Behind the mind-boggling human carpentry of Catalonia’s castellers

Jen Rose Smith December 5, 2018 Share this article Equal parts flesh and architecture, the castellers’ craft is a kind of human carpentry, in which lean-limbed children play an essential role. Jen Rose Smith gets to the heart of this very proud, and very Catalonian tradition. By noon on Saint Ursula day, October 21st, the […]

Camera traps designed for animals are now invading human privacy

Enlarge / A camera trap working properly. (credit: Flickr user: NationalZoo) Over the past two decades automated wildlife cameras—known as camera traps—have proven invaluable in ecological research and conservation management. Their sensitive motion detectors have enabled scientific surveys of rare or shy animals in dense forest and as a consequence have seen broader use around […]

Dozens of prominent activists have been held for months in Saudi Arabia without charge — and the spotlight on the Kingdom’s human rights record is stronger than ever

Saudi Arabia’s human rights record has come under intense scrutiny in recent months.  Earlier this year, the country detained dozens of prominent women’s rights activists — most without access to communication and many who were never formally charged with a crime.  Award-winning campaigner Samar Badawi was arrested in August, which sparked a massive feud between […]

WATCH moment armed robbers break into lottery shop in Brazil, use 25 hostages as human shields

Several balaclava-clad, gun-wielding attackers used as many as 25 hostages as human shields to make their way out after a failed raid on a lottery shop in Brazil. The terrifying moment was caught on camera. The tense stand-off occurred after five armed robbers, wearing black balaclavas, tried to raid a lottery shop in the city […]

X Factor 2018: ‘What an awful human’ Ayda Field drops SHOCK Robbie Williams bombshell

In tonight’s instalment of the X Factor, 18-year-old Chloe Jane McAllister will perform Jessie Ware’s Say You Love Me. The teen from Northern Ireland also performs the piano hoping to impress the judges. After watching her stunning performance, Ayda opens up about her romance with husband Robbie revealing he dumped her three times. She tells […]

European Court rules UK surveillance program violated human rights

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) is the latest to deem the UK government’s mass surveillance program unlawful. Judges ruled the “bulk interception regime” violated the right to privacy and freedom of expression. It said there was “insufficient oversight” over what communications UK agencies were collecting and also noted that there were “inadequate” safeguards […]