Mariah Carey and James Packer are engaged
US pop star Mariah Carey and Australian billionaire James Packer are engaged to be married, the BBC has learned. The couple went public with their relationship last June after they were seen on holiday together in Italy. Mr Packer, 47, is Australia's fourth-richest person, according to Forbes, with a fortune estimated to...
France to keep state of emergency ‘until IS defeated’ — PM Valls
France will seek to keep its state of emergency until a "total and global war" against so-called Islamic State (IS) is over, Prime Minister Manuel Valls has told the BBC. The measures were introduced after the IS-led Paris attacks on 13 November and then extended for three months. Such a move gives police more power...
The city that hides an underground world
Nottingham is an English city with a secret: inhabitants have been digging caves here for 1700 years. More than 500 have been found – and a new project is revealing their secrets. Nottingham is a city with a secret: below its shops, restaurants, houses, malls and pubs lies a hidden world of caves and tunnels. Best known...
Italian court rules €100 ‘too small to be bribe’ – as long as you are drunk
Italy’s top court has ruled that bribing police by offering €100 (US$108) while drunk can be considered legal, after reviewing such a case. The sum of money a drunk driver offered to a policeman was just too small to be considered a bribe, said the Supreme Court of Cassation, a court of last resort in Italy. It also...
Upskirt Umbrellas Is The Latest Craze In Japan
The aptly named Million Girls Project has listened to your cries, and bestowed upon you the accessory of your dreams: an umbrella whose underside shows the underpants of an animé school-girl. Called “Un-burera,” a play on the words “underpants” and “umbrella.” The Million Girls Project...
Instagrammer Perfectly Matches Makeup To His Snacks
Self-described “Bald headed Bearded b*tch who wears makeup” Tim O takes his inspiration from snacks. Specifically, the color combinations on chip bags and soon, even beer cans! Tim has been posting these pictures and tutorials to Instagram and YouTube for 11 months, and was surprised to see them become popular....
Yesterday 5 Planets Align For The First Time In A Decade
For the first time since 2005, you’ll be able to see all five visible planets (Jupiter, Mars, Saturn, Venus, Mercury) at once – if you get up early enough, that is. This Australian Geographic interview explains: “Dr Alan Duffy, research fellow at Swinburne University in Melbourne, said that this reasonably...
HRW urges businesses to obey human rights laws, cut ties with Israeli settlements
Human Rights Watch has issued a damning report on Israel’s illegal settlement activity in the occupied territories, urging businesses to comply with the international humanitarian law and stop any activity that violates Palestinians’ rights. A report dubbed, Occupation, Inc., How Settlement Businesses Contribute to...
The one with the robot writer: Software generates new ‘Friends’ episodes
Some fear the rise of artificial intelligence, but based on its sitcom writing skills, we’re pretty safe for the moment. A newly-created software program can churn out scripts for the hit TV show "Friends" in minutes — and considering what passes for comedy in the modern age, the program may actually...
Stone Age cold case: ‘Oldest evidence of war’ dates back 10,000yrs
A group of 27 nomadic tribespeople, including eight women and six children, were brutally murdered by a rival tribe some 10,000 years ago in what is believed to be the first case of human warfare, according to a new study. “These human remains record the intentional killing of a small band of foragers with no deliberate...
Police open fire on ethnic protesters in Nepal, killing 2
KATHMANDU, Nepal — A government official says police fired on ethnic protesters in southern Nepal, killing at least two and wounding another eight. Government administrator Devi Bahadur Bhandari said the police acted as the ethnic Madhesi protesters tried to attack a political rally organized by the ruling communist party...
Nationalists seek state protection for ‘Vodka’ brand copyright for Russia
A Russian MP representing populist nationalist party LDPR has requested that the government take legal action to reserve the name ‘vodka’ exclusively for products of Russian distilleries. “Europe is usually very zealous about their national brands and we, for some unknown reason, cannot even claim the rights...