Gun violence in South Africa
A recent shooting of a girlfriend mistaken for a burglary sparked concerns with gun violence in South Africa. Olympic and Paralympic competitor of South Africa, Oscar Pistorius, is accused of shooting his girlfriend dead on Feb. 14. He says he mistook her for a burglar. However, this event has brought along a bigger concern for the country. South Africa’s history of gun violence and high crime rates show that the 50 million home burglaries across the country have more than doubled. Burglars commonly look for homeowners’ guns because it’s difficult to obtain a gun legally in South Africa. More than 50 percent of its population admitted being afraid of the police force in the past year, and there are six million licensed firearms in South Africa.
Hot air balloon crash kills 19 in Egypt
A gas explosion caused a hot air balloon to crash from 1,000 feet to the ground on Tuesday morning in Luxor, Egypt, killing 19 people. The hot air balloon was prepared to land when the explosion occurred over a sugar cane. There were 21 passengers, including 19 foreign tourists, an Egyptian and an Egyptian pilot. The foreign tourists included: nine from Hong Kong, four from Japan, three from Britain, two from France and one from Hungary. Two people, including a Briton and the pilot, are hospitalized. This is the world’s deadliest hot air balloon accident in the last 20 years. Gov. Izzat Saad of Luxor province banned all hot air balloons flights until further notice since the crash.
Earthquakes in central Japan
A magnitude 5.7 earthquake occurred in central Japan, north-northwest of Tokyo, Monday afternoon. After 11 minutes, a second quake with a magnitude of 4.6 hit. However, no tsunami alert has been issued.
Search for Sailboat Suspended
Coast Guard stopped searching for a missing sailboat in Monterey Bay in San Francisco on Tuesday. It is believed that the distress call could have been fake. On Sunday, the Coast Guard received a distress call from a ship, saying that the couple and two children on board were abandoning their sinking boat. The Coast Guard surveyed 20,000 square miles by sea and air, but saw no signs of the sailboat. No one has reported any missing people or boats from the marina. This search has cost the Coast Guard thousands of dollars.
