Cruse Ship Was Off Course Off Coast Of Italy
CAPSIZED CRUISE SHIP WAS OFF COURSE OFF COAST OF ITALY
A 160-foot gash in the hull led to the sinking of the Italian cruise ship Costa Concordia in mid-January. The ship's captain, Francesco Schettino, was arrested and accused of manslaughter in the incident after he apparently ran the ship aground near the island of Giglio off the Italian coast. Reports suggest the captain may have abandoned the ship before all the passengers had been evacuated. More than 4,100 people were evacuated from the crippled ship. The death toll in the incident reached double digits several days after the accident.
U.N. SECRETARY-GENERAL CALLS FOR AN END TO VIOLENCE IN SYRIA
"Today, I say again to President Assad of Syria: Stop the violence. Stop killing your people. The path of repression is a dead end." So said United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon during a conference about democracy in the Arab world held in Lebanon. His comments referred to the nearly yearlong uprising in Syria against the regime President Bashar Assad. Assad has reportedly offered amnesty for crimes committed during the uprising, but protestors are hesitant to accept the deal, noting that they would have to turn themselves into Syrian authorities.
BACK TO BURMA: U.S. TO SEND AMBASSADOR FOR FIRST TIME SINCE 1988
Recently, the government of Burma, also known as Myanmar, pardoned more than 600 prisoners. The move opened the door for the United States to send its first ambassador to Burma since the late 1980s. In 1988, the Burmese army put down a pro-democracy uprising, effectively ending the country's relationship with Western nations. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced the newly improved relationship. Her announcement follows her recent trip to Burma—a trip that made her the first U.S. secretary of state to visit the country in more than fifty years.
IRAN TO U.S.: WE WON'T SEND YOU YOUR DRONE, BUT WE WILL SEND YOU A TOY
The United States has requested that Iran return a CIA drone that ended up in Iranian hands—Iran says they brought it down; the U.S. says it malfunctioned—but it doesn't look like the request will be honored. Instead, Iran is going to send the U.S. government a toy replica of the drone. The toy will be 1/80 the size of the actual drone. Reports suggest that it would sell for the equivalent of $4 if it were sold in a toy store in Iran. The actual drone is an exceptionally advanced surveillance craft.
NORTH KOREAN DICTATOR KIM JONG-IL DIES OF HEART ATTACK
North Korea's longtime leader has died, and his passing increases the tension in an already tense part of the world. Upon the news of Kimg Jong-il's death, South Korea put its military on high alert, fearful that the leadership change might lead to violence. Kim's youngest son, Kim Jong-un, has been named the country's new leader. North Korea has few friends in the international community besides China; technically, the country is still at war with South Korea and the United States and has been for nearly six decades. In recent years, the country has become a nuclear power.
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