No one really knows what aliens look like, but we all have similar ideas about them. It’s often a creature with a big head, long arms and legs, and big buggy eyes. We see these common images of aliens depicted in movies, books, and on TV shows—which are made by us. Science fiction stories often explore the relationship between humans and aliens. So we often find extraterrestrial creatures entangled with relatable human features. In this video, we talk to Oscar-nominated VFX supervisor Charley Henley, and the director of SETI Research Center at UC Berkely, Andrew Siemion. They both give us their views on how we, humans, perceive aliens and how that shapes our imagination of life beyond our planet.
Sunday, March 31, 2019
Why we imagine aliens the way we do
No one really knows what aliens look like, but we all have similar ideas about them. It’s often a creature with a big head, long arms and legs, and big buggy eyes. We see these common images of aliens depicted in movies, books, and on TV shows—which are made by us. Science fiction stories often explore the relationship between humans and aliens. So we often find extraterrestrial creatures entangled with relatable human features. In this video, we talk to Oscar-nominated VFX supervisor Charley Henley, and the director of SETI Research Center at UC Berkely, Andrew Siemion. They both give us their views on how we, humans, perceive aliens and how that shapes our imagination of life beyond our planet.
Trump, Russia, and the collapse of the collusion narrative
US media reflect on their role in promoting the Russiagate conspiracy theory. Plus, revisiting Ethiopia's media scene.
Six In The Morning Sunday 31 March 2019
'Grave terrorist attack': North Korea condemns raid on its Madrid embassy
By Sven Becker, Michael Sontheimer and Gerald Traufetter
by Umut Uras
In first official comment on February incident, Pyongyang suggests Washington’s possible involvement
North Korea on Sunday described the February raid on its embassy in Madrid by a dissident group as a “grave terrorist attack” and urged an investigation into the perpetrators.
A group of armed men burst into Pyongyang’s Spanish embassy last month and roughed up employees before fleeing with documents and computers.
The incident came just days before a high-stakes nuclear summit in Hanoi between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Donald Trump that ultimately failed to reach an accord.
Corrupt Egyptair DealSuspicions of Bribery Cast Shadow Over Airbus
Leaked internal documents from Airbus suggest corruption may have been involved in the sale of several aircraft to Egyptair in 2003. The issues raised by the documents threaten to overshadow the planned departure of CEO Thomas Enders.
By Sven Becker, Michael Sontheimer and Gerald Traufetter
For Airbus, the deal signed in April of 2003 was a notable one. Egyptair, one of the company's most important customers in the Middle East, had ordered seven long-haul A330 aircraft.
The French-German aeronautics company celebrated the signing of the contract in Cairo with much fanfare. "The close partnership we have had with Egyptair for well over 20 years is very special to us," Airbus announced.
Anti-graft activist Caputova elected Slovakia's first female president
Vocal government critic and anti-corruption activist Zuzana Caputova will become Slovakia’s first female president after provisional results showed her winning Saturday’s run-off election.
Environmental lawyer Caputova got 58.40 percent of the ballot in Slovakia while EU energy commissioner Maros Sefcovic garnered 41.59, the Slovak Statistics Office said. Official results are due Sunday at noon.
“Let us look for what connects us. Let us promote cooperation above personal interests,” Caputova said after her victory.
The 45-year-old added that the outcome was a sign that “you can win without attacking your opponents.”
60 years after exile, Tibetans face a fight for survival in a post-Dalai Lama world
Updated 0152 GMT (0952 HKT) March 31, 2019
The Dalai Lama describes it as "freedom in exile," but it's a "freedom" which has lasted longer than he likely ever dreamed about.
Sixty years ago today, the Tibetan Buddhist leader set foot on Indian soil to begin his life as a refugee.
After an unsuccessful revolt following the arrival of Chinese troops in Tibet, the Dalai fled Lhasa in fear for his life. Only 23 years old, he and his followers crossed a treacherous Himalayan pass into India on horseback, arriving on March 31, 1959.
Turkey local elections: Voters go to polls in key municipal vote
President Erdogan and his AK Party in bid to retain control of Turkey's major cities, amid sharp economic downturn.by Umut Uras
Millions of Turkish voters on Sunday are casting their ballots in critical local elections, after a heated campaign dominated by discussions over the country's economy and security.
The polls pose a major challenge for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Justice and Development (AK) Party given a backdrop of high inflation and rising unemployment sparked by a major currency crisis last year.
According to Taha Akyol, a Turkish political analyst and columnist, the vote is the "hardest" faced by Erdogan's party since coming to power in 2002.
POWER TRANSFER
How Lachlan Murdoch Went From Studying Philosophy at Princeton to Exploiting White Nationalism at Fox News
IN 1994, A PHILOSOPHY student at Princeton University submitted a senior thesis that began with a famous passage from Lord Byron, the romantic poet. The passage reflected the student’s apparent uncertainty about who he was and what he would become after college.
Between two worlds life hovers like a star,
’Twixt night and morn, upon the horizon’s verge.
How little do we know that which we are!
How less what we may be!
The thesis was written by Lachlan Murdoch, the eldest son of Fox News founder Rupert Murdoch. In the 57-page thesis, Lachlan tried to develop a system, rooted in German philosophy, for leading a life guided by morality and love. His thesis was titled, “A Study of Freedom and Morality in Kant’s Practical Philosophy,” and he salted it with spiritual inquiries. It even concluded with a striking Sanskrit line about yearning for the purity of infinity.
Saturday, March 30, 2019
Japanese Scenic Train Ride Experience in Kyoto
Japanese trains are famous around the world for their style, comfort and speed. In the countryside of Kyoto though, you may not have speed, but you do comfort and style. The Eizan Electric Railway starting at Demachiyanagi Station is a 94 year old line that is evolving fast. Since commuters are decreasing, Keihan Railways has changed the way it designs its trains to attract more tourists. The plan is working and the Eizan Line is super cool. The trains are all “One man” one person operated trains where the driver is also the conductor, taking tickets and payment before letting passengers off. They’re the ultimate multitaskers!
Beats, rhymes and elections: Rap and politics in Senegal
How hip-hop has become the language of politics for Senegal's youth.
Those who followed the campaigns leading up to Senegal's presidential election late last month would have been struck by one of the defining features of Senegalese politics - hip-hop artists and the pivotal roles they can play in elections.
A major reason for that: demographics. The average age of citizens there is exceptionally low - just 19. Rappers were among the founders of the country's largest social movement, credited with swaying the previous election back in 2012. This year, all the leading candidates hit the campaign trail with at least one rapper in their corner.
Six In The Morning Saturday 30 March 2019
In Ethiopia Crash, Faulty Sensor on Boeing 737 Max Is Suspected
By James Glanz, Thomas Kaplan and Jack Nicas
Black box data from a doomed Ethiopian Airlines flight suggests the crash was caused by a faulty sensor that erroneously activated an automated system on the Boeing 737 Max, a series of events suspected in an Indonesian disaster involving the same jet last year.
Data from a vane-like device, called the angle-of-attack sensor, incorrectly activated the computer-controlled system, according to several people who have been briefed on the contents of the black box in Ethiopia. The system, known as MCAS, is believed to have pushed the front of the plane down, leading to an irrecoverable nose-dive that killed all 157 people aboard.
The Jussie Smollett saga: a look into Chicago's broken criminal justice system
Complex drama touches on issues from privilege in the legal system to the relationship between police and people of color
Who can you trust in the Jussie Smollett saga?
Kim Foxx, state’s attorney for Cook county, whose office abruptly dropped all charges against the Empire actor, who allegedly faked a hate crime against himself in Chicago in January? Smollett himself, who still maintains that the racist, homophobic attack really happened? Or maybe mayor Rahm Emanuel and police superintendent Eddie Johnson, who have expressed outrage over the “whitewash of justice” and are seeking $130,000 in investigation costs from the actor, but have faced heavy criticism for failing to hold Chicago police similarly accountable for their transgressions in the past?
Such is the dilemma here in Chicago, where just about the only thing everyone can agree on in the high-profile case is that the criminal justice system is broken.
German rock band Rammstein sparks outrage over Nazi camp video
A music video for Rammstein's new song "Deutschland" shows band members dressed as concentration camp prisoners. Hours before its release, a promotional clip prompted sharp criticism from Jewish groups.
Hard rock band Rammstein released a nine-minute video of their new song "Deutschland" (Germany) Thursday, hours after the band courted controversy for posting a shorter promotional clip that showed band members dressed up as Nazi concentration camp prisoners.
The full-length video shows Rammstein assume different roles during famous eras of German history and features scenes from Weimar, Nazi and communist East Germany. Throughout, they sing about a love-hate relationship with their German identity.
The video's release came after the band posted a shorter promotional clip on social media that showed only one of the music video's scenes.
Gaza officials say Palestinian man killed by Israeli troops
A Palestinian man was killed by Israeli fire on the Gaza border early Saturday, the territory’s health ministry said, hours ahead of planned mass protests.
The ministry said Mohammed Saad, 20, died after being hit in the head with shrapnel caused by Israeli army fire east of Gaza city.
Protesters at the site said he had been taking part in an overnight rally ahead of the main demonstration scheduled for Saturday afternoon.
They said he was more than 100 metres from the heavily-fortified border fence when he was hit and had been on crutches due to a previous injury.
'I didn't mean to be a leader:' How Raheem Sterling took on racists
Updated 0812 GMT (1612 HKT) March 30, 2019
After scoring England's fifth goal, Raheem Sterling, a defiant grin on his face, cupped his ears towards the section of fans in Montenegro that had been racially abusing him and two England teammates.
Despite enjoying his best season as a professional footballer, having already scored 25 goals for club and country, Sterling has sadly fielded more questions about racism than his goalscoring feats.
In a post-match interview after Monday's Euro 2020 qualifier against Montenegro, he found himself once again having to tackle the subject.
Cyclone Idai destroys Zimbabwe farms, deepening food crisis
Farmers say cyclone winds and floods destroyed fields in Chipinge and Chimanimani, worsening Zimbabwe's food insecurity.
Flash floods and landslides triggered earlier this month by Cyclone Idai has destroyed large tracts of cornfields in Zimbabwe's agricultural Manicaland and Masvingo provinces, heightening food insecurity in the southern African country.
Farmers in the worst-affected villages of Chipinge and Chimanimani in Manicaland, more than 500km southeast of the capital, Harare, said the cyclone tore through the region on the eve of harvest, wiping out an already poor crop hit by an El Nino-induced drought.
Friday, March 29, 2019
How to build a dinosaur
When paleontologists uncover a dinosaur they usually only find part of the animal, but when we walk through a museum we see exhibits that paint a full picture – so how do they fill in all those blank spaces? In the early 1900’s artists used to hand carve the pieces, but we’ve come a long way in the past century – both technologically and scientifically. Now, we’re living in what some call a “golden age” for paleontology. Researchers are uncovering nearly one new species of dinosaur a week – making building exhibits easier and more efficient.
Jamal Khashoggi: The Silencing of a Journalist
An investigation into journalist Jamal Khashoggi's death which implicates the highest levels of the Saudi government.
On October 2, 2018, Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist working in the US for the Washington Post, entered his country's consulate in Istanbul to process paperwork - and was never seen again.
On the same day, a 15-man Saudi hit squad had allegedly flown to Istanbul. All the evidence points to Khashoggi's murder, suggesting that his body was first dismembered and then disposed of.
The killing of the well-known journalist and critic of Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) has resonated around the world, both as an attack on media freedom and as a shocking insight into the workings of a secretive and repressive regime.
Six In The Morning Friday 29 March 2019
The Brexit deadline that wasn't: What happens now?
For two years, March 29 has been the deadline for Brexit. Amid debate over details, Britain's exit has been delayed. As Parliament prepares to vote on parts of Theresa May's exit deal for a third time Friday, we look at what the future might hold.
Ever since the UK voted to leave the EU in a close referendum on June 23, 2016, Parliament has been thrown into disarray over the terms of the divorce deal.
Debate has been raging over whether there should be a soft Brexit (Britain leaves the EU, but remains in the bloc’s single market and customs union) or a hard Brexit (Britain leaves the EU and its single market and customs union). Complicating matters are discussions of just how hard a "hard Brexit" should be.
12 months on
A year of bloodshed at Gaza border protests
Israeli fire on demonstrations at the frontier has devastated the lives of thousands
Oliver Holmes and Josh Holder
Friday 29 Mar 2019 06.00 GMT
One year ago, Palestinians trapped in Gaza began a protest movement at the frontier with Israel that was intended to last six weeks.
Men, women and children demanded recognition of the right of Palestinian refugees in Gaza and elsewhere to return to their ancestral homes in Israel and for an end to a punishing blockade that has made life unliveable.
Israeli snipers fired live ammunition, killing and maiming dozens. This lethal response on 30 March 2018 triggered anger and disbelief across the world but has not stopped.
Crisis-hit Ukraine desperate for savior in presidential election
Amid corruption woes and and conflict, voters in Ukraine are set to choose their next president. A TV comedian is currently leading the polls, but his victory is not a given. DW breaks down the election:
Seldom has the outcome of a presidential election in Ukraine been as unpredictable the one approaching on March 31. The country will go to the polls in what is the first regular election for the head of state since May 2014, when an early vote was triggered by the ouster of then-President Viktor Yanukovych. In the wake violent demonstrations in Kyiv, known as the Euromaiden revolution, he went into exile in Russia.'Almost traitorous': Shooters slam One Nation over al-Jazeera gun exposé
Shooters, Fishers and Farmers leader Robert Borsak says his party has never had dealings with the National Rifle Association, as he slammed One Nation as "almost traitorous" for seeking millions of dollars in donations from the US gun lobby.
Mr Borsak used the Shooters' first press conference since the NSW election to position his party as "in the dead centre" when it came to gun laws, while claiming One Nation and the Liberal Democrats were more extreme.
"We have not been to the NRA ever looking for money," Mr Borsak said.
Mr Borsak's comment related to revelations that senior One Nation figures had sought millions of dollars in donations from the US pro-gun lobby to help them water down Australia's gun control laws.
The cartoonists who helped take down a Malaysian prime minister
Zunar and Fahmi Reza's art was a boon to protesters sick of the alleged corruption of former Prime Minister Najib Razak, but it nearly landed the two men in prison.
Written by:James Griffiths, CNN
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
A humongous pink gemstone perches on a woman's finger, matched only in extravagance by her hair, which is half the height of her body. A pendulous necklace and Hermès handbag hang from her other arm.
For Malaysians, the figure pictured is instantly recognizable as Rosmah Mansor, wife of disgraced former Prime Minister Najib Razak and -- according to prosecutors in the US and Malaysia -- a modern day Imelda Marcos who accrued luxury goods worth millions of dollars using money embezzled from the state investment fund, 1MDB.
Gov't held secret meetings in 2005 about allowing females to ascend throne, documents show
The government secretly considered the option of allowing females to ascend Japan's imperial throne from 1997, before officially starting a debate on the issue under a panel of experts in 2005, internal documents and other sources show.
While the plan was later dropped, the confidential talks helped lay the groundwork for the government of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, who served between 2001 and 2006, to lean toward revising the Imperial House Law, which allows only male heirs who have emperors on their father's side to reign.
The secret meetings started in 1997 under then Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto and were attended by members such as Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Teijiro Furukawa. At that time, Emperor Akihito had no grandson.
Thursday, March 28, 2019
Food waste is the world's dumbest problem
The University of California is a pioneer on climate research, renewable energy and environmental sustainability. UC is dedicated to providing scalable solutions to help the world bend the curve on climate change.
Six In The Morning Thursday 28 March 2019
Brexit: Push for May's Brexit deal after quit pledge
Efforts to persuade MPs to back Theresa May's Brexit deal will continue on Thursday, a day after she promised to quit as PM if it was approved.
Her pledge brought some on-side, such as ex-foreign secretary Boris Johnson.
But challenges remain for the PM after Northern Ireland's DUP, who she relies on for support, said it would not back the deal because of the Irish backstop.
Meanwhile, none of eight alternative Brexit proposals brought by MPs secured backing in a series of Commons votes.
The options - which included a customs union with the EU and a referendum on any Brexit deal - were supposed to help find a consensus over how best to leave the EU.
Brunei brings in death by stoning as punishment for gay sex
From 3 April, people in the tiny south-east Asian kingdom will be subject to a draconian new penal code based on sharia law
Brunei is to begin imposing death by stoning as a punishment for gay sex and adultery from next week, as part of the country’s highly criticised implementation of sharia law.
From 3 April, individuals in the tiny southeast Asian kingdom will be subject to a draconian new penal code, which also includes the amputation of a hand and a foot for the crime of theft. The capital punishments are to be “witnessed by a group of Muslims.”
Brunei, which has adopted a more conservative form of Islam in recent years, first announced back in 2014 its intention to introduce sharia law, the Islamic legal system which imposes strict corporal punishments. It was a directive of the Sultan of Brunei, who is one of the world’s richest leaders with a personal wealth of about $20bn and has held the throne since 1967.
Maltese navy seizes tanker hijacked by migrants
Migrants reportedly hijacked a cargo ship in Libyan waters and forced the crew to redirect the vessel toward Europe. Maltese armed forces have now escorted it to port.
Malta's navy said that a special operations team had taken control of a tanker that was hijacked by migrants off the coast of Libya. The ship arrived at a Maltese port on Thursday morning.
The migrants had taken control of the vessel on Wednesday, and directed it north toward Europe, according to Italian and Maltese authorities.
Opposition has no programme for government
Venezuela’s missing future
Juan Guaidó has assumed the presidency of Venezuela even though Nicolás Maduro hasn’t relinquished the office; but in spite of foreign backing, the opposition is deeply divided.
by Julia Buxton
The Venezuelan opposition, paralysed by personal grudges and strategic divisions, seems to have unified, which is remarkable. The perception that President Nicolás Maduro’s re-election in May 2018 lacked legitimacy has led to attempts at inter-opposition solidarity. The opposition-dominated congress regards Maduro as having ‘usurped’ power, and in these circumstances the 1999 Bolivarian constitution requires the president of the National Assembly to take over control of the government.
Greenland's most critical glacier is suddenly gaining ice, but that might not be a good thing
Updated 0421 GMT (1221 HKT) March 28, 2019
Greenland's largest and most critical glacier, Jakobshavn, is gaining ice, according to NASA researchers.
Although this finding is surprising and temporarily good news for the glacier, limiting its contribution to sea level rise, the reason for the ice accumulation might spell disaster in the long run.
For two decades, Jakobshavn sustained remarkably consistent thinning that scientists thought would continue, if not accelerate, due to large-scale warming of the polar atmosphere and oceans -- but that rate dramatically slowed in 2014, and the glacier actually thickened between 2016 and 2017 and again between 2017 and 2018, according to a study published Monday in the journal Nature.
Campaigners target firms doing business with Myanmar's military
Facebook and Western Union are among the most recognisable names on 'dirty list' distributed by human rights activists.
Sprinklers whirled as workers swept leaves and pushed lawn mowers on a recent sun-baked afternoon at the Okkala Golf Resort in Myanmar's main city.
As he steered a golf buggy between the fairways, the caddy master gestured to a man teeing off nearby who he said was a local movie star.
Another well-known patron of the club, he added, was Zaw Zaw - a tycoon whose dealings with the former military government previously earned him a place on a United States's blacklist of sanctioned individuals.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)