Russia officially pulls out of Ukraine grain deal
After months of threats to not renew the deal, Moscow has officially announced it will come to a de facto end.
1970-01-01 08:00
Insider Q&A: Head of securities regulators' group on how to look out for investment scams
Scammers targeting investors are using fears of a recession and high inflation to put new wrappers on their ruses, but the underlying scams are still pretty much the same, says Andrew Hartnett
1970-01-01 08:00
What’s Next After Russia Seizes Western Yogurt and Beer: Q&A
Russia has seized the local assets of yogurt maker Danone and brewer Carlsberg A/S after its invasion of
1970-01-01 08:00
Japan's prime minister visits the UAE as part of a Gulf trip focused on energy and commerce
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida visited the United Arab Emirates on Monday as part of a swing through the Arab Gulf states focused on energy and commerce
1970-01-01 08:00
11 Successful (and Silly) Euphemisms for the F-Word
The f-word is often thought of as the most useful and flexible word in English. Whether that’s true or not, the term is so successful that it’s spawned dozens of euphemisms. Here are a few of them.
1970-01-01 08:00
People living near Yamuna River in New Delhi return home as waters recede
By Adnan Abidi and Gabrielle Fonseca Johnson NEW DELHI People living near a river running through India's capital
1970-01-01 08:00
Scientists are one step closer to creating a bonafide time machine
They may not be as stylish as a DeLorean or as sturdy as a blue police box, but wormholes in space could hold the key to real-life time travel – and a team of experts think they’ve figured out how. The trio of scientists delved deep into the laws of physics and discovered that it might be possible for humans to one day zip across galaxies in a matter of seconds, or journey through time itself. Now, this is all to do with the general theory of relativity and quantum physics, so don’t expect to get your head around it too easily. However, in their paper, Valeri P. Frolov and Andrei Zelnikov of Canada’s University of Alberta, and Pavel Krtouš of Prague’s Charles University proposed that a specific kind of wormhole would “inevitably” be “transformed into a time machine” if it was subject to particular conditions. Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter For the uninitiated, wormholes can be described as spacetimes in which a “kind of tunnel exists connecting distant parts in the universe”. The main problem with them is… they don’t actually exist. At least not in any tangible way. As Drs Eric Christian and Louis Barbier put it in an explainer for NASA: “Wormholes are allowed to exist in the math of ‘General Relativity’, which is our best description of the Universe. “Assuming that general relativity is correct, there may be wormholes. But no one has any idea how they would be created, and there is no evidence for anything like a wormhole in the observed Universe.” Still, numerous experts in the field of gravitation and general relativity have spent years or even decades working on them, including Stephen Hawking in his time. For their paper, Frolov, Krtouš, and Zelnikov explored what is known as a ring wormhole, which was first described in 2016 by theoretical physicist Gary Gibbons, of Cambridge University, and Mikhail Volkov of the University of Tours. Unlike the spherical contortions of spacetime we might attribute to black holes, the ring wormhole proposed by Gibbons and Volkov connects sections of the universe (or, indeed, different universes) which are generally described as “flat”, as ScienceAlert notes. Ring-shaped masses could potentially create some pretty remarkable distortions in what would otherwise be flat spacetime if you consider how their electrical and magnetic fields might interact. And so Frolov, Krtouš, and Zelnikov decided to consider two types of such wormholes: “a wormhole connecting to flat spaces; and a wormhole connecting two distant domains in the same space”. For the latter, they concluded that if a “massive thin shell” surrounded one of the mouths of the ring wormhole, a “closed timelike curve” would form. This, as the name suggests, would mean that any travelling object (or ray of light) would come back to the exact same point whence it began. In other words, you could travel in space and time and return to your point of departure. The most exciting aspect of ring wormholes, as the authors point out is that: “For the ring wormhole an observer passing through it moves in a flat (or practically flat spacetime), while in the case of ‘standard’ (spherical) wormholes he/she should pass a domain filled with the matter violating the null energy condition.” Even without knowing what the “null energy condition” is, you can appreciate that the first option sounds a lot simpler. Now, before you start calling yourself Marty McFly or making a list of all the past mistakes you’d like to correct, we should stress that we’re a long way off seeing the creation of a bonafide, buckle-your-seatbelt time machine. But at least, thanks to the efforts of experts like Frolov, Krtouš, and Zelnikov, we’re at least one step closer to going back in the future. 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.
1970-01-01 08:00
European Natural Gas Prices Slump as Key Norway Maintenance Ends
European natural gas prices slumped as supplies from Norway soared due to the completion of major maintenance. The
1970-01-01 08:00
Lionesses land in Brisbane ahead of World Cup opener against Haiti
The Lionesses arrived in Brisbane on Monday, 17 July, ahead of their opening World Cup match against Haiti on Saturday. The opener comes just over a week after the England women’s team played out a goalless draw in a behind-closed-doors training fixture with Canada on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast. Speaking ahead of Saturday’s match, Ella Toone insisted that England have no concerns about their attacking ability despite failing to score in each of their last two matches. The midfielder said: “We’re definitely creating those chances. It’s now about making sure we put them in the back of the net.”
1970-01-01 08:00
The 30 best documentaries on Netflix
Escapism is bliss, but knowledge is power. It's why the humble documentary is more important
1970-01-01 08:00
The most iconic Hermès Birkin bags inspired by Jane Birkin
Following the passing of actor and singer Jane Birkin, fans are remembering the iconic Hermès bag which drew inspiration from her need for practical style - and quickly grew to be one of the rarest and most expensive styles in the fashion world. The Hermès Birkin starts at around £8,000, but can only be purchased new by invitation from the brand personally. However, those keen to get their hands on one of these exclusive pieces can expect to pay upward of £20,000 on resale items. The Diamond Himalaya Birkin gained notoriety for being the most expensive bag ever to be sold at auction, going for $450,000 USD (£343,700) in 2022, and is crafted from Niloticus crocodile skin featuring 40 brilliant white diamonds. Birkin's passing will likely drive demand up even further for such bags. Read More Jane Birkin: Singer, actor and inspiration behind iconic Birkin bag dies aged 76 Cillian Murphy says it ‘took a toll’ playing scientist J Robert Oppenheimer Fan grabs Bryan Adams’ microphone after invading stage to sing Summer of ‘69
1970-01-01 08:00
Netanyahu vows crackdown on military no-shows in judicial protest
By Dan Williams JERUSALEM Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged to crack down on Monday against threatened no-shows
1970-01-01 08:00
