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With temperatures reaching just over 33 degrees celsius in parts of the UK last year (and a record 40 the year before!), some of us went to extreme lengths to keep ourselves cool. If you were one of them, it could be time to start thinking about investing in a portable air conditioner.
We're talking resorting to making ice cold ‘hot’ water bottles or covering yourself in freezing towels. Sound familiar? Yes, portable air conditioners are pricey, but heatwaves can be uncomfortable, and with lots of us still working from home they’re a worthy investment.
How does a portable air conditioner work?
Unlike fans, a portable air conditioner physically sucks up the hot air inside the room and expels it out through a window, via an exhaust hose, replacing the hot air with cold air. They're ideal for those really warm days or if you're looking to cool down a larger room. Most can also be used as a dehumidifier and come with clever features like timers and smart controls. Look out for the British Thermal Units (BTUs) on each model, as that indicates how powerful they are.
It may be January, but now is the time to get in quickly and order one when they have their most competitive prices. You can find the most popular brands and models available on Amazon, with quick delivery and many more affordable than you might think. To help you choose which is best for you, we’ve searched for the bestsellers with top ratings and reviews.
How we chose the best portable air conditioner units
- Top-rated: We've only included bestselling air conditioner units that are rated at least 4.2 out of five stars on Amazon with verified customer reviews.
- Price: Everyone wants a good deal, so we've found the portable air conditioners available at the most competitive prices, some of which are currently on sale. All of them represent great value for money as you can make use of them for years to come, plus they have dehumidifying features for the winter months.
- Available on Amazon: Every portable AC is available to order from Amazon, so if you need one quickly with free delivery, we've got you covered.
De'Longhi Pinguino PACES72 Classic Portable Air Conditioner
Star rating: 4.3/5
Dimensions: 29.6 x 36.1 x 69.8 cm
Weight: 25.5 kg
Cooling power: 8300 BTU
Noise level: 65dB
Features: Dehumidifier, LED display, Remote control, 24-hour timer, Thermostat
Extraction hose & window kit included? Yes
Trusted brand De’Longhi has one of its most popular portable air conditioner units available on Amazon with 34% off. If you're looking a small air conditioner, this one is compact but powerful. It's rated Class A in energy efficiency and uses a R290 gas that ensure it's 99.9% more environmentally friendly than equivalent portable ACs.
It has three different speeds when used as a fan and also works as a dehumidifier. Other features include an LCD display with touch controls, a handy remote control, and integrated handles and castors wheels for easy movement.
AEG 9000 BTU Portable Air Conditioner
Star rating: 4.4/5
Dimensions: 85 x 51.6 x 42.2 cm
Weight: 31.5 kg
Cooling power: 9000 BTU
Noise level: 63dB
Features: Dehumidifier, Sleep Mode, LED display, Digital control panel
Extraction hose & window kit included? Yes
This versatile portable air conditioner can be used with or without a hose so you can wheel it wherever you need it most. Despite its small size and sleek minimal design, it's powerful enough to cool down rooms up to 21 m². When used as a fan it has three different speeds and when used as a dehumidifier, you can take advantage of the advanced self-evaporative system, which means minimal emptying.
KGOGO 9000 BTU Portable Air Conditioner
Star rating: 4.5/5
Dimensions: 35 x 38 x 88 cm
Weight: 22.5 kg
Cooling power: 9000 BTU
Noise level: 65dB
Features: Dehumidifier, Cooling mode, Dark Light mode, Remote control, Smart timer, Child & pet lock
Extraction hose & window kit included? Yes
Thanks to its advanced air compressor, this popular KGOGO air con unit comes in a compact size but is still super efficient. It has cooling, fan and dehumidifying functions, plus dark light which dims the lights of the control panel, letting you sleep well if you want to leave it on through the night. It's ideal for family homes at it has a child and pet lock included.
Meaco MeacoCool MC Series Portable Air Conditioner
Star rating: 4.3/5
Dimensions: 70.1 x 35 x 34.8 cm
Weight: 23.5 kg
Cooling power: 8000 British Thermal Units
Noise level: 54dB
Features: Dehumidifier, Dust filter, Sleep mode, Timer, Remote control, Digital display
Extraction hose & window kit included? Yes
Meaco is one of the leading names in air cooling and dehumidifier products. This popular air conditioner unit is energy efficient, with a rating of A. It has a window kit included, as well as castors fitted to make it easy to move from room-to-room. It's also one of the quietest options we've found with an average pressure level of just 51.5dB. All Meaco units come with a two-year guarantee.
BLU-09 9000 BTU Portable Air Conditioner
Star rating: 4.6/5
Dimensions: 30.6 x 80.5 x 36.2 cm
Weight: 26.5 kg
Capacity: 26 kg
Cooling power: 9000 BTU
Noise level: 49dB
Features: dehumidifier, R290 eco-friendly refrigerant, Remote control, Self evaporating
Extraction hose & window kit included? Yes
BLU's portable air conditioner comes with a 1.5m expandable exhaust hose and a complimentary Window Sheet suitable for UK windows, so everything is ready to go. It also has a self evaporation function which allows the unit to run more efficiently.
It uses a natural high efficiency gas (propane R290) which is non-toxic and has no greenhouse emissions. It also offers energy savings.
Pro Breeze 4-in-1 Portable Air Conditioner
Star rating: 4.3/5
Dimensions: 32 x 70 x 29 cm
Weight: 22.5 kg
Cooling power: 9000 British Thermal Units
Noise level: 54dB
Features: Dehumidifier, Remote control, 24-hour timer, Digital display, Google Assistant/Amazon Alexa compatible, Sleep mode
Extraction hose & window kit included? Yes
This Pro Breeze portable air conditioner is Amazon's Choice thanks to its low price point and powerful 9000 BTU which quickly cools rooms down to as low as 16°C. It comes with a dual option window kit included and features two fan speeds, a dehumidification mode and sleep mode. As well as the remote control and digital display, you can connect it to Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa.
AirOrig Portable Air Conditioner
Star rating: 4.2/5
Dimensions: 30 x 30 x 70 cm
Cooling power: 9000 BTU
Noise level: 65dB
Features: Dehumidifier, Auto shut down, Built-in timer, Sleep mode, LED display, Remote control
Extraction hose & window kit included? Yes
This popular portable air conditioner comes at one of the lowest price points we've found but still gets glowing reviews for its powerful cooling mode, Class A energy-efficiency and compact design. It's simple to set up and comes with 360 wheels and hidden handles for easy movement.
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https://www.hellomagazine.com/shopping/512280/best-portable-air-conditioner/
| 2024-01-30T16:35:59Z
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ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s National Security Committee (NSC) uncovered another cache of weapons on Jan. 24 in Almaty, reported the Committee’s press office.
The cache contained 30 weapons, including Kalashnikov assault rifles, shotguns and pistols, along with five grenades, ten smoke bombs, and 221 cartridges of various calibers.
According to preliminary data from the NSC, the weapons found were stolen during the Tragic January in 2022. Those events that rocked Kazakhstan have caused numerous rumors and premature judgments. Even today, after two years, there are still attempts to present the unconstitutional actions of organized armed groups as “forceful suppression of peaceful rallies.” Overall, around 3,000 weapons were looted from the security services and police stations during the upheaval, with around half recovered so far.
The investigation into those events continues finding new evidence of criminal acts aimed at destabilizing order and reversing the reforms initiated by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.
A pre-trial investigation in the current case of uncovered weapons cache is underway.
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https://astanatimes.com/2024/01/kazakh-security-service-finds-weapons-believed-to-be-stolen-during-january-2022-riots/
| 2024-01-30T17:13:42Z
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ASTANA – The Kazakh government adopted the draft Concept for developing a water resources management system for 2024-2030 at a Jan. 30 meeting chaired by Prime Minister Alikhan Smailov, reported the Prime Minister’s press service.
Ensuring Kazakhstan’s water security
According to Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Nurzhan Nurzhigitov, the document envisages the construction of 20 new reservoirs, the reconstruction of 15 existing ones, and the modernization of over 14,000 kilometers of irrigation canals and hydraulic structures.
The concept will reduce unproductive water losses during transportation from 50% to 25% while increasing available water resources by 2.4 cubic kilometers, thereby expanding the irrigated land area to 2.5 million hectares by 2030.
Providing support measures
To encourage farmers to use water-saving technologies, the share of subsidizing costs for creating irrigation systems and procuring drip and sprinkler irrigation equipment will grow from 50% to 80%.
With this, the land area irrigated with water-saving technologies will increase to 1.3 million hectares, saving about 2.1 cubic kilometers of water and augmenting agricultural yields.
Creating information and analytical center for water resources
The development of the hydro.gov.kz digital platform, designed to serve as a unified water cadastre displaying water bodies, hydraulic structures, water basins, and gauging stations, will be put into commercial operation in the current year’s third quarter.
Nurzhigitov noted that the Concept also allows for digitizing over 3,500 kilometers of water utilities and automating water accounting for irrigation systems.
Addressing deficiency
The Prime Minister necessitated the construction and reconstruction of water infrastructure, mentioning that the Satpayev Canal, the main water artery of central Kazakhstan and the capital, has only 30% efficiency of pumping stations.
“The Big Almaty Canal has not been repaired for 40 years from the date of commissioning,” he said. “Most of the main and inter-farm canals in the Turkistan, Kyzylorda and Zhambyl regions are in a worn-out condition, which resulted in 40% water losses.”
Stimulating water conservation
Smailov stressed the need to accelerate the adoption of water-saving systems and underscored the importance of domestic production to make these technologies more accessible to farmers.
He prioritized scientific research to optimize water resource utilization, including exploring options for the equitable distribution of resources from the Irtysh River.
Resolving transboundary water usage
Smailov focused on resolving transboundary water usage issues through negotiation processes. The Concept provides for signing agreements between Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and China on joint management, usage and distribution of water in transboundary water bodies to develop interstate water relations.
Additionally, the ministry is working on a draft agreement on water and energy cooperation between Central Asian countries.
The Prime Minister instructed regional authorities to develop roadmaps to restore and digitize irrigation systems, alongside conducting comprehensive assessments of municipal hydraulic structures.
Kazakhstan has recently joined the United Nations Watercourses Convention, which ensures the fair distribution of water in transboundary rivers.
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https://astanatimes.com/2024/01/kazakhstan-adopts-new-draft-concept-to-ensure-national-water-security/
| 2024-01-30T17:13:43Z
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ASTANA – Cargo transportation volumes between Kazakhstan and China railways surged by 22%, reaching 28 million tons, reported Kazakhstan Railways’ (KTZ) press service on Jan.25.
The operational freight turnover saw a 7% increase compared to the previous year, reaching 269 billion ton-kilometers. Transit container shipments surpassed one million twenty-foot equivalent units, marking a 13.5% rise from last year.
The statement highlighted significant progress in track repair work during 2023, with 1,443 kilometers of railway track renovated, which is twice more than in 2022.
Construction projects initiated encompass the railway lines Darbaza – Maktaaral, Bakhty – Ayagoz (with the opening of the third border crossing with China), and a bypass line around Almaty.
Over 300 kilometers of second tracks were laid on the Dostyk – Moiynty section. The Xi’an Dry Port, a crucial Chinese transport and logistics hub, saw the construction of a freight terminal for Kazakhstan.
The company implemented extensive measures to improve working conditions for employees, such as a 20% increase in salaries, the procurement of 384 transportation units for the linear personnel’s commute to work sites, and the installation of 132 modular buildings equipped with amenities for the rest of railway workers at remote stations along its network.
In 2024, KTZ plans to increase the number of modular buildings to over 120 and focus on increasing transportation volumes, developing transit, implementing digitization programs, and modernizing railway infrastructure and rolling stock.
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https://astanatimes.com/2024/01/kazakhstan-china-railways-witness-22-growth-in-cargo-transportation-volumes/
| 2024-01-30T17:13:44Z
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ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations (UN) Akan Rakhmetullin and Permanent Representative of Saint Kitts and Nevis to the UN Mutryce Williams signed an agreement on mutual exemption from visa requirements on Jan. 26 in New York, reported the Kazakh Foreign Ministry’s press service.
This agreement abolishes entry visas for all passport types for up to 90 calendar days. The document will come into force 90 days after both parties receive written notifications through diplomatic channels confirming the completion of domestic procedures necessary for its enactment.
Saint Kitts and Nevis has become the 40th country where holders of Kazakh national passports enjoy visa-free access.
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https://astanatimes.com/2024/01/kazakhstan-saint-kitts-and-nevis-sign-visa-free-agreement/
| 2024-01-30T17:13:44Z
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ASTANA – Allocating funds to bolster 40,000 ongoing and 20,000 new small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) projects is a key priority outlined in this year’s budget, announced Alibek Kuantyrov, Minister of National Economy, during a Jan. 30 meeting chaired by Prime Minister Alikhan Smailov, reported the Prime Minister’s press service.
Kuantyrov underscored the government’s commitment to systematically improving the business environment, streamlining administrative processes, and nurturing growth within the entrepreneurial sector.
The Business Roadmap (BR) and Economy of Simple Things (EST) programs, fundamental tools in this endeavor, have witnessed substantial demand. Last year alone, subsidies for interest rates on loans supported over 12,000 business projects, reaching one trillion tenge ($2.2 billion), with an additional 8,000 projects receiving guaranteed assistance, worth 40 billion tenge ($756.9 million).
Over 10,000 entrepreneurs have participated in training programs, while more than 166,000 have sought various consultations to enhance their business operations.
Kuantyrov outlined a comprehensive program integrating government support measures through the BR and EST programs, focusing on cultivating competitive, import-substituting, and export-oriented industries. The budgetary allocation for subsidizing new projects will predominantly benefit manufacturing enterprises.
The program envisions a gradual transition from subsidies to guarantee instruments and other support mechanisms. Loan guarantees are set to increase to 3.5 billion tenge ($7.7 million), with an expanded scope of economic activities eligible for assistance.
Prime Minister Smailov reiterated the government’s unwavering support for domestic entrepreneurs. Noting the significant progress made, he highlighted that small and medium-sized businesses now contribute 36.5% to the country’s gross domestic product, with a projected increase to 40% by 2030.
“To achieve this objective, we are implementing a new regulatory policy in entrepreneurial activities, enhancing the effectiveness of incentive measures for business activation. To date, 9,000 redundant requirements have been eliminated, with plans to eliminate the remaining 1,000 under an upcoming business conduct bill,” said Smailov.
Smailov also announced the implementation of an automated risk management system in control and supervision areas. This move aims to significantly reduce scheduled business inspections and instances of entrepreneurs’ liability.
Tax incentives introduced, including a 4% retail tax regime implemented last year and a single payment from the payroll fund, have alleviated the financial burden on micro- and small businesses, reducing rates from 34.5% to 20%.
Nevertheless, challenges persist, notably the capacity of local executive bodies to meet the growing demands for basic infrastructure connections.
“Regions must expedite the establishment of engineering networks and communications for the timely commissioning of planned projects,” emphasized Smailov.
He also stressed the necessity of transitioning to a service-oriented tax model to further SME development, emphasizing the importance of supporting businesses.
“It is imperative to accelerate the development of norms to incentivize new manufacturing projects by abolishing certain taxes for three years and optimizing the number of taxes by 20%, along with tax reporting forms by 30%,” he added.
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https://astanatimes.com/2024/01/kazakhstan-to-boost-support-for-60000-business-projects-in-2024/
| 2024-01-30T17:13:50Z
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ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s horse Kabirkhan made a dream start in its international horseracing career by winning twice at the Al Maktoum Challenge tournament in Dubai, United Arab Emirates on Jan. 12 and Jan. 26, which earned it a spot at the Dubai World Cup, one of the biggest events in horse racing.
Kabirkhan became the highlight of the Meydan Racecourse, defying expectations with unexpected victories. Despite being a newcomer to the scene, its achievement marked a significant milestone as the first Kazakh horse to earn a spot at the prestigious Dubai World Cup.
The excitement of owner Tlek Mukanbetkaliyev is evident.
“My heart couldn’t contain my joy. I was so excited and raised the Kazakh flag along with my friends. It can be said that the whole of Kazakhstan congratulated, they [horse breeders] all called from far and wide to congratulate,” said Mukanbetkaliyev in his YouTube interview with the Kazakhstan’s Association of National Sports.
Kabirkhan is a descendant of the famous California Chrom. His father-stallion is a Dubai 2016 champion and is a multiple Kentucky Derby winner with a $14 million racing career.
Kabirkhan made its debut at Almaty hippodrome in Kazakhstan in 2022, participating in three races. When Kabirkhan unexpectedly came up for sale after winning in all three races in Kazakhstan, it was an opportunity Mukanbetkaliyev could not resist.
“Horses are chosen based on their breed. I got him when he was two years old. At the age of two, he took part in three races at the Almaty hippodrome and three times he came first before he was offered to me,” said Mukanbetkaliyev.
According to Mukanbetkaliyev, growing a winning horse is not a one-man’s job but involves many great people.
“It is the strength of all. First, you need to have a good horse, then a good trainer, then a jockey. Then you have to have a dream and ask God. If all of those agree, everything will be fine,” said Mukanbetkaliyev.
Mukanbetkaliyev has five valuable young bloodstock that are waiting to enter the races, including Kabirkhan’s younger brother.
“Now I have five horses. They are all in Russia under Arslangirey Shavuyev’s [training]. There are three-year-old horses that will be raced next year. Kabirkhan also has a younger brother from his mother’s side. I have hopes for all five horses. I believe in all of them. Every horse owner believes in his horses,” said Mukanbetkaliyev.
He said his passion for horse ownership and breeding spread from his childhood.
“I loved horses since childhood. One of my friends gifted me a horse and it all started from there. Then I bought a horse from Europe, then from a U.S. auction. It is a fortune, so to speak. Kabirkhan is a fortune,” said Mukanbetkaliyev.
Now Kabirkhan will take his chances in the Dubai World Cup, one of the most anticipated events on the horse racing calendar around the world.
The race, which begins on March 30, will attract leading owners, trainers and best racehorses from around the world for a top prize of $12 million Dubai World Cup. The spotlight will undoubtedly be on Kabirkhan as well.
Maxim Senatorov, editor-in-chief and commentator on Konny Mir (Horse World) TV channel, explained why Kabirkhan’s win is such a phenomenon.
“It [Dubai World Cup] is an event that attracts a lot of people and the fact that Kabirkhan has already earned the right to participate in these races is certainly a great achievement,” said Senatorov in an interview on Schrodinger’s Sport Youtube channel.
“For years, many horse owners try to win and get into the Dubai World Cup so that their horses could at least participate there. While Kabirkhan, who was a two-year-old in Kazakhstan and then spent one whole season in Russia, performed magnificently and got there on the first attempt,” he added.
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https://astanatimes.com/2024/01/kazakhstans-kabirkhan-horse-secures-dubai-world-cup-spot-with-back-to-back-wins/
| 2024-01-30T17:14:02Z
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The Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions, under the guidance of the President of Kazakhstan, has played a pivotal role in fostering mutual recognition among religious leaders and facilitating their constructive cooperation in addressing social, cultural, and religious issues. The initial years of the congress were focused on understanding and acknowledging the leaders and the potential of each religion. The most significant achievement of this congress has been the establishment of trust among religious leaders, which is crucial for effective collaboration.
Another key accomplishment of the congress is the identification of latent potentials within each of the world’s religions. By creating a friendly and intimate environment, the congress has provided an ideal platform for religious leaders to exchange views and ideas. This dialogue is a fundamental component for recognizing the positive and constructive capacities inherent in every religion and ritual.
In the current century, we are increasingly confronted with global crises involving world religions and their followers. Incidents like the attacks and insults directed at the Holy Quran, the Israeli army’s assaults on the innocent and defenseless people of Palestine, and attacks on churches in Palestine, all heighten the responsibility of the Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions.
At the 21st meeting of the Congress Secretariat, participants highlighted the escalating conditions of geopolitical tension, the deterioration of the global order, and the intensifying global conflicts. They agreed that practical measures are necessary to address these issues.
To this end, the formation of active working groups within the congress has been proposed for strategic planning in the following areas:
– Working Group on Artificial Intelligence.
– Working Group on Neurobiological Sciences.
– Working Group on Spiritualism.
– Working Group for the Protection of Family Values.
– Economic Working Group to Support Followers of World and Traditional Religions.
– Working Group to Address Crises and Wars Among Followers of World and Traditional Religions.
– Working Group on Children, Adolescents, and Women.
The congress programs should place greater emphasis on international cooperation to resolve global challenges within the context of religions. Merely holding a congress for the sake of official and diplomatic speeches or to express the political stances of each country is not seen as particularly beneficial. Instead, the significant capabilities of religious leaders should be more directed towards addressing social, cultural, and religious issues, as well as resolving military crises and regional and international conflicts.
The proposed working groups are envisioned to conduct their activities across various countries, operating under the supervision of the Kazakh government. They will be responsible for annually reporting their progress and activities to the Congress. The establishment of these groups aims to actualize the vision of the President of Kazakhstan, emphasizing the necessity of creating a new global peace movement. This initiative seeks to develop a robust international security system and address pressing challenges.
With a rich background spanning 30 years of scientific and practical experience in facilitating religious and cultural dialogues, the Center for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue is well-equipped and prepared to provide support and collaboration towards the significant objectives of this congress.
The author is Dr. Ali Akbar Ziaei, the head of the Center for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue in Iran.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position of The Astana Times.
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https://astanatimes.com/2024/01/new-ideas-for-congress-of-leaders-of-world-and-traditional-religions/
| 2024-01-30T17:14:09Z
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| 2024-01-30T17:15:23Z
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Russia appears to be fueling and seizing on neo-imperialist and nationalist sentiments in Europe in order to drive wedges between Ukraine and its western neighbors, the US-based think tank Institute for the Study of War (ISW) says.
“The Russian ultranationalist framework of the Russian World (Russkiy Mir) concept appears to have gained traction among nationalist European factions as applied to their own nationalist ideologies, and Russian information space actors likely seek to leverage this ideological bent to drive a wedge between Ukraine and its European neighbors,” ISW wrote.
Read also:
- Ukraine to set up commission to deal with Hungarian minority concerns
- Hungary far-right party calls for seizing Ukraine’s Zakarpattia if Russia wins
- Finnish FM: Hungary gave us “positive signal” that it will stop blocking EU’s €50 billion Ukraine aid
- Russian explosive drone crashes in Romania, NATO doesn’t see attack as intentional
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https://euromaidanpress.com/2024/01/30/isw-russia-using-nationalist-sentiments-to-drive-wedges-between-ukraine-and-its-western-neighbors/
| 2024-01-30T17:16:20Z
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In its January 30 intelligence update on Ukraine, the UK Defense Ministry says two Russian fighter jets released munitions over Russian farms and a village in January 2024, forcing evacuations.
It marks the fourth time over the past month that Russian aircrews made such errors, revealing mounting fatigue and inadequate training among aircrews, as per the ministry.
The ministry wrote:
- Russian independent Telegram news channel Astra reported on 27 January 2024 that Russian aircraft had accidentally discharged two FAB-250 unguided munitions on two Russian villages in the Belgorod area. The first munition landed on a farm in Postnikov, whilst the second munition landed on an urban street in Strelestkoye village, prompting an evacuation of up to 150 civilians within a 500m radius.
- This is the fourth Russian accidental aerial munition discharge on its own territory this month. In total, this is the fifth overall within a year, with the earliest occasion in Belgorod City on 20 April 2023.
- It cannot be confirmed whether such incidents occur due to poor procedures when arming the aircraft prior to sorties or poor execution by aircrew during missions. It is likely a combination of both. The increasing frequency of these occurrences likely demonstrates a degree of air and ground crew fatigue within the Russian front line, as well as exposing inadequate training.
On 8 January, the discharge of the FAB-250 unguided aerial bomb occurred over occupied Rubizhne, Luhansk Oblast.
Earlier, on 2 January, one of the Russian military aircraft discharged a munition damaging nine residential properties in Petropavlovka, in Russia’s Voronezh Oblast, according to Russia’s Ministry of Defence.
Read also:
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https://euromaidanpress.com/2024/01/30/uk-intel-aircrew-fatigue-poor-training-behind-russias-repeated-bombing-blunders/
| 2024-01-30T17:16:24Z
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Ukraine has scored 36 points out of 100 in the 2023 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) and now ranks 104th out of 180 countries in the annual rating by Transparency International.
Since the Revolution of Dignity in 2013-2014, Ukraine has achieved a total of 11 points over the past 10 years, according to the study.
“The active work of anti-corruption and other public authorities resulted in a growth in the 2023 Corruption Perceptions Index even during the full-scale war,” said the organization.
Transparency International, which calls itself “a global movement working in over 100 countries to end the injustice of corruption,” says Ukraine’s growth by three points is one of the best results in the world over the past year.
According to the rating, Ukraine is also one of the 17 countries in this year’s CPI that have shown their best performance ever.
Algeria, Brazil, and Serbia have shown the same results and also scored 36 points. Albania, Argentina, Belarus, Gambia, Ethiopia, and Zambia are only one point ahead of Ukraine, scoring 37 points out of 100. Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Dominican Republic, Egypt, Nepal, Panama, Sierra Leone, and Thailand have scored one point less than Ukraine.
Compared to its neighbors, Ukraine has experienced a greater increase in its score compared to Russia, which saw a decline of two points in 2023, landing at 141st place with 26 points.
In addition, Belarus’s score continues to decline, the organization said. In 2023, the country also lost two points, and although it is still ahead of Ukraine, its tendency to fall in the CPI rating persists.
The indicator of Romania, which is Ukraine’s Western neighbor, remains stable at 46 points, while Poland, although losing a point, remains a CPI leader among Ukraine’s neighboring countries, securing 47th place with 54 points.
Moldova, like Ukraine, has gained 3 points, catching up with Hungary, which maintained its score of 42 points since 2022 and has achieved 76th place.
Ukraine demonstrated a good result in 2023, reaching indicators comparable to EU candidate countries, said Executive Director of Transparency International Ukraine Andrii Borovyk.
“Fact Two: we have developed an anti-corruption ecosystem from scratch and already have real sentences for high-profile corruption, but we still need to work hard to catch up with the performance of the EU countries.
And finally, if cases of pressure on journalists and members of the public continue, if the authorities interfere in various spheres of public administration, and the anti-corruption reform stalls, we might lose our achievements very quickly,” he warned.
Earlier, the founder of the Bihus.Info investigative project, Denys Bihus, announced that his team of journalists was under surveillance for nearly a year.
The incident sparked outrage among Ukrainians, media companies, and non-governmental organizations.
Mediarukh, a Ukrainian media freedom movement comprising leading media outlets and watchdogs, demanded President Zelenskyy to “resolutely condemn” a pressure campaign on independent journalists and ensure that incidents of intimidation are investigated as crimes against media professionals.
Ukrainian media coalition decries “targeting” of journalists critical of authorities
It’s crucial to note that the Corruption Perceptions Index assesses the perception of corruption rather than the actual level. A higher score for one country compared to another doesn’t necessarily indicate lower corruption. It signifies that the former is perceived as less corrupt.
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https://euromaidanpress.com/2024/01/30/ukraine-ranks-104th-out-of-180-in-2023-corruption-perceptions-index-by-transparency-international-achieving-one-of-the-worlds-best-results/
| 2024-01-30T17:16:25Z
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A study of almost a billion stars in infrared light has revealed many currently invisible to us at other wavelengths, including new categories of rapidly changing objects. One of these, dubbed “old smokers”, are aging red giants that can suddenly release clouds of dark material that prevent light from escaping.
Dust blocks our view of the center of the galaxy in visible light, but infrared wavelengths are less affected. Unfortunately, the atmosphere has the opposite effect, blocking infrared light, which is why we are so dependent on the JWST. Nevertheless, the Visible and Infrared Survey Telescope (VISTA) in Chile sits above enough of the atmosphere to be able to study the galactic core in the near-infrared.
An international team dug into VISTA’s data for stars with the greatest brightness variations, choosing the top 222, including some where the cause was found to be microlensing events causing sudden brightening, rather than anything intrinsic to the star.
"About two-thirds of the stars were easy to classify as well-understood events of various types," Professor Philip Lucas of the University of Hertfordshire said in a statement. "The rest were a bit more difficult so we used ESO's Very Large Telescope to get spectra of many of them individually.”
The team was searching for protostars in the process of getting fusion started. These are known to undergo enormous outbursts lasting months to decades.
"These outbursts happen in the slowly spinning disc of matter that is forming a new solar system. They help the newborn star in the middle to grow, but make it harder for planets to form,” said Dr Zhen Guo of the University of Hertfordshire. "We don't yet understand why the discs become unstable like this."
The search proved fruitful, capturing 32 protostars that underwent increases in brightness of a factor of 40 or greater in the 9.5 years of observations. Some became 30,000 percent brighter. By processing the data quickly, the team got to pay additional attention to some erupting stars at the peak and as their brightness declined. Average rise times were about two years, longer than the few examples that had been seen prior to this study.
Meanwhile, the search turned up something unexpected that may prove even more significant: 21 red stars that underwent more mysterious changes in brightness. On investigating seven of these in detail, the team determined they are older giants of a type never seen before.
"These elderly stars sit quietly for years or decades and then puff out clouds of smoke in a totally unexpected way,” said Professor Dante Minniti at Andrés Bello University. "They look very dim and red for several years, to the point that sometimes we can't see them at all."
These “old smokers” are concentrated in the Milky Way’s central Nuclear Disc, which explains why we have not seen their like before,
The closer one gets to the center of the galaxy, the higher stars’ concentration of metals, a product of more generations of supernovae having seeded the region with heavy elements. It seems, therefore, that this smoking behavior is something that only occurs in stars with more metals than those we are used to observing.
Higher concentrations of metals make it easier for dust particles to condense out of gas around stars, or even in the cooler outer layers. Nevertheless, the team can’t explain what causes these erratic puffs that temporarily obscure the stars.
"Matter ejected from old stars plays a key role in the life cycle of the elements, helping to form the next generation of stars and planets," Lucas said. "This was thought to occur mainly in a well-studied type of star called a Mira variable. However, the discovery of a new type of star that throws off matter could have wider significance for the spread of heavy elements in the Nuclear Disc and metal-rich regions of other galaxies."
As galaxies age, supernovae and kilonovae have time to work their changes on the galactic equivalent of suburbs, causing the high-metal region to expand. Eventually, perhaps, old smokers will become a feature of our own stellar neighborhood.
The study is published as four open-access papers in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. They include a general overview of the results; a more detailed exploration of the spectra of protostars and old giants; a study of the episodic accretion events thought to explain the outbursts among protostars and contribute to planet formation; and a detailed report on a single ongoing outburst where a protostar leapt to 16 times the brightness of the Sun, despite probably having only about a fifth of its mass.
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https://www.iflscience.com/galactic-search-for-young-stars-discovers-new-category-called-old-smokers-72687
| 2024-01-30T17:54:10Z
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BRUSSELS - Italy’s Pirelli, Germany’s Continental, French rival Michelin and other tyre makers were raided by EU antitrust regulators on Jan 30 as part of an investigation into a possible cartel, sending their shares down.
The European Commission, which acts as competition enforcer in the 27-country European Union, said it had raided a number of tyre makers in several EU countries.
It did not provide further details, in line with its policy on such matters.
Pirelli told Reuters it had acted fairly and “always in total compliance with all rules and regulations”.
“Pirelli informs that it is guaranteeing full support to the authority in the ongoing investigations,” a spokesman for the Milan-based company said.
Rival Continental confirmed that investigations by European antitrust authorities were taking place at the company’s offices in Germany.
Michelin said it was included in the EU investigation and that it strictly complies with competition rules.
Pirelli shares were down as much as 3.8 per cent before being briefly suspended from trading. Michelin fell 2.9 per cent and Continental was down 3.5 per cent.
The EU watchdog said products related to the inspections were new replacement tyres for passenger cars, vans, trucks and buses sold in the European Economic Area comprising EU countries, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein.
It said the raided companies may have breached EU rules against cartels.
“The Commission is concerned that price coordination took place amongst the inspected companies, including via public communications,” the EU executive said in a statement.
Companies found guilty of breaching EU antitrust rules face fines of much as 10 per cent of their global turnover.
In recent years, the Commision has has fined nearly a dozen cartels in the car industry, among them suppliers of automotive bearings, car seats, braking systems and even a cartel that restricted competition in emission cleaning for new diesel passenger cars. REUTERS
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https://www.straitstimes.com/business/companies-markets/pirelli-continental-michelin-and-other-tyre-makers-targeted-in-eu-raids
| 2024-01-30T17:54:14Z
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Hybrid hogs — a genetic blend of wild boars and domestic pigs — rocked up in Canadian farms around 30 years ago in an attempt to spice up the country’s livestock produce. Over the past three decades, countless numbers of them have escaped and bred like crazy, earning themselves the title of the most prolific invasive mammal in Canada.
The wild pigs are the descendants of domestic pigs (Sus scrofa domesticus), Eurasian wild boar (S. scrofa scrofa), or hybrids of the two.
As their name suggests, Eurasian wild boars and their domesticated subspecies are not native to North America but were introduced by European settlers in the 16th century. Over the next four centuries, many more were introduced into parts of the US and Canada for sport hunting, before being let loose into the wild.
The problem of wild pigs truly took off in the late 1980s and early '90s when farmers started to domesticate boar hybrids to diversify Canada's livestock production. Taking inspiration from Europe, farmers would typically breed male wild boars with female domestic pigs, aiming to create an “Iron Age pig” that had similar qualities as early livestock that were first domesticated by humans in ancient times.
The resulting pigs were quite remarkable: they were super-smart, large, purportedly delicious, and perfectly suited for the harsh Canadian winters. However, the market for boar pork delicacies slumped, so herds of the hybrids were let loose into the wild. Many more escaped their captivity using their keen senses and intelligence.
They proved to be a formidably invasive species. The wild pigs hunted native animals, such as turkeys and game birds, and preyed on young livestock like lambs, kids, and calves. Simultaneously, they would strip the land of berries, roots, bark, and any form of vegetation, leaving little for grazing animals and black bears.
On top of that, wild pigs are the hosts of over 30 significant viral and bacterial pathogens, as well as more than 37 species of parasites, which can pose a threat to humans and other animals.
As prolific breeders with a lack of natural predators, their numbers were able to boom rapidly. A 2019 study found that the wild pig population in Canada was increasing by 9 percent a year. As per the research, the wild pigs command a range of over 750,000 square kilometers (289,576 square miles), which has increased by 88,000 square kilometers (33,976 square miles) per year over the last decade.
“Wild pigs are ecological train wrecks. They are prolific breeders making them an extremely successful invasive species,” said study author Ruth Aschim in a statement at the time.
“The growing wild pig population is not an ecological disaster waiting to happen—it is already happening,” added Ryan Brook, lead researcher for the Canadian Wild Pig Project.
“This is a rapidly emerging crisis."
Some provinces of Canada have taken action against the invasion. As of January 1, 2024, the importation, possession, transport, propagation, buying, selling, and trading of live Eurasian wild boar and their hybrids is banned in Ontario, according to the local government. This includes any animal that is genetically greater than 25 percent Eurasian wild boar.
Over in Alberta, provincial governments have rolled out a program for the public to report sightings of feral pigs and the damage they have left behind. Before this, the province ran an initiative where hunters could turn in a set of wild boar ears and receive a $50 bounty – but the plan backfired.
“What happens is if a hunter goes in and removes one or two individuals, the remaining pigs learn from that experience to avoid humans. They will avoid being hunted or trapped by humans – they’ll go nocturnal, they’ll disperse,” Megan Evans, executive director of the Alberta Invasive Species Council, said in 2021.
“These are really smart animals, we all know how smart pigs are and these are wild boar, so they are smarter than domestic pigs. And they will actually teach (those behaviours) to their offspring,” noted Evans.
Canada’s pig problem still squeals on, but they are not alone in their woes. A recent report estimated that there are over 37,000 invasive species worldwide, with 200 new ones recorded each year. Many of them present a serious danger to wildlife, human health, and food security – and just like Canada’s feral hogs, there are no easy solutions.
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https://www.iflscience.com/hybrid-hogs-are-raising-hell-in-canadas-southern-provinces-72700
| 2024-01-30T17:54:17Z
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A new vaccine against SARS-CoV-2, the virus behind COVID-19, has been developed using an innovative DNA delivery system. Tests in mice have shown promising results so far, and the scientists behind it hope this could be the answer to developing vaccines against some of our trickier viral customers, such as flu and HIV.
The vaccine consists of a DNA particle that acts as a scaffold, holding on to lots of copies of an antigen from the virus you’re interested in preventing. In this way, the DNA “mimics” the structure of the virus.
Vaccines that use proteins, genetic material, or other small pieces of an infectious agent to evoke an immune response are called subunit vaccines, and they offer several advantages over more traditional types. One key advantage is that they cannot cause illness themselves, so they may be suitable even for people with compromised immune systems. Lots of these types of vaccines are in common use today, like the tetanus vaccine that uses the bacterial toxin rather than an attenuated or inactivated form of the bacterium itself.
Particulate vaccines are an extension of this, using a carrier molecule to help deliver the subunits into the body.
On the face of it, you might think that a DNA vaccine sounds less like this, and more like the mRNA vaccine technology that gave us the game-changing COVID-19 shots, altering the course of the pandemic and bagging their creators a Nobel Prize. These vaccines use mRNA to deliver what amounts to an instruction manual to the cells of the body, allowing the cells’ own machinery to start making copies of a viral antigen. The mRNA is naturally broken down in a few days, but by then there’s enough antigen around to stimulate an immune response.
The speedy introduction of mRNA vaccines against COVID-19 saved lives, but also led to some unfortunate misinformation about what these shots can do. One persistent myth has been that mRNA vaccines can alter our own DNA: this has been proven to be false. In fact, the mRNA doesn’t even make it into the nucleus where the DNA is stored.
These new DNA vaccines work in quite a different way, and are much more similar to the many subunit vaccines that are already part of standard immunization schedules, like the HPV and diphtheria vaccines.
How does this new DNA vaccine work?
The DNA in this new vaccine is essentially a vehicle to carry and display the viral proteins of interest to the body’s immune system. Previously, scientists have tried to use other proteins for this purpose, but they found that this was having unwanted side-effects.
“DNA, we found in this work, does not elicit antibodies that may distract away from the protein of interest,” explained co-senior author Mark Bathe, a professor at MIT, in a statement. “What you can imagine is that your B cells and immune system are being fully trained by that target antigen, and that’s what you want – for your immune system to be laser-focused on the antigen of interest.”
The fact that these vaccines target B cells, as Bathe says, is another point in their favor. B cells are the immune cells that create antibodies. They persist for much longer in the body than the T cells that are stimulated by other types of vaccines – sometimes for decades – so there’s the potential for much longer-lasting protection.
Bathe’s lab has been developing intricate scaffolds from synthetic DNA using a method that’s literally called DNA origami. By folding the DNA molecule and adding viral antigens at strategic locations, they can create structures that are easily recognized by B cells because they look a lot like normal viruses.
Up to now, the DNA scaffold vaccines have only been tested in mice, so it’s early days. They used the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, and were able to demonstrate that the mice developed a strong immune response to the virus, but crucially not the DNA scaffold itself.
The team hopes that this approach could be the key to developing a broad-spectrum vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 variants, which could even cover related viruses like those that cause SARS and MERS. And their ambition doesn’t stop there.
“We’re interested in exploring whether we can teach the immune system to deliver higher levels of immunity against pathogens that resist conventional vaccine approaches, like flu, HIV, and SARS-CoV-2,” said co-senior author Daniel Lingwood, an associate professor at Harvard Medical School and principal investigator at the Ragon Institute.
“This idea of decoupling the response against the target antigen from the platform itself is a potentially powerful immunological trick that one can now bring to bear to help those immunological targeting decisions move in a direction that is more focused.”
The study is published in Nature Communications.
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https://www.iflscience.com/innovative-new-vaccine-technology-uses-dna-particles-that-pretend-to-be-viruses-72694
| 2024-01-30T17:54:23Z
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WASHINGTON - US job openings unexpectedly rose in December and data for the prior month was revised higher, suggesting the labour market likely remains too strong for the Federal Reserve to start cutting interest rates in the first quarter.
A rate cut this year, however, remains in the cards with the report from the Labour Department on Jan 30 also showing Americans staying put at their current jobs, which could help to slow wage growth.
The number of people quitting their jobs, likely in part for greener pastures, dropped to a two-year low.
Fed officials are expected to keep interest rates unchanged at the end of a two-day policy meeting on Jan 31 against the backdrop of a resilient economy, which is being anchored by the labour market through consumer spending.
Financial markets have lowered the odds of a rate cut in March to below 50 per cent.
“Persistent demand for workers, while positive for continued economic growth, may throw a wrench into efforts to cool inflation early in 2024,” said Mr Ben Ayers, senior economist at Nationwide in Ohio. “This is again a sign of too much of a good thing, which should lead to a later-than-hoped shift to monetary policy easing.”
Job openings, a measure of labour demand, were up 101,000 to 9.026 million on the last day of December, the Labour Department’s Bureau of Labour Statistics said in its monthly Job Openings and Labour Turnover Survey, or JOLTS report.
Data for November was revised higher to show 8.925 million unfilled positions instead of the previously reported 8.79 million. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast 8.75 million job openings in November.
Job openings peaked at a record 12 million in March 2022. Demand for labour has remained fairly healthy despite tighter monetary policy. Since March 2022, the US central bank has raised its policy rate by 525 basis points to the current 5.25 per cent to 5.5 per cent range.
There were an additional 239,000 job openings in the professional and business services sector in December.
There were also notable increases in manufacturing, retail trade, health care and social assistance as well as financial activities sectors. Unfilled jobs, however, decreased by 121,000 in the accommodation and food services industry and fell 83,000 in the wholesale trade sector. The job openings rate was unchanged at 5.4 per cent.
Hiring rose 67,000 to 5.621 million, lifted by professional and business services, accommodation and food services as well as state and local government. But health care and social assistance hiring declined 119,000.
The hires rate rose to 3.6 per cent from 3.5 per cent in November. Layoffs increased 85,000 to a still-low 1.616 million, with the layoffs rate unchanged at 1 per cent. Companies are generally hoarding workers following difficulties finding labour in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Consumers upbeat
Resignations fell 132,000 to 3.392 million in December, the lowest level since January 2021. The fourth straight monthly decline was led by health care and social assistance, where quits decreased 71,000. The quits rate, viewed as a measure of labour market confidence, was unchanged 2.2 per cent. The relatively low quits rate bodes well for slower wage inflation and price pressures in the economy.
Labour market strength, subsiding inflation and expectations of a rate cut helped to boost consumer confidence in January.
The Conference Board said in a separate report on Jan 30 that its consumer confidence index rose to 114.8 this month, the highest reading since December 2021, from a downwardly revised 108.0 in December. Economists had forecast the index rising to 115.0 from the previously reported 110.7.
The rise in confidence was across all age groups, with bigger gains reported for consumers 55 years and over. Confidence improved for all income groups, with the exception of households with annual incomes of US$125,000 (S$160,000) and more, which recorded a marginal decline.
Consumers’ inflation expectations over the next 12 months dropped to 5.2 per cent, the lowest reading since March 2020, from 5.5 per cent in December. The survey’s so-called labour market differential, derived from data on respondents’ views on whether jobs are plentiful or hard to get, widened to 35.7 this month from 27.3 in December. This measure correlates to the unemployment rate in the Labour Department’s monthly employment report.
The Labour Department is expected to report on Feb 2 that nonfarm payrolls increased by 180,000 jobs in January, according to a Reuters survey of economists. The economy added 216,000 positions in December.
Though employment growth has slowed from the brisk pace seen in 2022, the increase in payrolls remains well above the roughly 100,000 jobs needed per month to keep up with growth in the working-age population. The unemployment rate is forecast to rise to 3.8 per cent from 3.7 per cent in December. REUTERS
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https://www.straitstimes.com/business/economy/us-job-openings-unexpectedly-rise-quits-at-two-year-low
| 2024-01-30T17:54:24Z
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Down in the Três Lagoas municipality of Mato Grosso do Sul state, in Brazil lives a very special individual. Alvinho is the world’s only known living albino anteater and he is just as fascinating as he is downright adorable.
Alvin was found on a ranch clinging to his mother's back in 2022. He is a giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla), the largest member of the anteater family. Alvin is a true albino rather than leucistic with a genetic mutation that affects the production of melanin, a pigment within the cells. The more melanin you produce, the darker hair, skin, and fur is. This lack of melanin means that Alvin lacks the distinctive black and gray color of his kin and instead has light-colored fur all over, even in his magnificent tail.
Because of this lack of typical coloration researchers at the Institute of Conservation of Wild Animals (ICAS) were concerned with how Alvin would survive. The team fitted a GPS tracking device to him so they could monitor how he was getting on and how he would adapt to the Cerrado savannas of Brazil.
Remarkably this is the second individual with albinism that was found in the area. A juvenile was found by veterinarian Débora Yogui in August 2021. Unfortunately, that juvenile was already dead when the team arrived, likely through a predation event.
"When we got there, he was already dead, but we were able to collect genetic samples that were sent to the lab for analysis," explained Yogui in a statement sent to IFLScience. "And now, a year later, a female appeared in the same area with a small albino cub, “Alvin”, on her back. This time, we managed to put a monitoring collar in order to conduct an unprecedented study on this rare feature in these animals."
In India, an extremely high proportion of tigers are born with the opposite genetic mutation known as melanism or in their case a variation known as pseudomelanistic expression.
The typical dark coloration of the anteater helps them not only become camouflaged against predators such as jaguars but also helps them beat the heat, filtering the Sun’s rays and keeping them at the right temperature.
"There is an ecological theory that says that albino animals living in the wild tend to be less adapted to nature, so we chose to conduct a monitoring study that will allow us to understand if they are more susceptible to the sun, heat, predators and understand more about the behavior and needs of these rare individuals," said Nina Attias, biologist and researcher at ICAS.
Elsewhere in Brazil, anteaters have returned across the border thanks to a rewilding project in neighboring Argentina.
Almost a year later, the team happily reported that Alvinho is doing well. At a health check in May 2023 shared on the project's Facebook page, the team reported that Alvin weighed almost 14 kilograms (30 pounds) and was 1.52 meters (5 feet). Full-grown giant anteaters weigh up to 45 kilograms (100 pounds) and reach lengths of 1.8-2.4 meters (6-8 feet).
He has also received a second GPS collar to make sure that it continues to fit and help monitor him as he grows.
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https://www.iflscience.com/meet-alvin-the-worlds-only-living-albino-giant-anteater-72691
| 2024-01-30T17:54:29Z
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England's Tyrrell Hatton has joined LIV Golf and will be part of an expansion team captained by reigning Masters champion Jon Rahm, the Saudi Arabia-backed league said on Tuesday.
Hatton, a fixture on Europe's last three Ryder Cup teams, is a six-time champion on Europe's DP World Tour and picked up his maiden PGA Tour title at the 2020 Arnold Palmer Invitational.
The 32-year-old Hatton will make his debut on the Legion XIII team this week at LIV Golf's season-opening event at El Camaleon Golf Course in Playa del Carmen, Mexico.
"I'm really excited for this next chapter, to link up with Jon Rahm and Legion XIII, and to get started this week in Mexico," Hatton said in a news release. REUTERS
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https://www.straitstimes.com/sport/golf/englands-hatton-joins-rahms-liv-golf-team
| 2024-01-30T17:54:29Z
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It’s hard not to love octopuses – they’re bizarre-looking, hugely intelligent, and get up to plenty of shenanigans. That makes what happens to them all the more tragic; after the females of some octopus species lay their eggs, they stop eating, slowly withering away until they die. The trigger of this process, known as the death spiral, has long puzzled researchers, but it seems the answer has now been uncovered.
Scientists back in the 1970s had linked the death spiral to the octopus optic gland, after surgically removing it led to octopuses continuing to live even after laying eggs. Dr Jerome Wodinsky, who carried out the research, told the Washington Post at the time that he believed that the process was controlled by a hormone secreted by the optic gland.
Fast forward to 2022, and it turns out Wodinksy was at least partially right. Researchers with the University of Chicago set to analyzing the chemicals secreted by the maternal octopus optic gland, focusing in on cholesterol and sterol hormones. Previous studies by the team suggested these molecules could play a role.
The researchers discovered that the optic gland in maternal octopuses experiences a significant shift in cholesterol metabolism, leading to equally drastic changes in steroid hormone production. This occurs via three different pathways, all of which involve cholesterol in some way and appear to lead to the death spiral behavior.
“What's striking is that they go through this progression of changes where they seem to go crazy right before they die,” said study author Clifton Ragsdale in a statement. “Maybe that's two processes, maybe it's three or four. Now, we have at least three apparently independent pathways to steroid hormones that could account for the multiplicity of effects that these animals show.”
One of these pathways results in increased levels of 7-dehydrocholesterol (7-DHC), a precursor molecule to cholesterol. In humans, a mutation in the enzyme that’s involved in this conversion leads to a genetic disorder that can involve repetitive self-injury. That makes this finding particularly pertinent, as some octopuses display self-mutilation behaviors during their death spiral.
While the study provides long-awaited insight into how the death spiral is controlled, it remains that this tragic process doesn’t happen in every octopus species. Lead study author Z. Yan Wang is now looking to the optic gland of one such species, the lesser Pacific striped octopus, to discover why it doesn’t self-destruct after reproduction.
“The optic gland exists in all other soft-bodied cephalopods, and they have such divergent reproductive strategies,” said Wang. “It’s such a tiny gland and it’s underappreciated, and I think it’s going to be exciting to explore how it contributes to such a great diversity of life history trajectories in cephalopods.”
The study is published in Current Biology.
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https://www.iflscience.com/octopus-moms-end-life-in-a-tragic-death-spiral-and-we-may-now-understand-why-72703
| 2024-01-30T17:54:35Z
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STOCKHOLM - French President Emmanuel Macron on Jan 30 called on European countries to back Ukraine “over the long term” and get ready in case Washington decides to stop supporting the war-torn country.
Tens of billions of dollars in US aid has been sent to Ukraine since the Russian invasion in February 2022, but Republican lawmakers have grown reluctant to keep supporting Kyiv, saying it lacks a clear end game as the fighting grinds on.
“We must organise ourselves in such a way that if the United States were to make a sovereign choice to stop or reduce this aid, it should have no impact on the ground”, he told reporters in Stockholm, alongside Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson.
“We Europeans must continue to support the Ukrainian people,” Mr Macron said, stressing that Ukraine was a European country.
“This is first and foremost our problem,” he added.
“We have a strategic objective: Russia cannot win.”
The French president is set to make a new visit to the Ukrainian capital Kyiv in February.
France is working on a new bilateral security agreement with Ukraine – along the lines of a pact agreed between Kyiv and London – that would be announced during Mr Macron’s February trip to Kyiv.
Earlier this month, Mr Macron urged French defence manufacturers to boost production and innovation as Europe struggles to increase arms supplies to buttress Ukraine. AFP
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https://www.straitstimes.com/world/europe/europe-must-get-organised-in-case-us-cuts-aid-to-ukraine-says-france-s-macron
| 2024-01-30T17:54:39Z
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Using a new analytical technique, scientists have been able to study brain images from more than 6,000 children to identify connectivity patterns that are common to people with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Most of our behaviors are controlled by coordinated communication between neurons in different areas of the brain. Neuroscientists can get a sense of how the regions of the brain orchestrate complex functions by observing neural activity in a resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) scan.
“Resting state” means exactly what it sounds like – these scans are carried out while the subject is at rest, not being asked to perform a particular cognitive task or think any particular thoughts. Assuming you’re not claustrophobic, and don’t mind keeping perfectly still, it can be a fairly pleasurable experience.
The data derived from rs-fMRI scans is invaluable to scientists studying a whole range of neurological disorders and conditions. By comparing scans from individuals with conditions like ADHD, for example, with those of neurotypical people, it’s hoped we’ll be able to identify patterns that can explain some of the features of these conditions.
However, this type of research into ADHD has so far been hindered by small sample sizes and inconsistent methods, so it’s been difficult to draw any firm conclusions. A recent study led by Michael Mooney at Oregon Health & Science University sought to change all that.
Using several large-scale datasets, the team developed a new way of analyzing imaging data covering broader areas of the brain than ever before. They called this a polyneuro score (PNRS).
“Our findings demonstrate a robust association between brain-wide connectivity patterns (PNRS) and 554 ADHD symptoms in two independent cohorts,” they explain in their paper.
The authors go on to explain how their approach could be used to glean better insights from even small datasets, and could also be used to identify mechanisms that may be shared across different neurological and psychiatric conditions – for example, could it be the case that an ADHD-typical PNRS is predictive of depression symptoms? This could help identify patients at risk of comorbidities.
ADHD diagnoses are on the up and we’re learning more about the condition every day, but there are still some significant gaps in our knowledge about the underlying neurobiology. Collecting lots of imaging data is only one piece of the puzzle – you also need ways to use that data that answer the questions you have. The authors of this study hope their methods will make that more achievable, for ADHD and many other conditions.
The study is published in The Journal of Neuroscience.
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https://www.iflscience.com/over-6000-scans-reveal-what-adhd-looks-like-in-the-brain-72699
| 2024-01-30T17:54:41Z
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ROME - Kenya's president endorsed Italy's plan for closer cooperation with Africa on Tuesday, saying it was evidence that Europe was taking the continent seriously despite criticism over the limited initial funding.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni unveiled a long-awaited initiative on Monday aimed at helping African countries prosper in return for curbing illegal immigration, pumping a preliminary 5.5 billion euros ($5.96 billion) into the scheme.
Some critics scoffed at the small scale of many of the projects, while the chairman of the African Union Commission publicly chastised Meloni for not consulting more widely on the priorities beforehand.
But Kenyan President William Ruto told Reuters that the so-called Mattei plan, named after the late founder of Italian energy giant Eni, represented a good start.
"Every journey begins with one simple step. And I think that the most important step has been made, that we are recalibrating our relationship with Italy as a continent," Ruto said.
The Kenyan leader said it was especially relevant given Italy held the rotating chair of the Group of Seven (G7) major Western powers, adding that he was confident Meloni would honour her pledge to promote African interests during her presidency.
"The narrative around Africa was conflict, disease, war. Now it's changing. It is opportunity, investment, market and solutions," he said, denying any doubts over the financial stability of his own country.
African Union Commission chief Moussa Faki Mahamat jolted his Italian hosts on Monday with sharply worded comments at the opening of the summit in Italy's opulent Senate chamber.
"We are not beggars, our ambition is much higher, we want a paradigm shift for a new model of partnership that can pave the way towards a fairer and more coherent world," he told Meloni.
"You can well understand that we can no longer be satisfied with mere promises that are often not kept," he said.
Meloni's domestic political foes accused her of short-changing her guests, saying much of the money that she pledged had already been announced previously.
"There is nothing new in the Mattei Plan, just funding already provided in the past and projects started long ago under another name," said Davide Faraone, the Senate leader of the centrist Italia Viva party.
Of the 5.5 billion euros promised by Meloni, some 3 billion euros came from an international climate fund set up in 2021, while other funds would come in the shape of public guarantees rather than hard cash for on-the-ground projects.
"This is not entirely about money. This is about a relationship," Ruto said, adding that Europe was waking up to the immense potential of Africa, which has the largest renewable energy resources in the world and two thirds of its arable land.
"The meeting encapsulated a new thinking not just in Italy, but in Europe and globally, about the place of Africa as a continent," he said. REUTERS
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https://www.straitstimes.com/world/europe/kenya-endorses-italys-africa-plan-despite-criticism-over-funding
| 2024-01-30T17:54:50Z
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When it comes to the information that we're faced with every day – be that scientific or otherwise – it's not always easy to know what information to trust, and which sources are reliable. Fortunately, some of the ideas and thought processes that underpin the scientific method can actually help us to navigate the news, while also adding to our appreciation of the world around us.
To dive into how thinking scientifically can help us better navigate just about everything, we traveled to the University of Surrey, UK, to speak to renowned theoretical physicist and broadcaster Professor Jim Al-Khalili. As the author of The Joy Of Science, Al-Khalili has picked up his fair share of tips on how thinking scientifically can help us better live our lives, from understanding breaking stories to truly appreciating a good rainbow.
Tell us about The Joy Of Science
Jim Al-Khalili: In a non-religious/spiritual way, science adds to our appreciation of the world around us. There's a famous quote by physicist Richard Feynman who argues against the artist who said, “I see a flower, and I see its beauty. You scientists break it up into its molecules,” and he says, “No, I also see the beauty of the flower, but a scientific understanding adds to that appreciation.”
In the book, I talk about the rainbow and how we can all stand and enjoy the beauty of a rainbow, but understanding a bit of the science actually makes it even more inspiring. For example, no two people standing next to each other see the same rainbow because the raindrop that reflects that color light is reflecting it into your eye, not into someone else’s, so we all see it differently.
There is a joy in understanding science that we can all have, you don't have to have many years of training. So, it's more than just thinking rationally and logically and sort of Mr Spock, cold, hard logic. There are ways of doing science that we learn as scientists that we sort of take for granted, but I think there are lots of lessons there that could be exported to everyday life.
Can a scientific way of thinking help us have more productive disagreements and discussions?
JA-K: I hope so. That was partly the motivation for the book. We live in a world where, particularly on social media, opinions are so polarised. So black and white, and people are so certain that they are on the right side of history, but the other side also thinks the same thing.
In science, it isn't black and white. Scientists are people and we want our theories, our ideas, our experimental data to be correct, but we know that if we're wrong, we're wrong. We’re going to have to move with it, because otherwise we'd be left behind. If only [we could all adopt that] examining of what you believe, rather than trying to win the argument at all costs, I think that would make for a healthier society.
So getting it wrong isn’t such a bad thing?
JA-K: It's a strength. It's empowering to be able to admit that you're wrong. You don't hear a politician saying, “Sorry, I had this particular economic policy that I wanted to implement. I've talked to some people who know more about it than me, and I've now changed my mind.” That's seen as a weakness.
In science, that's a strength because if no one changed their minds, if you had a theory that you stuck with, regardless, we'd never make any progress in science. We would still be thinking what we thought 2,000 years ago. Being able to admit you’re wrong, examining what you believe, and reassessing it in the light of new data and new evidence, that is the way we progress in science.
Why do you think so many of us find it hard to consider we might be wrong?
JA-K: It’s uncomfortable to be faced with something that’s contrary to what you believe. Cognitive dissonance is the term, it’s a real sense of discomfort [to think] I believe something, and then someone presents me with evidence to the contrary. I don’t want to change my mind, it’s really hard, even with the best will in the world.
Prof. Jim Al-Khalili’s top tips for navigating the news with science:
- It’s important to look under the surface. When you get a bit of information, it’s very useful to find out whether it’s a reliable source. Could they have an ulterior motive for pushing a particular view?
- If you’re having a debate with someone, just pause and tell yourself, it’s not about winning the argument. So what if you win? Surely it’s more important to get to the truth of the matter.
- Always be open to examining your own biases, and empathize with the other person’s point of view.
- Admitting you’re wrong doesn’t mean you’re stupid. It’s why Professors have no problem asking the dumbest questions at a science seminar, because they aren’t worried about their reputation.
Catch the full interview on YouTube.
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https://www.iflscience.com/professor-jim-al-khalili-on-the-joy-of-science-getting-it-wrong-and-why-the-truth-matters-more-than-winning-72693
| 2024-01-30T17:54:51Z
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For the first time in the history of robot dogs and space travel, a four-legged robodog has been controlled by a human outside of the Earth's atmosphere. Only robots with wheels have been controlled remotely from space before now.
The "Surface Avatar" test carried out in January saw European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Marcus Wandt control several different robotic systems on Earth from the International Space Station (ISS), part of a project that eventually aims to allow human commanders to control robots on other worlds like the Moon or Mars while in orbit around them.
Wandt controlled a dog-like robot named Bert created by the German Aerospace Center (DLR). The robot has legs designed to walk on several different kinds of terrain that may not be accessible with wheels, as well as explore small caves inaccessible to its human colleagues.
While Wandt controlled the robodog, allowing it to explore DLR's Mars laboratory and monitor the "terrain" with its camera eyes, he also turned his attention to two other robots: DLR's Rollin' Justin, a humanoid service robot, and ESA's Interact rover. Following on from previous experiments that explored how time delays may affect controlling a robot from space, this time saw the two robots work together to perform a task, installing a short pipe.
"Even between humans, cooperation is complex. Agreements have to be made and mutual intentions understood. This is a particular challenge when different robots have to form a team and successfully complete a task together," DLR explained in a statement.
"When building a habitat, for example, combining the different skills of several robots is very helpful. In the first experiment of its kind, DLR's humanoid robot Rollin' Justin and ESA's Interact Rover mastered such a task and jointly installed a short pipe representing a scientific measuring device."
Controlling a robot you aren't even on the same planet with is only part of the goal, with the team hoping that astronauts will one day be able to control several robots on a mission, either having them act semi or fully autonomously as required.
"Future stations on the Moon and Mars, including astronaut habitats, will be built and maintained by robots operating under the guidance of astronauts," explained Alin Albu-Schäffer, Director of the DLR Institute of Robotics and Mechatronics. "Our latest control and AI algorithms enable a single astronaut to command an entire team of different robots."
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https://www.iflscience.com/robot-dog-controlled-by-someone-not-on-earth-for-the-first-time-in-history-72688
| 2024-01-30T17:54:57Z
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BRUSSELS - Germany, the Netherlands and Poland signed a deal on Tuesday aimed at cutting red tape hampering swift cross-border movement of troops and weapons along one of the main corridors leading from the North Sea to NATO's eastern flank.
As a result of Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, both NATO and the European Union have started to speed up preparations in case a military conflict with Moscow erupts.
In such a scenario, the U.S. and other NATO allies would be expected to send major military reinforcements via North Sea ports across Germany and Poland to the eastern front.
NATO is currently conducting its largest military drills since the end of the Cold War in the exercise Steadfast Defender 2024 involving some 90,000 troops.
Speaking at an event at the EU's European Defence Agency in Brussels, Dutch Defence Minister Kajsa Ollongren said it was crucial to have in place conditions allowing for swift military deployments before any possible conflict arose.
"The geography is what it is. That means you have to be able to move quickly from the Netherlands through Germany to Poland," she said before the three countries signed a letter of intent for closer cooperation in what the EU calls military mobility, a project open to additional partners.
NATO has warned its members that too much red tape is hindering troop movements across Europe, a problem that could cause major delays were a conflict with Russia to erupt.
"We are running out of time. What we don't get done in peacetime won't be ready in case of a crisis or a war," the chief of NATO's logistics command JSEC, Lieutenant-General Alexander Sollfrank, told Reuters late last year.
NATO forces still need to navigate a variety of differing regulations, stretching from the advance-notice required before ammunition can be shipped to the permissible length of military convoys. REUTERS
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https://www.straitstimes.com/world/europe/three-nato-allies-sign-deal-to-speed-up-military-deployments-to-eastern-flank
| 2024-01-30T17:55:00Z
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The direction of time seems pretty obvious; it goes from the past towards the future, though the reason why that is the case is unclear. This arrow of time has been linked to entropy, the measurement of the disorder of a system. Over time, in an isolated system, entropy always increases. This process is irreversible. It applies to the aging everything experiences, or an egg rolling off the counter and breaking apart. But under a certain perspective, there are materials that defy this behavior. And they are very common: glasses and plastics.
These materials consist of tangles of molecules, usually in a random distribution. Even as solids, the constituent molecules are moving, though it’s an incredibly slow process. The molecules always look for the most favorable energetic state, and this process changes the properties of the material over time. For the glass in a window, it would take billions of years.
To look at this process from the point of view of the material, researchers use the “material time” – the internal clock ticking inside the substance in question. This depends on how quickly the molecules within the material reorganize, meaning you can have material that has a very long material time. Still, globally the arrow of time points toward the future. Everything ages.
Measurements of material time are far from easy. Researchers created a setup to study the molecular movement in a sample of glass, and statistical methods were used to establish the fluctuations over time. On analyzing the results, the team discovered that these molecular fluctuations are time-reversable. This means that they would look the same looking forward or backward in time.
“However, this does not mean that the aging of materials can be reversed,” lead author Till Böhmer, from the Technical University of Darmstadt, said in a statement.
So, the molecular small movements don’t affect the aging of the whole system. They shake and shimmy without affecting the material time. As far as that time arrow is concerned, in glasses and plastic, the molecular changes could be going backward or forward. The direction of the arrow of time from the molecular point of view is irrelevant. But overall, the glass still ages.
“This leaves us with a mountain of unanswered questions,” added co-author Prof. Thomas Blochowicz.
Does the reversibility come from physical laws that are reversible? How is the material time different in different materials? Does this finding apply to all disordered materials as the team suspects? Those are the questions that future research must now determine the answers to.
The study is published in Nature Physics.
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https://www.iflscience.com/the-arrow-of-time-can-go-in-both-directions-inside-glass-72702
| 2024-01-30T17:55:03Z
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As we age, the ways that we sense the world around us start to change with our bodies. Our senses of taste, smell, hearing, and sight become less sharp. Now, new research has shown that even our perception of color dims over time.
Researchers from University College London (UCL) recently compared how the pupils of younger and older people reacted to colors in the environment.
The team recruited a small sample of 17 young adults (average age was 27.7 years) and 20 healthy older adults (with an average age of 64.4). The participants were placed in a blackout room where they had the diameter of their pupils measured by a highly sensitive eye tracking camera while they were shown 26 different colors, each for five seconds.
The colors shown included various shades – including dark, muted, saturated, and light – of magenta, blue, green, yellow, and red. Participants were also shown two shades of orange and four greyscale colors.
When we see color, our pupils constrict in response to any changes in its lightness or chroma (colorfulness). Usually this is difficult to observe in an individual, but the tracking camera used by the team, known as a pupillometer, was capable of recording changes in pupil diameter at 1,000 times per second.
During their analysis, the team found that the pupil diameter of healthy older people constricted less in response to color chroma compared with their younger counterparts. This was particularly apparent for green and magenta hues. However, both sets of participants had similar responses to the “lightness” of a color shade.
“Our pupillometry data suggest that we become physiologically less sensitive to the colorfulness of our environment as we age,” the authors write. “These findings complement earlier behavioral research which showed that older adults perceive surface colors as less chromatic (colorful) than young adults.”
“We therefore propose that colors fade with age, and that we become specifically less sensitive to the relative Green or Magenta saturation level of colors. Our findings show no reduced pupil responses to relative Blue saturation level of colors.”
According to a statement from the lead author, Dr Janneke van Leeuwen, “This work brings into question the long-held belief among scientists that color perception remains relatively constant across the lifespan, and suggests instead that colors slowly fade as we age.”
Dr van Leeuwen added, “Our findings might also help explain why our color preferences may alter as we age – and why at least some older people may prefer to dress in bold colors.”
The team believe that, as we get older, there is a decline in our body’s sensitivity to color’s saturation levels within the primary visual cortex, the part of the brain that receives, integrates and processes visual information communicated to it from the retinas.
In previous work, a rare form of dementia, called posterior cortical atrophy (PCA), was found to share this feature. In PCA, there is are noticeable difficulties and abnormalities in color perception which could come from a signature decline in the brain’s sensitivity to certain color tones – again, green and magenta – in the primary visual cortex and its associated networks.
“Our findings could have wide implications for how we adapt fashion, décor and other colour ‘spaces’ for older people, and potentially even for our understanding of diseases of the ageing brain, such as dementia,” Professor Jason Warren added.
“People with dementia can show changes in colour preferences and other symptoms relating to the visual brain – to interpret these correctly, we first need to gauge the effects of healthy ageing on colour perception. Further research is therefore needed to delineate the functional neuroanatomy of our findings, as higher cortical areas might also be involved.”
The paper is published in Scientific Reports.
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https://www.iflscience.com/the-way-you-see-colors-changes-as-you-age-but-not-all-colors-are-affected-72696
| 2024-01-30T17:55:09Z
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KYIV - The Ukrainian region of Lviv has become the country's first to remove all its Soviet-era monuments, the governor said on Tuesday, part of a broader wartime push to erase all traces of Russian rule.
Ukraine launched a "decommunisation" campaign after a 2014 revolution toppled a pro-Moscow president and has continued the effort as it fights off Russia's near two-year invasion.
Governor Maksym Kozytskyi said 312 monuments had been removed last year in his western Lviv region, which borders Poland, by activists and local residents.
"Not a kopek from the regional budget was spent on toppling these 'idols'," he wrote on the Telegram messaging app.
Kozytskyi included an image of a demolished concrete statue, but did not identify it.
Thousands of streets and settlements in Ukraine, which declared independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, have also been renamed in recent years as part of the drive.
The mayor of Kharkiv, Ukraine's second largest city, proposed last week renaming the centrally located Pushkin Street, a nod to the Russian author, after prominent a Ukrainian philosopher.
Last month, authorities in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv dismantled a statue of a Red Army commander from a central boulevard. REUTERS
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https://www.straitstimes.com/world/europe/ukraines-lviv-becomes-first-region-to-remove-all-soviet-era-monuments
| 2024-01-30T17:55:11Z
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On July 2, 1937, while attempting to become the first woman to circumnavigate the globe, Amelia Earhart's plane disappeared somewhere between Lae, New Guinea, her last known location, and Howland Island where she was headed next. And thus started a mystery that has never properly been answered.
Despite an initial 16-day search involving 66 aircraft and four boats, as well as plenty of unofficial searches since, the experienced pilot and her navigator, Fred Noonan, have never been found. Theories on her disappearance range from the obvious (her plane crashed and sank) to the not-so-obvious (she was eaten by giant crabs), and even suggest she survived on a nearby island. One such conspiracy claims that she became captured by Japanese forces, before being freed and taken home to the US where she became one "Irene Bolam", despite Bolam already existing long before Earhart's disappearance.
After 87 years, an explanation seems unlikely. However, one former US Air Force pilot and intelligence officer believes he may have found her plane. Tony Romeo funded an $11 million search for Earhart by selling off his real estate business and began scanning the ocean floor using sonar back in September 2023.
The search appears to have paid off, as Romeo now claims to have found sonar evidence of "what appears to be Earhart’s Lockheed 10-E Electra" plane.
The image, captured by a submersible, was found 4,900 meters (16,000 feet) below the surface of the Pacific Ocean, 160 kilometers (100 miles) off the coast of Howland Island, her next scheduled stop. The team did not initially notice the potential plane but now intends to return to the site to investigate further.
"This is maybe the most exciting thing I'll ever do in my life," Romeo told the Wall Street Journal. "I feel like a 10-year-old going on a treasure hunt."
After all this time it seems unlikely that we may finally have an explanation. But who knows, stranger things have happened.
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https://www.iflscience.com/us-air-force-pilot-claims-hes-found-amelia-earharts-plane-using-sonar-72690
| 2024-01-30T17:55:15Z
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We’re often told to pay attention to the color of our urine as an indicator of factors like dehydration – but as you gaze into the toilet bowl, have you ever wondered how exactly pee gets its yellow color? A recent study has answered that long-standing question, pointing to a newly discovered enzyme produced by gut bacteria.
The process centers on how a compound called bilirubin (an orangey pigment produced when hemoglobin is broken down at the end of red blood cells’ 120-day lifespan) is metabolized. Bilirubin is either broken down or reabsorbed in the gut, where it is secreted via bile. For over 125 years, we’ve known that a product of this breakdown called urobilin is what makes pee yellow – but the enzyme responsible for its production, which the team behind the study has named bilirubin reductase (BilR), has only now been revealed.
“Gut microbes encode the enzyme bilirubin reductase that converts bilirubin into a colorless byproduct called urobilinogen,” lead author of the study Brantley Hall, assistant professor in the University of Maryland’s Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, explained in a statement. “Urobilinogen then spontaneously degrades into a molecule called urobilin, which is responsible for the yellow color we are all familiar with.”
The team examined different species of bacteria from the human gut microbiome. They found nine strains capable of reducing (aka giving electrons) to bilirubin, converting it to urobilinogen, and 13 that were not. Examining the genomes of strains that showed this capability and comparing them to the genomes of strains that didn’t, they narrowed down sets of genes to one that was “homologous to 2,4-dienoyl-CoA reductase (EC: 1.3.1.34), an oxidoreductase that reduces carbon–carbon double bonds, similar to the expected bilirubin reduction reaction.”
The researchers then made E. coli express genes coding for bilirubin reductase, giving it the ability to reduce bilirubin, whereas E. coli which was not made to produce the enzyme did not reduce bilirubin. They also showed evidence that residues of the amino acids arginine and aspartic acid in the active site of bilirubin reductase are key to the enzyme’s reduction of bilirubin, as mutating these residues significantly lowered the enzyme’s activity.
It was also found that this enzyme is mostly produced by bacteria in the phylum Firmicutes, which are common in the human gut. They also note in the paper that “Some bilR genes were found in bacteria from the Flavobacteriales, which are typically found in aquatic and soil environments, suggesting a possible role for bilirubin reductase in breaking down bilirubin or similar metabolites in other environments.”
Upon analyzing human gut metagenomes (an analysis of the sequence of all the organisms in a sample) for bilirubin reductase, the team found some interesting information. They found that the enzyme is often missing in infants up until the end of their first year of life. This period of absence coincides with the period where neonatal jaundice risk is highest, which is relevant as jaundice is caused by bilirubin building up in the blood. They also found that the enzyme was missing in significantly more people with ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s compared to those without these conditions.
“Now that we’ve identified this enzyme, we can start investigating how the bacteria in our gut impact circulating bilirubin levels and related health conditions like jaundice,” said Xiaofang Jiang, study co-author and NIH Investigator. “This discovery lays the foundation for understanding the gut-liver axis.”
“It’s remarkable that an everyday biological phenomenon went unexplained for so long, and our team is excited to be able to explain it,” Hall said.
The study is published in the journal Nature Microbiology.
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https://www.iflscience.com/why-is-pee-yellow-thank-your-gut-bacteria-72698
| 2024-01-30T17:55:21Z
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KYIV - The head of Ukrainian military intelligence said on Jan 30 he expected Russia's offensive on the eastern front line to fizzle out by early spring.
Moscow stepped up its attacks in the northeastern section of the front line last autumn, seeking to encircle bastions such as the town of Avdiivka.
The Ukrainian military said it was in "active defence" while carrying out counterattacks.
"(Russia's) offensive is still ongoing. Somewhere in early spring, it will be exhausted completely," Lieutenant-General Kyrylo Budanov, head of Ukraine's military intelligence agency GUR, said on national TV.
Lt-Gen Budanov played down the Russian forces' gains, saying they had only achieved "a few advances across some fields" and near the embattled town of Avdiivka.
"Now it's the enemy's move. It will end, and I think ours will start," he added.
Ukraine's own counteroffensive, launched in June 2023, has not produced any major breakthrough. Ukrainian officials have blamed extensive Russian minefields and defensive lines, and delays in supplies of weapons from the West.
Ukrainian military officials have spoken recently of increased Russian military activity on long stretches of the 1,000km-long front line through eastern and southern Ukraine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly said his forces will achieve all their aims in what Moscow calls its "special military operation" in Ukraine, now in its 24th month.
President Putin says he sent troops into Ukraine to buttress Russia's own security against what he casts as a hostile and aggressive West.
Kyiv and its Western allies say this is nonsense and that Moscow is engaged in an unprovoked war of aggression and an imperial-style land grab. REUTERS
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https://www.straitstimes.com/world/europe/ukraines-military-spy-chief-expects-russias-offensive-to-fizzle-by-spring
| 2024-01-30T17:55:21Z
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The world's largest cruise ship – the Icon of the Seas – set sail from Miami on its maiden voyage last weekend. Not everyone was celebrating the departure of the all-singing, all-dancing colossus, however. Although it's been pitched as a climate-friendly vessel, numerous environmental groups have raised concerns about the huge amounts of methane that will be coughed up by its engines.
Owned by Royal Caribbean Group, the Icon of the Seas is 365 meters long (1,197 feet), features 20 decks, and can hold a maximum of 7,600 passengers.
It’s essentially a floating water park, equipped with seven different pools and six record-breaking water slides. On top of that, there are dozens of entertainment venues, bars, and restaurants.
All of this commotion requires a heap of energy. The floating city is powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG), which Royal Caribbean dubs “the cleanest-burning marine fuel”. While LNG engines are more efficient and emit less carbon dioxide (CO2) than conventional maritime fuels, they still pump out substantial amounts of methane.
Methane is the second most abundant greenhouse gas produced by human activities and it's especially problematic because it traps substantially more heat than CO2. Fortunately, it does have a shorter atmospheric lifetime than CO2, persisting for just over a decade compared with centuries.
The problem with LNG engines is “methane slip”, a process in which unburned fuel that is not fully combusted leaks into the surrounding atmosphere. Here, it will rise into Earth’s atmosphere to help trap heat, thereby increasing the temperature of the planet.
Just last week, a new report by the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) concluded that LNG engines likely produce significantly more methane than most international regulators assume. They also argue that the methane-producing potential of LNG could be enough to scupper current plans to decarbonize the shipping industry.
"It's a step in the wrong direction," said Bryan Comer, director of the Marine Programme at the ICCT, according to Reuters news agency.
"We would estimate that using LNG as a marine fuel emits over 120 percent more life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions than marine gas oil," he added.
Environmental groups also denounced the maiden voyage of the Icon of the Seas, reaffirming the idea that the cruise industry is not taking the necessary steps to cut their emissions.
“The ships are getting bigger and bigger and that is the wrong direction for the cruise industry to be going. If you were really thinking about sustainability and not your bottom line, you would not be building a cruise ship with a capacity of nearly 10,000 people,” Marcie Keever, director of the Oceans and Vessels Program at the environmental organization Friends of the Earth, told the New York Times.
For their part, Royal Caribbean Group says they view as LNG as a transitional fuel and plan to introduce a net-zero ship by 2035 to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.
Despite growing awareness of greenhouse gases and climate change, the cruise industry is booming. The cruise tourism market is set to surge by $21.02 billion from 2022 to 2027 with an annual growth rate of 11.4 percent.
While many have criticized the Icon of the Seas for being a “step in the wrong direction,” it looks like many people are eager to join along on the journey regardless.
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https://www.iflscience.com/worlds-largest-cruise-ship-sets-sail-and-environmentalists-are-not-happy-72692
| 2024-01-30T17:55:27Z
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BUENOS AIRES - Argentina's government said on Tuesday that it was confident its sprawling economic reform bill, known as the "omnibus bill", would gain approval in Congress after it made concessions removing some divisive sections from the legislation.
The bill is a central plank in libertarian President Javier Milei's aims to overhaul the South American country's economy that is buckling under high debt loads, inflation running at over 200% and myriad capital controls to protect the peso.
"There should now be no obstacle for the law to be approved," presidential spokesman Manuel Adorni said in a daily press conference on Tuesday. "As we understand it is going to get approved, with the first half of that this week."
Milei took office in December after a divisive campaign in which he pledged a "chainsaw" plan to slash back the size of the state and cut spending with an austerity drive he argues is necessary to put the country's finances back on a firm footing.
That has gone down well with markets and investors, including major creditor the International Monetary Fund (IMF), though he has warned of tough months ahead for regular Argentines with a likely economic contraction this year.
The omnibus bill - a major part of Milei's reform plan - is expected to be debated in the lower house of Congress on Wednesday after the government yanked the key fiscal section following opposition to tax hikes and pension reforms.
While marking a significant concession by the government -- which still intends to push those fiscal plans separately -- the move was seen as likely to help avoid the bill failing in Congress where Milei only has minority support.
That helped the S&P Merval stock index edge up 1% on Tuesday, with sovereign bonds very slightly up on average.
The government still faces a major challenge to meet pledges for a zero deficit this year, while turning around an expected economic contraction estimated by the IMF at 2.8%.
"As soon as reality and the situation allows it, of course we are going to reverse this drop," Adorni added.
In popular parallel currency markets, used to get around strict capital controls and where people pay a large premium for dollars, the exchange rate was over 1,200 pesos per dollar on Tuesday, well away from the 826 peso controlled official rate.
In futures markets dollars were trading at 1,273 pesos by the end of June, reflecting expectations of a sharp slide. REUTERS
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https://www.straitstimes.com/world/no-obstacle-to-argentina-mega-reform-bill-in-congress-government-says
| 2024-01-30T17:55:31Z
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HARARE - A Zimbabwean court on Tuesday freed opposition politician Job Sikhala after nearly 600 days of pre-trial detention on charges of inciting public violence in 2022.
Sikhala, 51, a leader in the opposition party Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC), has been arrested dozens of times since he began his political career in 1999.
He was jailed in 2022 for obstruction of justice and inciting public violence after saying that the ruling party, ZANU PF, had killed an opposition activist, which it denied. He denied all charges against him.
On Tuesday, a Harare magistrate convicted him of inciting public violence but gave him a suspended two-year sentence because he had already spent so long in jail.
"He is now a free man. He is going to come out today," his lawyer, Harrison Nkomo, told journalists outside the court, where Sikhala's supporters sang and danced in celebration.
Nkomo added that his client, a lawyer, would appeal against the conviction.
"We are not resting. What we want is an acquittal," he said.
Kept in the high-walled Chikurubi maximum prison in Harare which houses Zimbabwe's most dangerous criminals, Sikhala had written spirited letters calling for solidarity.
He is the only Zimbabwean politician to have endured such a long pre-trial detention. REUTERS
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https://www.straitstimes.com/world/zimbabwe-opposition-leader-freed-from-two-years-pre-trial-detention
| 2024-01-30T17:55:42Z
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Better Call Saul actor Bob Odenkirk made a shocking discovery as he appeared on Finding Your Roots.
Speaking to host Henry Louis Gates Jr, Bob Odenkirk discovered that he had an unusual royal relationship - but not before he made his reservations about royalty clear.
Henry informed Bob that his fifth great-grandfather, Friedrich Carl Steinholz, was born in Plön, Germany, in 1755. Furthermore, Steinholz was connected to the royal families of Europe through the Duke of Plön. Yet while the grand news might have impressed many, Bob was more reticent.
"It makes me feel like a part of history that I didn’t think I was any part of, but I’m an American. I’m not a monarchist. I don’t believe in that,” Odenkirk said. He continued to explain his critiques of the system, calling it "twisted".
"I understand why society built itself around monarchs and leaders, and they passed them down through generations", he explained, but he cited that he was glad America took a more democratic approach to leadership.
It wasn't long before the host silenced him for good.
"You and King Charles III are 11th cousins", Henry revealed to the actor, who immediately burst out laughing at the discovery.
“Well maybe I’ll change my mind on that!” he exclaimed. “That’s so funny, man. Oh, that is crazy!”
Through the Duke, Bob and King Charles are 11th cousins, Henry explained, teasing that the actor should be "ashamed" of himself for "trashing" his family.
"You;ve been royal for five minutes" the host teased.
"That's so funny", Bob chuckled, before exclaiming "that is crazy! I'd never even thought about that! Of course that's true, right? Because all these families are related."
Henry added that "all they did was marry each other".
Bob grew up in Chicago, as the second oldest of seven siblings. His parents, Walter Odenkirk and Barbara Mary, were Catholics of German and Irish descent.
Another clip showed the actor laughing and saying: "Are you kidding me? That’s insane" to show that his royal roots might not even be the most exciting part of his family tree. The show airs on PBS, January 30.
Finding Your Roots is full of unusual and shocking stories about celebrity family trees, with some celebrities even finding out they are related to one another. Singer Ciara found out that she was related to Derek Jeter, for example, while Bill Maher found out he was Bill O'Reilly's cousin.
Other celebrities with an interesting family history include, Brooke Shields, who discovered on Who Do You Think You Are? that she was related to European royalty, while Sarah Jessica Parker had a relative who was condemned as a witch at the Salem Witch Trials.
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https://www.hellomagazine.com/celebrities/512378/better-call-saul-actor-bob-odenkirk-shocking-connection-king-charles/
| 2024-01-30T18:42:59Z
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The night of January 29 proved to be a big one for Kelly Ripa when she wowed a crowd of thousands at Madison Square Garden during Madonna's ongoing The Celebration Tour.
The pop icon has made a habit of inviting special guests up on stage during the "Vogue" portion of her show, ranging from her children Lourdes Leon and Rocco Ritchie to celebs like, most recently, Amy Schumer.
Kelly, 53, became the latest to join the superstar performer on stage, being brought up by the show's MC Bob the Drag Queen and receiving immense cheers from the crowd.
She quickly came up on stage and enveloped Madonna, 65, in a tight hug as they whispered to each other and then quickly took their seats on the stage.
They then proceeded to cheer on the other ballroom dancers and performers as they raised their 10s across the board as enthusiastically high as they could.
Kelly's husband Mark Consuelos took to Instagram soon after to share the incredible moment with their followers, writing alongside it: "Bucket list moment at MSG last night. My fav on stage with @madonna." Check out a glimpse of The Celebration Tour below...
Alongside other shots of them dancing the night away at the show, friends of theirs quickly took to the comments section with excited responses, including Lisa Rinna, who simply commented: "YESSSSSSS."
Kelly and Mark's daughter Lola Consuelos also wrote: "An icon," to which close family friend and ABC News anchor David Muir replied: "Your mom," and the 22-year-old wrote back: "INSANE!!"
EXCLUSIVE: Kelly Ripa's trainer Anna Kaiser reveals secrets behind incredible physique at 53
The Live with Kelly and Mark host has long proclaimed that she is a huge fan of the "Like a Virgin" songstress, having not only seen her in concert multiple times (and shared birthday tributes each year), but also hosted her on the ABC talk show.
During an appearance on the show with late co-host Regis Philbin in 2003, after Madonna walked out onto the stage and took her seat, Kelly said: "You are just the best. And I promised I wouldn't gush, but I have to gush just a little and tell you that you are the real deal."
Later that year, the queen of pop returned to the show and told the hosts: "I've missed you both," and an incredulous Kelly reacted with: "Really? We thought we'd scared you away the last time you were here."
Regis even playfully called out his co-host, saying she was "too gushy," and Madonna quipped back: "I like that," to the All My Children star's delight. She joked: "They've actually attached an electric probe to my body, so if I gush too much, I get zapped."
SEE: Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos' $27million townhouse hides worrying surprise
In 2015, Kelly told her then co-host Michael Strahan that she and friend Anderson Cooper went to see the singer during her Rebel Heart Tour, telling him: "Madonna said, 'I've been performing for 30 years.'
"And I thought, 'Oh my god, I've been seeing her in concert for 30 years, that's the craziest thing. She's my longest relationship besides my husband.'"
Get the lowdown on the biggest, hottest celebrity news, features, and profiles coming out of the U.S. Sign up to our HELLO! Hollywood newsletter and get them delivered straight to your inbox.
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https://www.hellomagazine.com/celebrities/512380/david-muir-cheers-on-kelly-ripa-iconic-moment-on-stage-madonna-concert/
| 2024-01-30T18:43:05Z
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We don’t know about you, but we’re still reeling from the finale of The Traitors season two - and for good reason! After a stunning season of jaw-dropping twists and turns, the nation was left divided by Faithfuls and Traitors when Jaz and Harry went head-to-head to win the prize, with Mollie ultimately having the final say. While Jaz attempted to convince Mollie of Harry’s true role in the game, poor Mollie was so convinced by their friendship that she opted to vote Jaz out, leading them both to lose out on the £90k prize.
READ: Claudia Winkleman's Traitors wardrobe is making me rethink my own
Now, Jaz has joined season one Traitor Wilfred Webster and HELLO!’s TV Editor Emmy Griffiths to break down exactly what was going through his mind during that finale, what Mollie said to him when the pair reunited after Harry took home the prize, and why he wouldn’t have done anything differently…
Chatting on the video series, which you can watch below, he explained: “In the show, I was deliberately coming across as quiet to be under the radar and come across as underestimated. So everyone's now thinking, even the contestants, ‘Did Jaz actually have this mouth that he had zipped? I can't wait to say everything!”
Although there are no hard feelings towards his fellow player, Mollie, who voted him out instead of Harry at the last moment, it was inevitably going to be a little awkward when they saw each other after the roundtable. Jaz explained: “That whole process goes on for longer than you think, to be honest. That whole process of being at the round table, and you see a very condensed version of what happens with it all.
“In terms of Molly, and when we saw each other, she obviously reached out to me afterwards and apologised and sent me messages to say that she's devastated. It was nice for her to reach out to me, just to say what she needed to say. I rate that, I rate that type of behaviour!”
Speaking about the reaction since the episode came out, Hh continued: “I mean, it's just crazy. I like it! I'm really cheesy and a bit of an emotional guy. So the fact that this is happening and this is the reception that I'm getting after coming off the show, I can't even put into words how much it means to me. The feeling's just unbelievable.”
He added: “I didn't win the cash prize, I didn't get that win, but it's almost like Harry won the battle, but I'm winning the war!”
Watch Jaz break down the ins and outs of the roundtable, his reaction to his nickname 'Jazatha Christie' and his experience on The Traitors on HELLO!'s Traitors Talk.
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https://www.hellomagazine.com/film/512375/the-traitors-star-jaz-reveals-meeting-with-devastated-mollie-as-he-breaks-down-finale/
| 2024-01-30T18:43:12Z
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New York City history fanatics and beyond are rejoicing that Ryan Murphy's highly-anticipated show, Feud: Capote Vs. The Swans, is finally premiering on FX January 31, available on Hulu at midnight.
The eight-episode limited series is based on Laurence Leamer's 2021 book Capote's Women: A True Story of Love, Betrayal, and a Swan Song, which itself tells the story of famed literary giant Truman Capote (In Cold Blood, Breakfast at Tiffany's), and his tumultuous relationship with New York society, particularly that of the select socialites he befriended, and later betrayed.
It features a stacked cast – Demi Moore, Calista Flockhart, Molly Ringwald, Naomi Watts, Diane Lane and Chloë Sevigny – who star as the iconic "Swans" Capote used to hoist himself into the upper echelons of 1960s high-society, and later as inspiration for his scandalous, unfinished novel Answered Prayers, which effectively expelled him from the elite circle he'd co-opted. Below, take a look at the real-life women the six A-Listers transformed themselves into.
Calista Flockhart as Lee Radziwill
Lee Radziwill (1933-2019) was the younger sister of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis, and like the former First Lady, she too was considered to be among the world's chicest women. Born Caroline Lee Bouvier, her last name comes from her second husband, Stanisław Albrecht "Stash" Radziwiłł, a Polish aristocrat.
MORE: Calista Flockhart makes candid revelation about Harrison Ford's parenting style with son Liam
Beyond her role as a leading arbiter of New York society, she briefly dabbled in acting, and worked as both an interior decorator and public relations executive. She passed away aged 85 in her Upper East Side apartment in 2019.
Naomi Watts as Babe Paley
Capote once reportedly said of Barbara "Babe" Cushing Mortimer Paley (1915-1978): "Babe Paley had only one fault. She was perfect. Otherwise, she was perfect." The epitome of a trendsetter, at 23 she was a fashion editor at Vogue, and three years later, in 1941, she was declared by Time the world's second best dressed woman, coming second to Wallis Simpson.
Her last name Paley comes from her second husband, William S. Paley, who is best known for transforming the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) from a small radio network into the media giant that it is today. Babe died from lung cancer a day after her 63rd birthday in 1978; having been diagnosed in 1974, she meticulously planned her own funeral, including the food and wine for the luncheon.
Demi Moore as Ann Woodward
Ann Eden Woodward (1915-1975) was more-so a wannabe Capote Swan, and her legacy is marred by controversy and scandal. Born Evangeline Crowell, she reinvented herself as Ann Eden when she moved to New York City in 1941 and became a showgirl and Powers model. Two years later, she married William Woodward Jr., heir to the Hanover National Bank fortune.
MORE: Demi Moore leads the best dressed alongside Calista Flockhart and Naomi Watts on red carpet
In 1955, she was at the center of what was coined "The Shooting of the Century," after she shot and killed her husband, then 35, having mistaken him for a burglar entering their Oyster Bay home. Though she was cleared as a suspect by a grand jury, she vanished from high-society over ongoing gossip that the shooting was intentional. Ann took her own life in 1975 shortly after the quasi-release of Capote's infamous novel Answered Prayers, which was (unflatteringly) based on some of the Swans.
Diane Lane as Slim Keith
Nancy "Slim" Keith (1917-1990) was born Mary Raye Gross in California, and by age 22, had already appeared on the cover of Harper's Bazaar. She ran in elite social circles from as early as 16, and established herself as a Hollywood socialite through both romantic and social connections with William Randolph Hearst, Cary Grant, Clark Gable, and Ernest Hemingway, among others.
MORE: Diane Lane on almost being cast in Pretty Woman
She was married thrice, to Howard Hawks (from 1941 to 1949), Leland Hayward (1949-1960), and to Baron Keith of Castleacre Kenneth Keith (1962-1972). She ended her friendship with Capote over his thinly veiled use of her as the inspiration for one of his Answered Prayers characters. She died aged 72 in 1990 of lung cancer.
Chloë Sevigny as C.Z. Guest
Lucy Douglas Cochrane (1920-2003) dedicated herself not only to New York society, but also to horseback riding, interior decorating, horticulture, fashion design, and writing. Following a debilitating horse riding accident in 1976, she helmed a column on gardening for the New York Post, and later wrote a book, First Garden, illustrated by the legendary Cecil Beaton.
MORE: Chloe Sevigny's three wedding dresses are nothing like original black bridal dress
In 1947, she married Winston Frederick Churchill Guest – a relative of Winston Churchill with long ties to British aristocracy – at the famed Havana residence of Hemingway, who was the best man. She died aged 83 in 2003.
Molly Ringwald as Joanne Carson
Born Joanne Copeland (1931-2015), she was a close confidante of Capote's – he had a writing room to himself in her home – and the ex-wife of legendary Tonight Show host Johnny Carson. She was a stewardess for Pan American World Airways when she met the late TV veteran in 1960, and they married 1963, one year after he began his three-decade tenure on the Tonight Show.
The pair divorced in 1972, and she went on to host her own health and fitness talk show, Joanne Carson's V.I.P.'s, as well as earn a master's degree in psychology and a Ph.D. in nutritional biochemistry and physiology. She passed away aged 83 in 2015.
Get the lowdown on the biggest, hottest celebrity news, features and profiles coming out of the U.S. Sign up to our HELLO! Hollywood newsletter and get them delivered straight to your inbox.
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https://www.hellomagazine.com/film/512379/capote-vs-the-swans-real-women-photos-scandalous-stories/
| 2024-01-30T18:43:18Z
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Chicago PD fans are not going to want to miss Wednesday January 31's episode – because it is, in Marina Squerciati's own words, "seminal" for Kim Burgess and Adam Ruzek.
Season 11 episode three will follow Burgess (played by Marina) as she works an extra shift at the 13th District and gets caught in the middle of a drive-by attack on refugees. The team works together to track down the shooter and uncover the true motive behind the attack."
"Burgess is really coming into her own power and she knows what she wants and I think that colors every scene in this episode," Marina tells HELLO!
"I think it's such a seminal episode; it's so hard to tease because it's so important for Burgess fans and Burzek fans to watch this episode."
Burzek is the portmanteau of Burgess and Adam Ruzek (Patrick J. Flueger), who Burgess reunited with in season 10, and together they are now raising her adopted daughter.
Ruzek found himself shot in the line of duty at the end of season 10 and season 11 has shown his recovery so far, and how he has struggled being off the job when so much of his identity is wrapped up in being a police officer.
Episode two focused on Adam and his desire to keep working, even if it left him in precarious positions, and episode three will delve into how his trauma has impacted his relationship with Kim.
"I think Kim has just been waiting [for Adam]," says Marina. "It's so hard [because] when you're suffering, you know how to deal with it. You do the steps, you know how far you are from getting to where you need to be.
"But when your partner is recovering – and maybe this is gendered – but I feel that men, or let's say Adam, are not as expressive or emotive, and it might be really hard for him to get to a healthier place or discuss with Kim what's going on. But I feel like they're going to get there as a couple and that excites me."
As for how Marina and Patrick approached these first few episodes of the new season, which was delayed due to the SAG-AFTRA strikes, Marina revealed that the pair "have such a trusting, loving relationship" that it is easy for them to quickly dive into what they are reading on the page.
"We live close to each other so we take a van home and get picked up together so we have plenty of time to like work things out and talk things out – which we do ad nauseam, we talk scenes to death!"
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https://www.hellomagazine.com/film/512381/chicago-pd-exclusive-marina-squerciati-important-burzek-episode-fans-cant-miss/
| 2024-01-30T18:43:25Z
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Meghan Markle stepped out for a rare red carpet appearance for the premiere of Bob Marley: One Love at the Carib 5 Theatre in Kingston, Jamaica last week and she looked so glamorous.
The Duchess of Sussex, 42, stepped out for a glamorous evening with her husband Prince Harry, 39, wearing a gorgeous strappy black ball gown by Carolina Herrera which she paired with the black ‘J Box’ clutch by Jimmy Choo and the 'Large 18-carat Gold Hammered Disc Earrings' by Jennifer Meyer.
But a subtle detail that caught our eye was Meghan's manicure with an extra special meaning. The royal fashion and beauty choices are shrouded in protocol with a natural look being the order of every day.
This also extends to manicures with it being widely believed that the royal ladies including the late Queen and the Princess of Wales wear Essie's 'Ballet Slippers' – a subtle light pink shade with a high-shine finish and opt for a squoval shape. It is thought of as the colour that the late Queen Elizabeth encouraged other royal ladies to wear and Meghan is even thought to have worn the timeless shade on her wedding day in 2018.
However, for the ritzy Jamaican event, Meghan flew in the face of royal tradition, opting for a 2000s-inspired French manicure. Meghan rocked a natural base with white tips on a square nail for a look that Mean Girls' Regina George would be all over.
The square French manicure is the OG of quiet luxury nails and with the noughties resurgence that dominated 2023 showing no signs of slowing down, it is clear the style is here to stay. After all, it probably is the most versatile nail look on the market.
Seriah Leslie, nail technician at Young LDN, says that there is more than just consideration of the visual aesthetic when it comes to Meghan's choice of nail colour. "Queen Elizabeth was the pioneer for this as her favourites were Essie 'Ballet Slippers' and 'Mademoiselle'. Since Meghan has left her royal duties, we’ve seen her branch out in different new trends from dark nails to now the classic French manicure which symbolises freedom and independence while sharing her own genuine creative flare."
The manicurist also tells us that "French manicure became popular in the 1970s particularly in on movie sets to eliminate the need to switch out colours between shoots. French manicure is the optimism of classic. The ladies of today switch it up with different colours but the classic white will always be a staple. Square nails are the most natural-looking nail shape and easiest to maintain and look best with Meghan’s slender fingers."
Merilin Notton, Head of Brand at Mylee tells HELLO!: "The current resurgence with the new Mean Girls movie coming out and the success of the Barbie film has meant that these nostalgic noughties trends have come to the fore once again. Meghan opting for a trend-led look shows that she is led by current trends and has the freedom of expression to do so. Of all the 2000s trends that have come back, this is well-suited in that it still retains the timeless and classic style that has been a signature for Meghan.”
Seriah Leslie tells us how to recreate Meghan's mani. "Using your favourite sheer pink nail polish apply two thin coats evenly on the nails," she says. "Use a bright white nail polish [and] use a thin tip of the brush to make a straight line at the edge of the nail." Her top tip is to start with your non-dominant hand first and the rest will be a breeze!
Meghan has previously rocked an understated manicure that aligns with royal custom showing she's not afraid to pave her own path when it comes to her beauty rules. At the Variety Power Of Women event last November, the royal opted for a milky off-white manicure that tied in beautifully with her caramel-coloured dress and quiet luxury updo.
She rocked a similar shade to a visit to the University of Chichester's Engineering and Technology Park which was a polished take on a natural manicure and kept them shorter than her latest look. Her gold rings and bracelets amplified the glamorous aesthetic.
In 2022 Meghan warmed up her look with a short satin pink look at an Invictus Games Friends and Family reception hosted by the City of The Hague and the Dutch Ministry of Defence at Zuiderpark. She dressed up the manicure with a dainty gold hand chain.
Princess Kate has been known to break from royal tradition when it comes to her nails. At the traditional Easter Sunday Mattins Service at St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle last year, the Princess rocked a ruby red manicure that was a stunning contrast against her cobalt blue dress and her iconic blue sapphire engagement ring.
DISCOVER: Loved Meghan Markle's bouclé jacket? I tried on Mango's version and it's royally chic
It may be that Meghan and Kate have individually sought inspiration from their late mother-in-law Princess Diana when it comes to throwing out the royal rulebook on manicures. The late Princess attended a Gala Evening in aid of Cancer Research at London's Bridgewater House in 1995 where she notably sported a pillar box red manicure in a fabulous break from tradition that remains a classic to this day.
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https://www.hellomagazine.com/healthandbeauty/512339/meghan-markle-french-manicure-royal-rules/
| 2024-01-30T18:43:31Z
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No matter how tired I am, the one beauty ablution I always make time for is applying body lotion. I'm currently using the Rare Beauty Find Comfort collection, but I'm open to most body creams, budget or luxury.
Without fail, I moisturise my body every morning after my shower and just before bed at night. It might seem excessive to do this twice a day, but for me it's a moment to remind myself I'm grateful for my body, and to spend time with myself.
"Moisturising your body can be mistaken as a vanity metric," notes psychotherapist Lauren Baird. "However when you spend time engaging in supportive self-touch, through moisturising your body with a delicious lotion, this can really help you to connect with your body."
Moisturising your body can ease anxiety
Lauren adds that applying body lotion can also help with anxiety and make us feel calmer – ideal for my pre-bed ritual.
"Your clever nervous system has different branches: your sympathetic nervous system (your fight/ flight responses – think anxiety and overwhelm) and your parasympathetic nervous system (your calm and connect response – think presence and being able to cope).
"Your nervous system responds well to supportive self-touch. Think about how children and babies are held, rocked, stroked and calmed through touch. As adults we are no different and supportive touch can help activate your parasympathetic nervous system, dulling down the anxiety and bringing in the calm," Lauren explains.
"When you moisturise your body, you are activating the parasympathetic nervous system and accessing a powerful self-soothing technique, slowing down your heart rate, reducing stress in your body and increasing self-compassion."
Moisturising helps body awareness
"With supportive self-touch, you are also increasing your interoception, a fancy word for your body awareness.
"Interoception is absolutely key in supporting you to manage your emotions, as when we can tune into how we are feeling we are better able to cope with our experience."
READ: How rejecting diet culture helped me regain my confidence
Self-love through body care
Lauren adds that spending time showing love to our body through treating it to a daily moisturising session can help us appreciate ourselves more.
"Your body is the only home you will remain in forever, so it’s important we tend and care for it, befriending it through kindness and compassion." She says.
"As women, there is so much pressure on us in terms of how our bodies look, and so many of us experience a lot of shame surrounding our bodies.
"When this body shame occurs we can reject our body by disconnecting from it and this often shows up as not nurturing and caring for ourselves."
READ: I'm 34 - why am I still expected to look how I did when I was 18?
She's right, when I'm having a bad body image day, I rush my moisturising routine, preferring to use something that sinks in quickly, rather than having to spend time rubbing in a thicker formula.
Read on for Lauren's advice on caring for your body…
Treat yourself like a friend
"Think about someone you love or care for and how you would treat them with loving kindness if they were having a bad body image day.
"Think about what you would say to them and how you would support them, then direct this response back inwards to yourself. This self-compassion tool can support you to care for your body, be gentle towards it and appreciate it more in return."
Avoid self-criticism
"Self-compassion is the opposite of self-criticism. Self-criticism towards your body leads to greater levels of body dissatisfaction, low self-esteem and can lead to mental health illnesses such as anxiety and depression.
"Self-criticism activates your threat response (fight, flight, freeze) and this increases cortisol the stress hormone. Self-compassion on the other hand, involves noticing that you may be struggling and being gentle and caring towards yourself. This deactivates the stress response and supports you to care for your body.
READ: How rejecting clothing sizes made me happier
Look after yourself
People often think they can find happiness if they shrink themselves through losing weight, but actually true happiness comes from finding the things that feel really good and yummy to your body.
"This could be dancing, moving in a way that feels good, yoga or a simple walk. When we connect to these things, it can support us to appreciate what our body does for us, over what our body looks like."
Try body neutrality
"Focus on the function of your body over how it looks. This takes the pressure off of you needing to love your body, instead you can focus on caring for it and appreciating what it does for you."
Visit HELLO!'s Beautiful You hub for move advice on appreciating yourself.
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https://www.hellomagazine.com/healthandbeauty/512371/daily-ritual-appreciate-body/
| 2024-01-30T18:43:37Z
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Michelle Keegan has been a source of hair inspiration for years, but her latest switch-up could prompt a wave of fans to follow her lead in 2024.
The Fool Me Once actress, 36, has sported long brunette hair with choppy layers for months, but she teamed her caramel-hued highlights with a wispy fringe on Tuesday. As she prepared for a shoot, Michelle was having her hair professionally styled by Ben Cooke, who was adding the finishing spray.
After undergoing a chop, the shorter front section had been blow-dried to add volume and frame her eyes, while the longer strands had been curled away from her face for extra texture and movement.
"Switching it up today," wrote Michelle next to a haircut emoji. However, Michelle's fans will know that she looks perfectly put-together whether she's on a shoot, walking the red carpet or relaxing on the beach on holiday.
So how does she achieve effortlessly undone hair at all times? Sharing some of her beauty secrets with Cosmopolitan, the Our Girl actress said she has mastered the art of blowdrying her hair, so much so that she has become the expert in her family!
"If I'm going out I blow-dry it. I've learnt how to do it well – I even do my mum's hair. My tips are to always point your hairdryer downwards, so the little fine bits don't come up. And use a really good barrel brush," she said, before revealing some of her go-to products for healthy, shiny hair are Phillip Kingsley The Elasticator and Moroccan Oil.
Michelle has admitted to wearing hair extensions in the past and encouraged others to do the same if it makes them feel more confident.
"If someone wants to wear extensions, even down to the shops, it’s got nothing to do with anyone else. Do what you want - girl power! If it makes you feel good to wear extensions, do it," she told HuffPost.
Michelle married her husband Mark Wright in 2015, and like many brides, she wanted her beauty look to be natural on her big day, stating: "Do your makeup and hair the way you feel most confident with."
She continued: "I used that motto ['If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it'] when I was deciding whether to wear my hair up or down at the wedding. I always had my hair up as my character on 'Corrie', so I associate it with work. When I'm on a night out, I'll have my hair down and feel more glamorous - so that's what I went with."
The result was a glamorous look that included long hair styled in loose waves that fell past her shoulders with a beehive half-updo, which she teamed with a backless figure-hugging Galia Lahav wedding dress.
PHOTOS: Princess Kate's most glam hairstyles: from the Chelsea blow dry to the much-loved ponytail
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https://www.hellomagazine.com/healthandbeauty/hair/512373/michelle-keegan-debuts-new-fringe-different-look/
| 2024-01-30T18:43:43Z
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Former Strictly Come Dancing star Greg Rutherford has revealed that he had to rush his son to hospital after a horror accident at his family home in Bedfordshire.
Taking to his Instagram Stories, the Olympian, who is currently competing on Dancing on Ice, shared: "Not exactly how I expected to spend my evening… Warning next slide shows a cut." Greg then shared a snap of his son, Rexy's head with a deep cut while the six-year-old's hair was covered in blood. HELLO! has decided not to share the photo.
Explaining what happened, the father-of-three shared: "Young Rexy took on the door frame and lost… a ton of blood and some tears later we're in A&E hoping his new head mouth can be closed soon."
In a follow-up snap, the star revealed that following a trip to A&E, Rexy was doing much better, with the pair posing together in the family kitchen. "One minute I'm stressing about a silly ice dance, the next mopping up blood and taking young Rexy to hospital. Perspective is key…
"Ps he was SO brave. The wonderful staff and Milton Keynes hospital glued his head back and we were on our way, Rexy hardly flinched. Love the NHS."
Rexy appeared to be well on the mend in a post shared by Greg on Tuesday, as the youngster had a day off school following his ordeal. In the photo, Rexy and Greg were seen together on the sofa, alongside the star's daughter, Daphne.
Greg won a gold medal in 2012 Olympics and following his bronze medal in the 2016 Olympics, the star made an appearance on Strictly Come Dancing where he performed with Natalie Lowe. The pair performed admirably on the show, but was ultimately eliminated in the show's Blackpool special.
More recently, the 37-year-old has been appearing on the latest series of Dancing on Ice, and following three weeks, he's still competing alongside professional partner Vanessa James.
Greg isn't the only former Strictly star who needed a last-minute hospital dash as earlier in the month, Will Mellor, who competed in 2022, had to undergo an emergency eye operation after his eyesight deteriorated "rapidly".
"Today is a big day for me. I'm at OCL VISION, and I'm about to go in for lens replacement surgery," the Line of Duty star shared. "I've had bad eyes all my life, but since I hit 40 my eyes just deteriorated rapidly and now I need glasses for more or less everything."
Revealing what he was expecting, he added: "I looked at laser eye surgery, but I can't have laser because I have one short-sighted and one long-sighted eye, and that would mean they could only correct one or the other, so I'd still need glasses for reading or for long distance, whereas lens replacement, if all goes well, then I'll never need glasses again.
"So how amazing is that? I'm a bit nervous because it's my eyes, but I'm about to go in for surgery so I'll let you know how I get on. I'll see you in a bit."
After his surgery, Will filled in his fans about how the procedure went. "I've just come out of surgery looking very sexy as you can see. Unbelievable," he joked.
MORE: Strictly's Janette Manrara shares heartbreak over baby Lyra: 'It's hard'
"I mean both eyes took about twenty minutes in total to do both eyes if that. Not much pain at all, a bit of pressure on the eye like a bit of a headache on the eye but that was it. Unbelievable. Dr Romesh is a genius. A bit blurry, but I'll keep you posted".
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https://www.hellomagazine.com/healthandbeauty/health-and-fitness/512377/strictly-greg-rutherford-supported-fans-son-rushed-hospital-losing-blood/
| 2024-01-30T18:43:49Z
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Happy birthday Phil Collins! The legendary singer marks another year around the sun today, January 30, as he turns 73 years old.
In honor of his special day, his daughter Lily Collins shared the sweetest throwback as a tribute to her dad, posting a photograph of them skiing together when she was still a child.
"Happy birthday dad!" the 34-year-old sweetly penned. "Whether on a wintery slope adventure or a clear day on Lake Geneva, you were always my ski wing man.
"Love you to the top of the highest mountain and to the bottom of the deepest wave. Celebrating and hugging you from here BIG TIME…"
She received a barrage of sweet responses from fans of the singer, ranging from: "Happy birthday to the man, the myth, the legend," and: "The incredible Phil Collins," to: "Happy birthday to your amazing dad!! What a legend," and: "Happy Birthday to one of my favorite musicians! This is so beautiful! Love you Phil."
The singer's career began in the 1960s, thanks to small acting gigs and the genesis (pun intended) of an English band named Genesis.
He began as their lead drummer and eventually became the lead singer for the group that also included members Tony Banks, Mike Rutherford, Steve Hackett, and Peter Gabriel in its heyday.
The group became one of the pioneers of the progressive rock genre and in its three-decade long career, sold between 100-150 million records worldwide, one of the best selling musical acts of all time. Phil left the group in 1996 while also carrying on his own solo endeavors.
GALLERY: 11 photos of celebrities' rarely-seen children – from Blake Lively to Julia Roberts
While he began experimenting with solo work in the late '70s, his debut came with 1981's "In the Air Tonight," which was a commercial success. He continued to work with Genesis while releasing solo hits like "Against All Odds," "Sussudio," "Don't Lose My Number," and "Two Hearts," making him one of the '80s and '90s most commercially viable acts.
He achieved even greater fame in the '90s and early aughts thanks to his collaborations with Disney, particularly contributing to the soundtracks for Tarzan (1999) and Brother Bear (2003).
The star has since reduced his public appearances, last notably performing during a reunion tour with Genesis in 2021-22. During their final show at the O2 Arena in London, he remarked: "It's the last show for Genesis."
MORE: Lily Collins shares unbelievable throwback photo
Phil shares Lily with his second ex-wife Jill Tavelman, to whom he was married from 1984-1996. Lily initially lived with her mom and her relationship with her dad was strained.
In her 2017 memoir, Unfiltered: No Shame, No Regrets, Just Me, the Emily in Paris star wrote: "Because my dad was often gone, I never wanted to do anything that would make him stay away even longer.
SEE: Emily in Paris star Lily Collins' former $13.5million home has to be seen to be believed
"I became extra careful about what I said and how I said it, afraid he'd think I was angry or didn't love him. And the truth is, I was angry. I missed him and wanted him there."
They eventually grew closer as her own fame separate from her father grew, and now she shares close bonds with both her parents.
Get the lowdown on the biggest, hottest celebrity news, features, and profiles coming out of the U.S. Sign up to our HELLO! Hollywood newsletter and get them delivered straight to your inbox.
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https://www.hellomagazine.com/healthandbeauty/mother-and-baby/512369/phil-collins-73rd-birthday-lily-collins-heartfelt-tribute-rare-photo/
| 2024-01-30T18:43:55Z
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Almost one year to the day after their fairytale wedding at St George's Chapel in Windsor, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle introduced their firstborn, Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor to the world.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex looked over the moon and totally in love with their new son as they greeted photographers at Windsor Castle. Just a few days later, the royal couple introduced their newborn to Their Late Majesties, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip.
Fast forward to the summer of 2021 and Harry and Meghan became parents once again, welcoming baby Lilibet Diana in June of that year. In the time between Archie's birth and becoming a big brother, the family had upped and moved from England to the US after the Duke and Duchess stepped down from their duties as senior working members of the royal family.
The family of four now reside in Montecito, California, in a gorgeous mansion estimated to be worth around $30 million mark. Since their move, the family have often kept their everyday lives to themselves. But, a Netflix documentary, a televised interview with Oprah Winfrey and an explosive memoir later, royal fans have come to learn more about Harry and Meghan and their relationship with the royal family at large.
But still, less is known about little Archie, now aged four, and Lilibet, aged two.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been selective about photographs and video footage they have shared of their two children. Royal followers have seen far less of the two children than that of their cousins, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, for example. Here's everything there is to know about the Sussex children…
Prince Archie
Prince Archie was born on 9th May 2021 at the Portland hospital in London and is sixth in the line of succession to the British throne. Archie was not born with his royal title. Instead, Archie was born with the styling: Master Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor.
At the time, it was reported that the Duke and Duchess had decided to opt away from the entitlement of a royal title. Meghan, however, then stated in a sit-down interview with Oprah Winfrey that she was told that changes would be made to remove said entitlement.
It wasn't until the late Queen Elizabeth II passed away and King Charles III's accession to the throne in September 2022 that Archie, as a child of the son of a monarch, became entitled to use the title 'Prince' and be styled as His Royal Highness. This was also granted to Lilibet Diana, who became Princess Lilibet in September 2022.
In his memoir, Spare, Prince Harry wrote about his desire to have a "family, not an institution" and said how he hopes his children, despite their move overseas and strained relationship with the royal family, will have a connection to his relatives.
" I would love nothing more than for our children to have relationships with members of my family, and they do with some, which brings me great joy."
There haven't been many times where Prince Archie has been seen out and about with his parents, but the royals' Netflix documentary, Harry & Meghan, showed plenty of footage from the time when they first moved to the States.
Viewers saw plenty of videos of Archie playing football with his dad, and grandmother Doria Ragland and cooking in the kitchen with his mom, as well as singing along to some Elton John and playing musical instruments.
Royal fans perhaps saw Archie the most when he was a baby and joined Prince Harry and Meghan on their tour of South Africa in September 2019, just four months after his birth.
During his Apple TV+ series, The Me You Can't See, it was also revealed that Archie has a photo of his late grandmother, Princess Diana, hanging in his nursery. It was also shared that his first words were "mama", "papa" and "crocodile."
Prince Harry shared this anecdote while addressing the crowd at the Invictus Games last year: "When I talk to my son Archie about what he wants to be when he grows up, some days it's an astronaut, other days it's a pilot, a helicopter pilot obviously. But what I remind him is that no matter what you want to be when you grow up, it's your character that matters most."
Princess Lilibet
Lilibet 'Lili' Diana Mountbatten-Windsor was born on 4th June 2021. While her older brother was born in the UK, Lilibet was born in Santa Barbara, California.
The birth of their second child was different in many ways. There was no statement to reveal the news by the palace specifically, instead, Prince Harry and Meghan shared a statement on their Archewell Foundation website.
"On June 4th, we were blessed with the arrival of our daughter, Lili. She is more than we could have ever imagined, and we remain grateful for the love and prayers we've felt from across the globe."
Royal fans will know that Lilibet is the nickname that Queen Elizabeth had as a child. The late monarch picked up the nickname in her younger years due to her difficulty pronouncing her full name, it's an affectionate name that stayed with her and was of huge sentimental value.
It was only used by a handful of people closest to the Queen; her parents King George VI and the Queen Mother, her late sister Princess Margaret, her husband Prince Philip and a few friends.
MORE: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle face unexpected change to team
MORE: 'United' Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have 'never been stronger'
Prince Harry and Meghan's nod to his grandmother was a clear sign of his love and admiration for her.
Earlier this year, it was stated in Robert Hardman's book, Charles III: New King, New Court, The Inside Story, that the Queen was unhappy about Harry and Meghan publicly stating that she was "supportive" of her childhood nickname being used for their second child.
There was speculation at the time about whether Harry and Meghan had sought permission from Her Majesty. A spokesperson for the couple insisted that they would not have used the name without her blessing.
However, the BBC said it had been told by a palace source that the Queen had not been asked. Meanwhile, other publications stated that when she was called by the couple, she did not feel in a position to say 'no'.
Robert's book read: "Once again, it was a case of 'recollections may vary' - the late Queen's reaction to the Oprah Winfrey interview - as far as Her Majesty was concerned."
Away from the debate over the name, royal fans have seen the occasional glimpse of the adorable two-year-old.
Lili's first birthday was timed perfectly with the celebrations around the late Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations. It was during this time that the Sussexes travelled to the UK and introduced Lili to Her Late Majesty for the first time.
During a private birthday party at Frogmore Cottage in Windsor – their former home – the Sussexes released an official photograph of Lilibet playing on the grass. Since then, footage of the little one has been seen in their Netflix documentary and the occasional photograph of Lilibet with her parents.
However, the Sussexes generally keep their children away from the public gaze, choosing to keep themselves to themselves in Montecito.
What have Harry and Meghan said about more children?
As for whether Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will extend their family anytime soon, Harry put these claims to bed in 2021 during their interview with Oprah Winfrey.
After revealing Meghan – who was pregnant with Lili at the time – was expecting a girl, the proud dad said: "To have a boy and a girl, what more could you want?" Before insisting that two was enough and adamantly claiming the couple wouldn't have anymore.
LISTEN: King Charles 'loves' seeing his grandchildren Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis
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https://www.hellomagazine.com/healthandbeauty/mother-and-baby/512372/meet-prince-harry-and-meghan-markles-children-prince-archie-and-princess-lilibet/
| 2024-01-30T18:44:01Z
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Amelia Dimoldenberg has had more than a fair share of noteworthy red carpet moments.
While you may know the YouTube broadcaster from her iconic 'News Reporter' Barbie moment at Greta Gerwig's plastic fantastic UK film premiere, or for flirting with celebrities at the Golden Globes, the 30-year-old host of Chicken Shop Date may have just landed her biggest gig yet.
The London-born presenter has been officially announced as the Red Carpet Correspondent for the 96th Academy Awards, and will be bringing content from the floor of the Oscars across social media platforms.
"Unbelievably excited to announce that I’m the Oscars Social Media Ambassador and Red Carpet Correspondent for the 96th Academy Awards! Lots of groundbreaking interviews to come, I can’t wait," she penned on Instagram.
Yet when she's not brushing shoulders with Hollywood's royalty, the online It-girl can usually be found dancing in her kitsch and cute London home in Hackney, not far from where she grew up between Marylebone and Edgware Road.
In the glimpses she's shared of her home on Instagram, Amelia's décor appears to be as bold as her infectious personality. Take a look inside...
In another photo captured from inside Amelia's girly home, an original Victorian fireplace can be seen dressed with pastel-hued taper candles, as a punk pink lampshade adds a playful element to the space.
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https://www.hellomagazine.com/homes/512366/amelia-dimoldenberg-london-home-inside/
| 2024-01-30T18:44:07Z
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Photographs of then Crown Prince Frederik with Mexican socialite Genoveva Casanova in Madrid sparked salacious rumours when they were published by by Spanish gossip magazine, Lecturas, in November.
Philanthropist and model Genoveva, 47, denied having any romantic relationship with Frederik, 55, while the Danish royal household did not comment.
And now Genoveva's ex-husband has spoken out about the effect the images have had on the family.
Cayetano Martínez de Irujo, who is the current Count of Salvatierra and Duke of Arjona, appeared on Susanna Griso's show, Espejo Publico, on Tuesday.
The father-of-two, 60, said of the published photographs: "Well, that is an issue that will be seen in the courts, they have caused a lot of pain to [Genoveva] and my children, a lot of pain."
He said that the former couple's children, 22-year-old twins Luis and Amina, are working and that they are suffering a lot with this story. Cayetano explained that Genoveva has filed her own lawsuits through his lawyers.
Following publication of the images in Lecturas, HOLA! reported at the time that a mutual friend that Frederik and Genoveva have in common was unable to accompany the then Prince to visit an art exhibition due to illness and he asked Genoveva to go in his place.
After visiting the exhibition 'Picasso, the sacred and the profane', Frederik and Genoveva walked through El Retiro Park and had a very public dinner together at the restaurant 'El Corral de la Morería', in the heart of Madrid
In a statement to HOLA! at the time Genoveva said: "I categorically deny the statements that suggest a romantic relationship between Prince Frederik and me."
She added: "Any statement of this type not only completely lacks the truth but also misrepresents the facts in a malicious manner. This is already in the hands of my lawyers, who will take care of the pertinent steps to protect my right to honor, truth and privacy."
The mother-of-two also posted a legal letter on her personal Instagram page, but as of last week, she appears to have deleted her social media account.
Frederik succeeded his mother Queen Margrethe to the Danish throne on 14 January, following Margrethe's abdication.
The father-of-four is set to travel to Poland on Wednesday to host his first business delegation.
Meanwhile, Frederik's wife, Queen Mary, travelled to Germany last weekend to attend the Men's EHF Euro 2024 final.
LISTEN: How King Frederik really feels about Queen Mary's popularity
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https://www.hellomagazine.com/royalty/512376/genoveva-casanova-ex-husband-speaks-out-king-frederik-photos/
| 2024-01-30T18:44:13Z
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The temperature may have dropped, but thanks to the cost of living crisis, turning on the heating has never been less appealing. There are only so many more layers we can put on or hot water bottles to fill, and while an electric blanket is a great option to warm you up while you work from home or jump into bed, sometimes you just want to heat a whole room.
One solution? A portable electric heater. Cheaper than turning on the central heating and perfect if you just want to heat a small area of your home, many also come with extra functions like a remote control to make life that little bit easier.
From Dreo's bestselling electric heater to Dyson's multipurpose heater, fan and air purifier, plus affordable and stylish options from Russell Hobbs, scroll on for the top rated options available to shop now.
How we chose the best portable electric heaters
- Top-rated: We've only included bestselling heaters that are rated at least 4.2 out of five stars with verified customer reviews.
- Price: Using a portable electric heater is first and foremost about saving money, so many of these options are currently priced at under £100, with several also on sale.
- Practicality: All of these options heat a space quickly, while remaining easy to move and convenient to fit into smaller rooms.
Dyson Purifier Hot+Cool™ Formaldehyde HP09 Heater
Star rating: 4.2/5
Dimensions: 79.4 x 20 x 24.8 cm
Weight: 5.5 kg
Heat output: 240 Voltage
Heating method: Convection
Special features: Cooling fan, Air purifier, Adjustable oscillation, App control, Voice control, Night mode, Easy filter care, LED display, Remote control
Dyson's new electric heater not only warms up your home, it can also be used as a cooling fan and an air purifier, capturing dust, allergens and viruses. It automatically senses and removes pollutants as small as 0.1 microns, projecting purified air throughout the room and displaying live results on the LED display
The clever multipurpose heater also comes complete with a built-in thermostats to maintain your ideal room temperature and save you up to 30% in running costs. It comes with a remote control and can also be controlled via the Dyson app, wherever you are.
Dreo Space Heater
Star rating: 4.5/5
Dimensions: 20.29 x 18.21 x 29.01 cm
Weight: 2.12 kg
Heat output: 1000 - 1,500 watts
Heating method: Forced air
Features: LED display, remote control, adjustable timer, memory function, automatic shut off
At just 26.2cm, Dreo's sleek portable heater is surprisingly powerful. It works much faster than alternatives as it uses a DC motor with nine blades rather than the traditional AC motor with three. The 70° wide oscillation also helps the heat to fill the room quickly and smoothly.
Choose from four different heat settings, High, Low, ECO and Fan and set the temperature easily using the remote control. It also has a timer, so you can set your heater on a timer of 1 to 12 hours before you go out or go to bed.
Warmlite Thermo Fan Heater
Star rating: 4.3/5
Dimensions: 25cm diameter
Weight: 1.1kg
Heat output: 1000-2000 watts
Heating method: Forced air
Special features: Overheat protection, two-year guarantee
At less than £15 and with glowing reviews, Warmlite's electric fan heater is the best deal we've found. It's fairly basic with manual turn dials, but you can choose from two power settings (1000W and 2000W) and three heat settings (Cool, Warm and Hot). The lightweight design comes with an integrated handle for easy movement and overheat protection for added safety.
Russell Hobbs Retro Electric Heater
Star rating: 4.3/5
Dimensions: 5.6cm x 9.8cm x 10cm
Weight: 1.2kg
Heat output: 1800 watts
Heating method: Convection
Special features: Two-year guarantee
With it's retro design, Russell Hobbs portable heater is as stylish as it is practical. It has two different heat settings and is ideal for use in small areas like bedrooms and home offices. The built-in thermostat regulates the temperature around the heater, helping to maintain the perfect level of heat. It will switch off when the desired temperature is reached, and switch back on again when the surrounding air cools down.
GoveeLife Smart Electric Heater
Star rating: 4.4/5
Dimensions: 10 inch diameter
Weight: 1.165kg
Heat output: 1500 watts
Heating method: Convection
Special features: LED Display, Control Touch Panel, 1-24 hour timer, overheat protection, tip-over switch, Wi-Fi & Bluetooth remotely controlled
Remotely controlled using an app on your phone, you can turn on this portable electric heater from your bed while you wait for the room to warm up - genius. Much smaller than a tower heater but just as powerful, it has a sleek black design that would ruin the aesthetic of your home.
Pro Breeze Ceramic Fan Heater
Star rating: 4.5/5
Dimensions: 18.5cm x 15.5cm x 26cm
Weight: 1.75kg
Heat output: 2000 watts
Heating method: Convection
Special features: Overheat protection
Choose from high (2000W) and low (1200W) power settings with the automatic 60° oscillation mode to heat your home quickly with this popular Pro Breeze model. It has an adjustable thermostat, a lightweight compact design and an anti tip-over switch for safety.
HOMCOM Convector Radiator Heater
Star rating: 4.3/5
Dimensions: 45.5cm x 74cm x 23cm
Weight: 4.6kg
Heat output: 1300 watts
Heating method: Radiant
Special features: Wall-mountable, tip-over protection
"I wanted a cheap heater to heat up my home office on days I'm working from home and I'm alone. It just doesn't make sense to switch the heating on when I'm only in one room all day. This does the job perfectly. It's nothing fancy but for the price you pay it's well worth it. It's just a case of plugging it in, switching on and turning the thermostat to the temperature you want. You can fit it to a wall, but I have mine on wheels and when the cold weather is over, it's packed away into the basement until next year." - Kath Robinson, HELLO!'s Senior Lifestyle Editor
This versatile electric heater can be used freestanding or mounted to the wall - ideal if you have limited space. The adjustable 7-35℃ thermostat will keep your space at the temperature most comfortable for you.
PureMate Portable Electric Heater
Star rating: 4.6/5
Dimensions: 50cm x 24cm x 62cm
Weight: 11.2kg
Heat output: 2500 watts
Heating method: Radiant
Special features: Overheat protection
This powerful 2500W oil-filled portable electric heater features 11 heating fins that quickly and efficiently circulate hot air throughout your room. It has a fully adjustable thermostat and a 24-hour timer, as well as built-in overheat protection and a safety tip-over switch. The sleek design includes four wheels and a carry handle.
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https://www.hellomagazine.com/shopping/512374/best-electric-heaters/
| 2024-01-30T18:44:19Z
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Ruth Langsford is always known for her fashionable ensembles whether she's presenting on Loose Women or QVC, or as she proved on Tuesday, when she's off-duty.
The 63-year-old shared a stunning photo on her Instagram Stories on Tuesday evening as she headed to the QVC studios and her pre-show outfit was to die for. The star posed in a tight pair of skinny jeans that showed off her sculpted figure, completing the ensemble with a unique blue coat that looked incredibly comfortable and underneath this was a mustard-yellow jumper.
Ruth carried a maroon bag with her, while keeping her luscious blonde hair in her signature style. The presenter opted for a natural face of make-up, while adding two rings to her outfit and a silver watch.
"Back at the Q!" she enthused in her caption. "Shoe design meeting." But even though it was shoes on Ruth's mind, her actual footwear was mostly kept out of the elevator selfie. A small glimpse could be made, and it appeared that for the cooler weather, the star had opted for a pair of boots.
Ruth is a lover of a pair of skinny jeans and back in November, she shared a gorgeous photo as she prepared to head out for a walk despite some rainy weather. The mum-of-one looked amazing in the black skintight jeans and stylish chunky boots, alongside a grey quilted jacket.
The down-to-earth TV stalwart previously chatted to HELLO! about why she's so passionate about creating comfortable yet stylish clothing for women of a similar age, revealing she strives to make ladies feel as though they're being "invested in".
"Women of a certain age start saying that they feel invisible, and that no one is really doing things for us," the star explained. "I think they feel that you're investing in them and that you're thinking about them."
The star also revealed that she really values the fact that her customers leave feedback, because it "takes time" to do so. "Because it takes time for people to sit and write feedback, whether it's good or bad I do read them, and I correct things if I can," she continued.
"I think people appreciate that. When I brought [in] the new improved fit, I said: 'Right, this is for you, thank you for all your comments, we took them on board, this is the new improved fit.' And I think that then they feel that you're really listening to them."
READ: Ruth Langsford hits back at airbrushing backlash with defiant statement
MORE: Loose Women's Ruth Langsford inundated with support after amazing milestone
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https://www.hellomagazine.com/fashion/celebrity-style/512383/loose-women-ruth-langsford-total-vixen-skinny-jeans-unique-coat/
| 2024-01-30T19:13:40Z
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TikTok: Murder Gone Viral tells the true story of Mahek Bukhari – an influencer caught up in a web of deceit, blackmail, and murder. Living in Stoke-on-Trent, the former student had dropped out of university to pursue her dreams of social media stardom before things took a turn for the worse.
Here's what you need to know about the spine-chilling case, plus find out where Mahek Bukhari is now…
What did Mahek Bukhari do?
With over 100k followers on social media, Mahek was in the process of establishing herself as an online personality, when her mother, Ansreen, asked for help. The duo – who shared an extremely close relationship – had teamed up, after Ansreen's ex-boyfriend, Saqib Hussain, threatened to expose their affair.
For approximately three years, Ansreen had been involved in an illicit relationship with Saqib, whom she'd met on the video app, Azar. But, after deciding to end their relationship, Saqib threatened to send explicit material of Ansreen to her husband.
Instead of going to the police, however, Mahek and Ansreen took matters into their own hands and came up with a plot to lure Saqib to a local Tesco, where Mahek had enlisted a group of friends to ambush him and take his phone. Raees Jamal, Rekan Karwan, Sanaf Gulamustafa, Ameer Jamal and Natasha Akhtar were among them.
Sadly, on 11 February 2022, Saqib asked his friend, Hashim Ijazuddin, to drive him to a meeting point with Mahek and Ansreen in Leicester. The mother-daughter duo had falsely promised to pay Saqib £3,000 – the same amount that he'd allegedly spent on Ansreen during their relationship. Hashim had no knowledge of Saqib's affair with Ansreen, nor his attempts to blackmail his ex.
After pulling into the Tesco car park, Saqib and Hashim immediately sensed that something was wrong and left. But, shortly after they were followed and later chased in their Skoda Fabia along the A46. During this period, Mahek had called Saqib. The contents of their conversation remain unknown.
A minute later, Saqib called the police and reported that a car was trying to ram him off the road. After driving at speeds of up to 90mph, Saqib and Hashim tragically crashed into a tree, sending their car up in flames.
Following the recovery of the car, police were able to use automatic number plate recognition to identify one of the cars – the Seat Leon owned by Natasha Akhtar. They eventually arrested Natasha and took her into custody. Shortly after, Mahek and Ansreen were arrested.
With the events of that fateful night pieced together, Mahek, Ansreen and their collaborators received their sentences on Friday 4 August 2023. Mahek was given a life sentence and was required to serve a minimum term of 31 years and eight months in prison. Meanwhile, her mother Ansreen was jailed for life and sentenced to a minimum term of 26 years and nine months in prison.
Natasha Akhtar, Ameer Jamal and Sanaf Gulamustafa were all found guilty of two counts of manslaughter, while Rekhan Karwan and Raees Jamal – who had driven the pursuing cars – were convicted of two counts of murder.
MORE: Netflix's Griselda: Where are Griselda Blanco's sons now?
READ: 9 true crime shows that have reopened cases: from Mr Bates vs the Post Office to Unsolved Mysteries
Where is Mahek Bukhari now?
Mahek is currently serving her sentence at an undisclosed prison in the UK.
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https://www.hellomagazine.com/film/512352/tik-tok-murder-gone-viral-mahek-bukhari-where-is-she-now/
| 2024-01-30T19:13:46Z
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Kourtney Kardashian isn't your average stepmom, as her stepdaughter Alabama Barker has shown!
The Poosh founder was pictured in a series of jaw-dropping vacation snaps posted by the social media influencer, 18, on Instagram this week.
Kourtney appeared to be happy and relaxed in one of the many pictures posted from the trip, seeing The Kardashians star relaxing in a boat with husband Travis Barker, Alabama and Travis' step daughter Atiana.
In the caption, Alabama had simply written: "Italy I miss you," to which Kourtney responded in the comments section: "I'm taking you!"
It appears that the photos had been taken prior to the arrival of baby Rocky, and it's not known whether Kourtney's children were also in attendance on the vacation.
The star is a doting mom to Mason, 14, Penelope, 11, Reign, eight, and three-month-old Rocky Thirteen, who she welcomed in November.
While the protective parent hasn't shared too many pictures of her youngest child on social media, she delighted fans this week with a new candid snapshot featuring the newborn, as she posed in a matching white outfit to her son while holding him.
Travis has also been posting several Rocky related posts on his own social media platforms. He is particularly active on Snapchat, and recently shared a candid picture hinting that he was about to get a tattoo of Rocky's name.
He also shared an image of a miniature boxing costume for his son, complete with his name embroidered onto it.
Rocky is not only doted on by his parents, but his older siblings too. Kourtney recently revealed that her daughter Penelope had picked out an outfit for her baby brother to come home in from the hospital.
On her blog, Poosh, she wrote that her only daughter was responsible for packing the outfit for the baby to come home in, which she'd bought herself as a surprise. "P picked this out and bought it for the baby as a surprise for me, the sweetest."
Recently, meanwhile, a glimpse inside baby Rocky's nursery appeared on TikTok, while Kourtney shared a selfie from her evening at home on New Year's Eve, which saw her wearing a sweet necklace with Rocky's name written out in italics.
According to The Blast - who obtained a copy of the baby's birth certificate - Rocky Thirteen Barker was born on November 1, 2023, at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.
Travis explained the inspiration behind his son's unique name during a conversation with Alabama, for Complex's GOAT Talk video series in July. At the time Travis explained: "Rocky George played guitar for [the band] Suicidal Tendencies and 13 is just the greatest number of all time… And Rocky, the greatest boxing movie of all time."
Kourtney and Travis live with their family in Calabasas, and are near the rest of the star's famous siblings and mom, Kris Jenner. The pair were good friends for years before getting together in 2021. They went on to get married the following year, and welcomed their first child together a year after that.
Read more HELLO! US stories here
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https://www.hellomagazine.com/healthandbeauty/mother-and-baby/512384/kourtney-kardashian-vacation-with-travis-barker-children-new-photos/
| 2024-01-30T19:13:52Z
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Before her untimely passing in October, Suzanne Somers lived in an "iconic magical oasis" in Palm Springs with her husband Alan Hamel.
The Three's Company actress and fitness guru lived in the massive, 28-acre compound for decades, and only moved out of the home shortly before her death a day ahead of her 77th birthday, following a lengthy battle with breast cancer.
The expansive property is now for sale for a whopping $8,950,000, almost 50 years after the couple first purchased it in 1977.
Compass Group realtor Scott Lyle shared images on Instagram of the estate, which boasts 7,280 square-feet across its main house and adjoining four villas, which combined have seven bedrooms and 11 bathrooms.
It is nestled among the luscious mountains of Palm Springs, and below towering palm trees are "intimate walkways," a lagoon-style pool, and even a cascading waterfall you see while cruising through the driveway past the "discreet gated entrance."
The detailed Instagram posted promoting the "European-inspired" home further reads: "Intimate walkways, large view terraces and secret patios are interspersed among the five unique structures, some of which date back 100 years."
Sharing more impressive details of the house, it continues: "Explore an outdoor amphitheater, a lagoon-style pool, hiking trails, five world class suites including the Main Suite with its hillside location, heated tub with City views, two offices and terraces and the famous Albert Frey design Rock House."
MORE: Suzanne Somers' husband shares heartbreaking confession two days after her death
MORE: Suzanne Somers' husband breaks down with grief as he marks late wife's birthday following her death
Some of the photos show off the stone, poolside gazebo featuring an ornate chandelier, serene bedrooms with cliffside views, a massive, wood-paneled walk-in closet next to a bathroom featuring a stone soaking tub and fireplace, among other stunning features and amenities.
The home had initially been put on the market at $8.5 million in 2021, when Suzanne and her husband, reluctantly, decided to move out.
At the time, she explained to Page Six: "I finally let it go… emotionally, spiritually and physically," and noted that the land – which features over 100 stairs between its villas, terraces and walkways – was unfortunately "not the right home anymore."
Suzanne is survived by her husband Alan, who she married in 1977, her three children Leslie, Stephen, and Bruce, and six grandchildren, including Camelia and Violet Somers.
At the time, her longtime publicist R. Couri Hay said in a statement to People: "Her family was gathered to celebrate her 77th birthday on October 16th. Instead, they will celebrate her extraordinary life, and want to thank her millions of fans and followers who loved her dearly."
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https://www.hellomagazine.com/homes/512385/suzanne-somers-9m-palm-springs-compound-28-acres-for-sale-photos/
| 2024-01-30T19:13:58Z
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The Princess of Wales is now recovering at her Windsor home following abdominal surgery and a two-week hospital stay.
The Prince of Wales has temporarily stepped back from royal duties in order to care for his wife Kate and their three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, but no doubt the Princess' in-laws are also helping out.
King Charles shares a close bond with his "beloved" daughter-in-law Kate and he will no doubt be looking out for her as he continues his own recovery, having been treated at the same London hospital for an enlarged prostate last week.
Lady Frederick Windsor, also known as Sophie Winkleman, is married to Lord Frederick Windsor – the second cousin of King Charles.
The Peep Show star, 43, previously spoke about the King's kindness after she was seriously injured in a car crash in November 2017, suffering a broken foot and three broken bones in her back.
In an exclusive interview with HELLO! in 2018, Sophie revealed the "magnificently practical" gift from the then Prince of Wales, telling us: "Prince Charles sensed correctly that everything would be chaos at home, so he asked his cook, instead of taking care of him, to take care of us. So, our lunches and dinners were cooked at Clarence House then delivered for weeks on end while I was in hospital and then still disabled at home.
"It saved our bacon, literally, because my darling husband – well, he's good at fry-ups but that's about it. The children would have had cholesterol coming out of their ears had their diet been left to him. It was a magnificent way to help."
Charles' wife Queen Camilla has also publicly praised her husband for his thoughtfulness, telling The Telegraph in 2018: "He's incredibly kind. I don't think people see his incredible kindness and the things he does behind the scenes. People who worked for him years ago will write to him and if they've fallen on hard times he'll do everything he can to help them."
Kate, who was discharged from the London Clinic on Monday, is not expected to resume public duties until after Easter, although it is understood that her return will depend on medical advice nearer the time.
The exact details of the Princess's condition have not been revealed but Kensington Palace said previously it was not cancer-related.
LISTEN: King Charles 'loves' seeing his grandchildren Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis
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| 2024-01-30T19:14:05Z
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KORHOGO, Ivory Coast - Mali profited from quick starts to each half as an own goal from Edmond Tapsoba and a strike by Lassine Sinayoko secured a 2-1 victory over Burkina Faso in an Africa Cup of Nations last-16 clash at the Stade Amadou Gon Coulibaly in Korhogo on Tuesday.
Mali scored within three minutes at the start of the match as the unfortunate Tapsoba turned the ball into his own net, and caught the Burkinabe cold again when they added a second two minutes after the break as Sinayoko netted his third goal of the tournament.
Burkina Faso pulled a goal back when Bertrand Traore slotted a penalty just before the hour-mark, but could not force an equaliser against a Mali side with a well-deserved reputation for a miserly defence, one of the reasons why they are among the tournament favourites.
Mali are seeking their first continental title and next face hosts Ivory Coast in a quarter-final that will be played in Bouake on Saturday. REUTERS
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| 2024-01-30T19:26:44Z
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ABIDJAN - Guinea midfielder Ilaix Moriba and striker Facinet Conte have been released from Africa Cup of Nations duty so that they can return to their European clubs to receive treatment on injuries, the country's football federation said on Tuesday.
Both players, along with Abdoulaye Toure, were absent from Guinea's 1-0 win over Equatorial Guinea on Sunday which secured them a quarter-final meeting with the Democratic Republic of Congo on Friday.
Moriba is struggling with an adductor injury while Conte’s injury was not made public by the federation.
Moriba is on loan at Getafe from RB Leipzig, while 18-year-old Conte will receive treatment at French second division club Bastia.
Defensive midfielder Toure is staying with the squad and continuing a specialised recovery programme, the federation added. REUTERS
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| 2024-01-30T19:26:54Z
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MEXICO CITY - A fiery highway collision between a truck and a bus filled with passengers in Mexico's northwestern Sinaloa state early on Jan 30 killed at least 19 people, according to local news outlet N+.
Local authorities have yet to announce a death toll, or how many others were injured in the accident, which took place along a coastal highway that connects the beach front cities of Mazatlan and Los Mochis.
Circulation on the highway was closed due to the accident, according to the N+ report.
Images of the aftermath of the accident in the early morning hours of Jan 30 showed the charred vehicles still burning, with flames and smoke billowing out, as emergency personnel arrived on the scene. REUTERS
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| 2024-01-30T19:27:05Z
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ANTARCTICA - A deadly type of bird flu has been found in gentoo penguins for the first time, according to the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (Scar), stoking concern that the virus could spread among Antarctica’s huge penguin colonies.
Researchers found about 35 penguins dead in the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic on Jan 19. Samples taken from two of the dead penguins came back positive for the H5N1 avian influenza virus, said Dr Ralph Vanstreels, a veterinarian who works with Scar.
The Falkland Islands government told Reuters that many more gentoos were dying under similar circumstances. As of Jan 30, “there are over 200 chicks dead alongside a handful of adults”, said government spokeswoman Sally Heathman.
The deaths confirm that gentoo penguins are susceptible to the lethal disease that has decimated bird populations across the world in recent months. However, gentoos rarely travel between the Falklands off Argentina’s coast and the Antarctic Peninsula, which lies some 1,300km to the south.
That means travelling penguins are unlikely to drive the spread to the southern continent, said Dr Vanstreels, a researcher affiliated with University of California-Davis.
“The role that gentoo penguins could have, instead, is to serve as local reservoirs of infection,” he said. “That is, maintain a pool of susceptible hosts that never leaves the islands.”
Ms Heathman said the Falkland Islands government was also awaiting test results from rockhopper penguins and “preparing for a large-scale outbreak.”
In nearby South Georgia, authorities ruled out a report of bird flu suspected in king penguins after a detailed survey of the site, said Dr Meagan Dewar, who leads Scar’s Antarctic Wildlife Health Network.
Hundreds of thousands of penguins gather in tightly packed colonies on the Antarctic continent and nearby islands, which could enable the deadly virus to easily jump between individuals.
Conservationists are more concerned about other species, Dr Vanstreels said. Elephant seals and fur seals have died in larger numbers from bird flu in South Georgia, following mass casualties in those species in South America.
“This is especially concerning because South Georgia is home to 95 per cent of the world’s population of Antarctic fur seals. If that population collapses, the species will be in a critical situation,” he said. REUTERS
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| 2024-01-30T19:27:15Z
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BERLIN - Berlin Brandenburg airport said on Tuesday there would be no departures for passengers on Thursday due to strikes announced by public sector union Verdi.
Security staff plan to stage strikes at airports across Germany on Thursday, Verdi said on Tuesday, as it raises pressure on the government in wage talks.
Arrivals into Berlin may also be affected, though this will be up to the respective airlines, an airport statement said.
Around 170 take-offs and landings carrying almost 50,000 passengers had been planned for Berlin Brandenburg airport on Thursday. REUTERS
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| 2024-01-30T19:27:25Z
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BERLIN/FRANKFURT - The European Central Bank has tamed the "greedy beast" of inflation, ECB policymaker Joachim Nagel said on Tuesday, in a departure from his usual cautious tone.
The ECB has raised its interest rates by the most in the euro's history in an effort to bring inflation down from double-digits. It was 2.9% at its latest reading and the bank is now widely expected to start cutting borrowing costs in the spring.
Nagel, who had previously described inflation as "stubborn" and a "greedy beast", struck a more optimistic note on Tuesday.
"I am now convinced that we have tamed that greedy beast," the Bundesbank's president told an event in Berlin.
Still, he stopped far short of backing rate cuts, saying instead that the ECB should decide on any policy changes one meeting at a time and remain focused on incoming data.
Nagel also noted that core inflation remained relatively high and argued that the ECB's current policy stance, which includes a record-high deposit rate of 4.0%, was not very restrictive. REUTERS
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MADRID -Spain's lower house on Tuesday rejected an amnesty bill due to differences on its scope between the ruling Socialists and a Catalan separatist party, in a blow for Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez that illustrates his parliamentary fragility.
The bill, rejected by 179 votes to 171, will now return for debate in a parliamentary committee and could eventually be sent back for another vote in the lower house. The amnesty bill is set to define Sanchez's second term and has prompted large protests against it.
Catalan separatists Junts voted against the law after they failed to reach a last-minute deal with Sanchez's Spanish Socialist Workers' Party.
Junts wanted all exceptions related to terrorism to be removed from the bill since some of its politicians are currently under investigation by courts over alleged terrorism-related crimes.
The bill was put forward by the Socialists in exchange for support for Sanchez's new term in office from Catalan separatist parties Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya and Junts.
"Junts cannot participate in leaving all Catalan separatism exposed to the arbitrariness of the politicised Spanish judiciary," said lawmaker Miriam Nogueras. She said the current amnesty proposal was too selective and has loopholes.
But Sanchez's party had said that some crimes involving terrorism-related charges could not be pardoned.
The amnesty would cover all events related to the Catalan independence drive from 2012, including a symbolic vote held in 2014 and an independence referendum in 2017, which courts declared as illegal.
It is expected to benefit several hundred separatists as well as some police officers who stormed polling stations during the referendum.
Sanchez, who opposed an amnesty in the past and still rejects a referendum on independence, has argued that the bill seeks to foster reconciliation. The conservative opposition accused him of undermining the rule of law. REUTERS
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WASHINGTON - Three U.S. soldiers were killed and dozens wounded after a drone hit a military outpost in Jordan, known as Tower 22, on Sunday. The location is just one of many bases the U.S. has in the Middle East.
Here is what we know about the U.S. military presence in the Middle East:
WHERE ARE U.S. BASES IN THE MIDDLE EAST
The U.S. has operated bases around the Middle East for decades. At its peak, there were more than 100,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan in 2011 and over 160,000 personnel in Iraq in 2007.
While the number is far lower after withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, there are still about 30,000 U.S. troops scattered across the region. In addition, since the Israel-Gaza war began in October, the U.S. has temporarily sent thousands of additional troops in the region, including on warships.
The largest U.S. base in the Middle East is located in Qatar, known as Al Udeid Air Base and built in 1996. Other countries where the U.S. has a presence include Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The U.S. has roughly 900 troops in Syria, in small bases like al Omar Oil field and al-Shaddadi mostly in the northeast of the country. There is a small outpost near the county's border with Iraq and Jordan, known as the Al Tanf garrison.
There are 2,500 personnel in Iraq, spread around facilities like Union III and Ain al-Asad air base, though talks are ongoing about the future of those troops.
WHY ARE U.S. TROOPS STATIONED IN THE REGION?
U.S. troops are stationed in the Middle East for different reasons and with the exception of Syria, they are there with the permission of each country's government.
In some countries like Iraq and Syria, U.S. troops are there to fight against Islamic State militants and are also helping advise local forces. But they have come under attack from Iran-backed forces over the past several years and have taken action against them.
Jordan, a key U.S. ally in the region, has hundreds of U.S. trainers and they hold extensive exercises throughout the year.
In other cases, like in Qatar and the UAE, U.S. troops have a presence to reassure allies, carry out training and are used as needed in operations in the region.
ARE THERE FOREIGN MILITARY BASES IN THE U.S.?
While Washington's allies sometimes send their troops to train or work with U.S. troops, there are no foreign military bases inside the U.S.
TOWER 22
Tower 22, where Sunday's drone attack occurred, killing three Army Reserve soldiers, holds a strategically important location in Jordan, at the most northeastern point where the country's borders meet Syria and Iraq.
Specifically, Tower 22 is near Al Tanf garrison, which is located across the border in Syria, and which houses a small number of U.S. troops. Tanf had been key in the fight against Islamic State and has assumed a role as part of a U.S. strategy to contain Iran's military build-up in eastern Syria.
DO U.S. BASES IN THE REGION GET ATTACKED OFTEN?
U.S. bases are highly guarded facilities, including with air defense systems to protect against missiles or drones. Facilities in countries like Qatar, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait are not usually attacked.
But U.S. troops in Iraq and Syria have come under frequent attack in recent years. Since just October 7, U.S. troops have been attacked more than 160 times by Iran-backed militia, injuring about 80 troops, even prior to Sunday's attack on Tower 22, which has injured around 40 more.
A new wave of violence in the Middle East have erupted since Oct. 7 when Palestinian Islamist Hamas fighters burst into Israel and killed 1,200 Israelis and took 253 others hostage. In response, Israel unleashed a military campaign that left more than 26,000 dead and caused a severe humanitarian crisis in the densely-populated Gaza strip. REUTERS
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WASHINGTON/BEIRUT/DOHA - Hamas is studying a three-phase Gaza ceasefire plan that would secure the release of most Israeli hostages but does not yet commit Israel to end its war with the Palestinian militant group, according to sources with knowledge of the proposal.
The viability of the plan formulated by U.S., Israeli and Egyptian spy chiefs and Qatar's prime minister hinges on whether or not Hamas, which rules the enclave, will agree to the first phase without agreeing to a permanent end to the war - thus far a core demand of the group.
"We don't know and we cannot predict what Hamas' response will be," Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Qatar's prime minister, said on Monday.
Hamas told Reuters in a statement on Tuesday the proposal would involve three stages, including the release of hostages held by the group and Palestinian prisoners held in Israel. The statement corroborated some details of the framework provided to Reuters by two sources briefed on the proposal.
Men, children, the elderly and wounded would be released in the first stage, the statement said, and the plan had been sent to Gaza to obtain the opinion of Hamas leaders there. "After that, the Hamas leadership will meet to discuss the paper and express its final opinion on it," the statement said.
More than 100 Israeli hostages are still held, following the release of a similar number in an earlier truce in November that involved the release of scores of Palestinian prisoners.
Versions of the phased ceasefire framework have been under discussion since late December, but Israel did not sign onto the concept until David Barnea, the Mossad chief, met his U.S. and Egyptian counterparts and Sheikh Mohammed in Paris on Sunday.
Egyptian sources said Qatar, Egypt and Jordan would guarantee that Hamas adheres to any agreement, while the U.S. and France would do the same on the Israeli side. Reuters was unable to establish what assurances the guarantors would be able to offer.
Israeli officials did not immediately respond to Reuters request for comment.
Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh, who says the group is open to all ideas that will lead to an end to Israel's Gaza offensive, announced on Tuesday he would visit Cairo to discuss the plan.
WOMEN, CHILDREN, THE ELDERLY
Its first phase would consist of a pause in fighting and the release of elderly, civilian women and children hostages, said a source briefed on the Paris talks and a second source with in-depth knowledge of the talks and their results. Major deliveries of food and medicine to Gaza, facing a ruinous humanitarian crisis, would resume, according to both sources.
The sources differed on how long the first stage ceasefire would last, but two of them said it would be set for at least a month.
The second phase would see the releases of female Israeli soldiers, and another increase in aid deliveries and restoration of utility services to Gaza, and the third phase would see the release of the bodies of deceased Israeli troops in exchange for Palestinian prisoners freed, the two sources said.
The Hamas statement said the second phase would also involve the release of male military recruits.
"Military operations on both sides will stop during the three stages," it said. The number of Palestinian prisoners to be released is to be left to the negotiation process "at every stage, with the Israeli side preparing to release those with high sentences," the Hamas statement said.
Both sources said that although Israel has not committed to a permanent ceasefire, the ultimate aim of this phased approach is a fourth phase in which the war would end and Hamas would release male IDF soldiers held captive in exchange for Israel's release of additional Palestinian prisoners held in jail.
"There is a consensus on the concept of the framework, but critical details of each phase still need to be worked out," said an official briefed on the negotiations.
If Hamas does agree to the framework proposal it could still take days or weeks to settle logistical details of the ceasefire and the release of hostages and prisoners, the official said.
During the talks preceding the truce in November, the indirect chain of communication between Hamas leaders based in the group's Gaza tunnels and Israeli officials broke several times because of power outages amid intense fighting, a source briefed on those talks said at that time.
The current behind-the-scenes discussions are proceeding in tandem with a public standoff in which both sides in the conflict appear to want to pressure the other by issuing statements ruling out various potential concessions.
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would not quit Gaza or free thousands of Palestinian prisoners, while Hamas ally Islamic Jihad said it would not engage in any understandings on hostages without ensuring a comprehensive ceasefire and withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.
A far-right partner in Netanyahu's coalition, Itamar Ben-Gvir, threatened on Tuesday to quit the government over any attempt to enter a "reckless" deal with Hamas on the hostages.
'WHAT REALLY MATTERS'
It was not immediately clear whether such public positioning reflected developments in the backroom discussions.
The framework agreed in Paris is based on elements of an initial proposal made by Israel and a counterproposal made by Hamas, Sheikh Mohammed said at Washington's Atlantic Council think tank on Monday.
"We tried to blend things together to come up with some sort of reasonable ground that brings everybody together," he said.
The source with in-depth knowledge of the proposal said it could still be amended.
"The number of days or hostage calculations can change, but with this approach it allows for a sort of win-win shaped by what really matters to the two sides," the source said.
Significant gaps remain, almost four months after Hamas fighters killed 1,200 people and took 253 others hostage on Oct. 7 in a bloody rampage through southern Israel towns.
Israel has responded by bombarding the narrow, densely populated Gaza Strip, killing more than 26,000 Palestinians and turning the enclave into a wasteland of rubble.
The source with in-depth knowledge of the talks said the discussions in Paris were "productive," but that the deal could only move forward if both Hamas and Israel received robust guarantees from its backers.
By leaving the issue of male hostages from the Israeli Defense Forces to the end, the source said, Hamas could be made to feel it retained some leverage over the Israeli military. REUTERS
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JERUSALEM - The Israeli army said on Jan 30 it is channelling water into Gaza’s tunnels in a bid to destroy the sprawling underground network used by Hamas militants to launch attacks on Israel.
“It is part of a range of tools deployed by the IDF (Israeli army) to neutralise the threat of Hamas’ subterranean network of tunnels,” the military said in a statement, confirming media reports.
Dubbed “the Gaza metro” by the Israeli army, there were 1,300 tunnels over 500km in Gaza at the start of the war in October, according to a study from US military academy West Point.
The military vowed to destroy them in the wake of Hamas’s Oct 7 attack in southern Israel that resulted in the deaths of around 1,140 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.
Some 250 hostages were also dragged to Gaza during the Oct 7 attack, of which around 132 are still held captive, including bodies of at least 28 people believed to have been killed.
Since the Hamas attack, Israel has launched a withering air, land and sea offensive in Gaza that has killed at least 26,751 people, mostly women and children, according to the health ministry in the territory.
The Israeli army says that many hostages taken by Hamas have been or continue to be held in the vast network of tunnels.
In December, some Israeli media reported the military was leaning towards flooding the tunnels with seawater pumped from the Mediterranean.
But experts had warned the option was dangerous and poses huge risks to Gaza’s besieged civilians.
“It will cause severe damage to the already fragile water and sewage infrastructure that’s in Gaza,” the then UN humanitarian coordinator for Palestinian territories, Ms Lynn Hastings, had warned in December.
“There’s even a risk to buildings and roads collapsing because of the increased pressure and infiltration of sea water into Gaza.”
On Jan 30, the army said it had taken care in a way as to not “damage the area’s groundwater”.
“The pumping of water was only carried out in tunnel routes and locations that were suitable, matching the method of operation to each case,” it said.
“This tool is one of a range of capabilities developed by the IDF and Israel’s security establishment in recent years in order to operate against Hamas’ underground infrastructure in the Gaza Strip.”
The maze of tunnels was initially used to bypass Israel’s devastating blockade on the Gaza Strip after Hamas came to power in 2007, allowing the smuggling of people, goods and weaponry in and out of Egypt.
It extended the network after the 2014 Israel-Hamas war and uses them to emerge across Gaza to launch rocket attacks on Israel. AFP
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UNITED NATIONS - The U.S. envoy to the United Nations said on Tuesday that Washington needs to see "fundamental changes" before its funding to UNRWA can resume following Israeli allegations that some agency staff were involved in the Oct. 7 attack by Palestinian Islamist group Hamas.
Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the U.S. Ambassador to the U.N., welcomed the UN's decision to conduct an investigation and review of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East.
She said: "We need to look at the organization, how it operates in Gaza, how they manage their staff and to ensure that people who commit criminal acts, such as these 12 individuals, are held accountable immediately so that UNRWA can continue the essential work that it's doing."
The Israeli accusations prompted a cascade of countries to halt funds for the agency. An Israeli intelligence dossier, seen by Reuters, includes allegations that some staff took part in abductions and killings during the Oct. 7 raid that sparked the Gaza war.
The dossier alleges some 190 UNRWA employees have doubled as Hamas or Islamic Jihad militants. The Palestinians have accused Israel of falsifying information to tarnish UNRWA, which says it has fired some staffers and is investigating the allegations.
Earlier on Tuesday, the U.N. Security Council expressed concern about the "dire and rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation" in the Gaza Strip and urged all parties to work with senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator for Gaza, Sigrid Kaag.
The statement by the 15-member council came after Kaag briefed the body behind closed doors for the first time since she was appointed about a month ago.
Kaag said there was no substitution for the humanitarian role of UNRWA, which runs schools, healthcare clinics and other services in Gaza, as well as distributing aid.
"There is no way that any organization can replace or substitute the tremendous capacity, the fabric of UNRWA, the ability and their knowledge of the population in Gaza," Kaag told reporters after briefing the Security Council. REUTERS
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WASHINGTON - You knew Taylor Swift was influential, but Republicans are now crediting the singer with James-Bond-villain-level powers in a wacky conspiracy theory claiming the singer’s romance with NFL star Travis Kelce is really a plot to rig the Super Bowl and get President Joe Biden reelected.
The relationship between the pop powerhouse and the Kansas City Chiefs tight end has gripped the nation for weeks, with TV cameras repeatedly panning from the field during the team’s surging NFL season to a cheering Swift in the stands.
Fascination peaked this weekend when the Chiefs defeated the Baltimore Ravens to book their berth in February’s Super Bowl and, in the midst of celebrations, Swift descended onto the field to kiss Kelce, fresh from playing one of the best games of his life.
Fairy tale? Well, not for Republicans.
Right-wingers – who, like their leader Donald Trump, increasingly see conspiracy theories under every stone – detected not a love story but a deep-state psychological operation against the American people and the November presidential election.
Fox News hosted a discussion with a former FBI agent asking: “Is Taylor Swift a Pentagon asset?“
A Trump media booster, Ms Laura Loomer, told her more than 800,000 followers on X, the former Twitter, that “The Democrats’ Taylor Swift election interference psyop is happening in the open.”
And Mr Vivek Ramaswamy, a failed Republican presidential candidate now fully behind Trump’s bid for a second term, suggested there is a plot to boost Mr Biden through a faked Swift-Kelce relationship and a rigged Chiefs victory in the Super Bowl.
“I wonder who’s going to win the Super Bowl next month. And I wonder if there’s a major presidential endorsement coming from an artificially culturally propped-up couple,” he wrote on X. “Just some wild speculation over here, let’s see how it ages over the next 8 months.”
A major pro-Trump broadcast personality, Mr Mike Crispi, said it all even more clearly: “EVERYONE knows Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce is fake and the Super Bowl is rigged. You’re a whacko at this point if you DON’T believe it.”
Swift will appear on stage at the Super Bowl halftime show, he said, and endorse Mr Biden.
Dark territory
The nutty furore has roots in long-running hatred on the right for Swift, who is not only a global entertainment megastar but openly liberal and against Trump. She endorsed Mr Biden in his successful 2020 bid to unseat Trump and flexed her muscles again last September by urging fans to register to vote – tens of thousands did.
Kelce, something of a legend for his outsized personality off the field and heroics during games, has become an unlikely target of the right himself after promoting Covid-19 vaccines and, now, for being the boyfriend of an even bigger female celebrity.
The saga has already veered into distinctly dark territory. AI-faked pornographic images made to look like Swift got millions of views on X before being removed last week.
And things may get weirder.
The Chiefs will face the San Francisco 49ers in the Super Bowl on Feb 11 and the right-wing media-sphere is lining up behind the Californians – even though their team represents one of the most liberal cities in the world.
“I know we’ve all been roasting your city for years,” posted Mr Rogan O’Handley, a hard-right personality with 1.3 million X followers.
“For 2 weeks, 99% of America will be 49ers fans but in return you MUST defeat the Chiefs,” he wrote. If they don’t, Biden will get reelected and “WW3 will likely follow.” AFP
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https://www.straitstimes.com/world/united-states/taylor-swift-love-affair-sparks-republican-conspiracy-theory-mania
| 2024-01-30T19:28:38Z
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The speed of light in a vacuum is the same wherever you measure it in the universe, according to Einstein's special theory of relativity. Whether you're sat on Earth, Mars, or Zoozve, if you measure the speed of light you'll find it chugging along at a cool 299,792,458 meters per second (983,571,056.43 feet per second), the absolute speed limit of the universe.
Sound is not the same as light. As the poster for Alien explains, in space no-one can hear you scream. Or to put it another way which won't sell as many movie tickets, sound cannot travel through a vacuum because it is a vibration propagating as an acoustic wave through a medium, be it liquid, solid, or gas.
Sound moves at different speeds through those mediums, traveling faster at through greater densities. On Earth, sound moves at 1,500 meters (5,000 feet) per second in water, and in air around 340 meters (1,115 feet) per second. In solids, sound moves much faster, though how fast depends on the solid. Scientists attempting to calculate the fastest that sound could possibly travel found that it decreases with the mass of the atom, implying that sound would be fastest if it were to propagate through solid hydrogen. Though solid hydrogen only occurs at astonishingly high pressures like those found inside gas giants like Jupiter, they calculated that sound would move along at 36 kilometers per second (22 miles per second) in it, likely the fastest possible speed that sound can travel.
This leads us to answer the question in the title of this article. Earth's atmosphere is much thicker than Mars', being roughly 100 times more dense on our planet's surface than on the red one. As such you'd expect sound to travel slower there than here, if the atmosphere is thick enough to carry sound any significant distance at all.
Of course, we have recordings of sound on Mars, including that of a Martian dust devil, thanks to the army of robots we have sent there. So we know that sound travels there experimentally.
In fact, Mars is one of only two planets where we have actually measured the speed of sound. In an experiment in 2022, NASA's Perseverance rover fired lasers at rocks and waited for the resulting shockwave to be heard by its microphones. Just like on Earth, the speed of sound varies depending on temperature and altitude, but experiments conducted by the rover found that the speed of sound in the Jezero Crater averaged out to around 240 meters per second (540 miles per hour).
As day changes to night on Mars, the speed was found to vary by around 10 percent, because of the resulting drop in temperature. Sound on Mars doesn't stop being weird there though. Due to how sound travels through carbon dioxide at low pressure, Mars goes through a change in the speed of sound in the audible bandwidth.
"For an acoustic wave with a frequency higher than ~240 Hz [just below middle C on a piano], CO2 vibrational modes activated through collisions do not have time to relax their energy," the team explained in their paper. "It turns out that, on Mars, frequencies above 240 Hz travel more than 10 m/s faster than low frequencies. It may induce a unique listening experience on Mars with an early arrival of high-pitched sounds compared to bass."
All “explainer” articles are confirmed by fact checkers to be correct at time of publishing. Text, images, and links may be edited, removed, or added to at a later date to keep information current.
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https://www.iflscience.com/is-the-speed-of-sound-on-mars-the-same-as-on-earth-72697
| 2024-01-30T19:29:21Z
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Archaeologists from the Université Bordeaux have constructed a continent-wide database of personal ornaments worn by Europeans 34,000-24,000 years ago, a period known as the Gravettian technocomplex. Combining the locations at which these were found with genetic data revealed nine distinct cultures. “We demonstrate that Gravettian ornament variability cannot be explained solely by isolation-by-distance,” the authors write.
Humans have been adorning our bodies with items such as shells for at least 140,000 years. Over time, the range of the items used grew, and around 45,000 years ago, there was an explosion in the diversity of types of beads made from bones, shells, ivory, and stones, among other raw materials.
At this point, the authors of the study note, jewelry became a useful cultural marker for modern archaeologists. “The idea behind this approach,” they write, “is that personal ornaments are a communication technology used to convey privileged information on group affiliation and social status.”
Items buried with someone may carry an extra significance – if nothing else, the fact that the culture engaged in burial, which was not universal at the time.
Some archaeologists have used differences in jewelry styles to distinguish cultures of the era. Others have disagreed, however, arguing that these reflect isolation by distance in an era when all travel was on foot. If seashells were not used far inland, for example, it might not represent a cultural discontinuity, but rather the difficulty of importing them.
It should be possible to test these two competing explanations, the authors of the latest study note. If the second interpretation is correct, the differences in styles will be determined by distance. On the first view, factors such as language, environment, and ethnic differences would also play a role. When looking back 30,000 years, we may not be able to measure some of these, but others will have left their mark.
To test which is correct requires a large database of ornaments and their locations, and that is what first author Jack Baker built for his PhD thesis, using examples from 112 sites.
Even by this time, shells were the most common ornaments, with 79 examples found, compared to 26 teeth and 29 made from other items. Although 13 of the shells could have originated inland, either being from freshwater species or made from fossils deposited in parts of Europe that were once underwater, the majority must have been brought from the coast, often far away.
Along with the raw materials, the study identified differences in the ornaments’ styles between locations. As Baker told Science Magazine: Gravettian culture was not “one monolithic thing”.
Although geographical distance was certainly a factor in the variation found between sites, the authors concluded it was far from the only one. They identified nine clusters of sites marked by commonalities in what was found at each. Three of these were composed of burial sites and six of places of occupation.
It's not just the adornments that reveal cultural differences. In Eastern Europe, all the burial sites are from the Early and Middle Gravettian periods, with the practice apparently stopping for some reason thereafter. On the other hand, it was only in the Middle and Late Gravettian that burials appear to have occurred in Italy. Perhaps once they learned the Italians were doing it, Eastern Europeans cooled on the whole burial idea.
“Our results are consistent with the view that when choosing their personal ornaments, Gravettian hunter-gatherers followed, at least to some extent, conventions dictated by their sense of belonging to a cultural group, and that slightly permeable cultural boundaries existed between groups,” the authors write.
The recent ability to extract DNA from Ice Age humans has led to populations being identified by their genetic group rather than cultural items, as in the past. Baker and colleagues note evidence of a genetic discontinuity between western Europe at the time and central and southern parts of the continent, but clearly this was not the only cause of cultural divisions.
Professor Peter Jordan of Lund University, who was not involved in the research, told Science Magazine that in this study, “The archaeology strikes back, showing that we can generate new narratives that also use a very rigorous, quantitative approach to the study of material traditions.”
Much as genetic analysis has proven popular as the shiny new thing, Baker and co-authors note we have DNA from only a small number of individuals in the era, with much of the continent not covered.
The study is published in Nature Human Behavior.
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https://www.iflscience.com/nine-distinct-cultures-of-ice-age-europe-revealed-by-the-style-of-their-jewelry-72701
| 2024-01-30T19:29:27Z
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Spiral galaxies, like our own Milky Way, are fairly common in the Universe. And – without showing too much favoritism – they are also insanely pretty. New observations from JWST on relatively near galaxies have provided even more insights into the spiral structures in images that are beyond spectacular.
The observations were conducted as part of the Physics at High Angular resolution in Nearby GalaxieS (PHANGS) program. More than 150 astronomers worldwide participated in it and it uses a variety of observational facilities from the Hubble Space Telescope to the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA).
The goal is to understand spiral galaxies and JWST has just delivered the infrared motherlode, with bubbles and filaments of gas at incredible resolution. It allows us to see these structures at the smallest scales ever observed, delivering crucial insights into the star formation processes in these galaxies.
“I feel like our team lives in a constant state of being overwhelmed – in a positive way – by the amount of detail in these images,” Thomas Williams, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Oxford, said in a statement.
The images show holes in the distribution of gas, created by one or more stars going supernova, pushing the gas away as well as gas filaments that expand well beyond the spiral structure that we can see with our naked eye.
“These structures tend to follow the same pattern in certain parts of the galaxies,” Erik Rosolowsky, a professor of physics at the University of Alberta, added. “We think of these like waves, and their spacing tells us a lot about how a galaxy distributes its gas and dust.”
Spiral galaxies are believed to form from the inside out, so there is also a lot of attention given to the central regions of these objects. There sits a supermassive black hole and in some of these objects, they are bright. Some are so bright, they create the characteristic diffraction spike of oversaturated foreground objects.
“That’s a clear sign that there may be an active supermassive black hole,” said Eva Schinnerer, a staff scientist at the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy in Heidelberg, Germany. “Or, the star clusters toward the center are so bright that they have saturated that area of the image.”
The data coming from the PHANGS team is incredible. On top of the images, the researchers also released a catalog of roughly 100,000 star clusters. That is the largest to date and they invite other researchers to get involved.
“The amount of analysis that can be done with these images is vastly larger than anything our team could possibly handle,” Rosolowsky emphasized. “We’re excited to support the community so all researchers can contribute.”
All the high-resolution images can be accessed here.
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https://www.iflscience.com/spiral-galaxies-like-you-have-never-seen-before-in-new-jwst-images-72695
| 2024-01-30T19:29:33Z
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Forget nuts and bolts. Japanese scientists have created a two-legged “biohybrid robot” that combines living biological muscle with an artificial skeleton.
To create the robot, researchers at the University of Tokyo grew skeletal muscle in molds to create strips. They then fashioned the lightweight skeleton out of styrene board, a flexible silicone-based body, acrylic resin legs with brass wire weights, and 3D-printed feet.
The strips of muscle tissue were then fixed along the body to the feet of the robot, not dissimilar to how they’re attached to an animal’s bone.
With a jolt of electricity, the robot can slowly move forward and turn within a small circle.
“Initially, we weren't at all sure that achieving bipedal walking was possible, so it was truly surprising when we succeeded. Our biohybrid robot managed to perform forward and turning movements with a bipedal walk by effectively balancing four key forces: the muscle contractile force, the restorative force of the flexible body, the gravity acting on the weight, and the buoyancy of the float,” Professor Shoji Takeuchi, study author from the Graduate School of Information Science and Technology at the University of Tokyo, said in a statement.
Don’t expect a graceful gait from the robot just yet. The current model is only capable of nudging around by pivoting on its two “limbs,” which it achieves at an achingly slow speed of just 5.4 millimeters per minute. It’s only capable of working underwater, as the lab-grown muscle dries out quickly when exposed to air.
Nevertheless, the new research project shows roboticists are overcoming a major hurdle with biohybrid robots, which currently can move in straight lines or perform large turns.
These early steps in creating “biohybrid robots” are part of scientists’ interest in using examples from living organisms to create smarter and smoother robots.
“By incorporating living tissues as part of a robot, we can make use of the superior functions of living organisms,” explained Takeuchi.
“We're working on designing robots with joints and additional muscle tissues to enable more sophisticated walking capabilities. Our findings offer valuable insights for the advancement of soft flexible robots powered by muscle tissue and have the potential to contribute to a deeper understanding of biological locomotion mechanisms, further enabling us to mimic the intricacies of human walking in robots,” Takeuchi added.
Beyond pure robotics, many other scientists are looking into ways to meld living structures with technological systems. Just a few weeks ago, researchers at Indiana University Bloomington unveiled a computer chip that was fused with human brain tissue, creating a mini hybrid cyborg in a Petri dish that can perform math equations and recognize speech.
The study is published in the journal Matter.
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https://www.iflscience.com/watch-a-hybrid-robot-with-living-biological-muscles-wander-through-water-72704
| 2024-01-30T19:29:39Z
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Editor’s Note: The following is a student-written opinion piece intended to be published simultaneously at over 50 student newspapers across the nation and signed by over 140 student leaders.
March for Our Lives representatives at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Andrew Sun and Alexander Denza, wrote the piece and organized its dissemination. According to the writers, the purpose is to advocate against gun violence in the wake of the UNC Chapel Hill shooting on Aug. 28, 2023.
A word from our editors…
Closer to home, our own student government called on the Board of Regents to ban concealed carry on campus in October 2022. Since then, the regents have quietly dropped the issue. The topic of concealed carry, while initially sparking anger from both sides, has returned to obscurity.
With 346 school shootings throughout the nation in 2023, and four since the beginning of 2024, there is much work left to be done to protect students across the country.
Over 50 student newspaper across the nation have pledged to publish this on Jan. 24, 2024.
“We will not wait for the next school shooting”
Students are taught to love a country that values guns over our lives.
Many of us hear the sound of gunfire when we watch fireworks on the fourth of July. All of us have heard the siren of an active shooter drill and fear that one day our campus will be next.
By painful necessity, we have grown to become much more than students learning in a classroom — we have shed every last remnant of our childhood innocence. The steady silence of Congress is as deafening as gunfire.
We will not wait for individual trauma to affect us all before we respond together — our empathy is not that brittle. Our generation responds to shootings by bearing witness and sharing solidarity like none other. We text each other our last thoughts and we cry on each others’ shoulders and we mourn with each other at vigils. We convene in classrooms and we congregate in churches and we deliberate in dining halls. We’re staunch and we’re stubborn and we’re steadfast.
Our hearts bleed from this uniquely American brand of gun violence. Yet, we still summon the courage to witness firework shows and remind ourselves that we love our country so much that we expect better from it.
We believe that our country has the capacity to love us back. There are bullet-shaped holes in our hearts, but our spirits are unbreakable.
History has taught us that when injustice calls students to act, we shape the moral arc of this country.
Students in the Civil Rights Movement shared their stories through protest, creating the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee that organized Freedom Rides, sit-ins and marches. In demanding freedom from racial violence, this group’s activism became woven into American history.
Students across America organized teach-ins during the Vietnam War to expose its calculated cruelties — in doing so, rediscovering this country’s empathy. Their work in demanding freedom from conscription and taxpayer-funded violence, is intertwined with the American story.
This fall, UNC Chapel Hill students’ text exchanges during the Aug. 28 shooting reached the hands of President Joe Biden. The nation read the desperate words of our wounded community as we organized support, rallied and got thrown out of the North Carolina General Assembly. We demanded freedom from gun violence, just as we have in Parkland and Sandy Hook and Michigan State University and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
For 360,000 of us since Columbine, the toll of bearing witness, of losing our classmates and friends, of succumbing to the cursed emotional vocabulary of survivorship, has become our American story.
Yes, it is not fair that we must rise up against problems that we did not create, but the organizers of past student movements know from lived experience that we decide the future of the country.
The country watched Congress pass civil rights legislation, withdraw from the Vietnam War and, this year, create the federal Office of Gun Violence Prevention. Students learned that through the power of our voices put together, we could decide what we wanted our future to be.
So as students and young people alike, we should know our words don’t end on this page — we will channel them into change.
We invite you to join this generation’s community of organizers, all of us united in demanding a future free of gun violence. We understand the gravity of this commitment because it’s not simply our lives we protect with prose and protest.
We will not allow America to be painted in a new layer of blood.
Politicians will not have the shallow privilege of reading another front-cover op-ed by students on their knees, begging them to do their jobs — we do not need a permission slip to defend our freedoms. They will instead contend with the reality that by uniting with each other and among parents, educators and communities, our demands become undeniable.
We feel intense anger and frustration and sadness, and in its wake, we search for reaffirmations of our empathy — the remarkable human capacity to take on a tiny part of someone else’s suffering. We rediscover this fulfillment in our organizing, in our community, in not just moving away from the unbearable pain of our yesterday, but in moving toward an unrelenting hope for our tomorrow.
Our generation dares politicians to look us in the eye and tell us they’re too afraid to try.
Andrew Sun and Alexander Denza, UNC Chapel Hill March for Our Lives
Signatures from student leaders nationwide
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https://www.cuindependent.com/2024/01/24/we-will-not-wait-for-the-next-school-shooting/
| 2024-01-30T20:24:31Z
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Abortion rights advocates and community members gathered at the Boulder County Courthouse on Saturday, Jan. 27 to encourage support for Initiative 89 which would enshrine rights to abortion access into the Colorado Constitution.
Following the Supreme Court’s 2022 decision overturning Roe v. Wade, 12 states have enacted near-total bans on abortion, two have ceased providing abortion care and four have instituted gestational age restrictions. Abortion remains legal in Colorado and is protected under several laws.
“No state is safe from politics,” said Laura Chapin, a spokesperson for Cobalt, a Colorado non-profit advocating abortion access and reproductive rights. “As we’ve learned in other states… politicians and state legislatures can change. And when you put it in the Constitution and the state can guarantee it, that can’t be taken away as easily.”
Cobalt partnered with YWCA Boulder County, a self-described “women’s movement”, which hosted the event and invited speakers such as University of Colorado Boulder senior and member of CU Student Government, Nimisha Mallela.
“[After the overturning of Roe v. Wade] I felt grateful for the privilege of living in Colorado where reproductive rights were still affirmed, at least for the time being,” Mallela said. “I realized that even this privilege was unreliable and the fight for comprehensive reproductive rights needed amplification in my community.”
As a CUSG member, Mallela said the organization is working on making pregnancy tests available to students for free and offering abortion pills at the pharmacy in Wardenburg Health Center. In July, CUSG passed a bill to fund free and discounted emergency contraceptives on campus. Mallela said this has reduced barriers to health resources and provided relief to students with concerns about reproductive health.
The politics surrounding abortion rights can also affect out-of-state students who made up 43% of those enrolled at CU Boulder in the 2023 fall census.
“How we support [out-of-state students] is let them know that there is help here in Colorado,” said Dani Newsum, a CU Boulder alum and the director of strategic partnerships for Cobalt.
Deborah Parks, a member of YWCA Boulder County, said her family was particularly impacted by these politics. Parks is from Texas and has two granddaughters who still live there. She said she was “appalled” by the abortion ban there but is doing what she can to protect abortion rights in Colorado.
“You’re so young and so many college students really don’t understand the importance of birth control,” said Parks. “And if they get into trouble, they need somewhere to go… In other states, they have no ability to do that.”
Colorado has no residency requirements for receiving an abortion and has become a haven for those in states with abortion bans.
According to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, the number of abortions performed on out-of-state residents increased from 13.6% in 2021 to 27.9% in 2022, the year in which the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and the most recent year from which data is available.
2,418 of the 14,154 total abortions performed in Colorado in 2022 were performed on Texas residents and Texas was the second most common state of origin for those seeking abortions in Colorado after in-state residents.
Texas is also the third most common state of residence for CU students, making up 3.6% of the total student population.
For some students in a post-Roe world, the state of reproductive rights is impacting where they choose to attend college.
“As I grow up and go on to college I become more worried,” said Cara Wong, a senior at Boulder’s Fairview High School who spoke at the demonstration. “Why, when researching colleges, was googling the abortion rights in a state a part of it?”
Parks stated YWCA Boulder County was seeking 185,000 signatures across the state and 6,000 in senate districts 17 and 18 (which encompass Boulder and Longmont among other localities).
“The fight isn’t over,” said Newsum. “We are not safe, although we are lucky to live in Colorado… we are still not safe because anti-abortion politicians, anti-abortion politics is driving this issue and it is driving it nationally.”
Contact CU Independent News Editor Jessi Sachs at Jessica.Sachs@colorado.edu.
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https://www.cuindependent.com/2024/01/29/boulder-activists-advocate-for-abortion-access-for-college-students/
| 2024-01-30T20:24:38Z
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As the spring semester begins, it’s a great time to discover a new hobby or develop existing skills on campus.
The Idea Forge, located in the Miramontes Baca Education Building on campus, is open to every University of Colorado Boulder student who is interested in learning the arts of woodworking, sewing, prototyping, 3D printing and electronics.
During the school year, from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. every Monday through Thursday and 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Fridays, faculty members and student employees are available to help interested students master engineering techniques and processes they might not have known were available to them.
Haley Passov, a recent graduate who works at the Idea Forge, believes the space is beneficial to all students, not just engineering majors learning the trade.
“[The Forge is] a great place for students to come and learn things that they don’t get access to in their day-to-day classes,” Passov said. “There’s a lot you can do in here that [you wouldn’t normally learn in] school.”
Student journalist Grace Ptak sat down with Becky Komarek, the associate director of the Idea Forge, to talk about how to access the space, what the forge offers and why places like this are important.
Q: Tell me about yourself– what is your position in relation to the shop?
I have been here since the Idea Forge opened eight years ago. My role is the associate director.
My background is actually as a civil engineer. I worked as a structural engineer for a few years and then came back to work in education. And I’ve worked as an academic advisor, as well as my current role here, where I also teach two classes that are related to design and design prototyping, as well.
Q: What is the general purpose of this space?
We refer to ourselves as the campus design and prototyping facility. So, if you’re a business student, you have, say, an entrepreneurial idea — you want to build something. We encourage you to come over.
I can help you get access to the best resources that exist here or on campus.
Q: What kinds of tools and machines can students access in the Forge?
We do have a machine shop and a welding shop, [but] those are for engineering courses.
We have standard sewing machines like you might have at home, [and] we also have industrial sewing machines for thicker materials like canvas.
We have everything woodworking-related. [Those machines are] open to everyone– saws; drills. Come talk to us. We’ll figure out how to do it. We have 3D printing. We have a laser cutter.
We have a full electronics lab. So, making things move, light up, etc. Our engineer that runs that space can help folks learn how to use Arduinos or Raspberry Pi’s… which would then be able to power sensors, like moisture sensors, pressure sensors — things like that.
We have a room where you can come and paint things or varnish things [and] make a mess. [We] have a well-ventilated room for that.
We have conference rooms to reserve as well, as space to just drop in. And in those spaces, we also host events. So, student groups can reserve the spaces if they have a speaker coming or they want to do a movie night, etc. We have, just, spaces to rent for free to students to run those types of events.
[We] have a cabinet that is full of craft materials. So, if you want to build your first prototype out of cardboard or Legos or foam, you can just show up and do that during our open hours and just dive into that cabinet and use whatever you’d like.Something else to know is that we do have tools that are just around. So if you need a screwdriver or wrench or something, you can just come and take them.
Q: Are all the machines and resources in the Forge accessible to all students?
So, we have a machine shop and welding shop downstairs. Because our capacity is very, very limited there and there are certain obligations to courses… we can only do classwork in the machine shop and welding shop.
So [those areas are] not open to the public. Woodworking, sewing, electronics, 3D printing, etc. are open to everyone for anything, [including] personal projects.
For 3D printing and electronics, [if you have] questions, just show up and seek the individuals who are working. You can show up, and we will show you how to 3D print, step by step, on the part that you want to create.
For the woodshop in particular, there is a [required] Saws and Drills workshop that is free. We want you to take that as a safety precaution. We want you to understand how our equipment works — understand our safety expectations. [The Saws and Drills workshop] is the only one that is required before you can utilize that space.
Q: Do you offer other non-required workshops?
[Yes.] One of our most popular workshops is a Packable Hammock workshop. So, students can sew their own hammock… essentially it’s a beginner workshop. I mean, it takes a little bit of time, but at the end, you’ve gotten to pick out all of the colors that you like for your hammock; you have a functioning hammock that you can use around campus.
Q: How can you sign up to take a workshop?
Everything for the workshop sign-up is online. So if you go to the Idea Forge website, there’s a big button that says “Workshops [& Videos],” and all of the ones that are upcoming are available there.
Q: Do you offer introductory tours of the Forge?
We do offer tours [during the school year], Monday through Thursday at 5:30 p.m. Anyone who would like to take a tour can meet at the front desk, which is by the east entrance [near] the volleyball court down there. One of our student employees will guide the tour.
Q: Is there anything newcomers should know about the Forge before coming to try it out?
We are not a quiet facility. So, some students really love working here, and they like having the ambient noise. But for students who really want that silent library-type study location, we might not be the best bet.
Q: What are the benefits of this shop to students, including non-engineering majors?
Having this kind of facility can allow students to incorporate hands-on learning into their education. To some extent, [the student must decide] to take some steps, meaning to take a first workshop on how to learn to sew, for example, but by doing that, they have the opportunity to, oftentimes, meet students from other disciplines, and then also to build something with their hands. That’s not something that is incorporated into every educational track, but it’s something that is useful to know how to do. I think that it can be empowering and also fun.
Building things with your hands can be a lesson in patience and also a lesson in perseverance or resilience. Like, ‘I don’t know how to do this. I’m starting from zero knowledge, but I’m willing to put in the work to learn.’ I think those types of skills are very useful to anyone, no matter what they’re studying.
There have been studies that show that [building something for fun] can be a therapeutic thing. I know students are pretty stressed these days; I know that mental health is a serious issue among the collegiate population. We can be a place [for students] to use a different part of their brain for a little while, and generally, people are super proud of something that they made themselves.
Contact CU Independent Arts and Entertainment Editor Grace Ptak at Grace.Ptak@colorado.edu
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https://www.cuindependent.com/2024/01/30/qa-with-the-associate-director-of-the-idea-forge/
| 2024-01-30T20:24:46Z
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On 29 January, the European Council announced new sanctions targeting a Russian Safe Internet League agency known for internet censorship, along with key individuals linked to “serious human rights violations.”
The Council’s statement highlighted the role of the Safe Internet League in aiding the Russian government’s censorship practices. The agency, led by chairwoman Ekaterina Mizulina, has been accused of “serious and systematic abuses of freedom of opinion and expression.”
Also included in the sanctions list are three individuals within the Russian judicial system. These individuals are identified as responsible for human rights violations, including the arbitrary arrest and detention of opposition figures and journalists. Among the detained is the opposition activist Vladimir Kara-Murza, who faces a 25-year prison sentence.
The EU’s decision to impose these sanctions is a response to the “continuing deterioration of the human rights situation in Russia,” as stated in the European Council’s announcement.
“Those listed under the sanctions regime are subject to an asset freeze, and the provision of funds or economic resources, directly or indirectly, to them or for their benefit, is prohibited. Additionally, a travel ban to the EU applies to the natural persons listed,” the statement reads.
In a broader context, the European Council condemned Russia’s intensifying restrictions on civil liberties. “The EU strongly condemns the severe expansion of restrictive legislation and systematic repression against civil society and human rights defenders in Russia,” the Council stated, emphasizing the ongoing crackdown on media and political dissent.
Ekaterina Mizulina, the organization’s head, is the daughter of Russian politician Yelena Mizulina. The latter is known for her controversial legislative efforts in Russia and was previously sanctioned by the US and Canada.
In response to the sanctions, Mizulina expressed her unwavering commitment to her country and dismissed the importance of traveling outside Russia. She accused the European Council of supporting detrimental elements and proudly acknowledged continuing her family’s tradition of upholding “traditional Russian values.”
Read also:
- ISW: Russia using nationalist sentiments to drive wedges between Ukraine and its western neighbors
- FT: EU threatens to isolate and hurt Hungary’s economy if Orban blocks Ukraine aid
- Ukraine ranks 104th out of 180 in 2023 Corruption Perceptions Index by Transparency International, achieving one of the world’s best results
- NYT: Russian attack on NATO looms as Trump threatens to abandon alliance
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https://euromaidanpress.com/2024/01/30/eu-imposes-sanctions-on-russian-internet-censorship-agency/
| 2024-01-30T20:31:01Z
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The International Skating Union (ISU) has demoted the Russian figure-skating team that took part in the 2022 Beijing Olympics from gold to bronze due to the disqualification of Russian teen skater Kamila Valiyeva, 17, for a doping offense, as per Radio Free Europe/ Radio Liberty.
On 29 January, The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruled for a four-year suspension for Valiyeva for using banned substances, starting from December 2021.
Following the CAS decision, the ISU said that without the points Valiyeva scored in the team event, Russia was being moved down to third place, pushing the US into the top spot and Japan to second place.
In December 2021, Valiyeva tested positive for trimetazidine, a heart medication that can boost endurance, with the results only becoming known after her Olympics victory.
The ISU expressed support for the CAS decision, emphasizing its commitment to clean athletes and anti-doping efforts.
“The ISU welcomes the decision of CAS and firmly maintains its position that the protection of clean athletes and the fight against doping are of the highest priority and will persist in the ongoing effort to uphold the integrity of fair competition and the well-being of athletes.
The ISU is in close contact with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the relevant ISU member federations in regard to the implementation of this decision,” said an ISU statement.
Additionally, the decision implied that Vasilyeva’s fourth-place achievement in the women’s singles event in Beijing and her first-place triumph at the 2022 European Championships have been nullified.
Last month, the International Olympic Committee announced that Russian and Belarusian athletes would be allowed to compete at the 2023 Olympic Games. Sportsmen and women from two terrorist states will have to compete under a neutral status, which means their national flags will not be flown.
Anthems of these countries will not be played, and the national colors of Russia and Belarus will also not be displayed. Finally, the ICO said Russian and Belarusian government and state officials would not be invited to the Olympics.
This decision was strongly criticized in Ukraine and around the world. Vadym Hutsayt, President of the National Olympic Committee, said over 400 Ukrainian athletes have been killed due to Russia’s full-scale war.
Ukraine’s Olympic Committee: Over 400 Ukrainian athletes killed due to Russia’s aggression
Ukraine’s supporters also placed a petition on Change.org demanding that Russian athletes be banned from participating in the competition in Paris. The activists said that over 50% of Russian medalists are serving in the Russian armed forces and can’t be allowed to take part in the Olympics.
The American University Kyiv, the authors of the petition, called on sponsors to publicly withdraw support and all advertising during the games if Russia participates.
It said that the International Olympic Committee receives $2 billion in advertising from 13 sponsors. At least nine of the 13 major sponsors, including Coca-Cola, Visa, Airbnb, Toyota, Panasonic, Intel, GE, Bridgestone, and Atos, have ceased operating in Russia.
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https://euromaidanpress.com/2024/01/30/rfe-rl-russian-figure-skaters-lose-olympic-gold-amis-doping-scandal/
| 2024-01-30T20:31:41Z
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Kelly Clarkson has become a fashion icon since moving to New York City, where she's completely transformed her style.
The Kelly Clarkson Show host is looking and feeling incredible, and it's reflected in the bold looks she's experimenting with, and nailing during each episode of her talk show.
Kelly's outfit on Tuesday January 30 resulted in some serious online reaction, with many viewers branding it her best look yet! It's easy to see why, as Kelly rocked a multi-colored figure-hugging dress with orange, red, blue and purple hues.
The design was accessorized with a tan waist belt and suede heels. Comments from Kelly's Instagram post included: "Umm.. is this current Kelly? Because she is looking for and fine! She’s always gorgeous, but she is looks healthy and fitAF right here!" while another wrote: "Who is this? You look amazing Kelly!" A third added: "Kelly I love this look on you!"
Since moving to NYC in August, Kelly has been embracing life in the busy city, which is a far cry from her time in Los Angeles, where nothing is walkable.
The mother-of-two loves walking and exploring the city, and has put this down to her noticeable weight loss transformation.
She has received a mass of compliments following her weight loss, and most importantly, appears happier and more confident than ever.
She opened up about her weight loss journey in a recent interview with People, crediting her weight loss, in part, to exploring the city with her children, River Rose, nine, and son Remington Alexander, seven.
The steps she walks in the walkable city gives her "quite the workout," but Kelly says she hasn't lost weight for appearance sake, but for her health.
"I dropped weight because I've been listening to my doctor," she told the outlet. "A couple years I didn’t." This means not only adding more exercise to her regime but focusing on a healthy diet too. "I eat a healthy mix," said the star. "90 percent of the time I'm really good at it because a protein diet is good for me anyway. I'm a Texas girl, so I like meat. Sorry, vegetarians in the world!".
What's more, due to her newfound confidence, Kelly is also wearing things she never would have before. She's been pictured in skinny jeans in several recent social media posts, having admitted on her show back in November that she struggled finding any to suit her.
Her comments about jeans came about on November 6th's episode of The Kelly Clarkson Show, where the mom-of-two admitted to guests Jenna Bush Hager and Barbara Bush that she found it hard to find jeans that fitted her.
The three women first addressed the subject of weight when the 4th Hour with Hoda and Jenna host claimed she had a "chubby" stage growing up, and Kelly joked: "I've had many stages."
As the singer then asked if the twins were often dressed the same as kids, Jenna lamented she no longer fits in her sister's clothes, and Kelly in turn exclaimed: "I don't fit into mine!" She went on: "I love losing weight –" before Jenna interjected with: "Are you joking me?! You look amazing!" Kelly then clarified: "No wait, I love losing weight, but here's the thing: jeans are so hard. I feel like jeans are so hard, when you have a butt…" "Do you want me to take you jeans shopping?"
Jenna then offered, though Kelly confessed: "I don't want to go shopping," to which Jenna ultimately countered with: "Should I do what I do for Hoda [Kotb] and send you some jeans?" "Do you do that?!" Kelly exclaimed, amused, before adding: "I'm the worst. Jeans are so hard. Anyways… This is a first world problem."
Read more HELLO! US stories here
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https://www.hellomagazine.com/fashion/celebrity-style/512386/kelly-clarkson-barely-recognizable-new-look-on-her-talk-show-amid-weight-loss/
| 2024-01-30T20:41:21Z
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Nicole Kidman is impressing many with another addition to her acclaimed filmography, the new Amazon Prime series Expats, which has already received early critical praise.
The 56-year-old leads the drama miniseries, which dropped its first two episodes on January 26. Its six-episode run concludes on February 23.
The show stars Nicole, Sarayu Blue, Ji-young Yoo, and Brian Tee, and they all featured in a sweet behind-the-scenes compilation shared by creator and director Lulu Wang.
Taking to Instagram, the celebrated Chinese filmmaker shared a slew of images from the making of the show, which included candid moments of cast interaction and the joy between them.
One of them even saw Nicole, stripped down to just a white mini, bask in a tiny plastic bathtub as one of the crew members held an umbrella above her to get the right lighting.
Lulu captioned her photos: "BTS with the incredible Expats cast who made it all possible. Thank you to everyone who watched this weekend," which Nicole shared on her Instagram Stories as well.
Based on the 2016 novel The Expatriates by Janice Y.K. Lee and produced by Nicole's Blossom Films, the series and its lead star initially came under fire from Hong Kong audiences for the "tone deaf" move to film a show on expatriates in the city in the midst of its political strife.
The Australian-American actress' exemption from mandatory quarantine (a week at the time) when she flew to Hong Kong to film the series in August 2021 generated controversy.
MORE: Nicole Kidman shares rare glimpse into family life with teenage daughters Sunday, 15 and Faith, 13
When it came to the backlash from internet users, as per The New York Times: "Some of them saw a case of life imitating art, or the power of celebrity, or at least a public relations misstep amid a pandemic.
"But either way, many people in the Chinese territory regarded the Australian actress' end-run around coronavirus rules – some of the strictest in the world – as a symbol of the unfairness that pervades a city known for its soaring inequalities."
Filming was able to proceed smoothly, though, and the mom-of-four even returned to Hong Kong that October to wrap production on the series.
RELATED: The secrets to Nicole Kidman's amazing skin in that backless dress revealed
As for other projects in the work, fans of the Oscar-winning star were excited to hear in November that her acclaimed series Big Little Lies was going to receive a season three after all.
The HBO series initially ran for two seasons from 2017-19 and was a hit with the ratings and critics, winning five Primetime Emmy Awards during its run, including one for Nicole herself.
At the New York premiere for Expats, Nicole told Variety that work on season three had begun in earnest and she was in constant touch with co-star and co-producer Reese Witherspoon.
MORE: Nicole Kidman stuns in unearthed first red carpet photos – and she looks exactly the same
"We're at work on it," she said, adding that she and Reese were "texting every day" and that "there's a timeline and we're doing it."
She refrained from sharing more details, though, joking: "We've got to start keeping our mouths shut…We've got to button it."
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https://www.hellomagazine.com/healthandbeauty/health-and-fitness/512387/nicole-kidman-soaks-up-sun-tiny-bathtub-new-bts-photo/
| 2024-01-30T20:41:27Z
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It seems the saccharine Barbiecore trend has finally been knocked off its pink perch. After what felt like an entire year of powder pink and magenta dominating our wardrobes the Mob Wife aesthetic, with its bold elegance and empowered sophistication, has played host to a hostile takeover.
Emphasising tailored suits, luxurious textures, and an assertive demeanour, this style exudes a mature, formidable charm, appealing to those seeking a more nuanced and commanding fashion statement. And it turns out that Victoria Beckham, the eternal fashion icon, has been pioneering the Mob Wife look long before it became a mainstream trend. "
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"In a nutshell, mob wife style is all about bold, overstated and sensual glamour that evokes a sense of confidence and class," explains Hello! Fashion's Orion Scott, "Think New York 'old money' but with a touch of grunge and likely a red lip. In today's world, the fashion scene is interpreting mob wife style as a new form of chic dressing. From oversized fur coats, thigh-high leather boots, big hair and animal prints in all forms are quickly rising to fame on both catwalks and city streets."
With her impeccable sense of style, Victoria effortlessly blended the boldness and sophistication associated with the new aesthetic over the last two decades. Known for her daring choices and avant-garde approach, Beckham has consistently championed the Mob Wife look before it was even "a thing." Her ensembles often feature tailored suits, OTT coats, and sleek leather pieces, all emblematic of a crime family matron.
Scroll on to see how she set the tone for this powerful style long before it gained its current popularity...
Organized Crime Dame
Victoria Beckham personified 'Boss' bride' mystique in sultry black leather gloves, complementing the look of her tailored black dress and textured jacket. Her embellished headband added a touch of drama, while oversized sunglasses complete the look.
Cosa Nostra Companion
A sleek, all-black ensemble that features leather pants and a matching black top, which creates a streamlined, chic silhouette is Mob Wife personified. The look is completed with her trademark pair of black patent leather high heels and of course the ultimate flex... a Birkin. Griselda would be proud.
Crime Syndicate Spouse
VB exudes the somber elegance reminiscent of a widowed Mob Wife (plot spoiler: she saw it coming.) Clad in her brand's own tailored black midi dress that features structured shoulders and a cinched waist, a design that channels both sophistication and danger. Beckham's accessories are minimal yet impactful—the , sophisticated black clutch with gold chain adds a touch of mafia-worthy opulence.
Racketeer's Better Half
Dressed in a sophisticated ivory silk blouse with a pussy bow at the neck, adding a touch of feminine grace to her assertive presence, Victoria was uncannily the composed figure of a Mob Wife supporting her husband in court. The look is paired with a sleek black leather skirt featuring lace detailing, which balances elegance and solemnity, perfect for a courtroom setting. The large, dark sunglasses shield her eyes for added inscrutability.
Kingpin's Missus
Victoria Beckham commanded attention in her iconic 2007 zebra print mini dress moment, channeling the audacious spirit of a 'Capo's Consort'. Her dress, paired with sleek, silver pointed heels, exudes confidence and a daring sense of animal print-loving style.
Wedding Siren
Victoria Beckham embodied the sophisticated allure of a The Godfather-worthy wedding guest as she left the Hassler Hotel in Bracciano (near Rome) before attending to the wedding of Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise in Bracciano. She donned a form-fitting black midi dress adorned with ornate detailing, paired with elegant heels. Her statement oversized black hat served femme fatale... but make it nuptial.
The Leopard Lady
Victoria Beckham channels the quintessential Mafia Matron with a luxurious leopard print coat, adding a wild edge to her glamorous look. The bold red lipstick, statement gold bracelet, and sleek black attire beneath are the image of untouchable sophistication.
Mob Matriarch
We aren't sure if this look is 'Mob Wife' or 'Mob Boss' but it still counts. Victoria Beckham emanated a commanding presence Al Capone would be proud of in her all-white ensemble. The pristine coat with its clean lines and elegant silhouette, paired with the wide-brimmed hat to attend Jersey Boys was serving mobster chic.
The Don's Debutant
Following Sir Elton John and David Furnish's civil partnership ceremony, VB exuded the luxurious allure of a Don's partner in her ensemble. The vibrant red dress, sparkling diamonds and plush leopard coat was Sopranos dressing personified.
Underworld Wife
Victoria Beckham donned a black dress under a voluminous coat, adding a lavish and dramatic effect to her attire. Paired with black opaque tights and black ankle boots, which give an Mafia-approved edge to her elegant look.
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https://www.hellomagazine.com/hfm/fashion-trends/512348/victoria-beckham-mob-wife-outfits/
| 2024-01-30T20:41:33Z
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Jay Leno and his long-time wife, Mavis, are currently navigating her difficult dementia diagnosis together as he petitions to be conservator over her estate.
The legal move has sparked further interest into Jay and Mavis' life behind closed doors including where the former talk show host will care for his long-time love as her health declines.
While Jay has a beautiful home in Beverly Hills, California, where he was most recently spotted with Mavis, he also has a jaw-dropping Newport, Rhode Island, mansion which is the perfect retreat to escape the limelight of Hollywood.
The impressive $13.5 million home was featured in Architectural Digest - and you can see amazing photos inside - after Jay and Mavis bought it in 2017.
The nine-acre estate is named Seafair, and has an eye-watering 15,851-square-foot main house situated along the ocean.
Boasting 14 bedrooms and 17 bathrooms, the home is something to behold and looks more like a stately home than a residence for a couple. However, with a stunning coastline on their doorstep it's an ideal location away from the hustle and bustle of the city for fresh air and seaside walks.
That's not to say there aren't celebrities in the area. The Gilded Age mansion neighbors the likes of Taylor Swift, Conan O'Brien's vacation home and Judge Judy Sheindlin's home.
Jay and Mavis' curved compound has a tennis court, an infinity pool and a six-car garage, library, chef's kitchen and not to mention the private beaches. He opened up about their decision to buy the home during an interview with Forbes.
"I wasn't planning on moving back east," he said. "I was with my wife, visiting family in Newport in October 2017. "I had my cousin with me and we were driving along and Mavis said, ‘Look at that house. Look at that house. It is unbelievable.’ And I said, ‘You’re right. It is unbelievable. It looks like a castle.’
"So, I said to Mavis, ‘Do you want that house? Let’s see if it’s for sale.’ I turned the car around to go back to the house. Just as we drove by, the gate opened and the gardener came out. We all looked at each other and said, ‘The gate is opening. It’s a sign.’ So, I drove in and rang the bell.
"The caretaker answered and said, ‘You’re Jay Leno. Jay Leno!' Then I said, 'Hey, it's nice to meet you. Is this house for sale?' And the caretaker said the house was for sale but not listed currently. I asked if we could look around, and the guy gives me a tour.
"Then, I asked him to get the owner on the phone. "So, we get the owner on the phone, and I said, 'Will you sell the house as-is, with everything, all the furniture, the ketchup in the refrigerator, the salt shakers and just walk away?’ And he said, 'Yeah, I'll walk away.' "We agreed on a price, and I bought it. We closed in 30 days."
Speaking of why he loves the area, Jay added: "Since I'm from the area, it's a great meeting place for all my relatives to come and have fun. They all get to stay there and it's great. I love the place."
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https://www.hellomagazine.com/homes/512368/jay-leno-13million-oceanfront-retreat-where-hell-take-care-of-wife-mavis-amid-demential-battle/
| 2024-01-30T20:41:39Z
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NEW YORK - Payments firm PayPal Holdings will cut about 2,500 jobs in 2024, Bloomberg News reported on Jan 30, citing a letter from chief executive officer Alex Chriss to staff that it reviewed.
In a letter to staff on Jan 30, Mr Chriss said the decision was made to “right-size” the company through both direct cuts and the elimination of open roles throughout the year, according to the report.
The company did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
In November, newly appointed CEO Mr Chriss said he expects to increase revenue outside of purely transaction-related volume and pledged to turn the fintech firm leaner by reducing its cost base.
Though the announcement helped rally the stock after third-quarter results, analysts have remained focused on PayPal’s margins in recent quarters.
The company’s low-margin business products have risen strongly, while growth in its branded products has slowed due to increased pressure from competitors such as Apple. REUTERS
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https://www.straitstimes.com/business/companies-markets/payments-firm-paypal-to-cut-around-2500-jobs-bloomberg-news
| 2024-01-30T20:59:08Z
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It was his first full-time job. But barely a month in, Mr Roy Ee was ready to quit.
Mr Ee, aged 22 then, found work as a commercial air-conditioning technician for local integrated facilities management company Keppel FMO. His job was to maintain and service the air-con units of passenger boarding bridges at Changi Airport.
It involved spending long hours under the sun, working at heights of up to six metres. “I found it really tough,” says Mr Ee, 41, who took home a three-figure salary.
“I couldn’t bring myself to climb that high, and return home covered in grease every day.” He was single and living with his parents and three siblings in a four-room Housing Board flat in Tampines then.
Mr Ee felt like his options were limited. With a National Trade Certificate (NTC) 2 qualification from the Institute of Technical Education (ITE), pursuing better options proved challenging. The NTC certification was replaced by the National ITE Certificate, or Nitec, in 2002.
What stopped him from quitting? He believed that leaving a company shortly after joining would reflect badly on him. “Another company may not hire me if I’m seen as a quitter,” says Mr Ee.
In 2014, Keppel FMO was acquired by French energy solutions company Engie through its subsidiary Engie South East Asia (formerly known as GDF Suez and Cofely South East Asia).
As the company evolved over the last 20 years, so did Mr Ee. Today, he is head of integrated facilities management for Engie’s operations in Singapore, earning a six-figure annual income.
What was his turning point? Observing his supervisors, who were technical officers, spend comparatively more time working from the comforts of their office.
He was envious. It made him ask: “Why can’t I be like them? What would it take for me to grow, and transition from spending long hours outdoors to conducting briefings and doing inspections?
“I started to think about how I could turn things around for myself. For me to grow and to excel, I had to further my studies.”
Staying committed to the process
Looking to gain skills that would expand his scope, Mr Ee pursued a Higher Nitec in electrical engineering in 2005 – returning to ITE four years after graduating.
“I couldn’t handle electrical problems back then,” says Mr Ee. “I figured these skills would help me be more self-sufficient, and stay competitive.”
But his pursuit of a better future meant two years of gruelling schedules and unwavering commitment. His five-and-a-half-day work schedule included evening classes four times a week. On Sundays, he helped his 73-year-old father, who ran a stall as a butcher. His mother, 69, is a homemaker.
“It’s like I worked seven days a week,” says Mr Ee. “I had to sacrifice a lot of my personal time.”
It was worth it. Mr Ee was promoted to a supervisory position just seven months into the Higher Nitec course. How? By actively applying the knowledge he learnt to his work, complementing his technical skills.
“I try to relate everything I’m learning to what I’m doing. It helps me learn better while improving my capabilities,” says Mr Ee, who graduated with a grade point average of 3.7 out of 4.
The experience also changed his mindset and attitude towards learning. This was in stark contrast to his younger days, says Mr Ee, who disliked school and was once even expelled for bad behaviour.
He went on to pursue a diploma in electrical and electronic engineering in 2007 from Singapore Polytechnic, and a bachelor’s in facilities and event management in 2011 from the Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS).
His upskilling efforts were recognised by the company. Mr Ee was promoted with each qualification he attained, and eventually placed on a management track. It also reimbursed his university fees.
This, he shares, was a welcome surprise at an important stage of his life – the birth of his first child in 2011.
“We only found out that my wife was expecting after I had enrolled at SUSS,” says Mr Ee, who wanted to postpone his studies upon hearing the news.
He was concerned about the money needed to raise a child and pay for university tuition fees. “I didn’t want to burden my wife, who had supported me all these years.” Mr Ee first met his wife, 38, in 1999. They married in 2009, and have two sons, aged seven and 13.
Even with the financial burden lifted, Mr Ee shares that support from the family was just as important in his personal development. “They were a key source of my motivation and perseverance.”
Passing it on
As important as it was for Mr Ee to upskill, he also believed in the value of sharing his newfound knowledge with the 500 staff he now leads.
For example, he shares: “At my morning briefings to the team, I always try to teach and impart what I’ve learnt to them. It helped me to better remember what I learnt, instead of just memorising.
“They were really interested, and also wanted to learn. The more they know, the easier it becomes for all of us to carry out our roles and responsibilities.”
Mr David Chau, 36, director of integrated facilities management at Engie, is one who has gained from Mr Ee’s efforts to foster a culture of continuous learning.
“Roy has always been a motivational and inspirational figure within the company,” says Mr Chau, who reports to Mr Ee. They were also course mates at SUSS.
Encouraged by Mr Ee, he pursued safety and sustainability-related courses and certifications to bolster his industry knowledge.
While some may still be reluctant to attend training, Mr Chau observes that this has “greatly reduced over time”. He says: “More are putting up requests to attend courses that could help in their work.”
In addition to changing mindsets, receiving the SkillsFuture Fellowship last October from President Tharman Shanmugaratnam was perhaps Mr Ee’s greatest achievement to date, he says. It represented the culmination of his decade-long journey of self-improvement through continuous learning.
“Only my family and colleagues knew my story, and I wanted to share my journey as a way of inspiring others,” he says.
His advice is for others to avoid “going through the same pain” and to “focus on what you’re doing now, to succeed in the future”.
“If you don’t do well at first, it is not the end. You can continue to go further, regardless of the stage you are at. This journey is tough, but it's achievable.”
This is the first of a two-part series produced in partnership with SkillsFuture Singapore
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https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/from-air-con-technician-to-company-director-how-committing-to-upskilling-led-to-his-success
| 2024-01-30T20:59:18Z
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United States Olympic chiefs are eager to push ahead with long-overdue gold medal celebrations after figure skater Kamila Valieva was found guilty of doping at 2022 Beijing Games, thus removing Russia as winners of the team event.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on Monday banned teenager Valieva for four years for doping, effective from December 2021, stripping the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) of its gold medal and elevating the U.S. to top spot on the podium.
Japan moves up a step to silver and it was thought that Canada, who finished fourth in the event, would be promoted to bronze. However, the International Skating Union (ISU) said on Tuesday the ROC's total score even after Valieva's marks were erased was still a point better than the Canadians.
Skate Canada said is it considering appealing the ISU's decision while the ROC has already confirmed it will appeal on the CAS ruling both of which could further delay the awarding of medals.
Sarah Hirshland, CEO of the United States Olympic and Paralymic (USOPC) acknowledged the appeals during a conference call on Tuesday but was already looking into where and when U.S. skaters would get their gold.
"There are some appeals available to the Swiss tribunal which is a procedural appeal," said Hirshland. "We have a high degree of confidence, and I have been given very clear directions, that we should proceed in awarding medals to the United States team and that's what we are going to do.
"Regardless (of appeals) there is no scenario at this point in which Team USA is not the gold medal winners.
"Everyone has a sense of urgency and there is no reason for any delay."
How and when the team of Evan Bates, Karen Chen, Nathan Chen, Madison Chock, Zachary Donohue, Brandon Frazier, Madison Hubbell, Alexa Knierim and Vincent Zhou get their gold will be decided by the skaters and U.S. Olympic officials.
In the past some redistributed medals have been awarded during another Olympics while others have been handed over quietly in hotel rooms or private gatherings without any pomp or ceremony.
"We are going to consider all of the possibilities what will be the best logistically and what will be the best situation for Team USA to be together with the people that are most important to them in that celebration," said Hirshland.
"It doesn't have to be a ceremony with all three - the gold, silver, bronze - awarded in the same place at the same time.
"We've got a bit of flexibility to think about what's going to be best for Team USA independent of what might be best for Japan and ultimately ROC or Canada, however that ends up playing out.
"But our goal, our focus is on Team USA independently."
After waiting 721 days to be confirmed as Olympic gold medallists, world champion ice dancers Chock and Bates, who won a their fifth U.S. Championship title on Saturday, indicated that they want the full Olympic experience they were denied in Beijing.
"When all this initially happened the first thing came to everyone's mind was we would love to have a true Olympic medal ceremony," said Chock. "So for us it would be a medal ceremony at the Paris Games this summer.
"That would be the dream scenario to stand a top the podium at an Olympic event and be there with our families and just to celebrate and be surrounded by the Olympic spirit and the Olympic movement would be our dream scenario." REUTERS
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https://www.straitstimes.com/sport/figure-skating-after-721-days-us-skaters-celebrating-olympic-gold
| 2024-01-30T20:59:28Z
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AL RAYYAN, Qatar - Son Heung-min’s South Korea came back from the dead to beat Saudi Arabia 4-2 on penalties on Jan 30 and set up an Asian Cup quarter-final with Australia.
After a nail-biting game ended 1-1, Hwang Hee-chan scored the decisive penalty for Jurgen Klinsmann’s side, who are aiming to end a 64-year Asian Cup title drought.
South Korea goalkeeper Jo Hyeon-woo was the hero in Doha, saving penalties from Sami Al-Najei and Abdulrahman Ghareeb in the shootout.
Saudi coach Roberto Mancini disappeared down the tunnel before Hwang took the final penalty.
Cho Gue-sung scored a 99th-minute equaliser in normal time to rescue the Koreans and force extra time.
Abdullah Radif had opened the scoring for the Saudis 33 seconds after coming on as a half-time substitute.
Saudi Pro League sides have shelled out to lure big-name players while Saudi Arabia is set to host the 2034 World Cup, all part of a broader move into global sport.
But they are now out of the Asian Cup after a tense encounter in front of over 40,000 fans at Education City Stadium.
Klinsmann dropped the misfiring Cho to the bench and started with Son at the point of South Korea’s attack.
Chances were at a premium in a cagey opening period, with the Saudi defence quick to snuff out the threat when Son got his first chance to stretch his legs.
Ahmed Al-Kassar made a comfortable save when the Spurs striker threatened again, before Saleh Al-Shehri pulled a shot wide at the other end after South Korea had given possession away cheaply.
The Saudis had the best chance of the first half when they came agonisingly close to hitting the target with three headers in quick succession.
Shehri hit the crossbar and Ali Lajami did the same with the rebound, before Salem Al-Dawsari finally nodded the ball just wide of the post.
The second half had barely kicked off when substitute Radif made his mark.
Dawsari redirected a pass into the path of Radif and the substitute lashed the ball past Jo.
Klinsmann brought on Wolverhampton Wanderers forward Hwang in the 54th minute as South Korea looked for a response.
Klinsmann’s side threw everything at the Saudis in a frantic end to the 90 minutes and Cho hit the bar with an injury-time header.
The striker got his reward in the 99th minute, nodding home to send the game into extra time.
South Korea dominated both periods of extra time but were guilty of over-elaborating and could not put the ball in the net. REUTERS
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https://www.straitstimes.com/sport/football/south-korea-beat-saudi-arabia-on-penalties-to-reach-asian-cup-last-eight
| 2024-01-30T20:59:39Z
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Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez said on Tuesday that he felt "liberated" after announcing his decision to step down at the end of the season, adding that the pressure and demands of the job meant that he could not enjoy himself there.
"They make you feel that you are not valued in every moment here," he told reporters ahead of Wednesday's league game against Osasuna.
"It happened to all coaches. Pep (Guardiola) told me. Ernesto (Valverde) told me. As for Luis Enrique, I lived and saw it for myself," he added.
Xavi said the effect the job has on Barca managers was unlike other clubs and should be reflected on.
"I think we have a problem when it comes to the level of demand attached to this job," he said.
"Firstly, you do not enjoy it. It is not a good quality of life. It seems you have your life at stake during every single moment. And that doesn't happen elsewhere.
"The announcement liberated me on a personal level, but I remain very motivated," Xavi added.
Xavi announced his departure after Barcelona lost 5-3 to Villareal, their third loss in the last four home games in the league. Earlier in the week they were knocked out of the Copa del Rey by Athletic Bilbao.
Barcelona won LaLiga and the Spanish Super Cup under Xavi in 2022-23. They are currently fourth in the league, trailing leaders Girona by 11 points. REUTERS
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| 2024-01-30T20:59:49Z
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BAGHDAD - Iran-aligned Iraqi armed group Kataib Hezbollah announced the suspension of all its military operations against US troops in the region, in a decision aimed at preventing “embarrassment” to the Iraqi government, the group said in a statement.
Three US troops were killed in a drone attack near the Jordan-Syria border on Jan 28 that the Pentagon said bore the “footprints” of Kataib Hezbollah, though a final assessment had not yet been made.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, an Iraqi official said Kataib Hezbollah’s decision came after intensive contacts by the Iraqi government with both US officials and Iraqi armed groups to prevent escalation after the Jordan attack.
“Clearly, what happened was a step too far and put everyone at a crossroads,” the official said.
Founded in the aftermath of the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq, Kataib Hezbollah is one of the elite Iraqi armed factions closest to Iran.
It is the most powerful armed faction in the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella group of hardline Shi’ite armed groups that have claimed more than 150 attacks on US forces since the Gaza war began in October.
Iraq’s government is backed by parties and armed groups close to Iran, though not directly by the hardline groups that have been firing on US forces, Western and Iraqi officials say.
Baghdad has condemned the attacks while also saying regional escalation would continue as long as the Gaza war went on.
US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin vowed on Jan 29 the US would take “all necessary actions” to defend its troops after the deadly drone attack, even as President Joe Biden’s administration stressed it was not seeking a war with Iran. REUTERS
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| 2024-01-30T21:00:00Z
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WASHINGTON - White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan will meet on Wednesday with top Israeli official Ron Dermer on the Gaza conflict, a White House official said on Tuesday.
The United States has been working with Israel and Qatar to reach a deal for the release of hostages still held by Hamas since the Islamist militant group's deadly assault from Gaza into southern Israel on Oct. 7.
Washington has also been pressuring Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government to plan for when Israel's military operation in Gaza is over.
Dermer, who is Israel's minister for strategic affairs, is a well-known figure in Washington, having served as Israel's ambassador. REUTERS
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| 2024-01-30T21:00:10Z
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CHICAGO – Former president Donald Trump remains on the Republican primary ballot in Illinois after the state Board of Elections rejected a complaint to disqualify him over claims he violated the Constitution’s “insurrection clause.”
A group of voters sought to keep Trump off the ballot in Illinois arguing he engaged in insurrection by inciting the Capitol riot on Jan 6, 2021.
Similar complaints were filed in other states, and the US Supreme Court is considering whether Colorado can bar Trump from the 2024 ballot.
The Illinois State Board of Elections, comprised of four Democrats and four Republicans, said it lacked the authority to consider the measure and voted 8-0 not to accept the objection to Trump’s candidacy.
That means he remains certified for the state’s March 19 GOP primary ballot unless a court rules otherwise.
An attorney for the voters seeking to disqualify Trump said they would appeal the board’s decision in state court, according to the Associated Press.
Retired Republican Illinois judge Clark Erickson, an appointed hearing officer in the case, recommended that the board not disqualify Trump because it lacks the authority to address issues requiring constitutional analysis.
But Judge Erickson also said that “a preponderance of the evidence” presented at a Jan 26 hearing and elsewhere proves that Trump engaged in insurrection, and if the board disagreed with his finding it lacks the authority to decide constitutional issues, it should remove him from the ballot.
Judge Erickson wrote that the evidence shows Trump understood and exploited the divided US political climate by falsely claiming the 2020 election was stolen, and that he sought to disrupt the peaceful transfer of power on Jan 6, 2021, when Congress certified President Joe Biden’s Electoral College win.
“There’s no doubt in my mind that he manipulated, instigated, aided and abetted an insurrection on Jan 6,” Republican board member Catherine McCrory said before her vote. “However, having said that, it’s not my place to rule on that today.”
The dispute turns on Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, which was enacted shortly after the Civil War as the nation grappled with the status of former Confederate soldiers and leaders. The provision says a person who took an oath to support the Constitution and then “engaged in insurrection” is ineligible to hold office again.
Trump has contended that he did not engage in insurrection, that the clause doesn’t apply to the president and that Congress must pass legislation to be able to enforce disqualification under the 14th amendment.
In Illinois, his attorneys also argued the state elections board did not have the authority to decide the complex issues of federal law in the case. BLOOMBERG
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https://www.straitstimes.com/world/united-states/trump-stays-on-illinois-ballot-in-us-as-elections-board-dismisses-insurrection-challenge
| 2024-01-30T21:00:20Z
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Gisele Bündchen has paid tribute to her mother Vania Nonnenmacher, who passed away aged 75 on Sunday, January 28, reportedly after a battle with cancer.
News of her passing was first made public in a statement from the Hospital Moinhos de Vento in Porto Alegre, Brazil – where she had been admitted into two days prior – though the Brazilian supermodel had yet to break her silence on the heartbreaking loss.
She did so on Tuesday, sharing an emotional tribute in her honor along with a slew of family photos featuring her mom as well as her dad Valdir Bündchen, and her five sisters, twin Patricia, plus Rafaela, Graziela, Gabriela and Raquel.
Gisele first posted a seemingly recent photo in which she is seen hugging her mom, followed by a throwback of her as a newborn, lying on her chest next to her twin sister.
She also included photos of her two kids with ex-husband Tom Brady, Benjamin Rein, 14, and Vivian Lake, 11, planting kisses on their grandmother's cheeks, plus old and new snapshots of the Bündchen bunch.
In her caption, written first in her native Portuguese and then in English, Gisele wrote: "Beloved mom. It hurts to know that I won't be able to hug you anymore, but I know that you will always be watching over us."
She continued: "You were an angel on earth, always helping everyone around you," adding: "I am so grateful to be your daughter and to have learned from you."
MORE: Gisele confesses to 'pushback' from kids amid divorce from Tom Brady
MORE: Tom Brady's 11-year-old daughter Vivienne looks just like her mom Gisele in latest birthday tribute
"Thank you for being the best role model of love, strength, compassion, courage, and grace."
"I will forever cherish the beautiful memories we shared and will live by the values you taught me. You will live forever through the many lives that you touched," she further wrote, before concluding with: "Thank you for giving me five best friends for life. Your love will always guide us. I will see you in my dreams. Love you."
MORE: Gisele Bündchen shares glowing swimsuit photo as she reflects on heartbreak and 'silent struggles'
The comments section under the post was quickly flooded with condolences from celebrities and fans alike, including messages from Penélope Cruz, Katie Couric, Kelly Rowland, Kelly Slater, and Reynaldo Gianecchini, among others.
Gisele actually has her mom to thank for kick starting her modeling career, which led to her being the highest-paid supermodel in the world from 2002 and 2017.
Though she had initially grown up with aspirations of becoming a volleyball player, in 1993, her mom enrolled her and her twin sister Patricia in a modeling course. That eventually won them a trip to various Brazilian cities, during which Gisele was discovered by Elite Model Management at a shopping mall.
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https://www.hellomagazine.com/celebrities/512390/gisele-bundchen-rare-photos-six-siblings-emotional-tribute-mother/
| 2024-01-30T22:30:54Z
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Dylan Dreyer is known for being incredibly down-to-earth and fans love how real she is on social media.
Most recently, it was her husband, Brian Fichera's turn to get candid, as he uploaded a picture of the Today Show star makeup-free while looking happy and relaxed at home.
The meteorologist was seen standing in the living room, with messy hair and a glass of wine in one hand, and a dish of chocolate chips in the other.
Fans adored the relatable snapshot, which lead to many of them asking the same thing in the comments section - would Dylan and her family ever get their own reality show? "You guys so need a reality show," one fan wrote, while another commented: "Dylan needs her own show. She's a total mood and I'm here for it." A third added: "You guys need your own reality show. It would be great."
Dylan and Brian would certainly have a lot of content if they were to ever have their own show.
The couple are doting parents to three young sons, Calvin, Oliver and Russell 'Rusty', and often share sweet updates on them on social media - including the relatable and the challenging.
While Dylan's family would no doubt be a hit with viewers if they were to ever have their own show, the star previously admitted that she's quite shy. The admission was made last year during a sit-down interview with her Today Show co-hosts Sheinelle Jones and Craig Melvin, who joined NBC News Daily co-host Zinhle Essamuah as part of a Fireside Chat with NBCU Academy.
During a chat about different classes she's been to, Dylan admitted: "I've been to a personality coach because I'm shy." The news came as a shock for Craig in particular, who couldn't control his laughter as he took in the revelation from his friend.
"Why did you give him that?" Sheinelle asked, as Craig continued to laugh. "A personality coach?" he repeated as he asked Dylan to expand. "Well because I'm shy," she replied. "No you're not!" Craig replied.
"Not now, but it takes me a while to open up," she explained. Still laughing, Craig asked what the personality coach had to offer, to which the 41-year-old admitted: "He said 'I don't know what to do to help you, you just need to relax and get more comfortable!"
"I love your personality," Zinhle chimed in, to which Craig quipped: "Because she had a coach!"
Read more HELLO! US stories here
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https://www.hellomagazine.com/celebrities/512391/today-show-dylan-dreyer-au-naturel-photo-inside-nyc-home-sparks-reaction/
| 2024-01-30T22:31:00Z
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Michael Strahan unwittingly ended up becoming the subject of debate after he conducted a post-game interview with the San Francisco 49ers after their victorious NFC Championship Game.
Some commenters on social media and even a few sports journalists took to social media to criticize the Good Morning America anchor for his handling of the session for NFL on FOX, particularly for quoting wrong statistics from the game, incorrectly mentioning how running back Christian McCaffrey made the team, and for failing to interview legendary 49ers quarterback Joe Montana.
On the latest episode of their podcast, Amy Robach and T.J. Holmes came to their co-star's defense, devoting more of their podcast than ever before to one of their former colleagues.
T.J. addressed at the start: "We never thought we would take up an entire podcast talking about a friend of ours that was prompted by headlines we read in the morning. That sounds crazy, but that's exactly what happened."
They talked about seeing headlines about "a very dear friend of ours," with Amy adding that they watched the playoff games, particularly when the 49ers defeated the Detroit Lions to earn their spot in the Super Bowl and face off against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Amy stated that they woke up the next morning and saw headlines pop up about their "dear friend Michael Strahan" and watched the video for themselves to decipher what got people upset.
"This is actually painful for me," Amy added. "Because I'm not a fan, and I know you're not a fan either, of reading clickbait. But this is exactly what it is."
"We thought 'Oh my gosh, what did he do? What did he say? We have to watch!'," she continued, with T.J. citing that they were "terrified" going into it, and Amy's reaction to it was "Huh?"
MORE SUPER BOWL: Super Bowl 2024: when is it, halftime show performer and how to watch
"I was expecting something terrible," she added. "What I saw was an excited, a little frenetic, a not perfect in a live event moment, where someone is trying to be a ringleader in a three-ring circus."
T.J. also said: "He did it, by the way. And he did a good job of it, I would argue…that's exactly what live TV is. None of it's going to be perfect!"
The couple then discussed the pressures placed upon journalists in live TV environments to deliver accurate and consistent reports while forgetting that they are humans and can make mistakes.
After taking some time to reminisce on some of the earlier errors they'd made in their own journalistic careers, embarrassing ones that they ultimately learned from, they closed it out by sharing a positive note about their relationship with their former ABC News co-anchor.
RELATED: Amy Robach and T.J. Holmes reveal steamy details about their love life that will shock you
"Obviously we love Stray (Strahan). But we don't need to defend Stray, Stray's good," T.J. concluded. "It was just something that was on our mind that was funny and painful and triggering, to a certain degree."
Amy then implored for everyone to provide grace, and when her boyfriend reacted with skepticism, joked: "I'm sure I just convinced everyone to be kind!"
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https://www.hellomagazine.com/celebrities/512393/amy-robach-tj-holmes-defend-former-gma-co-star-address-relationship/
| 2024-01-30T22:31:06Z
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Nadiya Bychkova and Kai Widdrington enjoyed a day off together and the loved-up pair shared a series of snaps of their dates together.
Although Nadiya is a backing dancer on the current Strictly Live Tour, Kai has decided to sit it out, with his recent celebrity partner Angela Rippon currently dancing with Graziano Di Prima. Nadiya and Kai looked so in love as the pro dancer kissed his beloved on the cheek as they posed in a lift, with Nadiya rocking a risqué black blazer and knee-high boots, which showed off her stunning legs.
The couple enjoyed a round of virtual golf, a sport that Nadiya has been pursuing in recent weeks, before Nadiya shared a snap from their ride in a London black cab, with the pair enjoying coffees from Starbucks.
"Days off," Kai captioned the series of snaps, adding a plane, golf and taxi emoji to his post to show off everything from their adventures.
The couple began dating in 2022 following the end of Nadiya's engagement to Slovenia footballer Matija Skarabot. The former couple share a daughter together, Mila, and the youngster was Nadiya's main concern when she started embarking on her relationship with Kai.
"This was my first relationship after not being with the father of my daughter, and being a mother to Mila was and still is my priority," the professional dancer told HELLO! in an exclusive interview.
"When you're a mum, you don’t jump into a relationship saying: 'I'm in love,' and that's it. It's a big responsibility and I'm very protective of my daughter. Bringing someone else into my life isn't just about me, it’s about her, and if I decided to be with Kai, it would influence Mila as well.
"I didn't know how she would feel; that, to me, is the most important thing. I took my time and he showed me that it was worth it in the best possible way."
Kai also spoke in detail about his beloved, declaring her to be "the one". "She's the most beautiful woman I've ever seen, but the real beauty is not just what you see on the outside – it's the person on the inside I fell in love with," he explained.
SEE: Strictly’s Nadiya Bychkova posts daring snap of her backstage secret
MORE: Strictly's Nadiya Bychkova shares rare new details about daughter Mila
"People often misjudge her and just see a stunning blonde girl, but she’s more than that. She's the kindest person I've ever met in my entire life, and the most amazing mother."
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| 2024-01-30T22:31:12Z
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Broadway is in mourning following the passing of one of their brightest stars, Chita Rivera, on January 30 at the age of 91. Her death was announced by her daughter Lisa Mordente and her publicist, although a specific cause of death has not been revealed.
The star was known for originating some of the most iconic roles on Broadway, including Rose in Bye Bye Birdie, Anita in West Side Story, Velma Kelly in Chicago, the title role in Kiss of the Spider Woman, and much more.
Throughout her career, she received two Tony Awards (plus a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018), two Drama Desk Awards, and became the first Latin American to receive the Kennedy Center Honor in 2002, and then the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009.
Several prominent stars of the stage and screen have paid tribute to the late icon. Catherine Zeta-Jones was one of the first to share her words for Rivera.
Catherine played the role of Velma Kelly in the 2002 musical film version of the Broadway show, which ultimately nabbed her an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.
Alongside several photos of Rivera during her career, Catherine wrote: "Chita Rivera… There are no words to tell you what an incredible impact you have had on my life.
SEE: Catherine Zeta-Jones impresses with a perfect Chicago-style high kick
"From dreaming of being you as a little girl, then meeting you and then being deeply connected to you by playing the one and only Velma Kelly in Chicago. There will never, ever, be anyone like you Chita, ever."
She passionately concluded: "Dim the lights on Broadway! Or, may I suggest, we just [pull] the plug. I love you Chita, sleep tight my Queen."
Fellow Broadway star Kristin Chenoweth tweeted: "Chita, there was only you. Then everyone else. I looked up to you and always will admire you as a talent and mostly as a person! A kick butt woman you were. All the rest of us just wanna be you. RIP CHITA."
Rita Wilson, who made her Broadway debut playing Roxie Hart in a 2006 revival of Chicago, took to Instagram to share a photo herself with Rivera, and penned alongside it: "A true legend. A professional. An artist. Kind."
TRENDING: Inside Suzanne Somers' $9M 28-acre compound with five houses that's for sale following her death
She continued: "At the anniversary of Chicago the Musical we shared a dressing room at a hotel nearby. She made me feel as if I belonged in that space with her, and on stage in Chicago. Her love of her art was so present. She had so much gratitude for being able to do the 'job' she loved and was meant to do.
"Seeing her on stage was as if a diamond magnet appeared, gently pulling you to her, not blinded by her light but enveloped, unable to look anywhere else but at her. I am grateful to have known her for a brief time. May her memory be eternal."
MORE: Chicago Fire pays tribute to beloved crew member following death
Mia Farrow also took to Twitter to write: "Chita Rivera was an authentic Broadway icon – a dazzling actress, singer and dancer. No one who was fortunate enough to have seen any of her performances, will ever forget the experience. She gave us so much. Thank you to the magnificent, irreplaceable Chita Rivera."
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https://www.hellomagazine.com/celebrities/512397/catherine-zeta-jones-leads-personal-tributes-to-chita-rivera-death/
| 2024-01-30T22:31:19Z
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It appears Julianne Hough is in need of some warm weather and pooltime in the midst of this long and cold January.
The Dancing with the Stars host, 35, reminisced about warmer days, sharing a throwback photo of herself from a swimsuit-clad photoshoot.
The Burlesque actress, who is originally from Utah, typically splits her time between Los Angeles, where DWTS is filmed, and New York City, where she moved in 2022 ahead of her Broadway debut for POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass Are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive.
On Tuesday, Julianne made a splash with her latest post on Instagram, sharing a black-and-white photo where she is leaning on the edge of a pool, donning a simple one-piece, with her hair wet and slicked back, though she does have full make-up on and a bold lip.
"A water sign through and through," she wrote in the caption next to a blue heart emoji, making reference to her zodiac sign, Cancer, the first of four water signs. (Her birthday falls on July 20, right on the cusp between Cancer and Leo.)
She credited Samantha Dutton as the photographer behind the striking image, who has worked on several other photoshoots with Julianne, as well as with her best friend and Fresh Vine Wine co-owner Nina Dobrev, plus fellow celebs Sophia Bush, and Freida Pinto, among others.
Julianne's fans were quick to take to the comments section under the post and rave about the shot, with the photographer herself first declaring: "One of my ultimate favssssss," as others followed suit with: "The kindest heart, through and through!!!" and: "Cute picture!!!" as well as: "You're very beautiful," plus another one of her fans also wrote: "Looking gorgeous as always."
MORE: Julianne Hough makes cryptic comment as she opens up about need to 'release some tears'
MORE: Julianne Hough is a sultry goddess in sensational halterneck dress
The professional dancer is currently on a break from her hosting gig on DWTS, following the season 32 finale in December, which saw Marvel star Xochitl Gómez take the winning prize, the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy.
She took on the role alongside longtime host Alfonso Ribeiro for the first time this year, following the departure of previous host Tyra Banks, who held the role for three seasons.
Julianne first appeared on the long-running dance competition as a professional dancer back in 2007, along with her brother Derek Hough, who has been on the judge's panel since 2020.
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https://www.hellomagazine.com/fashion/512396/julianne-hough-makes-splash-swimsuit-pool-photo-you-cannot-miss/
| 2024-01-30T22:31:25Z
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Joe Wicks and wife Rosie Jones left fans overjoyed on Tuesday as the couple confirmed they are expecting their fourth children together.
Joe broke the news on social media as he and Rosie posed together by a beautiful lakeside view, with Joe carrying their youngest daughter, Leni, one, and Rosie showing off her beautiful baby bump. The model was all dressed up in a figure-hugging dress alongside a white puffer coat, while Joe cut a very casual figure in a pair of jeans alongside a shirt and blazer.
Meanwhile, young Leni, who sported the most adorable mop of blonde hair, had been dressed in a blue puffer coat as she smiled at the camera.
"Baby number 4 incoming," Joe said in the caption of his post, revealing that Rosie was already 20 weeks pregnant with their future baby.
The couple were met with love from their fans in the comments, as Jools Oliver shared: "Yay so excited for you, all the happiest news," alongside a string of heart emojis, while a second follower added: " Ah lovely news, congratulations, nothing like an even number."
Alongside Leni, Joe and Rosie are also parents to daughter Indie, five, and son Marley, three, who will no doubt be thrilled to be welcoming another younger sibling into the family.
The news comes as the family prepare for a big move to Santa Monica in California, with the couple planning to home school their eldest daughter for a year. The fitness star told The Times that he wants to try and have an impact in the States and it suits their lifestyle to take Indie out of school.
"I just love being with my kids," Joe explained: "It's not a permanent thing, but we want to have another year together. I don't want to be someone who isn't present in my children’s life . . . what I try and give my children is stability and love, and I want them to know I'm always there for them."
Back in 2022, HELLO! asked Joe how manages his work-life balance and parenting. He told us: "I think it just comes down to prioritising what's important to me. I love being busy, love working and I love writing books and doing new shows, creating new content. But I also love slowing down and being present with my kids and my wife Rosie.
"I think the biggest challenge for me is phone addiction and separating myself from the device, so I’ve had to learn to have better boundaries with that."
On the best thing about being a father, Joe revealed: "It’s probably seeing my kids learn, teaching them and seeing my influence on them. I notice how kind they are or how generous they are. I think that really comes across.
READ: Joe Wicks inundated with support after sharing self-destructive struggles in emotional message
EXCLUSIVE: Joe Wicks reveals unexpected regret at funfair wedding with wife Rosie
"When I look at Indie interacting with people at school, I can see she’s really chatty and really open like Rosie and I. So I think that’s the joyous thing, to see that they are becoming kind little human beings."
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| 2024-01-30T22:31:31Z
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HOUSTON/CARACAS - A reimposition of U.S. sanctions on Venezuela's oil and gas sectors would hurt the OPEC country's ability to collect cash from its oil exports, crimp new energy investments and raise the risks of domestic fuel scarcity, analysts and executives said.
Washington this week ordered a wind down of all business transactions between U.S entities and Venezuela's state miner Minerven, and said it would unwind in April its easing of energy sanctions if President Nicolas Maduro's administration does not stick to an agreement signed last year to accept conditions for a fair presidential election.
The U.S. is increasing its pressure since the South American country's top court last week upheld a ban blocking the leading opposition hopeful, Maria Corina Machado, from the election.
The U.S., which first imposed oil sanctions on Venezuela in 2019, had granted sanctions relief for the OPEC member country in October in recognition of the election deal.
As a result of easing sanctions, Venezuela was expected to grow its total oil revenue to as much as $20 billion this year from some $12 billion in 2023, according to Caracas-based consultancy Ecoanalitica. Larger exports of crude and petrochemicals to cash-paying customers in countries from the U.S. to India were behind its forecast.
"Price discounts on Venezuela's crude had reduced a lot and cashing sales proceeds became easier for state company PDVSA. That was helping Maduro," said Francisco Monaldi, director of the Latin American Energy Program at Rice University's Baker Institute.
"If the license is withdrawn in April, the proceeds will be reduced again and the scenarios of strong economic growth and a competitive election will fade," he added.
Risks of a new bout of acute fuel scarcity also are poised to increase, experts said.
Even if Washington continues authorizations for debt repayment deals to Chevron, Eni, Repsol and Maurel & Prom to avoid a total break with Venezuela, that might not provide sustainable investment to expand output.
"Specific licenses to one or two companies are not going to be very beneficial as a return of investment to Venezuela," said Ali Moshiri, CEO of Amos Global Energy, which has interests in the South American country.
"That is not really going to move the needle for Venezuela's oil sector to increase production significantly," he added.
LOST EFFORT?
The U.S. sanction easing, which began in November 2022 with a special license to Chevron, marked a big change for the South American country's coffers.
PDVSA since 2019 had been forced to switch most of its oil trading to swaps and funnel sales through intermediaries because customers did not want to be exposed to sanctions.
Oil exports by PDVSA and its joint venture partners rose almost 13% to an average 700,000 barrels per day (bpd) last year, tanker tracking data showed, while the country's crude output grew 9% to 783,000 bpd. The company reestablished relationships with some of its former key clients.
The relaxation increased oil revenue, boosting Venezuela's gross domestic product by 5% in 2023. It also paved the way for Venezuela to plan for an expansion of public spending for the first time in years to woo voters.
Venezuela's oil minister Pedro Tellechea on Tuesday said the country was prepared to counter a return of sanctions and warned that the U.S. could also suffer from fewer Venezuelan oil exports.
But his message did little to calm companies that were planning purchases of Venezuelan oil and partnerships for energy projects in Venezuela, according to sources. REUTERS
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https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/return-of-us-oil-sanctions-on-venezuela-to-hit-revenue-fuel-imports
| 2024-01-30T22:31:32Z
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The King released his first statement since being discharged from hospital on Monday – and he had an exciting announcement to make.
Charles, 75, has confirmed that another Big Help Out will take place this year, following the success of last year's event which saw seven million people volunteer as part of the coronation celebrations last May.
The King, who is not currently undertaking public duties while he recuperates from treatment on an enlarged prostate, described the event as an opportunity to build "kinder, closer communities".
His message, which was signed Charles R, was written before he underwent treatment for his benign condition.
To mark the launch of the second Big Help Out, which will be staged over three days from Friday 7 June to Sunday 9 June, the King said: "I have long believed that one of the greatest strengths of our nation is our ability to come together and help each other through times of hardship.
"Throughout my life, I have been encouraged and inspired by those selfless volunteers who dedicate their time and talents to helping others, across all communities and across the full breadth of our country."
The Prince and Princess of Wales and their children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, were among the volunteers to take part, helping out a Scout group in Slough.
The King added in his message: "It was a source of great pride to my whole family that, thanks to all these millions who took part, the coronation became a moment not just to celebrate continuity and nationhood, but also the values that we have long held dear: kindness, compassion and service to others.
"As I said in my Christmas broadcast last year, this is all the more important at a time of real hardship for many, when we need to build on existing ways to support others less fortunate than ourselves. In so doing, we also bring out the best in ourselves."
He ended by saying: "Young people’s energy and enthusiasm can be enormously valuable, and business is a vital part of the fabric of both our local communities and of our wider society.
"So, if you are able, I can only encourage you to support the Big Help Out once more, thereby helping to build the kinder, closer communities of which we can all be so proud."
Charles waved and smiled as he left the London Clinic with his wife, Queen Camilla, by his side on Monday afternoon. Watch the moment in the video below...
While Buckingham Palace did not release any further details about the nature of his medical procedure, the monarch could reportedly take up to a month off from public duties, although it is believed that he has already resumed working through his red boxes.
LISTEN: Why King Charles is the ‘happiest’ he has been despite royal dramas
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https://www.hellomagazine.com/royalty/512388/king-charles-announces-second-big-help-out/
| 2024-01-30T22:31:37Z
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NEW YORK - A federal jury in the United States on Jan 30 ruled in favour of Sotheby’s at a trial in which the Russian billionaire oligarch Dmitry Rybolovlev accused the auction house of defrauding him out of tens of millions of dollars in art sales.
He accused Sotheby’s of conspiring with Swiss art dealer Yves Bouvier to trick him into paying inflated prices for four works including Salvator Mundi, a depiction of Christ attributed to Leonardo da Vinci that would become the most expensive artwork sold at auction.
Sotheby’s, which is privately held, had long maintained that it had no knowledge that Mr Bouvier might have lied, and that it was not liable for his dealings with Mr Rybolovlev.
Mr Bouvier was not a defendant, and has maintained he did nothing wrong.
Mr Rybolovlev, 57, is worth US$6.4 billion (S$8.5 billion) after building his fortune in potash fertiliser, according to Forbes magazine. He is also majority owner of the AS Monaco football team, though it has been reported this year to be exploring a sale.
Mr Daniel Kornstein, a lawyer for Mr Rybolovlev, said the case “achieved our goal of shining a light on the lack of transparency that plagues the art market”. He added: “That secrecy made it difficult to prove a complex aiding and abetting fraud case.”
Sotheby’s said the verdict reaffirmed its commitment to upholding the highest standards of integrity, ethics and professionalism, and reflected a “glaring lack of evidence” that it cheated Mr Rybolovlev.
The case has been among the highest-profile art fraud disputes in recent years, offering a view into an often secretive industry where wealthy buyers sometimes do not know who they are buying from.
Jurors in Manhattan federal court needed less than a day to reach a verdict, in a trial that lasted about three weeks.
US District Judge Jesse Furman had last March let Mr Rybolovlev pursue fraud-based claims over the da Vinci, and works by Gustav Klimt, Rene Magritte and Amedeo Modigliani.
Mr Rybolovlev originally sued Sotheby’s over 15 pieces of world-class art for which he paid more than US$1 billion, and accused Mr Bouvier of charging hundreds of millions of dollars in hidden mark-ups.
Justice Furman dismissed fraud-based claims over the other 11 works, including art from Pablo Picasso, Auguste Rodin and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec.
Mr Rybolovlev was allowed to sue over Salvator Mundi even though his ownership had proven unusually profitable.
According to court papers, Mr Bouvier bought the da Vinci for US$83 million in 2013 and sold it the next day to Mr Rybolovlev for US$127.5 million.
Mr Rybolovlev went on to sell Salvator Mundi at Christie’s in 2017 for US$450.3 million, a record price for an artwork at auction. REUTERS
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https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/sothebys-defeats-russian-oligarch-in-art-fraud-case
| 2024-01-30T22:31:42Z
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King Frederik will make his first trip outside Denmark since his accession, travelling to Poland from 31 January to 2 February.
While it was initially thought that his wife, Queen Mary, will act as regent for three days while Frederik is away for three days, the Danish royal palace has confirmed otherwise.
For the first time, Crown Prince Christian, 18, will assume the role of regent, the royal household has informed Danish magazine, Billed Bladet.
Duties can include signing laws, holding audiences and appointing and dismissing ministers.
Christian, who is in the final year of his secondary education at Ordrup Gymnasium in Gentofte, made a solemn declaration to abide by the Constitution at the Council of State meeting last November.
The declaration was a requirement for Christian to be able to be appointed regent in future, and now that time has come.
Queen Mary, Queen Margrethe's sister Princess Benedikte and Margrethe's youngest son, Prince Joachim, can all be acting regent and perform the duties of head of state.
For Christian, it's the latest in a long list of milestones of late. The prince turned 18 last October with his grandmother Queen Margrethe throwing him a lavish gala dinner in his honour.
To mark the occasion, Margrethe also gifted Christian the Order of Elephant – Denmark's highest honour.
As Frederik became King on 14 January, Christian also took on a new royal title, becoming Crown Prince of Denmark.
It was previously announced by the Danish royal palace that Prince Christian would not receive financial support from Folketing (Parliament) "until he turns 21 or upon a possible change of throne, if it takes place before that".
Given the change of throne, it's possible that Christian may be now receiving some of this royal allowance.
The prince, who is the heir to the Danish throne, has three younger siblings – Princess Isabella, 16, and 13-year-old twins, Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine.
The young royals appeared on the balcony at Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen shortly after their father Frederik was proclaimed King. Watch the moment below…
Queen Margrethe shocked the nation when she announced her decision to abdicate in her New Year's address.
She reigned for 52 years and will still be known as Her Majesty Queen Margrethe.
LISTEN: How King Frederik really feels about Queen Mary's popularity
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https://www.hellomagazine.com/royalty/512394/crown-prince-christian-to-act-regent-king-frederik-travels-poland/
| 2024-01-30T22:31:43Z
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NEW YORK - US stocks finished mixed on Jan 30 ahead of the Federal Reserve’s interest rate decision, where traders and analysts will be looking for clues on when the central bank could start cutting rates.
The Fed is almost certain to keep its key lending rate on hold on Jan 31 for a fourth straight meeting, as it continues its fight to return inflation to its long-run goal of 2 per cent.
On Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.4 per cent to finish the day at 38,467.31.
The broad-based S&P 500 slipped 0.1 per cent 4,924.97, and the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite fell 0.8 per cent to 15,509.90.
Earlier in the day, fresh data showed that consumer confidence rose to its highest level in January for more than two years, while inflation expectations fell.
“I think that if inflation keeps falling and if the economic activity is still strong, this is an ideal economy for the Fed,” Cresset Capital chief investment officer Jack Ablin told AFP.
“This gives the Fed a lot of elbow room,” he added.
Among individual stocks, package delivery company UPS saw its share price plunge 8.2 per cent after announcing 12,000 job cuts.
And the share price of auto giant General Motors rose 7.8 per cent after it beat profit targets and announced changes to its lineup to include plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. AFP
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https://www.straitstimes.com/business/companies-markets/us-stocks-mixed-ahead-of-us-fed-rate-decision
| 2024-01-30T22:31:53Z
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NEW YORK - Chita Rivera – a singer, dancer and actress who lit up Broadway stages over six decades in such shows as West Side Story and Chicago as one of the foremost entertainers of her generation – died on Jan 30, her publicist said. She was 91.
Rivera died in New York after a “brief illness,” her daughter Lisa Mordente said in a statement released by publicist Merle Frimark.
Trained in voice, piano and ballet from a young age, Rivera was dancing on Broadway before she was 20 and kept at it all the way into her early 80s.
Rivera became one of the most nominated actors in the history of the Tony Awards, Broadway’s highest prizes – with 10 nods.
In 2002, she earned Kennedy Centre honours – a top US arts distinction – and was feted at the White House in 2009 with the presidential medal of freedom.
Sensual and with a brassy stage presence, Rivera played some of Broadway’s most acclaimed roles, and worked under legendary talents including Leonard Bernstein, Bob Fosse, Stephen Sondheim and Jerome Robbins.
She and fellow actress Rita Moreno paved the way for other stars of Puerto Rican descent, such as actor-songwriter-playwright Lin-Manuel Miranda of Hamilton fame - to conquer Broadway.
Rivera earned the breakout role in 1957 of Anita in West Side Story, the 20th century American adaptation of the Shakespeare tale Romeo And Juliet, which made her a star and earned her a first Tony nomination.
But when the film was made, the role of Anita went to Moreno. It was the first but not the last time a major Hollywood role would elude Rivera after she lit up the stage in the same part.
Broadway glory
Born at the height of the Great Depression on Jan 23, 1933, in the US capital Washington, Dolores Conchita Figueroa del Rivero was one of five children of a Catholic couple.
Her father, a Navy musician, died when she was seven.
At age 11, she enrolled in a local ballet school, and at 16 she auditioned for the renowned School of American Ballet run by George Balanchine and travelled to New York City after winning a scholarship.
After three years of training, Rivera sought small Broadway roles as a dancer.
Seeking to downplay her ethnicity, she changed her name to Chita O’Hara, before eventually settling on Chita Rivera.
Still, she often felt out of place, recalling in her 2023 book Chita: A Memoir what she saw around her at an early audition: “Standing next to me... were leggy, busty blondes in body-revealing dresses with slashes of red lipstick highlighting their pretty faces.
“And here was I, short, dark, dressed in a black skirt and leotards, and with a nose like ‘a chicken’s butt.’“
But a fierce determination saw her through, along with an audacious attempt to branch into singing parts.
After West Side Story, Rivera won the lead part of Rose in Bye Bye, Birdie, starring opposite Dick van Dyke in the captivating musical loosely based on Elvis Presley, in which a New York-based songwriter dreams up a publicity stunt when his key client is drafted into the Army.
But when it came time for a film version, she was passed over once again by Hollywood, with Janet Leigh of Psycho fame getting the call to play Rose.
In 1975, Rivera starred as Velma Kelly in Chicago opposite Gwen Verdon as Roxie Hart in the musical directed by the legendary Bob Fosse. She would later make a cameo in the 2002 film version.
“Chita’s influence, warmth, and other-worldly talent will inspire us always. Tonight’s show is for her,” said the official social media account for the latest Broadway revival of Chicago.
‘Spider Woman’
Rivera never held any overt grudges over such slights, always returning to Broadway in new roles.
She appeared three times on The Ed Sullivan Show, a popular television variety show that gave her a huge nationwide audience.
Rivera married a fellow dancer from West Side Story, Tony Mordente, in 1957. Their daughter Lisa was born before the marriage ended in divorce in 1966.
In her memoir, Rivera recounted how during the run of the musical Mr Wonderful, she had an affair with costar Sammy Davis Jr.
Her other notable shows included Sweet Charity, The Rink, Kiss Of The Spider Woman (for which she won a Tony in 1993) and a 2003 Broadway revival of Nine, in which she co-starred alongside Antonio Banderas.
Rivera won a Tony for lifetime achievement in 2018. AFP
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https://www.straitstimes.com/life/entertainment/broadway-legend-chita-rivera-dies-aged-91
| 2024-01-30T22:32:03Z
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