world
Future forestry: 3D space technology aims to cut down on logging
This otherworldly neon forest may look like a hiking trip bolstered with hallucinogens, but it’s actually how a new 3D laser scanning system sees a forest. Developed by an Irish firm in partnership with the European Space Agency, the project uses laser technology to tackle careless deforestation. Scanning forests allows...
2,900 patients at risk of HIV, hepatitis after surgery in Colorado hospital
Colorado-based Swedish Medical Center asked around 2,900 patients to undergo “free and confidential” tests for HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C after revealing a former surgical technician allegedly replaced a syringe needle with an infected one. Rocky Allen, 28, the surgical technologist who worked in operating...
80 million degrees: German fusion reactor fires up hydrogen mimicking sun conditions
The inauguration of the world’s biggest stellarator, a type of nuclear fusion reactor, took place at Marx Planck Institute in Germany as the Wendelstein 7-X heated hydrogen gas to 80 million degrees for a quarter of a second. The ceremony was attended by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who pressed the button to launch...
Drone ‘destroys Boko Haram base’ in Nigeria (VIDEO)
Nigeria’s air force has released dramatic aerial footage showing a drone targeting and destroying a reported Boko Haram base near Sambisa Forest in the northeast of the country. It’s unclear how many casualties the attack caused, though the military claims there were fatalities and equipment was destroyed, The...
Number of Islamist radicals in France doubles in 2015 rising to over 8,000 – report
The number of Islamic radicals in France doubled last year reaching 8,250 people, according to figures leaked to local media. The main hotspots of radicalization are big cities including Paris and Lyon. Around 70 percent of the suspected radicals were male and 80 percent of the cases were characterized as “serious,”...
TPP formally signed in New Zealand as mass protest paralyzes Auckland (VIDEO)
A group of around 1,000 activists protesting against the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) have blocked roads in Auckland, as the participant states’ delegations gathered in New Zealand to formally sign the controversial free trade agreement. The TPP agreement, hailed as the “biggest trade deal in a generation,”...
Syrian Army ends 3-year siege of 2 Shiite towns in Aleppo – reports
Syrian Amy units have broken a siege imposed by terrorist organizations in the towns of Nubbul and al-Zahraa, local media report."The Syrian army and its allies have totally broken the siege on Nubul and Zahraa," a senior army official told Reuters. The siege is said to have lasted for 40 months. The Syrian troops...
Top of the world: Teenager shares heart-stopping photos on skyscrapers, pyramids (VIDEO, PHOTOS)
A Russian teen daredevil is making social media users jealous — and dizzy — with incredible photos of his elevated adventures. Adrenaline junkie Andrej Ciesilski, 18, is on a death-defying mission to scale new heights, climbing skyscrapers around the world and sharing awe-inspiring snaps from on high: The...
UK-EU deal: What the rest of Europe thinks
European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker has described the draft EU reform deal as "fair for the UK and fair for the other 27 member states", while British Prime Minister David Cameron says the UK could get "best of both worlds" if the right package is agreed. But what do the other EU countries...
4 US-led coalition jets seen over Deir ez Zor in Syria day govt troops attacked — Russian MoD
Four Western coalition warplanes were spotted over the Deir az-Zor area in Syria on December 6, when a Syrian Army camp came under attack. No Russian warplanes were in the region, says the Russian Defense Ministry. “Russian aircraft were not on a mission in that area. All our flights in Syrian airspace are coordinated...
80% of firearms deaths in developed world happen in US – study
Americans are 10 times more likely to be killed by a gun compared to people living in other developed nations around the world. This is according to a new study highlighting the “US has an enormous firearm problem.” The alarming statistics were published in The American Journal of Medicine, as part of a study...
German mayor says schoolgirls shouldn’t walk near refugee center to avoid sexual harassment
A German mayor became the least popular resident of his own town after saying that schoolgirls should not “provoke” refugees and should take alternative routes to school to avoid sexual harassment. The comments outraged concerned citizens. The Bad Schlema town hall meeting turned sour after a grandfather confronted...