A little over 19 months ago, the Costa Concordia ran aground off the coast of Italy near the Tuscan Island, Giglio. The cruise liner capsized and was partially submerged in water, killing 32 people. But on Sep 17, the ship was set completely upright, and now the slow process of making repairs will begin. However the repairs are far from complete. Two of the bodies from the wreckage are yet to be recovered and there are at least $400 million in damage. The cruise liner will be repaired and eventually towed away to be destroyed. It is estimated that this will all be done by next spring.
On Sept. 14 the United States and Russia reached an agreement on how to seize and destroy Syria’s chemical weapons by mid-2014. It was decided that there will be a shared assessment of the chemical weapons and that Syrian President Bashar Assad will be given instructions to follow so that all of the weapons can be secured. The first international inspection of the stockpile is scheduled for November, and destroying the weapons is set to start next year.
On Sept. 15 children in Syria started the school year on time as the risk of airstrikes lessens. However attendance was low because many families are considering leaving, or have already left.
On Sept. 12 a fire swept through the Funtown Pier on the New Jersey shore destroying dozens of businesses. The shore had just finished re building the damage caused by Hurricane Sandy nearly one year ago. The cause of the fire is still unknown, and continuing hotspots are slowing down investigators. 400 firefighters were brought together to fight the fire that blazed for nearly five hours before it was contained.
On Sept. 14 two by standards were mistakenly shot while officers were trying to subdue a man in Times Square, New York City. A deranged man was running through an intersection, narrowly avoiding oncoming traffic, while trying to escape arrest. He pulled his hand out of his pocket and simulated shooting a gun at nearby police officers. Two of the officers responded by shooting at the man, however they missed and hit two women who were standing on the opposite side of the street. Both women were taken to separate hospitals, one was treated and released overnight, and the other is in stable condition. The man was taken into custody shortly after.
Between Hurricane Ingrid, a category one storm, and Tropical Storm Manuel at least 19 people have been killed in Mexico. 6,000 people around the Gulf of Mexico have been forced to leave their homes. Tropical Storm Manuel has brought twice the monthly rainfall in three days.
On Sept. 12 Jonathan Trappe tried to be the first person to cross the Atlantic Ocean with nothing but helium filled balloons. Trappe used more than 300 helium filled balloons, very similar to the ones used in the movie “Up.” Trappe left from Caribou, Maine, however he realized he wouldn’t make it to Europe and he was forced to land early in Newfoundland.
