A 20-year-old green-eyed girl from Kirkuk was chosen Miss Iraq in the first national pageant in over four decades. The final had to be moved from Basra to Baghdad after receiving threats from radical Muslims. Eight contenders competed for the crown and a chance to represent Iraq in the Miss Universe contest. Organizers tried to stick to criteria of the international event, but made concessions to... 

Dozens of Kurdish fighters and several Turkish soldiers have lost their lives in bloody clashes in Turkey’s southeast this week, and the shadow of civil war is increasingly seen day by day. Increasingly, signs that ongoing clashes between Turkish security forces and Kurdish fighters may soon turn into a full-scale civil war, with much of the Kurdish population involved, have caused deep concern. ​Ankara’s... 

Amid the nation’s terrorism fears, President Barack Obama’s approval rating has plummeted to nearly a record low. It now stands at 43 percent, as seven in 10 Americans believe the country is headed in the wrong direction, according to a recent poll. The survey, conducted by the NBC/WSJ earlier in December, has revealed a 2 percentage point drop in Obama’s job approval since late October... 

Not long after the White House invited Thailand to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the AP reported the country was relying on slave labor to ship shrimp to the U.S. And it’s unlikely Thailand’s billion-dollar slave industry would prevent it from joining the TPP considering that Obama previously removed an anti-slavery provision from the TPP and also allowed Vietnam to join the partnership... 

1. A new study reveals that children with poorer financial situations are three times more likely to be obese as their richer peers. 2. Although green tea is enjoyed by millions for its numerous health benefits, US researchers are warning that drinking too much green tea may be harmful. 3. A British tech company has introduced a new predictive application that’s giving a voice to young people... 

Activist prankster Mark Dice hit the strip in San Diego once again this week to expose how lefty Americans will agree with anything so long as they think Hillary Clinton is behind it. This week, Dice sold the sheep members of the public on the idea that one of Hillary’s primary campaign promises is to lower the standard of living, and asked if they think it is a good campaign platform to run on. “I... 

Russia could become the world’s largest supplier of ecologically clean and high-quality organic food, said President Vladimir Putin on Thursday. He also called on the country to become completely self-sufficient in food production by 2020. “We are not only able to feed ourselves taking into account our lands, water resources – Russia is able to become the largest world supplier of healthy,... 

Nicaragua’s landmark Momotobo volcano has erupted for the first time in 110 years, spitting lava and sending plumes of smoke into the sky to the delight of social media users worldwide. The last time the volcano erupted was in 1905, and up until then it was one of the most active volcanoes in the country, producing 10 eruptions between 1849 and 1905. As long ago as 1610, an eruption by Momotombo... 

Startup culture and the “sharing economy” could be replacing the traditional American Dream of freedom of lifestyle choice and the ability to own a home, according to a new survey paralleling research conducted in 1986. Young white Americans have become as hopeless regarding the “American Dream” as their non-white counterparts, according to a poll conducted among US 18 to 34-year-olds,... 

The daunting prospect of millions of Turks moving to Britain arose after EU leaders tabled a deal in exchange for help stemming the flood of migrants into Europe. They are offering the huge country £2billion in cash, visa-free travel for its citizens and speeded up membership talks if it clamps down on people trafficking and migration across its borders. The deal was expected to be signed off by... 

On the eve of a global climate summit in Paris, activists across the US marched in support of new environmental initiatives, calling for meaningful discussions and decisive actions from world leaders at the “last chance” conference. More than 5,000 people flocked to City Hall in New York to take part in an environmental gathering there. “The climate is changing. It’s our fault, and we have... 

A Chinese martial arts school has introduced a new twist to a classic sport, opening a football academy which will combine Shoalin kung fu with football in a bid to produce more skilled footballers in China just like in the 2001 Chinese movie Shaolin Soccer which was a huge success back then for the Chinese film industry. Tens of thousands of young Shaolin students train at the historic Shaolin Tagou... 

Russia will stop cooperation with Turkey in the field of tourism, the head of the Federal Tourism Agency Oleg Safonov told reporters on Thursday, November 26. “It is clear that cooperation with Turkey in the tourist industry will be stopped,” said Safonov. According to the official, the Russian Federal Agency for Tourism, Rosturizm, will impose sanctions on tour operators if they continue... 

Black Friday is a complete scam based around the manifestly provable hoax that consumers are getting huge discounts on products that would normally be more expensive at any other time of year. In reality, stores enjoy higher profit margins during the holiday period because retailers artificially inflate prices of goods in the months before Black Friday in order to make the subsequent discounts look... 

Cars floating in rivers that were once streets, water gushing through ceilings and people sailing to work on boats – that’s the current picture in Qatar and Saudi Arabia, both desert countries, which should be dry and sunny for the whole year. Qatar’s capital Doha was apparently unprepared for the deluge and flooding that damaged many buildings in the city. The area near the capital’s Hamad...