Microsoft is investigating reports that workers in a factory in China that manufactures Xbox 360 consoles have threatened mass suicide in the midst of a pay dispute. Reportedly, anywhere between 80-200 workers climbed to the top of a six story building and threatened to jump unless conditions were improved.

Though details have been scarce, FoxConn, the owner of the plant has confirmed that 150 workers were part of the protest, which started when the decision was made to transfer all employees to an alternate production line. Though talks have settled, 40 of those workers have resigned.

“Microsoft takes working conditions in the factories that manufacture its products very seriously,” read an official statement from Microsoft. “We are currently investigating the issue.”

Three deaths have occurred in Occupy protest-related situations this week.

In Burlington, Vermont, a 35-year old military veteran committed suicide, while a Salt Lake City protester was found dead by unknown cause in his tent.

In Oakland, a man was shot in a fight nearby the protesters, but is supposedly not related to the cause.

The death in Burlington is raising concerns about the safety of the protests. Deputy Police Chief Andi Higbee said “Our responsibility is to keep the public safe. When there is a discharge of a firearm in a public place like this it’s good cause to be concerned, greatly concerned.” Whether or not the protests will be allowed to continue is still in the air.

Protesters in Salt Lake City are no longer permitted to camp out in the city park, and are required to remove their tents by Saturday. However, daytime protests will still be allowed.

Officials in Oakland are calling for the camp to be shut down. Despite leaders of the cause claiming that the shooting was unrelated, Mayor Jean Quan said “Tonight’s incident underscores the reason why the encampment must end. The risks are too great. We need to return (police) resources to addressing violence throughout the city. It’s time for the encampment to end. Camping is a tactic, not a solution.”

NEW YORK — Catherine Hurd, the 46-year-old wife of a British diplomat, died early Saturday morning after she reportedly jumped from the roof of her building on East 84th Street, the Associated Press reported.

Hurd’s husband, Thomas, is part of the British Mission to the United Nations, headquartered here in New York.

Hurd was pronounced dead at an area hospital. She had been due to return to England next week when Thomas’s mission here was over.

The New York Post reported that neighbors called Hurd “a happy mother of five.” There was no word on why she apparently took her own life.

Do you know there is a song “Hero” by T.I. (and Akon)? T.I. raps in the song: “Just to make sure he don’t get it clear like pallegreeno from acseno to a kilo I’m a neighborhood hero.”

Well, here is serious actual proof that he is actually a hero. Yesterday in Atlanta, T.I. helped prevent a man from jumping to his death from the top of an office building. According to USA TODAY, police said T.I., whose real name is Clifford Harris, “appeared out of nowhere” to talk to the man down. It seemed like quite the coincidence that Harris happened to be in the area when the man decided to jump. After all, the man was safely helped down and taken to an area hospital for psychological evaluation.

The good news might be a good cause for him because Harris has to head to a court tomorrow to do his business with a federal judge who will decide if the rapper violated his probation when police arrested he and his wife on drug charges in Hollywood last month.

"I have a big mouth, so watch out." This is Justin Furstenfeld’s warning to me at the beginning of our conversation. Furstenfeld is the lead singer of Blue October, a band with known hits such as "Calling You" and "Black Orchid." His warning proves true, as throughout our discussion, he elaborates on such subjects as depression, divorce, and broken promises.

Blue October, Furstenfeld’s brainchild, had its beginnings under a different name. He started a band in high school called Last Wish. But the chemistry in the group was off — they all accused Furstenfeld of being too dramatic. "So I fired them," he said. Naturally.

Furstenfeld eventually formed Blue October as an outlet for his diagnosed depression. "I wanted to do something positive with the negativity," Furstenfeld said. He describes Blue October’s music as "bipolar art rock; up and down, all over the place." The content of the music isn’t something meant for dinner conversation. "I like to bring shit up that people don’t like to talk about so we can get it out in the open — the elephant in the room."

Furstenfeld did just that during our conversation — he talked about his love for "Twilight" author Stephenie Meyer and his disdain for her representation. Rumors circulated last year that Blue October, who toured with Meyer, would have a song on one of the Twilight soundtracks. But it never came to pass, and the reasons behind it remained a mystery.

"Me and Stephenie Meyer are great friends," Furstenfeld said. "I hate her camp, but I love her. Stephenie Meyer had the balls to take me to dinner…she said, ‘I wanna put your songs in my movies…’ and I was like, ‘Wow. That’s my dream — let’s do it.’ First movie comes out, no song. Second movie comes out, no song. Her management was like, ‘Everything we told you was a lie.’"

The other elephant in the room that Furstenfeld wanted to talk about was his highly publicized breakdown and tour cancellation last year. After not seeing his daughter, Blue ("I didn’t name her after the band"), for three months, Furstenfeld blacked out in an airport and had to be hospitalized. "They don’t like it when people go crazy in airports," he said.

After recuperating, Furstenfeld is ready to go back on the road again with the Pick Up the Phone Tour. Blue October, in conjunction with To Write Love On Her Arms and Postsecret, are touring to spread suicide awareness. He’s got his mind set on his daughter and on is own mental health. "Believe in the Lord. That’s what my mom says. Trust in God."

Be sure to catch Blue October along with Red Jumpsuit Apparatus and Stars of Track and Field at the House of Blues this Wednesday, April 14.

Russia Today presenter Yulia Shapovalova ended her shift Monday morning and made her way down to the Park Kultury metro station. After entering the station, she was quickly told to evacuate by officials who, little did she know, were trying to clear out the station before a female suicide bomber detonated a charge.

In the interview, Shapovalova is visibly distraught.

Two female suicide bombers detonated bombs today, one at Lubyanka station around 7:50 a.m., and the other, about 40 minutes later, at Park Kultury station across town. Preliminary estimates place the death toll at around 40, however some have reported it being as high as 60 and even 100.

Islamic extremists from the Caucasus region, which includes Chechnya, which has long been at odds with Russian government, are being blamed for the attacks. In 2004, extremists from the region set off a bomb in Moscow’s metro station, killing at least 40 and injuring more than 130.

No groups have yet taken responsibility for the blasts.

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin vowed "the terrorists will be destroyed." In a speech this morning, President Obama condemned the “heinous” terrorist attacks and pledged to stand with Russia in the fight against global violent extremism.

With files from the New York Times.

A German fire officer, who was paralyzed in a November 2008 silo fire, took his own life.

Fire Officer Peter Jung, 42, formally of the Worms Fire Brigade for the German city of Worms, who had been the incident commander at the fire in the Rheind¼rkheimer silos, has died.

The fire broke out in a processor loading dock of a malt silo on the river Rhine. A 24-year-old firefighter from Rheind¼rkheim was killed when concrete debris fell on him.

Seven other firefighters were hurt, four seriously. Jung was one of the seriously injured firefighters. He had been a paraplegic and confined to a wheelchair since the fire.

More than 200 firefighters worked to get the blaze under control. It was the first time a Worms Fire Brigade firefighter died in the line of duty.

International fashion designer Alexander McQueen, whose real name is Lee, was found dead in his London home just days after his mother’s death.  He was 40 years old.  It is reported that his death is an apparent suicide.

According to Sky News, a UK media organization, McQueen was found hanged in his London flat.

Police arrived at the designer’s home at 10:20 am where he was found dead at the scene.  His body was removed from his home at 4:46 pm on a stretcher, covered in a red blanket, and loaded into a private ambulance.

His death is not being treated as suspicious.

McQueen was known for being a "bad boy designer;” he built his reputation on his outrageous creations.  He was the creative director of his own label which was bought out by Gucci.

The designer had an A-list clientele including Lady Gaga, Prince Charles and Kate Winslet.

He was one of the youngest designers to achieve the title "British Designer of the Year" which he won four times between 1996 and 2003.

Alexandermcqueen.com reads, "At this stage it is inappropriate to comment on this tragic news beyond saying that we are devastated and are sharing a sense of shock and grief with Lee’s family."

His family has asked for privacy “in order to come to terms with this terrible news and we hope the media will respect this.”

DJ AM was found dead in his New York City apartment Friday. He was 36.

“Adam ‘DJ AM’ Goldstein was found deceased this afternoon in his New York City apartment,” said Jenni Weinman, Goldstein’s publicist, in a statement. “The circumstances surrounding his death are unclear. Out of respect for his family and loved ones, please respect their privacy at this time.”

TMZ reported that the famed DJ’s body was found at 5:20 p.m. The gossip site that also broke Michael Jackson’s death also claimed prescription medication bottles had been found near his body.

The death of DJ AM comes about a year after he and Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker survived a plane crash in South Carolina that killed four other people.

Blast ran into DJ AM and Barker in Hollywood in June during the E3 convention. They opened an amazing, celebrity-stacked show with Jay-Z and Eminem.

The apparent overdose with speculations about suicide is troubling. DJ AM survived a plane crash, which led to doctors finding a potentially fatal blood clot.

DJ AM’s Twitter account has a final entry dated August 25 that reads “New york, new york. Big city of dreams, but everything in new york aint always what it seems,” quoting a 1983 Grandmaster Flash song.

The world of martial arts entertainment lost one of its most important and influential stars today as David Carradine was found dead in a hotel room in Thailand on June 4 at the age of 72. He was in Thailand shooting his new movie “Stretch” when he was found in his room dead of an apparent suicide.

Carridine was most know for his role as Kwai Chang Caine in the genre-breaking Kung Fu/Western television show “Kung Fu.” It was there that the term “Grasshopper” became synonymous with the martial arts and Carradine’s career was forged.

From there Carradine led a very successful acting career, becoming a four time Golden Globe nominee. Though known best for his roles as kung fu masters, Carradine was a multi-talented man, working with such greats as director Martin Scorsese and Robert Altman. He also became famous for portraying such great American icons as Woody Guthrie in the 1976 movie “Bound for Glory.”

Carradine was also not above playing humorous roles. From the self parodies of his famous Kwai Chang role appearing in everything from Lipton Iced Tea commercials to Jonas Brothers’ music videos, to his voice acting in several cartoons, including Nickelodeon’s “Danny Phantom” and “King of the Hill,” Carradine was noted for his sense of humor as well as his action star fame.

In his final years, Carradine never stopped making movies. In fact, he seemed to average almost a dozen a year since the turn of the century. Most famously he appeared as Bill, the ladies man leader of the Deadly Viper Assassin Squad, in the Quentin Tarantino classics “Kill Bill Volumes I and II.” He also appeared as the host of the TV series “Wild West Tech” on the History Channel, a show that went over everything about old west technology from faster six shooters to failed cures for dysentery.

Carradine was a known supporter of small budget films, appearing in many direct to DVD action titles. He was once quoted as saying, “Independent movies are just loaded with an enthusiasm that you usually don’t find in a big feature.” In 2005 he was honored for his list of over 200 roles when he was awarded the Action on Film International Film Festival Lifetime Achievement Award.

The last movie released featuring Carradine was titled “Break,” an assassin thriller in which Carradine appeared along side his long time acting partner and friend Michel Madsen. Madsen, who had appeared with Carradine previously in both “Kill Bill” and “Money to Burn,” was known to be extremely close to Carradine, so much so that Carradine’s marriage to his wife occurred on Madsen’s Malibu estate.

What is lost in the death of David Carradine is not just an icon of the kung fu genre. What is lost is a truly enjoyable man to see in any form of media. He may not have been considered an A-lister by the standard definition, but you’d be hard pressed to find anyone who in the very least didn’t recognize his face and smile when he came on screen. He was a pioneer of his genre, a man of good humor, and will certainly be missed by all who knew his work.

Described as a “lovely, generous, unselfish person” by family, British actress Lucy Gordon, who is most known in the United States for her role in Spiderman 3, was found hanged in her Paris apartment Thursday. She was 28.

Multiple media reports, including Sky News, indicate the rising star appeared to commit suicide.

The young actress had 10 films to her name, including two in the works, and a television appearance. She debuted in 2001′s “Perfume.”

Gordon was lauded as talented with model good looks.