Next time you’re pondering the odds that you and your main squeeze will stay together forever, don’t just rely on the opinion of friends. Look at your credit scores.
Stephen Colbert’s transition from host of “The Colbert Report” to host of “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” has been described as an entertainer’s transformation from a “pretend” version of himself into “the real” version of himself. He referenced that distinction on Friday (Oct. 1) to ruminate on mass shootings in the US, after yet another shooting occurred the day before in Roseburg, Oregon, where a student at Umpqua Community College opened fire on his classmates—killing nine and injuring at least nine more.
The Vatican is attempting to clear up what it says was a misunderstanding about the pope’s encounter with Kim Davis on his recent visit to the US.
Leaked documents recently showed that Saudi Arabia struck a dodgy deal with the UK to obtain its seat on the United Nations’ 47-member human rights council (HRC). The Middle Eastern kingdom has an awful human rights record—though to be fair the same can be said of other HRC members.
In the wake of Volkswagen’s emissions cheating scandal, the focus is shifting to other devices and their environmentally friendly claims.
Adorable tiny genetically engineered pigs can now be purchased as house pets in China.
Nepal is planning to implement new restrictions on who can and cannot climb Mount Everest, citing safety reasons and the need to “maintain the glory” of the world’s highest peak.
While diving near the Solomon Islands recently, biologist David Gruber saw a hawksbill sea turtle glowing neon red and green. This turtle, he told National Geographic, may be the first reptile ever observed exhibiting biofluorescence, a sometimes-fishy phenomenon in which light is absorbed, transformed, and re-emitted as a different color.
Chipotle says pork is back on the menu at 90% of its nearly 2,000 restaurants. By November, 11 months after “The Great Carnitas Shortage of 2015” began, the popular fast-casual restaurant chain expects all its restaurants to be serving the slow-cooked pork known as carnitas again.
Pope Francis has received both praise and criticism for his progressive record on issues like climate change and income inequality, but as Quartz’s Olivia Goldhill noted recently, the pontiff may not be quite as progressive as some of his fans might think.
As their January 1, 2016 mandate to open all combat positions to women approaches, different branches of the US military have to decide whether to wholly comply or ask for exemptions for certain positions.
The Swiss attorney general has opened criminal proceedings against FIFA president Sepp Blatter, alleging that he mismanaged the international football governing association and misappropriated funds during his 17 years as FIFA’s top official.
Promotional posters for the new Everest movie recently appeared in New York City subway stations, and these days I travel to and from work with a strange lump in my throat.
Pope Francis made a closely-watched speech today (Sept. 24) in Washington, telling US lawmakers that his commitment to “protect and defend human life at every stage of its development” means that capital punishment must be abolished around the world:
Serial, an investigative podcast from the producers of This American Life, became a pop culture sensation as it explored a previously-unknown murder case, and left listeners hungry for more. But the show’s forthcoming season is reportedly tackling a highly scrutinized subject: US army sergeant Bowe Bergdahl, who was captured by the Taliban in Afghanistan in 2009 under mysterious circumstances.
Astronaut Scott Kelly, who is spending a year in space, took this stunning photograph from the International Space Station, showing the lights of the US West Coast in the early morning. Los Angeles is a city known for light pollution—the slogan of the city’s Bureau of Street Lighting is “Bright Lights, Safe Nights”—and it shows up as a giant glowing blob.
Israeli police, long targeted by Palestinian protesters who throw rocks at them in Jerusalem and the West Bank, are now equipped with sniper rifles to shoot the rock throwers. The decision to give police this power is one that prime minister Benyamin Netanyahu has been considering since early September.
What to watch for today
A young Saudi Arabian Shi’a activist, who was sentenced to death last year, has lost his final appeal for justice and is due to be executed by beheading, followed by the mounting of his headless body onto a crucifix for public viewing.
This post has been updated.
The ocean’s bounty of protein-rich fish is dwindling drastically.
Fred DeLuca, who opened his first sandwich shop when he was 17 years old and eventually ran the world’s biggest fast-food franchise, died yesterday (Sept. 14) at the age of 67. He had been ill from leukemia since 2013, and a few months ago appointed his sister, Suzanne Greco, as the president of the company.
Germany’s oldest carmaker is making plans for a fleet of autonomous vehicles that customers can summon on demand, a response to the threat from Silicon Valley companies like Uber and Google that are pursuing their own driverless cars.
Saudi Arabian officials are reporting that at least 65 people were killed today (Sept. 11) when a large construction crane crashed through the roof of the Grand Mosque (Masjid al-Haram) in Mecca. People have been converging at the mosque, the world’s largest, ahead of the annual Hajj pilgrimage.
