News around the world

Ukraine Parliament ousts President Viktor

Ukraine Parliament ousts President Viktor Yanukovych. On February 22 the world woke up to the news that Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych had been voted out from office by the country's parliament, culminating the often deadly protests that gripped the country since November, 2013. It all began late last year when President Yanukovych suddenly decided to abandon a trade deal with Europe in favour of closer ties with Russia, that the country depends on for cheap oil and gas.

This aroused the ire of the majority population who are concerned about Russia's increasing influence on the country. Their biggest fear is that if the alliance continues, President Putin's dream of creating a new Eurasian Union with Ukraine as a central member, may become a reality. So, a few people took to the streets of the country's capital Kiev in what was supposed to be a peaceful protest. As the crowds grew, they started to cordon off government buildings and even occupied City Hall, forcing the government to send in riot police to control the situation. Over the months, the conflict has been erratic with attempts of reconciliation interspersed with violent protests. But it all seemed to come to a head on Saturday when deserted by all his allies, President Yanukovych decided to flee Kiev, to an unknown destination.

Declaring him constitutionally unable to perform his presidential duties, the country's parliament decided to oust Yanukovych and even set an election date of May 25 to vote in a new leader. Until then, senior Ukrainian opposition leader Oleksander Turchinov will take the helm to restore order to this politically fragile country.

Need a weather prediction? Ask your cat!

The fact that animals can sense natural disasters well before they occur, is quite well-known. However, the fact that animals have the ability to predict changes in day-to-day weather, seems to have been a well-kept secret known only to people that inhabited the world a few centuries ago.

Now, thanks to the resurfacing of an ancient book, we too can partake in some of that wisdom. It is the cat that appears to have the most foresight. So for those that have one or multiple felines at home, here are some insights on what to look for. If your cat has a sneezing fit, it is not a sign of allergies, but a premonition that rain is on the way.

Another indication that wet weather may be heading your way is if your pet is spending copious amounts of time cleaning the section of his/her head behind the ears. When your cat starts to snore or lie on his/her back for extensive periods to time, get ready for a 'snow day' because that is the cue that the weather is about to turn for the worse and that there may even be a storm on the way.

These predictions are too broad for your liking? No worries! Your cat can even predict the direction of the wind, after a rainstorm. All you have to do is observe which side of face, he/she is grooming. In case you are wondering, cats are also capable of predicting good weather. Apparently, prior to a warming trend, cats sit with their backs turned to a warm welcoming fire. Whether the observations by this army man are true has never been scientifically proven. So be sure to 'test' them out and let us know, if cats are indeed better at predicting the weather than meteorologists!

Have super bugs? Call in the xenex germ-zapping

When one thinks of fighting robots, it is usually in context of them combating large terrifying alien creatures, not micro organisms that are invisible to the human eye. But the emergence of resilient bacteria that scientists call super bugs, has left medical experts with no choice, but to call in the best combat force they have available. Though percent of the infection causing pathogens can be effectively killed using antibacterial agents, one percent manages to escape unscathed.

These survivors not only rapidly multiply, but also, take the DNA from the dead relatives and pass it on to other living bacteria. As a result, the micro organisms start to build a resistance to existing antibacterial agents.

And while researchers are trying, the resilient bacteria are evolving at such a rapid pace, that the medical community has been unable to create drugs strong enough to combat them, once they enter the human body.

This is a frightening prospect for anyone, but becomes particularly problematic in hospitals, where a large number of ill and vulnerable people are contained in close quarters and likely to share germs.

Not surprisingly, the abundance of these pathogens makes hospitals the most common breeding ground for super bugs.

While doctors and nurses fight the spread of germs by constantly washing hands and sanitizing, it is not always enough to prevent contamination.

The situation is particularly tricky in operating rooms, where doctors need to take every precaution to ensure that the patient is not exposed to these super bugs, since an infection in an open wound or exposed organ, could prove fatal.