Новости за 24.01.2016

Thomson Reuters

DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran's parliament passed a law on Sunday defining "political offences" that would be guaranteed public trials, a measure credited by President Hassan Rouhani's pragmatic government as a step towards reform, but faulted for not going far enough.

Iran's constitution provides for public trials and other legal protections for people accused of political crimes, but these have never been defined. Most people considered by human rights groups to be political... Читать дальше...

Thomson Reuters

PARIS/ROME (Reuters) - President Hassan Rouhani brings the case to Europe this week for Iran as a potential investment bonanza, after the lifting of financial sanctions brought his country of 80 million people back into the world of global commerce.

Rouhani, a pragmatist elected in 2013 on a platform to reduce Iran's isolation, championed the deal under which Iran curbed its nuclear program in return for the lifting of U.S., EU and United Nations sanctions this month. Читать дальше...

ISIS is creating another 'resources-rich stronghold' in the Arab world — and it's bad news for Europe

REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton

NEW YORK/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Millions of residents, business owners and workers began digging out on Sunday from a massive blizzard that brought Washington, New York and other northeastern U.S. cities to a standstill, killing at least 19 people in several states.

The storm was the second-biggest in New York City history, with 26.8 inches (68 cm) by midnight Saturday, just shy of the record 26.9 inches set in 2006, the National Weather Service said.

Property magnate Donald Trump shared a strange Twitter image on Thursday in order to mock his top primary rival, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas).

Disney/Lucasfilm

We have seen some absolutely bonkers theories coming off of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens." Everything from Supreme Leader Snoke is actually Grand Moff Tarkin, to Poe Dameron is actually a sleeper agent for The First Order. We thought that last one was the craziest theory we’d hear, but this new one takes the cake. One of the other great mysteries of "The Force Awakens" is the answer to the question regarding Rey’s past. Prior to the movie’s release many believed that Rey might be the daughter of Han Solo. Читать дальше...

Flickr / nestor ferraro

This year, the financial world has been confronted with a lot of volatility and unanswered questions.

There has been the collapse in stock prices and calls for a bear market or a crash.

We've also been inundated with predictions that the US economy is nearing a recession.

It may be easy to conflate the two, especially since full-blown bear markets (a drop of 20% from recent highs) have happened outside of a recession only twice since 1900.

Getty/Dennis Grombkowski

We all get frustrated.

The guy in front of you is driving like an idiot. Your boss is being a jerk. Your partner isn't listening.

And sometimes these all happen to you on the same day.

What's the fix for this? One guy came up with a solution that deals with all of these problems — and more.

Albert Ellis was quite a character. He was controversial. Outspoken. A bit of a rebel. In fact, the book he's most famous for was titled "How to Stubbornly... Читать дальше...

Ever find yourself questioning how accurate those little signal strength dots are on your iPhone?

Gene J. Puskar/AP

In a feature in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on former Steelers players, former wide receiver Antwaan Randle El said he regrets playing football.

After nine years in the NFL, Randle El said he increasingly suffers from memory loss and prays he doesn't have to live with the long-term effects of football-related injuries.

Additionally, he didn't offer a sunny outlook for the future of football.

Randle El retired in 2010 and has moved into education, helping... Читать дальше...

Lydia Ramsey/Business Insider

This fall, personal-genetics company 23andMe launched a new direct-to-consumer test that complies with the FDA's rules on personal-genetics testing.

The new test gives information on everything from how much DNA you share with our Neanderthal ancestors to how much caffeine you likely consume.

It also lets you know if you're carrying certain genetic variations related to diseases that you could pass on to your kids.

I've been interested in... Читать дальше...

RAW Embed

The Periodic Table of Commodity Returns

At the beginning of each year, U.S. Global Investors puts out a fantastic visualization called the Periodic Table of Commodity Returns. This year’s version has an interactive design that allows users to sort returns by various categories including returns, volatility, and other groupings.

For those keeping score, 2015 was a historically bad year for commodities in almost every regard.

Base Metals: The fact that lead... Читать дальше...

NBC

NBC's "Saturday Night Live" lampooned Hollywood's Oscar diversity controversy.

In its own fictional awards show, the "Screen Guild Awards," every nomination named a white actor in a bit movie role where there was a clearly more-deserving African-American actor or actress for the honor.

"And now, the award for best actor," said the presenter, played by Cecily Strong. "There were so many great performances this year. It's a shame we couldn't nominate more, but I think we... Читать дальше...

Getty Images

Recently, "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" star John Boyega told British Vogue that his character Finn will be "much more physical" in the next "Star Wars" movie, "Episode VIII."

"I might be in the gym a bit more," the British actor said.

Turns out he wasn't joking.

After filming wrapped on "The Force Awakens," Boyega sought out the trainer who got Michael B. Jordan in ridiculous shape for "Creed," Corey Calliet.

"He saw how Michael looked in 'Creed' and said... Читать дальше...

AP

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A magnitude-6.8 earthquake knocked items off shelves and walls in south-central Alaska and jolted the nerves of residents in this earthquake-prone region, but there were no immediate reports of injuries.

The earthquake struck about 1:30 a.m. Alaska time and was centered 53 miles west of Anchor Point and 160 miles southwest of Anchorage, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

In its initial report, the agency had classified the earthquake as a magnitude-7.1... Читать дальше...

REUTERS/Jason Reed

There was a time, and it was not so long ago, that western economies would enthusiastically welcome a sharp drop in oil prices.

This no longer seems be the case.

With oil prices almost halving in the last 12 months – and falling even more in the last 15 months in one of the largest and fastest plunges in history – the phenomenon is now seen by many as more as a curse than a blessing.

Here are the three main reasons why, in rising order of importance;... Читать дальше...

More than 1 billion people use Facebook every day. Here are a few tricks that most people don't know when it comes to privacy protection. 

Virginia Tech

Add another piece to the growing list of evidence that Apple is starting to explore virtual and augmented reality.

This week, the Financial Times reported that Apple hired Doug Bowman, a researcher and professor at Virginia Tech who specializes in virtual reality. No one knows exactly what Bowman will be doing at Apple, but it's not difficult to figure out what kinds of projects he'll be focusing on based on his resume.

Many see virtual reality (VR) and its close... Читать дальше...

© AFP/File Noel Celis

Manila (AFP) - The new Miss Universe, back in the Philippines after an epic televised blunder surrounding her crowning, said Sunday she would use the attention the incident attracted to campaign for HIV awareness, especially in her home country.

In front of an estimated one billion television viewers worldwide last December, pageant host Steve Harvey mistakenly announced Miss Colombia, Ariadna Gutierrez, as Miss Universe before correcting himself minutes later. Читать дальше...

Instagram/Tiffany & Co

Many millennial women might remember receiving their first Tiffany & Co. bracelets.

This gift might have been bestowed unto them around the holidays or around major birthdays.

But it appears that Gen Z isn't as enamored with luxury goods as millennials were.

Proof? Tiffany & Co. announced that its comparable sales dipped -5% this past quarter, including the holiday season, a time marked by gifting.

It's arguable that young people... Читать дальше...

Frank Ockenfels/FOX

After nine seasons, two movies, and 13 years off the air, "The X-Files" returns to Fox with six new episodes on Sunday. And there are certain things show creator Chris Carter would love for people to take away from the show and at least one thing he doesn't.

"There’s this trend to reboot shows now," Carter told Business Insider. "And that word 'reboot' doesn’t sit well with me. It suggests that you have an old computer in the closet and you want to fire it up again. Читать дальше...

Mark Goulston/Vimeo

Mark Goulston spent two years role-playing for a living.

He'd pretend to be a suicidal policeman, holding a gun to his neck, threatening to take his own life.

His job was to challenge his audience — a room full of FBI agents and police officers — to talk him out of it.

"In the end, I always pulled the trigger, and then, from the point of view of that role play, I would tell them what they could have asked and could have said that would have caused me to give up and surrender," explains Goulston... Читать дальше...

© AFP Brendan Smialowski

A massive blizzard that claimed at least 16 lives in the eastern United States finally appeared to be winding down Sunday, giving snowbound residents the chance to begin digging out.

The near-record snowstorm clobbered the eastern United States Friday and Saturday, shutting down New York and Washington and affecting some 85 million residents.

More than 4,400 flights were canceled, airports in New York, Philadelphia, Washington and Baltimore ground to a halt... Читать дальше...

Thomson Reuters

A former senior British intelligence officer wants to give evidence that the country's security services knew about the torture of inmates at the U.S. prison camp in Guantanamo Bay, a newspaper reported.

The former officer is seeking permission to present evidence to a forthcoming parliamentary inquiry that British officials saw detainees being tortured in December 2002, the Sunday Times said quoting senior security sources.

Details of torture were disclosed... Читать дальше...

AP Photo/Matt Rourke

Bob Robbins bought his home in 1995 amid a bout of long-term unemployment.

Living with his wife and two kids in a rundown rental in Burlington, Vermont, he wanted to stabilize the family’s housing before his children started kindergarten.

Prospects seemed bleak.

The family’s savings had dwindled after his unemployment insurance gave out. But in 1993 Robbins saw a newspaper advertisement for something called the Burlington Community Land Trust.