Munich stations evacuated over 'IS attack threat'
Police in Munich evacuated two major railway stations after an intelligence agency warned Germany of an imminent attack, officials said.
Authorities received information that suicide bombers from so-called Islamic State (IS) could target the central station or Pasing station, Bavaria's interior minister said.
Both stations have since reopened, police tweeted.
Cities across Europe have been on alert for a possible New Year's Eve attack.
The alert in Munich came just hours before midnight and police warned people to stay away from crowds.
"I am happy that nothing has so far happened and I hope it stays that way," said interior minister Joachim Herrmann.
Between five and seven militants were thought to be planning an attack, Munich's police head Hubertus Andra said.
Top 5 sustainable technology trends of 2015
A cheap water filter and an energy-producing home are some of the most promising technologies we saw this year for reducing our carbon footprint
From a smog-scrubbing tower to an affordable water purifier, we have seen bold ideas in 2015 for solving some of the toughest environmental problems. Here are five stories that highlight some of the technologies that promise to advance sustainability efforts by businesses and consumers.
A tower for scrubbing away smog
Artist Daan Roosegaarde and nanoparticle researcher Bob Ursem co-designed a 23-foot tower, installed in the Dutch city of Rotterdam, that sucks in air, filters air pollutants and expels cleaned air back to the outdoors. The two hope their idea will help cities such as Beijing fight smog. “We’ve installed it in a parking garage here in the Netherlands and it sucks and cleans both the inside and outside air,” Ursem says. “Inside the parking garage, the air became 70% cleaner.”
Vladimir Putin signs new law permitting FSB to open fire on disabled people and children
Russian media report the amendment was sharply opposed by the President's own human rights advisers
Vladimir Putin has signed through a new anti-terror law allowing members of the security forces to open fire on women and children, according to Russian media reports.
State-linked Sputnik International described the amendment to rules governing the use of force by the Federal Security Service (FSB) as outlining “when weapons may be used, first and foremost, when protecting the lives or health of individuals”.
It reported that intelligence agents would be permitted to take fingerprints on state borders and carry out searches of any property if there are suspicions of terror activity.
South Africa jails abusive king of the Mandela clan
January 1, 2016 - 2:11PMDavid Blair
Nelson Mandela's nephew, who also serves as king of the Thembu clan, began a 12-year prison sentence for maintaining a "reign of terror" over his people in South Africa.
King Buyelekhaya Dalindyebo, whose prison term began on Thursday, was found guilty of kidnapping, assault and arson. After 27 years on the throne, he is the first of South Africa's 10 recognised kings to go to jail.
King Dalindyebo's offence took place about two decades ago when he summoned one of his subjects to appear before his traditional court.
When the man failed to present himself, King Dalindyebo responded in what he said was a traditional fashion. He kidnapped one of the absconder's female relations along with six of her children, burnt down their home and personally assaulted four youths, one of whom later died.
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Chairman/CEO, XPRIZE
Top 10 Breakthroughs for 2015
As we near the end of 2015, here are my top 10 picks for 2015 technology breakthroughs.
These genius inventions are sending us careening into a world of abundance, bold visionaries and accelerating exponential change.
My team and I reviewed over 100 prospects as we created this list.
And the countdown is…
(#10) NASA Confirms Evidence of Water of Mars
What happened: This year, NASA announced that their "Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) has provided the strongest evidence yet that liquid water flows intermittently on present-day Mars." Using an imaging spectrometer on the MRO, NASA identified hydrated minerals with patterns unique to flowing water.
Why it's important: Based on what we know about living organisms, you need to have water to have life. In my opinion, our next Mars mission, scheduled to land on Mars in 2020, will discover that life exists there now. This is just the beginning of a much larger initiative around the Red Planet. Once we detect life we will determine if it is identical to that of Earth (based on the same coding system, DNA) and whether it has a common origin.
To save a rare forest, farmers try a new crop – butterflies
People living in Zanzibar's Jozani forest are being trained to raise butterflies as a way to prevent deforestation by giving people a financial stake in keeping the forest intact.
PETE, TANZANIA — The colorful butterflies fluttering through Zanzibar's Jozani forest are beautiful to look at, but for farmers and charcoal producers in the region, they mean something more: a paycheck.
In an effort to protect the island's threatened forest, local people are being trained to rear butterflies, under a scheme that tries to prevent deforestation by giving people a financial stake in keeping the forest intact.
Jozani forest, which lies between the mangrove-filled bays of Chwaka and Uzi on Unguja Island, is a large mature woodlands that is home to an array of endangered species, including the colorful Red colobus monkey.
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