Global News

Nelson Mandela is making progress and responding well to treatment for pneumonia, according to South African President Jacob Zuma.

Anonymous is taking credit for hacking North Korea’s social media accounts, taking over the hermit kingdom’s twitter and flicker feeds.

North Korea has moved what appears to be a mid-range missile to its east coast, according to South Korea's Yonhap news agency and Japan's Asahi Shimbun newspaper.  It’s not clear if the Musudan missile was equipped with a warhead, or if it’s there for a reason or just a show of force.

Scandal takes a big bite out of the credibility of the new French Government;  A European Royal is named as a “suspect” in a corruption case;  Two news viruses to be scared of;  And The Stones are Rolling out their summer plans.

In America, the Connecticut State Senate has just passed one of the toughest gun control laws in the US, in response to last December's shooting at the Sandy Hook Elementary school that left 20 children and six adults dead.

The Ugandan Army is suspending the search for the notorious warlord Joseph Kony in the Central African Republic (CAR), blaming "hostility" from its new government.  At the same time, the US is offering a reward of up to $5 Million for the arrest or capture of Kony.

Nine Taliban fighters dressed as Afghan Soldier stormed a government compound in the western part of the country, killing at least 44 people and wounding more than 100 more.

Fire engulfed pretty much all 145-meters of the 40-story “Olympus Tower” skyscraper in Grozny, in the Russian republic of Chechnya.  No one was injured, but it’s not everyday you can see a skyscraper burn so thoroughly.  Links-a-plenty in this story:

After decades at the right hand of Jon, lead guitarist Ritchie Sambora has cited “personal reasons” for bailing out of the current Bon Jovi tour.  The tour soldiers on with an unnamed replacement.

Record flooding caused by torrential rains has killed dozens of people in Argentina.  With 52 people, more downpours are expected to fall through at least Thursday.

North Korea is for a second day is blocking workers from the South from going to their jobs in the Kaesong Industrial park.  That’s despite Seoul's calls to lift the passage restrictions.  The situation is troubling, because many observers believe that keeping Kaesong open was a sign that the current Korean crisis was really all words, no action.

The United Nations approves a small arms treaty;  Vladimir Putin’s bro-mance with his closest political ally appears to be over; and China’s extra-chunky air is blamed for millions of deaths.

American Secretary of State John Kerry is vowing that the US will defend itself and South Korea.  Kerry made his stern comments at a joint appearance with his South Korean Counterpart.

As the British government introduces sweeping changes to the country's welfare, justice, health and tax systems that slash at services for poor, comes word that the taxpayers are giving the Queen a raise of £5 Million per year, or more than A$7 Million.

Three years after the massive oil disaster in 2010, and the Gulf of Mexico is still a very, very ill ecosystem according to a new study.

The coastlines surrounding the Arctic Circle could be covered in green by the year 2050 if current global warming trends continue, and let’s face it, those trends are going to continue.

The problems of bribery and corruption are severely crippling the ability of nations to fight poaching.  While the governments have to keep slashing budgets, the criminals are increasingly organized and able to pay bribes to keep their illegal trade going.  Some fear it will lead to elephant extinction in Africa and Asia.

Palestinian Womens’ Rights activists are condemning a new rule mandating separate classrooms for boys and girls from the fourth grade in Gaza.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon says immediate talks are needed to diffuse the tension on the Korean Peninsula.  This comes after Pyongyang announced it would restart its main Yongbyon Nuclear Complex.

The company that makes consumer electronics for clients such as Apple, Microsoft, Nintendo, Dell, and Sony is denying reports that a female worker committed suicide at the plant.