Russian meteorite crash: Updates Videos
An aerial meteorite explosion has wreaked havoc in Russia’s Urals. The blast caused widespread panic, damaged buildings, blew out thousands of windows and lead hundreds to seek medical attention for minor injuries. The incident was caused by a bolide, scientists said. Multiple dashboard videos appeared online, showing huge fireballs flying over buildings and exploding with [...]
Canada kills controversial internet surveillance bill
The Conservative Canadian government is abandoning its much-criticized internet surveillance bill, which would have allowed the government to keep tabs on its citizens and was disguised under the cloak of fighting child pornographers. Justice Minister Rob Nicholson announced that Bill C-30, which caused public ire over privacy, is dead. “We’ve listened to the concerns of [...]
Pope Benedict XVI to resign, first pontiff to quit since Middle Ages
Pope Benedict XVI is to resign for reasons relating to his health, according to a Vatican spokesperson. He’s the first head of the Catholic Church to quit the highest post since the Middle Ages. The 85-year-old is due to step down on February 28. The Pope said he is “fully aware of the gravity of this [...]
Software that tracks your every move and predicts future behavior draws heat
US defense giant Raytheon has developed a controversial software that uses social networking sites to track your movements, able to predict where a person will be and their future behavior. The program has drawn criticism from civil rights groups. A video obtained exclusively by The Guardian shows how software developed by the US defense contractor [...]
Double trouble: French rape case impeded by twins’ identical DNA
Police in Marseille have arrested identical twin brothers for a string of sexual assaults. Officers believe one, if not both men are to blame, but cannot be sure as the pair’s DNA is nearly indistinguishable. Police have charged both men, identified as 24-year old unemployed delivery drivers Elwin and Yohan, over the rapes. Both are [...]
Berlinale 2013: Film Fest Spotlights Women and Eastern Europe
The 63rd Berlin International Film Festival kicks off on Thursday with a martial arts epic from Hong Kong. The festival's director says this year's selection pays particularly close attention to women, indigenous peoples and life in Eastern Europe. The Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale for short) is an operation of superlatives. No other festival in [...]
Major 8.0 quake hits Solomon Islands, destruction reported
A powerful 8.0-magnitude earthquake struck the Solomon Islands in the South Pacific on Wednesday, reportedly flattening villages and prompting a “potentially destructive” tsunami wave. The epicenter of the tremor was located at a shallow depth of 5.8 km in the area of the Santa Cruz Islands, the US Geological Survey reports. It was shortly followed [...]
Syrian arrested after Ahmadinejad shoe-attack in Cairo
A Syrian has tried to attack Iranian President Ahmadinejad in front of Al-Hussein mosque in Cairo, Turkey’s Anatolia news agency reports. The leader is in the Egyptian capital on a visit. The video, taken by the news agency’s correspondent, shows a young man shouting at Ahmadinejad and trying to hit the presidents head with a shoe, [...]
Syrian attacks Iranian President Ahmadinejad in Cairo – reports
A Syrian has attacked Iranian President Ahmadinejad in front of Al-Hussein mosque in Cairo, Al Arabiya reported, quoting local media. The leader is in the Egyptian capital on a visit. DETAILS TO FOLLOW
250,000 Twitter accounts compromised in sophisticated cyber attack
Twitter has become the latest target of a sophisticated cyber attack, with around 250,000 accounts exposed. The breach appears to be the latest in a string of attacks on news content sites that’s being blamed on Chinese hackers. In its blog, Twitter has announced that it has detected “unusual access” patterns to user’s data and one live [...]