Biden-Xi meeting in San Francisco still on track but no major breakthroughs expected
Presidents Joe Biden and Xi Jinping remain on track to meet during next week's Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit
2023-11-08 08:44
When will 'RHONY' Season 14 Episode 12 air? Jenna Lyons calls Brynn Whitfield 'an amazing wingman'
Bravo's reality television series will keep viewers entertained with thrilling new confrontations and stunning revelations
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Fire whirls and pyrocumulus clouds: How fire creates its own weather
Substantial fires can create their own weather -- and do it in several ways.
2023-08-01 19:53
Scalpers Sell Hundreds of PlayStation Portals as Official Sales Run Dry
Scalpers have struck again, this time targeting Sony’s PlayStation Portal handheld, which launched on Wednesday
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Who is Isaiah Meadows? Teacher at Kanye West’s Donda Academy claims school didn't have windows as rapper ‘did not like glass'
Isaiah Meadows claimed in his case that he was terminated in August 2022 for raising concerns about security risks at the school, which was later named Donda Academy
2023-07-07 16:23
JT slammed for throwing her phone at Liz Uzi Vert at BET Awards after rumored fight over Ice Spice: 'Not acceptable'
JT receives criticism for a public fight with Liz Uzi Vert at BET Awards, allegedly due to Ice Spice, despite the rapper facing mental health issues
2023-06-26 15:21
Analysis-China needs more than cheaper mortgages to revive spending
SHANGHAI/BEIJING Simon Yu's monthly mortgage payments for his Shanghai apartment will drop after China's latest measures to support
2023-09-08 07:05
Scientists believe close kilonova explosion could threaten all life on Earth
Scientists have worked out how close a neutron star collision would have to be to threaten all life on Earth, in a not-remotely-terrifying new study. The event, known as a kilonova, is among the most powerful and explosive in the known universe. It’s not quite as bright as a supernova – but we should still keep our distance. Haille Perkins, team leader and a scientist at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, told Space.com: “We found that if a neutron star merger were to occur within around 36 light-years of Earth, the resulting radiation could cause an extinction-level event.” That’s about 212 trillion miles – which seems like quite a large danger zone. But we need not worry, apparently. Kilonovae are extremely rare and difficult to spot, because they happen so quickly. Scientists, including those from the University of Warwick, recently managed to observe one by using the James Webb telescope. The explosion first produces a blast of gamma rays which lasts for just seconds. If we got caught in one of those, it would fry us all rather quickly. That’s pretty unlikely because they go in two thin lines out from the centre of the blast. They also cause an afterglow of X-ray emissions in the surrounding dust and particles. If we’re within 16.3 light years of those, we’d be in trouble. But the worst bit is the cosmic rays (of course!) – energetic charged particles spreading out from the explosion in a bubble. If these hit Earth, they would strip the ozone layer and leave us vulnerable to ultraviolet rays for several thousand years. That would be a bummer because, again, we’d all die. Fortunately, kilonovae are so rare that we’re more likely to get hit by an asteroid, added Perkins. She said: “There are several other more common events like solar flares, asteroid impacts, and supernova explosions that have a better chance of being harmful.” That’s good then. New kilonova discoveries In the most recent kilonova, it was the gamma rays that alerted the astronomers to the fact something big was going down. Then, they got in touch with various telescopes and detectors to ask them to focus on the bit of the sky where the burst had come from, and bingo: kilonova. Here's what it looked like on the JWT's feed. One of the major discoveries from this one is that kilonovae produce an element called tellurium, a relatively rare element on Earth. They also worked out where the two neutron stars came from: a spiral galaxy about 120,000 light years away from the location of the final explosion. That’s about the diameter of the Milky Way, and just a little further away than the mere 36 light year danger zone, then. But it’s food for thought nonetheless, eh? How to join the indy100's free WhatsApp channel 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.
2023-10-31 23:55
Games-Santiago finally gets moment in Pan Am Games spotlight
By Steve Keating SANTIAGO After several failed bids Santiago will finally get its long-awaited chance to stage the
2023-10-21 03:01
Influencer sentenced for two years in prison for eating pork
A prominent influencer who boasts over two million TikTok followers has been arrested for eating pork in Bali. Lina Lutfiawati turned to the platform with a video of her eating crispy pork skin, while reciting the Islamic phrase "Bismillah" meaning "in the name of God" in Arabic. The clip that reportedly showed her screwing up her face while chewing on the meat, was reported in March, but she was later charged in May. AFP has since reported that she was sentenced to two years in prison after being found guilty by a court in Palembang on September 19 of "spreading information aimed at inciting hatred against religious individuals and specific groups". Lutfiawati, who identifies as Muslim, is also required to pay a $16,269.22 (£13,228) fine. If not paid, her sentence could be extended by a further three months. Pork consumption is strictly forbidden in Islam. At the time, it was reported that Lutfiawati was travelling in Bali, where she tried the meat out of curiosity. Following the verdict, Lutfiawati told local a news station: "I know that I am wrong but I did not expect this punishment." Human rights groups have been vocal about the blasphemy law used to charge Lutfiawati. Usman Hamid, executive director of Amnesty International Indonesia, said: "It contravenes Indonesia’s international obligations in relation to respect and protection for freedom of thought, conscience and religion or belief, freedom of opinion and expression." 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.
2023-09-22 00:48
Slipknot's Corey Taylor in 'almost constant pain' on tour
Slipknot frontman Corey Taylor has complained that touring is "hard f****** work” and has questioned how long he continue to be on the road with the band.
2023-09-12 17:00
Who is Aaron Glee? Oluwatoyin Salau and Victoria Sims' families enraged as killer escapes death penalty
Leon Circuit Judge Frank Allman sentenced Aaron Glee to two consecutive life sentences for two counts of first-degree murder
2023-09-24 19:57
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