SEOUL, South Korea--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sep 4, 2023--

Lana Del Rey's Glastonbury performance came to a premature end when her microphone was cut due to her being 30 minutes late on stage.

A natural phenomenon consisting of polka-dot-style formations has been cropping up around the world, and scientists are baffled as to why. The circular-shaped patches of ground have been seen in deserts in Australia and Namibia but now experts believe they are more widespread than originally thought. Known as “fairy circles”, there are now 263 known sites across the globe where they can be found, according to new research published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). They have been documented in 15 countries, across three continents, including the Sahel region of Africa, Madagascar, and in Middle-West Asia. And yet, despite the spread of these anomalies, scientists are still none the wiser about how they actually form. A team led by environmental scientist Emilio Guirado, of the University of Alicante in Spain, explained in their paper on the "intriguing" phenomenon: “We conducted a global and systematic assessment of fairy circle-like vegetation patterns and discovered hundreds of [fairy-circle]-like locations on three continents. “Our study provides insights into the ecology and biogeography of these fascinating vegetation patterns and the first atlas of their global distribution.” The mysterious circles appear in desert regions and can be as wide as 12 metres (39 feet) in diameter. They are almost always spaced out and rarely connect or overlap with one another. Several theories have been put forward as to what causes them, including, tiny insects, termites, and plant toxins. But, none have been accompanied by any significant evidence and some have been debunked completely. One significant factor limiting their study is they are often found in places that are difficult to access and are inhospitable. Locating the 263 different sites of “fairy circles” involved analysing high-resolution satellite imagery. Guirado and his team wrote in their paper: “[The sites] include those already identified in Namibia and Western Australia, as well as areas never described before, including the Sahel, Western Sahara, Horn of Africa, Madagascar, Southwest Asia, or Central and Southwest Australia. “By doing so, our study provides a global atlas of areas showing FC-like vegetation patterns and expands the known existence of this vegetation type to new countries and continents.” The team hopes that locating new sites will enable them to find common traits that may point towards their cause. 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.

Frank Lampard has confirmed yet another injury blow to Chelsea.

The gunman who killed 23 people and wounded 22 others at an El Paso Walmart in one of the deadliest attacks targeting Latinos in modern US history has agreed to pay more than $5.5 million in restitution to those impacted by the shooting.

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 16, 2023--

The Los Angeles Dodgers’ third straight 100-win season led to a third consecutive postseason flop

Morag, an imposing Highland cow with a caramel coat, ambles out of the main shed at Dumble Farm in northern England and stands ready...

Spain has recorded its third hottest summer since official records began 62 years ago

A woman has been urged to leave her boyfriend after she admitted that his attempt at being “cute” left her feeling uncomfortable. In a lengthy Reddit post, the 28-year-old said that her partner (who is 11 years her senior) managed to locate her in CCTV footage and then sent her the images. She explained that she works remotely and likes to take her laptop to a nearby mall with an indoor botanical garden. “One day I told him I was there, and then later he texted me several photos that made me feel uncomfortable,” she recounted. Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter “The photos were stills from security footage from cameras around the mall. The pictures were me at a coffee shop, walking, and working on my laptop. “I don’t know how he accessed the security footage system, he doesn’t work in a field even remotely related to security,” she continued. “Receiving these pictures made me feel weird, and I sent him a direct message saying to not do it again. “I know he intended for this to be flattering or ‘cute’ but…..it didn’t feel cute. It was an awkward and uncomfortable situation to be in and we didn’t talk about it beyond that.” However, she said the matter came up several months later when they were discussing unresolved conflicts in their relationship. “I brought that up as an example of something that upset me and was never addressed,” the 28-year-old wrote. “I told him it wasn’t cute and felt invasive.” She went on: “He told me that by sending him a direct text that day saying not to do it again, that I had ‘lost my s**t’ on him just to make him seem like a creep, and I was ‘delusional’ for being upset. “He said he talked about it with friends and they said it was actually cute and I was basically being overly critical or harsh.” This wasn’t an opinion shared by fellow Redditors, hundreds of whom flocked to offer the original poster (OP) their support. “Your boyfriend is old enough to be your father, stalking you, and gaslighting you when you feel uncomfortable. RUN,” one reccomended. The OP replied: “Thank you! [I don't know] why it’s so tough for some people to simply say 'oh I’m sorry, I didn’t intend for it to come across that way, I made a misjudgment' and then just apologise and move on. Instead of getting into this gaslighty territory of telling someone they’re ‘delusional’ for having their emotions.” “Because he’s an emotionally immature almost-50-year-old,” a second commentator responded. “That’s why he’s dating someone 20 years his junior - he’s hoping you’re not mature enough to recognise how much of a red flag his behaviour is.” Others questioned how the 49-year-old had managed to get his hands on the footage in the first place. “How exactly does he have access to the cameras to begin with?” one asked. “It’s not like security footage is public; it adds a whole layer of illegality to what he’s doing.” “I would also be contacting the local police/ owners of the property where the surveillance cameras are based/ security company and telling them that information was being used this way…,” said another. “Be ready to slap him with a restraining order since he is already stalking you and illegally accessing cameras to do so - keep the pictures for proof,” added a third. While a fourth stressed: “This is a breach of your privacy, OP. This guy is the delusional one. Do not ignore this red flag – it’s controlling and abusive behaviour.” The OP responded by trying to reassure her defenders that her boyfriend’s initial act wasn’t as bad as it seemed. “I believe it was unspeakably obtuse/dumb/lacked any awareness, but not intended to be malicious or controlling,” she wrote. “However, stonewalling me after I said he had crossed the line instead of talking about it, acknowledging he had messed up and apologising, then later outright refusing to empathise with my discomfort when I brought it up again and telling me my emotions were ‘delusional’ is all out of line.” 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.

'Chrisley Knows Best' alum Savannah Chrisley said her parents' legal situation 'took away a lot of things'

FC Cincinnati defender Matt Miazga, the MLS Defender of the Year, will miss his team's Eastern Conference final against the Columbus Crew after being handed a three-game...