Canadian Journalist released from Egyptian Prison
Mohamed Fahmy. (Image Courtesy of Heba Elkholy / The Canadian Press File.)
Al Jazeera journalist Mohamed Fahmy was suddenly released 23 September from an Egyptian prison. Along with his colleagues, Fahmy was detained in December 2013 and was later imprisoned on charges for terrorism. He plans to return to Canada as soon as possible.
Source and more information can be found here.
Volkswagen Emissions Scandal puts company in trouble.
Volkswagen has been deceiving diesel emission regulation tests. (Image Courtesy of Getty Images.)
German car manufacturer, Volkswagen, has come under fire for cheating emission tests conducted by the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency). Over 11 million cars worldwide have software in their systems, allowing them to emit less diesel emissions during testing but more than the allowed amount later on. Volkswagen could be facing more than 18 billion dollars in fines and criminal charges may be pressed on executives.
Source and more information can be found here.
Over 700 people killed in Mecca.
Pilgrims make their way to a ritual in Mecca. (Image courtesy of Mosa’ab Elshamy/AP.)
Over 700 people are dead and over 800 are wounded in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, after being crushed by stampedes of people. Over 2 million Islamic people make the hajj pilgrimage annually to Mecca and although many are killed every year, the numbers have never been as high. The tragedy occurred in a narrow intersection when two groups of pilgrims clashed. Rescue teams worked into the evening to help the wounded and remove the dead.
Source and more information can be found here.
Rare Supermoon lunar eclipse shows red moon.
Blood Moon seen from Germany. (Image Courtesy of Patrik Stollarz/AFP/Getty Images.)
On Sunday, the supermoon lunar eclipse awed the whole world. The rare supermoon lunar eclipse, last seen in 1982, is caused when the Earth blocks the Sun from the moon and when the moon is full. It creates a “Blood Moon”. The next full moon lunar eclipse will come in 2033.
Source and more information can be found here.
Smallest snail found in China.
The smallest snail was discovered in China. (Image Courtesy of Dr Barna Páll-Gergely and Nikolett Szpisjak./ZooKeys.)
The smallest snail, named Angustopila dominikae, has been found in Guangxi province in China soil samples. The height of their shell is 0.86 mm, and they are barely visible to the naked eye. They were found amidst soil samples.
Source and more information can be found here.
