This is what getting ‘SSSS’ on your boarding pass means. If you have ever been pulled to one side at the airport, it may be because you have the letters SSSS scrawled in marker pen over your boarding pass. The letters, used by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) stand for 'Secondary Security Screening Selection' or else 'Secondary Security Screening Selectee'. The code came to light in 2009 when the TSA handbook was accidentally leaked online by the government, without being redacted or edited in the usual way. Sign up to our new free Indy100 weekly newsletter Passengers who are selectees are prohibited from printing their boarding pass at home or using a machine to check-in. They will need to check-in at the desk, where they will be asked more thorough questions than other passengers, and undergo less cursory perfunctory identity checks. The boarding pass issued to the passenger will have the letters 'SSSS' written on it, and this means airport staff will be scrutinising the passenger at every checkpoint. TSA agents will also conduct full-body scans, a pat-down, and go through the passenger's luggage, asking them to turn on all electronic devices. The process can take over 30 minutes, so passengers who find they are unable to print their boarding pass at home, should factor in the extra half-hour in their journey to the gate, just in case they undergo secondary screening. Criteria for being selected for secondary security screening can include: Paying for your ticket in cash. Flying to a 'high risk' destination. The random selection also takes place, but some passengers will be selected repeatedly. In April 2010, the New York Times found several children who were repeatedly selected for secondary screening, possibly because their names were similar to persons on the 'No Fly' list. Passengers who feel they are regularly and unfairly targeted can apply to the Department of Homeland Security to find out if they have incorrectly been put on a watch list. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

A Twitch streamer actively encouraged his fans to “torture” him as he carried out a nightmarish new challenge on the platform. The pro gamer, who goes by the name Izidore, aimed to spend three days locked in a dark closet, allowing his viewers to pay for the pleasure of tormenting him. The “torture” items on offer included a flashbang – costing just 50 Twitch bits (or $0.50/ around 88p) – or pummelling him with ping pong balls ($4/£3.17), a leafblower ($5/£3.96) or a water shooter ($15/£11.90). However, Izidore looked visibly defeated after he passed the halfway mark, and with 49 hours and 27 minutes to go, he bowed out of his makeshift hellhole. Just before he left the wardrobe, he began weeping, telling fans he couldn’t sleep, couldn’t see and couldn’t breathe. He then decided to let some “air” into the tiny room and told his girlfriend, June, who appeared at the door that he “didn’t want to stop”. However, after bursting into tears, he admitted defeat and trudged sadly out. The streamer was showered with support on Twitch chat following his sudden exit. However, he will soon have to face the dramatic forfeit he set himself. Before embarking on the task, Izidore pledged that if he quit before the 72 hours was up, he’d “total" his own car. And however baffling this whole thing might seem, it’s worth noting that Izidore isn’t the first influencer to embark upon the self-confinement exercise. He follows fellow streamer Erby who, last week, completed his own three-day stint in a pitch-black cupboard. Erby then pushed his moderator, who’s known as C0usta, to make his own attempt, promising him a new car if he should succeed. However, the 2005 Chevrolet Suburban clearly wasn't tempting enough, and C0usta quit after around 24 hours. Ahead of Izidore’s attempt, his girlfriend, June, who was tasked with hurling eggs at her partner, explained why he’d decided to give the challenge a go. “This actually isn’t his first closet stream, he’s been doing challenges for years,” she told Dexerto. “He’s good friends with Erby [...] and when C0usta quit the challenge, Izi set up the exact same challenge here to prove that he can do it.” Speculating on Izidore’s expectations, June continued: “I think he’s expecting to lose his mind and come out victorious on the other side better for it. “I honestly expect him to complete the challenge – he has been doing challenges like this for like four years and has never quit yet!” Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

A man was reportedly rushed to hospital when a passionate kiss with his girlfriend resulted in a painful rupture in his ear. As per Hangzhou TV, the man and his girlfriend were locking lips for ten minutes on Chinese Valentine's Day (22 August) on the idyllic West Lake in China’s eastern Zhejiang province. It was claimed that the man's left ear suddenly became painful and he started to experience a bubbling sound, making it difficult for him to hear. The couple immediately visited the hospital where he was told his eardrum was perforated. Luckily, the man was prescribed antibiotics and was told it would take approximately two months to heal. In more serious cases, surgery may be required. According to the publication, medical professionals said passionate kissing can lead to a rapid change in air pressure inside the ear. While you may find that scenario baffling, one woman's seemingly innocent outfit soon turned into an incredibly unfortunate disaster. TikToker Sam (@imtoooldtobeonthis) ended up in the hospital after her 'wedgie' caused her sepsis. "That night, I noticed that I had a large bump where the chafing had occurred, and as time went on, it started becoming more painful. The pain was isolated to one sport and it felt like a throbbing, stabbing pain," she told Buzzfeed. Sam was rushed to the emergency room when doctors realised it was caused by developing cellulitis - a bacterial skin infection that can become deadly if left untreated. "I was shivering, very breathless, could not walk and had extreme body aches," Sam said. "They admitted me to the ICU, and that’s when I realized this was a bit more serious than I had anticipated." Fortunately, after four days of surgery and being treated, Sam was able to make a full recovery. Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Uri Geller is convinced aliens exist after seeing a photo of a NAKED one. The nude female martian had “prominent” lady bits. She was spotted in the basement of an abandoned building. A security guard was left spooked by the encounter. But TV star Uri, 76, dubbed the snaps “amazing.” Author Whitley Strieber - who claims he was abducted by aliens himself in 1985 - was sent the photos. The writer shared the never-seen-before snaps with his friend Uri. It was taken in 2004, in Nuevo León, Mexico - where just last month UFOs were allegedly spotted in the skies. Uri said: “My dear friends. “I received this image from my friend Whitley Strieber. “Whitley said that this image is probably real. “It is also of the beings that he sees, and has seen and been with.” The telly star added: “He thinks it is real because of two things. “The prominent vagina is immediately evident when you see them naked, but it is not commented on in the UFO Literature, because very few people actually see them, especially not naked. “Secondly, they reproduce in a manner very different from us. “What in the world she’s doing in the basement of an abandoned building in Mexico I cannot imagine. “Probably, she was emerging from below the surface with the intention of going out into the area to fulfill various needs. “She was surprised by the night watchman. “Whitley believes that this image may be authentic. “The image is said to have been taken by a security guard in the basement of an abandoned building in Nuevo León. “When people look at this image, it is going to be looking back at them. “Quite amazing.” Alien fan James Hudson said: “Why would they be naked?” Scott Brown said: “Wow.” Another joked: “She's pretty hot. “I must say.” Damian said: “Wow love it.” Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

The Loch Ness Monster has eluded people for decades – but one man thinks his drone has caught a glimpse of the legendary beast completely by accident. The clip was filmed by Richard Mavor, who runs the adventure-based YouTube channel Richard Outdoors, and shows an aerial shot of a beach around the loch. In it, some viewers claim they can make out the outline of a mysterious reptile-like animal beneath the surface. Fifty-four-year-old Mavor only realised what he’d found after rewatching the video he had taken on his 4k drone. Skip to 3:52 in the video above to make your own mind up. The video has re-emerged as volunteers kick off the biggest hunt for Nessie in fifty years. Speaking to the Daily Record he said: “I couldn’t believe it”. “I had to rewind the footage several times and have watched it several times since. I don't know what it is but it certainly has the same shape as previous sightings of Nessie. “The more I watch it I think ‘crikey! There really wasn’t anything in the area that could be’. “There was no driftwood or anything like that so who knows.” He continued: “We had just parked up and I thought I would get some nice shots on the beach for my YouTube. “I didn’t notice what I had picked up until others told me to watch out for it. “It could be a trick of the light but we can’t be sure.” The Loch Ness Monster was first reportedly spotted in April 1933, when hotel manager Aldie Mackay said she had seen a whale-like creature in the loch. The Inverness Courier newspaper reported the sighting and the editor at the time, Evan Barron, suggested the creature be described as a “monster”. Since then the mystery of Nessie has inspired books, TV shows and films, as well as sustained a major tourism industry. This weekend, more than 100 volunteers helped record sights on Loch Ness from vantage points on land using cameras. Almost 300 people signed up to monitor a live stream from the search. However, it seems nothing conclusive was found. Mavor, meanwhile, posted the video to YouTube last year, and has accumulated 14,000 views. At the time, he had been taking part in the ‘Great Glen Canoe Challenge’ for Alzheimer's Society. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Jordan Peterson has labelled a brown man a “Caucasian”, and has unsurprisingly been slammed for doing so. British-American broadcaster and author, Mehdi Hasan, responded to the outrageous statement made about him by Peterson yesterday. Peterson, the rightwing celebrity psychology professor, posted on X/ Twitter, on 27 August. He said that Hasan was “not really brown. More like a light tan. Just like ‘white’ people.” He added: “Plus you're a Caucasian. By definition. Buddy.” In response, Hasan posted: “Nothing to see here, just Jordan Peterson, a white man, telling me I’m not brown, I’m actually white. Also, how am I a Caucasian, ‘by definition’?” Hasan is a Brit who was born to Indian parents from Hyderabad in the south of the country. They emigrated to the UK before he was born. In 2021, he tweeted that he was "tired of people telling me that I shouldn't take any pride in my south Asian heritage today, or that it has any relevance to my political views". "There's a word for this and it starts with R," he added. Hasan moved to America in 2015 to work as a producer and presenter on news TV. Now, he hosts his own show on MSNBC. It is unclear what definition of the word "Caucasian" Peterson is referring to. The Cambridge Dictionary defines the word as “belonging to the races of people who have skin that is of a pale colour”. Peterson’s bizarre attack on Hasan’s heritage was a response to a monologue by the presenter on his TV show. Hasan criticised white American conservatives’ attitudes in the wake of a mass shooting in which a white person killed three black people with an assault rifle. “Tonight, this brown Muslim is asking the white conservative community to do the same: get your house in order, crack down on the hate preachers... condemn the right of white supremacist ideology,” he said. Peterson did not respond to Hasan’s most recent post. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Elon Musk is usually right at home among large crowds of video game aficionados – but now, even they are turning against him. The billionaire, who bought Twitter last year, gutted many of its core features and renamed it X, was booed and jeered at by a large gaming crowd at the recent Valorant Champions 2023 tournament in Los Angeles. In a clip shared on X/Twitter, Musk appeared on the big screen and was immediately met with a chorus of dissent. Some of the crowd could even be heard shouting: “Bring back Twitter.” “Where’s that coming from, that can’t be from in here, surely,” one of the stream’s commentators asked. “Is that a bigger reaction than [professional Valorant player] tenZ got?” Reacting to the clip on X, one person said: “Now he’s gonna ban all valorant content on twitter or lock it behind the sub.” The person was referring to the fact that Musk has frequently cracked down on the content of rivals, such as Substack, on Twitter/X. That is despite claiming he wanted to apply a police of “free speech absolutism” on his own app. During his tenure at Twitter, Musk has also suspended reporters and left-wing accounts that drew his ire, retaliated against media outlets perceived as too liberal and ordered engineers to boost his posts after a tweet from president Joe Biden about the Super Bowl did better than his own. It's not the first time he's been booed onstage in recent times either. Musk appeared to be mercilessly jeered by audience members after being brought on stage by Dave Chappelle on 12 December. Musk was introduced by the comedian during his show at San Francisco’s Chase Center. Chappelle joked: “It sounds like some of the people you fired are in the audience.” In a characteristically self-aware moment after the incident, Musk called his hecklers "unhinged". The Tesla founder's leadership of Twitter, then X, has also led to a reported drop in standards across the app, with many of the company’s content moderation staff sacked late last year as he slashed headcount. And late last year, research given to the New York Times suggested there has been a sharp a rise in hate speech on the platform as a result. No wonder the gamers were unhappy with Musk. “I’m sure he’ll change it back now,” said the original poster, Jake Lucky, seemingly sarcastically. At least he’s realistic about his chances. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

In today’s world, social media is usually the culprit for circulating conspiracy theories and stories. The recent viral discussion online is the Russian sleep experiment, as some wonder if it was real, after a video claimed a film covering the incident is being made. The story first surfaced on a Creepypasta forum. The post described to readers a Soviet-era experiment where scientist created a stimulant that allowed soldiers to go without sleep for 30 days. As the story goes, in order to prove and showcase the effects of the stimulant, five prisoners were selected and promised freedom at the end of the test. The five men were then locked in the chamber and gas was pumped inside it. However, the story reveals that the experiment did not go well as all the men began to experience symptoms of sleep deprivation. Halfway through the 30 day time period, the scientists conducting the experiment were forced to enter the chamber as there was no visibility due to the gas. When they opened the door one prisoner was dead and the other four had several horrific injuries that were presumed to be self-inflicted. Despite some belief that the Russian sleep experiment is real, it is in fact a work of fiction, as is almost all stories posted to Creepypasta. Stories are shared on the platform to scare readers, with the website initially reposting stories found on existing platforms such as 4chan and Reddit. Over time, the site allowed people to post anonymously and share their own stories. However, it is true that a movie has been based on the story. On Apple TV+ you can stream The Sleep Experiment if you’re in the mood for a horrifying watch. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

A mum revealed that she was harassed for booking her toddler a first class seat for a flight. Sharing her story of Reddit, the mum-of-one detailed the story of a difficult passenger who at one point claimed that toddlers “weren’t allowed in first class”. She explained that herself, her toddler, and her husband were travelling across the United States for Thanksgiving at the time. After her husband received a pay rise they decided to treat themselves and “splurge” on first-class seats for the family. They weren’t too worried about their daughter either, as the woman shared that her family fly frequently, so she was used to it now. “My toddler has always been a good flyer and has flown a lot throughout her short life. She’s never been disruptive or cried on an airplane, this flight included,” the woman shared. The woman added, “she’s good at staying in her seat and tells us when she needs to go potty, food, a toy, etc”. However, the unexpected tantrum this time didn’t come from her toddler, but rather another first class adult passenger. “We boarded early since my husband is disabled,” the woman wrote, “and when another first class passenger saw us he started glaring". The flight starts off well with her toddling falling asleep “in the middle of colouring” and her husband “snoozing”. Whilst the mother was listening to music she said she felt a tap on her shoulder. “It was the guy that glared at us as he boarded,” she revealed. “Before I could even get a word out he told me that children weren’t allowed in first class and that we needed to move to our ‘real’ seats.” Despite flight attendants onboard confirming that the family was allowed to be there, and asking the man to no longer speak to the woman, he continued to harass her. Whilst the man did eventually go back to his seat, the woman shared that as they disembarked the plane, he “whispered to me that I was a ‘fat c**t’ and that he pays too much money for first class to be surrounded by children”. The woman expected her family to defend her, but she shared with Reddit that “many of them told me that we should book economy next time because people pay extra to relax in 1st class.” So she took to Reddit to ask: “Are we really a******s for flying first class with our toddler?” As you would expect, readers jumped to the woman’s defence. “Even if your child did cry, it wouldn’t have mattered because you paid and are entitled to the seats you paid for,” wrote one user. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Weddings should always be wonderful occasions, celebrating the love two people have for one another – however, it’s amazing how often they can be the source of major dramas. One woman has sparked a big reaction on Reddit after posting on the hugely popular Am I the A**hole thread about her experiences surrounding her sister’s wedding. The woman spoke about her sister, Brooke, who “has been together with Mark since freshman year of high school” and is planning her wedding. She wrote: “The problem is, I’ve known Mark since I was a kid… I was eight or so when I first met him as Brooke’s boyfriend, and I have basically hated him the whole time. I’ve tried to be polite, particularly now that we are all adults, but I just don’t want to go to the wedding of my sister and the guy she’s always put before her family.” “As an example, when Brooke and Mark started dating, Brooke went from eating dinner at home with the rest of us every night to going out two or three times a week with Mark and his friends. This was against our parent’s rules, and caused a lot of arguments that negatively impacted both me and our younger sister Jenny…” “Brooke and our parents started fighting basically every night, and it was incredibly disruptive to our home life. My sister went from being my best friend to a stranger, and Mark was the one encouraging it.” The woman went on to write that the “stress” of those experiences caused her to repeat the fourth grade after failing math. “I was bullied really badly for that,” she wrote. “I stopped going to school looking nice because there was so much tension in the home that no one was paying attention to whether or not I had clean clothes.” The woman summed up her feeling by saying: “I don’t think I should have to go to the wedding of my sister and this guy that stole her from us, and I am planning on RSVP-ing ‘no’ when the time comes.” The post got a lot of interaction from readers and the predominant opinion was pretty clear – that Mark had done nothing wrong, and the woman was blaming him for problems within her own family. One Reddit user commented: “I think you're being childish and petty over stupid s***. I think it's insane that one of your examples is she wasn't eating at home as often. Frankly you are blaming your sister for s*** you aren't entitled to. You failed math. No one else made you do that.” Another added: “Your parents sound just as immature. Why aren't you blaming them for creating a toxic home life? Why aren't you mad at them you had to take care of your younger sister? She's their child!” One more said: “Honestly I read the whole thing twice to find where Mark actually did anything bad to OP. I still haven't found it. After reading OP's parents sound like tools, making a mountain out of a mole hill. It's no wonder Brooke ran for it when the opportunity came for her to move out.” Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings

Apparently most people are drinking their coffee completely wrong – and you’d better believe it, because it’s according to an Italian chef. Italian coffee lover Nadia, who has more than two million followers on her Instagram account The Pasta Queen, had a message for followers in her latest video. As an off-camera voice asked if she wants to have a cappuccino, she rolled her eyes and said: “No. It’s past 12.” Italians don’t drink cappuccinos after midday, she explained, adding: “It’s a breakfast drink.” “It's frothed milk! It’s good to awaken your senses before 10. If you really want to push it, 11. But not after 12.” She adds that when you’re eating a meal, “you’ve got enough going on” in your mouth and your stomach. “All you need is a quick espresso,” she said. “It’s like an American having a hot dog for breakfast.” However, some people seem not to appreciate being told when to drink their favourite coffee. Beneath the video some commenters were bewildered by the instruction. One person said: “I ordered a cappuccino in Italy, the waiter said no.” One viewer said: “I will continue to have my cappuccino morning, noon and night! I will especially continue to ask for a cappuccino after dinner when travelling in Italy just so I can p*** off the waiter.” Another said: “I am Italian and know of this ‘rule’ yet it did not phase me… I still ordered my cappuccinos in the afternoon and watched several natives enjoying one as well… It’s just steamed milk with espresso? Not sure what the big deal is? I say drink what you want, when you want. Respectfully.” However, others decided to trust the expert and sided with Nadia. A person commented: “You underestimate the power of Americans having just about ANYTHING for breakfast including last night’s leftovers.” It seems, as with most things food-related, the Italians know best. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Donald Trump has started tweeting – or “X-ing” – again, and his three most recent posts paint a sinister picture of the former president. On 25 August, Trump posted a picture of his mugshot, which was recently taken at Fulton County, Georgia. He wrote beneath the mugshot: “Election interference, never surrender!” It comes as the 77-year-old continues trying to use his multiple indictments to promote his re-run for the presidency next year. There is no evidence that his multiple indictments and criminal charges are part of election interference. But the two posts beneath on his timeline tell a story of Trump’s own alleged interference in US democracy. The posts are from 8 January 2021, two days after a mob of his supporters attacked the United States Capitol Building in Washington DC, in an armed insurrection attempt. The House select committee that investigated the incident later said the attack was the culmination of a plan by Trump to overturn the election, which president Joe Biden won. Trump tweeted on 8 January 2021: “The 75,000,000 great American Patriots who voted for me, AMERICA FIRST, and MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN, will have a GIANT VOICE long into the future. They will not be disrespected or treated unfairly in any way, shape or form!!!” Then later, he added: “To all of those who have asked, I will not be going to the Inauguration on January 20th.” One journalist, Cate Martel at The Hill, pointed out that the posts were “pretty striking” laid out next to each other. Another X user commented below: “I mean, did anyone see the clear progression here?” One other pointed out that his message about never surrendering was a bit out of place, given the fact that he literally did surrender to have his mugshot taken. “But… he did surrender,” they said. The former president’s brief booking at Fulton County Jail marks yet another jawdropping moment as Trump, who is the Republican frontrunner for the 2024 election, was again under arrest in a major criminal case. The mugshot came during prime-time viewing hours for the cable news networks. Trump is said to have insisted his lawyers negotiate with prosecutors that he get that time slot. In addition to the mugshot that he had so far managed to avoid – which is also the first ever taken of a former US president – Trump had his fingerprints taken and had his weight recorded as 97.5kg. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.