Which are the largest countries in the world?

In 2018, an incredible event shook the Indian city of Tinsukia: a group of rats destroyed banknotes inside an ATM machine, causing significant economic damage.

The incident sparked wonder and curiosity around the world, leading to speculation about the behaviour of rats and the safety of ATMs. In this article, we will take a closer look at this incredible story and try to understand what could have prompted the rats to act in this way.

We will also look at the wider implications of the event, highlighting the vulnerabilities of financial technologies and the challenges society faces in preventing threats from wild animals and natural environments. (source BBC)

This is a list of the most populous cities in the world, defined based on 2018 United Nations estimates, official census estimates, and the 2021 "Demographia World Urban Areas" report.

"World Urbanization Prospects," a publication by theONU, defines the population of a real city as "the population living within the administrative boundaries of a city." For many of the metropolises, however, the metropolitan area is administratively distinct from the urban agglomeration proper. For this reason, ONU recent estimates distinguish three definitions of cities: cities proper, urban areas and metropolitan areas.

According to the definition of "city proper", based on administrative uniqueness, the Chinese city of Chongqing is the largest in the world.

According to the other two definitions, Tokyo, despite being divided into several administrative units, is the most populous "urban agglomeration" (i.e. the agglomeration without rural areas) in the world, while the Chinese city of Shanghai is the most populous "metropolitan city" (i.e. the area interconnected by common infrastructure and frequent transport).

The data in this gallery include the total population of agglomerations in their highest estimates, thus also including metropolitan areas.

The lonely house on the Icelandic island of Elliðaey has generated numerous theories and speculations, including a refuge for billionaires in the event of an apocalypse or the abode of a religious fanatic.

However, these stories have been disproved. The real story behind the isolated mansion dates back to the 1950s, when it was built by the Elliðaey Hunting Association as a refuge for puffin hunters. The island of Elliðaey, uninhabited for about 90 years, is an ideal nesting habitat for these endangered birds.

Environmentalists visit the island and use the lodge to monitor and protect puffins during their summer breeding season.

Europe's average temperature in 2022 was 2.3 degrees higher than in the pre-industrial era (1850-1900). This is what emerges from a study and data collected jointly by the World Meteorological Organisation (Wmo) and the EU Earth observation service, Copernicus.

On the other hand, the average temperature, taking the world as a whole into account, has increased by 1.5° compared to the same pre-industrial period examined. 

According to the Emergency Situation Report (Em-Dat), meteorological, hydrological and climatic hazards in the Old Continent in 2022 directly affected as many as 156,000 people and caused 16,365 deaths, almost exclusively due to heat waves.

A crazy accident in Stuttgart on Monday 27 March 2023 saw a Maserati driver crash his luxury MC20 into a pole of the German city's tram line. The supercar was completely destroyed. 

The 62-year-old driver was apparently under the influence of drugs. Despite his injuries, the man attempted to flee on foot before being tracked down by the police. 

Tension in the Schloßstraße: testimonies and details emerge about the mad rush that caused over 100,000 euros of damage.

It may have been caused by thawing permafrost that the heavy detachment of material (more than one million cubic metres of rock that created a landslide of 2 kilometres, about 35,000 square metres) that affected Austria's Fluchthorn mountain. half of its peak (3,398 metres above sea level) is now gone.

The event occurred precisely in the municipality of Galtur, which lies between the region of Tyrol and Vorarlberg (Swiss canton of Graubünden) on 11 June. In the first minutes it was feared that some people had been left under the debris deposit, and all the local authorities took part in the search, also coordinated by a dedicated team of geologists.

The damage is also extensive, probably around one million euros. Now the main objective will be to clear the roadway and rebuild the entire structure, securing the mountain.

After buying a used sofa, a woman was surprised by a dog "hiding" inside the piece of furniture. It happened in Brazil, in Joinville, in the north of Santa Catarina. A peculiar story with a happy ending: Soraya Gomes Garcia, the buyer of the sofa, decided to adopt the small pet.

Telling the story on social media is "Action Front for Animal Rights (Frada)." "Someone bought a used sofa and the dog came as a gift inside the sofa itself. Unbelievable, but that's exactly what happened."

The melting of glaciers is one of the greatest dangers facing our world in the near future. Indeed, the pouring of immense amounts of fresh water into the ocean, combined with rising ocean levels, could lead to devastating consequences for our world.

Two studies, published in Nature and conducted by scientists of the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) and Cornell University, used the Icefin robot to map the submerged part of Thwaites Glacier, the largest shelf in West Antarctica and called "The doomsday Glacier," with an area of 150 times Rome.

The data collected, unfortunately, do not reveal anything good. In fact, this huge glacier is reportedly melting much faster than expected, and the reason is not high air temperatures.

Cat rescued in Turkey won't break away from his rescuer: he adopts him (and makes him a social star).

The feline's affectionate appreciation impressed the national mountain bike rider Ali Cakas: named him Enkaz (meaning "Debris") and took him home with him.

After being pulled from the rubble of the earthquake in Turkey, he no longer wanted to part with those who had rescued him.

Although a happy ending, the incident makes it very clear how the emergency in Turkey and Syria also affects thousands of animals.

Every year, on December 31st, a curious New Year's Eve bike race is organized in Switzerland.

The race is open to everyone, even minors, but it is necessary to have a good basic knowledge of cycling, especially for the first part of the route, the steepest and with almost guaranteed snow. The idea of the race is to descend along the snowy ski slopes, from the top of the Roc d’Orsay to the center of the resort of Villars.

Participants are required to dress up as the best costumes will be awarded. And as you can see from the photos of this year's edition, the imagination of the competitors is really great!