interesting
Zika, recession, political scandal loom over Brazil Olympics
This year, Brazil is scheduled to open its arms to people from all over the world for the 2016 Summer Olympics. With the Games nearly three months away, the country is facing a series of unprecedented challenges: the Zika virus outbreak, which has been connected to a rare birth defect; a crippling recession that has left...
Body Found in National Park ‘Preliminarily Identified’ as Missing Virginia Firefighter
Remains found Thursday in a remote part of Shenandoah National Park have been tentatively identified as a Virginia firefighter missing since this past Friday. Virginia State Police spokeswoman Corinne Geller confirmed in an email to the Associated Press that the body is likely that of 31-year-old Nicole Mittendorff, of...
Chyna, WWE legend and women’s pro wrestling icon, dies at 45
WWE legend Chyna, real name Joanie Laurer, died Wednesday, her official Twitter page announced. She was 45. The Los Angeles Times, citing Chyna’s manager and police, reports that she was found dead inside her Redondo Beach home. A cause of death had yet to be determined. “The Redondo Beach Police received a 911 call...
Oh la la! French voted the world’s sexiest language
BRITONS believe French is the world's sexiest language, a new study reveals. A French accent attracts one in five, followed by Italian (16 per cent), English (13 per cent), Irish (11 per cent) and Spanish (six per cent). French is clearly the language of love but, according to researchers, the sexiest French-speaking...
Olympic torch for Rio games lit at ancient Greek site
The flame for the Olympic Games in Brazil has been lit in southern Greece. An actor performing the role of high priestess lit the torch by using the sun's rays. The torch will be taken by various runners on an international relay that will culminate at the opening ceremony in Rio de Janeiro on 5 August. The ritual was...
VW reaches US deal in emissions scandal
Volkswagen will pay "substantial compensation" and buy back cars in US as part of a deal to settle the diesel emissions scandal. The details were announced in a California court after a federal judge gave VW and regulators a deadline to agree a fix for the cars. Last year, US regulators discovered that VW cars were...
Queen Elizabeth II marks 90th birthday on Thursday
You would think that upon reaching the age of 90 on Thursday, Queen Elizabeth II would sit back and put her feet up in her castle with a cuppa and a corgi. But not this nonagenarian sovereign. The queen, accompanied by her husband Prince Philip, who turns 95 in June, will be working on her birthday, just as she has worked on...
Zika virus: 2.2 billion people in ‘at risk’ areas
More than two billion people live in parts of the world where the Zika virus can spread, detailed maps published in the journal eLife show. The Zika virus, which is spread by Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, triggered a global health emergency this year. Last week the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed that the...
The Island Where You Have To Import Your Spouse
On this fascinating South Pacific island, all 62 residents are related, everyone shares the same surname and can trace their lineage back to one British man. We saw the foam before we heard the breaking waves. My husband Rob and I squinted through the morning sun, trying to pick out the low-lying shoreline of the Palmerston...
Mexico explosion: Three dead in Veracruz oil plant
A large explosion at an oil facility in the south-east Mexican state of Veracruz has killed at least three people and injured 136 more. The blast hit a facility owned by Mexico's state oil company, Pemex, in the port city of Coatzacoalcos. Hundreds of people have been evacuated and schools closed. Footage showed a large...
Jennifer Aniston Is People Magazine’s ‘World’s Most Beautiful Woman’
Actress Jennifer Aniston is once again People magazine’s World’s Most Beautiful Woman, the magazine announced today. The 47-year-old actress tops the list of fellow celebrities in a special double issue that hits newsstands on Friday. She said she was flattered when she learned she would be on the cover. "I...
After Trump’s NY win, Cruz now officially can’t clinch with pledged delegates
Donald Trump just made it impossible for Ted Cruz to clinch the GOP nomination. Results in New York's primary mean it is now mathematically impossible for Cruz to clinch nomination based on pledged delegates. In order to maintain the slim, infinitesimal hope that he might be able to clinch the Republican nomination by...