Sentinel satellite reveals Nepal quake movement

Europe's Sentinel-1a satellite has got its first good look at the aftermath of Saturday's big quake in Nepal. The radar spacecraft is able to sense ground movement by comparing before and after imagery acquired from orbit. Scientists turn this information into an interferogram - a colourful, but highly technical, representation of the displacement that occurs on a fault. The new data confirms an area of 120km by 50km around Kathmandu lifted...

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There's nothing like America's most expensive weapons system ever

All three Lockheed Martin F-35 variants at Edwards Air Force Base, California. America's most expensive weapons system ever built is on track for "initial combat use" by September 2016. Business Insider recently toured Lockheed Martin's massive production facility in Fort Worth, Texas, where the three F-35 Lightning II variant aircraft are designed and manufactured. The $400 billion and counting F-35 program has so far delivered 140 of the...

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How to watch Mayweather vs. Pacquiao

t’s the fight of the century! The most exclusive sporting event ever to be held! Anticipation for this Saturday’s Mayweather vs. Pacquiao boxing match has reached well past hype to record levels of fever pitch, never mind that many sports analysts predict a dud. The action is expected to begin Saturday at about 11 p.m. EDT at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Here are your options for watching what may or may not be the greatest boxing match of all...

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American Airlines planes grounded by iPad app error

A faulty app caused American Airlines to ground dozens of its jets. The glitch caused iPad software - used by the planes' pilots and co-pilots for viewing flight plans - to stop working. The firm's cockpits went "paperless" in 2013 to save its staff having to lug heavy paperwork on board. AA estimated the move would save it more than $1.2m (£793,600) in fuel every year. The company said that it had now found a fix for the problem. "We experienced...

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Amazon: 1% of tree species store 50% of region's carbon

About 1% of all the tree species in the Amazon account for half of the carbon locked in the vast South American rainforest, a study has estimated. Although the region is home to an estimated 16,000 tree species, researchers found that just 182 species dominated the carbon storage process. Amazonia is vital to the Earth's carbon cycle, storing more of the element than any other terrestrial ecosystem. The findings appear in the journal Nature...

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None shall pass: Texas prof flunks entire class, then quits mid-semester

A professor threw a Texas-sized tantrum flunking his entire class mid-semester and quitting after complaining that students mocked, threatened and ridiculed him, but the school said the failing grades won't all stand. "I am frankly and completely disgusted,"Texas A&M Galveston, Professor Irwin Horwitz told his business management students in a blast e-mail, according to Inside Higher Ed. "You all lack the honor and maturity to live up to...

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US successfully tests self-steering bullets that can follow moving targets

The United States Department of Defense has carried out what it says is its most successful test yet of a bullet that can steer itself towards moving targets. Experienced testers have used the technology to hit targets that were actively evading the shot, and even novices that were using the system for the first time were able to hit moving targets. The project, which is known as Extreme Accuracy Tasked Ordnance weapon, or Exacto, is being...

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Japan Gets Bigger As Land Rises From The Sea

Japan has grown in size after a 300m-long strip of new coastline emerged from the sea, rising up to 10m-high in some places. The expansion of the overcrowded nation took place near the town of Rausu on Hokkaido island at the country's northern tip. The emergence of the additional stretch of shoreline, revealing what used to be the sea floor, initially sparked fears a major earthquake was imminent, similar to the 9.0-magnitude seismic shock...

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9/11: Iranian General accuses US of organising September 11 terror attacks

A top Iranian military commander has accused the United States of carrying out the 9/11 terror attacks in order to justify an invasion of the Middle East "with the goal of ruling it". Brigadier General Ahmad Reza Pourdastan, the commander of Iran’s ground forces, made the comments in an interview with Iran’s state-owned Al-Alam news channel, which broadcasts in Arabic as opposed to Farsi. According to a translation by the US-based Middle East...

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‘Dancing with the Stars’ Recap: Season 20, Episode 7, Who was Eliminated?

This was unexpected: Despite high scores throughout the season, “Hunger Games” star Willow Shields and her partner, Mark Ballas, were eliminated on Monday night’s “Dancing with the Stars.” This would seem to prove that some stars have young fan bases who often don’t vote, or maybe Mark’s choreography this season was too creative. But for sure, we now have our shock elimination that will make “DWTS” judges talk for years to come. Showing her...

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Why Nepal is so vulnerable to quakes

The pictures emerging from the Nepalese capital, Kathmandu, are shocking. Durbar square, a Unesco World Heritage Site, has been reduced to rubble. The famous Dharahara Tower has been toppled to leave just a stump. Nepal is used to quakes – this is one of the most seismically active regions in the world. You only have to look at the Himalayas to understand that. The mountains are being built as a consequence of the Indian tectonic plate driving...

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Nepal earthquake: 'Nine out of 10 soldiers' in rescue mission

Nine out of 10 Nepalese troops are said to be involved in search and rescue operations, as the country pleads for more foreign aid to deal with a massive earthquake that killed 4,000 people. Almost the entire army and police has joined the quake effort, officials say. China, India, the UK and US are among those sending aid from abroad. Nepal says it needs everything from blankets and helicopters to doctors and drivers. Some 200 climbers stranded...

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Building Mercedes-Benz AMG Vision Gran Turismo

This is the result of a serious labor of passion.  It was one of the stars of the LA Auto Show, and having revealed the one-off Benz in the metal, Mercedes has released a making-of video detailing how the AMG Vision Gran Turismo quickly went from the sketch pad to show floor. More than just a virtual plaything for Gran Turismo fanboys, the concept was ultimately brought to life, albeit without an engine. The designers were encouraged to...

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Dan Fredinburg, Google Executive, Killed On Mount Everest After Nepal Earthquake

Dan Fredinburg, a Google executive, was killed on Mount Everest in an avalanche triggered by the massive, 7.8 magnitude earthquake that rocked Nepal on Saturday. At least 17 climbers died on the mountain. Jagged Globe, the company Fredinburg was hiking with, posted a statement mourning his loss. "Our thoughts and prayers go out to Dan’s family and friends whilst we pray too for all those who have lost their lives in one of the greatest tragedies...

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Nepal earthquake: Rescue effort intensifies

Rescue efforts in Nepal are intensifying after nearly 2,000 people were killed on Saturday in the worst earthquake there in more than 80 years. Many countries and charities have offered aid to deal with the disaster. Seventeen people have been killed on Mount Everest by avalanches - the mountain's worst-ever disaster. Meanwhile a powerful aftershock was felt on Sunday in Nepal, India and Bangladesh, and more avalanches were reported near Everest. The...

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7 Nights of Skinny Suppers from a Celebrity Nutritionist

“Just two weeks of lean dinners can help with weight loss,” L.A. celebrity nutritionist Christine Avanti, says. The problem is that we often get sick of grilled chicken by Day 3. We got Avanti, who also moonlights as a chef, to create a week-long menu of recipes, exclusively for InStyle. The combo of lean proteins (she had us at BBQ chicken and sushi) and healthy carbs help you feel satiated without tasting like cardboard. Good bye midnight snack—we’re...

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The man who wants to control the weather with lasers

(CNN) - Is there anything laser can't do? From cutting diamonds to preserving endangered sites, all the way to building terrifying weapons and turning your eyes from brown to blue, there is apparently no end to the list of applications for laser. Swiss physicist Jean-Pierre Wolf is working on yet another impressive addition to that list: using focused laser beams to affect the weather. It sounds like black magic, but it's actually a cleaner...

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How do drone strikes go wrong?

However impressive technologically advanced weapons are, they still rely on human beings to guide them. That's where missions go awry. Two hostages, Warren Weinstein, an American, and Giovanni Lo Porto, an Italian, were killed in Pakistan. Mr Obama says he takes "full responsibility" for their deaths. The loss of these two men shines a spotlight on the efficiency of US operations. White House officials have provided few details about the raid,...

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Hubble issues 25th birthday image

The Hubble Space Telescope has celebrated its silver anniversary with a picture featuring a spectacular vista of young stars blazing across a dense cloud of gas and dust. The "Westerlund 2" cluster of stars is located about 20,000 light-years away in the constellation Carina. Hubble was launched on Space Shuttle Discovery on 24 April, 1990. Engineers expect the observatory to keep operating for at least another five years. "Even the most...

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WWI: Battle of Gallipoli centenary marked with services

Events are due to take place to commemorate the centenary of the Gallipoli campaign, one of the bloodiest of World War One. Prince Charles and Prince Harry will be among those attending services at the site of the battle at Cape Helles on the Turkish peninsula on Friday. The leaders of Australia, New Zealand and Turkey will also attend the events. About 141,000 died in the campaign, including 10,000 Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (Anzac)...

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How to find tickets for the world's hottest event

It is the hottest ticket in town - and not just in boxing. Floyd Mayweather will take on Manny Pacquiao at Las Vegas's MGM Garden Arena on 2 May. The odds of getting a ticket are as low as poor Charlie Bucket's, the character who hoped to visit Willy Wonka's chocolate factory in the famous Roald Dahl book. In the end, Charlie had to rely on pure fate to see his dream fulfilled. The vast majority of the world's boxing fans will need luck and...

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What our descendants will deplore about us

How will the future view us? Tom Chatfield asked some of the world’s best minds, and discovered that we will be seen as barbaric in ways we may not even realise. I had a discussion that made me ask a disconcerting question: how will I be viewed after I die? I like to think of myself as someone who is ethical, productive and essentially decent. But perhaps I won’t always be perceived that way. Perhaps none of us will. No matter how benevolent...

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Chile's Calbuco volcano erupts

The Calbuco volcano has erupted for the first time in 42 years, billowing a huge ash cloud over a sparsely populated, mountainous area in southern Chile. Chile’s Onemi emergency office declared a red alert following the sudden eruption at around 18.00 local time (21.00 GMT), which occurred about 1,000km (625 miles) south of Santiago, the capital, near the tourist towns of Puerto Varas and Puerto Montt. An evacuation radius of 20km has been...

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Real Madrid’s Javier Hernández breaks Atlético resistance at the last

Madrid’s derby may have been Atlético’s this season, but Europe still belongs to Real. Atlético were down to 10 men, exhausted, and willing the clock to run down, hoping for extra time and penalties, when Cristiano Ronaldo burst up the right and fed Javier Hernández to score the goal that sent the European champions through to the semi-finals. They had finally beaten their city rivals – for the first time since they met in last year’s final. There...

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Is this three-deck, zero-emissions super jumbo plane the future of flight

(CNN) - Designer and aviation enthusiast Oscar Vinals is slightly addicted to crafting concept planes. Last year, he came up with the design for the AWWA Sky Whale, a futuristic aircraft that he said would revolutionize green air travel and carry an astonishing 755 passengers. Now, he's bested himself. With his newest design, the AWWA-QG Progress Eagle, he imagines the future of travel as a triple-decker aircraft with zero carbon emissions. Rather...

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Earth Day: leading scientists say 75% of known fossil fuels must stay in ground

Three-quarters of known fossil fuel reserves must be kept in the ground if humanity is to avoid the worst effects of climate change, a group of leading scientists and economists have said in a statement timed to coincide with Earth Day. The Earth League, which includes Nicholas Stern, the author of several influential reports on the economics of climate change; Hans Joachim Schellnhuber, a climate scientist and adviser to Angela Merkel; and...

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Robert Lewandowski inspires Bayern Munich’s rout of Porto

As you were, then, Pep. This was an extraordinary Champions League quarter-final second leg at the Allianz Arena. Chiefly, of course, for Bayern Munich’s magisterial passage into the semi-finals, Pep Guardiola’s team turning around a 3-1 first-leg deficit to go to half-time 5-0 up, having reduced Porto to a collection of bewildered, ill-fitting parts. Almost as remarkable, in a perverse kind of way, was Porto’s own first-half collapse. They...

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Legacy of Agent Orange

As April 30 approaches, marking 40 years since the end of the Vietnam War, people in Vietnam with severe mental and physical disabilities still feel the lingering effects of Agent Orange. Respiratory cancer and birth defects amongst both Vietnamese and U.S. veterans have been linked to exposure to the defoliant. The U.S. military sprayed millions of gallons of Agent Orange onto Vietnam's jungles during the conflict to expose northern communist...

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Language school ditches 'Isis' name

An English language school and education group called "Isis" is having to change its name because of the associations with extremism. A spokesman said it had become increasingly difficult to attend international language events under the Isis banner. There were also a few "negative comments" for staff wearing Isis T-shirts, said the spokesman. The re-branding has adopted the name Oxford International Education Group. The chain of language...

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Russia sets its sights on Middle East

Russia's decision to go ahead with the sale of the advanced S-300 surface-to-air missile system to Iran has angered its critics in the West and alarmed the Israeli government in equal measure. For some it has raised additional question-marks over the fate of any putative nuclear deal between Iran and the international community. But more significantly it may also mark a renewed effort by Moscow to bolster its diplomatic profile in the Middle...

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Three dead as severe storms hit New South Wales in Australia

Three people have died in New South Wales as powerful storms batter the Australian state. The two men and a woman were found dead in Dungog north of Sydney, one of the worst affected areas, where homes have been washed away by flooding. Some 215,000 homes are without power in Sydney and across New South Wales. People have been urged to head home, as Australia's weather agency warned more severe weather would hit parts of the state on Tuesday...

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Spain pupil kills teacher 'with crossbow'

A student armed with a crossbow has killed a teacher at a school in Barcelona, Spain, local media say. The suspect, reportedly a 13-year-old boy, has been arrested. His motive is unclear. Police have not confirmed the weapon used or whether he was a pupil at the Instituto Joan Foster. At least four other people were injured in the attack. The teacher killed was protecting another during the incident, El Mundo newspaper reports. According...

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The truth about wolves

Reputation: Wolves have two public images. They inspire feelings of fear for their mad-eyed drooling, biting of children, and killing of livestock. But they also draw admiration for their strong, family-centric society, and as flagships of wild nature. Reality: These extreme views of wolves are deeply held, but are rooted in history rather than modern-day reality. In the highly modified landscapes of Europe and North America, it is time to rethink...

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Kim Jong-Un climbs North Korea's highest mountain

Kim Jong-Un has climbed the highest mountain in North Korea, state-run media claims. Photos of the country's leader show him standing on a snowy mountaintop, with the sun behind him. His father, Kim Jong-Il, is said by the state to have been born on the mountain, however many historians say he was actually born in Russia. Reports say Kim Jong-Un reached the 2,750-metre peak alongside hundreds of fighter pilots and party officials. "Climbing...

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In Alpine villages, Hobbits lurk

No one will believe you are going to Middle Earth. Most visitors arrive in Zurich ready to shop on Bahnhofstrasse and sightsee in the Niederdorf old town. Or they use the Swiss city as a jumping-off point to explore the resorts of St Moritz, Klosters or Davos. But head southwest, past the misty mountains and jagged peaks that tower over the city of Lucerne and the lake town of Interlaken, and up the deeply cloven valley that winds from Lake Thun...

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THE 25 BIGGEST TURNING POINTS IN EARTH'S HISTORY

EARTH IS BORN Birth of a planet Earth grew from a cloud of dust and rocks surrounding the young Sun. Earth formed when some of these rocks collided. Eventually they were massive enough to attract other rocks with the force of gravity, and vacuumed up all the nearby junk, becoming the Earth. The Moon probably formed soon after, when a planet-sized chunk of rock smashed into the Earth and threw up a huge cloud of debris. This condensed into the...

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The dramatic boom and bust of The Golden Age

For a period of barely 100 years, The Netherlands boasted the most powerful empire in the world – a power driven by markets rather than privilege. And one of its successful areas was its art market: the great painters Rembrandt, Frans Hals and Vermeer contributed to a cultural explosion known as The Golden Age. And like the tiny country they lived and worked in, these painters experienced good fortune as well as bad – enjoying prestige, wealth...

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These are the world's most powerful passports

A passport from a country on good diplomatic terms with its peers is a powerful tool, allowing holders to travel across borders with ease. Financial firm Arton Capital, which specializes in helping wealthy individuals obtain multiple citizenships, sometimes through immigrant investor programs, has put together a ranking of the world's most powerful passports. The ranking shows which passports give holders the most global mobility, based on...

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Game of Thrones, season five news and rumours

Could ignoring George RR Martin's books be a stroke of genius for Game of Thrones? One episode in, and fans have noted that the show is already veering quite significantly away from Martin's books. But not everyone thinks this is a bad thing ... "A decision to diverge may be the best thing that ever happens to Game of Thrones," says Telegraph writer Charlotte Runcie. "This way, it won’t just be viewers who haven’t read the books who’ll be...

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Wi-Fi on planes opens door to in-flight hacking, warns US watchdog

Hackers on commercial flights could now bring down the plane they are on by using the on board Wi-Fi, a US government watchdog has warned. The US Government Accountability Office (GAO) does not suggest it would be easy to do but it points out that as airlines and the Federal Aviation Administration attempt to modernise planes and flight tracking with internet-based technology, attackers have a new vulnerability they could exploit. The GAO says:...

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Why Beyoncé speaks for a generation

“The woman that every woman aspires to be.” That’s how one of my university peers describes Beyoncé. And she speaks for many. Few musicians today have inspired a genuine cult of personality. But Beyoncé, the undisputed wearer of pop music’s crown, has done just that. “All hail Queen Bey!” cry her horde of devoted fans, who call themselves the BeyHive, an apt name for the followers of a star who generates such deafening buzz. When she dropped...

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Explosive ripples suggest the Sun has "seasons"

It's not just Earth weather that's erratic. Our own star, the Sun, also goes through changes. It's known to go through an 11-year cycle, becoming more or less active. At its peak it explosively fires charged particles out into space, creating powerful sun storms that in turn trigger spectacular auroras on Earth. Now it seems it has a second, shorter cycle, which lasts about 330 days. In other words, the Sun has a seasonal cycle that lasts almost...

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Coloured Pluto comes into view

The New Horizons probe, which is bearing down on Pluto, has captured its first colour image of the distant dwarf planet. The picture, just released by the US space agency, shows a reddish world accompanied by its biggest moon, Charon. New Horizons is set to barrel past Pluto on 14 July. It will acquire a mass of data that it will then return to Earth very slowly over the course of the next 16 months. At the current separation of nearly five...

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Asiana plane skids off runway at Hiroshima, Japan

Air safety authorities in Japan are investigating how a South Korean Asiana Airlines plane skidded off a runway on landing at Hiroshima airport. The 74 passengers and seven crew members used emergency chutes to evacuate the Airbus 320 in the incident late on Tuesday. Local media reported that at least 20 people had minor injuries. Transport ministry officials said a plane wheel may have clipped a radio facility near the runway on landing. The...

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The invisible world viewed by drones

A few metres above the ground, a drone glides through London’s streets. It sees a man, scans his face, and quickly looks up his criminal record. Elsewhere, a traffic drone spies on vans and cars, checking their emissions and identifying illegal drivers. Another hovers in a living room, sees a little girl has a cat on her T-shirt, makes an algorithmic decision, and feeds a cat-related advert to her parent’s phone. This is a near-future vision...

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Lockheed’s U-2: The spyplane from Area 51

Imagine driving a car whose engine cuts out if you drive it only a few miles below its maximum speed. A car so finally balanced that placing your coffee cup on anything other than the cup holder could cause it to swerve uncontrollably. You have to drive it – for anything up to 15 hours – in a diving suit. And when it comes to parking you can’t look out the windows, but have to rely instead on the directions of another driver guiding you to your...

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Porpoises, whales and dolphins use 'sound searchlights'

Researchers in Denmark have revealed how porpoises finely adjust the beams of sound they use to hunt. The animals hunt with clicks and buzzes - detecting the echoes from their prey. This study showed them switching from a narrow to a wide beam of sound - "like adjusting a flashlight" - as they homed in on a fish. Researchers think that other whales and dolphins may use the same technique to trap a fish in their beam of sound in the final phase...

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Being overweight 'reduces dementia risk'

Being overweight cuts the risk of dementia, according to the largest and most precise investigation into the relationship. The researchers admit they were surprised by the findings, which run contrary to current health advice. The analysis of nearly two million British people, in the Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, showed underweight people had the highest risk. Dementia charities still advised not smoking, exercise and a balanced diet. Dementia...

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Bangladesh Islamist politician Kamaruzzaman hanged

An Islamist politician convicted of war crimes during Bangladesh's 1971 war of independence from Pakistan has been hanged at a prison in Dhaka. Mohammad Kamaruzzaman of the Jamaat-e-Islami party was found guilty of genocide by a domestic war crimes tribunal in May 2013. Kamaruzzaman, 62, was convicted of crimes including the killing of at least 120 unarmed farmers. He had refused to seek clemency from Bangladesh's president. Kamaruzzaman was...

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Target Pluto fastest spaceship set for epic encounter with our remotest planet

It is the fastest spaceship ever launched and has been hurtling towards its target at a staggering 36,000mph for the past nine years. But now Nasa engineers are preparing to put their robot craft, New Horizons, on its final course – to the tiny world of Pluto. Scheduled to reach its target on 14 July, New Horizons has already covered more than three billion miles since its launch, a distance that means signals from the spacecraft now take about...

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