Photographer recreates Star Wars on Cromarty Firth rigs

A photographer has created images that place some of Star Wars' best-loved characters on oil rigs parked up in the Cromarty Firth in the Highlands.

Glasgow-based photographer Craig Mann, whose work usually features landscapes from around the world, used Photoshop to make the pictures.

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Hacker hits US spy chief James Clapper's personal accounts

The US director of national intelligence has had several of his personal online accounts hacked, his office has confirmed.

A spokesman said the matter had been "reported to the appropriate authorities", but declined to say more.

As director of national intelligence, James Clapper serves as a key adviser to the US president on security matters including cyberthreats.

It follows a similar cyber-attack on the CIA's director in October.

The Motherboard news site reported on Tuesday that it had been contacted by a young hacker who had claimed responsibility.

Motherboard reported the teenager had said he was part of the same group - Crackas With Attitude (CWA) - behind the earlier breach.

Calls rerouted

The youth said he had broken into Mr Clapper's personal email, his Verizon phone and internet account settings and a Yahoo email account belonging to Mr Clapper's wife.

The BBC understands that Mr Clapper's office has only seen evidence that the hacker actually accessed Sue Clapper's email and the couple's family phone number.

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Mark Zuckerberg's vaccine post stirs up controversy

Mark Zuckerberg's Facebook page has become a troll battleground after he posted a photo that endorses the use of vaccines in young children.

The Facebook (FB, Tech30) CEO, who is enjoying two months of paternity leave following the birth of his daughter, Maxima, recently posted a father-and-daughter photo from the doctor's office.

"Doctor's visit -- time for vaccines!" the caption on the photo reads.

It's not clear whether Zuckerberg intended to stake out a position on one of the Internet's favorite conspiracy theories, but he succeeded in sparking a major debate.

The post has generated more than 77,000 comments, many from anti-vaxxers who wrongly argue that vaccines increase the risk of autism and other health-related issues.

"Injecting newborns and infants with disease and neurotoxins is disgusting science that injures millions every year," said a Facebook user named Meredith Allyson Gibney. "Shame on all of you and your souls."

Related: Why Mark Zuckerberg is hanging out in San Quentin

The recurrent myth about a link between vaccines and autism, propagated by a small but vocal group of anti-vaccine activists, grew out of a now discredited study from 1998 that was published in a British medical journal by a doctor who was later stripped of his license.

Other comments reflected views more grounded in medical science.

"As someone with autism, with a son with autism, as someone who is constantly watching good people put their own children at serious risk because of old, fraudulent fears of vaccines and autism... thank you for being sensible," said Facebook user Stuart Duncan. "Thank you for doing what's right."

Related: Dr. Sanjay Gupta: Vaccines are a matter of fact

Zuckerberg previously addressed vaccines in a post about one of the works selected for his book club.

"Vaccination is an important and timely topic. The science is completely clear: vaccinations work and are important for the health of everyone in our community," he said.

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Teen girl uses 'superhuman strength' to lift burning truck off dad and save family

Charlotte Heffelmire is being celebrated as a hero after she lifted a pick-up truck off her dad - and saved her family from a dangerous fire.

Dad Eric was working in the family garage on a GMC pick-up truck when the jack propping up the car slipped and pinned him to the ground, with leaking petrol instantly catching fire.

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Al Qaeda Militant group warns Saudi Arabia it will pay for executing militants

Al Qaeda has warned Saudi Arabia it will pay for the executions of dozens of its members, saying they were intended to be a new year's gift to Riyadh's Western allies aimed at consolidating the rule of the Saudi dynasty.

Though it was the killing of a Shi-ite cleric in the Jan. 2 mass execution which sparked a crisis between Saudi Arabia and its regional rival Iran, most of the 47 executed were al Qaeda militants convicted of bombings and gun attacks in the kingdom.

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David Bowie dies of cancer aged 69

Singer David Bowie, one of the most influential musicians of his era, has died of cancer at the age of 69.

A statement was issued on his social media accounts, saying he "died peacefully, surrounded by his family" after an "18-month battle with cancer".

Tributes have been paid from around the world to the "extraordinary artist" whose last album was released days ago.

Sir Paul McCartney described him as a "great star" who "played a very strong part in British musical history".

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How to charge your cell phone battery in less than a minute

Is it possible to charge your phone from 0% to 100% in less than a minute? Yes. I just saw it happen.

But you'll need to put a special battery in your phone, drill holes through the case directly into the battery, put copper connectors in the holes and get a specialized 200 Watt charger.

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Cosmology is in crisis – but not for the reason you may think

Science is advancing rapidly. We are eradicating diseases, venturing further into space and discovering a growing zoo of subatomic particles. But cosmology – which is trying to understand the evolution of the entire universe using theories that work well to describe other systems – is struggling to answer many of its most fundamental questions.

We still have no idea what the vast majority of the universe is made of. We struggle to understand how the Big Bang could suddenly arise from nothing or where the energy for “inflation”, a very short period of rapid growth in the early universe, came from. But despite these gaps in knowledge, it is actually human nature – our tendency to interpret data to fit our beliefs – that is the biggest threat to modern cosmology.

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