/2013/06/03/u-s-to-send-patriot-missile-battery-fighter-jets-to-jordan-as-part-of-exercise/?hpt=hp_t2

The gangs of the worlds murder capital talk truce

Tegucigalpa, Honduras (CNN) -- Honduras, the country with the world's highest murder rate, is backing talks between its two most violent gangs in search of a truce.

The Mara Salvatrucha and Calle 18 gangs gave separate statements from a prison in San Pedro Sula on Tuesday, asking forgiveness from the public for the violence and declaring a cease-fire.

Gang members spoke with their faces covered with bandanas to disguise their identities as they pushed for peace.

"We are going to start now. ... We have now spent more than a decade being always involved in crime and mistreatment, which has also affected us, and what we want is peace," a representative of the Calle 18 gang told reporters.


Any step towards peace is needed in this situation, the gangs have agreed to scale down the violence and agree on territory as long as the other party respects their given territory. This is good progress for a area with a very violent past.

Story and video coverage here: http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/28/world/americas/honduras-gang-truce/index.html?hpt=wo_bn5

IRS in deep for overspending

(CNN) - The Internal Revenue Service is playing defense on a new front: excess spending on conferences.

The IRS spent close to $50 million on 225 conferences between 2010 and 2012, according to briefings given to the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee by the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration.

TIGTA will release an audit Tuesday that details surplus spending at a conference in 2010 for 2,700 people in the IRS Small Business/Self-Employed division.

At a House oversight committee hearing on the issue next week, lawmakers will focus on the August 2010 conference held in Anaheim, California, at a cost of $4 million. Several IRS employees stayed in presidential suites at hotels, the committee learned. Such suites currently cost between $1,500 to $3,500 per night.

I think the government would need to tighten up on useless spending and focus money in fixing thing within that department instead of wasting money on presidential suites and other luxury items.


Story here: http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2013/06/02/irs-faces-new-battle-on-overspending/?hpt=hp_t1

Wildfire devastates Cailifornia

A fire tearing through Southern California's Angeles National Forest exploded to more than 30 square miles on Sunday and forced evacuations of an estimated 1,000 homes, authorities said.

Forest Service spokesman Ron Ashdale said the blaze doubled in size overnight as it chewed through dry brush in low humidity and high winds. It was only about 20% contained.

"The weather played a huge role in this fire," Ashdale said. "Normally a fire will lay down a bit overnight and you can get some containment. This one kept roaring."

Update on the story is that the fire scorched 29,000 acres of land while firefighters have made major progress towards putting out this blaze and containing the situation. These fires are always tragic and I hope those affected will recover soon.


story and video here: http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/06/02/wildfires-california-mexico-evacuation/2381805/

French Gangster who escaped from prison captured!

(CNN) -- French gangster Redoine Faid, the subject of aninternational manhunt after his brazen escape from a prison last month, is back in custody, the country's Interior Ministry said Wednesday.

Faid held five people, including four guards, at gunpoint at a detention center in the northern city of Lille on April 13, officials said.

He then burst his way to freedom, detonating explosives to destroy five doors.

Early Wednesday, French police arrested Faid, labeled France's "public enemy No. 1," at a hotel in the Seine-et-Marne region to the east of Paris, the ministry said.

Between 70 and 80 police officers took part in the predawn raid, Lille prosecutor Frederic Fevre told reporters. Faid was asleep and offered no resistance when police entered his hotel room.

Mr. Faid has been escaped multiple times and the question stands why he isn't under more strict confinement or why they havent asked him to put his skills into something more productive like training the police for these sort of events instead of wasting time and money searching for him. 

story here: http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/29/world/europe/france-prison-escape/index.html?hpt=wo_bn6

Amelia Earhart mystery solved?

That's the question raised by tantalizing evidence published this week by teams trying to find out what happened to famed aviator Amelia Earhart, who vanished along with navigator Fred Noonan during a doomed attempt to fly around the world in 1937. Researchers publicized images recorded by search teams scanning the ocean floor nearly a year ago near Nikumaroro Island in the South Pacific.

The International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery raised the prospect of a big break in the case by publishing an image online. It showed something -- hard for the layman to size up -- on the ocean floor. The group said, "It's the right size, it's the right shape and it's in the right place."

This discovery could be huge for history if in fact the actual plane. It would provide an explanation to what really happened to Amelia and clues towards her death. There are many possibilities to why that plane may be there but results are being checked and it might take a while before we hear any more.


Story here: http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/31/world/asia/earhart-plane-search/index.html?hpt=wo_t3

Anti-Government protests continue in Turkey

ISTANBUL — Thousands of anti-government protesters continued demonstrations Sunday in Istanbul and several major cities across Turkey, speaking against rising authoritarianism and calling for the government to resign after police used violence against demonstrators marching against plans to demolish a local park. 

This surprising spark of riots look to be extremely brutal and many photos suggest strong police brutality involvement but this could be what the media is getting or picturing from the riot and not the actual case.

Gallery: http://imgur.com/a/gKAsu#Cm4MdqF

Some photos within:

Story here: http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2013/06/02/turkey-protests/2381911/

Three Storm Chasers killed in Oklahoma

CNN: Tim Samaras, his son Paul Samaras and Carl Young were killed Friday while following a tornado in El Reno, Oklahoma, confirmed by relatives of the deceased. They were known storm chasers with their work tracking tornadoes was featured on the former Discovery Channel show "Storm Chasers."


Storm chasing is a very dangerous activity that the state should take a look at in regards to safety measures or even legality of storm chasing to prevent further injuries in a area where these events are popular. 

Full link and article below:

http://www.cnn.com/2013/06/02/us/midwest-weather/index.html?hpt=hp_t1