England captain Harry Kane was on Saturday handed an immediate opportunity to win his first piece of silverware after being named on the Bayern Munich bench for the German Super Cup, just hours...

Scientists have seen one of the mysterious “dark spots” on Neptune from Earth for the first ever time. Researchers spotted the feature using the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope, or VLT. Using that telescope, astronomers were able to examine a large dark spot – which was joined by a smaller, bright spot, they said, of a kind that has never seen before. Scientists still do not know why those spots form on Neptune’s blue atmosphere. But they hope that the new observations could help answer questions about their origin. “Since the first discovery of a dark spot, I’ve always wondered what these short-lived and elusive dark features are,” said Patrick Irwin, professor at the University of Oxford and lead investigator of the study. It has already helped rule out one possibility: that the dark spots are caused when the clouds on the planet clear. The observations instead suggest that the spot is formed when air particles make a layer below the main one go darker, caused by ice and haze mixing in the atmosphere. Understanding the spots has been difficult because they leave the planet’s surface as mysteriously as they arise. They have also been difficult for researchers to actually examine, given the difficulty of spotting them through telescopes. Previously, scientists were forced to send spacecraft to see the spots, and the first was observed in 1989, when Nasa’s Voyager 2 flew past. It disappeared a few years later. In recent years, scientists have been able to examine them with the Hubble Space Telescope, which has seen more spots on the atmosphere. When it did so, astronomers were able to point ground-based telescopes towards them, allowing for more detailed research. “This is an astounding increase in humanity’s ability to observe the cosmos,” said Michael Wong, a researcher at the University of California, Berkeley and a co-author on the paper. “At first, we could only detect these spots by sending a spacecraft there, like Voyager. “Then we gained the ability to make them out remotely with Hubble. Finally, technology has advanced to enable this from the ground.” The new observations allowed scientists to examine the spot using the VLT’s Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer, which let them split the light from Neptune and the spot into its component colours. That in turn means that astronomers can understand the height at which the spot sits, and how the atmosphere is composed. As well as helping examine the dark spots, scientists also saw a surprise result: another, entirely new kind of bright spot. “In the process we discovered a rare deep bright cloud type that had never been identified before, even from space,” said Wong. The work is described in a new paper, ‘Cloud structure of dark spots and storms in Neptune’s atmosphere’, published in Nature Astronomy. Read More Mysterious dark spot on Neptune detected from Earth for the first time We just received the first ever pictures taken near the Moon’s uncharted south pole Chandrayaan-3 mission rover exits Moon lander to explore lunar south pole Mysterious dark spot on Neptune detected from Earth for the first time We just received the first ever pictures taken near the Moon’s uncharted south pole Chandrayaan-3 mission rover exits Moon lander to explore lunar south pole

With just five days to go, the House and Senate are on a collision course as a government shutdown approaches.

In one of his profane messages to the Jewish Senator, John Miller allegedly talked about 'finishing what Hitler started'

Women’s tennis is looking into the possibility of getting into business with Saudi Arabia

This is the bizarre moment Vladimir Putin’s voice appeared to be ‘altered’ as he addressed a summit this week. The pre-recorded video of his opening speech raised eyebrows when it was shown to delegates at the BRICS Business Forum in South Africa. Russian journalists posted a 30-second clip of the video on Telegram, with the caption: “Putin addressed the BRICS Business Council via video link, but not with his own voice.” The original clip, which features his regular speaking voice, was posted on the Russian government’s website. It is unclear whether the altered video was a technical fault or had been changed on purpose. Mr Putin was forced to join the summit of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa remotely after the International Criminal Court issued a warrant for his arrest in March. The ICC accused Mr Putin of conducting war crimes by unlawfully deporting hundreds of children from Ukraine to the Russian Federation. All other members of BRICS attended the summit in South Africa, with President Putin dialling in on a video call. Chinese Premier Xi Jinping made a rare trip overseas to be at the bloc’s first in-person summit since before the Covid pandemic. South Africa and Russia share strong ties and have a historically close relationship, but South Africa is also a signatory to the international court’s treaty. That means it would be obliged to arrest Mr Putin on the ICC warrant if he set foot on South African soil. South Africa lobbied for months ahead of the summit to persuade Putin to stay at home so it could avoid the problem, South African officials say. Deputy President Paul Mashatile said last month that Mr Putin was determined to come before an agreement for him to participate virtually was finally announced. “It’s almost like you invite your friend to your house, and then arrest them,” Mashatile said at the time. “That’s why for us his not coming is the best solution. The Russians are not happy, though. They want him to come.” South Africa, the current chair of BRICS, has denied allegations that the bloc is taking an anti-West turn under the influence of China and Russia amid increased West-East geopolitical tensions. “There’s an unfortunate narrative being developed that BRICS is anti-West, that BRICS was created as competition to the G-7 or the Global North, and that is incorrect,” said Anil Sooklal, South Africa’s ambassador to BRICS. “What we do seek is to advance the agenda of the Global South.” Read More Putin’s hit list: from poisoned tea to mysterious falls, the grisly fate of the Kremlin’s enemies Putin ally says he warned Wagner chief Prigozhin ‘to watch out’ for threats to life – Ukraine-Russia war live Russia's Wagner mercenaries face uncertainty after the presumed death of its leader in a plane crash The Body in the Woods | An Independent TV Original Documentary The harrowing discovery at centre of The Independent’s new documentary

Pope Francis is traveling to Mongolia at the end of the summer

As well as tourists, the wildfires have come at a great personal cost to the Greek island's residents.

Nebraska’s Republican governor has signed a bill that bans abortion at 12 weeks and restricts gender-affirming medical care for people younger than 19

It comes after the first meeting of Israel's emergency government, formed on Wednesday.

"Not a joke, folks," President Joe Biden likes to say to punctuate points in speeches that few would mistake for jokes.

The Rock is involved in various philanthropic endeavors and played a significant role in relief efforts during the Maui wildfires