Secular News

A New Year's party at a Swiss Alpine bar turned into a tragedy after about 40 people died in a fire and another roughly 115 were injured, many in their teens to mid-20s.

Investigators say they believe sparkling candles atop Champagne bottles ignited the fire at a Swiss ski resort when they came too close to the ceiling of a bar crowded with New Year's Eve revelers. Forty people were killed and another 119 injured.

Paul Hunter, one of the sport's most beloved icons, remains unforgotten following his death in 2006.

Paul Hunter, one of the sport's most beloved icons, remains unforgotten following his death in 2006.

Paul Hunter, one of the sport's most beloved icons, remains unforgotten following his death in 2006.

Paul Hunter, one of the sport's most beloved icons, remains unforgotten following his death in 2006.

As an undergraduate student of anthropology long ago, I remember studying the phenomenon of “compartmentalism” as a hallmark of primitive cultures or societies – their capacity to hold contradictory beliefs without inner conflict or even appearing to notice the contradictions. We well-educated rationalists in the rich West were supposed to be above this kind of schizophrenic inconsistency, seen as a symptom of a defective imagination or the shallowness of the masses. Think of street hawkers in...

Pure battery-powered EVs are no longer eligible for a 100% discount on the congestion charge.

A sparkler appears to ignite the ceiling in the dramatic new photograph from Constellation Bar in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, where dozens were killed and over 100 injured at a New Year's party

Swiss investigators are probing what caused a fire in a bar Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana that left around 40 people dead and another 115 injured during a New Year’s celebration

Hong Kong’s momentum as an initial public offering (IPO) venue is set to hurtle onwards in 2026 after funds raised from share sales more than tripled in 2025, placing the city’s exchange atop the global rankings for the first time since 2019. A total of 114 companies raised US$37.22 billion on the Hong Kong stock exchange’s main board in 2025, according to data released on Friday by the London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG). That translates to a 229 per cent increase from US$11.3 billion in...

South Korea’s growing role as a key arms supplier to the Philippines has taken another step forward, with Hanwha Systems set to provide the “brain” that will run two of the Philippine Navy’s next-generation warships. The South Korean defence manufacturer said on Wednesday that it had secured a US$27.7 million contract to supply combat management systems (CMS) and tactical data links for two 3,200-tonne frigates being built for the Philippine Navy. A CMS integrates a warship’s sensors, weapons...