Florida man arrested after trying to cross Atlantic in hamster wheel vessel
Reza Baluchi tried to "run" from Florida to London in a homemade vessel during hurricane season.
2023-09-07 00:29
The Great Salt Lake is shrinking rapidly and Utah has failed to stop it, a new lawsuit says
A coalition of environmental groups is suing Utah's government for, in its view, failing to stop the Great Salt Lake from shrinking at an alarming pace
2023-09-07 00:24
Scientists confused after black holes 'burp up' previously destroyed stars
It feels like every time black holes are discussed and studied by the scientific community, there are new findings that blow our tiny minds. It’s been revealed that black holes actually regurgitate or “burp up” the stars that they eat years after the event. Experts made the discovery by studying tidal disruption events (TDEs). These events take place when stars are close enough to supermassive black holes, to be destroyed by the process of spaghettification. Studying these moments over a number of years after the black holes seemingly swallowing stars with no trace, the experts found that up to 50 per cent of them "burp up" the remains. Yvette Cendes is a research associate at the Havard and Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics and head author on the study. Speaking to Live Science, she said: "If you look years later, a very, very large fraction of these black holes that don’t have radio emission at these early times will actually suddenly 'turn on' in radio waves. "I call it a 'burp' because we’re having some sort of delay where this material is not coming out of the accretion disk until much later than people were anticipating." The material was re-emitted between two and six years from 10 out of 24 black holes which were studied by Cendes and the team. It has the potential to change the way the scientific community thinks about black holes. "There was a second peak, the two black holes re-brightened, and that's completely new and unexpected," Cendes said. "People were thinking that you'd have one outflow, and then it's kind of done. So this observation means these black holes can 'turn on' and then 'turn on' again." Meanwhile, a low intergalactic grumbling is emanating from deep space, according to scientists – and again, it’s black holes that are providing us with new discoveries. Astronomers say they detected the first-of-their-kind low frequency ripples, described as a “cosmic bass note” of gravitational waves, which is thought to be caused by supermassive black holes merging across the universe. 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
2023-09-07 00:21
Climate change is hurting Six Flags, SeaWorld and Disney World
Over the weekend, intense rain and flooding stranded more than 70,000 people at Burning Man in the Nevada desert. It's the latest example of how extreme weather, exacerbated by climate change, impacted major North American attractions this summer.
2023-09-07 00:19
Christie says DeSantis put 'politics ahead of his job' by not seeing Biden during hurricane visit
Republican presidential hopeful Chris Christie says Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis put “politics ahead of his job” by declining to meet with President Joe Biden during Biden's weekend visit to survey Hurricane Idalia’s damage in DeSantis’ state
2023-09-06 23:57
Russian commander ‘used two military helicopters to transport his pet cat’
One of Vladimir Putin's commanders used two military helicopters to transport his pet cat during the war in Ukraine, a defected Russian pilot has claimed. The cat was airlifted in the military-grade helicopter for around one hour, while another flew alongside it to provide cover during the 114-mile journey, according to former Russian airman Maksim Kuzminov. Mr Kuzminov spoke out in an interview with The New Voice of Ukraine after choosing to leave Russia’s armed forces. Asked for examples of any illogical uses of aviation during the war in Ukraine, Mr Kuzminov said: “Our commander needed to transport a cat, which had some impressive pedigree. To do this, two Mi-8 and Mi-24 [helicopter] crews were assigned. “So, two helicopters transported this wonderful animal, so to speak, from Rostov to Yeysk [air base] — the Mi-8 was flying the cat in, while the Mi-24 was circling to provide cover. “We burned a lot of fuel, resources. Furthermore, the crews aren’t always allowed to rest.” The former pilot said six military personnel were on board for the mission despite Russia experiencing a lack of pilots. Mr Kuzminov, 28, has reportedly been paid £398,000 for defecting and is now urging his former Russian colleagues to follow suit. “The truth is, there are no Nazis or fascists,” he told the Ukrainian news outlet, to counter the message Mr Putin has used to justify the “special military operation” launched in February last year. He said he got in touch with representatives of the Ukrainian military intelligence about the possibility of changing sides and he was offered safety as well as the financial reward. Mr Kuzminov landed his Russian Mi-8 helicopter in Ukraine’s Poltava Oblast on August 23 - giving the chopper to his new bosses as well as spare parts for the aircraft. “It’s a real disgrace what is happening here,” he said of the war. “Murder, tears, blood. “People are simply killing each other. That’s all I can make of this and I don’t want to be a part of it. What is going on now is simply the genocide of the Ukrainian people. Both Ukrainian and Russian.” Read More Russia-Ukraine war – live: 16 killed in missile strike on market town during ‘evil’ attack Ukraine destroys ‘Russian-occupied warehouse’ in drone strike CCTV captures Russian shell landing on Ukrainian market killing at least 16 The Body in the Woods | An Independent TV Original Documentary The harrowing discovery at centre of The Independent’s new documentary
2023-09-06 23:51
US lawmakers visiting The Hague say Russian President Putin is committing genocide in Ukraine
Members of the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee say Russian President Vladimir Putin is committing genocide in Ukraine
2023-09-06 23:49
Trump is liable in the second E. Jean Carroll defamation case, judge rules; January trial will determine damages
A federal judge ruled that the jury hearing E. Jean Carroll's defamation lawsuit will only need to decide how much money Donald Trump will have to pay her, after the judge found the former president was liable for making defamatory statements.
2023-09-06 23:48
UK expected to re-join Horizon science scheme
An announcement is likely soon on the UK becoming a fully-fledged member of the multi-billion euro programme.
2023-09-06 23:46
Veterans’ fundraiser draws Tracy Morgan, Josh Groban, John Mellencamp and Jon Stewart
Josh Groban, John Mellencamp, Tracy Morgan and the ever-present Jon Stewart will stand up at this year’s Stand Up for Heroes fundraiser
2023-09-06 23:27
Father reveals terrifying moment escaped murderer Danelo Cavalcante broke into his home
A Pennsylvania man has opened up about the terrifying moment an escaped murder convict Danelo Cavalcante apparently broke into his home while his family was sleeping. The manhunt for Cavalcante entered its seventh day on Wednesday, with at least five confirmed sightings of the fugitive since he escaped from Chester County Prison on 31 August. Law enforcement initially set up a two-mile perimeter around a wooded area where Cavalcante was believed to be hiding, but the search was expanded after Cavalcante was caught on trail camera sneaking past the perimeter on Monday. Schools in the district have been closed, and authorities have urged residents to remain aware of their surroundings and secure their homes from the killer. West Chester resident Ryan Drummond claimed in an interview with The Philadelphia Inquirer that one of Cavalcante’s confirmed sightings occurred at his home. Mr Drummond said that he woke up to noises downstairs on 1 September and realised that there was an intruder. “I decided not to confront him and thought it was a better move to flick the light switch,” Mr Drummond, whose wife and children were also in the home, told the Inquirer. “And he flicked it back at me, which was terrifying, so I told my wife to call 911.” Mr Drummond said that Cavalcante entered the home through an old French door that couldn’t lock properly. He said his nine-year-old daughter had raised fears about Cavalcante being able to gain access to the home through the door, but he tried to reassure her that the murder convict was likely far away. “The last few days have been surreal. It’s tough,” Mr Drummond said. “We’re all jumpy, and I could see this has taken a psychological toll on my kids. If they’re in the room by themselves, they’re calling for us.” Fortunately, Cavalcante left the Drummonds’ home after reportedly taking a backpack, a baseball cap and some fruit from the kitchen. When asked during a press conference about the incident, state police confirmed that Mr Drummonds’ home was within the perimeter of the search but declined to elaborate on the break-in. Chester County residents have been asked to “remain indoors at this time, lock your vehicles and review your surveillance cameras and contact police if you observe anything suspicious,” DA Deb Ryan said. The most recent sighting came Monday night at Longwood Gardens, where trail surveillance video captured him walking through the area with a duffel bag, backpack and hooded sweatshirt he apparently stole while on the run. That sighting led officials to move the search area farther south after they determined that Cavalcante had likely slipped through the original perimeter set by hundreds of local, state and federal law enforcement officers. Officials said his movements show he’s feeling the pressure of the massive search and that his options are dwindling. “I intend to stress him. I want to push him hard. He’ll make mistakes,” Pennsylvania State Police Lt Col George Bevins said at a press conference. “He’ll show himself. He’s already shown himself, we believe, a few times.” Law enforcement teams, including the US Marshals, SWAT, local, state, and other federal agencies, have joined the search to find Cavalcante Authorities are also offering a $10,000 reward for information that leads to his arrest. On 22 August, Cavalcante was sentenced to life without parole for stabbing his 33-year-old ex-girlfriend Deborah Brandão to death. Cavalcante attacked Brandão in Schuylkill Township, back in August 2021, in front of her two children, who were just seven and three years old. He is also wanted for a 2017 murder in Brazil. Read More Danelo Cavalcante killed his girlfriend in front of her children. Now he’s on the run after a prison break Pennsylvania police hone in on heavily wooded area during ongoing manhunt for dangerous fugitive Danelo Cavalcante Authorities try to flush out escaped murderer in suburban Philadelphia manhunt
2023-09-06 23:23
A storm in Brazil leaves at least 27 dead and 1,600 others homeless. Families are pleading for help
Authorities in southern Brazil say at least 27 people have died after a fierce storm caused floods in several cities in the region
2023-09-06 23:19
