Castro to Retire?

Friday, Cuban President Raul Castro suggested the idea of retirement. He states that he is old and has a right to retire. He did not say when he would do so though. Sunday, Castro is supposed to be sworn in to a new five year term. Castro stated that listeners should pay close attention to his speech.  He has spoken before of his desire to implement a two-term limit for all Cuban government positions and the limited amount of time he has left to completely renovate Cuba’s Marxist economy. Castro will be 86 when his next term ends in 2018. Many now believe that Castro’s upcoming term will be his last. But placing a potential next-generation successor in the presidency is neither something that Raul Castro nor his brother Fidel have ever done. 

War in Syria: Years Ahead?

The civil war in Syria could drag on for much longer than expected. President Bashar al-Assad continues to hold power and his fall is nowhere in sight. Even though rebel forces are moving into Damascus, closing in on the capital, the war could drag on for another four years some experts say. This has become a much bigger conflict than just Syria and the forces are becoming increasingly radical says Aram Nerguizian, a Syria expert at the Center for Strategic International Studies in Washington D.C. The president’s regime is getting help from Iran, Russia, and Lebanon. This civil war is starting to become a war of attrition.

http://www.voanews.com/content/syrias-civil-war-could-drag-on-much-longer/1603754.html

The Tunguska Mystery

This coming week, an asteroid is going to pass closer to Earth than TV satellites, but there is no immediate danger. The asteroid is named DA14 and is traveling at 8 miles a second. But now many are recalling the Tunguska event, an asteroid or comet that exploded over Siberia in June 1908. It wasn't until 1921 that an expedition explored the area and realized the amount of devastation- 830 square miles of wilderness flattened. The effect of the impact was seen all across Europe with a silver mist clouding the sky. Many feared an apocalypse at the time, but NASA has explained that something, be it meteor, asteroid, or comet, hit the earth. The Tunguska event has led to huge debate and wild speculation over the years. Thankfully, the asteroid planned to pass close to earth soon poses no threats.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/theguardian/from-the-archive-blog/2013/feb/08/tunguska-asteroid-comet-1908-siberia

Strife Continues in Egypt

Friday, protestors in Egypt set fire to a gatehouse within the walls of Egypt’s presidential palace with fire bombs; in response, police set off tear gas and fired birdshot at the demonstrators. The protestors used the action to show their disregard for the country’s leader, Mohamed Morsi. This event is just one of many; recently clashes have raged on the avenue outside of the presidential palace and thousands of protestors have marched into cities along the Suez Canal. These huge demonstrations are occurring in reaction to a peaceful sit-in that lasted several hours outside the palace walls where protestors chanted against the rule of Mohamed Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood. Just a day earlier, Egypt’s Islamist leaders met with their political opponents and discussed how to solve the crisis.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/02/world/middleeast/clashes-in-egypt.html?_r=0