Bombings kill at least 31 in Baghdad
By: Alex Korth
April 25th, 2014
April 25th, 2014
Bombers killed at least 31 people and wounded 56 more at a political rally in a stadium in eastern Baghdad on Friday, days ahead of parliamentary elections, two police officials said.
The al Qaeda splinter group Islamic State of Iraq and Syria claimed responsibility, according to a post on a jihadist website. About 200 people attended the event, sponsored by a Shiite political group, officials told CNN. A car bomb first hit the gathering. It was followed by a suicide bomber wearing an explosives vest. Earlier, police had said two car bombs were used. Iraq has been beset with political and sectarian violence for months, often pitting Sunnis -- a minority in Iraq -- against Shiite Muslims, who came to dominate the government after Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein was overthrown in 2003. Violence has escalated over the past year. The United Nations said 2013 was the deadliest year in Iraq since 2008, with more than 8,800 people killed, most of them civilians. The army and police will cast their ballots Monday in the parliamentary elections. The general public will vote Wednesday. Some 277 political entities across Iraq will compete for 328 seats of the Iraqi Council of Representatives, the country's parliament. There are 9,032 candidates. Story from CNN |
North Korea steps up activity at its Nuclear site, Says the South
By: Alex Korth
April 24th, 2014 |
Seoul, South Korea (CNN) -- North Korea has stepped up activity at its main nuclear test site, possibly preparing to carry out a fourth underground blast, South Korea said Tuesday.
The report comes just days before U.S. President Barack Obama is due to arrive in South Korea as part of a visit to several Asian countries. "We confirm that we have spotted several activities related to the nuclear test in Punggye-ri in North Korea," the South Korean Defense Ministry said in a statement. It declined to specify what the activities were, saying the information was classified. The ministry said it had increased its military preparedness since Monday morning and was monitoring around the clock for signs of activity at the Punggye-ri site in a northeastern region of North Korea North Korea said last month that it wouldn't rule "a new form of a nuclear test" to strengthen its nuclear deterrent. Experts have speculated that that could refer to the testing of a uranium bomb. 3 previous tests The reclusive regime in Pyongyang is known to have conducted three previous tests, all of them believed to be based on plutonium. The most recent one took place February 2013. The past tests prompted international condemnation and the imposition of sanctions aimed at hampering the North's weapons program. Since the last underground detonation, South Korean officials have repeatedly said that they believe North Korea is ready to carry out another test at any time, pending a political decision to go ahead with it. "A lot of activity is currently being seen, so our forces are keeping in mind the possibility that North Korea may suddenly conduct a nuclear test in a short period of time, or as in previous cases, deceive us with what appears to be a nuclear test," Kim Min-seok, a spokesman for the South Korean Defense Ministry said Tuesday, according to the local news agency Yonhap. Obama visit 'dangerous' The reports of activity come ahead of Obama's South Korean visit, which begins Friday. The North Korean Foreign Ministry on Monday described Obama's trip as "a reactionary and dangerous one as it is aimed to escalate confrontation and bring dark clouds of a nuclear arms race to hang over this unstable region." North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un's regime carried out a series of missile and rocket launches in March, prompting condemnation from the U.N. Security Council. An artillery exercise on March 31 near the border with South Korea resulted in a brief exchange of fire between the two sides after North Korean ordnance landed in South Korean waters. North Korea's series of provocative acts were seen as a response to joint U.S.-South Korean military drills in the region. The exercises take place each spring and regularly draw angry reactions from Pyongyang. Are suspected North Korean drones a threat to South Korea Taken from CNN |
World's largest tower to be built in Saudi Arabia
By:Stephenie Thorne
Consultants Advanced Construction Technology Services announced they plan to build the world's highest tower in Saudi Arabia. The tower is called " Kingdom Tower." The building will be built in Jeddah. If the goal to build the tower succeeds, Burj Khalifa will no longer be the world's tallest building. Work on the tower will began next week.
The Kingdom Tower is estimated to cost $1.23 billion. It will have 200 floors and be by the Red Sea. To build it would require 5.7 million square feet of concrete and 80,000 tons of steel. The foundations will be 200 feet deep. They will need to be able survive the saltwater of the ocean close by. Because of this Advanced Construction Technology Services will test the strength of different concretes. It will also have a five star four seasons hotel, apartments, office space, and an observatory.
The tower will be about 3,280 feet. This is about 564 feet more than the tower Burj Khalifia. For more information on the tower go to Kingdom Tower-CNN or Kingdom Tower British News
The Kingdom Tower is estimated to cost $1.23 billion. It will have 200 floors and be by the Red Sea. To build it would require 5.7 million square feet of concrete and 80,000 tons of steel. The foundations will be 200 feet deep. They will need to be able survive the saltwater of the ocean close by. Because of this Advanced Construction Technology Services will test the strength of different concretes. It will also have a five star four seasons hotel, apartments, office space, and an observatory.
The tower will be about 3,280 feet. This is about 564 feet more than the tower Burj Khalifia. For more information on the tower go to Kingdom Tower-CNN or Kingdom Tower British News