A climate change scientist who previously ran health programs at the Centers for Disease Control is now planning to file a whistleblower complaint against the agency, alleging he was removed from his office in retaliation for calling out an illegal misuse of funds set aside for climate work. George Luber ran the climate and health program at the CDC, until his office of 18 people was rolled into a bigger asthma program, which initially was set to include the word climate in its title, but was ultimately named asthma and…
A French inventor made an attempt on Thursday to cross the entire English Channel on a jet-propelled hoverboard of his own design. Intending to travel 22 miles in 20 minutes, Franky Zapata only reached the halfway mark before falling into the water while attempting to refuel at a prepared platform. Modern jetpack designs of this type can only sustain a flight time of about ten minutes before refueling. The hoverboard in question was powered by a backpack tank of kerosene, and had been used on previous occasions in a flyover…
An arson attack in Kyoto on Thursday targeted one of the most well-known animation studios in Japan, resulting in the deaths of dozens. A 41-year-old suspect entered Thursday morning, poured gasoline around the studio building’s ground floor, and set it afire. He was severely burned in the act and is currently hospitalized. The fire quickly spread and many employees were trapped in stairwells trying to reach the roof. Currently the death toll is at 33 with another 35 injured. Kyoto Animation, colloquially KyoAni, was founded in 1981 and has become…
On Friday, the nation of Sudan took its first steps towards a new constitution and the restoration of order from a state of brutal crackdown. After 30 years of former President Omar al-Bashir’s rule ended in a military coup earlier this year, violence broke out between security forces and protestors, with hundreds of killings and mass rapes among the crimes reported. This caused talks between the military government and pro-democracy activists to break down, but a new agreement has now been signed to share power in Sudan’s government. A council…
The email leaks which led to the recent resignation of Britain’s US ambassador have been revealed as the work of a journalist in a relationship with the chairman of Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party. Isabel Oakeshott – who leaked ambassador Kim Darroch’s emails referring to Donald Trump as dysfunctional and inept – has been in a relationship with MEP Richard Tice since last year. Tice wants Darroch replaced as ambassador by a “pro-Brexit businessman” – a description which fits both himself and Nigel Farage – who will push for trade deals…
Chicago police have yet to capture a five-foot alligator after it was seen swimming in the Humboldt Park Lagoon. Attempts have been made to capture the alligator for transport to a zoo, but so far the five-foot reptile has evaded both expert and amateur seekers. The gator is suspected to have been released into the lagoon by someone who had kept it illegally as a pet, after it grew too large to care for. Humboldt Park has previously been known to feature overgrown turtles, carp, and even piranhas, all sourced…
On Monday, the International Criminal Court held a Congolese warlord responsible for eighteen counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity. The Democratic Republic of the Congo has long struggled with violence. Since the late 1990s, tens of thousands of people have been killed as rival militias compete for control over the region’s key resources, such as gold mines. Bosco Ntaganda – known as “the Terminator,” was the deputy chief of staff and commander of a rebel group that carried out an ethnically-motivated massacre in the early 2000s. The court found…
Twenty high school students walked into the corporate office of Facebook and delivered a plan to help bring affordable housing to their area. Unexpectedly, the tech company listened and Facebook decided to start a small pilot program to fund four small granny flats for low-income residents in East Palo Alto and Melon Park, California. The money will finance low-interest loans for low and moderate-income homeowners who couldn’t otherwise afford to build a granny flat and might struggle to get traditional financing. When the granny flats, also known as accessory dwelling…
The European Union and the Southern Common Market (Mercosur) announced Friday that they reached agreement on a new trade deal. EU Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker said it was the EU’s biggest deal to date and, at a time of trade tensions between the US and China, showed that “we stand for rules-based trade”. Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro said it was “historic” and “one of the most important trade deals of all time”. The deal aims to cut or remove trade tariffs, making imported products cheaper for consumers while also boosting…
To date, the Bull Moose Party remains the strongest third-party run for the United States presidency of the past 125 years. After Theodore Roosevelt became frustrated with the business-friendly policies of his hand-picked successor, President William Howard Taft, he entered the 1912 race for the Republican ticket. He entered the race late and despite outpolling Taft in most primaries, lost the nomination. Undeterred, Roosevelt met with a handful of progressive Republicans to form his own party. The party was given its nickname after Roosevelt told reporters “I’m as fit as…