Iran arrests "network of homosexuals and satanists"
The news website of the revolutionary guards in Kermanshah province, home to the country's Kurd ethnic minority, reported on Thursday that their elite forces had dismantled what it claimed to be a network of homosexuals and devil-worshippers. The group were picked up from a ceremony hall, which they had rented for a birthday party. (Guardian)
State schools "an open door for evangelical groups," warns study
The report, by the National Secular Society, calls on the Government to introduce a stricter code of conduct to prevent visiting groups “proselytising” during RE lessons. (Independent)
Lonely planet found wandering a mere 80 light years from Earth
The free-floating planet, named PSO J318.5-22, is a gas giant with six times the mass of Jupiter and is a relative newborn as far as planets go, having formed only 12 million years ago. (Guardian)
Syrian rebels committed war crimes, killed civilians in planned attack
Jihadi-led rebel fighters in Syria killed at least 190 civilians and abducted more than 200 during an offensive against pro-regime villages, committing a war crime, an international human rights group says. (Washington Post)
Elephants "understand human gestures", scientists find
African elephants have demonstrated what appears to be an instinctive understanding of human gestures, according to UK scientists. In a series of tests, researchers offered the animals a choice between two identical buckets, then pointed at the one containing a hidden treat. From the first trial, the elephants chose the correct bucket. (BBC)
