Abortion Doctor Facing Murder Charges

Dr. Kermit Gosnell, a Philadelphia abortion doctor, was found guilty of three counts of first-degree murder by a jury Monday. He was accused of killing babies by taking scissors to their spinal cords. Some of the infants were allegedly born alive and fully functional during the sixth through eighth month of pregnancy. He is not a certified obstetrician or gynecologist, and he could possibly be receive a death sentence. He was also accused of the death of a 41-year-old at his West Philadelphia clinic. She died of an anesthetic overdose during a second-trimester abortion. He was guilty of involuntary manslaughter for this case. Abortions past 24 weeks are illegal, and Gosnell was found guilty for 21 counts of this type of abortion. Eileen O'Neill, Gosnell's co-defendant, is charged with participation in a corrupt organization and theft, but not for performing illegal abortions. A report from 2011 says that there were no doctors involved in this medical practice besides Kermit Gosnell, and there were no nurses.


http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/13/justice/pennsylvania-abortion-doctor-trial/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

Referee Dies After a Punch to the Face

Last week, Ricardo Portillo, a referee at a recreational soccer game, received a punch in the face after citing a player with an infraction and issuing the player with a yellow card. A yellow card is issued as a warning to a player and a second card results in an ejection from the game. The game was held in the Salt Lake City suburb of Taylorsville on April 27. Initially, Portillo only suffered minor injuries, but after being sent to the hospital, it was discovered that he had actually suffered severe internal damage. He was in critical condition for a whole week. Portillo died on Saturday. The 17-year-old's name has not been released because he is a minor, however it has been revealed that he is currently in juvenile detention. He was charged with aggravated assault, but the charges are expected to upgrade with Portillo's death. A similar incident occurred in the Netherlands when two 15-year-olds and a 16-year-old beat a linesman during an amateur game. He fell into a coma and later died.


http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/05/us/utah-soccer-death/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

Building in Bangladesh Collapses

Last week, a factory building that was part of the Rana Plaza in Savar, Bangladesh, collapsed. While there were 2,773 survivors of the collapse, it killed at least 398 people. Rescuers are still attempting to remove debris at the site of the collapse, and the hunt for survivors is said to be completed by Tuesday or Wednesday of this week. Editor of the Daily Star newspaper stated that the "stench of rotting human flesh has taken over the scene and it is very hard to stand next to the site." Most of the workers for the factory were between the ages of 18 and 22, but there were some with families. Also, the majority of the workers were living in poverty. The Cabinet of Bangladesh made the decision to inspect the safety of all garment factories, and will soon have a committee led by a state minister visiting factories and submitting reports to the government about safety measures.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/29/world/asia/bangladesh-building-collapse/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

China Earthquake Leaves Devastation

Over the past weekend, there was a major earthquake that hit Sichuan, China, which is a province in southwestern China. This earthquake killed an estimated 188 people. In Sichuan, makeshift shelters have been set up for the tens of thousands of people in desperate need, as many homes sit in piles of remains. Some people have no means of shelter whatsoever. Severe aftershocks (there have been 2,000 reported) are making rescue missions difficult because they constantly threaten landslides. Reservoirs in the area have been damaged, and a main concern is clean drinking water. However, an even bigger problem is finding survivors within the 72-hour time window allotted after natural disasters. Five years ago, Sichuan suffered another earthquake that killed more than 87,000 people.


http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/22/world/asia/china-sichuan-earthquake/index.html?hpt=hp_t3

Drugs Legally Injected in Canada

In Vancouver, British Columbia, there is a safe drug injection center called InSite, which claims to "save lives." This facility is for drug addicts to come in and shoot drugs and not risk arrest. There are a total of 12 injection booths that approximately 800 people use on a daily basis. Some addicts stop by two or three times a day. The atmosphere of the center has been classified as clinical, with fluorescent lighting and mirrors. Medical staff are always on hand and watching. They sometimes assist the addicts in finding the right vein to shoot into, but their main task is to step in when users overdose. Steve, a regular visitor of the center, has overdosed three different times. This center provides clean needles, which can stop the spread of HIV and Hepatitis, and a safe place to inject, but are addicts really getting better by getting told to shoot more drugs?

http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/15/us/washington-avalanches-duplicate-2/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

Britain's First Female Prime Minister Dead at 87

Margaret Thatcher, the former British Prime Minister and important figure in postwar Britain and world politics, has passed away at the age of 87. She suffered a stroke on Monday, says a source. The British prime minister's office announced that her funeral will be at St. Paul's Cathedral with full military honors. Following that will be a private cremation. Margaret served as the head of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990. She was referred to as the "Iron Lady" because she was considered personally and politically tough. She retired in 2002 because of a stroke and continued to suffer strokes after that. Thatcher made history by becoming the first, and only, female Prime Minister so far. Six years before becoming Prime Minister, she stated in an interview, "I don't think there will be a woman prime minister in my lifetime." During her reign, she shed light on moral absolutism, nationalism, and the rights of an individual vs. the state.



http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/08/world/europe/uk-margaret-thatcher-dead/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

J.K. Rowling to Release New Book

J.K. Rowling, world-famous author of the renowned 7-part series, Harry Potter, allegedly has an eighth book currently in the process of being published. The book is set to be released during the summer of 2014. Rowling released a statement about the final installment, saying, "I feel that I would have been letting my fans down if I didn't conclude the Harry Potter series properly. I mean, I just left them hanging after the final fight scene and jumped right into them living happily ever after." Rowling has been requested, on many occasions, to fill readers in about the lives of the main characters Ron, Hermione, and Harry, as well as others. It is still unknown what the title will be.

Amanda Knox's New Fate

In 2007, Amanda Knox, an American college student studying abroad in Perugia, Italy, allegedly murdered another student, Meredith Kercher, 21. In November, Meredith was found semi-naked with a slashed throat at the home they shared. Also arrested was Amanda's boyfriend at the time, Raffaele Sollecito. However, a man by the name of Rudy Guede was convicted of Meredith Kercher's murder. Knox spent four years in jail before the conviction was overturned. Her family hopes that Monday will be the final day of this long ordeal. The Italian Supreme Court will decide whether or not prosecutors will be allowed to retry her. Amanda's lawyer, Luciano Ghirga, stated that they are confident in the Italian legal system and Knox wants to return to Italy as a free woman.


http://www.cnn.com/2013/03/25/world/europe/italy-amanda-knox-case/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

Body and Bombs found in Central Florida Dorm

On Monday morning at approximately 12:20 a.m. at the University of Central Florida's Orlando campus, police discovered a male body with a self-inflicted gunshot wound, a handgun, an assault weapon, and a bag of explosives. This was after a fire alarm sounded in the Tower 1 dorm and 911 was dialed. At the scene were the Orange County Sheriff's Office bomb squad, the FBI, and the UCF Police Department. The 500-resident dorm was evacuated. Food and counseling was provided for these students at the college's Veterans Academic Resource Center. Also, a parking garage near Tower 1 was closed off until around 9 a.m.



http://www.cnn.com/2013/03/18/us/florida-ucf-body-found/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

LeBron James Offered $1 Million by Magic Johnson

Magic Johnson, retired professional basketball player, has offered Miami Heat's LeBron James $1 million to participate in and win next year's professional basketball slam dunk contest. According to ESPN, James is still considering whether or not he should accept the offer from Johnson. Named the best player in the National Basketball Association, LeBron has recently had some pretty impressive pre-game warm-up dunks, so it is very likely he could pull out a win in the contest. Also according to ESPN, the winner of the dunk contest already receives $100,000 and the runner-up receives $50,000. To most, this large-scale bet seems outrageous, and most find it offensive. However, the money could go to various charities and people wouldn't be so judgmental of the whole concept.



http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1551915-lebron-james-says-he-will-consider-magic-johnsons-1-million-dunk-contest-offer?hpt=hp_t3

South Korea's First Female President

In South Korea last Monday, history was made as they welcomed Park Geun-hye, 61, as the first female president after she was elected in December. Some of the things she wants to improve in South Korea are the income inequality and the relationship South Korea has with North Korea. She has a political background, as her father, Park Chung-hee, was on of the founders of modern Korea who ruled for 18 years before he was killed in 1979. Because of his human-rights violating dictatorship, she is often criticized for not distancing herself from the legacy left behind. However, she was elected to presidency by 52% of voters.



http://www.cnn.com/2013/02/24/world/asia/south-korea-female-president/index.html?hpt=hp_t3

Russia Cleans Up After Meteor Explodes

In Chelyabinsk, Russia (Ural Mountain region) the blast from a meteor shook the area, and now a cleanup is under way since Saturday. Some buildings were left untouched by the Friday morning blast, but others had blown-out windows and crumbling walls. It was reported that approximately 1,000 people were injured, including about 200 children. The injuries were mainly of people from the Chelyabinsk area, and were from the glass of windows, so they are not considered serious. A spinal injury that resulted from the shock wave of the meteor blast caused one woman to be flown to Moscow. More than 4,000 buildings were damaged, costing over 33 million American dollars. The repairs began Saturday as workers swept up and replaced broken glass windows and boarded up holes.


http://www.cnn.com/2013/02/16/world/europe/russia-meteor-shower/index.html?hpt=hp_t3

Delaware Courthouse Shooting Claims 3 Lives

A Caucasian man of about 50 or 60 years of age entered the lobby of the New Castle County Courthouse in Wilmington, Delaware at around 8 o'clock Monday morning and began shooting. The state police sergeant said that the gunman acted alone, and it was not an act of terrorism. He killed two women in the shooting, then died. Whether he died by taking his own life or being shot down by police is unknown. Among the injured are two Capitol Police officers, however their injuries are not life-threatening because they were wearing bulletproof vests. The names of the shooter and the victims are not being released, as the investigation must be carried out first. The courthouse will be closed Tuesday.


http://www.cnn.com/2013/02/11/justice/delaware-court-shooting/index.html?hpt=hp_t3

California Bus Crash Kills 8, Possibly More

In San Bernardino County, California, a tour bus from the company Scapadas Magicas of National City, California rear-ended a sedan at approximately 6:30 p.m. local time on Sunday. It occurred on State Route 38 between Mentone and Forest Falls. The crash killed at least eight people and injured, both severely and non-severely, 42 more people. The death toll is expected to rise as authorities still attempt to remove bodies from inside the bus. Mario Lopez, spokesman of the California Highway Patrol, stated that the site of the crash was "horrific" and "probably one of the worst ones" of his career. A coroner is trying to identify the bodies of those killed by the crash. The cause is still unclear.


http://www.cnn.com/2013/02/04/us/california-bus-crash/index.html?hpt=hp_t3

New York Woman Disappears from Istanbul, Turkey

Sarai Sierra traveled to Turkey on January 7 and documented her trip in photos over the two weeks she was scheduled to stay there. The day before her trip was supposed to end, January 21, was the last time she had spoken with her family. Her father was supposed to pick her up from the airport, but was told she never checked in. Some of Sarai's belongings were found in the hotel room, though her iPhone and iPad were not. Her husband, Steven Sierra, is convinced that this is not like Sarai at all to just disappear. Steven and Sarai's brother, David, are set to arrive in Turkey Monday afternoon, and they are expecting to find her and bring her home to America. This trip was Sarai's first time out of the United States. A friend was supposed to accompany her on the trip, but couldn't make it so she ended up going alone.


http://www.cnn.com/2013/01/27/world/europe/turkey-missing-american/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

Coldest Week of the Winter for Northern United States

The coldest weather this winter has hit the northern United States this week, with temperatures plunging below zero. This is the first time Chicago has seen negative temperatures in nearly two years. These frigid temperatures are stretched from the Dakotas to New England. Wind chills have been reported as cold as 51 degrees below zero in North Dakota. Blinding snow has been reported in many areas and there have been a lot of car pileups, which have sent people to the hospital. There were also deaths reported. Frostbite can occur in just 10 minutes at 30 degrees below zero. Newborns and the elderly are in greater danger of hypothermia. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said, "Cold weather puts an extra strain on the heart." The extreme temperatures are expected to last until Thursday.


http://www.cnn.com/2013/01/22/us/weather/index.html?hpt=us_c2

Beijing in Emergency State Due to Pollution

A dangerous cloud of smog continues to cover Beijing, China and all outdoor sports activities have been postponed until Tuesday of this week. The city's Air Quality index is more than 500 micrograms, which is the highest level without going "beyond index." The sale of face-masks has hit an all-time high, as well as reports of respiratory problems. Streets have been emptier lately and the sun is hardly visible through the thick cloud. On Monday morning, the pollution exceeded the index of Air Quality with as much as 755 micrograms. Despite belief that Beijing's air quality has improved since the 2008 Olympics, city residents say that is not the case. The Hyundai Motor Company has suspended production and almost 30 construction sites have postponed production. Beijing is currently being compared to Los Angeles.


http://www.cnn.com/2013/01/14/world/asia/china-smog-blanket/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

Google Chairman Visits North Korea

Google Chairman Eric Schmidt kicked off a controversial private trip to North Korea on Monday with the former Governor of New Mexico Bill Richardson. The trip is taking place despite objections from the U.S. State Department. Very few details of the trip have released, although it has taken over the interest of the media. CNN was told the trip is a "private humanitarian visit," and Bill Richardson went on the trip to attempt to release an American prisoner who was captured last month. An adviser, Tony Namkung, and a former State Department official who now works for Google, Jared Cohen, will be joining Schmidt and Richardson. The visit is set to conclude on Thursday with a news conference in Beijing. "We don't think the timing of this is particularly helpful...they are well aware of our views," spokeswoman of the State Department states.



http://money.cnn.com/2013/01/07/news/schmidt-richardson-north-korea/index.html?hpt=wo_c2

New Year's Stampede Kills 60 in Ivory Coast

A total of 60 people, mostly women and children, were killed around one in the morning, when a stampede occurred on New Year's Day in Ivory Coast. The president, Alassane Ouattara, has declared three days of "national mourning" and promises an investigation on the stampede. Ouattara went to the scene and ordered the government to assist those in need. 26 children, 28 women, and 6 men were among the dead. 49 others were injured. The people who were injured and killed were either trampled or suffocated by the crowd. The stampede happened in an area of mostly narrow streets when hundreds of people tried to make their way to their homes after Plateau's fireworks display.



http://www.cnn.com/2013/01/01/world/africa/ivory-coast-deaths/index.html?hpt=wo_c2