NEWS BRIEF: A security source in Anbar province has reported that a car bomb targeted the western entrance to the city of Fallujah Saturday.
The source , who asked not to be named, said that “security forces cordoned off the scene and prevented public access.”
Via: AlSumaria (Arabic)
Guns N’ Roses frontman Axl Rose confirmed rumors Monday that the original Guns N’ Roses would reunite and play the Coachella festival in 2016. The hard rock singer confirmed the reunion with his former bandmates on Twitter, less than one week after Tweeting opaquely that “The only thing I know ‘confirmed’ is my LOVE of Taco Bell!”
“Ok,ok…,” tweeted Rose, “It’s ‘confirmed!’ Guns N’ Roses is Headlining Coachella 2016!! See Everyone There!!”
The tweet followed an announcement by The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival that the lineup for the festival would include Guns N’ Roses, LCD Soundsystem, Calvin Harris, Ellie Goulding, Ice Cube, Disclosure, Sia, and dozens of other bands.
An evacuation is underway at Lakebay Marina due to shots being fired in the air by a man who has claimed to have a bomb strapped to the fuel and propane tanks on his 30-foot cruiser boat, docked at the marina.
The man has been sitting on his boat and has threatened to blow up the marina, according to investigators, KOMO News, which originally broke the story, reported.
At around 3 p.m. local time, a 56-year-old man began firing shotgun rounds into the air from his boat, according to Det. Ed Troyer of the Piece County Sheriff’s Department, and SWAT and other police units are now on the scene, which is reported as secure.
Troyer said local police did not know the man previously, and that the man did not have a criminal background.
Police are attempting to access the nature of the threat posed by the man.
Media are currently behind the evacuation blockade, according to KOMO-TV’s Matt Markovich:
Lakebay staging. Moving perimeter lane back. Cornwall rd blocked #LiveonKOMO pic.twitter.com/Qr9wHXd4xV
— Matt Markovich (@mattmarkovich) August 4, 2015
Mexican drug kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman has escaped from a Mexican prison for a second time, according to the country’s security commission.
Guzman, who has been incarcerated since 2014 this time around, was last seen in the area of the prison’s showers, the commission reported late Saturday night, and a search operation is being organized for the surrounding area.
Flights from Toluca airport near Mexico City have been suspended.
By James Haleavy
BRIEF – Novodevichy Convent, a large Moscow monastery situated around 5 km from the Kremlin, was the site of a large fire Sunday night. The building has been under repair, according to Bulletin Echo, and the fire may have begun with one of the scaffolding towers.
The fire began at after 10:30 p.m. Moscow time. Fire fighters arrived shortly thereafter.
The area has been cordoned off. The cause of the blaze is not yet known, and authorities have not yet made any statements.
Initially, rumors spread on social media that the fire had taken place at the Kremlin.
Novodevichy Convent is a perhaps the best known cloister of the Russian capital. It was founded in 1524 by Vasili III, the Grand Prince of Moscow, and has remained intact since the 17th century. The name can be translated as New Maiden’s Monastery.
In addition to being a famous tourist attraction in its own right, the cemetery attached is the location of the graves of former Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev, former President Boris Yeltsin, writer Anton Chekhov, and other famous Russian deceased.
More follows.
By James Haleavy
Leonard Nimoy, known as Mr. Spock to all who are fans of the original Star Trek series, passed away Friday morning at his home in Bel Air, Los Angeles. He was 83.
Last year the actor announced that he was suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease as a result of years of smoking — a habit which he quit more than three decades ago. He was hospitalized earlier in the week as a result of complications, but was released a few days ago.
Nimoy, who became famous for his role as Spock in the original Star Trek series as well as in the recent Star Trek movie franchise, has been a role model in a diffusion of culture, having been the author of books, poetry, music, and even photography.
His real break in the industry came as result of having made a good impression on Gene Roddenberry, the famous creator of Star Trek, who had Nimoy appear in every single episode of the three-season series.
Star Trek is perhaps one of the most famous sci-fi TV shows throughout television history, where together with William Shatner, who played the handsome and dashing Captain Kirk, Nimoy challenged many cultural norms prevalent in the 60’s by fighting xenophobia and misogyny and by featuring a multicultural cast.
Initially, the show did not gain popularity among a wide audience, and did not go beyond a third season, but its enduring legacy, embodied in Star Trek’s famous fan base, led to the equally famous Star Trek: The Next Generation and other spin-offs.
Nimoy also starred in numerous films since Star Trek. He played Vincent Van Gogh in the famous “Vincent” “and even Golda Meir’s husband in “A Woman Called Golda.” He has also directed numerous movies, and has appeared in plays such as “A Street Car Name Desire.”
The most interesting aspect of Nimoy’s career, perhaps, was his difficulty with being type-casted as Spock as a result of his enduring legacy perpetuated by “Trekkies.” In 1975 he wrote an autobiography entitled “I Am Not Spock,” but nearly 20 years later, in 1995, he embraced his role as Spock and wrote his second autobiography called “I am Spock.” Since then he has appeared in numerous TV shows, from The Simpsons to Futurama, flaunting but also making fun of the Vulcan character that had made him famous.
Nimoy has had a profound effect on sci-fi culture by bringing the famous split-fingered salute — that many of us have struggled to do — into the public view, as well as the ubiquitous words: “Live long and prosper.”
By Milad Doroudian
Image by NBC Television
Ugandan war plans detailing wide-ranging actions against South Sudanese rebels, currently fighting South Sudanese government troops, were leaked by the South Sudan News Agency Wednesday. The report disparaged the East African authority EGAD, and included a timeframe for beginning of the attack.
“These rebels are a threat to our general security, and they must either surrender or face being wiped out completely; this is the only way that will force Riek Machar’s fighters to give up fighting”, read the document.
The document also marked the best time to carry out the operation against the rebels in South Sudan.
“The best time to execute this plan is either at the end of this coming December 2014 or early next year,” read the manuscript.
Read more: South Sudan President Collapses After Visiting President of Sudan, Journalists Cameras Seized
The manuscript revealed several details of the Ugandan plan. The force that would attack the rebels included Ugandan, South Sudanese and other undisclosed Great Lakes region entities.
The document disparaged the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD). According to the document, IGAD was occupied by misguided foreign agents–not named by the document–and stated that peace negotiations in Ethiopia had become “useless.”
“Uganda and the Great Lakes Region must not allow Riek Machar to take power from the democratically elected president. We cannot rely on these IGAD-led useless peace talks”, read the manuscript.
South Sudan News Agency (SSNA) gained access to the document Wednesday. The agency has said that although the document does not refer to South Sudanese President Salva Kiir by name, the term “democratically elected president” is a reference to Kiir.
The plan, if implemented, would further and more broadly destabilize the East African region, according to SSNA. Other regional players may be placed in a position from which they would stage “counter-offensives,” the agency stated.
Ugandan forces are currently fighting alongside government troops in South Sudan, although this military presence has been controversial since Uganda interfered in the South Sudanese conflict weeks after it began in December, 2013. Uganda has refused US and international calls to withdraw from the conflict, reasoning that its aid was requested by South Sudan.
Photo: UK Ministry of Defence