Salon.com > Kaitlin Funaro

Reddit apologizes for falsely accusing student of bombings

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 12:18:00 +0000

Reddit was responsible for one of the biggest news blunders of the Boston Marathon man hunt after users circulated the name of an innocent missing student as connected to the bombings.

Now, redditors along with the site's leadership, posted an apology to the family of still-missing Brown University student, Sunil Tripathi.

"We want to take this opportunity to apologize publicly for the pain they have had to endure," the statement said.

"We hope that this painful event will be channeled into something positive and the increased awareness will lead to Sunil's quick and safe return home."

Reddit's "findthebostonbombers" thread drew a lot of criticism for jumping to conclusions after hearing fragments of information on a police scanner.

North Korea open to talks with U.S.?

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 22:15:00 +0000

SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea said it was open to dialog with the US but that it would not return to the "humiliating negotiating table" until it has boosted its nuclear arsenal enough to fend off an American attack, the state news agency reported.

"Genuine dialog is possible only at the phase where the DPRK has acquired nuclear deterrent enough to defuse the US threat of nuclear war unless the US rolls back its hostile policy," the North's foreign ministry said in a statement carried by the state news agency, KCNA.

The statement came after a series of escalating threats against both the US and its neighbor, South Korea.

President Barack Obama said in an interview Tuesday that it is likely that North Korea will display more "provocative behavior" but that it would not be rewarded.

Delhi gang rapists tried to run over victim

Wed, 02 Jan 2013 17:17:00 +0000

New details are emerging in the horrific gang rape that caused the death of a female student in Delhi, India.

The gang of assailants who allegedly brutally assaulted and raped the 23-year-old aboard a private bus would have run her over if her boyfriend had not pulled her out of the way just in time, reported Agence France-Presse.

The severely injured medical student, who has not been named, was airlifted after initial surgery in Delhi to a hospital in Singapore, where she died Saturday after extensive organ failure. Her boyfriend, whom friends say she was planning to marry, was also was beaten and thrown off the bus on which the two were traveling.

Is the North Korean satellite tumbling out of control?

Thu, 13 Dec 2012 15:46:00 +0000

There are conflicting reports about whether the North Korean satellite launched Wednesday is orbiting normally.

According to the US, the object that was sent into space by Pyongyang appears to be “tumbling out of control” as it orbits the earth, reported NBC News.

Yet South Korean officials told the Associated Press that the long-range rocket is orbiting normally, though it's unclear if it is functioning properly while in orbit.

South Korean Defense Ministry spokesman Kim Min-seok told Fox News that the satellite is orbiting at a speed of 4.7 miles per second. He said it takes two weeks to determine whether a satellite is operating successfully.

Libyan Prime Minister dismissed with no-confidence vote

Mon, 08 Oct 2012 13:26:00 +0000

Libya’s prime minister, Mustafa Abushagur, was dismissed with a no-confidence vote Sunday after failing to win approval for a new cabinet for the second time.

Abushagur submitted plans for the establishment of 10 ministries, among them defense, interior and justice. He withdrew his first cabinet proposal after it encountered strong criticism and protests.

Abushagur had only 72 hours to get a new cabinet list approved or he would be forced to resign less than a month into his term.

By Sunday, parliamentary spokesman Omar Humeidan said he had reached the end of the 25-day period in which he must form a government, reports Fox News.