Sapphires and rubies in the sky…
December 19, 2018
Researchers have discovered a new, exotic class of planets outside our solar system. These so-called super-Earths were formed at high temperatures close to their host star and contain high quantities of calcium, aluminium and their oxides -- including sapphire and ruby.
21 light years away from us in the constellation Cassiopeia, a planet orbits its star with a year that is just three days long. Its name is HD219134 b. With a mass almost five times that of Earth it is a so-called "super-Earth." Unlike the Earth however, it most likely does not have a massive core of iron, but is rich in calcium and aluminium. "Perhaps it shimmers red to blue like rubies and sapphires, because these gemstones are aluminium oxides which are common on the exoplanet," says Caroline Dorn, astrophysicist at the Institute for Computational Science of the University of Zurich. HD219134 b is one of three candidates likely to belong to a new, exotic class of exoplanets, as Caroline Dorn and her colleagues at the Universities of Zurich and Cambridge now report in the British journal MNRAS.
Morocco backpacker murders are now suspected ‘terrorist executions’ – as cops examine gruesome video of ‘jihadi’ sawing off a woman’s head at mountain campsite…
December 19, 2018
Louisa Vesterager Jespersen, 24, from Denmark, and Maren Ueland, 28, from Norway, were hacked to death while camping in the Atlas mountains.
Mobile phone video purporting to show the murders was circulated on social media, sparking outrage in Morocco.
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It had earlier been reported that police were probing a possible sexual motive for the crime having ruled out robbery as none of the victims' belongings were missing.But a day after arresting a suspect - said to be a known "extremist" - authorities believe the horrifying attack bears the hallmarks of terrorism.
Attempts by Nxivm to have its leaders’ sex trafficking charges dropped fail… so far…
Judge orders NXIVM lawyers to reveal all donors to the Defense trust...
December 19, 2018
In documents filed in Brooklyn Federal Court Tuesday, prosecutors said they can and will prove women in Nxivm’s “slave-master” group DOS weren’t just sleeping with leader Keith Raniere for fun.
Former Goldman Vice President Pleads Guilty To Insider Trading…
December 19, 2018
A former Goldman Sachs Vice President pleaded guilty on Wednesday to insider trading, after prosecutors alleged that he made over $130,000 in illegal profits.
Jeff Flake Will Introduce Bill To Raise Taxes Before Leaving Senate…
December 19, 2018
It sometimes feels like this man has been actively trolling us. It's good knowing that he'll never hold a federal position again.
President Trump signs executive order making Christmas Eve a federal holiday…
December 19, 2018
Trump on Tuesday night signed an executive order declaring that "all executive departments and agencies of the federal government shall be closed" on Christmas Eve.
While Christmas Day is a holiday for the federal government, presidents have reportedly been inconsistent when the holiday approaches during the week.
John Mccain Associate Gave Dossier To Buzzfeed…
December 19, 2018
A longtime associate of late Republican Arizona Sen. John McCain provided a copy of the infamous Steele dossier to BuzzFeed News, according to an explosive court filing released Wednesday.
David Kramer, a former State Department official who was an executive at the McCain Institute, met on Dec. 29, 2016 with BuzzFeed reporter Ken Bensinger, according to a filing submitted Wednesday by U.S. District Court Judge Ursula Ungaro.
BuzzFeed published the dossier, which was authored by former British spy Christopher Steele, on Jan. 10, 2017.
The disclosure was made as part of a final report ahead of Ungaro’s ruling in favor of BuzzFeed in a defamation lawsuit.
CNN’s “Journalist Of The Year” Committed Journalistic Fraud “On A Grand Scale” At Der Spiegel…
December 19, 2018
German news magazine Der Spiegel has admitted that one of its top reporters has faked stories for several years.
Award-winning journalist Claas Relotius had "made up stories and invented protagonists" in approximately 14 out of 60 articles which appeared both in print and online editions. He had worked for Der Spiegel for seven years, winning numerous awards for his investigative journalism - including CNN's Journalist of the Year award in 2014,
NASA fears internal server hacked, staff personal info swiped by miscreants…
December 19, 2018
A server containing personal information, including social security numbers, of current and former NASA workers may have been hacked, and its data stolen, it emerged today.
According to an internal memo circulated among staff on Tuesday, in mid-October the US space agency investigated whether or not two of its machines holding employee records had been compromised, and discovered one of them may have been infiltrated by miscreants.
German govt.-backed brochure: Kids from ‘right-wing’ families must be re-educated…
December 19, 2018
The German Federal Ministry for Family Affairs has supported a brochure that aims at changing the behavior of preschool-aged children who are raised by what the brochure’s authors call “right-wing” parents who oppose “gender” theory, “sexual diversity,” the “sexualization” of children, and “immigration.”
Many Germans are protesting the brochure, calling it unacceptable for the state to intrude into the lives of families. Some have noted how such an intrusion is similar to what had been previously known in Germany during the times of both National-Socialist (Nazi) and Communist dictatorships. The German government is said to have given 4,600 euro to the project.
The brochure was published last month by the Amadeu Antonio Foundation. Dr. Franziska Giffey, the social-democratic German Federal Minister for Family Affairs, contributed a foreword to the 60-page document. It is Giffey's own ministry that funded the brochure.
Canada PM Justin Trudeau’s approval rating plummets to 35%…
December 19, 2018
With less than a year before an expected election, the number of people who favour Trudeau has fallen to 35 per cent, down from 46 per cent this time a year ago.
For the first time since October 2015, he is no longer seen as the national party leader who would be the best prime minister.Bayer-Monsanto Bleeding Out…44% Drop!…
December 19, 2018
Mainstream Media Silent: Just after being absorbed into Bayer, a jury found that Monsanto acted with “malice…because they knew what they were doing was wrong and doing it with reckless disregard for human life.”
Violent Left Antifa Lady’s Attorney Confused That Court Isn’T Treating Her Like A WWII Hero
December 19, 2018
Felarca, who faces charges of felony assault and misdemeanor inciting a riot, was one of four charged after a violent protest was caught on video in 2016. California Highway Patrol had recommended charges against 96 others as well, but the district attorney could only find evidence to support charges against four — three anti-fascist protesters and one alleged white supremacist.
So far, the California middle school teacher, who has been associated with both Antifa and at least one other self-described anti-fascist group known as By Any Means Necessary (BAMN), has presented a litany of litigations aimed at getting her out of trouble.
A series of court decisions have not gone Felarca’s way. Two judges so far have failed to dismiss the case against her stemming from the 2016 riot, and in October, a judge dismissed her lawsuit meant to block conservative watchdog group Judicial Watch from obtaining emails regarding her involvement with both Antifa and BAMN.
LA bishop resigns 13 years after church learned of sex claim…
December 19, 2018
Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of a Los Angeles auxiliary bishop, Monsignor Alexander Salazar, following an allegation of sexual misconduct with a child in the 1990s, officials said Wednesday.
The Vatican announced the resignation in a one-line statement. It was the latest in a string of misconduct allegations against bishops to come to light this year, following the scandal of ex-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick of Washington that exposed how bishops have largely avoided punishment for improper behavior.
BuzzFeed News Has Won A Lawsuit Over Its Decision To Publish The Trump Dossier…
December 19, 2018
The judge found BuzzFeed was protected by a "fair report privilege" because the article involved an official proceeding.
Boom: Poland Signs 20 Year Deal to Purchase U.S. Liquefied Natural Gas!!!…
December 19, 2018
Economic security is national security…
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Today a massive multi-billion energy contract for the United States sale and Poland purchase of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) was announced. While financial terms were not disclosed, the agreement is for the sale and purchase of approximately 2.7 billion cubic meters per year (after regasification) – enough natural gas to meet about 15 percent of Poland’s daily needs. The contract is for 20 years of purchases.First Syria, now this. Russia got left holding the bag. Yes. “Holding the bag”.
There are many things coming to light with the financial criminal cartels all over the world. Here is a “bag” from Ukraine: Russia lost a big money laundering operation.
And another bag from Ukraine: Ukraine central bank declares Russian VTB subsidiary insolvent.
George Soros Selected As Financial Times Person Of The Year…
December 19, 2018
The Financial Times’s choice of Person of the Year is usually a reflection of their achievements. In the case of Mr Soros this year, his selection is also about the values he represents.
He is the standard bearer of liberal democracy and open society. These are the ideas which triumphed in the cold war. Today, they are under siege from all sides, from Vladimir Putin’s Russia to Donald Trump’s America.
CHICAGO: More than 500 priests accused of sexual abuse not yet publicly identified by Catholic church…
December 19, 2018
scathing report from Attorney General Lisa Madigan finds the number of Catholic priests accused of sexual abuse against children in Illinois is much higher than previously acknowledged.
The report said accusations have been leveled against 690 priests, while Catholic officials have publicly identified only 185 clergy with credible allegations against them.
Overwhelmed by Yellow Vest protests, French police launch ‘slowdown strike’…
December 19, 2018
French police protesting overwork and thousands of unpaid hours were dragging their feet at passport check-in lines in at least one terminal at Charles de Gaulle airport Wednesday, creating long lines of waiting passengers.
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The delays came as the Alliance police union called on police officers across France to handle only emergencies amid negotiations with the interior ministry over compensation after weeks spent containing protests by the grassroots Yellow Vest movement.The protest was triggered by a €62 million cut in the national police budget, which was due to be approved by members of Parliament on Thursday.
North Carolina man sentenced 40 years, ordered to pay $477,000, to human trafficking victim…
December 19, 2018
William Maurice Saddler, 36, must pay $477,618 to a 15-year-old whom he prostituted at migrant camps near Wilson. Saddler coerced the victim and forced her into prostitution, kept money from the prostitution and led the victim to be addicted to crack cocaine, the attorney said. Saddler also introduced the victim to two pimps, Bobby Ray Williams Jr. and Kenneth Corvon Ward, who were previously convicted in related cases.
A jury convicted Saddler of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of a minor and of sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion of a minor. Saddler was sentenced to 40 years in prison, followed by supervised release for the rest of his life.