Human rights groups fear that the number of people executed in Iran could double this year after reports of a spike in secret hangings at a large prison in the city of Mashad. Iran already executes more people per capita than any country in the world. Credible information from former inmates indicates that “numerous” undeclared executions have taken place in Vakilabad Prison over the past... 

Leaked screenshot of future Windows 8 In its most concrete comments yet about the next version of Windows, Microsoft said in a blog post on its Dutch Web site that Windows 8 is about two years from hitting the market. Microsoft is working on the next version of Windows, the blog says in Dutch, but it will be about two years before Windows 8 is on the market. Microsoft’s Dutch subsidiary posted... 

Zimbabwe’s white farmers face new violent surge in the build up to vote, farm leaders say. A Zimbabwean white farmers’ organization said Thursday they had seen a “renewed onslaught” of farm seizures and attacks, including the slayings of two farmers, in recent weeks. Deon Theron, head of the Commercial Farmers Union that represents Zimbabwe’s dwindling number of white... 

Forensic workers stood by the body of a woman lying next to a passenger bus in the northern border city of Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, on Thursday. During its nearly four-year crackdown on major drug trafficking organizations, the Mexican government has repeated the mantra that most of the nearly 30,000 people killed have some association with the illicit trade. But in the span of a week, a devastating... 

Mirko Hannemann, chief executive of DBM Energy, gets out of the "Lekker Mobil", an Audi A2 with an electric engine, in front of Berlin's Brandenburg Gate on Tuesday. The electric car drove 600km (372 Miles) from Munich in southern Germany to Berlin without recharging its battery, setting what organisers hailed as a new world distance record for an everyday vehicle. An electric car drove... 

Russia called on the US Thursday to carry out a detailed investigation into allegations contained in leaked Iraq war documents published by WikiLeaks. “The US authorities bear the responsibility to conduct a thorough, independent and transparent investigation of all the reports that have appeared in the media,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement. The statement pointed out that Washington... 

Name game: Mohammed is now the most popular name for new-born boys (picture posed by model) Mohammed has become the most popular name for newborn boys in Britain. It shot up from third the previous year, overtaking Jack, which had topped the list for the past 14 years but was relegated to third spot. Olivia topped the list for little girls for the second year in a row, behind Ruby and Chloe. A total... 

Don’t let the Tea Party fool you. A lot of voters are skeptical of the two major political parties, but most aren’t ready for a third party yet. Still, a plurality (43%) of Likely U.S. Voters believes that neither Democrats nor Republicans in Congress are the party of the American people, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey. Nearly as many see a need for a new third... 

Bumblebees can find the solution to a complex mathematical problem which keeps computers busy for days. Scientists at Queen Mary, University of London and Royal Holloway, University of London have discovered that bees learn to fly the shortest possible route between flowers even if they discover the flowers in a different order. Bees are effectively solving the ‘Travelling Salesman Problem’,... 

Iceland hopes to host computer servers for international companies seeking freedom of speech. One of the consequences surrounding the most recent release by Wikileaks of documents relating to America’s war in Iraq is a renewed interest in the safe and secure hosting of contentious data. The prospect of hosting secret or questionably legal data within the United States has become increasingly less... 

You may remember an LA Times article from last year, titled Beijing Loves IKEA — But Not for Shopping. In summary, the article revealed why there’s a line to get in the front door of the Beijing IKEA, but not one to check out. The picture above tells part of the story — just as many locals visit IKEA to sleep — on chairs, sofas, and occasionally beds — as come for the $2 plates of lox and... 

Na'vi captain... James Cameron. Star director signs up to take charge of sequels to science fiction 3D blockbuster. James Cameron’s next two films will both be set on Pandora, he confirmed today. Variety reports that Cameron signed a deal with 20th Century Fox to direct both Avatar 2, which has been given a tentative release date of December 2014 and Avatar 3, due for distribution a year... 

A Coachella Valley teen who aimed a laser pointer at a CHP helicopter last year was sentenced to 15 months in federal prison Monday, authorities said. Nathan Ramon Wells, 19, aimed the laser at the aircraft while it was assisting Cathedral City police investigating a residential burglary in June 2009. Along with the prison time, U.S. District Court Judge Virginia A. Phillips in Riverside ordered Wells... 

Peter Gray flings his shoes at John Howard after demanding former leader defend sending troops to Iraq. A man protesting against the Iraq war hurled his shoes at Australia’s former prime minister during a live TV show, mimicking the shoe-throwing protest aimed at former President George Bush in Baghdad two years ago. Peter Gray flung his shoes at John Howard, a Bush ally in the Iraq war, after... 

President Obama tells the Univision, Latino audience to, “Punish our enemies and reward our friends.” On Monday, October 25, Obama asked for a Latino upsurge in voting number for the upcoming election on November 2nd. “If Latinos sit out the election instead of saying, ‘We’re gonna punish our enemies and we’re gonna reward our friends who stand with us on issues that are important to...