Was Beijing crash a planned attack?

Just today, a vehicle raced into Tiananmen Square in Beijing and burst into flames. The vehicle contained three individuals who are reported dead, the driver, two tourist passengers, and two other victims were known of the cars violent path into the Square. It is speculated that the crash was possibly planned. The route that the car took, following the sidewalk, and then spontaneously bursting into flames did not seem to be merely an accident. The crash injured 38 people. Tiananmen Square is not a stranger to random protests and public displays of outrage. Several groups have attempted protested here in the past, only to be snuffed out by Chinese officials on scene just for this reason. Protests can range from self-immolation to simply handling out leaflets. The square is the political center of China, as well as a large tourist attraction, and is kept very safe. The random appearance of the out of control vehicle was indeed a shock to most everyone.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2013/10/28/police-forbidden-city/3284551/

Tennessee medical helicopter crash kills 2 hospital workers who were trying to save a sick child

Just earlier today, a hospital helicopter crashed in Tennessee on its way to pick up a child that needed medical attention. The helicopter departed Memphis's Le Bonheur Children's Hospital early this morning. The pilot was very experienced, their plans were simple, and there was no worry. The helicopter contained a respiratory therapist and a nurse from the hospital. Both of these individuals have been reported dead. No information has been released about the pilot. It was estimated that the helicopter flew for about a half an hour before it crashed into thick forest. It is not known why the vehicle fell from the sky. The placement of the crash made it difficult for rescue officials to get to the scene. The ailing child that was to be picked up was able to be transported on ground in an ambulance. Another crash of a Hospital Wing helicopter in Tennessee was in 2010, when a pilot attempted to outrun a storm, killing him and two nurses.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/tennessee-medical-helicopter-crash-kills-2-article-1.1492740

Dry ice bomb at LAX: No threats made before explosion, FBI says

Sunday night, a dry ice bomb exploded in a Los Angeles Airport bathroom. The bomb was not aimed to harm anything. The blast was heard and officials rushed to the scene, where a bottle was discovered that contained the dry ice. The LA Bomb Squad was summoned, but there was little need for it. The only major report of dry ice bombs in public areas was last May, when a large dry ice bomb caused Disney World to shut down the portion of Toontown. Last month, a former TSA worker was arrested for making threats against the LAX terminals and the TSA agency. After the bomb went off, flights and operations were put on hold for about two hours. Four flights following the time of the minor explosion were affected. Thankfully, no damage was done, and no one was injured.

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-lax-dry-ice-bomb-blast-20131014,0,1390058.story

U.S. strikes al-Shabab in Somalia and captures bombing suspect in Libya

This past Saturday, the Navy SEALs undertook a mission to capture one of the main al-Shabab militants on the coast of Somalia. The mission was a response to the attack on a shopping mall in Nairobi which killed 67 people. It was the first mission that was performed in Somalia since the shooting of a senior al-Qaeda figure, Saleh Ali Saleh Nehban, in 2009. This recent mission was unsuccessful, but there was success in Libya around the same time as this. U.S. captured and took into custody Nazih Abdul-Hamed al-Ruqai, a main al-Qaeda figure who was suspected in the bombing of the U.S. embassies in Tanzania and Kenya in 1998. Ruqai was captured in Tripoli when three cars caught up to his and the U.S. soldiers seized him. The Libyan government was surprised at this, for they had not gotten notice ahead of time. They claimed that Ruqai was a Lybian citizen and should be tried for his crimes on Libyan soil. Their is a good relationship between the U.S. and Lybian government though, so there shouldn't be a problem in determining where Ruqai, one of the FBI's 5 Most-Wanted, is tried for the crimes.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/us-navy-seals-raid-al-shabab-leaders-somalia-home-in-response-to-nairobi-attack/2013/10/05/78f135dc-2e0c-11e3-8ade-a1f23cda135e_story_2.html

Yosemite National Park: Happy birthday! Too bad you're shut down

Just today, Yosemite National Park celebrated its 123rd anniversary of becoming a national park. However, it didn't get quite what it wanted for it's birthday. As a result of the current government shutdown, all national parks and monuments have thus far been shut down. Anyone visiting the park will be turned away by barricades and closed gates. Residents that are staying there currently have been asked to leave within the next 48 hours. Visitors that have made reservations have canceled them and are opting for refunds. While closing Yosemite is a matter of closing gates and kicking out residents, other national parks such as Santa Monica Mountain National Recreation Area will be hard to close. Some of these parks are public land, while some is private, so hikers and horseback riders will have access to some areas and not others. Now that Yosemite is closed, it is arranging a furlough for around 87% of its staff, about 21,000 people. The remaining 3,000 individuals will stay for law enforcement and emergency services. With the closure, Yosemite will be losing a calculated some $450,000 a day from fees of its visitors. This will remain in effect as long as the government does not have its budget established and can manage the parks.

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-yosemite-birthday-google-doodle-shut-down-20131001,0,7529457.story