By Nia Williams and Rami Ayyub REVELSTOKE, British Columbia (Reuters) -Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday paid tribute to

Chad Pallansch started his hike on September 27 when he was last heard on that afternoon. He was reported overdue on September 28

A riverboat crew member involved in a massive brawl on a popular riverfront dock in Montgomery, Alabama, said he was just doing his job when he found himself involved in the fight that gained national attention last month.

The first lesbian leader of the California Senate is thinking about trying to make history again — with a run for the governor's office

With the tragedy and horror wreaked in Morocco last week, it's unsurprising that people’s focus hasn’t been on the skies. And yet, Friday’s devastating earthquake, has also sparked renewed interest in a mysterious aerial phenomenon. Footage shared to social media just moments before the 6.8-magnitude tremor struck the High Atlas mountains appears to show blinding lights flashing across the sky. Experts have suggested that the jaw-dropping sight is evidence of an enigmatic natural occurrence called “earthquake lights”. Reports of these bright flashes go back centuries. And yet, very little is known about them, to the point that scientists aren’t even sure they’re real. Indeed, some experts have concluded that there isn’t sufficient proof to support their existence, the United States Geological Survey notes. Nevertheless, “people have wondered about them forever," Karen Daniels, a physicist at North Carolina State University, told the New York Times. "It's one of those persistent mysteries that hang around and never quite get nailed." The issue with studying earthquake lights is that since earthquakes are impossible to predict, so are any preceding celestial pyrotechnics. Not knowing when or where they will occur means researchers can’t preemptively install the necessary equipment needed to detect them. Essentially, the only evidence we have comes from eyewitness accounts and, more recently, video recordings. And there is an abundance of the former, with a 2014 study noting that aerial luminous phenomena were reported in relation to 65 earthquakes which occurred in Europe and America over a period of 200 years. These descriptions of earthquake lights vary in their details, with some recalling on-and-of lightning-style flashes, and others minutes-long glows of different colours. “All of these have been reported by observers,” John Ebel, a seismologist at Boston Collegel told the NYT. “Which ones are actually true, and which ones are products of their imagination, we can’t really say.” One theory behind the formation of earthquake lights is that they are the result of friction between tectonic plates generating electricity. However, most experts are unconvinced by this hypothesis, including Dr Daniels. She told the NYT: “Rock on rock is not a situation where people have been able to generate large charge separation. And so it just doesn’t seem like a very good explanation for what people see.” Other scientists have suggested electrical arcing from power lines shaken by earthquakes could be responsible for the sky flares. But Dr Daniels acknowledged it’s still possible that there’s no link at all between the lights and tectonic events. “We’re comforted by things that we can understand, and we’re scared by things we don’t,” she pointed out. “I think that’s part of the reason we’re so fascinated by this phenomenon.” 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.

Jennifer Garner and Sheryl Lee talked about their commitment to providing their children with a normal life

Ben Stiller has opened up on his 2016 prostate cancer diagnosis, and how his life-saving surgery affected his sex life. Appearing on Howard Stern's radio show, the actor, alongside his surgeon, Dr Ted Schaeffer, noted that it was 'rare' for his sexual function to return so quickly. "When the first erection happened post surgery, we all celebrated,” he joked. "It all came out of the blue for me." Meanwhile, Schaeffer quipped that it was 'because he's a movie star' that he got his groove back almost immediately. Click here to sign up for our newsletters

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday defended his Pentagon plan in an exclusive interview with CNN's Jake Tapper, which would address recruiting woes by stripping the military of so-called "woke" policy.

Police records show a Utah man killed by officers last week as they tried to arrest him for social media threats he made against President Joe Biden and others had a history of frightening people with firearms

As wildfires rage across Sicily and Greece, Portugal is the latest Mediterranean country to be hit. A fire broke out on 26 July near the popular coastal holiday spot of Cascais, just 30km west of capital city Lisbon. The blaze started at 5pm in part of the Sintra-Cascais natural park, with strong winds fanning the flames and quickening the spread. Local residents chipped in to help the hundreds of Portuguese firefighters sent to tackle the fires, with some attempting to protect their homes and villages with buckets of water and hosepipes. “The fear now is that it will get to the houses,” local resident Ines Figueiredo told Reuters. “We try to help as much as we can with buckets (of water) ... but it’s not worth much.” Planes were also dispatched to waterbomb the blaze before night fell, alongside more than 600 firefighters. Winds of of up to 60km/h were the biggest obstacle to putting out the fire, according to the mayor of Cascais, Carlos Carreiras. A number of local residents have been evacuated as a precaution. If you’re booked to travel to Portugal, is it still safe to go? And what are your rights if you cancel a holiday? Here’s what we know. Where is affected by the wildfires? So far, the fire is contained to Sintra-Cascais natural park; it hasn’t spread as far as the resort of Cascais, popular with holidaymakers for its beaches and vibrant marina. Some villages within the vicinity of the park have been affected, with nine firefighters and four civilians so far treated for minor injuries and some residents evacuated. Elsewhere, smaller blazes have been reported in the north and centre of Portugal, one of which is near the second city of Porto. The highest level of alert for rural fire danger has been issued for several regions, including holidaymakers’ favourite, Faro in the Algarve. Is it safe to travel to Portugal? So far, the one major blaze has yet to impact on any areas that tourists are likely to visit. Unlike the Greek island of Rhodes, where a number of holidaymakers have had to be evacuated from the worst-affected areas, Portugal’s wildfires won’t affect the overwhelming majority of visitors. The UK Foreign Office (FCDO) advice on Portugal has not been updated to reflect the latest fires; its standard advice reads: “Forest fires can occur anywhere in Portugal. Risk of fires is higher when the weather is hot and dry. Fires have become more common due to drought and high temperatures. “Forest fires are highly dangerous and unpredictable. The Portuguese authorities may evacuate areas and close roads for safety reasons. You should: familiarise yourself with local safety and emergency procedures follow the advice of the Portuguese authorities call the emergency services on 112 if you see a wildfire “Starting a forest fire, even if it is by accident, is illegal in Portugal.” No holidays to Portugal appear to have been cancelled by travel companies at this time. Can I cancel my holiday to Portugal? Cancelling a holiday to Portugal based on the currently very small risk of fire impacting the trip would very likely lead to you losing any money paid so far. While most tour operators are offering customers due to travel to fire-affected parts of Rhodes the option of cancelling and rebooking, the same is not true of Portugal, where the blaze is yet to affect tourist areas. If you’ve booked travel and accommodation separately, rebooking flights in many cases costs as much as buying a whole new ticket. Cancellation costs incurred also won’t be covered by your travel insurance in the vast majority of cases, as the FCDO has not issued an advisory against all “non-essential” travel to Portugal. Read More More than two million expected to head overseas for summer getaway despite heatwave 8 best cities and towns in Portugal to visit on your next holiday Best beaches and seaside holidays in Europe 2023 ‘I cannot hold the pee’: Woman caught urinating on plane cabin floor How to spot a hidden camera in your Airbnb Tourists flying into Greece inferno reveal why they refuse to cancel holiday

A legal drama involving Hunter Biden on Wednesday showed how a presidential race already reeling from a possible third criminal indictment of Donald Trump is being defined more by courtroom action than campaign trail fireworks.

The Internet isn't pleased that Bryan West, who became Gannett's first full-time 'Taylor Swift reporter,' may have just landed the dream job