'Accident' at nuclear facility sends cloud of radioactive pollution over Europe

An accident at a nuclear facility in Russia or Kazakhstan has been blamed for a cloud of radioactive pollution over Europe in recent weeks, officials have said.

French nuclear safety institute IRSN said the incident likely happened in the last week of September.

The IRSN ruled out an accident in a nuclear reactor, saying it was likely to be in a nuclear fuel treatment site or centre for radioactive medicine.

There has been no impact on human health or the environment in Europe, the IRSN said.

IRSN, the technical arm of French nuclear regulator ASN, said it could not pinpoint the location of the release of radioactive material but that based on weather patterns, the most plausible zone lay south of the Ural mountains, between the Urals and the Volga river.

North Carolina air traffic controller arrested on weapons charge

Authorities say an air traffic controller at a North Carolina airport has been arrested on charges of possessing a weapon of mass destruction.

Local media outlets report that the FBI says 30-year-old Paul George Dandan was arrested Friday in Charlotte. The FBI is assisting Charlotte-Mecklenberg Police with the investigation but said federal charges aren't expected against Dandan at this point.

What’s it like living in Catalonia after independence declaration?

Catalonia is at a standstill on Wednesday after protesters blocked roads, highways and train tracks as part of a regionwide strike, called by a pro-independence union. Dave Walsh, a pro-independence supporter who lives in Sant Cugat, explains what it has been like to live in the region since indpendence was declared on October 27th.
Having escaped police violence during Catalonia’s independence referendum on October 1st, trouble arrived this week in the town of Sant Cugat, where I live, just north of Barcelona.

Here Are The 5 Women Who Have Accused Louis C.K. Of Sexual Misconduct

Just a month after the disturbing allegations against movie mogul Harvey Weinstein were published in two detailed exposés from the New Yorker and the New York Times, another well-known man is being called out for alleged sexual misconduct by five women. The New York Times reports that Louis C.K. has been accused of sexual misconduct by Dana Min Goodman, Julia Wolov, Abby Schachner, Rebecca Corry, and a woman who wishes to remain anonymous. All five of the women accuse the comedian of masturbating or asking to masturbate in front of them, in most cases without their consent. Many of these instances took place in professional settings.
Earlier today, the Hollywood Reporter wrote that the New York premiere of Louis C.K.'s upcoming movie, I Love You, Daddy, was abruptly canceled due to "unexpected circumstances." A source told the outlet that this move was made in anticipation of the New York Times story. His planned appearance on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert was also canceled.

Taylor Swift: Reputation – track by track review of the new album

Taylor Swift’s Reputation, her new album that will sell by the truck load, is a new dawn in the singer’s career and she’s cleaning up all of the extracurricular and very public drama she took part in (or orchestrated) for the last few years. When you listen to Swift’s music, you generally need a fine comb to work your way through all of the references but when she went into overload with album precursor Look What You Made Me Do in August, it felt like a bad omen in a year where almost everything is a bad omen.
For the last 18 months or so, Taylor went into hiding. She retreated to recover from the media backlash she suffered and on Reputation, she’s showing us the scars.
She’s lost friends and she’s not afraid to tell you that some of them are now enemies but when she boats about that on This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things and End Game, it feels unintentionally sad.
End Game, Don’t Blame Me, Gorgeous, Dancing with our Hands Tied and Dress are all a bit so-so – but once you get to Delicate, Getaway Car and New Year’s Day, she returns to clever and insightful songwriting, finding tenderness and beauty in tiny details.
Taylor’s career is built on heartbreak and while her older songs held a starry-eyed optimism that love will save day, she’s knows a little bit better now but instead of examining the wounds, she holds a grudge and doubles up on her ammunition.
New Year’s Day, the final song on the album, is the finest. It’s simple in its delivery and after 14 songs of sex, petty revenge and toying with an R&B sound, it feels like she’s got something out of her system.

On-board computers and sensors could stop the next car-based attack

Cities are scrambling to protect busy pedestrian areas and popular events.
Computerized systems can be used to automatically brake or even steer the car.
But the question of whether humans should still be able to control the car — in certain scenarios — raises ethical concerns.

In the wake of car-and truck-based attacks around the world, most recently in New York City, cities are scrambling to protect busy pedestrian areas and popular events. It’s extremely difficult to prevent vehicles from being used as weapons, but technology can help.

Right now, cities are trying to determine where and how to place statues, spike strip nets and other barriers to protect crowds. Police departments are trying to gather better advance intelligence about potential threats, and training officers to respond – while regular people are seeking advice for surviving vehicle attacks.

These solutions aren’t enough: It’s impractical to put up physical barriers everywhere, and all but impossible to prevent would-be attackers from getting a vehicle. As a researcher of technologies for self-driving vehicles, I see that potential solutions already exist, and are built into many vehicles on the road today.

Former House of Commons bar manager claims up to 30 MPs hounded her for sex including one who 'groped her on a bus'

   
A former House of Commons bar manager has claimed up to 30 MPs hounded her for sex with one even allegedly 'groping' her on a bus.
Alice Bailey, 25, worked for almost four years at Parliament's Sports and Social Bar, where she claimed many MPs behaved like 'obnoxious old pervs'.
Miss Bailey, who started work at the bar as a 19-year-old, claimed she was regularly pestered by ministers for sex.
The former barmaid told the Sun: 'They fancied their chances because I was just a young barmaid and in their minds they were very important people who presumed I would be available.'
'They were such creeps. It was pathetic as they were nearly all married and at least twice my age.'
Miss Bailey claimed that one SNP MP begged her for sex just two hours into her first shift at the bar and that a veteran Labour MP followed her home and groped her on a bus after drinking 12 pints of beer.