Topic: Geneva (Switzerland)

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3 late-summer novels too good to miss

Our final fiction roundup of the summer features an eclectic lineup: One is a fantasy epic, the second is a quirky first novel about an avant-garde family, and the third is a somber look at the kidnapping of a political dissident. All, however, are really good.
Photos of the Day: Photos of the day 05/09
Photos of the Day: Photos of the day 02/28
Photos of the Day: Photos of the day 02/24
Arizona shooting: US has lots of guns, but it's not alone

The shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D) of Arizona has brought renewed attention to the US 'gun culture' and gun violence – and the prevalence of guns in the country. In fact, the US has the largest number of civilian-owned guns in the world, both in raw number and relative to its total population, according to a 2007 report by Small Arms Survey, a Geneva-based project that studies small arms and armed violence. But some countries aren't too far behind the US. Below are some of the countries with the largest civilian gun ownership rates in the world.

All Content

After Houla massacre, Syrian diplomats expelled around the world

France, Britain, Canada, Germany, Italy, Spain, and Australia are expelling Syrian diplomatic envoys. The response to the Houla civilian massacre is increasing Syria's isolation.
Diamond sells for $9.7 million at Swiss auction

Diamond sells for $9.7 million in an auction in Geneva. Marie de Medici wore the 34.98 carat Beau Sancy diamond at her coronation as Queen Consort of Henry IV in France in 1610.
Syrian forces kill teenager in another Aleppo attack, reports say

One day after a raid on a local college campus resulted in four deaths, Syrian forces fired on a large group of protesters in Aleppo Friday.
Backchannels
Israel legalizes three more West Bank settlement outposts

The decision, which is part of a broader settlement expansion, could pave the way for similar legalizations. Prospects for meaningful peace talks just grew dimmer.
As Syria cease-fire falters, Kofi Annan urges faster arrival of UN monitors

Kofi Annan, the former UN chief who negotiated the cease-fire, spoke to the Security Council Tuesday. He appears alarmed by claims that Syrian forces massacred 30 civilians in the city of Hama Monday.
400-year-old diamond – owned by royals – for sale

400-year-old diamond, owned by a French king and German, British royal families, will be auctioned off by Sotheby's May 14. Known as the 'Beau Sancy,' the 400-year-old diamond is expected to fetch up to $4 million.
One dead, three wounded in separate Damascus attacks Tuesday

A car bomb wounded three early Tuesday near the Old City part of the Syrian capital. Meanwhile, a Syrian agent was found dead in another Damascus neighborhood.
Why Trayvon Martin judge is stepping down already

Judge Jessica Recksiedler disclosed a potential conflict of interest. Circuit Judge Kenneth Lester Jr. will take over the Trayvon Martin case
Syria: Opposition protests will test uncertain truce

The opposition plans broad protests tomorrow in an effort to call attention to ongoing abuses in the country.
Syrian army fighting rebels days before troop pullback (+video)

Syrian army troops and tanks are reportedly fighting rebels near Damascus and other cities. President al-Assad has agreed to pull back troops as part of a UN-brokered peace plan next week.
Retest of neutrino speed suggests Einstein was right, after all (+video)

An attempt to replicate experiments last year in which neutrinos were measured moving faster than light has clocked the ethereal particles traveling within the cosmic speed limit, suggesting that Einstein's special theory of relativity still holds up.
Neutrinos slower than light, but continue to befuddle physicists

A recent experiment has demonstrated that neutrinos do not, in fact, travel faster than light. But this ethereal subatomic particle continues to undermine established physical models in other ways.
Tiny particles send a message for the first time (+video)

Scientists have used neutrinos to send a message. This may be the first step toward a new form of communication.
To reboot Italy's economy, Monti takes on the cabbies

Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti has made liberalizing the service sector a key economic initiative, but the taxi industry is resisting.
Africa Monitor
Crisis mapping: How Invisible Children's Kony 2012 campaign changed advocacy

Invisible Children's Kony 2012 campaign includes an early warning radio network and crisis map that help civilians prepare for attacks by Joseph Kony's Lord's Resistance Army, guest blogger Patrick Meier says.
Syrian refugees huddle in Lebanon: 30 people, one candle, and no food

One of 30 Syrian refugees sharing a tiny house says many charity workers have visited but never returned. They are among thousands displaced by a Syrian crackdown on a belt of towns near Lebanon.
Are scientists close to uncovering the Higgs boson?

Researchers analyzing data from Fermilab's now-defunct Tevatron particle accelerator say that they may have glimpsed evidence of the elusive Higgs boson, the so-called God particle thought to be responsible for giving all other particles mass.
Higgs boson coming into focus, say scientists (+video)

Higgs boson: The hunt for the Higgs boson, the so-called God Particle, continues. But in a study released today, scientists say they're getting closer to proving the existence of Higgs boson, but the image is 'fuzzy.'
Keep Calm
Lord's Resistance Army: After long silence, the US-tracked rebels attack

The deadly Lord's Resistance Army goes on attack again in Democratic Republic of Congo, but coordinated efforts by regional armies and the US military has put them on the run. 
Toyota Europe: Goodbye tsunami woes, hello growth

Toyota has put its post-tsunami production woes behind and now aims to boost its share in Europe, Toyota official says.
Terrorism & Security
Syria's nonviolent opposition aligns with armed groups

The Syrian National Council announced that it has established links with the armed opposition faction, the Free Syrian Army, after months of hewing to nonviolence.
Leap year: why we have a need for the occasional Feb. 29

The leap year is a testament to the tough time that humans have trying to organize 365 days, 5 hours, 49 minutes, and 16 seconds into a year.
Faster-than-light neutrinos? Why nobody is surprised it might be an error.

Last year, European particle physicists observed neutrinos apparently traveling faster than the speed of light. But now it seems that it was a bad measurement, which is no surprise to the physics community.
Did CERN's neutrinos break the cosmic speed limit? Faulty wiring could be more likely.

Last year CERN researchers clocked neutrinos moving faster than light, in an apparent violation of the laws of physics. Now it seems that it was actually a bad measurement caused by a loose fiber optic cable.
North Korea and US talk for first time since Kim Jong-il's death

Talks today between North Korea and the US could provide insight to whether North Korea's new government is ready for change.