Massive typhoon hits the Philippines

Tacloban a city on the coast of the Philippines was hit by typhoon Haiyan. CNN reports that nearly 100 people have been reported to have died in the storm. The storm may be the strongest one to hit land, according to the CNN report. The storm was large enough to cover the entire Philippines. The report said the clouds were nearly 1,120 miles. For perspective that is the distance from Canada to Florida, the CNN report said. The typhoon reached wind speeds of 195 miles all the way up to 235 mile gusts. The storm hit five other Philippine islands, and then turned towards Vietnam. A coast guard reported that nearly 3,398 people were stranded on boats, CNN reported.

Mayor in Mexico found Murdered

Mayor Ygnacio Lopez Mendoza was found murdered, BBC reports. The mayor of Santa Ana Maya was found dead in his car. The former mayor had apparently been in the middle of trying to put a major drug cartel, the Knights Templar. Mayors from surrounding area were warned that the death was not an accident. The former mayor seems to have been abducted from his car and tortured according to a local report given by a local radio station. The recent murder has caused people in the surrounding areas to begin taking up self defense in groups in order to protect themselves against gang related violence, BBC reported.

Russian report vague on polomium poisoning

After a report was conducted by a Swiss lab which announced they had findings on whether Yasser Arafat was poisoned by polonium went public. A follow up report from Russia had a hard time finding condemning evidence that pointed to the poisoning, Reuters reported. Palestinian investigator pulled this quote from the Russian report, “The outcome of the comprehensive report on the levels of Polonium-210 and the development of his illness does not give sufficient evidence to support the decision that Polonium-210 caused acute radiation syndrome leading to death.”

The Russian report was much more vague, not wanting to say that poisoning was the exact cause of death, but it said it was possible. The blamed for the death of Arafat was placed on Israel. They insist that blame be placed there until they are otherwise proven that it shouldn’t be. While little progress is being made to find the suspect, Palestinian investigators seem certain that the only true suspect and perpetrator is Israel.