Scientists say we may be on the verge of a “post-antibiotic” world, with the discovery of bacteria resistant to last-resort antibiotics. In a new, ominous study, researchers describe a new gene mutation that prevents a drug called colistin from killing off a variety of common bacteria including E. Coli.
The US is home to 5% of the world’s women, and imprisons a whopping 30% of all incarcerated females in the world.
A Syrian family that has waited for three years for asylum in the United States was set to be resettled in Indiana on tomorrow (Nov. 19). Instead the mother, father, and four-year-old boy were diverted to Connecticut due to a last-minute decision by Indiana governor Mike Pence.
Following last week’s terrorist attacks that killed at least 129 in Paris, there was widespread outcry, especially among rightwing politicians, that terrorists could be among the throngs of Syrian refugees currently making their way to Europe.
What to watch for today
The leader of Bulgaria’s nationalist, anti-EU and anti-NATO party appropriately called “Attack,” may land in prison for his involvement in several violent incidents.
Two Russian state-run TV stations aired an image of plans for a long-range nuclear torpedo while showing a meeting between president Vladimir Putin and military generals in Sochi. According to Putin’s spokesman, the image, containing “secret data,” should not have appeared in the media, and TV stations are deleting the footage from their websites.
A kerfuffle in the New Zealand parliament over immigration centers ended with several female lawmakers disclosing that they are victims of sexual assault, and eventually being kicked out for speaking out of order.
What to watch for today
A middle school physics exercise caused a storm in Poland, after reports surfaced that a teacher asked his students to calculate how many Syrian refugees they would have to push off a raft, in order to reach Greece.
Two cultures have clashed as Iran’s president, Hassan Rouhani, plans the first visit to Europe by an Iranian president in more than a decade. French media report that Rouhani rejected a dinner invitation from French president Francois Hollande, after the Elysée presidential palace insisted on serving wine at the event. The French dinner staple is forbidden by Islam, and Rouhani refused to attend a meal where alcohol was served.
The newly elected Canadian government, which has enchanted the world with its diverse cabinet and fresh outlook, has made its first controversial decision. On Monday (Nov. 8), the Liberal minister of environment, Catherine McKenna, approved Montreal’s plan to dump 8 billion liters of untreated sewage into the St. Lawrence River, which is home to endangered beluga whales.
Poland’s right-wing Law and Justice party won the country’s October parliamentary election in a landslide, securing an outright majority that gave it free rein to form a government without any coalition partners. Today (Nov. 9) the party unveiled its new cabinet, and it’s extremely conservative, notably anti-Russian, and features several controversial comebacks—including the country’s most famous conspiracy theorist.
The Taliban has a brutal reputation when it comes to women’s rights: The group made its name in part by banning Afghan women from going to school or work, or even leaving the house without a male chaperone. But a new faction of Taliban militants claimed on Sunday it would permit women to work and get an education, signaling a potential rift within the larger group.
UK spies have uncovered evidence that the Russian Metrojet flight that crashed in Egypt’s Sinai peninsula last week was brought down by a bomb in the plane’s cargo hold, Sky News and BBC report. Although Russia continues to downplay reports that the tragedy that killed all 224 people on board was a result of an attack, president Vladimir Putin halted Russian flights to Egypt on Friday (Nov. 6).
Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson was once seen as a boring candidate for the Republican presidential nomination. But recent stories about the GOP frontrunner would seem to suggest otherwise: Especially his theory that the Egyptian pyramids were built by the biblical Joseph for grain storage, rather than as tombs for the pharaohs.
Overstock.com, a Utah-based online retailer that started as a seller of excess inventory, has been doing some stockpiling of its own. Jonathan Johnson, the chairman of the board who is also running for Utah’s governor says the company has $10.9 million in gold and silver and a three-month food supply for each employee. These reserves, according to Johnson, are in preparation for an inevitable financial crisis.
Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson took the lead in the Republican presidential primary polls on Wednesday (Nov. 4), overtaking Donald Trump for the first time. The same day, Buzzfeed unearthed a 1998 commencement speech by Carson in which he lays out an unusual theory about the origins of Egypt’s pyramids.
Updated at 4:21pm ET.
The European Union has resettled less than 0.1% of the refugees it has pledged to relocate, according to new data.
UK foreign secretary Philip Hammond has dismissed the recent controversy about Britain’s relationship with Saudi Arabia, saying it is “business as usual,” in an interview with Al-Arabiya,
A Mississippi man faces life in prison for detonating a home-made bomb at Walmart, after the retail giant said it would no longer carry items bearing the image of the Confederate flag. No one was hurt in the incident, which happened in Tupelo on Sunday (Nov. 1).
Like many Americans, Barack and Michelle Obama gave some candy out to costumed children this weekend for Halloween. Many of the guests, hailing from local and military families, opted for adorable, yet safe costumes: princesses, animals and Spider-Men. But one genius parent went for a riskier option, putting his toddler in a pope costume, complete with a child-sized popemobile.
A group of inmates at Georgia’s DeKalb County jail recorded a hip-hop video using the facility’s video visitation system. The video, “Thuggin live from DeKalb jail” was posted on YouTube by the person who received the call, and features the inmates dancing, stripping off their shirts and waving a contraband lighter.
