Airplane Safety
-Sun Country cancelled several hundred flights over the weekend after a flight had to do an emergency landing. A 5ft section of the main compartment ripped apart at the seem mid-flight. No one was injured. The FAA and NTSB is reviewing the evidence and issued forced inspections, as that area of the plane is not routinely inspected. Several Sun Country planes have been taken out of service due to the inspections.
Obama Reelection
-Early Monday morning Obama launched his 2012 reelection campaign via a video e-mailed to supporters and posted to his website. He isn't featured in it, instead it is a comically diverse (think college brochure) group of supporters in battleground states stating their personal reasons for supporting Obama.
-Early guesses are pegging Obama's fund raising ability to be close to $1 billion for this election. If this happens, it would be the most expensive race in history and mark a ~25% increase over his totals for 2008.
The only Republican who has announced so far is our very own T-Paw.
9/11 Trials
-In a reversal of policy Eric Holder, the US District Attorney, announced that the 9/11 co-conspirators will be tried by military tribunal in Guantanamo Bay, instead of civilian trials by jury. Democrats criticized the move, Republicans high-five'd each other.
INTERNATIONAL
Libya Unrest
-Fighting continues across the country, heaviest in Misrata and Brega (major oil town).
-Turkey sent a humanitarian naval ship to Misrata to assist in medical care.
-US forces began scaling down their operation with Britain and France, under the leadership of NATO, taking the lead.
-Reports that Gaddafi has sent a diplomatic mission across Europe to discuss ending the conflict by shifting power to his sons. This will not be nearly enough for the rebels. As they do this, government forces continuing shelling civilian cities, causing a major credibility gap.
-Italy officially recognized the rebel council in Benghazi as the official government of Libya. France had already done so.
Cote d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) Unrest
-French troops were sent in to support existing French and UN troops already there, French troops took control of the major airport, which will allow it to begin operations again. UN has threatened strikes if violence persists.
-The unrest is due to the outgoing President Laurent Gbagbo has refused to give up power after losing the election in November. The winner of the election, Alassane Ouattara, is internationally recognized as the proper president.
-Forces loyal to each have been fighting across the country, but Ouattara forces have been making progress in obtaining control of major cities.
-Unrest has been going on for awhile, but until recently it has widely been overlooked and overshadowed by what's going on in North Africa.
-Ten bucks this helps you: Google Map of Cote d'Ivoire
Japan Nuclear Mess
-Radioactive water continues to leak out of the plant, they purposefully dumped a significant amount of radioactive water into the Pacific. The idea is to let the "less radioactive" water out, so there is room for the "more radioactive" water to stay inside the plant.
Haiti
-In a run-off election, Michel Martelly, won the Presidency.
-The first round of voting, in November, was widely seen as fraudulent and violent protests erupted afterwards. This round was seen as significantly more fair and calm.
Other Middle-East & North Africa (MENA) Unrest
-More crackdowns by government forces in Yemen.
-President of Yemen is widely seen as a US ally, specifically in the fight against terrorism (Yemen is a sh*t hole with significant Al Qaeda presence). The US, unexpectedly, shifted it's stance saying the Yemeni president should have a dialogue with the protestors (not a major shift) and possibly step aside (major policy shift).
-Afghanistan protests and violence have escalated in recent days following a pastor in Florida (same one from the 9/11 anniversary controversy) burned Qur'ans. At least 10 UN employees/officials/guards were killed on Friday after a UN compound was overran with enraged protestors.
-Protests (to varying degrees) continue in: Libya, Yemen, Bahrain, Syria, Jordan
China Dissidents
-On Sunday Ai Weiwei, a prominent Chinese artist and human rights activist, was detained in Beijing attempting to board a plane to Hong Kong. He was reported to be about to release a new project criticizing the Chinese government's handling of the major earthquake Szechuan province in May 2008, where 70 thousand died when the shoddy construction of schools and government buildings caused them to collapse on people.
-Ironically (or not), PBS' Frontline just released the first part of a documentary about him the week prior.
As reported by Jason Van Thiel
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