North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is returning from Russia with pledges to help with his space program

DENVER--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug 31, 2023--

Warmer and cleaner waters off the coast of Long Island, New York, in recent years have brought growing numbers of bait fish to the area — and with them, the bigger fish that eat them, including sharks. In some ways, it's a good sign for the environment. But it's a different story for swimmers, surfers and beach goers.

Free-to-play games have become increasingly popular over the years, and it's easy to understand why.

Ever wondered why people say they can smell rain before it rains? They are not pulling your leg - there is real science behind it. It is all because of petrichor, made up from the Greek words "petra", meaning stone, and '"ichor", which refers to the golden fluid that flows in the veins of the gods in their mythology. It basically means the the "smell of rain" with the phrase coined by Australian scientists Joy Bear and Richard Thomas in 1964. Jeff Weber, a meteorologist with the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research Unidata Program Center told the Mirror: "Petrichor is caused by oils derived from plants, primarily leaves, that accumulate over dry periods. These oils settle into soils or onto pavement over time and are released into the atmosphere by being disturbed by rainfall." According to the Met Office, the reason people claim to smell rain because it comes is because "when a higher humidity is experienced as a precursor to rain, the pores of rocks and soil become trapped with moisture forcing some of the oils to be released into the air". Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Despite some being released before it actually rains, the strongest smell is released during. This is when raindrops landing on soil "trap tiny air bubbles on the surface which then shoot upward" and "burst out of the drop throwing aerosols of scent into the air where they are then distributed by the wind". The smell is produced by a soil bacteria which releases a chemical called geosmin, which provides an "earthy", musky or fresh aroma. Before it rains, a person might be able to smell the scent of ozone, or O3, which is a naturally present gas in the atmosphere which gets its name from the Greek word 'ozein', or smell. It sometimes indicate that a storm is on the way because pockets of gas are pushed down to ground level by winds. This means that those who are sensitive to the smells will likely be able to pick them up. So now you know. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Everyone is getting in on the buzz around Barbie before the film's July 21 premiere.

A group of nearly 30 House Democrats has accused Elon Musk and X of profiting from Hamas propaganda. The group, led by Reps Jamie Raskin and Dan Goldman, sent a letter to Mr Musk and X CEO Linda Yaccarino on Tuesday accusing the company of not following its own policies regarding “violent and hateful entities,” which prohibits promotion of terrorist organizations and propaganda and states the platform works to remove such violations. The letter outlined reports from non-profit research groups that showed X accounts sharing “uncensored videos depicting the desecration of corpses”. The lawmakers said such content was being spread in “the darkest corners” of the platform through hashtags used by people monitoring updates about the Israel-Hamas war. They added that the posts and accounts “were allowed to remain live for days after their policy violations had been publicized”. The group went on to accuse X of profiting off the back of the “Hamas propaganda” being shared, “through monthly subscription fees collected from some propaganda spreaders” and “ads displayed in replies to posts by both Premium and regular accounts”. This, the lawmakers said, is “indefensible”. The lawmakers concluded by asking Mr Musk and Ms Yaccarino to “uphold your public commitments and enforce your policies”. They also asked the pair to provide “all forms of written communications … relating to content moderation for any posts or accounts associated with, related to, or connected to Hamas”. X did not immediately returnThe Independent‘s request for comment. However, the same day that the letter was sent, Mr Musk announced plans to donate all revenue the social media platform generates from advertising and subscriptions linked to the war to hospitals in Israel and the Red Cross in Gaza. “X Corp will be donating all revenue from advertising & subscriptions associated with the war in Gaza to hospitals in Israel and the Red Cross/Crescent in Gaza,” he posted on X. The condemnation from House Democrats marks just the latest development in the growing antisemitism row encircling Mr Musk and the social media platform. Since Mr Musk’s $44bn acquisition of X closed last year, he has relaxed moderation policies on the platform and cut many staff involved with moderating content. In recent months, Mr Musk has come under fire on multiple occasions over content promoting antisemitism on the site. Mr Musk has also sparked outrage over his own peronal posts and comments which have promoted antisemitic content. Last week, the self-described “free-speech absolutist” said a post which promoted an antisemitic theory was “the actual truth”. A social media user had appeared to push the “great replacement” conspiracy theory on X, claiming that Jewish communities “have been pushing the exact kind of dialectical hatred against whites that they claim to want people to stop using against them”. “I’m deeply disinterested in giving the tiniest s*** now about Western Jewish populations coming to the disturbing realisation that those hordes of minorities that support flooding their country don’t exactly like them too much. You want truth said to your face, there it is,” the post added. Mr Musk responded by writing: “You have said the actual truth.” His response received praise from white nationalist Nick Fuentes – while prompting widespread backlash from dozens more, including the White House, with many accusing him of antisemitism. He later responded to the accusations of antisemitism, insisting “nothing could be further from the truth”. “This past week, there were hundreds of bogus media stories claiming that I am antisemitic. Nothing could be further from the truth,” he wrote. “I wish only the best for humanity and a prosperous and exciting future for all.” Days later, left-wing non-profit organisation Media Matters published a report revealing that adverts from big brands including IBM, Apple, Oracle and Bravo were running next to pro-Hitler and antisemitic content on Mr Musk’s social media platform. The revelation prompted a series of major companies – including Disney, Apple and IBM – to pull advertising from X. On Monday, Mr Musk responded by filing a “thermonuclear lawsuit” against Media Matters. He and other X executives denied the accusations in the report, saying that the research strategy used by the non-profit to uncover the content placed next to company adverts was not representative of how regular people use its platform. The organisation had followed accounts that posted the content, then refreshed the X timeline until adverts appeared, X executive Joe Benarroch said. Meanwhile, an X spokesperson told The Independent the company did not intentionally place the adverts next to the posts from the antisemitic accounts, which have now been demonetised, meaning advertising can no longer run on their profiles. However, the accounts have not been removed. Media Matters president Angelo Carusone issued a statement on Monday addressing Mr Musk’s campaign against the organisation, calling the lawsuit “meritless” and “an attempt to silence reporting that he even confirmed is accurate”. “Musk admitted the ads at issue ran alongside the pro-Nazi content we identified. If he does sue us, we will win,” the non-profit said. This came after an earlier scandal in the days after the 7 October Hamas attacks on Israel, where Mr Musk was forced to delete a post in which he amplified an account widely accused of antisemitism and promoted debunked videos as reliable sources of information about the attack. Last year, advocacy organisation the American Jewish Committee called on Mr Musk to apologise over a controversial post that made a satirical comparison between Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Adolf Hitler. Mr Musk has previously insisted that he is “pro free speech” but against antisemitism “of any kind”. Read More Elon Musk amplifies Pizzagate conspiracy theory Biden joins rival Threads after Musk’s ‘unacceptable’ response to antisemitism on X Musk files defamation suit against Media Matters over Nazi X post claims Elon Musk and Trump aide want journalists jailed over X Hitler exposé Elon Musk insists he’s not antisemitic after sharing antisemitic post SpaceX Starship rocket loses contact after reaching space: Live updates

'Yes, it's true... You have a f**king Mexican party in a pool. Trash!' Featherman allegedly said

Apple will update the iPhone 12 in France after fears it was emitting too much radiation. The company will issue an update to users in the country that it said would address regulators’ concerns. It comes after officials ordered Apple to stop selling the phone, saying that testing showed that its radiation was over European Union Standards. Apple says that the iPhone 12 is safe and that it has successfully passed a range of tests in countries around the world. It has blamed the specific testing used by the French agency in charge, saying that the problems were “related to a specific testing protocol”. The French agency said the iPhone 12 recently failed one of two types of tests for electromagnetic waves capable of being absorbed by the body. On Tuesday, France’s government ordered a halt to sales of the iPhone 12 and told Apple to issue a software update to address the problem or face a recall. Apple said in a statement Friday that it “will issue a software update for users in France to accommodate the protocol used by French regulators.” It did not elaborate. The French ban could have extended to all 27 EU countries after three months if Apple had refused to issue updates and if no other government objected, European Commission spokesperson Sonya Gospodinova said Thursday. France’s digital affairs minister said the iPhone 12’s radiation levels are still much lower than what scientific studies consider potentially harmful to users, and the radiation agency acknowledged that its tests don’t reflect typical phone use. Cellphones have been labeled as possible carcinogens by the World Health Organization’s cancer research arm, putting them in the same category as coffee, diesel fumes and the pesticide DDT. The radiation produced by cellphones cannot directly damage DNA and is different from stronger types of radiation like X-rays or ultraviolet light. Experts have recommended that people concerned about their cellphone radiation exposure use earphones or switch to texting. Additional reporting by agencies Read More Warning over criminals using digital switchover to scam vulnerable people TikTok fined 345m euro by watchdog over use of children’s data Apple Store goes offline as Apple opens pre-orders for iPhone 15

SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sep 19, 2023--

China has imposed export curbs on two metals used in computer chips and solar cells, expanding a squabble with Washington over high-tech trade ahead of Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen’s visit to Beijing this week

Nuclear energy is gaining significant momentum in Ontario, with new plans to expand an existing plant to become