An 80-year-old Japanese man climbs Mount Everest; Obama sets restrictions on drone activity; a UK soldier is beheaded; Oklahoma officials report $2 billion in tornado damage; riots in Sweden continue; Real Bronx Tours stops “Ghetto” tours; Israeli archeologists seek funding to access large underwater structure; and conservative economists endorse immigration reform bill. Meanwhile, Blake Shelton launches a benefit concert for Oklahoma tornado victims, and Darius Rucker alludes to Hootie & the Blowfish reunion tour.
Maura + Alexis
CRUCIAL:
Japanese Octogenarian Becomes Oldest Man to Reach Summit of Mount Everest, http://abcn.ws/11eKFOY
At 80 years old, Japanese climber Yuichiro Miura reached the peak of Mount Everest. Thursday, Miura became the oldest man recorded to complete the daunting task. Along with a nine-person team, Miura climbed the mountain for the third and last time in his life. With four heart surgeries behind him, it is a tremendous feat that he could make it to the top yet again. In an interview Miura explains his motive for climbing Everest at 80 years old as “hoping to raise even an inch of human possibility.”
Obama, in a Shift, to Limit Targets of Drone Strikes, http://nyti.ms/18kG3Hh
President Obama discusses his plan to restrict the use of unmanned drone strikes and shift the control of them away from the C.I.A. and to the military. The Obama administration formally admitted for the first time that four American citizens have been killed in drone strikes outside of Afghanistan and Iraq. They disclosed that although American citizens had been killed, the actions taken had been in an effort to protect the safety of the United States. A new classified policy will impose the same standard for strikes on foreign enemies now only imposed on American citizens suspected to be terrorists.
UK soldier ‘beheaded’ near barracks by ‘man who praised Allah after cleaver attack’, http://bit.ly/10MbpAl
Two suspects have been shot after brutally hacking a soldier to death in south east London, 200 yards from an army barracks. According to witnesses, two men approached the victim with a machete and a meat cleaver and beheaded him on the spot. When police arrived the two men started to attack the officers and were shot in the process. The murder is presumed to be terror-related.
Okla. Tornado Damage: Thousands of Homes, $1.5-$2B, http://bit.ly/18kL5Uo
Destroying more than 13,000 homes, several schools, and a hospital, the tornado that struck Moore, Oklahoma has produced approximately $2 billion in damage. The twister ran for 17 miles and 40 minutes with winds of around 200 mph on Monday killing 24 people, 10 of them children. Officials gave first detailed account of the disaster Wednesday.
Swedish riots rage for fourth night, http://bit.ly/1aamsbS
Youth unemployment and poverty has sparked unrest in Stockholm suburbs in Sweden. A restaurant was burnt to the ground and over 30 cars have been lit on fire just outside the capital on Wednesday. Five people have been arrested for attempted arson, yet hundreds of rioters continue to spread the violence.
Bronx ‘Ghetto’ Tours Stop Amid Residents’ Outrage, http://bit.ly/10Vr4OV
A sightseer tour company in New York stops running bus tours in response to protests. Real Bronx Tours, famous for taking mostly European tourists to see the “ghetto” of the South Bronx has reported that they are immediately closing all tour trips to the South Bronx due to Bronx residents’ outrage. Residents say that the tour company portrays the borough in an extremely negative light when in fact, the Bronx is being rebuilt and is on the rise. On Monday, Borough President Ruben Dias Jr. and City Councilwoman Melissa Mark-Viverito sent a letter to the owner of Real Bronx Tours sharing that they were “sickened” the borough was being portrayed in such a way to outsiders.
Submerged Structure Stumps Israeli Archeologists, http://bit.ly/187vGct
A massive structure weighing hundreds of tons was discovered in the biblical Sea of Galilee in a sonar scan in 2003 and still begs to be explored. Dani Nadel, an archaeologist at the University of Haifa says “We only know it is there, it is huge and it is unusual.” Teams of archeologists are trying to raise the funds necessary to access the 70-meter-wide structure of stones.
Conservative economists endorse immigration reform bill, http://lat.ms/120emVx
Over 100 conservative economists claim immigration reform will prove beneficial to the economic health of the U.S. Through “population growth, labor force growth, housing, and other markets,” it is speculated that the positive impacts of immigration reform are abundant and that they all lead to economic growth in the long-run. Douglas Holtz-Eakin, president of the American Action Forum, looks forward to seeing the federal budget reap the benefits of this positive change.
CULTURAL:
HOME SWEET HOME: Catherine Zeta-Jones returns home to normal life after completing treatment for bipolar disorder,http://nydn.us/ayRYXr
Blake Shelton to launch benefit concert for victims of Oklahoma tornado, http://nydn.us/10Mogmd
Bono attends daughter Eve Hewson’s NYU graduation at Yankee Stadium, http://nydn.us/16Qe4SI
Hootie & The Blowfish Reunion Tour: Band Could Commemorate 20th Anniversary Of ‘Cracked Rear View,’ Says Darius Rucker, http://huff.to/10ni2xD
