World Bank needs new playbook to boost private investment in emerging markets, new chief says
By Andrea Shalal WASHINGTON The World Bank must use "informed risk-taking" to encourage private investors to get more
2023-06-12 01:28
'Too Hot To Handle' Season 5: Fans brand Isaac 'ruthlessly selfish' after AI host Lana's elimination
After Isaac betrayed two women on the show, Lana noticed that he was not taking the retreat seriously and was being selfish
2023-07-29 09:45
GTA 6 fans convinced minimal teaser image has hidden detail about game
The trailer for Grand Theft Auto 6 will be arriving for the whole world to see on December 5th after more than 10 years of fans waiting for the next installment of the incredibly popular gaming series. The game's developer Rockstar Games announced on December 1st that the trailer would be arriving on Tuesday and even before the announcement, fans were pouring over every possible detail they could find. Some believe they've already pinpointed where the game will be set, the size of the map which is expected to be humungous and just how "beautiful" the graphics will be. Ahead of the trailer Rockstar Games released a single image for the trailer which is of a sunset against palm trees and three seagulls. Nothing too special and worth reading into? Think again. Over on Reddit, fans have theorised that the three birds could signify that the game will again have three playable characters again just like there were in GTA 5. One Reddit user wrote: "I was wondering if the three birds were significant, like maybe we’re getting three characters again." IGN reports that people think the birds signify what songs could be included in the game with popular suggestions being 'Three Little Birds' by Bob Marley and The Wailers or 'Free Bird' by Lynyrd Skynyrd. Whether the birds mean anything remains to be seen but fans won't have to wait long to find out but there is no date on when the game will actually be released with some fearing that it could still be years. Sign up to our new free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.
2023-12-02 19:28
Pieces of Asteroid Bennu about to come to Earth as part of Nasa’s Osiris-Rex mission
Scientists are preparing to receive pieces of a distant asteroid, which will fall to Earth over the weekend and could reveal where we came from. On Sunday, a sample collected by a Nasa spacecraft that landed on Asteroid Bennu will float down into the Utah desert, where it will be gathered by scientists. They will then start work on analysing that material, in the hopes of understanding how planets form and what our solar system was like in its distant past. Nasa sent its Osiris-Rex spacecraft to Bennu in 2016, and it touched down on the distant asteroid in 2020, and scooped up a piece. Since then, it has been flying back towards Earth to drop the sample back home. The sample dropped out of Osiris-Rex will float down into the desert, helped by a parachute that should safely allow it to fall to the ground. The spacecraft itself will continue to fly, on its way to start a new mission to study another asteroid towards the end of the decade. It is the US space agency’s first mission to collect a sample from an asteroid, and is the largest asteroid sample ever returned to Earth. The capsule is estimated to hold around 250g of rocks and dust collected from the asteroid’s surface. Nasa will release a quarter of the sample to a group of more than 200 people from more than 35 globally distributed institutions, including a team of scientists from The University of Manchester, and the Natural History Museum. Asteroid Bennu is a 4.5-billion-year-old remnant of our early solar system and scientists believe it can help shed light on how planets formed and evolved. Experts say the carbon-rich, near-Earth asteroid serves as a time capsule from the earliest history of the solar system. It is anticipated that the sample will provide important clues that could help us to understand the origin of organics and water that may have led to life on Earth. Because the sample has been collected directly from the asteroid, there will be almost zero contamination. Meteorites that fall to Earth are quickly contaminated from the second they make contact with our atmosphere. This means Bennu can give us an unspoiled glimpse into the past. Ashley King, UKRI future leaders fellow, Natural History Museum, said: “Osiris-Rex spent over two years studying asteroid Bennu, finding evidence for organics and minerals chemically altered by water. “These are crucial ingredients for understanding the formation of planets like Earth, so we’re delighted to be among the first researchers to study samples returned from Bennu. ‘We think the Bennu samples might be similar in composition to the recent Winchcombe meteorite fall, but largely uncontaminated by the terrestrial environment and even more pristine.” Dr Sarah Crowther, research fellow in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at The University of Manchester, said: “It is a real honour to be selected to be part of the Osiris-Rex Sample Analysis Team, working with some of the best scientists around the world. “We’re excited to receive samples in the coming weeks and months, and to begin analysing them and see what secrets asteroid Bennu holds. “A lot of our research focuses on meteorites, and we can learn a lot about the history of the solar system from them. “But meteorites get hot coming through Earth’s atmosphere and can sit on Earth for many years before they are found, so the local environment and weather can alter or even erase important information about their composition and history. “Sample return missions like Osiris-Rex are vitally important because the returned samples are pristine, we know exactly which asteroid they come from and can be certain that they are never exposed to the atmosphere so that important information is retained.” The spacecraft launched on September 8, 2016 and arrived at Bennu in December 2018. After mapping the asteroid for almost two years, it collected a sample from the surface on October 20, 2020. The capsule is expected to land at 3.55pm (BST). Astrophysicist Professor Boris Gansicke, Department of Physics, University of Warwick, said: “The asteroids in our solar system contain the raw building blocks from which the Earth was made, so working out their composition will tell us a lot of how our planet formed. “There are many open questions, for instance where did the water that we have on Earth come from? And where did the ingredients that made life possible to develop come from? “To answer those questions, i.e. measure the composition of an asteroid, you need to get your ‘hands’ on them (or in this case the arm of a space mission), and this is what Osiris-Rex achieved. “In a nutshell, it’s similar to sitting in front of a delicious dinner and wanting to have the list of ingredients.” Additional reporting by agencies Read More You need to update your Apple devices right now Amazon Prime Video will soon start running ads – unless you pay even more Amazon Prime Video will soon start running ads unless you pay a monthly fee You need to update your Apple devices right now Amazon Prime Video will soon start running ads – unless you pay even more Amazon Prime Video will soon start running ads unless you pay a monthly fee
2023-09-23 00:25
Russia-Georgia flights resume despite protests, strained ties
Direct flights have resumed between Russia and Georgia amid protests and sharp criticism from the South Caucasus nation's president
2023-05-19 22:28
YouTube Shorts announces collaborations, live vertical video recommendations
YouTube's short form TikTok competitor, YouTube Shorts, continues to grow beyond being just a place
2023-08-02 05:19
The Best Pumpkin-Carving Tools and Accessories, According to an Expert
Maniac Pumpkin Carvers’ co-founder Marc Evan shares his tips, tricks, and picks for the best pumpkin-carving tools.
2023-08-29 04:24
COP28 puts spotlight on state oil giants
Western energy firms are the usual suspects when it comes to criticism about the sector's role in climate change, but a less visible lineup of...
2023-12-01 10:27
Angels' Luis Rengifo injures left biceps with a swing in the on-deck circle
Luis Rengifo strained his left biceps while taking a swing in the on-deck circle, and the injury has forced him to leave the Los Angeles Angels’ game against Cleveland
2023-09-08 14:19
Manhole cover chaos causes major embarrassment for F1 chiefs in Las Vegas
Formula One bosses were facing up to one of the most embarrassing days in the sport’s recent history after practice for the much-anticipated Las Vegas Grand Prix was completed at 4am in an empty arena. After months of hype leading up to the £500million race, the first running was abandoned with just eight minutes on the clock. Second practice was then delayed by two and a half hours, and played out in front of vacant grandstands after furious fans were ejected to comply with local laws. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc topped the order, with Max Verstappen sixth and Lewis Hamilton ninth, but the event – billed by F1 chiefs as the greatest show on earth – dramatically unravelled more than seven hours previously. A water valve cover broke free from the newly laid tarmac and tore into the underbelly of Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari at 210mph on the Las Vegas Boulevard. The force of the impact visibly jolted Sainz in the cockpit and, amid a flurry of white smoke and orange sparks, disabled his machine. Race director Niels Wittich red-flagged the session, but not before Esteban Ocon also struck the debris. On-board footage from Fernando Alonso’s Aston Martin captured the 42-year-old dramatically dodging the loose drain cover. Eleven minutes later, at 8:49pm, it was announced practice would not be resumed. Both Sainz and Ocon escaped without injury – but their cars were severely damaged. A giant hole tore through Sainz’s Ferrari leaving his mechanics facing an extensive repair job. Team principal Frederic Vasseur, who appeared in a pre-arranged press conference moments later, was furious. “We completely damaged the monocoque, engine and battery,” he said. “It is just unacceptable.” Second practice had originally been scheduled to start at midnight. But it was postponed as all 30 drain covers along the 1.2-mile Las Vegas Boulevard – which runs against the backdrop of Caesars Palace, Bellagio and Venetian hotels – were inspected. The covers were removed and holes filled with concrete and quick-drying resin in a hasty repair job. The track was finally deemed fit-for-purpose at 2:30am local time. However, when the running resumed the stands were empty after strict labour laws posed a security risk. Some disgruntled fans, who refused to leave, were moved on by police. A general admission ticket for the three-day event costs 500 US dollars (£400), while a hospitality suite was sold at an eye-watering 150,000 US dollars (£120,000) for the three days. The disastrous failure in Las Vegas comes 48 hours after a Superbowl-like opening ceremony, and a day on from triple world champion Verstappen heavily criticising the staging of the Grand Prix – the first here in four decades – as “99 per cent show, and one per cent sport”. F1 executives are keen to build on the sport’s growing popularity in the United States. The race in Nevada joins Austin and Miami as the third in America. Yet the mess here drew parallels with the 2005 United States Grand Prix at Indianapolis where only six drivers took part amid tyre safety fears. Leclerc finished half-a-second clear of team-mate Sainz. Verstappen, a winner of 17 of the 20 rounds so far, was nine tenths adrift with Hamilton 1.3 sec back in his Mercedes. Third practice is due to begin at 8.30pm on Friday (4.30am GMT on Saturday) with qualifying for Saturday’s 50-lap race taking place at midnight (8.00am GMT on Sunday). Read More Toto Wolff fuelled by ‘personal anger’ to help Lewis Hamilton win eighth title On this day in 2010: Sebastian Vettel becomes youngest ever F1 world champion Lewis Hamilton ‘counting down days’ to end of season after another poor race Max Verstappen thwarts Lando Norris’ bid for first F1 win with sprint victory On this day in 2015: Susie Wolff ends her bid to get on an F1 starting grid Lando Norris ‘gutted’ to miss out on Brazilian GP pole after McLaren blunder
2023-11-17 20:54
Texas Rangers World Series gear: Where to buy shirts, hats and more
The Texas Rangers are World Series champions! Here is how to buy their World Series hats and shirts, courtesy of the official suppliers.
2023-11-02 12:56
Weak yen gives Japan's automakers temporary relief from China pain
By Daniel Leussink TOKYO Japanese automakers are getting much-needed cover from an old standby, as the weaker yen
2023-08-14 07:21
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