Super Typhoon Haiyan, one of the strongest tropical cyclones ever observed, made landfall Friday morning in the Philippines, the country’s weather service reported.
Thousands of people in vulnerable areas of the central Philippines were evacuated as the monster storm spun toward the country.
With sustained winds of 315 kph (195 mph) and gusts as strong as 380 kph (235 mph), Haiyan churned across the Western Pacific into the Philippines.
Source: CNN – CNN: Super Typhoon Haiyan, one of strongest storms ever, hits central Philippines
A gunman with an assault rifle opened fire in a crowded terminal at Los Angeles International Airport Friday, killing a TSA employee and injuring at least six before being wounded and taken into custody.
Late Friday, the shooting suspect was identified by Associated Press, citing law enforcement officials, as Paul Ciancia, 23.
The shooting incident, which sent passengers in the airport scrambling for cover, disrupted flights nationwide as planes headed for Los Angeles were temporarily grounded.
“The situation at LAX is very fluid,” the FAA said in a statement. “There is currently a ground stop for flights that are scheduled to depart for LAX. This means those flights are temporarily being held at their departure airports. Arrivals and departures are still occurring, and some flights may be diverted. The FAA is closely monitoring the situation and making adjustments to arrival and departure flows as needed. Passengers should contact their airline to determine the status of their flight.”
Source: FOX News – TSA employee dead, at least 6 injured in LAX shooting; gunman wounded and in custody, officials say
A magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck off the Fukushima region of Japan, according to the U.S. Geological Service.
The epicenter was located 231 miles east of Japan’s Honshu Island. The tremor was felt 300 miles away in Tokyo.
The Japan Meteorological Agency issued a tsunami warning at 1:14 p.m. EST for Fukushima Prefecture.
Source: USA Today – USA Today: 7.3 magnitude quake strikes east of Japan
Fresh human cases in eastern China of a deadly new strain of bird flu signal the potential for “a new epidemic wave” of the disease in coming winter months, scientists said on Thursday.
The strain, known as H7N9, emerged for the first time in humans earlier this year and killed around 45 of the some 135 people it infected before appearing to peter out in China During the summer.
But a new case in October in a 35-year-old man from China’s eastern Zhejiang province shows that the virus “has re-emerged in winter 2013” and “indicates a possible risk of a larger outbreak of H7N9 this winter,” according to Chinese researchers writing in the online journal Euro surveillance.
Source: FOX News – FOX News: New China H7N9 bird flu cases ‘signal potential winter epidemic’
The U.S. debt deal sparked relief around the world Thursday, but happiness was tempered by head-shaking that the world’s largest economy had nearly defaulted on its financial obligations, and President Obama said that the United States’ global standing had been damaged.
World leaders and investors have been puzzled for weeks about the showdown paralyzing Washington, and some had complained that U.S. politicians who lay claim to global leadership were doing little to safeguard international finances. On Thursday, officials and newspapers from Beijing to Madrid said the crisis raised fresh questions about the strength of the American political system.
Obama, meanwhile, said that the shutdown had done great harm. “It’s encouraged our enemies,” he said. “It’s emboldened our competitors. And it’s depressed our friends who look to us for steady leadership.”
World markets were largely lower Thursday after having risen earlier this week on expectations that a deal would be made.
Source: The Washington Post – The Washington Post: Around the globe, U.S. debt deal prompts relief, but also exasperation, worry for future
The end of the federal shutdown means boats will be back out on the Bering Sea to fish for king crab. Loggers are being allowed back into national forests in Oregon. And barriers keeping nature lovers out of national parks across the country have been removed.
Crews on about 80 boats have been sitting out the multimillion-dollar harvest of red king crab because federal managers who assign fishing quotas were among workers furloughed during the government’s partial shutdown. They’re relieved that they’ll soon be able to start their harvest, bringing back an industry that was one of many private sectors of the economy stalled around the country by the bickering in Washington.
“I’m glad the madness has ended,” said Capt. Keith Colburn, a regular on Discovery Channel’s popular reality show “Deadliest Catch.”
Source: Associated Press – Associated Press: From Crab Fishers To Office Staff, Nation Reboots
Furloughed federal employees returned to work Thursday morning after Congress passed a hard-fought deal to end the partial government shutdown and raise the debt ceiling, as barriers went down at federal memorials and national parks re-opened.
The government was returning to normal, for now, after 16 days of a partial shutdown.
Included in the bill signed by President Obama shortly after midnight was a provision to provide back pay for furloughed workers. Many workers received a slimmed-down paycheck this past Friday due to the budget impasse — it’s unclear exactly when that money will be reimbursed. The bill stated it should be paid “as soon as practicable.”
Rep. Jim Moran, R-Va., who represents many federal workers who live in his district, noted thousands of contractors will not be compensated for lost work during the partial shutdown.
Source: FOX News – FOX News: Federal employees return to work, parks re-open
Another last-minute deal struck, another crisis postponed in Washington.
But lawmakers have little time to bask in the temporary relief the bill provides. As furloughed federal employees return to work Thursday, Congress faces another budget deadline three months from now, and a deadline to raise the debt ceiling a few weeks after that.
After the chaos caused by the impasse of the last 16 days, officials are hoping this time to do more than simply meet those deadlines with another pair of stopgap measures.
“We believe there is common ground,” Senate Budget Committee Chairwoman Patty Murray, D-Wash., said Thursday.
Source: FOX News – FOX News: What Now? Obama, Congress face new budget deadlines after stopgap deal
President Obama and his congressional allies succeeded overnight in winning a virtually condition-free increase in the debt ceiling, along with funding to end the partial government shutdown — but in a deal that left America’s debt crisis un-addressed and teed up another battle three months from now.
The president signed the short-term bill early Thursday morning. With his signature, furloughed federal employees will return to work for the first time since Sept. 30. The White House directed all federal agencies to promptly restore staffing to normal levels.
The bill cleared the House late Wednesday on a 285-144 vote, lifted over the finish line by a large chunk of Democrats. All House Democrats voted in favor of the bill and 87 Republicans did as well; 144 Republicans voted against it. The Senate, where the plan originated, earlier voted 81-18 for the bill.
Source: FOX News – FOX News: Obama signs bill ending partial shutdown, raising debt ceiling
Many movies and novels speculate as to what it would be like to peek inside a person’s mind and know what he or she is thinking. But up until recently, such a skill has only existed in the realm of science fiction.
Now, scientists may be turning fantasy into reality, having created a novel brain monitoring technique that could lead to the development of “mind-reading” applications in the distant future.
Utilizing a series of electrodes attached to portions of a patient’s brain, researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine were able to eavesdrop on a person’s brain activity as he or she performed normal, daily functions – a process they termed “intracranial recording.”
Source: FOX News – FOX News: Novel brain monitoring technique could lead to ‘mind-reading’ devices