Ballots marked for the opposition party found in garbage in Southern Turkey following election.

Ballots marked for the main opposition parties, the Republican Peoples’ Party (CHP) and Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) were found in garbage bags behind six schools used as polling stations during the elections in Turkey this past week. City residents reported the used ballots to authorities after finding them discarded behind schools in the south Osmaniye province of Turkey.

Ballots marked for the main opposition parties were found in garbage bags after elections. (Image courtesy of Syrian Free Press)

Ballots marked for the main opposition parties were found in garbage bags after elections. (Image courtesy of Syrian Free Press)

It is currently unknown who is responsible, and there have been claims that the ballots were to be burned. The Justice and Development Party (AKP), led by the current Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, emerged as the announced victors of this week’s election. No ballots of the AKP party were found amongst the discarded ones.

This incident immediately follows last week’s report on Turkish media censorship by Erdoğan’s government after claims of corruption within the party, raising further suspicion of the integrity of the current Turkish political system. Official complaints have been filed by the CHP and MHP to the Public Prosecutors’ Office. An appeal has also been made to the Turkish Supreme Election Council.

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Aging has been successfully reversed in lab mice; Human scientific trials are set to begin next.

A study published in scientific journal Cell conducted by American and Australian researchers has documented the successful reversal of the aging process in mice using a certain chemical compound. The results revealed not only deceleration of aging but also a notable reversal as well.

Following successful experiments with mice, human trials are set to begin sometime next year. (Image courtesy of Liberty Voice)

Following successful experiments with mice, human trials are set to begin sometime next year. (Image courtesy of Liberty Voice)

Mice administered with the compound showed dramatic results in less than a week. Muscles became more toned, as if regular exercise was performed, and diseases linked to aging also reclined. Researchers compared the treated mice to a sixty-year-old person suddenly having the energy and muscle tone of someone in his or her twenties. The compound raises a naturally occurring substance in the body known as nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, which decreases in secretion as the body ages.

Poor communication between mitochondria within a cell and the nucleus is to blame for the aging process, researchers say. The chemical compound used essentially reopens clear connection between cell components. The results have been successful with mice, and researchers are currently drawing funds in preparation for human trials.

Source and more information can be found here.

 

Age old mystery of the function of zebras stripes finally solved: They’re a headache for disease-carrying flies.

Zebra stripes help deter insects from landing on their bodies. (Image courtesy of Wikimedia)

Zebra stripes help deter insects from landing on their bodies. (Image courtesy of Wikimedia)

A scientific examination of the purpose of zebra stripes has revealed that the contrasting black and white patterns effectively deter insects carrying diseases. Stripe patterns have shown to be disorienting to flies and other insects, making it difficult for them to land on and bite zebras. Disease on the African savanna is a major threat to the local wildlife, and stripes are presumably an evolutionary development to avoid such dangers. There is insufficient evidence to prove that the distinctive striped patterning of zebras serves any other purpose, including camouflage, predator avoidance or heat management.

Source and more information can be found here.

 

United States pressures Canadian government to loosen privacy laws, pushing for personal data of Canadians to be hosted on US Servers.

The US Government is putting pressure on Canada to overhaul some of its provinces’ privacy laws, pushing for private information to be stored on American servers, giving American companies an economical chance to bid on contracts. Currently, a unified email system for the federal government of Canada requires all data to be stored within the country. The $400-million contract is handled by Bell Canada.

The emblem of the United States National Security Agency, notorious for its surveillance and spy programs. (Image courtesy of Huffington Post)

The emblem of the United States National Security Agency, notorious for its surveillance and spy programs. (Image courtesy of Huffington Post)

The Canadian Internet Registration Authority has suggested Canada build its own internet exchange points to avoid internet traffic and possible surveillance through US servers altogether. Post 9/11, the US Government passed the USA Patriot Act, greatly expanding the US government’s ability to monitor communications, including the internet. This has been the main cause of concern for Canadians seeking to keep networks within the country.

Currently, over 90% of Canadian internet traffic is routed through American servers. While the main incentive for the United States to host Canadian data is to be economically competitive, concerns have been raised over the safety of sensitive information from prying US eyes.

Source and more information can be found here.

 

Chinese search vessels looking for missing passenger jet MH370 discover a pulse signal in the Indian Ocean. 

Chinese search vessel Haixun-01 detected a pulse signal emitting from the Indian Ocean matching MH370's broadcast frequency. (Image courtesy of National Post)

Chinese search vessel Haixun-01 detected a pulse signal emitting from the Indian Ocean matching MH370’s broadcast frequency. (Image courtesy of National Post)

Chinese search vessel Haixu-01, out looking for the Malaysian passenger jet MH370 first reported missing on 8 March 2014, has detected a ping with the same frequency as the plane’s data recorders in the Indian Ocean. The Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak declared on 24 March that flight MH370 ended tragically in the Indian Ocean, following new data by investigations.

This new development follows weeks of fruitless searching. While it is unconfirmed that the source of the pulse signal is the missing flight, the race is now on to pinpoint the location of the wreckage and recover the black box recorder of the flight, before the signals emitting from rescue beacons go silent as batteries run out.

Source and more information can be found here.