Category: U.S. & World

This year’s South By Southwest Interactive conference came to an end Tuesday, March 17. The five-day convention took place in Austin, Texas and included six different ceremonies honoring some of the world’s most forward-thinking individuals and companies. This year saw hundreds of technological innovations. Some of the 2015 Interactive Innovation Award Winners are: VocaliD (Health… Continue reading Tech industry gathers for annual ‘SXSW’ conference

Germanwings Flight 9525 crashed in the southern French Alps the morning of Tuesday, March 24. The plane was traveling from Barcelona, Spain, to Dusseldorf, Germany, when it quickly descended over 6,000 feet to its fatal crash. The plane was carrying 150 people including 144 passengers and 6 members of the flight crew. Authorities have said… Continue reading Plane crash in French Alps leaves no survivors

Two of the most infamous and brutal terror groups are working towards joining forces following the release of a new audio recording. The message has yet to be authenticated but appears to be from the leader of Nigeria’s Boko Haram, Abubakar Shekau, pledging allegiance to the ISIS. The jihadist monitoring group SITE on Saturday, March… Continue reading Boko Haram pledges allegiance to ISIS

Eddie Ray Routh has been found guilty in the murders of Chris Kyle and Chad Littlefield. On Feb. 24, Routh was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. The Texas jury made up of 10 women and two men, unanimously convicted Routh of capital murder. The jury was instructed to consider three possible verdicts: guilty, not guilty, or not guilty by reason of insanity. Routh admitted to shooting Kyle and Littlefield but was pleading not guilty by reason of insanity. His defense attorneys argued that he was suffering from mental disorders and was in the grips of psychosis when he fatally shot Kyle and Littlefield on Feb. 2, 2013. There was no clear motive found in the reasoning behind the killings. Routh shot Kyle and Littlefield each in the back multiple times. Prosecutor Jane Starnes said, “Ladies and gentlemen, that is not insanity. That is just cold, calculated capital murder. He is guilty of capital murder. He is not in any way insane.” The trial lasted a total of nine days. The jury took less than 3 hours to deliberate and render a verdict for Routh. The jury was presented with testimonies from mental experts, Routh’s family, as well as a crime specialist before making their final decision. One of the jurors spoke out and stated that the pattern that they saw of Routh’s actions was a major factor in their decision. “When I say there’s a pattern that we saw, he would get intoxicated, get in trouble and then the police would show up and he would say  ‘I’m a veteran, I have PTSD, I’m insane,’ you know, and every time something bad happened he pulled that card,” said the juror. Eddie Ray Routh showed no emotion or reaction when the verdict was read. Judy Littlefield, mother of Chad Littlefield, thanked the reporters and press for being so respectful and compassionate during this time. “We’re so thrilled that we have the verdict that we have tonight,” said Judy Littlefield. Taya Kyle, widow of Chris Kyle, spoke out through a lengthy Facebook post. “God Bless the jury and good people of Stephenville, Texas!!” she wrote.

A new form of synthetic insulin currently undergoing trials could revolutionize diabetes management and treatment. A group of researchers led by Dr. Danny Chou, a professor of biochemistry at the University of Utah, has developed a form of insulin currently known as “Ins-PBA-F.” This “smart” insulin is capable of activating itself in response to high blood sugar… Continue reading “Smart” insulin could ease treatment of diabetes

Social networking site Twitter revealed in its regular transparency report that it had received more than 2,800 data requests from various world governments since its previous report in July of 2014. The overall number of requests was a 40 percent increase from the previous reporting period. The requests concerned a total of approximately 7,100 accounts.… Continue reading Twitter reports large number of government data requests

President Barack Obama hopes to create a new agency to handle potential cyber threats. “We have to work together like never before,” the president said during a speech at a cybersecurity summit held in Silicon Valley. The summit consisted of key tech firms and CEOs and presidents of American Express, MasterCard, Visa and Walgreens meeting at… Continue reading President Obama proposes creation of new agency