Scientists have developed new ultrasound technology that can induce immediate “hibernation”, they say. The system can be aimed at the head and bring on “torpor” a state similar to hibernation where mammals suppress their metabolism, reduce their body temperature and slow down other processes. The researchers behind the new system successfully brought it on in mice and rats, after pointing the ultrasound pulses at the animals’ heads. They suggest that it could work in humans – and might have important applications for long-distance space flight or medicine, they say. While further work is needed to understand how it might work on people, they suggest that it could be used when people have experienced acute emergencies or severe disease, for instance. If someone is in a car accident, for instance, they could essentially be put on ice until their organs are used for transplantation, for instance. It might also be useful in long journeys through space, where it would help reduce the amount of resources that people might stay alive if they are travelling to Mars or other distant locations. Mammals and birds keep high body temperatures and burn through a lot of energy. That characteristic is useful host of ways, but almost means that they require a lot of food and other resources. Some animals are able to limit the drawbacks of that situation by inducing torpor, which turns down many of those processes. It means that they use less energy, but are able to come back to living as normal after, without damage to their body. Humans are not able to do that. But if they were, it would be incredibly useful – which has led to the search for a noninvasive, safe and reliable way of inducing that state. The scientists found that directing ultrasound pulses at mice’s heads for around 10 seconds brought on the same conditions as torpor, with their heart rate slowing, their body temperature cooling and their metabolism slowing. They also built a special system that was able to measure that body temperature and send more of those pulses if a mouse appeared to be coming back to normal. Without that, however, the mice would wake back up again, returning to normal metabolism and body temperature. There are still a host of dangers, however. Experiments have shown that it is dangerous to bring animals back from those deep “torpid” states, and that they might not recover. If the mice were in cold environments, for instance, they did not spontaneously wake up. And any experiments in humans would be at risk of repeating those safety issues for people. The work is described in a new paper, ‘Induction of a torpor-like hypothermic and hypometabolic state in rodents by ultrasound’, published in Nature. Read More Apple lays bare danger of losing your health data What is Twitter Spaces and why did it go so wrong during DeSantis’s 2024 launch? Electric car range set to double with first production of breakthrough battery Apple lays bare danger of losing your health data What is Twitter Spaces and why did it go so wrong during DeSantis’s 2024 launch? Electric car range set to double with first production of breakthrough battery

Vladimir Putin has announced Russia will start deploying tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus next month – Moscow’s first move of such bombs outside Russia since the fall of the Soviet Union. The Russian president said the weapons would be deployed after special storage facilities are ready in just under a month’s time. It comes after he, last month, announced he wanted to deploy tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus, in an apparent warning to Nato over its support for Ukraine. “Everything is going according to plan,” Mr Putin told his ally and Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko. “Preparation of the relevant facilities ends on July 7-8, and we will immediately begin activities related to the deployment of appropriate types of weapons on your territory,” he said, according to a Kremlin transcript of his remarks. Earlier, Ukraine‘s domestic security service said it had intercepted a telephone call proving a Russian “sabotage group” blew up the Kakhovka hydroelectric station and dam in southern Ukraine. The destruction of the facility on Tuesday unleashed mass flooding, forcing thousands of residents to flee and wreaking environmental havoc. Read More Ukraine goes on attack in Zaporizhzhia – as counteroffensive steps up Ukraine tells ‘clown’ Tucker Carlson to check his facts after pro-Kremlin rant in first Twitter show Before-and-after satellite images show profound toll of Ukraine dam collapse

Leo Carlsson scored a goal in the third period while making an impressive NHL debut in the Anaheim Ducks’ 3-2 loss to the Dallas Stars

It may be of scant consolation in the Ruhr Valley but Borussia Dortmund’s status as the footballing world’s preeminent feeder club seems cemented. A few days before Erling Haaland, their 2022 flagship sale, played in a Champions League final, there was confirmation that Jude Bellingham, his 2023 counterpart, is going to serial Champions League winners Real Madrid. He was perhaps overshadowed by the Miami-bound Lionel Messi but it probably still represents the summer’s most momentous transfer. There have been times over the last two seasons when Real have seemed to be mounting a lone campaign to prevent the Premier League from dominating Europe; they eliminated three English opponents last season and two this before the emphatic 4-0 defeat to Manchester City. It doesn’t quite reverse the scoreline, but as City were also suitors for Bellingham, Real gained revenge of sorts. Perhaps they are never more potent in the transfer market than when hammered on the pitch: in 2009, after being thrashed 4-0 by Liverpool, they went out and bought Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, Xabi Alonso and Kaka. Fourteen years and five Champions Leagues later, Benzema is finally leaving. That Bellingham is still a teenager, if only for a few weeks, opens up the prospect of a sequel, a continuum of success. Maybe a generational talent will help swing the balance of power back to where it has often resided, in the Bernabeu. It also shows that his is a career unlike any other English player: even if the Premier League eventually does beckon, it will only be after playing in the Championship, the Bundesliga and La Liga. There is an English trait towards insularity, but Bellingham feels increasingly cosmopolitan. And Real still seem the ultimate destination club. In a world of various rivalries – England versus mainland Europe, new money against old – the siren call of Spain’s two superpowers remains strong. Being Real – or Barcelona – comes with certain advantages; they have long exerted a gravitational pull for Spanish, Portuguese and South American footballers but Bellingham is proof it still extends beyond them. It also confers an economic advantage. If Barcelona’s current financial strategy is to get everything and everyone on the cheap, Real may have got Bellingham for a relative bargain. Sizeable as an initial fee of £86 million is, it is less than many anticipated. When Liverpool bowed out of the race for him, the sense was that Bellingham could go for £130 million; even £86 million would have been beyond Liverpool’s parameters, as some other clubs had already concluded, while Manchester United’s need for a striker meant he could not be their top priority. It may have only left a market of two: Real and City. In his own way, Bellingham is the anti-Haaland. Whereas there was a clear vacancy for a centre-forward in Manchester, there is congestion in the queue for midfield spots in Madrid. Carlo Ancelotti might be the greatest diplomat of his age. He might also need to be, with the next generation of Bellingham, Eduardo Camavinga, Aurelien Tchouameni and Federico Valverde, while there is also the ancien regime of Toni Kroos and Luka Modric to placate. In one respect, it may have been better for Real had Bellingham joined in 2024 when one or both of Modric and Kroos could leave. In the meantime, even the compromises of fielding Camavinga at left-back and Valverde on the right wing may not shield the reality each has a compelling case to start in midfield in the major matches. Six into three does not go. Nevertheless, Real still look masters of succession planning. It is a way in which they have reinvented themselves. Vinicius Junior is proof they are now signing Galacticos before they become Galacticos and, for all his talent, Bellingham has not yet gravitated to the level of fame players such as Zinedine Zidane and David Beckham had when Real bought them. But it is notable that Bellingham joins as perhaps the last of the old-school Galacticos goes: Eden Hazard was the trophy signing, the €100 million man who left on a free transfer. Real got four goals in La Liga from Hazard over four seasons and if injuries rendered him and them luckless, Bellingham offers the prospect of more longevity and resale value as well as a greater impact. Hazard apart, Real have been smart buyers in recent years, with a judicious mix of long-term investments, astute free transfers and players acquired for less than their actual value. They have debunked their own dishonest rationale for trying to found the Super League by handling transition within the existing parameters of their budget, and perhaps emerging stronger at the end of it. Now Real are simultaneously delaying the future with Kroos and Modric, being forced into it by Benzema’s departure and preparing almost perfectly for it. They seem to have the midfield for the 2020s. If, in due course, Bellingham is joined at the Bernabeu by either Haaland or Kylian Mbappe, they may have the forward for the decade, too. Read More Jude Bellingham to become the eighth Brit to play for Real Madrid Lionel Messi to Inter Miami: Apple deal, MLS contract, salary, debut and everything we know The trick that made Erling Haaland the ultimate finisher – in more ways than one

Rubbery pirates, hidden treasure, and ferocious sea monsters... It's all there in One Piece, Netflix's

The Portland Trail Blazers are expected to trade Jrue Holiday to a big-name contender, but these teams under the radar should make a real push for the All-Star.

Newcastle midfielder Sandro Tonali trained with his team-mates on Tuesday morning amid speculation that an investigation into breaches of betting rules was close to reaching a conclusion. Reports from Italy have suggested the 23-year-old former AC Milan player could learn his fate before Wednesday night’s Champions League clash with Borussia Dortmund at St James’ Park, with some predicting a lengthy ban. However, the Italy international was among the group which trained at the club’s Darsley Park training headquarters as they completed their preparations for the Group F fixture under grey skies and incessant rain. Tonali’s representatives reportedly spent Monday in discussions with prosecutors, who launched an investigation while he was away on international duty earlier this month. He and compatriot Nicolo Zaniolo, currently on loan at Aston Villa from Galatasaray, are subject to a probe by the Italian Prosecutor’s Office and Italian Football Federation (FIGC) in relation to illegal betting activity. Tonali’s agent Giuseppe Riso had claimed the player was living with a “gambling addiction” and if breaches were found to have taken place, he could face many months on the sidelines. The midfielder, who joined the Magpies in a £55million summer move from Milan, is accused of placing bets on the Rossoneri and former club Brescia during his time with them. He has made 11 appearances to date for Newcastle, including a start in the 4-1 Champions League victory over Paris St Germain earlier this month. Read More It helps a lot – Dejan Kulusevski says Spurs must make absence from Europe count Super League case binding ruling due to be handed down on December 21 Texas Rangers see off Houston Astros to reach first World Series since 2011

A jailed French gangster known as the “getaway king” after two dramatic escapes from prison - one involving a hijacked helicopter - will be locked up for a further 14 years. Redoine Faid, who says he drew inspiration for his criminal career from French and American gangster films, escaped from Reau prison, southeast of Paris, in July 2018. He had been in the prison’s visiting room when three men burst in and got him onto the aircraft, which had landed in one of the prison courtyards. Just five years earlier, in April 2013, he escaped from Sequedin prison in the north of the capital, using explosives to blast through five prison doors, taking four prison wardens hostage, and escaping in two getaway cars. A self-described “freedom addict”, Faid, who has multiple convictions for armed robbery, went on trial earlier this month and was this week sentenced to 14 years additional years behind bars for the prison break. The 51-year-old appeared at Assize Court with a smile and wearing a blue sweater. Among the 11 co-defendants were his two brothers, one of whom he greeted with a kiss, three nephews and a convicted member of the Corsica underworld. Prosecutors had requested 22 years for the jailbreak, spearheaded by Faid’s brother Rachid, who took a helicopter pilot hostage and ordered him to fly to the prison. Rachid got 10 years for his involvement in the plot. Three armed accomplices let off smoke bombs to confuse guards at the prison, one of the men - identified as Faid’s elder brother Rachid - used a disc grinder to cut through doors leading to the visiting room. Faid had been receiving a visit from another brother, Brahim. Inmates of the prison cheered as the helicopter took off with its new passenger, with the operation taking just 10 minutes. Brahim told the court he had no idea about the plan and he was acquitted. After Faid was sprung from the prison, the helicopter landed in Gonesse, a northeastern suburb of Paris, where he and his accomplices continued their escape by car. Authorities later found a burnt-out black Renault suspected of being the getaway car in Aulnay-sous-Bois, another suburb of the capital. The assailants are thought to have changed vehicles, continuing their escape in a van. Faid was arrested by special forces in October 2018 in an apartment located in the city of Creil, in the northern suburbs of Paris, having spent three months on the run. He had been seen dressed as a woman, wearing a burqa. In 2017, he was sentenced on appeal to 25 years in prison for masterminding a failed 2010 robbery, which claimed the life of a policewoman. As a young delinquent in a troubled suburb north of Paris, Faid took his inspiration from gangster movies. He told the court it was his love of freedom that drove him to escape from jail. "I’m in a concrete sarcophagus 23 hours out of 24… What am I going to do? Kick my heels indefinitely. I have an addiction which consumes me and which I cannot cure. I am addicted to freedom." Read More Russia-Ukraine war live: North Korea hands over 1,000 containers of weapons to Putin Putin’s many ‘heart attacks’ and why the rumours may be in his favour Russia recruits prisoners for Ukraine war as Putin replicates Wagner Russia-Ukraine war live: North Korea hands over 1,000 containers of weapons to Putin Putin’s many ‘heart attacks’ and why the rumours may be in his favour Russia recruits prisoners for Ukraine war as Putin replicates Wagner

Digital-asset investment products added $199 million last week, the biggest weekly inflows in nearly a year, as a

A bumper Saturday at the Women’s World Cup saw four games played across Australia and New Zealand. World champions the United States and Euro 2022 winners England started their quest to lift the trophy with wins as Haiti and Vietnam were beaten. Denmark and Japan also picked up victories over China and Zambia, respectively. Here the PA news agency takes a look at all of the action. Holders on form Two first-half goals from Sophia Smith got the United States’ defence of the Women’s World Cup under way with a 3-0 win over Vietnam in Auckland. But the tournament favourites were wasteful in front of goal, missing a penalty as they failed to turn their dominance – 28 shots to none – into a bigger win against outclassed but determined opposition. Rising star Smith fired them ahead after 14 minutes, running on to Alex Morgan’s flick to fire a shot past goalkeeper Tran Thi Kim Tranh. The USA dominated the rest of the first half but failed to add to their lead: Julie Ertz, debutant Savannah DeMelo, Lindsay Horan, Smith and Morgan all having chances before Morgan wasted the best opportunity, Kim Tranh saving her weak spot-kick given for a foul on Trinity Rodman. Five-star Japan Japan made light work of World Cup debutants Zambia to start their campaign with a comfortable 5-0 win. Hinata Miyazawa hit a brace with Mina Tanaka striking between her two goals and Jun Endo adding a fourth to pull Japan well clear. There was still time for late drama as Zambia goalkeeper Catherine Musonda was sent off for conceding a late penalty. Substitute stopper Eunice Sakala saved Riko Ueki’s resulting spot-kick but Ueki scored on the second attempt after Sakala was deemed to have come off her line. Toil for England Georgia Stanway’s retaken first-half penalty was enough to earn England a nervy 1-0 victory over World Cup debutants Haiti in their Group D opener at Brisbane Stadium. This was not the decisive victory most had predicted for the European champions and world number-four side against a team 49 places below them in the FIFA rankings. Haiti came close to levelling more than once, including a late second-half chance repelled at the last by Mary Earps’ outstretched foot. While the Lionesses ultimately walked away with all three points, it was an underwhelming performance that will leave boss Sarina Wiegman with plenty of questions. Late Danes Likely to be England’s fiercest Group D rivals, Denmark sealed a 1-0 win over China courtesy of a late goal from substitute Amalie Vangsgaard. The Paris St Germain forward came on with five minutes remaining in Perth and broke the stalemate as she headed in Penille Harder’s corner as the clock ticked into the 90th minute. The goal survived a VAR check as the officials ruled that defender Rikke Sevecke had not prevented Xu Huan in the China goal from keeping out Vansgaard’s effort. Denmark and England now face off on Friday, with both sides aiming for improvements on their narrow victories. Picture of the Day Quote of the Day `I think it takes a little bit to find your feet. Coming into a major tournament the pressure is high and the build-up is so long England's match-winner Stanway Post of the Day Up Next Group G: Sweden v South Africa (6am Sunday, Wellington Regional Stadium, Wellington)Group E: Netherlands v Portugal (8.30am Sunday, Dunedin Stadium, Dunedin)Group F: France v Jamaica (11am Sunday, Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney)all times BST Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Tadej Pogacar salvages pride but Jonas Vingegaard set to retain Tour title WTA investigates after Russia’s Vera Zvonareva barred from entering Poland Jon Rahm shoots stunning 63 to surge into contention at The Open

Nordstrom says its sales and profits fell in its fiscal second quarter, joining its department store peers coping with shoppers' cautious spending

HSBC Holdings Plc said it may increase some variable pay, resulting in higher expenses, after it announced a