Burkina Faso’s president steps down and is replaced by military chief in light of protests.
Citizens of Burkina Faso gather for the announcement of a new leader.
In Burkina Faso, General Honore Nabere Traore is now the head of state after the previous president, Blaise Compaoré, resigned following civil unrest. The violent protests that resulted in the end of Compaoré’s 27 year reign were centered around his attempts to gain another term in office when their Constitution only allows for the president to serve two terms. At first he stated that would remain in office until the next elections, despite the opposition. But after a change of mind on Friday, he announced that he would be resigning from his position, and ultimately allowing for a military takeover. Protests are once again underway for the military to release hold of the office.
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China completes their first trip to the moon with the probe “Jade Rabbit”.
China’s lunar probe on display at the 15th China International Industry Fair in Shanghai. (Image courtesy of Imaginechina via AP Images.)
China reached a milestone by sending an unmanned probe, the Jade Rabbit, to the moon for the first time. At its furthest, the probe would have been 413 000 kilometres from Earth. The next goal of the State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defence (SASTIND) is to have a permanent orbiting station by 2020, and shortly after, a man on the moon.
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Long and hard droughts cause deforestation of the Amazon rainforest, leading to scientists pushing for legislation.
A large strip of land resulting from rapid deforestation that foreshadows the fate of the rest of the rainforest. (Image courtesy of Ayrton Vignola)
Antonio Nobre, researcher in the American government’s space institute, Earth System Science Centre, says that the destruction of the world’s greatest rainforest may lead to more devastating natural events in the future. If the equilibrium between the vegetation and climate is tipped, the Amazon rainforest could potentially become a dry savannah. The issue is further stressed by the recent increase in deforestation; between August and September 2014, there has been a 190% surge.
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Mass protests in Hungary result in cancellation of proposed internet tax
Thousands of protesters gathered at the Fidesz party headquarters. (Image courtesy of Reuters)
The Hungarian government has decided to remove a proposed tax on internet data after a mass protest began Sunday 26 October. The tax would place a fee of about 150 forints ($0.60) on each gigabyte of internet data transferred. After protests, the government created a monthly limit of 700 forints per person and 5000 forints per company, but people were not pacified. Citizens feared that an internet tax would not only be a financial burden, but also restrict free speech and access to information. The Fidesz party of Hungary said that the tax was necessary to balance Hungary’s budget in 2015. Prime Minister Viktor Orban has said that the tax code should be modified. In January 2015, there will be an international consultation regarding this issue.
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Man’s arachnophobia accidentally removed through brain surgery
Nick Medform suggests that some of the neural pathways related to the panic-type fear response were eliminated with the removal of the left amygdala. (Image courtesy of 1×57.com)
A 44 year old man began having seizures, due to a rare condition called sarcoidosis. This resulted in the removal of the left amygdala, an abnormality in his brain. For a brief period of time the man experienced a strong dislike of certain music, but his fear of spiders had disappeared. Though his aversion to music eventually faded, he is now able to touch and observe spiders, and has even expressed fascination for the insects.
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Revision: It was previously stated that the probe “Jade Rabbit” had returned back to earth. However, after further investigation, this remains unclear. It is currently unknown if the probe has returned to earth or not.
Correction: Jade Rabbit did not return to Earth as stated in the article. The probe sent by the Chinese was an unmanned test probe unofficially called Chang’e 5 T1. Jade Rabbit was a Moon rover and it would be nearly impossible to return it to Earth.
http://spaceflightnow.com/2014/11/01/chinese-pathfinder-probe-returns-from-flight-around-the-moon/
The article used as the source by the author of “World Weekly”, clearly differentiates between the probe that returned to Earth and the Jade Rabbit rover.