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Speeding NASA spacecraft finds a surprise within a surprise
Speeding NASA spacecraft finds a surprise within a surprise
As NASA's Lucy probe sped by the asteroid Dinkinesh at 10,000 mph, mission scientists spotted
2023-11-09 18:00
AFC Bournemouth vs Burnley LIVE: Premier League team news, line-ups and more
AFC Bournemouth vs Burnley LIVE: Premier League team news, line-ups and more
The 2023/24 Premier League season is under way and you can follow every game and every goal right here with The Independent. This year sees Manchester City try to defend their crown and claim a historic fourth title in succession. Pep Guardiola’s all-conquering City, who also won the Champions League and FA Cup last season, will have to see off Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United, Liverpool and the rest to claim an unprecedented sixth league title in seven years. Meanwhile Luton Town are making their first appearance in the Premier League, having risen from non-league in an incredible decade of progress. They followed Championship winners Burnley and second-placed Sheffield United in earning promotion to the top flight. Follow the latest action from the Premier League below.
2023-10-28 21:00
Citi Says It’s Time to Play Offense on Hard-Hit Regional Bank Stocks
Citi Says It’s Time to Play Offense on Hard-Hit Regional Bank Stocks
Investors should start snapping up some regional bank stocks that were battered by this year’s selloff, Citigroup Inc.
2023-09-30 04:08
AirBnb host accused of tripling price after discovering guest was going to a Taylor Swift concert
AirBnb host accused of tripling price after discovering guest was going to a Taylor Swift concert
An Airbnb host has faced huge criticism after being accused of attempting to triple the price of a person’s stay in New Orleans when they learned they were going to see Taylor Swift. The home-hosting website Airbnb can be a great alternative for cheap accommodation on short stays, but it is not without its faults, as some guests have been left horrified by finding hidden cameras and tunnels within the house. One woman has opened up about her bad experience, revealing that a host attempted to triple the price she paid for a stay after finding out Taylor Swift was in town. TikToker Ariel Stewart shared screenshots of the messages she claims were between herself and the host in a viral clip, which has been viewed 3.4 million times. In the post caption, Stewart explained: “An Airbnb host tried to not only get me to pay triple after accepting my reservation for the nightly rate as posted but wanted me to cancel after it was their own fault for not paying attention to dates.” Pictures shared by Stewart appear to show she had booked a stay between 24 October and 26 October and had told the host, Heather, that she was attending a nearby Taylor Swift concert with her stepdaughter. The host replied, explaining that the price had not been “properly set” and that they would have to “collect additional funds”. When Stewart asked how much the price would now be, Heather informed her it would now cost $2,400 plus taxes and fees. Stewart explained in the messages that she had been in touch with Airbnb support who advised her not to cancel. She also said she would be unwilling to pay the upped charge. The host offered another house that was further away from the concert venue, despite appearing to have no right to make Stewart pay more for the property she had already booked. Stewart explained in her message: “I am sorry but the request will stay as it is because I know that the other location is definitely further and we did not want to be too far from the Superdome. “I decline changing the rate to a more expensive rate and decline to have my reservation moved to another location. After speaking with Airbnb, you can choose to cancel me but it will penalize you and block those dates from being booked in the future.” When Stewart would not cancel her original booking, the host threatened that they would not give her the entry codes to access the property. In another update, Stewart shared screenshots of the message she exchanged with Airbnb Support which appeared to corroborate her claims that it was the host’s fault and she did not have to cancel. @arielnicolestewart Replying to @Tuna i had sent this lady on airbnb support all the message thread, and now it has been escalated to higher ups. #airbnb @airbnb Despite the host claiming she was stealing from a “small business”, most on TikTok were firmly on Stewart’s side. “She only wanted to change the price because you mentioned Taylor Swift and realized she messed up. Good for you!” one person said. Another joked: “How dare you not help them price gouge.” Someone else said: “Did they really just call property hoarding a ‘small business’? I die.” 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.
2023-11-17 00:11
Russia loses vote to rejoin UN’s top human rights body despite Putin’s charm offensive with stolen grain
Russia loses vote to rejoin UN’s top human rights body despite Putin’s charm offensive with stolen grain
Russia’s desperate bid to rejoin the UN’s top human rights body with a charm offensive involving stolen Ukrainian grain and arms was defeated by a significant majority in a General Assembly vote on Tuesday. Russia received 83 votes from the 193-member UN, significantly more than the 24 countries who supported Moscow when it was booted out of the Human Rights Council in another vote more than one year ago. Russia was competing against Albania and Bulgaria for two seats on the Geneva-based UNHRC, representing the East European regional group. Bulgaria secured 160 votes, Albania received 123, while the Vladimir Putin-led nation managed only 83. In the run up to the voting, Russia made efforts to lure African allies and other friendly nations with stolen Ukrainian grain and arms in exchange for their votes – a charm offensive that experts said could work on some nations in need of the bartered goods. Moscow had claimed it had support from a silent majority at the UN, something which Tuesday’s vote shows was not the case. But experts said even its ability to win over 83 countries shows it maintains a surprisingly high level of support on the international arena. “I think the Russians will be pleased that they persuaded a sizable minority of UN members to back them (which) suggests that Moscow is not a total pariah in the UN system, despite repeated Western criticism,” Richard Gowan, UN director of the International Crisis Group, said. That said, the US and Ukraine’s allies were still able to ensure that Albania and Bulgaria swept the contest for the two seats, he said. “So, Kyiv’s friends still have a solid majority in the assembly,” Mr Gowan said.Yousuf Syed Khan, senior lawyer at Global Rights Compliance, said that declining to accept Russia’s bid for HRC membership “means that vulnerable member states were not assuaged by Russia’s bid to provide arms and grain in exchange for votes”. “Today, Ukrainians and the world community alike can welcome this glaring diplomatic success,” he told The Independent. The US and its allies had discouraged many of the UN General Assembly’s members and asked them to vote against Russia, the diplomats aware of Moscow’s attempts to woo nations with grains said. US deputy ambassador Robert Wood told the Security Council that Russia’s re-election “while it openly continues to commit war crimes and other atrocities would be an ugly stain that would undermine the credibility of the institution and the United Nations”. Russian envoy to the UN, Vassily Nebenzia, accused the US of preventing Russia’s return to the council with its campaign. “The main phobia of our American colleagues today is electing Russia to the Human Rights Council,” he told a Security Council meeting called by Ukraine on last week’s strike by a Russian missile on a Ukrainian soldier’s wake in a small village that killed 52 people. Experts have called it a near-unprecedented event where the UN body has acted consistently for 18 months to suspend a member nation. “It is close to unprecedented that the UN Human Rights Council acted as it did 18 months ago, it being only the second time in the Council’s history that a member has been suspended for committing ‘gross and systematic violations of human rights’,” Catriona Murdoch, partner at NGO Global Rights Compliance said. She added that the impact of this war on civilians and “the apocalyptic devastation it is leaving meant the stakes were higher with this vote”. The other closely watched race was in the Asia group where four countries – China, Japan, Kuwait and Indonesia – were candidates for four seats. While all were expected to reach the majority of votes needed and therefore gain a seat each, some rights groups campaigned hard against Beijing and the size of the vote was closely watched. Indonesia topped the ballot with 186 votes followed by Kuwait with 183 votes and Japan with 175. China was last with 154 votes. Additional reporting by agencies Read More UN set to decide on Russia’s Human Rights Council membership as Putin ‘uses Ukrainian grain to buy votes’ Putin’s shameless UN charm offensive - with stolen grain from Ukraine Russia tries to rejoin UN Human Rights Council Ukraine-Russia war – live: Moscow fails in bid to return to UN’s top human rights body
2023-10-11 14:45
Who is Alicia Rowley? Martina Navratilova angry at USTA after transgender tennis star wins women's National Championships
Who is Alicia Rowley? Martina Navratilova angry at USTA after transgender tennis star wins women's National Championships
Martina Navratilova pointed out how self-identification as a female would not allow one to compete in women's championships at the US Open
2023-08-07 15:41
How to Get the Halps Prototype Weapon, Deathloop's New Gun
How to Get the Halps Prototype Weapon, Deathloop's New Gun
The Halps Prototype Weapon is extremely powerful, but requires a little finesse (or violence) to obtain.
1970-01-01 08:00
Oil Holds Gain After US Crude Inventories Post Large Decline
Oil Holds Gain After US Crude Inventories Post Large Decline
Oil held gains after a five-day advance driven by a slump in US inventories and speculation that OPEC+
2023-08-31 11:03
Jonah Hill looks unrecognizably slim in tiny shorts as he runs errands in Malibu
Jonah Hill looks unrecognizably slim in tiny shorts as he runs errands in Malibu
Jonah Hill displayed peroxided blonde hair, slender arms and legs, and tattoos all over, a far cry from his younger years
1970-01-01 08:00
Demonstrators gather in Washington to back Israel, condemn antisemitism
Demonstrators gather in Washington to back Israel, condemn antisemitism
By Jonathan Landay and Patricia Zengerle WASHINGTON Demonstrators began to gather in Washington on Tuesday for a "March
2023-11-15 01:46
Takeaways from AP's report on bodies from migrant boats buried on the beach in Senegal
Takeaways from AP's report on bodies from migrant boats buried on the beach in Senegal
In the seaside town of Saint-Louis, Senegal, officials and residents say bodies of migrants from capsized boats attempting the dangerous trip from West Africa to Spain are buried in unmarked beach graves
2023-07-28 12:23
Is Carlee Russell’s abduction a hoax? Cops reveal she searched for movies like 'Amber Alert', 'Taken' before vanishing
Is Carlee Russell’s abduction a hoax? Cops reveal she searched for movies like 'Amber Alert', 'Taken' before vanishing
Carlee Russell was spotted leaving her work with a robe and toilet paper on the day of her disappearance
2023-07-20 05:56