Fifty years ago, a 28-year-old Colombian with a bushy beard, flares and vintage Raleigh bicycle led a revolution on the streets of Bogota.Architect Jaime Ortiz Marino got permission to shut down a section of roads and — with 5,000 other two-wheeler radicals — pedaled down the middle of the street on December 15, 1974 in …
‘Part of Bogota’s soul’: how Colombia fired up the car-free movement Read More »
Gun rights activist Rob Pincus was worried when he heard a 3D-printed “ghost gun” was found on the alleged shooter in last week’s notorious murder of a US health executive in New York.Not because it showed the danger of the untraceable weapons — but because the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson would mean “another …
Nerds or crooks? 3D gun makers in spotlight after US executive murder Read More »
The former head of a notorious Syrian prison was charged Thursday in the United States with torturing opponents of the now-collapsed government of Bashar al-Assad, the Justice Department said.Samir Ousman Alsheikh, 72, who has been in the US since 2020, allegedly ran Damascus Central Prison — known colloquially as Adra Prison — from approximately 2005 to …
US charges ex-head of Syrian prison with torture Read More »
Most of what we know about humans living to very old age is based on faulty data, including the science behind the “blue zones” famous for having a high proportion of people over 100, according to one researcher.The desire to live as long as possible has driven a booming lifestyle industry selling supplements, books, tech …
The secret to living to 110? Bad record-keeping, researcher says Read More »
President Emmanuel Macron is set to name a new prime minister on Friday after days of deadlock over finding a candidate to replace Michel Barnier, whose ousting by parliament pushed France into a fresh crisis.Barnier was toppled in a historic no-confidence vote on December 4 and there had been expectations Macron would announce his successor …
Macron to finally name new French PM after deadlock Read More »
The common murre, a large black-and-white seabird native to northern waters, has become far less common in Alaska over the past decade due to the impacts of climate change.A study published Thursday in Science reveals that a record-breaking marine heat wave in the northeast Pacific from 2014 to 2016 triggered a catastrophic population collapse, wiping …
Single heat wave wiped out millions of Alaska’s dominant seabird Read More »
The dramatic collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s Syrian regime has thrown light into the dark corners of his rule, including the industrial-scale export of the banned drug captagon.Victorious Islamist-led fighters have seized military bases and distribution hubs for the amphetamine-type stimulant, which has flooded the black market across the Middle East.Led by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham …
Syria’s rebel victors expose ousted government’s drug trade Read More »
US space company Virgin Galactic announced Thursday it is exploring the possibility of opening a new base in Italy, potentially bringing suborbital flights to tourists in Europe for the first time.Founded by British billionaire Richard Branson, the company is currently in a two-year hiatus to upgrade its fleet, following seven commercial flights to the edge …
Virgin Galactic eyes possible expansion into Italy Read More »
Syria’s interim government vowed on Thursday to institute the “rule of law” after years of abuses under ousted president Bashar al-Assad, as the United States warned against any action that risked triggering further conflict.Assad fled Syria after a lightning offensive spearheaded by the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group and its allies, which brought a …
Syria govt pledges ‘rule of law’ after Assad’s overthrow Read More »
Bashar al-Assad’s government has been accused of carrying out torture, rape, summary executions and other abuses since since Syria’s civil war started in 2011.UN investigators have said that accountability must be taken at the highest level after the downfall of the hardline ruler on Sunday. Here is what we know about the extent of the …
Rapes, torture, killings — a litany of abuses blamed on Assad forces Read More »
