World

A Yakovlev Yak-42 passenger plane flying the route from Moscow to Grozny was forced to make an emergency diversion to Volgograd due to an anonymous call about a bomb threat. The aircraft departed Moscow at about 4:14 PM local time, laden with 73 passengers. RIA Novosti reports that a spokesman from the Russian Federal Air Transport Agency said that several minutes into the flight the crew received a call which stated the plane experience detonation at any minute. Based on this information the crew decided to divert to Volgograd Airport offici

Astronomers at the University of California at Santa Cruz have discovered a new planet which is considered to be in the middle of the Habitable Zone of its parent star, a discovery which has raised the possibility of finding life on another planet. Researchers found the planet while conducting the Lick-Carnegie exoplanet survey of Gliese 581, a red dwarf. The planet, named 'Gliese 581 g', is approximately 20 light years away from Earth and is hypothesised to have a generally rocky landscape with enough gravitational pull to accumulate an atmosp

Tyler Clementi, eighteen, a freshman at Rutgers University in the United States, jumped off the George Washington Bridge last Wednesday after roommates broadcast his same-sex encounters online. Clementi shared a room with Dhraun Ravi, in Davidson Hall on Rutgers' Piscataway campus. On September 19, Dhraun Ravi is alleged to have secretly activated a webcam in their room, then retreated down the hall to the room of his childhood friend, Molly Wei, where they used Skype to connect to the live video feed of Clementi having sex. Ravi tweeted, "Ro

A strong aftershock of the March 11 Pichilemu earthquake occurred today, at 12:29:49 local time (16:29:49 UTC), National Emergencies Office of Chile reports. The earthquake had a magnitude of 5.9, and occurred 13 kilometers southwest of Lolol, O'Higgins Region, at a depth of 50 kilometers. The United States Geological Survey, however, reported the earthquake had a magnitude of 4.9, and that it occurred at a depth of 64.9 kilometers. The epicenter was located 70 kilometers west-southwest of Rancagua, O'Higgins; 80 kilometers north-northwest of

Former Argentine professional wrestler and basketball player Jorge 'Giant' González has died at the age of 44. González died in his hometown of San Martin, Argentina. The cause of death was established to be complications of diabetes. González had suffered with the illness for several years and was wheelchair bound. Standing over 7.5 feet (2.3 metres) tall, González was originally a basketball player before becoming a wrestler. Upon moving to the United States, he was drafted in the third round of the 1988 NBA draft by the Atlanta Hawks. Aft

The polygamist family at the center of the new TLC reality television series Sister Wives are now the subject of a criminal investigation. Yesterday, following Sunday's debut of Sister Wives, police in Lehi, Utah, where the show is set, announced they are investigating Kody Brown and his four wives for possible charges of bigamy. Sister Wives focuses on Brown, his four wives—Meri, Janelle, Christine and Robyn—and his 13 children and three step-children. The family has said they are participating in the show to bring more public awareness to po

A man wearing a ski mask and carrying an assault rifle apparently killed himself in the library of the University of Texas in Austin, Texas earlier today. The university was placed under lockdown and all classes were canceled as a result of the incident. Nobody else was hurt, but police are still looking for a possible second gunman. Art Acevedo, the chief of Austin police, said that officials are also considering the possibility of explosives left by the suspect. Armored vehicles were seen moving around the campus in response to the event, as

Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso won the FIA 2010 Singapore Grand Prix from pole position owned a day before. This became his second win in Singapore since 2008 and fourth win of the season. Alonso was closely chased by Sebastian Vettel up to the finish line — both Red Bull's were not able to catch Ferrari this weekend. Lewis Hamilton's McLaren car broke suspension after hitting Vettel's teammate Mark Webber, racing him for third place. Another McLaren driver Jenson Button rushed to chase Webber after Hamilton found himself out of the race. Ni

New research published in the journal Nature Medicine has shown a link between a faulty gene and migraines. Scientists hope that this discovery will lead to improved pain management treatments for sufferers, with possible benefits for pain treatment generally. The breakthrough involves a gene known as TRESK, thought to control the brain's reaction to pain: if it is defective, then many normal activities and actions will be painful. Migraine sufferers (thought in the United Kingdom to number about eight per cent of men and eighteen per cent of

A documentary set to be shown on October 10, 2010 in Australia about the life and times of the soon to be canonised Mary MacKillop — who will be the first Australian to be made a saint — suggests that nuns including MacKillop of the Sisterhood of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart in South Australia were condemned and even excommunicated by high-ranking priests for informing the authorities of the apparent paedophilic acts of Father Patrick Keating at a local public school in Kapunda, South Australia. The excommunication of MacKillop and other nuns

__NOTOC__ Authorities have said that an anonymous phone call warning of a potential terrorist threat aboard an aircraft may have been a hoax call. Swedish police detained a passenger aboard a Boeing 777 on suspicion of preparing an attack on the aircraft, but he was later released. A police spokesperson said: "The man who was the suspect for the bomb case was released by the district attorney. They couldn't find any crime done, therefore [they] decided to release the man and he's free to go where he wants." A statement released by Swedish pros

Delta Airlines flight 4951 made a safe emergency landing at JFK International Airport in New York City yesterday after the aircraft's right landing gear failed. There were 64 passengers and crew members aboard as well as 3,000 gallons of flammable fuel. The pilot maintained composure as he radioed air traffic control. He reported “The right gear is stuck up. The other two are down”. When asked which runway he wanted to land on, he stated “Whichever one would be better for you all.” They settled on Runway 31 Right. Flight crew members