Albania’s prime minister has responded to not being invited by Greece to a dinner for top officials from nine Balkan nations and the European Union by saying that in “such turbulent times” Europe’s unity is “larger than what divides us.”

The floor of Crawford Lake in Ontario acts like a storybook, preserving Earth’s recent history in chronological order. Crawford Lake reveals the activities of local Iroquoian communities from the late 13th to 15th centuries, all the way through to the present day. This is because Crawford Lake is a meromictic lake, meaning that the dense bottom layer of water does not mix with the less dense upper layers. “The isolated bottom layer of water remains under disturbed, enabling the accumulation of clearly laminated valves which record precise information about the time during which they were deposited,” according to the Anthropocene Working Group. Experts have nominated Crawford Lake as representation for the start of the Anthropocene epoch, a proposed new geological era characterised by significant changes to the planet’s surface as a result of human behaviour. The Anthropocene is yet to be officially accepted as a unit of geologic time, but in 2016 a working group under the guidance of an International Commission on Stratigraphy subcommittee agreed that human behaviour has left scars so deep that they will remain evident even into the distant future. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter One of the most notable markers of the Anthropocene is the appearance of plutonium, a radioactive material that appeared in the mid-20th century as a result of hydrogen bomb tests. “The presence of plutonium gives us a stark indicator of when humanity became such a dominant force that it could leave a unique global ‘fingerprint’ on our planet,” explained Professor Andrew Cundy, Chair in Environmental Radiochemistry at the University of Southampton and member of the Anthropocene Working Group. “In nature, plutonium is only present in trace amounts. But in the early-1950s, when the first hydrogen bomb tests took place, we see an unprecedented increase and then spike in the levels of plutonium in core samples from around the world. We then see a decline in plutonium from the mid-1960s onwards when the Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty came into effect.” Agreeing on a simple measure that defines the boundary between chapters in Earth’s history is just the first step. This measure requires agreement among scientists on a single location to define the boundaries. Known as the Global Boundary Stratotype Section and Point, or a golden spike, plays a crucial role in standardising these borders between epochs. The Anthropocene Working Group has been evaluating potential golden spike sites, from Oued Akrech, Morocco, to Alano di Piave, Italy. After spending three years assessing the qualities of a dozen potential golden spikes for the Anthropocene, finally the AGW has landed on Crawford Lake. “Crawford Lake is so special because it allows us to see at annual resolution the changes in Earth history throughout two separate periods of human impact on this small lake,” micropalaeontologist Francine McCarthy of Brock University in Canada, a voting member of the AGW, said at a press briefing. The lake’s unique properties, such as its small size, depth, and lack of water mixing create sediments that precisely record environmental changes over the past millennia. To officially establish the Anthropocene in the International Chronostratigraphic Chart, the golden spike at Crawford Lake must undergo a series of voting by various commissions and unions. If successful, it will mark the moment when human activities permanently altered the planet. 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.

Mississippi Supreme Court Chief Justice Mike Randolph says efforts to attach him to a lawsuit challenging a new state law are a “circus” with “no legal precedent in U_S_ history.”

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BEIJING China's July new home prices fell for the first time this year, official data showed on Wednesday,

By Clara Denina and Sarah McFarlane LONDON Major brands, including the investment arm of the IKEA group, are

Second gentleman Doug Emhoff's role as a leader confronting antisemitism -- and, personally, his historic role as the first Jewish spouse of a president or vice president -- has taken new significance this week.

James Maddison is more than happy to shoulder responsibility at Tottenham but has insisted it will take a “collective” effort to replace Harry Kane. Maddison continues to impress in the Spurs number 10 shirt previously worn by Kane, who completed a £100million move to Bayern Munich on the eve of the new season. Kane’s departure has not derailed the early progress of Ange Postecoglou’s team with Maddison relishing his role as creator in chief with two assists at Brentford earlier this month followed up with a maiden Tottenham goal in Saturday’s 2-0 win over Bournemouth. While Richarlison and captain Son Heung-min are yet to open their accounts for the season, Dejan Kulusevski ended his drought with the second at the Vitality Stadium to extend the feelgood factor currently around the club. “It’s tough if you’re asking me to try and get 30 goals,” Maddison joked. “It’s a collective. You can’t even look to replace what Harry Kane gives you. You’ve got to all chip in and look to try and score the same amount of goals from different areas. “Harry is probably the best number nine in the world. You will never find a direct replacement in terms of goals and what he can give you. We should all be chipping in.” Spurs have had five different goalscorers and benefited from an own goal during their three Premier League fixtures and there appears a new lease of life for several members of a squad rundown by the end of a tough 2022-23 campaign. Yves Bissouma and Pape Sarr, having rarely featured under Postecoglou’s predecessor Antonio Conte, have quickly formed an encouraging midfield partnership with Maddison, and Pedro Porro has made the most of his early opportunities at right-back. When Maddison joined from Leicester in June for an initial £40million fee, he was not viewed as a replacement for Kane but continues to provide creativity and a goal threat. It's tough if you're asking me to try and get 30 goals! It's a collective. James Maddison on replacing Harry Kane The 26-year-old insists the philosophy of ex-Celtic boss Postecoglou has been key to Tottenham’s flying start despite losing the England captain. Maddison told BBC’s Match of the Day: “The type of person I am, I’m at my best when I have responsibility on my shoulders and that’s when I thrive. “I am a player who loves to be on the ball and that fits with how the manager wants his players to play. This was a good day for all that. “We’ve got the bit between our teeth. We have some momentum so long may that continue and hopefully we can still implement the final steps the gaffer wants to see, which is attacking football.” Postecoglou has enjoyed an unbeaten start to life at Tottenham but it is a different story for Bournemouth head coach Andoni Iraola. Iraola watched his team open the season with a 1-1 home draw against West Ham before defeats have followed against Liverpool and Tottenham. The fixture list does not get any kinder with Brentford, Chelsea, Brighton and Arsenal to come in September but Iraola blamed himself for a drop-off during the latter stages of this Spurs loss, with Ryan Christie’s withdrawal on the hour mark viewed in hindsight as a mistake. “We knew from the beginning that we had a very tough schedule to start and now we have some important players out with injuries but we have to keep competing,” Iraola insisted. “I think probably after the game you think and I shouldn’t have taken Ryan out of from the game because especially without the ball, he was pressing really well. “I wanted to go a little bit more offensive, but we were worse from that point. I don’t know if it was after the subs or 2-0 because it was one minute later. “Probably until the 62nd minute we were playing well and – against a very good team – having our chances. “So, I was quite happy with the performance, but from there we couldn’t keep the intensity and they were controlling the game much easier.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Iain Henderson: World Cup selection not a factor in unconvincing Ireland display Daniel Dubois’ camp to lobby for No Contest after Oleksandr Usyk drama On this day in 2016: Hull beat Warrington to win Challenge Cup

'Silence is not an option for me,' Melissa Barrera said in an Instagram Story after being fired

Actress Emily Blunt has apologised after a video of her making a "fatphobic" comment resurfaced online. The clip, which was from a 2012 interview on The Jonathan Ross Show, shows Blunt telling a story where she refers to a Chili's worker as "enormous" for seemingly no reason. "The girl who was serving me was enormous. I think she got freebie meals at Chili's", Blunt said to TV host Jonathan Ross who responded to her description of the woman by saying: "Nothing wrong with that." In a statement issued to The Independent, Blunt apologised for her comments saying: "I just need to address this head on as my jaw was on the floor watching this clip from 12 years ago. I'm appalled that I would say something so insensitive, hurtful, and unrelated to whatever story I was trying to tell on a talk show. "I've always considered myself someone who wouldn't dream of upsetting anyone so whatever possessed me to say anything like this in that moment is unrecognisable to me or anything I stand for. And yet it happened, and I said it and I'm so sorry for any hurt caused. I was absolutely old enough to know better." Many called out Blunt's comments on social media when the video first resurfaced. Others called the comment "unnecessary" and said Blunt appeared to "be a not very nice person". Some said they felt sad for the waitress who was likely excited to meet Blunt, only to see her being shamed for her body on TV by the actress. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Nicknamed "Pele in a skirt" by the late football great himself, the Brazilian star better known to fans as "Queen Marta" has her last shot at winning the Women's...

Asian markets fell Tuesday on concerns over interest rates following hawkish comments by a senior Federal Reserve official indicating the central bank was likely to...