Exclusive: Paul Whelan told Blinken being left out of prisoner swap with Russia painted a target on his back
Paul Whelan, an American who has been imprisoned in Russia for nearly five years, pressed Secretary of State Antony Blinken in a phone call in August to ensure that he is not left behind again, Whelan told CNN.
1970-01-01 08:00
Marketmind: Big Tech reports as bond yields recoil
A look at the day ahead in U.S. and global markets from Mike Dolan Big Tech heavyweights Microsoft and Alphabet
1970-01-01 08:00
Spotify Sales Top Estimates on Subscriber Growth, Higher Pricing
Spotify Technology SA, the music-streaming giant, reported third-quarter sales that exceeded analysts’ projections and a surprise operating profit
1970-01-01 08:00
To Save Solar Panels From Landfills, Startup Is Smashing Them Instead
Inside a noisy industrial plant on the outskirts of Yuma, Arizona, there’s a machine that smashes old solar
1970-01-01 08:00
Rio Ferdinand reveals 'two big factors' which have harmed Man Utd this season
Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand has pinpointed 'two big factors' which have contributed to the team's underperformance so far this season.
1970-01-01 08:00
Rio Ferdinand defends Glazer family over Man Utd takeover saga
Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand believes that the Glazer family were within their rights to reject Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani's bid to buy the club. Sir Jim Ratcliffe is set to purchase a 25% stake in the Red Devils instead.
1970-01-01 08:00
Alexander Payne blasts 'damn long' movies
Alexander Payne thinks that modern films are too long and has called on directors to be economical with storytelling.
1970-01-01 08:00
Barry Keoghan's 'dark sex appeal' helped him get Saltburn part
'Saltburn' director Emerald Fennell believes that Barry Keoghan had the "dark sex appeal" required to play the lead role of Oliver Quick in the movie.
1970-01-01 08:00
Britney Spears LIVE - Fans react to explosive memoir revelations
Britney Spears' hotly anticipated memoir The Woman in Me has caught the attention of the internet following its official release on 24 October. In the run-up to its publication, snippets from the explosive autobiography revealed a new harrowing meaning behind her hit 'Everytime', as well as lifting the lid on how her relationship ended with Justin Timblerlake. Reports have claimed the star gave the final sign-off to publishers weeks before Asghari filed for divorce after 14 years of marriage, meaning she has "no right to demand any further changes". Spears ‘dropped jaws’ with her audition for The Notebook October 24, 11:19 Spears revealed she was "glad" to have lost the lead role in The Notebook to Rachel McAdams, prompting casting director Matthew Barry to share her audition tape with The Daily Mail. In the two-minute-long video, an emotional Spears says: "I prayed for you to die in the war, really. Well, not die. I would have felt completely horrible if you would've died. But I kinda didn't want you to be alive anymore because I couldn't bear the thought of you being with somebody else, or of us never seeing each other again. So I gotta go, okay?" Barry told the publication the pop star "wasn't just good, she was phenomenal." Read more Emma Roberts ecstatic to receive copy of Spears' autobiography October 24, 11:11 Britney Spears finally confirms how things ended with Justin Timberlake October 24, 11:07 The star has detailed how the former NSYNC star dumped her via a text message. "I was comatose in Louisiana, and he was happily running around Hollywood," she wrote in an excerpt. Spears said the break-up affected her so much that she considered quitting the music industry at the time. Read more Spears sends a copy of 'The Woman in Me' to Paris Hilton October 24, 10:58 Britney Spears' Everytime acquires 'new meaning' after Justin Timberlake abortion bombshell October 24, 10:57 Britney Spears shot to fame as the quintessential sugar-pop princess but, in 2003, she showed her serious side with the moving hit ‘Everytime’. In the autobiography, Spears, 41, claims that she fell pregnant during her three-year relationship with fellow superstar Justin Timberlake. And while she’d been convinced that she and the NSYNC heartthrob would have children together “one day”, she said he "definitely wasn’t happy" about the news. The singer wrote in an excerpt published by People on Tuesday: "I loved Justin so much. I always expected us to have a family together one day. This would just be much earlier than I’d anticipated. "But Justin definitely wasn’t happy about the pregnancy. He said we weren’t ready to have a baby in our lives, that we were way too young." Read more How to join the indy100's free WhatsApp channel 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.
1970-01-01 08:00
Scientists think orcas might be getting smarter as they show frightening new behaviours
As if orcas weren’t frightening enough, experts think they are getting even smarter as they have started to learn some terrifying new behaviours. The whale species, commonly known as killer whales, is an apex predator that has learned to adapt its hunting methods to a variety of different prey. In March 2019, researchers were stunned when they witnessed the first documented case of a pod of orcas working as a team to kill one of the largest animals on the planet, a blue whale. The gruesome incident took place on the coast of southwestern Australia as experts watched as a dozen orcas bit chunks out of the adult blue whale, slowly wearing it down until it finally died an hour later. While it may have been the first recorded case, it has not been the last. Additionally, a small population of orcas on the coast of Spain and Portugal have become fans of ramming and damaging boats, sometimes causing enough destruction to sink them. Elsewhere, orcas have been seen abducting baby pilot whales and tearing the livers out of sharks that later wash up on shore. Deborah Giles, an orca researcher at the University of Washington and the nonprofit Wild Orca explained to Live Science: “These are animals with an incredibly complex and highly evolved brain. They've got parts of their brain that are associated with memory and emotion that are significantly more developed than even in the human brain.” But, while the actual anatomy of the animals’ brains hasn’t changed, their ability to learn is what is making orcas smarter than ever before. They implement what is known as social learning, where younger members of the pods observe and learn hunting methods from the adults, particularly the dominant matriarch, who themselves, are always learning. Josh McInnes, a marine ecologist at the University of British Columbia, explained: “This behaviour may be being shared between individuals, and that's maybe why we're seeing an increase in some of these mortality events.” But, while experts think they are getting smarter, they also think it may be leading to the breakup of large pods of orcas. Michael Weiss, a behavioural ecologist and research director at the Center for Whale Research in Washington state, said: “Their social bonds get weaker because you can't be in a big partying killer whale group if you're all hungry and trying to search for food.” Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter How to join the indy100's free WhatsApp channel 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
San Francisco Targets Hot Dog Stands, Homeless People in APEC Crackdown
San Francisco is cracking down on hot dog vendors and urging people living on the street to seek
1970-01-01 08:00
Elon Musk warns that 'civilization is a stake' amid global conflicts
Elon Musk thinks we might be on the precipice of another world war, following a discussion on X/Twitter on 23 October. The billionaire owner of the social media platform warned that the United States is “sleepwalking into World War III” and that “civilization itself may be at stake”. Musk said US foreign policy right now should be preventing a situation of “a regional conflict rapidly becoming a global conflict”. The Tesla owner’s comments come amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas conflict. However, he was referring more specifically to the growing relationship between Russia and China. Should that continue to blossom, it could spell disaster for the US, and that Russia, with its “abundance in raw materials, and China, with its phenomenal industrial capacity” are a formidable duo. Musk added that US foreign policy has been about “forcing Russia to ally with Iran and China” for a number of years, and that it should “figure out” a road towards peace in Ukraine and “resume normal relations with Russia.” The discussion also featured Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, who has previously expressed isolationist, some argue pro-Russia, views on the Ukraine war. He argued last year that the US should force Ukraine to cede much of the territory taken by Russia in the eastern part of the country, in return for president Vladimir Putin cutting military ties with China. On 23 October, Musk appeared to echo that view, suggesting that the present lines of control should be established as a ceasefire line or permanent border. Musk came under fire in September, when excerpts of a new biography published in the Washington Post said he had denied Ukraine access to his starlink satellite service for an offensive against Russia in Crimea last year. Since Russia invaded Ukraine, Starlink has provided internet to Ukrainian civilians and its military. Musk has since signed a contract with the Pentagon, which pays for Ukraine’s use of the service. He said of the cut in service: “If I had agreed to their request, then SpaceX would be explicitly complicit in a major act of war and conflict escalation.” Musk added: “Starlink was not meant to be involved in wars. It was so people can watch Netflix and chill and get online for school and do good peaceful things, not drone strikes.” Days later, Putin praised Musk as a “talented businessman.” 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.
1970-01-01 08:00
