Five of the nine houses marked for destruction in 2006 in the Amona settlement in the West Bank, on January 31, 2006 (AFP Photo/Menahem Kaha...
Thursday, December 25, 2014
13-year-old girl: My father gave me to Boko Haram
KANO, Nigeria (AP) — A 13-year-old says her father gave her to Boko Haram extremists and that she was arrested after refusing to explode a suicide bomb in Kano, Nigeria's second largest city in the north.
Nigeria has suffered numerous suicide bombings in recent months carried out by girls and young women. That has raised fears that the insurgents are using kidnapped girls.
The...
Putin Cancels New Year's Holiday for Government Workers
Russian President Vladimir Putin cancelled the extended New Year holiday for government ministers because of the ongoing financial crisis, informing the agencies they must work to help strengthen the economy and take protectionary measures in the face of a combination of governmental mismanagement, dropping oil prices, and economic sanctions that have caused considerable...
Monday, December 22, 2014
Tunisia election: Essebsi wins presidential run-off
Veteran politician Beji Caid Essebsi has been confirmed as winner of Tunisia's first free presidential poll.
He secured 55.68% of the vote in Sunday's run-off, defeating caretaker president Moncef Marzouki (44.32%), the head of the electoral commission said.
Mr Marzouki, a 67-year-old former exile, earlier refused to admit defeat.
Mr Essebsi, 88, has urged all Tunisians...
Spyware use in domestic violence 'escalating'
Stalkers and abusers are increasingly using cheap spyware to monitor and harass their victims, claims a charity.
Tracking and listening devices, often disguised as everyday objects, retail online for under £50 and are easy to install, says the Digital-Trust.
There are no official figures but "digital abuse" is often experienced by victims of domestic violence, it adds.
People...
Monday, December 15, 2014
World’s Largest River Diversion Project Now Pipes Water to Beijing
On Friday, Dec. 12, for the first time, Beijing residents who turned on their faucets to rinse vegetables or take showers may have been using water piped to the arid capital from distant Hubei province. The middle leg of China’s ambitious and controversial South to North Water Project—the world’s largest water transfer project ever—has just opened.
The water transfer scheme, first envisioned by Chairman Mao, is an engineering solution to an ecological...
Artificial-Intelligence Startup MetaMind’s Bright Idea: Give Its Software Away
It may not seem like it, but artificial intelligence is getting closer to making the leap from the laboratory to the marketplace. For years, the big companies at work on A.I. have mostly kept their research to themselves, occasionally going public with a stunt to hint at their progress. IBM (IBM) famously trained its Watson system to beat Jeopardy! champion Ken Jennings, Microsoft (MSFT) showed off a version of Skype that could translate a multilingual...
Wednesday, December 10, 2014
Census shows Hitler’s brother, married to an Irishwoman, lived in Liverpool
A 1911 British Census document unearthed by genealogy website findmypast has shed further light on the lives of Irishwoman Bridget Dowling and her husband, Alois Hitler, Jr., the older half-brother of Adolf Hitler.
The Irish link to the Hitler family is one of the more surprising facts from 20th-century Irish history.
Bridget Dowling, a Dublin native, was still in her teens...
Palestinian minister dies at West Bank protest
A Palestinian minister has died after a confrontation with Israeli troops at a protest in the West Bank.
Palestinian medics told the BBC Ziad Abu Ein had died from complications related to tear gas exposure.
But several witnesses said the minister had been hit and shoved by soldiers. One said he had been hit in the chest by a tear-gas canister fired by them.
Israel's Defence...
Tuesday, December 9, 2014
Sony's PlayStation hit by hack attack
A hacker group has claimed responsibility for attacking Sony's online PlayStation store, which is down on Monday.
Visitors to the site are greeted with a message that says "Page Not Found! It's not you. It's the internet's fault".
A group called "Lizard Squad" has taken credit for the outage, posting "PSN Login #offline #LizardSquad" as their Twitter status.
The outage...
Monday, December 8, 2014
CIA torture report: US raises security ahead of release
Security has been stepped up at US facilities around the world ahead of the release of a report expected to reveal details of harsh CIA interrogations, the White House says.
Embassies and other sites were taking precautions amid "some indications" of "greater risk", a spokesman said.
A 480-page summary of the Senate report is due to be released on Tuesday.
It is expected...
Karrueche Tran denies she deleted her Instagram following Chris Brown split
Karrueche Tran has denied that she deleted her Instagram following her split from Chris Brown.
The model has become embroiled in a bitter war of words with her ex after they once again called it a day on their relationship.
Then as the conflict appeared to reach boiling point, the 26-year-old's photo sharing space could no longer be accessed.
However the dark-haired...
The most Instagrammed places in 2014
With its over-saturated colors and vivid scenery, Disneyland doesn't really need the help of an Instagram filter.
Yet the House of Mouse's California theme park has been named the world's most Instagrammed location in 2014, clocking up more geo-tagged snapshots than any other.
Beyond the rides and slides of Disneyland, the photo sharing website's annual top 10 hot destinations...
Jean-Claude Van Damme up for 'Kickboxer' remake
Jean-Claude Van Damme's "Kickboxer" is being remade, and "The Muscles from Brussels" will be one of the stars.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, 54-year-old Van Damme is in final negotiations to join the cast of the upcoming remake, which will be directed by "Blue Crush" and "Into the Blue" helmer John Stockwell.
The original 1989 "Kickboxer" helped launch Van Damme's...
U.S.: Al Qaeda kills hostages during SEALs raid in Yemen
The element of surprise was lost in a failed U.S. military raid to rescue two hostages being held by al Qaeda militants in Yemen, a senior Defense Department official said Saturday.
American photojournalist Luke Somers and South African Pierre Korkie, a "respected teacher" who was to be released on Sunday, were fatally shot in the compound by a terrorist as the secret mission...
Al-Shabaab kills Somali ex-lawmaker, police say
MOGADISHU, Somalia (CNN) -- Gunmen with the Islamist militant group Al-Shabaab killed a Somali former lawmaker and injured a current Parliament member in a drive-by shooting in Somalia's capital Thursday, police said. It marks the third deadly attack attributed to the group in as many days.
The attack in Mogadishu killed former Somali legislator Liibaan Abdullahi. Mustaf...
Uganda maid admits torturing toddler after secret filming
The courtroom was packed as Jolly Tumuhirwe asked for forgiveness
A maid in Uganda who was secretly filmed beating and kicking a toddler has pleaded guilty to torture.
Jolly Tumuhirwe, 22, was charged in court with the torture of a girl of 18 months. A video of the assault caused outrage when it was posted online.
The child's father, Eric Kamanzi, had installed a camera...
China trade data well below expectations
China's imports fell surprisingly in November, showing weak domestic demand
Trade data from the world's second largest economy, China, came in well below expectations on Monday, heightening fears of a sharper slowdown.
China's exports rose 4.7% in November from a year ago, compared to market forecasts of a 8.2% jump.
Imports fell 6.7% in the same period against predictions...
Sunday, December 7, 2014
Liberia court lifts order suspending election campaign due to Ebola
Dec 7 (Reuters) - Liberia's Supreme Court on Sunday lifted a government order suspending campaigning in and around the capital for next week's Senate election imposed on the grounds that electioneering risks spreading the Ebola virus.
Liberia is the country hardest hit by the epidemic and has recorded more than 3,000 deaths out of a total from Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea of 6,055 victims, according to World Health Organization figures on Wednesday.
The...
Lupita Nyong'o: 'I haven't figured out how to be a celebrity'
Lupita Nyong'o is one of Glamour magazine's Women of the Year.
That's no surprise to most people: The actress won an Oscar for "12 Years a Slave" this year and has been popping up on "best dressed" and "most beautiful" lists ever since.
Nevertheless, she tells the magazine that the attention she's received has been overwhelming.
"Right now I'm still adjusting. I guess I feel...
Who works the longest hours?
Chill winds sweeping the world economy have left many people out of a job, and some of those still working have been asked to worker longer hours for the same pay. Recently the UK government urged the country to work harder, after slipping back into recession. So which countries put the most hours in?
A look at the average annual hours worked per person in selected countries...
Pakistan Taliban chief Latif Mehsud 'repatriated'
A senior Pakistani Taliban commander, Latif Mehsud, has reportedly been handed over to Pakistan by the US from Afghanistan.
The US military confirmed it "transferred custody" of three Pakistanis, but did not reveal their identities.
The Afghan government was not involved in the transfer, the US said.
Correspondents say the repatriation of a senior Taliban figure is extremely unusual.
It could relate to attempts to improve Afghanistan-Pakistan...
The mind-bending effects of feeling two hearts
Every second or so, Carlos would feel a small “bump” hitting his tummy. It was the beating of his “second heart”.
The small mechanical pump was meant to relieve the burden of his failing cardiac muscles, but Carlos (not his real name) disliked the sensation. The beat of the machine seemed to replace his pulse, a sensation that warped his body image: as the device throbbed...
Putin expresses hope for permanent Ukraine ceasefire
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said he hopes a permanent ceasefire will soon be agreed in Ukraine, after talks in Moscow with French counterpart Francois Hollande.
Mr Hollande is the first Western leader to visit Russia since the start of the Ukraine crisis earlier this year.
A ceasefire was signed in September but there have been constant breaches.
Russia has been...
Saturday, December 6, 2014
US adds 321,000 jobs in November
The US economy added 321,000 jobs in November, while the unemployment rate stayed at 5.8%, official Labor Department figures show.
The number of jobs created was well above analysts' forecasts of about 225,000 new jobs in the month.
US employers have added at least 200,000 jobs for 10 months in a row, the longest period of jobs growth since 1995.
The number of jobs created...
Thursday, December 4, 2014
James Bond Spectre: Lea Seydoux and Monica Bellucci to play leading ladies
Dave M. Benett/WireImage Monica Bellucci, Lea Seydoux and Naomie Harris to star in new Bond film 'Spectre'
Monica, Lea and Naomie
Sam Mendes has revealed the cast of the new James Bond film, which sees Daniel Craig reprise his role as 007.
Speaking at a press conference held at Pinewood Studios earlier today, the director announced the title Spectre - Special Executor...
Orion 'Mars ship' launch postponed
Thursday's first test flight of the US space agency's Orion "Mars ship" has been postponed because of weather and technical issues.
The capsule had been due to launch atop a Delta rocket on a short journey above the Earth to prove key technologies.
Its maiden voyage was to have taken place from Cape Canaveral in Florida between 12:05 GMT and 14:44 GMT.
But the countdown...
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