While we wouldn’t go so far as to say it’s possible to find a “silver lining” in the San Bernardino massacre, the fact that Tashfeen Malik’s connection to Saudi Arabia has focused the world’s attention on Riyadh’s role in promoting Sunni extremism means the tragedy will at least serve a kind of utilitarian purpose. 

The BBC website was attacked by a group allegedly fighting Daesh/ISIL online, as a show of strength. The British broadcaster said that its main news website and other online services were taken down on Thursday by a large web attack. Sputnik reports: An anti-Islamist hacker group claimed responsibility on Saturday for an online attack on the BBC that knocked its website offline on New Year’s Eve, the UK state broadcaster said.

It was recently announced that 7th graders in Rhode Island will be required to have the Gardasil HPV vaccine as a requirement for attending school. According to the Providence Journal: Starting this fall, seventh-graders in all public and private schools will be required to get a vaccine that protects against a sexually transmitted virus linked to various genital cancers, especially cervical cancer in women.

Researchers are on the verge of developing robots which are practically indistinguishable from humans. Scientists at Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University have taken another step in that direction by unveiling a creepy new humanoid robot named Nadine who has her own personality and is designed to play the role of social companion or personal assistant.

After the first deadly winter storm this season, now come the floods: the near-record water level across the U.S. Midwest has disrupted everything from oil to agriculture, forcing pipelines, terminals and grain elevators to close. This is the worst flood in the region since May 2011, when rising water on the Mississippi and its tributaries deluged cities, slowed barge traffic and threatened refinery and chemical operations and is just shy of the worst flood of breaking 30-year records.