Missing Airplanes
Total number of passenger planes that have gone missing without a trace since 2000: 10
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GLACIAL RETREATS IN ANTARCTICA
British teams of scientists, using satellite tracking, have found that 10.7% of glaciers in Antarctica are starting to retreat at an alarming rate of speed. Much faster than had been expected for average melts. The warm water from the oceans has contributed to the rise in sea levels.
Read moreAnger at Pope’s Mention of Armenian Genocide
Turkish leaders reacted with outrage this week after Pope Francis referred to the mass killings of Armenians by Ottoman Turks during World War I as “the first genocide of the 20th century.” Turkey recalled its Vatican envoy, and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned the pope “not to repeat his mistake,” saying, “It is not possible for the Turkish Republic to […]
Read moreRedrawing Borders
Italy and Switzerland have agreed to redraw their border because global warming is melting the Alpine glaciers that mark their respective boundaries. The border had been fixed since 1861.
Read moreBad week for:
Special deliveries, after a Florida postal worker exposed potentially lethal security flaws in Washington by flying his gyrocopter over the city and landing on the Capitol lawn. “At no point did I feel it was not a good idea,” said Doug Hughes, 61.
Read moreWitch Hunt
Minimum number of murders committed in India since 2000 whose motive was witch hunting: 2,257
Read moreTHE COST OF LIVING
The Economist Intelligence Unit ranked more than 130 cities from most to least expensive, according to a survey of prices across 160 goods and services. Here’s a sampling: 1 – Singapore 2 – Paris 9 – Seoul 22 – New York City
Read moreBad News Bears
A family of Norwegian bears broke into a holiday cabin and threw an epic, alcohol-fueled party. The cabin’s owner, Even Nilsen, returned to the cabin to find that the bears had eaten all the food and bitten into more than a hundred cans of beer, sucking down the contents. One bear evidently became so intoxicated that it passed out on […]
Read moreHomicide rates, by country
Rate per 100,000 people in 2012 Honduras – 90.4 Venezuela – 53.7 Colombia – 30.8 Brazil – 25.2 Mexico – 21.5 U.S. – 4.7
Read moreTHE FASTEST TRAINS
A magnetic levitation passenger train set a world speed record of 375 m.p.h. (603 km/h) on a test track in Japan on April 21. Here are top operating speeds, in miles per hour, of some of the world’s other fastest trains: Shanghai Maglev Train, China: 268 TGV, France: 199 AVE, Spain: 193 Sapsan, Russia: 155 Acela Express, U.S.: 150
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