Nearly 10,000 desperate refugees were rescued from overcrowded boats in the Mediterranean this week, a record high, but another 400 are believed to have drowned when one of the boats sank, also a record. Most of the migrants were from Syria or sub-Saharan Africa, fleeing war and poverty. European Union officials said some half-million people are massed in Libyan ports […]
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Russia’s secret service ordered dozens of electric typewriters, saying that recent revelations about the U.S. National Security Agency’s online surveillance program made them distrust computer communications.
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The odds are 1 in 4 million that you’ll be on a bridge when it collapses at some time during your life.
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A New York City hotel is offering wealthy guests a chance to go “glamping”—glamorous camping—so they can experience the outdoors with four-star amenities. Guests at New York’s AKA Central Park can spend $2,000 a night to sleep on a queen bed on the terrace of the hotel’s penthouse. “It’s basically being able to sleep under the stars in a luxury […]
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The U.S. now has 2.3 billion square feet of self-storage space, constituting more than 7 square feet for every citizen.
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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
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Portion of the global expenditure on social-welfare programs that is spent on Europeans: 1/2
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A British survey found that the average man looks at himself in the mirror 23 times a day, compared with 16 times for women. Men like to “admire” their appearance, researchers found, while women simply make sure “they look OK.”
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A solar-powered airplane landed in India on March 10, completing the second leg of its bid to become the first aircraft to circle the world by solar energy alone. Solar Impulse 2, which launched in Abu Dhabi, will make 12 stops on its 22,000-mile (35,000 km) journey.
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Average number of hours a U.S. child aged 8 to 18 spends using an electronic device or watching television each day: 7.6
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