Rjukan, home to about 3,500 residents and situated about 70 miles west of the capital, Oslo, has installed a trio of giant mountaintop mirrors to focus light into the valley town’s square during the cold (and dark) winter months.
NPR News
Government Shutdown Delays Rocket Launch
The launch of a rocket carrying a record-breaking 29 satellites — originally set for early next month — will be delayed by a few weeks after the partial government shutdown halted preparations.
U.S. Drone Strikes Violate International Law, Reports Allege
Two reports released on the eve of White House visit by Pakistan’s prime minister allege that the U.S. has “violated international law with top-secret targeted-killing operations that claimed dozens of civilian lives in Yemen and Pakistan,” as McClatchy Newspapers writes.
As Smoke Blankets Sydney, Australians Brace For Worse Days
Wildfires are burning to the north, south and west of Sydney, Australia, and smoke “has been rolling in for days,” correspondent Stuart Cohen said Tuesday on Morning Edition.
Chinese City Of 11 Million Paralyzed By Off-The-Charts Smog
The Capital Weather Gang reports that the index for fine particulate pollution exceeded 1,000, a level “well-beyond the hazardous threshold of 300 and, officially, ‘beyond index’ – as the scale stops at 500.”
Teacher Who Died Trying To End Shooting Remembered As A Hero
Michael Landsberry, the 45-year-old middle school math teacher and Afghan War veteran who was killed trying to talk down a student shooter at a Nevada Middle School, is being remembered as a hero.
Scout Leaders Who Toppled Ancient Rock May Face Charges
A group of Boy Scout leaders could be in serious trouble after they posted video online of one of them toppling a rock formation at Goblin Valley State Park in Utah.
Wildfires In Australia Destroy 200 Homes, May Get Worse
Authorities in Australia say major wildfires that have already scorched about 200 homes and 269,000 acres, could get worse.
Syrian Peace Talks To Start In November
Negotiations to try to broker a political solution to Syria’s bloody civil war will begin in Geneva on Nov. 23.
France, Mexico Latest Nations Reportedly Spied On By U.S.
The U.S. National Security Agency recorded millions of French phone calls, including those involving individuals with no links to terrorism, Le Monde reported on Monday.