Sorry, Human Torch fans: The iconic Marvel Comics character is no more. The Torch, aka Johnny Storm, died in issue No. 587 of the Fantastic Four comic book, released today. The high-profile death comes 50 years after the Fantastic Four’s debut, as part of an epic storyline that will see…
Continue reading …The 19th-century composer Frédéric Chopin suffered frightening hallucinations, ranging from ghosts to creatures coming out of his piano. Now, researchers believe the visions may have been prompted by temporal lobe epilepsy, the Daily Telegraph reports. The disease can cause short, detailed hallucinations, and “could easily have been overlooked by Chopin’s…
Continue reading …The US military has been unable to establish a link between Bradley Manning and Julian Assange, US military officials tell NBC . Though investigators have determined that Manning unlawfully downloaded tens of thousands of military files and gave them to an unauthorized person, there’s no evidence he passed them directly to…
Continue reading …A three-year Office of Special Counsel investigation has found that members of George W. Bush’s administration—including at least seven Cabinet secretaries—campaigned on the taxpayer dime. In the run-up to the 2006 elections, Cabinet members took many politically motivated trips, falsely claiming they were on official business, investigators concluded….
Continue reading …President Obama will talk about the importance of cutting the deficit in his State of the Union address tonight, but he’s unlikely to endorse any specific steps for doing so, administration sources tell the Washington Post . In particular, Obama has explicitly assured Democratic lawmakers and advocates for the elderly that…
Continue reading …Russian security officials were warned a week ago of an impending attack at a Moscow airport—and they even had information on the exact location of the bombing, the Daily Telegraph reports. “A tip-off with a warning that something was being prepared appeared one week before the explosion. Even the…
Continue reading …It might finally be time to pay for a handful of Wall Streeters, as the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission prepares to name names for possible prosecution, insiders tell the Huffington Post . The panel, which will release three separate reports on Thursday, is turning several cases over to state and federal…
Continue reading …As, one assumes, part of her preparation for becoming royalty, Kate Middleton has quit her day job, the Evening Standard reports. The future Mrs. Prince William “handed over her work” at her parents’ online party supply store before Christmas, “and is now preparing for her future life,” royal aides say….
Continue reading …A US engineer has received a 32-year sentence for selling military secrets to China, the BBC reports. Noshir Gowadia, 66, who worked on the B-2 bomber’s propulsion system, was found guilty in August of giving China information that helped it build a stealth cruise missile. He was reportedly paid $110,…
Continue reading …Hezbollah’s chosen candidate has won enough support to be appointed as Lebanon’s new prime minister, sparking angry protests across the country and warnings of chaos to come. The government Najib Miqati forms may end up strongly resembling previous governments, but the symbolism of Hezbollah, once a shadowy militant group, picking…
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