world
Violent, head-to-head crash between Earth and another planet created the moon
New clues suggest the moon resulted from a head-on collision between Earth and another forming planet, according to scientists. Researchers from a team lead by the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) analyzed lunar and volcanic rocks before concluding the moon was formed during a violent head-on collision between an...
Two-wife minimum? The polygamy hoax that spread from Iraq to Eritrea
A false rumour that men in Eritrea would be legally obliged to marry at least two women went viral this week. But it's a hoax that has hit at least four countries to date, and actually began in Iraq, where it wasn't as implausible as it seems. When a far fetched story about enforced polygamy in Eritrea began...
Madaya: ‘Another 16 starve to death’ in besieged Syrian town
Another 16 people have starved to death in the besieged Syrian town of Madaya since UN aid convoys reached it earlier this month, according to charity Medecins Sans Frontieres. The charity says there are also 33 people in danger of dying. Brice de la Vingne, MSF operations director, said the situation was "totally...
Rock star David Bowie leaves $100m in will
Rock star David Bowie left an estate valued at about $100m (£70m), according to his will which has been filed in New York. Half will go to his widow, Iman, along with the home they shared in New York. The rest is shared between his son and daughter. It was also revealed that Bowie had requested that his ashes be scattered...
United Nations confirms 69 cases of alleged abuse in 2015 peacekeeping missions
THE UN human rights office says it has turned up six more cases of alleged sexual abuse against children by European troops in Central African Republic, including a seven-year-old girl who said she had to perform sexual acts on soldiers in exchange for water and cookies. A UN team recently interviewed five girls and a boy who...
Thousands protest against Vienna ball funded by far-right party (PHOTO)
Thousands of people have taken to the streets of the Austrian capital of Vienna chanting pro-refugee slogans to protest the annual Academics’ ball. The event, attended by German-language student networks, is deemed to be a meeting place for nationalists. Several protests were announced for the night of the ball, which is...
Syrian rebel splits deepen after failed ‘merger’ with al Qaeda arm
The leader of al Qaeda's Syrian wing tried unsuccessfully at a recent meeting to convince rival Islamist factions to merge into one unit, several insurgency sources have told Reuters. Abu Mohamad al-Golani, head of the Nusra Front, even suggested he was willing to change the name of his group if the others, including the...
The man who created Paris
In the 19th Century George-Eugène Haussmann completely redesigned and rebuilt the French capital. Jonathan Glancey describes how the city of today was born. Paris remains one of the world’s most visited cities, and of those tens of millions drawn to its remarkably compact centre each year, the Marais district...
Malaysia 1MDB scandal: Investigators say about $4bn may be missing from fund
About $4bn (£2.8bn) may have been stolen from a fund owned by the Malaysian state, a prosecutor says. The 1MDB fund was set up in 2009 to pay for major new economic and social developments in Malaysia. Last year, Swiss authorities opened an investigation into 1MDB after it amassed more than $11bn (£7bn) of debt....
25 Things You Don’t Know About Donald Trump — «I Do My Own Hair»
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has never been one to hold back what's on his mind, especially in recent months. Back in May 2010, Trump, then the host of The Celebrity Apprentice, opened up to Us Weekly with 25 fun facts about himself. He revealed some of his favorite foods, how he gets to work every day,...
This Is What The Fight For Gay Couples’ Rights Looks Like In Italy
Italy is the last country in Western Europe without protections for same-sex couples, but its Parliament takes up a bill next week that could change that. Next week, Italy’s Parliament is scheduled to take up a law that would allow same-sex couples to enter civil unions. Tony Gentile / Reuters Italy is the only country in...
Austria won’t deport Afghan asylum seeker who raped 72yo woman
An 18-year-old asylum seeker who raped a 72-year-old pensioner will not be deported from Austria to Afghanistan after serving his 20-month prison sentence. The Afghan asylum seeker, identified as Wahab M., was found guilty of raping an elderly woman by the Regional Court on Wednesday, Austrian press reported. He was sent to...