Two of Iran's Presidential Candidates Are Wanted for Murder

Firefighters and rescue workers search through the rubble of the Buenos Aires Jewish Community center in this July 18, 1994, file photo after a car bomb rocked the building, killing 85 people.
AP Photo/Alejandro Pagni, File

Iran has announced the list of eight qualified candidates who have been approved to campaign for president, including two men who are suspects in a notorious 1994 terrorist attack.

By Dashiell Bennett

7:53 AM ET

David Cameron on the London Murder: 'We Will Never Give In to Terror'

Great Britain is still stunned by yesterday's brutal public terrorist murder on the streets of London, but the nation has already shifted into a defiant and defensive stance.

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By Dashiell Bennett

May 22, 2013

Obama Is Set to Reset the War on Terror

On Thursday, the president plans to deliver a speech focusing drone attacks and military detention — a pretty sweeping agenda for a simple policy speech, one that might signal a sea change in America's counterterrorism efforts, and Obama's foreign policy legacy.

Comments | 414 Views

By Philip Bump

May 21, 2013

Should We Blame Climate Change for the Moore Tornado?

Was Oklahoma's massive storm an inevitable side effect of higher atmospheric temperatures, or was it simply a bad storm, like so many before? Here's a survey of opinions so far.

Comments | 621 Views

By Dashiell Bennett

May 21, 2013

Right-Wing Activist Commits Suicide Inside Notre Dame Cathedral

A well-known and extreme right-wing activist in France shot himself inside France iconic Notre Dame Cathedral on Tuesday, possibly as a protest against a new gay marriage law.

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By Jen Doll

May 21, 2013

Just Your Garden-Variety Gnome Concerns

Despite the horror of it all, one of the most amusing stories of the day involves the public reaction to Britain's Royal Horticultural Society's decision to allow the presence of garden gnomes at this year's Chelsea Flower Show.

Comments | 414 Views

By Philip Bump

May 21, 2013

Guatemalan High Court Rewinds the Country's First Genocide Conviction

Guatemalan dictator José Efraín Ríos Montt, convicted of committing acts of genocide earlier this month, will not be headed to prison. For the time being he'll return to house arrest, after the country's highest court ordered a restart to his trial.

Comments | 207 Views

By Dashiell Bennett

May 20, 2013

Russian Security Service Says It Foiled a Terrorist Attack in Moscow

Russia's Federal Security Service claims to have thwarted a terrorist attack being planned for central Moscow, killing two suspects in the process.

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By Dashiell Bennett

May 20, 2013

North Korea Can't Stop Firing Missiles

North Korea launched two more "projectiles" into the Sea of Japan on Monday and this is not a broken record.

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By Connor Simpson

May 19, 2013

North Korea Tests Missiles for Second Day in a Row

North Korea fired a short range missile into the sea off its east coast on Sunday. It's the second day in a row the rogue nation fired short range missiles for no apparent reason. Seems a little wasteful, doesn't it? 

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By Connor Simpson

May 18, 2013

Sore Losers Can't Accept That France Legalized Gay Marriage

France finally became the 14th country to legalize gay marriage on Saturday when President Francois Hollande signed the bill that legalizes same sex marriage into law. But ugly protests that have marked the legal process will continue even now that the bill is passed. 

Comments | 1,243 Views

By Connor Simpson

May 18, 2013

Why Is North Korea Testing Missiles Now?

North Korea noticed the world stopped paying attention to them, and so, the country fired three short range missiles off the coast to out all eyes on them. Are we about to fall back into the endless stream of provocations and threats that seemed to die down?

Comments | 2,693 Views

By Philip Bump

May 17, 2013

The EPA Could Lose Its Power to Fight Climate Change Before Using It

Advocates of action on climate change hold a trump card. When the Supreme Court in 2007 determined that carbon dioxide is a pollutant, the EPA got a mandate to regulate it. But, what the court giveth, the court can rescind in a tightly contested vote.

Comments | 1,864 Views

By Dashiell Bennett

May 17, 2013

The Greatest, Drunkest Hits of Toronto's (Alleged) Crack-Smoking Mayor

Some simmering rumors have risen to the surface after Toronto Mayor Rob Ford appears to have been caught on camera smoking crack cocaine with drug dealers. But this is just the latest resume item for the man who might North America's most ridiculous mayor.

Comments | 8,079 Views

By Dashiell Bennett

May 17, 2013

Former Chechen Rebel Is at Center of Boston Bombing Investigation

Though he isn't considered a suspect, a former Chechen separatist who is now a refugee in the United States has become a key target of information in the Boston Marathon bombing investigation.

Comments | 34,387 Views

By Abby Ohlheiser

May 16, 2013

Russia Just Sent Bashar al-Assad More Missiles

Russia, one of the few remaining friends of Bashar al-Assad's regime, just sent the Syrian government some advanced antiship missiles.

Comments | 2,072 Views

By J.K. Trotter

May 16, 2013

Five Best Green Stories

How Cell Phones Are Helping Fisherman Fight Piracy

National Geographic on how cell phone can help fight pirate fishing, London Review of Books on the recent literature of climate change, The Huffington Post on the reality of our environmental harm, The New York Times on how insurers are dealing with increasingly catastrophic weather, and Forbes on the future of energy storage.

Comments | 207 Views

By Philip Bump

May 16, 2013

Saudi Twitter Users Have More to Worry About Than Going to Hell for Tweeting

Reports on Thursday of a Saudi Arabian sheikh dooming Twitter users to eternal damnation may seem like inexplicable hyperbole to Americans. But it's likely an escalation of attempts by Saudi authorities to crackdown on a key tool for dissent.

Comments | 207 Views

By Dashiell Bennett

May 16, 2013

Report: The CIA Has Been Using the Same Terrible Wigs for Decades

If you weren't already convinced that the Russian evidence against accused American spy Ryan Fogle is rock solid, this newest revelation has to seal the deal.

Comments | 2,072 Views

By Philip Bump

May 16, 2013

Chart of the Day

What the Scientific Debate Over Climate Change Looks Like: 97.1% Agreement

It is true that there is not unanimity in the scientific community over the role of humans in climate change. But with nearly every scientific paper for 20 years agreeing that warming is linked to human behavior, we're as close to unanimity as we'll get.

Comments | 1,036 Views

By J.K. Trotter

May 16, 2013

Stat of the Day

A Bucket of KFC Chicken Smuggled into Gaza City Costs $27

The company's selection of chicken and hearty sides is so popular that Palestinians living on the Gaza Strip, where imported goods and travel remain restricted, are willing to pay a team of smugglers to run KFC orders through underground tunnels, usually waiting four or more hours to see their orders fulfilled.

Comments | 621 Views

By Philip Bump

May 15, 2013

Insurers Aren't So Worried About Climate Change That They're Preparing for It

There are few industries more exposed to financial risk from climate change than insurance. Unsurprisingly, the industry at large is trying to figure out how to limit its losses from extreme weather events. Individual insurers are a little slower to act.

Comments | 3,093 Views

By Alexander Abad-Santos

May 15, 2013

North Korea's 'Special Prison' for Its U.S. Prisoner Is Everything You Imagine

North Korea's state-run news agency announced on Wednesday that its mysterious American captive, Kenneth Bae, has begun his 15-year sentence at a "special prison," which has Korea watchers scratching their heads. And if Pyongyang is trying to parlay Bae's imprisonment into political gain after all, it's a pretty spectacular move.  

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By Connor Simpson

May 15, 2013

Syria's Internet Is Offline Again

For the second time in as many weeks, the Internet usage in Syria disappeared mysteriously around 10 a.m. local time Wednesday with little to no warning. So, is it another case of the Assad regime trying to disrupt rebel communications or are they really having technical difficulties?

Comments | 1,029 Views

By Dashiell Bennett

May 15, 2013

Another Delhi Rape Suspect Is Nearly Killed in Prison

One of the suspects in the rape and murder of a woman in Delhi last year is in critical condition after nearly being killed by fellow inmates in prison.

Comments | 412 Views

By Philip Bump

May 14, 2013

Chart of the Day

The Temperature in One South Dakota Town Just Rose 70 Degrees in 24 Hours

On Sunday, the low temperature was 22 degrees in Aberdeen, South Dakota — that's ten degrees below freezing. The next day, according to the National Weather Service, the high hit 92.

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By Dashiell Bennett

May 14, 2013

The Video of a Rebel Eating a Dead Man's Organs Is a New Low in Syria

Every time it seems like the atrocities of the Syrian civil war have crossed another horrifying line, a new story comes along that pushes the bar even lower. And the video that's circulating — the one that appears to show a rebel commander eating the lung of a dead Syrian solider — is not the first video or the last, just the latest atrocity in this awful war.

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By Connor Simpson

May 14, 2013

If U.S.-Trained Troops in the Congo Rape 6-Year-Olds, How Do We Train Troops?

Troops of the Congolese Army trained by a U.S. Special Forces team went on to commit mass rape and murder of women and children while fleeing rebel forces last year, according to a new United Nations report, raising questions not just about these particular atrocities but surrounding the United States's Africa Command operations in general.

Comments | 1,440 Views

By Dashiell Bennett

May 14, 2013

Russia Has Arrested a U.S. Diplomat It Swears Is a CIA Spy, Disguises and All

Russian security forces have detained an employee at the American embassy in Moscow, accusing him of recruiting spies for the CIA. Whether the charges stick or not, this bizarre incident won't help relations one bit. Here's why Ryan Fogle might not really be a spy anyway.

Comments | 6,578 Views

By Abby Ohlheiser

May 13, 2013

Major Retailers Agree to Basic Safety Accord in Bangladesh

Some of the world's biggest clothing retailers have agreed to pay for improvements and monitor safety in the Bangladesh garment industry after the collapse of a crowded factory late last month killed over 1,000 people. 

Comments | 411 Views

By Philip Bump

May 13, 2013

Chart of the Day

Extreme Weather Drove More Than 30 Million People from Their Homes in 2012

In case you weren't sure what climate change looks like, here's a preview: It looks like tens of millions people displaced from their homes due to climate- and weather-related events each year.

Comments | 205 Views

By Alexander Abad-Santos

May 13, 2013

The Hypochondriac's Guide to Which New Killer Disease Will Kill You

If you're already afraid of humans in the same room as you, here's how to responsibly freak out on the viral news — about the SARS cousin, the Chinese bird flu, and now wild polio in Somalia — before it goes viral in the wrong way.

Comments | 11,490 Views

By J.K. Trotter

May 13, 2013

Why the Newseum Changed Its Mind About Honoring These Dead Cameramen

Two days after the temple of journalism announced its intent to honor Hussam Salama and Mahmoud al-Kumi, who were killed in November while working as cameramen for the Middle East-based Al-Aqsa TV, the museum has decided not to recognize them, citing their employer's deep ties to Hamas.

Comments | 615 Views

By Philip Bump

May 13, 2013

Why You May Soon Be Eating More Insects

The United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization wants to be clear about its report today. "We are not saying that people should be eating bugs." Just that global changes may necessitate it.

Comments | 410 Views

By Dashiell Bennett

May 13, 2013

Bangladesh Rescue Operation Ends with 1,127 Dead

Rescue and recovery workers are shutting down the search for survivors of the Bangladesh factory collapse, as officials don't expect to find any more bodies—dead or alive—inside the rubble.

Comments | 819 Views

By Abby Ohlheiser

May 12, 2013

Chris Hadfield Sings 'Space Oddity' ... in Space

In case you've ever doubted that astronauts are the best, Commander Chris Hadfield is here to set you straight with what is apparently the first music video recorded in space. His song choice? "Space Oddity," by David Bowie. Of course.  

Comments | 8,597 Views

By Abby Ohlheiser

May 12, 2013

Pope Francis Names 800 New Saints in One Go

Pope Francis's first canonization ceremony was a record-breaking one. The new pontiff named over 800 new saints on Sunday. That's already almost double the number of saints declared by Pope John Paul II, whose 480-odd canonizations were, at the time, more than those of all of his predecessors since 1588, combined.

Comments | 6,500 Views

By Connor Simpson

May 12, 2013

Things Are Getting Ugly for Syrian Refugees in Turkey

Turkish officials arrested nine Turkish nationals accused of having ties to Syrian intelligence forces for the brutal car bombings that killed 46 people in Reyhanli, a town on the border of the two countries where Syrian refugees have started living since the conflict began. 

Comments | 409 Views

By Connor Simpson

May 11, 2013

Astronauts at the International Space Station Successfully Fixed Its Leaky Pump

Astronauts Chris Cassidy and Tom Marshburn completed the most impromptu spacewalk in NASA history ahead of schedule. The two men spent roughly five hours outside of the International Space Station repairing an ammonia pump used to cool the laboratory's engine system. 

Comments | 1,429 Views

By Connor Simpson

May 11, 2013

Violence Doesn't Stop Pakistan from Voting on Election Day

Despite violence from the Taliban, citizens in Pakistan turned out in huge numbers on Saturday to vote in the country's historic first ever democratic elections.

Comments | 408 Views

By Sara Morrison

May 11, 2013

Plants Can Talk

Just when moral vegetarians thought their meal of choice wasn't sentient, it turns out that plants can totally talk to each other. Even weirder, they communicate through underground fungi. So mushrooms aren't cool to eat, either. Sorry.

Comments | 9,978 Views

By Sara Morrison

May 10, 2013

Ríos Montt Convicted of Genocide

José Efraín Ríos Montt, the Guatemalan octogenarian/general/Congressman/dictator whose rule was partially supported by the United States, has been convicted of ordering the deaths of thousands of Mayans during the country's 36-year-long civil war.

Comments | 204 Views

By Alexander Abad-Santos

May 10, 2013

Three Ugly Males Seek Ugly Female: Must Want Kids, Desire to Save Species

Fertile lovers a plus, gills a must and relocation fees included — only other Mangarahara cichlids or Ptychochromis Insolitus, need apply. 

Comments | 815 Views

By Philip Bump

May 10, 2013

Chart of the Day

There's More Carbon Dioxide in the Air Now Than Any Time in 3 Million Years

It has happened. For the first time, atmospheric carbon dioxide levels passed a daily average of 400 parts per million. There is now more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere than at any point since 2.9 million years before humans existed.

Comments | 1,222 Views

By Alexander Abad-Santos

May 10, 2013

Relax: Aliens Probably Aren't Coming to Invade Earth, Says This Ph.D. Student

Unlock your doors, take off the foil hats, and stop worrying about the White House—everything science fiction movies have taught you about alien invasions is wrong. Except, of course, if the only thing you know about aliens is E.T., then everything you know is right: Aliens aren't going to plop down on Earth and blow us into smithereens, sciencee says a Finnish economist swears.  

Comments | 1,222 Views

By Dashiell Bennett

May 10, 2013

The World Is Going in Circles on Syria

It's been weeks since the first confirmations that chemical weapons are being used in Syria, but  for the international community, nothing has changed when it comes to balancing the equation for going to war.

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By Alexander Abad-Santos

May 10, 2013

The New SARS-Like Virus Has a French Connection, and It Spreads in a Hospital

SARS's cousin, novel coronavirus, has appeared in France without warning. Even more puzzling: the new case appears to have been transmitted to and by a French man returning home from Dubai, where no cases of the disease have even been reported. 

Comments | 3,250 Views

By Dashiell Bennett

May 10, 2013

Woman Found Alive in Rubble 17 Days After Bangladesh Building Collapse

In a stunning development out of Bangladesh, workers cleaning up the wreckage of a collapsed garment factory found a survivor alive after more than two weeks trapped under the debris.

Comments | 2,234 Views

By Adam Clark Estes

May 9, 2013

New Details About North Korea's American Prisoner Are Appropriately Crazy

United States citizen and "devout Christian" Kenneth Bae is set to spend the next 15 years in a North Korea prison camp for possessing a National Geographic documentary, among other things.

Comments | 3,453 Views

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