Pakistan’s Christians struggle with casualties after bloody church bombing kills 85

Only today in Peshawar, Pakistan, suicide terrorist bombers attacked a Christian church courtyard as victims left the church service. There were 85 deaths, along with some 120 injured in the blast. As the the remaining survivors mourned the death of their families, blood and flesh stained the white walls of the chapel. Individuals that had survived were transported to a nearby hospital, and cried out for help as the staff struggled to accommodate everyone. This attack completely ousted any effort to maintain public order between the Muslim and Christian populations in Pakistan. This hasn't been the first attack either. On Sunday, a Taliban splinter group assumed responsibility for the murder of children and a church choir that were attending Sunday school. Some Islamic followers helped dig graves for the deceased, letting the Christians believe there are at least some good people in the world. The attack, however, has ignited tensions between the two religious populations, essentially tearing the country apart.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/pakistans-christians-struggle-with-dead-wounded-after-bloody-church-bombing-kills-85/2013/09/23/780331da-246a-11e3-9372-92606241ae9c_story_1.html

This Monday, a powerful typhoon tore into Japan, leaving much destruction in its path. The storm was centered around the city Sendai, which lies only 350 kilometers north of Tokyo. The popular tourist destination, Kyoto, was partially flooded, and around 260,000 civilians were forced to evacuate the premises. Typhoon Man-yi brought winds of 162 kilometers per hour, and dropped a teeming amount of rain upon Japan, leaving one reported death, several missing, and dozens injured. Mudslides raged through some towns, completely demolishing certain houses. Luckily, most occupants had been evacuated. The enormous amount of rainfall caused a nuclear power plant to pump the water out of the plant immediately as to not mix the water with possible radioactive leaks. The rescue service did a good job at preventing much death, and although there was some destruction, this disaster was mostly avoided as far as lives go.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/powerful-typhoon-lashes-japan-causing-floods-as-thousands-evacuate/article14335172/

Iran's President Urges Government on Facebook

Recently, Iran's President, Hasan Rouhani, and his cabinet have encouraged the government to open their own Facebook pages. They've requested to "friend" each other, for doing this would enable them to network over the internet, making their government more expansive and connected over the world. It is assumed that Rouhani is doing this as to reform the reputation of the presidency after his predecessor's, Ahmedinejad, combative rule. This idea of using Facebook is fairly new to Iran, for the civilian population still has restrictions on the websites they can visit. Facebook is not included in these. Some of the ministers that have been encouraged to join Facebook, have not yet, and refuse to do so. Some of the Iranian government, however, believe that becoming Facebook savvy is an important step in becoming more connected to media and technology in the coming years.

http://www.greenwichtime.com/news/world/article/Iran-s-president-urges-government-on-Facebook-4797751.php

This past Tuesday, it has been reported that Israel has launched a joint defense missile with the U.S. into the Mediterranean Sea. Israel borders the country of Syria, and in light of recent events that have taken place there, testing defense missiles seems to be a right plan of action. These past weeks, there have been numerous allegations against the Syrian government, stating that they have used chemical weapons against their own civilians. This has struck fear into the hearts of the Syrian people, causing the refugee population in surrounding areas to skyrocket to numbers not seen since the disaster in Rwanda. The Syrian government denies all claims to their use of chemical weapons, but their have been several accounts in which the U.S. believes their denial to be false. This is why President Obama has been discussing and organizing with his advisers and Congress a possible military action to stop any momentum that Syria might have with its weaponry. The concept is still under consideration, and the decision will be made in the next week or so. Israel may have the right idea testing out its defense missiles, because if this situation unravels and Syria unleashes anything that they've kept secret, we are well on our way to a full scale conflict.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-23947354