Posts by Riah Stelmack
Snow joke: Chinese attraction apologizes for winter wonderland made of cotton and bedsheets
A local tourist attraction in southwestern China billing itself as a winter wonderland has landed in hot water after visitors seeking the perfect selfie discovered the promised “snow” was actually made of cotton wool and foamy water. The Chengdu Snow Village project in Sichuan province—famous for spicy food and pandas—had sought to lure in tourists…
Read MoreNorth Korea resolved a major flaw in one of its missiles after it let Russia use them against Ukraine, Kyiv’s spy chief says
Ukraine’s spy chief said Russia helped North Korea fix a severe accuracy flaw in its KN-23 missiles. Often compared to the Iskandar-M, it’s a ballistic missile with a range of over 400 miles. Budanov cited the KN-23 as an example of how Pyongyang is gaining from its fight against Ukraine. North Korean KN-23 missiles had…
Read MorePosts about Indonesia cabinet ‘reshuffle’ misrepresent old clip
Indonesia’s fisheries minister came under fire over a lengthy “sea fence” allegedly erected without proper permits off the northwest coast of the archipelago’s main island Java. But footage that surfaced online does not show President Prabowo Subianto asking the former head of the ministry to take over the job, contrary to social media posts. The…
Read MoreEven in his final seconds of life, first gay imam pushed boundaries
The execution-style killing of an openly gay imam, Muhsin Hendricks, in South Africa has left people in the LGBTQ+ community fearful for their safety – but also determined to forge ahead with the campaign to end their marginalisation in religious circles. Reverend Toni Kruger-Ayebazibwe, an openly gay Christian cleric, told the BBC that Hendricks was…
Read MoreHow a plan to land £100m of cocaine on a Highland beach went wrong
Thirty-five years ago, one drug dealer believed he had a fool proof plan to smuggle uncut Colombian cocaine directly into Scotland. Recruiting a gang of fellow Scots, Julian Chisholm proposed taking the drugs by ship across the Atlantic to a remote Highland beach, and then by road to central Scotland for distribution. He successfully pitched…
Read MoreIs it snowing? Nope! It’s graupel
As the Arctic front rushes in, it brings not just colder temperatures but also some graupel! This wintry precipitation is often confused with snow, sleet, and hail because it shares similar characteristics with each of them, but it’s different in terms of how it forms, its size, and its shape. Let’s dive into graupel and…
Read MoreGaza clinic: Two dead after Israeli tanks open fire in Rafah
Two people have been killed in the southern Gaza Strip town of Rafah after Israeli tanks opened fire on Palestinians, a clinic in the coastal strip reported on Tuesday. Two bodies were brought to the hospital after the incident, which comes despite a ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist Hamas militants, who control Gaza.…
Read MorePutin appoints ex-space agency chief representative for space cooperation
(Reuters) – Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin on Tuesday appointed the former head of Russia’s space agency, Yuri Borisov, as special presidential representative for international space cooperation. Borisov had headed Roscosmos since July 2022 in a tenure marked by the failure of a Russian moon mission and was relieved of his post earlier this month. No…
Read MoreThree hostages from Israeli music festival among six set for release
The identities of the six hostages who are due to be released by Hamas in the Gaza Strip on Saturday have been announced by the families. Omer Shem Tov, 22, Omer Wenkert, 23, and Eliya Cohen, 27, were abducted from the Nova music festival more than 16 months ago. Also being released to Israeli authorities…
Read MoreHamas says it will return bodies of four hostages including Bibas family
Hamas says it will hand over the bodies of four hostages on Thursday, including the two youngest people held by the Palestinian armed group. The group’s negotiator Khalil al-Hayya said the bodies to be released would include those of the Bibas family – Shiri and her young children Kfir and Ariel, who were aged nine…
Read MoreIsraeli troops stay inside south Lebanon after withdrawal deadline
Israel has pulled its forces from southern Lebanon but remain in five locations along the border in what the Lebanese government describes as a violation of a ceasefire deal. Tuesday marked the end of the deadline for the Israeli withdrawal from the country, which was part of a truce that came into force in November.…
Read MoreRebels leave families devastated in wake of DR Congo advance
Heshima winces in pain as he tries to shift his weight, sweat beading on his face. The slight 13-year-old sits on a bed in a tent in the grounds of an overcrowded hospital in Goma city in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Heshima’s left leg is a bandaged stump, his stomach is…
Read More