Author: Aidan
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Hurricanes are getting so intense, scientists propose a Category 6
When meteorologists began using the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale to measure hurricane intensity in the 1970s, a Category 5 storm represented oblivion. Such a cyclone, with sustained winds of at least 157 mph, could flatten any structure of the era, so there was no reason to give the most ferocious tier of hurricanes an upper bound. But as…
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Thai prosecutors say former PM Thaksin is being investigated for royal defamation
State prosecutors in Thailand said Tuesday they have revived an investigation into whether former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra almost nine years ago violated the law against defaming the monarch, a crime punishable by up to 15 years in prison. Thaksin had been charged in 2016 with violating the law on royal defamation — also known…
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King Charles diagnosed with cancer
King Charles has been diagnosed with cancer. Doctors discovered it while he was receiving treatment for an enlarged prostate, though it’s a “separate issue” to that, and he’s begun treatment as an outpatient. We don’t know the stage of cancer yet, BBC notes, nor the prognosis, though he attended church on Sunday. Doctors told him…
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Biden Executive Order on West Bank violence more likely to be used against Palestinians than Israeli settlers
There have been mixed reactions to the Biden Administration’s decision to place economic and travel-based sanctions on four Israeli settlers on Thursday, February 1. Some have been cautiously optimistic that the sanctions—which came in the form of an Executive Order—would bring long-absent accountability for Israeli settler violence in the West Bank. Others have criticized the sanctions as a cynical move to whitewash the Biden Administration’s…
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Reviews under way after 13-year-old autistic boy with Islamic State fixation targeted in undercover operation
The Australian federal police have confirmed there are multiple reviews being conducted into an undercover counter-terror operation which targeted a 13-year-old autistic boy with a fixation on Islamic State, as calls grow for a public inquiry into the case. Guardian Australia revealed on Saturday that the boy, known by the pseudonym Thomas Carrick, was granted a permanent…
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Paris votes on SUVs: voters back proposal to triple parking fees for SUV drivers
Paris voters on Sunday, February 4, backed a proposal from the city’s socialist mayor Anne Hidalgo to triple parking charges on hefty SUV-style cars, according to official results from city hall. Parisians voted 54.55 percent in favor of charging cars weighing 1.6 tonnes or more 18 euros ($19.50) per hour for parking in the city…
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El Salvador votes in presidential election that the ‘world’s coolest dictator’ has clear path to win
Salvadorans voted in presidential and legislative elections Sunday, with many expressing willingness to forego some elements of democracy if it means keeping gang violence at bay. With soaring approval ratings and virtually no competition, Nayib Bukele was almost certainly headed for a second 5-year term as president. After voting, he jousted with reporters, asserting that…