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Turkey has detained over 1,100 protestors and several journalists after the mayor of Istanbul, a major opposition leader to incumbent President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, was arrested and put into jail recently. On Sunday, Istanbul's mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu, was arrested and sent to jail after being suspected of running a criminal gang. Allegedly, the prosecution also claims that he was involved in several corruption scandals, including accepting bribes and extortion. However, the decision has been widely seen as a move by Erdogan to wipe out his opposition, sparking outrage across the country. Despite calls from the opposition party to go through with nonviolent protests, people have resorted to violence on the streets as well. In some places, people threw rocks and other items, and some even launched fireworks at police. In response, officers were forced to use tear gas, water cannons, and pepper spray to defend themselves in major cities, and over 120 officers have been injured. The Turkish police have arrested over 1,100 protestors, some of which were carrying dangerous items like knives and acid. That is just a small percentage of the actual number of protestors, though-- hundreds of thousands of people across the country have come out to protest against Erdogan. Many protestors believe that Imamoglu's arrest is a move against the country's democracy and the freedoms of Turkish people, and others have stated that they are there for the good of the country, not just to support a certain leader. Turkey has also detained several news reporters and photographers, though they have not confirmed the exact reason for their arrests. The government seems to be trying to suppress the protests by stopping the news from getting to other Turkish citizens, as they have also sent requests to social media platform X to block over 700 accounts. Fact of the Day (Reader's Digest): Contrary to the common saying, "blind as a bat," bats are not blind. They can see perfectly fine, and they also use echolocation for hunting and getting around when it is too dark to see. Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): I don’t know if I’m the best of the best. But I did know that if I quit, I wouldn’t be. (Chris Kyle) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Garble (verb, GAR-bul) - To garble something, such as a word, name, message, etc., is to cause it to be unclear or distorted. This type of garbling can be the result of an accident, ignorance, or a transmission error. Garble can also mean "to so alter or distort as to create a wrong impression or change the meaning." In a Sentence: I was so nervous I garbled their names.

The 2025 Global Happiness Report is out, with Finland taking the top spot once again while the United States dropped to an all-time low for the second year in a row. The Global Happiness Report uses results from a massive survey conducted in most countries around the world, and it is released every year on March 20 in honor of the United Nations' International Day of Happiness. The survey asks citizens to rate their country on a scale of 0-10 regarding the happiness of the population, labeling that score the country's "life evaluation." This life evaluation is determined using a combination of six factors: social support, GDP per capita, healthy life expectancy, freedom, generosity, and perceptions of corruption. Overall, Europe was the happiest continent, with 7 of the top 10 countries located in Europe and the same five Scandinavian countries making the top 10 as last year. Meanwhile, Africa was the unhappiest continent, with 7 of the bottom 10 countries. The bottom 10 were Afghanistan, Sierra Leone, Lebanon, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Yemen, Comoros, and Lesotho. The top 10 in 2025 were Finland, Denmark, Iceland, Sweden, Netherlands, Costa Rica, Norway, Israel, Luxembourg, and Mexico. Here are this year's results by continent: North America: Costa Rica was North America's happiest country (7.3), making the top 10 for the first time, while the Dominican Republic was the least happy (5.8. After dropping out of the top 20 for the first time last year, the United States (6.7) fell further to 24th, while Canada maintained their spot in the top 20 with a score of 6.8. Mexico (7.0) improved dramatically from last year, jumping from 25th to 10th this year to also make the top 10 for the first time. South America: Uruguay was South America's happiest country (6.6) for the sixth year in a row, while Venezuela was its least happy country (5.7). Overall, Uruguay was the sixth-happiest country in the Americas, after Costa Rica, Mexico, the US, Canada, and Belize. Europe: The happiest country in Europe was Finland (7.7), while Albania was the least happy (5.4). Northern Europe dominated the rankings as usual, with 7 out of the top 10 and all of the top 5 countries on the index. Across the entire world, Finland placed first (7.7), Denmark second (7.5), Iceland third (7.5), Sweden fourth (7.3), Netherlands fifth (7.3), Norway seventh (7.3), and Luxembourg ninth (7.1). Switzerland (6.9) fell to 13th after placing ninth last year, while the United Kingdom (6.7) placed 23rd, a further drop from 20th last year. Africa: Africa ranked as the world's least happy continent, and its happiest country was Mauritius (5.8) while its least happy country was Lesotho (3.7). While Libya took the top spot in Africa last year, a slight drop ceded the position to Mauritius. 7 of the 10 least happy countries in the world were located in Africa, with the exceptions of Afghanistan, Lebanon, and Yemen. The Middle East and Central Asia: The Middle East had Israel as its happiest country (7.2), placing in the top 10, while its least happy was Afghanistan, which was the world's saddest country with a rating of 1.4. Western and Central Asia had countries across the scale, ranging from the upper end with Israel (7.3), UAE (6.8), and Kuwait (6.6), to the lower end with Afghanistan (1.7), Lebanon (3.2), and Yemen (3.6), with everything in between. South and East Asia: South and East Asia's most happy was Taiwan (6.7) and its least happy was Bangladesh (3.9). East Asia's scores hovered around 5-6, in addition to Taiwan with 6.7, Singapore with 6.5, Vietnam with 6.4, and Thailand with 6.2, and South Asia had the lowest scores with Bangladesh (3.9), Sri Lanka (3.9), and India (4.4). Oceania: Lastly, not much data was collected from Oceania, but Australia and New Zealand came in with solid scores of 7.0 each, placing 11th and 12th overall. Fact of the Day (Reader's Digest): Flushed toilets do not rotate in the opposite direction in the other hemisphere. The Coriolis effect does not apply to small items like toilets. Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): I'm a firm believer that in the theory that people only do their best at things they truly enjoy. It is difficult to excel at something you don’t enjoy. (Jack Nicklaus) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Juggernaut (noun, JUG-er-nawt) - A juggernaut is something (such as a force, campaign, or movement) that is extremely large and powerful and cannot be stopped. In a Sentence: The team is a juggernaut this year, winning more games than any team before it has.

United States President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin talked over a long call yesterday to negotiate a potential Ukraine ceasefire deal, with the two making some progress towards an agreement. Putin quickly rejected the United States' idea of a 30-day ceasefire to make way for negotiations, which had been accepted by Ukraine last week. After the US and Ukraine met in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, they confirmed the idea of a 30-day temporary ceasefire , allowing negotiations for a longer, permanent ceasefire to take place. Russia had not given their opinion on the deal until now, but Putin made it clear yesterday that he does not agree with the plan. However, after a long discussion with Trump, Putin agreed to a 30-day ceasefire on energy and infrastructure, which is a significant win for Ukraine. Since the beginning of the war, Russia has targeted the Ukrainian electrical grid and major energy generation sites, including nuclear reactors. In February, a Russian drone struck the outer shell of the Chernobyl reactor damaged in 1986, creating a gaping hole in the protective shell and starting a fire. Thankfully, crews raced to the scene to avoid any leakage of radiation, and radiation levels in the area remained stable. Nevertheless, the incident raised concerns over possible problems with nuclear reactors in the future if Russia continued to target them. In total, the two presidents spoke for at least an hour and a half, addressing the energy issue and several other topics. Russia confirmed that a prisoner exchange has been scheduled for today, with both Ukraine and Russia releasing 175 troops from the other side. Russia will also be sending back another 23 Ukrainian soldiers who have been severely injured. Now, the three countries will move back to working on a permanent ceasefire, with negotiations moving back to the Middle East. Fact of the Day (Reader's Digest): Elephants spend around 80% of their day eating, meaning that they also happen to produce a massive amount of waste-- they poop 12 to 15 times per day! This results in the excretion of over 220 pounds of poop each day, which adds up to around 40 tons of dung per year! Quote of the Day (Gracious Quote s) : Logic is the foundation of the certainty of all the knowledge we acquire. (Leonard Euler) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Admonish (verb, ad-MAH-nish) - To admonish someone is to express warning or disapproval towards them, or to urge them to do something. In a Sentence: We were admonished for arriving late to the meeting.

Israel is currently suffering from devastating wildfires, and they are beginning to burn dangerously close to the important city of Jerusalem, which is considered holy for several religions. Weather in Israel has been extremely dry lately, meaning that the smallest of sparks can cause a massive blaze. Hundreds of fires are raging in Jerusalem Hills, a mountainous, forested region west of Jerusalem, destroying everything in their path. Thousands of people have been evacuated from their homes as the fire spreads east towards the city. The fires have been confirmed as some of the worst in Israel's history, and they are quickly spreading. Many Israelis feel that despite the dry, hot weather, they were unprepared to handle large fires, leading to the disaster. Now, the blazes are being pushed towards Jerusalem by strong winds, destroying more buildings and scorching more trees. Unfortunately, it has become tough to fight the fires as well, as thick, black smoke has settled over the entire area. Visibility is extremely low and breathing outdoors is nearly impossible, making firefighters' jobs much more difficult. Additionally, 23 people have been treated by emergency services after being evacuated, primarily for smoke inhalation and burns. Police have also been sent to the region to handle traffic, as they have shut down the major highway that travels between Jerusalem and Israel's second-largest city of Tel-Aviv. Jerusalem is Israel's capital and most populous city, and it is considered a holy city for Muslims, Christians, and Jews. Meanwhile, Tel-Aviv is the country's hub for technology and innovation. Israel has called for help from other countries, and they are sending as many forces as they can to combat the fires before they reach Jerusalem. Firefighters are attempting everything they can, including making blockades and dropping water and flame retardant. Others are working to evacuate additional homes as the fires spread. However, the blazes remain, and if they are not stopped soon, the fires will soon reach the edge of the city of Jerusalem. Fact of the Day (Today): Ants do not have lungs. Instead, they breathe through a network of tubes called tracheae, which open to the outside world through tiny holes called spiracles. These spiracles are located on the sides of the ant's body, and suck in oxygen for the ant to breathe. Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): What people in the world think of you is really none of your business. (Martha Graham) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Insouciance (adj, in-SOO-see-unss) - Insouciance is a formal word that refers to a feeling of carefree unconcern. It can also be understood as a word for the relaxed and calm state of a person who is not worried about anything. In a Sentence: The young actor charmed interviewers with his easy smile and devil-may-care insouciance .

China's Shenzhou-19 mission has finally returned to Earth, carrying three astronauts who had gone for a visit to the Tiangong Space Station. Shenzhou-19 was launched on October 29 and carried three astronauts, making it a manned, six-month mission. The spacecraft traveled to China's Tiangong Space Station, which is China's first long-term space station. Completed in late 2022, the station has a maximum capacity of 6 and is around one-third the size of the International Space Station. Shenzhou-19 was carrying three astronauts: Cai Xuzhe, Song Lingdong, and Wang Haoze. The three of them spent over six months in space together, conducting all sorts of experiments and spacewalks. In December, Cai Xuzhe and Song Lingdong broke the world record for the longest extravehicular activity after completing a nine hour and six minute spacewalk. During that trip, he also used the station's robotic equipment to install space debris protection devices, which are a major component on any space station. In total, the astronauts conducted 86 experiments while onboard, including several tests with lunar soil that could provide valuable information when building a moon base in the future. Due to the magnitude of that type of project, it is likely that China's space agency would work with other countries to complete a moon base, meaning that any information gained by anyone is extremely important. Before leaving, they welcomed the crew of Shenzhou-20 to the space station, who arrived on Monday. Then, the astronauts finally departed from the space station yesterday before traveling back down to Earth on a nine-hour journey. They touched down at the Dongfeng landing area in the autonomous region of Inner Mongolia, concluding their mission. Now, the astronauts aboard Shenzhou-20 will stay onboard Tiangong Space Station for the next six months before another mission heads up. Fact of the Day (Today): When it was first built in 1923, the Hollywood sign used to say Hollywoodland. However, after Hollywood entered the spotlight, the "land" was removed in 1949, creating the Hollywood sign known today. Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): Trust is like a vase… once it’s broken, though you can fix it, the vase will never be same again. (Walter Inglis Anderson) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Furtive (adj, FER-tiv) - Furtive describes something that is done in a quiet and secret way to avoid being noticed. It can also mean "expressive of stealth" or " sly " (as in "a furtive look"), or "obtained underhandedly" (as in "furtive gains"). In a Sentence: We exchanged furtive smiles across the table, carefully not to attract the teacher's attention.

Power has returned after a massive blackout hit the entire Iberian Peninsula yesterday, knocking out electricity across Portugal and Spain. At 12:33 pm local time, Spain's electrical grid experienced a massive failure, losing 15 gigawatts of energy-- equivalent to over 60% of the nation's demand. The outage affected the entire country, bringing everything to a halt. Portugal reported that the outage was due to an external problem, but did not give much information. Airports had to shut down due to a lack of power, stranding air travelers. Trains stopped in the middle of the tracks, leaving passengers stuck in the middle of nowhere, and subway systems also came to a halt. Spanish officials said that over 35,000 people had to be evacuated from over 100 trains across Spain, and people were left inside for hours as they waited for emergency services to arrive. Traffic was equally bad after every signal in every city became temporarily dysfunctional-- in some places, civilians stopped their cars and directed traffic, but roads were still a mess across major cities like Madrid and Barcelona. Communication services were also brought down by the outage, preventing stranded travelers from contacting their friends or family. While some homes and important services like hospitals had generators, the outage lasted for a large portion of the day. Thankfully, the outage did not last for too long. Spain was able to restore power to most of the country before the end of the day, pulling extra energy from surrounding countries and ramping up energy production at renewable energy plants to make up for the power loss. As for the cause of the massive blackout, authorities have been left puzzled. After investigating for over 12 hours, officials could still not determine a cause-- Russian sabotage was originally thought to be the most likely cause, but any sort of cyberattack or sabotage has been ruled out. Canada elected Mark Carney as their next Prime Minister during elections yesterday, bringing his Liberal Party into control of the country. Canada's Liberal Party took home the win in the Canadian elections yesterday, beating the opposing Conservative Party. The Liberal Party's leader, Mark Carney, will now become Prime Minister of Canada after Justin Trudeau resigned earlier this year, beating the Conservatives' Pierre Poilievre. In fact, Poilievre even lost his Parliamentary seat, which he has held for over 20 years. The election's primary focus was the United States and Donald Trump, who has imposed major tariffs upon Canada. Due to this, the Liberals, who hold more of an anti-Trump stance, completely flipped the election. The Conservatives were initially thought to be more likely to win the elections, but Trump's repeated threats and the imposition of tariffs quickly erased their lead. The Liberals emphasized this, connecting Trump and the Conservative Party as being on the same side and bringing them ahead. Carney will now work to carry Canada through these tough times, which includes problems like high cost of living along with the threats of Trump. However, Canadians clearly think that he is worthy of the challenge-- he attended both Harvard and Oxford University for economics, served as the governor of the Bank of Canada for five years (including during the 2008 financial crisis), served as the governor for the Bank of England for seven years (including the time after Brexit), and served as the chair of the Financial Stability Board for seven years. However, it is currently unclear whether the Liberals will have a majority in Parliament, as the Canadian government has not completed collecting all of the votes yet. This will be crucial, as a majority will enable the Liberals to make laws on their own, while a minority government would require the help of other parties as well. Fact of the Day (Today): Almonds are seeds of the fruit of the almond tree, meaning that almonds are actually closely related with other fruits like peaches, plums, and cherries. Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): Even a small amount of power can have a great effect when concentrated on a certain area. (Satoru Iwata) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Alacrity (noun, uh-LAK-ruh-tee) - Alacrity refers to a quick and cheerful readiness to do something. In a Sentence: She accepted the invitation to go on the trip with an alacrity that surprised her parents, who had assumed she wouldn’t be interested.

At least 11 people were killed on Saturday night in a car ramming attack in Vancouver, Canada, during a festival celebrating Filipino culture. The incident took place during a celebration of Lapu Lapu Day, a day designated to celebrate Filipino culture. The government of Canada's westernmost province, British Columbia, established the day in 2023 to honor the country's Filipino immigrant population, but Lapu Lapu Day is celebrated across the world. The name honors Datu Lapu-Lapu, the chief of the Filipino island of Mactan, who killed Spanish explorer Ferdinand Magellan upon his arrival in the Philippines in 1521. The day is always celebrated on April 27, as that was the day that Lapu-Lapu killed Magellan over 500 years ago-- it stands as a symbol of resistance against colonialism, and he is known a renowned hero in the Philippines. Unfortunately, what was a celebratory event in Vancouver turned into a day of mourning and sadness after yesterday's attack. Food trucks and local vendors were scattered around the streets, and officials reported that tens of thousands of people attended the festival. Then, at just past 8:00 in the evening, a car came plowing through the crowd, mowing over innocent civilians. Panic followed, and police rushed to the scene. The car came to a hard stop after smashing into two food trucks that were situated on the street, and locals quickly surrounded the culprit before he was taken into custody by police. 11 people were killed and dozens of others were injured in the attack. Sadly, several victims are still in critical condition at local medical centers, and it is possible that the death toll could rise in the coming days. The attacker has been identified as a 30-year-old named Kai-Ji Adam Lo, and he will be charged with second degree murder. Police have confirmed that they believe he was in a deteriorated mental state, establishing that terrorism was likely not the cause of the attack. Upcoming Events: World Day for Safety and Health at Work (Monday, April 28) International Jazz Day (Wednesday, April 30) World Tuna Day (Friday, May 2) Ridván Ends (Friday, May 2) World Press Freedom Day (Saturday, May 3) Kentucky Derby (Saturday, May 3) Fact of the Day (Today): Comets actually smell like rotten eggs due to the hydrogen sulfide in their coma. Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): All the problems are stuck between mind and matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter. (Mark Twain) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Decimate (verb, DESS-uh-mayt) - Decimate can mean both “to destroy a large number of (plants, animals, people, etc.)” or “to severely damage or destroy a large part of (something).” In a Sentence: The bay’s lobsters have been decimated by disease.

At least 14 people were killed after a massive explosion at a port in Iran, with investigations into its cause now taking place. The explosion took place at the port of Bandar Abbas, a city located in southern Iran on the Strait of Hormuz. Videos taken by locals in the area showed a sizeable blast at the Shahid Rajaee section of the port before gigantic, black clouds of smoke began erupting from the scene. The explosion seemed to have happened inside a warehouse on the port, but the effects stretched wider than expected-- various structures across the area were heavily damaged by the force of the blast, and windows were shattered on buildings as far as several miles away. The fire continued for hours, and local firefighters are still working to extinguish the last of it. Helicopters were also brought in to handle the flames, which raged out of control for quite some time. 14 people were killed, over 750 others were injured, and officials have confirmed that at least 6 people are still missing. Officials have also advised residents of Bandar Abbas, which has a population of around 660,000 people, to stay indoors, as they have recorded a significant drop in air quality since the explosion occurred. An investigation into the explosion is now taking place, with Iranian authorities working to determine the cause of the incident. Some reports have stated that the blast can be attributed to several dangerous chemicals being stored in containers at the location, and a local news source also added that the explosion occurred in the area of the port used to handle chemicals. However, officials have not confirmed an exact cause yet, establishing that they can only come up with a conclusive answer once a thorough investigation has been completed. Fact of the Day (Today): Mother platypuses sweat milk, and their babies actually lick the milk off of their skin instead of suckling like other animals. Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it. (Cornelius Vanderbilt) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Nonchalant (adj, nahn-shuh-LAHNT) - Someone described as nonchalant is relaxed and calm, either because they do not care about something or because they are not worried about something. Nonchalant can also be used to describe something, such as demeanor or behavior, that expresses such relaxed, calm unconcern. In a Sentence: The team showed a somewhat nonchalant attitude at the beginning of the season, but they became more serious once the championship was within reach.

Despite Trump's claims that they are close to a ceasefire, tensions between Russia and Ukraine escalated further yesterday after a senior Russian general was killed by a Ukrainian attack. Lieutenant General Yaroslav Moskalik was killed in a car explosion yesterday that was supposedly orchestrated by Ukrainian forces, according to Russian authorities. The explosion occurred in Balashikha, a suburb to the east of Moscow, with dramatic videos showing the car in flames following a dangerous blast that threw debris and metal across the area. Photos taken later on showed the remains of the car lying on the street, with people gathered around the scene. Ukraine has not given any comment on their involvement in the attack, but it can be presumed that they are at fault. Russian authorities have not directly placed the blame on anyone yet, as a thorough investigation is still ongoing. However, this isn't the first time that one of Ukraine's enemies has been killed in a mysterious explosion. Other generals, pro-Russian activists, and other opponents to Ukraine's fight against Russia have also been killed over the past few years in bomb blasts and car explosions, and while Ukraine has always been the presumed culprit, only a handful of the cases had conclusive evidence that they were behind it. Unfortunately, Ukraine and Russia are not getting any closer to a ceasefire, as external entities are still split over two different plans. US President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff met with Putin yesterday to discuss a possible agreement, and Trump claims that they are extremely close to reaching a ceasefire deal. However, the European Union has maintained that Trump's plans favor Russia, while the EU's plans are more in favor of Ukraine. One of the topics at the heart of this disagreement is control over the Crimean Peninsula. Crimea is a large peninsula that extends into the Black Sea, and the area was annexed from Ukraine by Russia in 2014. Ukraine and the EU strongly believe that Crimea belongs to Ukraine, as it was illegally taken by Russia, while Trump's draft of a ceasefire proposal includes the crucial detail that Crimea belongs to Russia. The Trump administration has also suggested that Ukraine should cede the land that they have lost to Russia in order to stop the war-- though Ukraine has firmly rejected the idea. While the US believes that they are getting close to achieving a ceasefire, the rift between the two proposals seems to be getting larger and larger, and the violence between the two countries has also continued throughout the negotiation process. As of right now, the war does not have a quick end in sight, and while a ceasefire deal is possible, the probability of achieving an agreement very soon is relatively low. Fact of the Day (Today): While they are easy to grow, pineapples take a lot of patience to successfully cultivate-- it takes two to three years to fully grow a pineapple before it is ready to eat. Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): A ship is safest at the harbor, but that is not where it is supposed to be. (N. R. Narayana Murthy) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Travail (noun, truh-VAIL) - Travail is a formal word, usually used in plural, that refers to a difficult experience or situation. In a Sentence: The book describes the political travails of the governor during her first year in office.

Hundreds of people were injured after a strong 6.2 magnitude earthquake struck Istanbul yesterday afternoon local time, with the entire city of 16 million people experiencing severe shaking for several seconds. The earthquake struck around 25 miles southwest of Istanbul, with the epicenter located around 6 miles below the ground. This is relatively shallow for an earthquake, and shallow earthquakes can do more damage due to their closer proximity to the surface. Due to its shallow depth, it was felt as far as Ankara, Turkey's capital city, which is over 275 miles away from the epicenter. Thankfully, no one was killed in the quake, and no massive damage occurred. The moment the quake struck, people rushed out of their homes, though the fact that it was a public holiday made things slightly better, as many people were enjoying the day outside. After an initial shaking period of around 13 seconds, there was a small break before aftershocks begun-- dozens of aftershocks were recorded, the strongest of which measured as a 5.9 on the Richter scale. Scores of buildings were slightly damaged by the quake, but only 12 of them had to be evacuated for safety reasons. Apart from one old, worn-down building in one of the city's older districts, none of the affected buildings collapsed, though many residents have camped out in streets and parks or are sheltering in mosques out of fear of returning into their homes. Hundreds of people were injured in the shaking, but officials have stated that the injuries were mainly due to panic attacks or falls after jumping from heights to escape buildings. Fortunately, there were no deaths in the natural disaster. Unfortunately, earthquakes are common in Turkey, which lies on two major fault lines. The Anatolian Block is a small microplate situated in between several major tectonic plates. The Eurasian Plate lies to its north and northeast, covering the Black Sea and the Caucuses. Meanwhile, the Arabian Plate lies to its east, forming the East Anatolian Fault. The Arabian Plate's movement in previous years was the cause of the massive 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria in February 2023, killing over 50,000 people. Meanwhile, due to the Arabian Plate's northward movement, the Anatolian microplate is being forced to move west, grinding against the Eurasian Plate. The area where the two plates touch is known as the North Anatolian Fault, and this fault is responsible for yesterday's earthquake. Fears across western Turkey of a more devastating disaster are extremely high right now, as scientists have confirmed that the fault is long overdue for a major earthquake-- and the latest quake could be a sign that a larger rupture is on the way. Fact of the Day (Today): The plastic or metal tip of your shoelace is called an aglet. Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): A single sunbeam is enough to drive away many shadows. (Saint Francis of Assisi) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Slough (verb, SLUFF) - Slough is a formal verb used for the action of getting rid of something unwanted. It is usually used with off . Slough can also mean "to lose a dead layer of (skin)" or "to become shed or cast off." In a Sentence: The editorial urges the mayor not to slough off responsibility for the errors in the report.