At least 13 killed in Southern California mudslides

At least thirteen people have been killed in mudslides in Southern California according to Santa Barbara County Sheriff, with numbers of fatalities expected to rise.

Homes were torn from their foundations Tuesday as downpours sent mud and boulders roaring down hills stripped of vegetation by a gigantic wildfire that raged in in the region last month.

Rescue crews used helicopters to pluck people from rooftops as debris blocked roads, and firefighters pulled a mud-caked 14-year-old girl from a collapsed Montecito home where she had been trapped for hours.

Scores feared dead and up to 100 missing after boat sinks off Libya's coast

Survivors from a boat that foundered off Libya’s coast on Tuesday said about 50 people who had embarked with them were feared dead, while the coastguard said the number of missing might be as high as 100.

Libyan coastguard vessels picked up nearly 300 migrants from three boats off the coast of the North African country on Tuesday, but one rubber boat was punctured and the coastguard only found 16 survivors clinging to its wreckage.

“We found the migrant boat at about 10 o’clock this morning. It had sunk and we found 16 migrants. The rest were all missing and, unfortunately, we didn’t find any bodies or [other] survivors,” said Nasr al-Qamoudi, a coastguard commander.

Hundreds of 'Boiled' Bats Fall from Sky in Australian Heat Wave

As temperatures rose to 111.5 degrees Fahrenheit (44.2 degrees Celsius) in Campbelltown in the Australian state of New South Wales, a colony of flying fox bats that lives near the town's train station felt the effects. Volunteers struggled to rescue the heat-stricken bats, according to the Campbelltown-Macarthur Advertiser, but at least 204 individual animals, mostly babies, died.

"They basically boil," Kate Ryan, the colony manager for the Campbelltown bats, told the newspaper. "It affects their brain — their brain just fries and they become incoherent." [Watch for Falling Iguanas! Bomb Cyclone Drops Frozen Lizards]

BAFTA 2018 nominations: 'Retired' Daniel Day-Lewis, Hugh Grant and Margot Robbie all up for gongs

 

The BAFTA Awards 2018 nominations have been announced this morning - and it's The Shape Of Water leading the way for a whopping 12 nominations.

Actresses Letitia Wright and Natalie Dormer announced the potential winners this morning in a live streamed press conference and revealed who could be in the running for a gong when the BAFTAs take place on February 18 at the Royal Albert Hall in London.

The other big surprise was the newly appointed host of the BAFTAs, Joanna Lumley, who takes over from Stephen Fry after ten years of him presenting the ceremony.

Here's who could be walking away next month with a weighty gong...

Ibuprofen linked to male infertility, study says

What is ibuprofen?
Ibuprofen is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID). It works by reducing hormones that cause inflammation and pain in the body.

Ibuprofen is used to reduce fever and treat pain or inflammation caused by many conditions such as headache, toothache, back pain, arthritis, menstrual cramps, or minor injury.

Ibuprofen is used in adults and children who are at least 6 months old.

Ibuprofen has a negative impact on the testicles of young men, a study published Monday in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found. When taking ibuprofen in doses commonly used by athletes, a small sample of young men developed a hormonal condition that typically begins, if at all, during middle age. This condition is linked to reduced fertility.

Advil and Motrin are two brand names for ibuprofen, an over-the-counter pain reliever. CNN has contacted Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson, the makers of both brands, for comment.

Update your iPhone, iPad and Mac NOW! Apple issues update to protect users from 'Spectre' chip flaw

Apple has released an updated version of its operating system software to fix a major microchip security flaw that affected nearly all computer chips made in the last decade.
Last week, Alphabet Inc's Google and other security researchers disclosed two major chip flaws, one called Meltdown affecting only Intel Corp chips and one called Spectre, that left computing devices vulnerable to hackers.

'iOS 11.2.2 includes security improvements to Safari and WebKit to mitigate the effects of Spectre,' the firm said.
The technology giant also released software updates for its Mac, Apple TV and Apple Watch.

The iPhone maker had said on Thursday it will release a patch for the Safari web browser on its iPhones, iPads and Macs.
Apple had also said that there were no known instances of hackers taking advantage of the flaw.

'For our customers' protection, Apple doesn't disclose, discuss, or confirm security issues until an investigation has occurred and patches or releases are available,' the company said on its website.
The iOS update is available for iPhone 5s and later, iPad Air and later, and iPod touch 6th generation, it said.

Apple told to take urgent action over dangerous smartphone addiction

Apple has been told to take urgent action to curb children's smartphone addiction, amid fears that technology could be damaging the young generation.

The warning from two shareholders comes amid increasing concerns about how gadgets and social media could affect the young children who use them, many of whom are attached to their phones for many hours a day.

Famous technologists including Steve Jobs have been reported to have been concerned about the effects of technology on their own children, limiting the amount their kids could use the internet and phones and tablets.

Saudi Arabia is giving many of its citizens $3000 for free

Saudi Arabia plans to give its citizens $13 billion (50 billion riyals) in handouts to offset the increasing costs of living.
State employees will receive monthly payments of 1,000 riyals (about $US266).
The government also announced plans to cut perks to royal family members, which angered members of Saudi's elites.

Saudi Arabia plans to give its citizens 50 billion riyals ($13 billion) in handouts to offset increasing costs of living, Reuters reported Sunday.

King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud has ordered the government to pay out 1,000 riyals (about $266) to state employees each month in 2018.

11 dead after gun battle erupts outside Mexican beach resort popular with Brits

At least 11 people have been shot dead at a popular Mexican beach resort.

A gunfight broke out between residents and members of a local, self-appointed community police force on the outskirts of Acapulco.

The gun battle took place in the farming community of La Concepcion, after a young man was arrested for disorderly conduct during town festivities early on Sunday morning.

America's "most experienced astronaut" John Young dies from pneumonia at the age of 87

John Young, America's "most experienced astronaut" has died at the age of 87. In his prime, he had walked on the Moon during the Apollo program and commanded the first space shuttle mission.

In a statement from acting NASA Administrator Robert Lightfoot on the passing of John Young, who died on Friday night following complications from pneumonia, Young is the only agency astronaut to go into space as part of the Gemini, Apollo and space shuttle programs, and the first to fly into space six times:

“Today, NASA and the world have lost a pioneer. Astronaut John Young's storied career spanned three generations of spaceflight; we will stand on his shoulders as we look toward the next human frontier.

Here Are All the Winners From the 2018 Golden Globes

The 75th annual Golden Globes are a wrap!

The night's big winners included Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, which took home best picture and best actress in a drama (Frances McDormand) as well as Big Little Lies, which won best television limited series or motion picture made for television and three acting prizes.

Oprah Winfrey accepts the 2018 Cecil B. DeMille Award during the 75th Annual Golden Globe Awards at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on Jan. 7, 2018 in Beverly Hills, Calif.

Oprah Winfrey Promises 'A New Day Is on the Horizon' in Triumphant Golden Globes Speech
Check out the full list of winners below:

'Nobody will ever have to say Me Too again': Oprah reduces Golden Globes guests to tears with powerful speech

Oprah Winfrey used her Golden Globe lifetime achievement speech to issue a rallying cry as she begged both men and women to do what they could to ensure no one ever has to utter the words 'Me Too' again.
The actress and businesswoman received a lengthy standing ovation as she accepted the Cecil B. DeMille Award at Sunday's Globes ceremony, before saying how honored she was to be the first black woman to receive the accolade.
The 63-year-old spoke about the feelings she had as a young girl watching Sidney Poitier win the best actor Academy Award in 1964. 'It is not lost on me that, at this moment, there is some little girls watching as I become the first black woman to be given the same award,' Oprah said. 'It is an honour and it is a privilege to share the evening with all of them. I want all the girls watching that a new day is on the horizon.

Golden Globes blackout as stars take to red carpet dressed in black to protest Hollywood sex scandal

 
The Golden Globes red carpet is usually a parade of bright and bold fashions.

But this year's ceremony will be a much more muted affair as Hollywood's female stars unite in black dresses.

A host of A-listers, including Michelle Williams, Jessica Chastain and Sally Hawkins will sport colour-free gowns in protest of industry-wide sexual harassment.
  

2 women wounded in shooting outside west Houston cocktail lounge

Two bystanders were shot Saturday night outside a west Houston bar, authorities said.
An altercation inside the Bourbon St. Daiquiris Cocktail Lounge spilled out into the parking lot in the 12900 block of Westheimer just before midnight.
At least one person pulled out a gun and opened fire, hitting two women sitting inside a gray SUV, according to Houston police. The gunfire left their car with shattered windows and multiple bullet holes.

Here's How Alcohol Can Damage DNA and Increase Cancer Risk

Scientists think they know how alcohol damages DNA and increases the risk of cancer.

Researchers in England conducted the study in mice, however, experts say that the mechanisms linking alcohol to DNA damage are the same in mice and men. Indeed, earlier studies have shown strong links between alcohol and certain cancers in humans; in addition, the International Agency for Cancer Research classifies alcohol consumption as "carcinogenic to humans."

What wasn't clear, however, was how alcohol did its damage. [7 Ways Alcohol Affects Your Health]

The study, which was published Jan. 3 in the journal Nature, took a precise look at how exposure to alcohol, and the compounds that result when the body breaks down alcohol, cause damage to chromosomes in blood stem cells. These stem cells are crucial for replenishing cells lost throughout the life span, but once they are damaged, they can spread the damage further. (Stem cells can divide and replenish cells for long periods of time.)