Police in Iran have arrested 17 people over a series of viral street prank videos posted on Instagram.

The pranksters recorded themselves faking murders and throwing cake at escalator riders, all in front of shocked members of the public. Police said the influencers “sowed panic” to boost their follower counts. Iranian authorities maintain tight control over the internet and the arrests come as part of a wider police crackdown on social media use. One secretly filmed video showed a prankster chastising his wife for texting a heart emoji to someone before he pretended to decapitate her, all while a horrified taxi passenger watched on. The victim of another recorded stunt was riding on an escalator when he was smeared in the face with a cream pie, before chasing the pranksters and angrily flinging his backpack and shoes after them.(BBC)…[+]

Australian scientists say they have discovered an unknown spinning object in the Milky Way that they claim is unlike anything seen before. The object – first discovered by a university student – has been observed to release a huge burst of radio energy for a full minute every 18 minutes. Objects that pulse energy in the universe are often documented. But researchers say something that turns on for a minute is highly unusual.

The team is working to understand more. The object was first discovered by Curtin University Honours student Tyrone O’Doherty in a region of the Western Australian outback known as the Murchison Widefield Array, using a telescope and a new technique he had developed. Mr O’Doherty was part of a team led by astrophysicist Dr Natasha Hurley-Walker, from the Curtin University node of the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR).(BBC)…[+]

Six young Japanese people are suing the operator of the Fukushima nuclear plant after developing thyroid cancer in the years following the 2011 nuclear disaster. The plaintiffs, aged between six and 16 at the time of the disaster, say they got cancer from radiation exposure. All of them underwent surgery to remove parts or all of their thyroid glands, their lawyer said. However, they may struggle to prove that the radiation led to their cancer. Their lawsuit is seeking $5.4m (£4m) in compensation from the plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco). A Tepco spokesman said the company was aware of the case filing and would address it once they had seen the details of the complaint. The Fukushima nuclear disaster occurred on March 11, 2011 when a massive earthquake off north-east Japan triggered a tsunami which led to a nuclear meltdown.(BBC)…[+]