Explosion at Mexican Oil Supplier's Headquarters Kills 14

An explosion at the headquarters of the oil giant Pemex has taken the lives of at least 14 people on Thursday.

Nearly 100 other people have been injured in the explosion and have been taken to Pemex’s hospital and a Red Cross hospital.

Emergency services are looking for at least 30 people who are believed to be possibly trapped in the debris of the explosion.

A spokesman for the Interior Ministry said the explosion took place in the basement garage of the building next to Pemex’s 52-floor skyscraper.

Pemex says that it will be investigating the causes of the explosion.

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Former Illinois Gov. Ryan Released from Prison, Enters Halfway House

After spending five years in prison, former Illinois Governor George Ryan was released on Wednesday and has entered a halfway house in Chicago.

Ryan, now 78-years-old, was entering the Salvation Army Freedom Center when reporters approached him.

He did not speak with any members of the media.

Ryan was convicted in 2006 for racketeering, conspiracy, and tax fraud among other things.

He served his sentence at the Terre Haute federal prison in Indiana.

While in prison, Ryan’s wife died in 2011 and he was not allowed to attend her funeral, but was allowed to see her when she was hospitalized.

  

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Double Arm Transplant Successful on Army Veteran

An Army veteran that had all four limbs taken from him in an explosion in Iraq has successfully underwent a double arm transplant.

Sergeant Brendan Marrocco had been in the explosion in 2009 and was able to have the surgery this past December.

The surgery happened at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland and took 13-hours and 16 surgeons to complete the procedure.

The hospital said that this surgery was the “most extensive and complicated limb transplant procedure so far performed in the U.S.”

CBS reports that Marrocco’s transplanted arms came from an anonymous, deceased donor. 

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Tech News: The Blackberry 10

With only two more days before Research in Motion Limited (RIM) unveils the Blackberry 10 some still wonder if the device can compete with current phones.

RIM has said that they have partnered with several music and video companies for their  Blackberry 10 including Sony Pictures and Warner Group music.

In addition to the catalogs of music and video, RIM has said that it's Blackberry World Store will have movies available when they hit DVD and next-day TV series episodes.

RIM has also said that the company intends to have lower prices in the World Store that will prove competitive with other app stores.

This new Blackberry has been delayed within the last year but has done so because RIM has developed a completely new mobile OS for the phone.

RIM is to unveil the Blackberry in New York and will show a variety of phones, including one with a keyboard and one that is completely touchscreen.


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More than 230 Dead in Brazilian Night Club Fire

A fire that engulfed the stage and ceiling at a Brazilian nightclub early Sunday has left at least 230 people dead.

The number of deaths at the Kiss nightclub in Santa Maria could rise as an investigation by local authorities continues.

Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff has since said that everything that could help the families of the deceased would be done.

President Rousseff also said in a statement that she and the people of Santa Maria “stand together at this time” and “will pull through”.

BBC reports that victims of the fire inhaled toxic fumes or were trampled by people at the club that were trying to escape.

Local media outlets report that a firework lit by band members on stage could have been the cause of the initial fire on stage.

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Anonymous Threatens U.S. Department of Justice

In response to the suicide of an Internet activist Aaron Swartz, hacker group Anonymous threatened the U.S. Department of Justice on Saturday.

Anonymous hacked the U.S. Sentencing Commission website and posted a message calling for reform of the justice system.

Should the government not meet their demand, the group has threatened to release sensitive information about the Department of Justice to the media.

An FBI official said that their agency has acknowledged the threat and is investigating it.

Aaron Swartz had charges brought against him for the alleged hacking of the JSTOR online archive.

He was found dead in his apartment earlier this month.

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Protesters and Police Collide in Egypt

Tahrir Square in Cario was the scene of a conflict on Friday between police and protestors.

Protestors threw rocks and stones at police, who in turn used tear gas to fend off the protestors.

CBS news reports that at least 110 people have suffered injuries such as cuts or broken bones and have been treated since.

Today is the second anniversary of the ousting of former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak that served from 1981 to 2011.

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North Korea Targets U.S. in Future Nuclear Tests

North Korea announced on Thursday that it will continue a nuclear test and has named the United States as its sworn enemy.

North Korea’s Nation Defense Commission said in its statement:

"We do not hide that a variety of satellites and long-range rockets which will be launched by the [Democratic People’s Republic of Korea] one after another and a nuclear test of higher level which will be carried out by it in the upcoming all-out action, a new phase of the anti-U.S. struggle that has lasted century after century, will target against the U.S., the sworn enemy of the Korean people."

This statement comes just 23 days after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un gave his New Year’s speech calling for the unification of his people.

His speech also called for garnering peace with those who are friendly with North Korea.

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Ban Lifted on Military Women Serving in Combat

Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta is expected to announce Thursday that the ban on women serving in combat will be lifted.

Multiple combat positions are to be available to women, but not all positions will open up at the same time.

Positions in elite units such as the Navy SEALS will also become available to women.

In order to be a part of units where the physical demand is exhausting, women would have to meet specific strength standards.

This ban was changed in 1994 and did not allow women to be assigned to units whose orders are to be involved in direct combat.


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Alleged Shooter Identified in Texas College Shooting

Three people are recovering in a Texas hospital after a shooting at a Houston, Texas community college on Tuesday.

Twenty-two-year-old Carlton Berry is one of those people, and is the alleged shooter in the college shooting.

Berry has been charged with aggravated assault and is in police custody at the Houston hospital.

One of the other men recovering is also in police custody at the hospital, but has not yet been identified by local authorities.

Berry and the unidentified man were apparently arguing before gunshots were fired.

ABC reports that a maintenance worker in his 50's was also shot in the gunfight, but his family has since said that he will make a full recovery.


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Shooting at Texas College Wounds Three People

At least three people have been shot at Lone Star College System in the Houston, Texas area on Tuesday.

ABC News reports that two people with multiple gunshot wounds are at Ben Taub Hospital in serious condition.

 

Police are searching for a man that is 6-foot-2 and is wearing an Atlanta Falcons hat.

     

A man has been taken into custody and a second shooter could be involved.

Police are also investigating whether a person that previously fled the college has any connections to the shooting.

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Russia to Evacuate Its Citizens From Syria

The Emergency Situations Ministry of Russia has scheduled two planes to evacuate more than 100 Russian citizens from Syria on Tuesday.

This evacuation comes during a time when nearly 60,000 people have died since March of 2011 during the Syrian conflict.

Russia’s Foreign Ministry has said that its country plans to evacuate thousands of its citizens should the situation call for such actions.

Russia has previously been an ally of Syria, and has aided Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s military with jets, and helicopters.

CBS reports that Russian President Vladimir Putin says that Russia realizes that Syria is in need of change.

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The Algeria Hostage Situation: Aftermath

The hostage situation at a British Petroleum (BP) natural gas facility in In Amenas, Algeria has left more than 50 people dead, of which 23 were hostages.

Although 23 of the hostages were confirmed dead, this number could rise within the hours as a search of the facility is conduction by Algerian special forces.

The special forces raided the facility on Saturday and killed all 32 of the Islamic extremists that held the hostages captive since Wednesday.

Reuters.com reports that veteran Islamic fighter Mokhtar Belmokhtar has since taken responsibility for the gas plant siege on behalf of al Qaeda.

The Algerian Interior Ministry confirmed that more than 790 people were freed as a result of the special force operation.

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Bulgarian Politician’s Life Threatened/ Acid Attack on Russian Ballet Director

Movement for Rights leader Ahmed Dogan was on stage giving a speech on Saturday when a gas pistol was pointed to his head.

The Associated Press reports that 25-year-old Oktai Emimehmedov, an ethnic Turk, held the gun.

Emimehmedov was taken down and beaten before he was able to fire a shot and was later arrested and taken to a hospital.

This link brings up the CBS video that shows the events mentioned above, including Emimehmedov’s takedown.

Also in world news, acid was thrown into the face of Russian Bolshoi Ballet director Sergei Filin on Thursday.

Filin was on his way home when a masked person approached him and threw the acid.

CNN report that the acid burns could take six months for Filin to recover, and could blind him.

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Tech News: Aridion: Liquid Repellant Nano-Coating

In an ongoing effort to protect devices from water and corrosion, British business firm P2i says it has created a repellant that can repel most liquids.

The patented Aridion repellent can be sprayed on a surface, and most liquids that come into contact with it will turn into beads and roll away.

The repellent is 1,000 times thinner than that of a strand of human hair and is invisible to the naked eye.

CNN reports that Aridion was created with a military intention of coating soldier’s uniforms to protect them from liquid assailants.

Stephen Coulson is the chemical engineer credited with Aridion’s development.

To learn more about P2i, you can click this link.

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Russian Mob Boss Killed by Sniper

Russian crime lord Aslan Usoyan was sniped down in Moscow on Wednesday by what is being defined as a mob war.

Usoyan was shot in the jaw and then taken to a hospital where he latter died in his coma.

The Washington Post reports that this war was over construction projects that allegedly involved the 2014 Winter Olympics.

The 75-year-old had built an empire that reaches far across the Soviet Union and was known for trafficking illegal drugs and weapons.

The deceased began his professionalism with crime after being convicted in 1956 and comes from a group of skilled criminals. 

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Science News: Mars “Flower” Continues to Spark Interest

A photo of what has been dubbed a “flower” on the Martian surface continues to peak the interest of scientists.

The photo was taken December 19, 2012 by the Curiosity rover, and has been the topic of discussion on Internet websites such as Above Top Secret.

The object in the photo is not truly a flower but rather has the physical shaping of one and is a little larger than a grain of sand.

Researchers are not sure of what exactly the object is composed of but it could be evidence that Mars once had water on its surface.

You can follow updates on the latest Mars Curiosity rover news by clicking this link.

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New York Hospital Reuses Insulin Pens

Due to an oversight at the Buffalo Veterans Administration Medical Center in New York, more than 700 patients might be exposed to HIV and hepatitis.

A spokeswoman for the center said that the hospital had recently learned of some insulin pens that were not labeled for individual use.

As a result, a single pen may have been used on multiple patients.

A memo from the Department of Veterans Affairs stated that:

            "(The health system) determined that all veterans who were prescribed the insulin pen during an inpatient stay from October 19, 2010, to November 1, 2012, should be notified."

Dr. Robert A. Petzel of the Department of Veteran Affairs said that although it’s unlikely that an infection will be passed, it’s still possible.

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