SRINAGAR: One person died and three skiers were trapped when an avalanche hit the Affarwath heights of Gulmarg in Jammu and Kashmir. They were rescued later by the authorities. Police sources said they were checking with hotels in Gulmarg to see if anyone else was missing. The man who died was a local skiing guide, said a police officer. This is the second death this season at the famous ski […]
KETCHIKAN, Alaska – A coalition of aboriginal tribes in southeast Alaska is calling for a Canada-U.S. commission to study the impacts of British Columbia’s mining industry on shared waters because of last summer’s collapse of a tailings-pond dam. Some 14 tribes have formed the United Tribal Transboundary Mining Work Group to urge both governments to evaluate B.C. mining-safety practices through the International Joint Commission. The call follows the release […]
Jerusalem: Researchers are developing a new technology that would enable smartphones to screen their users’ breath for life-threatening diseases. A research consortium headed by Professor Hossam Haick of the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology is developing a product that, when coupled with a smartphone, will be able to screen the user’s breath for early detection of diseases. The SNIFFPHONE project will link Haick’s breathalyzer screening technology to the smartphone to […]
An intricate chart drawn by Finnish-Swedish graphic artist Minna Sundberg traces the common roots of the tongues spoken by a vast swath of humanity. The myriad “Indo-European” languages all share a common ancestor, though historians debate who that is. Some say the language group emerged from the steppes north of the Black Sea 4,000 years ago with the migrations of chariot-driving nomads; others argue it dates further back — some […]
Eerie fluorescent blue patches of water glimmering off Hong Kong’s seashore are magnificent, disturbing and potentially toxic, marine biologists say. The glow is an indicator of a harmful algal bloom created by something called Noctiluca scintillans, nicknamed sea sparkle. It looks like algae and can act like algae. But it’s not quite. It is a single-celled organism that technically can function as both animal and plant. These type of blooms […]
Air Force One is the world’s most sophisticated aircraft; the Beast – the armoured limousine for the world’s most powerful leader – is no slouch. President Barack Obama arrives in Delhi on Sunday morning. The Beast – and a stand-in – have arrived in a special aircraft and are parked at Delhi’s international airport. Here are 10 facts about the Beast: It looks like a Cadillac, but that is it. […]
Sprawl on a sun deck, put your legs up and watch as the world goes by – ancient civilizations, medieval castles, stunning landscapes, palm fringed waters, floating villages or quaint cities – take your pick! It’s all yours for the taking, right here aboard a relaxing river cruise vacation. 1. Cruise through ancient civilizations along the Nile The best way to acquaint yourself with a culture that developed around the […]
Paris: A crossbow in her hands and covered head-to-toe in a black Islamic headwear and robe that leaves only her eyes visible — that is the image now circulating of France`s most-wanted woman: Hayat Boumeddiene. The 26-year-old is the partner of Amedy Coulibaly, one of the three gunmen shot dead by police after three days of high drama in France. The photo — first published by Le Monde — […]
Giancarlo Murisciano recently posted a picture on Facebook on New Year’s Eve that broke the hearts of people around the world. It shows him cradling his 87-year-old grandmother, who suffers from Alzheimer’s. It was liked 400,000 times and shared 37,000 times, as it shows that real people still suffer from this terrible disease. Giancarlo wrote that he shared the picture “without shame or fear” to remind people in the new […]
Aviation website AirlineRatings.com has just released its annual list of the world’s 10 safest airlines. Once again, Australian airline Qantas grabs the top spot. “Qantas continues to lead the industry with safety innovations and its fleet is now the youngest — 7.9 years — it has been since the airline was privatized in 1995,” AirlineRatings.com editor Geoffrey Thomas tells CNN. He says the airline is an industry benchmark for best […]
