Bermuda Celebrates 400 Years
The Caribbean island Bermuda is celebrating its 400th anniversary this year. The island was settled by the English back in 1609 and is one of the oldest British overseas territories. Activities to celebrate began this past weekend with a cultural program attended by hundreds of people, including Bermuda’s governor, Sir Richard Gozney, and Premier Ewart Brown, who talked about the island’s survival in the face of the world wide financial crisis, reports Caribbean Net. “If one country can deal with economic hardships, it’s Bermuda. If there is one country on the face of the planet who will survive in these circumstances, they are the people of my country,” he told a local paper, adding that 400 years of survival is already an amazing accomplishment. Gozney predicted a bright year ahead, saying 2009 was “set to be as special as the last 50 years, if not 100 years.”
 
Congo’s Ebola Outbreak Puts Angola on Alert
In response to an outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo, neighboring Angola has decided to close its border with Congo, reports CNN. Since November, there have been 41 cases of the virus in the nation and 14 people have died, according to the World Health Organization. There are still 183 cases still being investigated, and two people have been quarantined. Angola’s Health Minister Jose Van-Dunem recently announced the “suspension of migratory movements” at a border between the nations as a precaution.  The organization believes that the outbreak may be due to people having contact with infected dead monkeys in the forest. The Ebola cases are in the western Kassi province in the nation.

Mexican official dies in a plane crash. Mexican Interior Minister Juan Camilo Mourino died when his plane crashed in Mexico City Tuesday. In addition, seven others died and 40 people were injured when the small plane crashed into a city street full of cars during rush hour. The crash also set many cars on fire. Officials are still looking into what might have caused the crash. “It could have been anything, from mechanical failure to sabotage,” Jorge Lara, vice president of a national civil aviation rescue committee, told Reuters. “Mexico has lost a compatriot who worked for the service of his country,” President Felipe Calderon, his longtime friend, said during a speech that was televised. “The federal government, under my charge, in coordination with the relevant institutions, will carry out all necessary investigations in order to check in depth what caused this tragedy,” Calderon said. Former Deputy Attorney General Jose Luis Santiago Vasconcelos was another prominent official who died in the crash.