Bus crashed and catches fire in India, killing 42

A bus in India crashed Oct. 30 into a highway barrier in southern India and caught fire, killing 42 passengers, many of which were burned alive. The driver and six others were able to escape from the bus windows. The bus had been traveling overnight from Bangalore to Hyderabad when it crashed into the roadside barrier in Mehabubnagar in the southern Andhra Pradesh state. The diesel tank caught fire when the bus hit the barrier. Relatives of the victims gathered at the Bangalore and Hyderabad offices of Jabbar Travels, forcing the police to send more officers to keep order.

Israel releases Palestinian prisoners

Israel released 26 Palestinian prisoners Oct. 30 as a part of an agreement that started peace talks. A total of about 100 prisoners are expected to be freed in a deal that the United States hopes will promote peace talks between Israel and Palestine. The Palestinian Prison Authority confirmed that 21 prisoners were released in the West Bank and another five in Gaza. This is the second of four groups or prisoners to be released. Family members of the prisoners were waiting for them on the side of the West Bank, but many other Israelis feel betrayed by the prisoners being released, especially those connected to the prisoners crimes. Many Israeli officials say that releasing the prisoners is a part of a long term defense strategy.

Four Somalis charged with Westgate Mall attack in Kenya

Kenyan authorities have charged four Somali nationals for offensives related to September’s terrorist attack at Westgate Mall that killed 67 people. The four men, Mohamed Ahmed Abdi, Liban Abdulla Omar, Hussein Hassan Mustafah, and Aden Abdikadir Ibrahim. The four were charged with harboring a fugitive and illegally registering as a Kenyan. Although authorities detained dozens of people during the four day seize, they have not said any suspects were directly related to the attack, and it’s unknown how many arrests were made.

Solar mirrors bring sunlight to Norwegian town

Rjukan, Norway hasn’t gotten direct sunlight in winter for 100 years, due to its location deep in a valley that the sun couldn’t reach because it was so low in the sky. But on Oct. 30 many mirrors were installed on the hillside, which are programmed to track the sun as it moves across the sky, and reflect it down into the town below. Although the entire town doesn’t get sunlight, the town square does, which alone is a great advancement. Before the mirrors were installed citizens had to take a cable car up the hillside so that they could get sunlight, which help prompts better health and work ethic.  There had been some fatal cases of cabin fever during the winter when the citizens weren’t exposed to sunlight.

Central Connecticut State University in lockdown

Students are being asked to remain indoors and look for shelter after reports started surfacing about a suspicious person carrying a gun on campus. The reports started on Nov. 11. Numerous students said that they saw a masked man with a gun and a knife wearing camouflage and something resembling armor entering a dormitory. No one has reported hearing gun shots and there are no reports of injuries. There is a SWAT team as well as police officers and police dogs present on campus. Along with the CCSU campus, the nearby House of Arts Letters and Science Academy and Holmes Elementary School in New Britain are in lockdown as well.