Monday, March 16

Business

‘Comet of the century’ captured in photos across the globe | Science & Tech News
Business

‘Comet of the century’ captured in photos across the globe | Science & Tech News

Stargazers across the globe managed to capture the "comet of the century" as it whizzed across the northern hemisphere. Comet A3, also known as Tsuchinshan-ATLAS, did not disappoint astronomers who were anticipating how bright and visible it might be as it came within approximately 44 million miles of Earth on Saturday. Snaps from across the UK, US and Asia showed the comet within the inner solar system.The phenomenon roughly occurs every 80,000 years - meaning the comet would have last been visible from Earth when the Neanderthals were walking the planet. Image: The comet over Dorset in the UK. Pic: Kevin Quinn/X Image: Lake Murray near Columbia, South Carolina. Pic: Reuters ...
Baba Siddique: Indian politician with links to Bollywood stars shot dead in Mumbai | World News
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Baba Siddique: Indian politician with links to Bollywood stars shot dead in Mumbai | World News

An Indian politician who had close ties to Bollywood stars has been shot dead in Mumbai weeks before a state election.Baba Siddique, who was known for throwing lavish parties, was shot multiple times outside his son's office in the country's financial capital on Saturday evening, police said. The 66-year-old was taken to Lilavati Hospital but could not be saved. Image: Marks on the ground indicating gunshots. Pic: Reuters Two suspected attackers have been arrested, while police are searching for another, India's Press Trust news agency reported.Two suspects claimed they were part of a crime gang that has carried out multiple killings in the past, TV station NDTV said. While Mr Siddique had been associated with the Indian Na...
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu urges removal of UN peacekeepers from Lebanon, claiming they are ‘hostages of Hezbollah’ | World News
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Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu urges removal of UN peacekeepers from Lebanon, claiming they are ‘hostages of Hezbollah’ | World News

Benjamin Netanyahu has urged the United Nations to remove its peacekeepers from Lebanon, claiming they are becoming "human shields" and "hostages of Hezbollah".The Israeli prime minister said he had asked for their removal "repeatedly" and been "met with repeated refusals". Meanwhile, the UN said Israeli tanks burst through the gates of one of its bases early on Sunday morning, asking that the lights be turned off.The presence of the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) in areas it was required to fulfil a mandate was "putting peacekeepers in danger", the UN added.Breaching and entering a UN position was a "flagrant violation of international law", it said. Israel defended the incident, however, by saying one of their tanks was trying to evacuate injured soldiers "while still under fire" and "backe...
An Israeli attack on Iran’s oil bases could have massive repercussions – and may help Trump’s chances of winning election | World News
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An Israeli attack on Iran’s oil bases could have massive repercussions – and may help Trump’s chances of winning election | World News

A high noon is coming in Israel's conflict with Iran, a ballistic missile showdown may be in the offing or perhaps something more asymmetrical and covert.Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is deciding how to retaliate for Iran's multiple rocket attack on 1 October this year. But the plan is shrouded in secrecy. In a video address on Sunday morning, Benjamin Netanyahu warned his ministers: "Talk little, do a lot."Follow latest: Netanyahu tells UN to get peacekeepers out of Lebanon 'danger zone'Sources have told Sky's US partner NBC the Israelis are focusing on plans to target military and energy infrastructure. An attack on Iran's alleged nuclear weapons programme is now thought to be unlikely. A strike on Iran's oil facilities could have massive repercussions far beyond the Middle ...
Ukraine claims Russia killed nine drone operators after they had surrendered | World News
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Ukraine claims Russia killed nine drone operators after they had surrendered | World News

Ukraine says nine of its "drone operators and contractors" have been killed by Russian troops after they had surrendered.DeepState, a Ukrainian battlefield analysis site close to Ukraine's defence ministry, alleges the prisoners of war were shot on 10 October in the Russian region of Kursk, where Kyiv launched an incursion in August. Ukraine's human rights ombudsman has urged international organisations to respond.Dmytro Lubinets said on Telegram that he sent letters to the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross regarding the claim, calling it "another crime committed by the Russians".Earlier this month, the Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine said Russian troops had killed 16 captured Ukrainian soldiers in the partially occupied Donetsk region. There was no imm...
Designer Giorgio Armani, 90, reveals when he plans to retire | Ents & Arts News
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Designer Giorgio Armani, 90, reveals when he plans to retire | Ents & Arts News

Giorgio Armani - the founder of the luxury Italian fashion house which takes his name - says he plans to retire within the next two or three years.The 90-year-old, who is Italy's most famous fashion designer, has previously brushed off questions about succession plans for the company. He has remained firmly in control of his empire since he founded it nearly 50 years ago.But with no children to pass it on to, there has long been speculation about its long-term future.Armani told the Italian daily newspaper Corriere della Sera: "I can still give myself two or three years as head of the company. Not more, it would be negative." When pushed on whether he'd stay longer, he said he would not, before adding: "I can't sleep at night. I no longer know the deep and peaceful sleep I once had. Now I ...
SpaceX rocket booster makes successful landing after test launch – as it is caught by ‘chopsticks’ | Science & Tech News
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SpaceX rocket booster makes successful landing after test launch – as it is caught by ‘chopsticks’ | Science & Tech News

A SpaceX booster rocket has returned to earth and been caught by giant robotic arms - following a successful launch of the company's Starship spacecraft.It was the first attempt to bring the rocket's 232-foot Super Heavy booster back to the launch tower. After separating from the Starship at a height of 46 miles (74km), it returned to Boca Chica in Texas, seven minutes after launch, where it was grabbed and clamped in place using what are described as "chopsticks".Arguably, they look more like metal arms, or giant pincers."Are you kidding me?" SpaceX's Dan Huot said close to the launch site. "I am shaking right now." "This is a day for the engineering history books," added SpaceX's Kate Tice.Space X owner Elon Musk said on X, which he also owns: "The tower has caught the rocket!!" ...
Flight 5 features booster catch attempt
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Flight 5 features booster catch attempt

SpaceX is set to launch its fifth test flight of its Starship rocket on Sunday, as the company looks to make an ambitious attempt at catching the rocket's booster.Elon Musk's company has a 30-minute window, from 8 a.m. ET to 8:30 a.m. ET, in which to launch Starship from its Starbase facility near Brownsville, Texas. If SpaceX is unable to launch within that window for weather or technical reasons, the company will postpone the attempt to a later date.Assuming the launch goes according to plan, Starship would reach space and then travel halfway around the Earth before reentering the atmosphere and splashing down. Additionally, the rocket's "Super Heavy" booster would return after separating from Starship and land on the arms of the company's launch tower.The Federal Aviation Administration...
U.S. officials say Israel has narrowed down its targets for strike on Iran
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U.S. officials say Israel has narrowed down its targets for strike on Iran

Keithbinns | E+ | Getty ImagesU.S. officials believe Israel has narrowed down what they will target in their response to Iran's attack, which these officials describe as Iranian military and energy infrastructure.There is no indication that Israel will target nuclear facilities or carry out assassinations, but U.S. officials stressed that the Israelis have not made a final decision about how and when to act.The region has been on edge awaiting Isreal's response to an Iranian missile barrage launched on Oct. 1, which Iran said was in response to Israel's invasion of Lebanon and the assasination of its allies, including Hamas' Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, and Hezbollah's powerful leader, Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut.Iran's attack caused little damage in Israel.The U.S. does not know when Israel's...
UK leader Keir Starmer is marking 100 days in office. It has been a rocky ride
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UK leader Keir Starmer is marking 100 days in office. It has been a rocky ride

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer marks 100 days in office Saturday with little cause for celebration.Starmer's center-left Labour Party was elected by a landslide on July 4, sweeping back to power after 14 years. But after weeks of stories about feuding, freebies and fiscal gloom, polls suggest Starmer's personal approval rating has plummeted, and Labour is only slightly more popular than a Conservative Party that was rejected by voters after years of infighting and scandal."You couldn't really have imagined a worse start," said Tim Bale, professor of politics at Queen Mary University of London. "First impressions count, and it's going to be difficult to turn those around."Starmer won the election on promises to banish years of turmoil and scandal under Conservative governments, get Bri...