Mount St. Helens may be ready to erupt
The Mount St. Helens volcano in Washington state may erupt soon, according to scientists. The volcano began having increased seismic activity last week, with over one thousand small earthquakes occurring in less than seven days. The Cascade Volcano Observatory reports that the lava dome of the volcano is growing, which suggests the volcano may erupt soon. Researchers caution that eruption predictions are still preliminary, and further analysis of data is necessary to draw a conclusion. The last eruption of Mount St. Helens was in 1986.
Canadian embassy in Beijing stormed by refugees
A group of 44 people, believed to be North Korean refugees, stormed the Canadian embassy in Beijing, China. Eyewitness reports indicate the refugees used homemade ladders to climb over the embassy walls. The police apprehended one man; the remainder successfully made it into the embassy. A decision about the fate of the refugees has not yet been made, as embassy staff is still trying to determine where the group had come from.
Palestinian rocket attack kills two children, provokes retaliation
A rocket attack by Palestinian militants killed two Israeli children and wounded ten other people in the city of Sderot. In response, Israel launched a helicopter assault on a Palestinian refugee camp, killing one and wounding three others. The attack came in the midst of an Israeli military operation in the Gaza Strip aimed to stop attacks on civilians. Three Palestinian teenagers were killed by Israeli troops as part of the campaign.
Nigerian cease-fire agreement reached
Militia leaders have reached an agreement with Nigerian president Olusegun Obasanjo, seeking to put an end to fighting in the country's main oil-producing region. Coupled with threats against foreign oil workers in the area, the violence is believed to have contributed to the recent climb in oil prices. Several oil companies slowed or halted production as a result of tensions and fighting.
USS Cole bombers sentenced to death
Two men were sentenced to death, and four others to prison terms, for the 2000 bombing of the USS Cole. All six men were also charged with being members of al Qaeda. Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri, one of men given a death sentence, is believed to have been involved in the 1998 bombings of U.S embassies in Tanzania and Kenya. Appeals are expected in all six cases, and the brother of one of those convicted intends to petition Yemen's president to lessen the sentences.
