The scale and frequency of gross human rights violations in Syria has significantly increased in recent weeks, according to a new report by the United Nations independent panel probing abuses committed during the country’s ongoing conflict.

The report of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry (CoI) on Syria, which was mandated by the Geneva-based UN Human Rights Council, states that indiscriminate attacks against civilians are now occurring on a daily basis in many areas of the country including Aleppo, Damascus, Dera, Larakia, Idlib and Homs.

VIOLENT DEMONSTRATION. Kabul, Afghanistan.
Over a thousand protesters burn cars, throw rocks at a U.S. military base to protest an anti-Islam film.

CHICAGO: STRIKE TWO. Second Week of School Still Out.
Parents scramble to find daycare as the teachers' strike enters its second week; Chicago mayor says he will file a law suit to try to end the walkout which involves over 3 hundred thousand students.

HAS 'OCCUPY' EVOLVED? What Are They Up To?
Worldwide rallies today will mark the one-year anniversary of the movement, which these days is less organized but has more targets.

His name was Jonathan Chapman, and he was also commonly known as Johnny Appleseed. John was an American pioneer nurseryman who introduced apple trees to large parts of Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois.

Every year, since the early 70's the citizens of of Fort Wayne host visitors from throughout the nation and the world to celebrate the pioneer spirit of John Chapman, better known as "Johnny Appleseed," Mr. Chapman was said to be a colorful character of the Indiana frontier in the early 1800's.

This Week in History, Sep 16 - Sep 22

Sep 16, 1932
Gandhi begins fast in protest of caste separation. From his cell at Yerovda Jail near Bombay, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi begins a hunger strike in protest of the British government's decision to separate India's electoral system by caste.

Sep 17, 1862
Battle of Antietam. Beginning early on the morning of this day in 1862, Confederate and Union troops in the Civil War clash near Maryland's Antietam Creek in the bloodiest one-day battle in American history.

Sep 18, 1793

NEW US NUKES. Nuclear Arsenal Overhaul.
Officials say U.S. nuclear arsenal is set to undergo the costliest modernization in its history at a time of fiscal crisis.

HEALTH CARE COSTS. Providers Charging Higher Rates.
Doctors as well as other medical providers have billed Medicare for increasingly complicated and costly treatments over the past decade, adding $11 billion to reimbursements and signaling a possible rise in billing abuse, according to an investigation by the Center for Public Integrity.

GUATEMALA ERUPTION. Volcano Forces Evacuations

PROTESTS SPREAD. All Across Muslim World
Demonstrators protest from Australia to Yemen over controversial film. Islamist are fanning the flames of popular anger over perceived insults to their religion.

GOP LEADERS. Questioning Romney Tactics.
Mitt Romney’s remarks over the deadly attack on the US embassy in Libya have amplified concerns by members of his party that the candidate is losing a winnable election with a series of poor miscalculations and political errors.

CHINESE NAVY THREATEN. Japanese Waters.

The United Nations human rights chief is urging religious and political leaders to do their utmost to restore calm in the wake of an anti-Islam film that has sparked protests in countries across the world.

“The film is malicious and deliberately provocative and portrays a disgracefully distorted image of Muslims. I fully understand why people wish to protest strongly against it, and it is their right to do so peacefully,” the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, said in a news release.