Science news

• Iraqi army declares first major victory over Islamic State in Ramadi

  27-12-2015 19:57
  By Ahmed Rasheed and Maher Chmaytelli BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq's army declared victory over Islamic State fighters in a provincial capital west of Baghdad on Sunday, the first major triumph for the U.S.-trained force since it collapsed in the face of an assault by the militants 18 months ago. The capture of Ramadi, capital of mainly Sunni-Muslim Anbar province in the Euphrates River valley west of the capital, deprives Islamic State militants of their biggest prize of 2015. The fighters seized i
  
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• Iraqi army declares victory over Islamic State in Ramadi

  27-12-2015 18:34
  By Ahmed Rasheed BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq's army said on Sunday it had defeated Islamic State fighters in a provincial capital west of Baghdad, the first major victory for the U.S.-trained force since it collapsed in the face of an assault by the militants 18 months ago. Victory in Ramadi, capital of mainly Sunni-Muslim Anbar province in the Euphrates River valley west of the capital, deprives Islamic State militants of their biggest prize of 2015. "By controlling the complex this means that we
  
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• Damage from sinking land costing California billions

  27-12-2015 16:25
  DOS PALOS, Calif. (AP) — A canal that delivers vital water supplies from Northern California to Southern California is sinking in places. So are stretches of a riverbed undergoing historic restoration. On farms, well casings pop up like mushrooms as the ground around them drops.
  
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• Iraqi forces surround Islamic State-held complex in Ramadi - spokesman

  27-12-2015 15:12
  Iraqi forces have totally encircled the government complex in Ramadi, the last stronghold of Islamic State militants in the western city, and are about to enter it, joint operations command spokesman Yahya Rasool told Reuters. Recapturing Ramadi, which fell to the militants in May, would be one of the most significant victories for Iraq's armed forces since Islamic State swept across a third of the country in 2014. The militants "seem to have fled the complex, we're not encountering any resistan
  
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• These truisms proved false in 2015

  27-12-2015 13:00
  
  Don’t always believe what you hear. These truisms turned out to be false in 2015.
  
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• Saudi Arabia intercepts ballistic missile from Yemen

  27-12-2015 12:57
  Saudi Arabia said it intercepted a Scud ballistic missile fired from Yemen on Saturday, according to a statement on the Saudi state news agency SPA, an attack which threatens a fragile ceasefire ahead of renewed U.N.-backed peace talks next month. "Saudi Air Defence Forces intercepted at about 11 P.M. (2000 GMT) yesterday a Scud missile launched from Sanaa, in Yemeni territory, toward the city of Najran ... the air force immediately destroyed the rocket launch platform," the Saudi statement said
  
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• Iraqi army prepares for final push to take Ramadi from Islamic State

  27-12-2015 12:48
  Iraqi troops were getting ready on Sunday for a final push to take the remaining district held by Islamic State in the city of Ramadi, army spokesmen said. Recapturing Ramadi, which fell to the militants in May, would be one of the most significant victories for Iraq's armed forces since Islamic State swept across a third of the country in 2014.The soldiers are within 300 meters (330 yards) of the provincial government compound, the target of the attack they launched on Tuesday, Sabah al-Numani,
  
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• #ParisAttacks, #LoveWins, #elxn42: The essential hashtags of 2015

  27-12-2015 11:19 via cbc.ca
  
  Twitter’s end-of-year report includes some of the most popular hashtags and topics that resonated with the more than 300 million users of the social media service.
  
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• VIDEO: World's rarest magpie comes to UK

  27-12-2015 10:16 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Conservationists at Chester Zoo have brought one of the world's most endangered birds - the Javan green magpie - into captivity.
  
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• Saudi Arabia intercepts ballistic missile from Yemen - state news

  27-12-2015 10:08
  Saudi Arabia said it intercepted a Scud ballistic missile fired from Yemen on Saturday, according to a statement on the Saudi state news agency SPA, an attack which threatens a fragile ceasefire ahead of renewed U.N.-backed peace talks next month. "Saudi Air Defence Forces intercepted at about 11 P.M. (2000 GMT) yesterday a Scud missile launched from Sanaa, in Yemeni territory, toward the city of Najran ... the air force immediately destroyed the rocket launch platform," the Saudi statement said
  
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• Science: Best long reads of 2015 (part two)

  27-12-2015 02:58 via bbc.co.uk
  
  More of our best Science and Environment articles from 2015
  
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