Month: February 2023

Technology

RESEARCHERS SAY THEY MANAGED TO PULL QUANTUM ENERGY FROM A VACUUM

A team of physicists claims to have pulled energy out of a vacuum, Quanta reports — a trick that required them to teleport it from a different location using quantum tech. The work builds on previous research by Tohoku University theoretical physicist Masahiro Hotta, who back in 2008 claimed to have found a way to produce negative energy, a seemingly counterintuitive aspect of quantum theory, inside … Continue reading RESEARCHERS SAY THEY MANAGED TO PULL QUANTUM ENERGY FROM A VACUUM

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World News

As Russian forces bear down on Bakhmut, Ukraine admits situation there is ‘more and more difficult’

Officials in Kyiv conceded that the situation is rapidly deteriorating around Bakhmut, a besieged mining city in Donetsk in eastern Ukraine that Russian forces have been hellbent on capturing for months. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday night that the situation in the Bakhmut area “is getting more and more difficult.” “The enemy is constantly destroying everything that can be used to protect our positions, … Continue reading As Russian forces bear down on Bakhmut, Ukraine admits situation there is ‘more and more difficult’

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World News

Kim Jong Un orders ‘fundamental transformation’ of agriculture amid reports of N.K. food shortages

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un urged government officials to engineer a “fundamental transformation” in agricultural production, state media reported on Tuesday, amid fears that the country’s food shortage is worsening. Kim said hitting grain production targets this year was a top priority and emphasized the importance of stable agriculture production during the second day of the seventh enlarged plenary meeting of the 8th Central … Continue reading Kim Jong Un orders ‘fundamental transformation’ of agriculture amid reports of N.K. food shortages

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Technology

 TikTok is being banned for some government employees

The White House is giving U.S. federal agencies 30 days to delete popular Chinese-owned social media app TikTok from all government-issued mobile devices amid growing concerns about security. Canada announced a similar ban. Congress, the White House itself and more than half of U.S. states had already banned TikTok amid concerns that China could use its legal and regulatory powers to obtain private user data … Continue reading  TikTok is being banned for some government employees

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Politics

Blinken warns Central Asia of dangers from war in Ukraine

The Biden administration on Tuesday pledged to support the independence of the five Central Asian nations in a not-so-subtle warning to the former Soviet states that Russia’s value as a partner has been badly compromised by its year-old war against Ukraine. In Kazakhstan for a series of meetings with top Central Asian diplomats, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said no country, particularly those that … Continue reading Blinken warns Central Asia of dangers from war in Ukraine

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Archaeology

4,000-year-old city along Chinese river is a breakthrough for understanding ancient life

Thousands of years ago, a sprawling city along the banks of China’s Yellow River thrived. For years, archaeologists have been at work uncovering the city’s history, and now, they are sharing their findings.  The Shanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology shared its final report from the Bicun archaeological site on Feb. 16, according to the Institute of Archaeology at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences via … Continue reading 4,000-year-old city along Chinese river is a breakthrough for understanding ancient life

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Archaeology

3,200-year-old tomb, filled with gold treasure, unearthed in Armenia

Scouring an ancient necropolis in Armenia, looters dug up burial sites and kept whatever valuables they found. As the centuries stretched on, once-elaborate tombs were picked clean one by one. For whatever reason, one particular tomb went unopened for millennia.  The Metsamor archaeological site in Armenia, near the border with Turkey, was inhabited from the 4th millennium B.C. until the 17th century, according to a … Continue reading 3,200-year-old tomb, filled with gold treasure, unearthed in Armenia

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World News

Argentine fishermen find remains of missing man inside shark

The remains of a man who had disappeared in southern Argentina earlier this month appear to have been found inside a school shark that was captured by local fishermen. The family of Diego Barría, 32, recognized his remains due to a tattoo that was visible, Daniela Millatruz, the law enforcement officer who was in charge of the search, told local news media. Barría had last … Continue reading Argentine fishermen find remains of missing man inside shark

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U.S. News

Majority Disapprove of Federal Government’s Handling of Ohio Derailment

A whopping 62 percent of likely voters rate the federal government’s handling of the Ohio train derailment as fair (16 percent) to poor (46 percent). Meanwhile, only 30 percent rank the federal government’s response as “excellent” (10 percent) or “good” (20 percent). Thankfully, Rasmussen directly asked about the “federal government” instead of just the “government” because this was a federal government boondoggle from A-Z. When … Continue reading Majority Disapprove of Federal Government’s Handling of Ohio Derailment

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Space

NASA warns of 3 skyscraper-sized asteroids headed toward Earth

Our solar system is home to millions of renegade space rocks, and this week three particularly large ones will blaze past Earth. But don’t worry – the closest one will still miss our planet by a comfy 2.2 million miles (3.5 million kilometers), or about 10 times the average distance between Earth and the moon, according to NASA. On Monday (Feb. 27), an asteroid named … Continue reading NASA warns of 3 skyscraper-sized asteroids headed toward Earth

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Politics

‘Gang of Eight’ Congressional Leaders to Be Briefed on Classified Documents

Congressional leaders and top Intelligence committee members on Tuesday will receive a briefing about the classified documents found at the homes of President Joe Biden, former President Donald Trump, and former Vice President Mike Pence, according to multiple reports. There has been a bipartisan effort from members of Congress to secure these briefings with representatives from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Office … Continue reading ‘Gang of Eight’ Congressional Leaders to Be Briefed on Classified Documents

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Politics

UK, EU hail ‘new chapter’ with deal to fix Brexit trade spat

The U.K. and the European Union sealed a deal on Monday to resolve their thorny post-Brexit trade dispute over Northern Ireland, hailing the agreement as the start of a “new chapter” in their often fractious relationship. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced the grandly titled “Windsor Framework” after agreeing to the final details in Windsor, near London. … Continue reading UK, EU hail ‘new chapter’ with deal to fix Brexit trade spat

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Space

SpaceX begins launching second-generation Starlink satellites with four times the network capacity

Elon Musk’s SpaceX has launched the first batch of its next-generation Starlink internet satellites as the company upgrades and further builds out its orbiting network. A Falcon 9 rocket carried 21 of the satellites, known as “V2 Mini” satellites, into orbit on Monday. The satellites represent the first iteration of Starlink’s “Gen2” plans, which the Federal Communications Commission authorized in December. Musk shared a video … Continue reading SpaceX begins launching second-generation Starlink satellites with four times the network capacity

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Business

Russia Turns to China’s Yuan in Effort to Ditch the Dollar

Russia’s economy, restricted from Western financial networks and the U.S. dollar, has embraced a burgeoning alternative: the Chinese yuan. Energy exporters are increasingly getting paid in yuan. Russia’s sovereign-wealth fund, a war chest to support government spending burdened by battlefield costs in Ukraine, is using the Chinese currency to store its oil riches. Russian companies have borrowed in yuan, also known as renminbi, and households … Continue reading Russia Turns to China’s Yuan in Effort to Ditch the Dollar

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U.S. News

Supremes Say Domestic Spying Too Secret To Be Challenged in Court

Abusive government behavior has again been found to be too sensitive to national security to face legal challenges in the court system. Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to review a lower court’s dismissal of the Wikimedia Foundation’s lawsuit against a National Security Agency surveillance program revealed a decade ago by Edward Snowden. With “state secrets privilege” barring litigation, that leaves upcoming congressional debates … Continue reading Supremes Say Domestic Spying Too Secret To Be Challenged in Court

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Politics

A bipartisan group of Senators is talking about raising the retirement age on Social Security

A bipartisan group led by Sens. Angus King, I-Maine, and Bill Cassidy, R-La. is considering gradually raising the retirement age to about 70 as part of their legislation to overhaul Social Security, Semafor has learned from two people briefed on their efforts. Other options on the table include changing the existing formula that calculates monthly benefits from one based on a worker’s average earnings over … Continue reading A bipartisan group of Senators is talking about raising the retirement age on Social Security

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Politics

Marjorie Taylor Greene says she was ‘attacked’ by ‘insane’ woman in restaurant

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) said she was “attacked” by an “insane” woman in a restaurant on Monday night. “I was attacked in a restaurant tonight by an insane women and screamed at by her adult son,” Greene said in a tweet. “They had no respect for the restaurant or the staff or the other people dining or people like me who simply have different … Continue reading Marjorie Taylor Greene says she was ‘attacked’ by ‘insane’ woman in restaurant

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U.S. News

U.S. Marshals Service suffers ‘major’ security breach that compromises sensitive information

The U.S. Marshals Service suffered a security breach over a week ago that compromises sensitive information, multiple senior U.S. law enforcement officials said Monday. In a statement Monday, U.S. Marshals Service spokesperson Drew Wade acknowledged the breach, telling NBC News: “The affected system contains law enforcement sensitive information, including returns from legal process, administrative information, and personally identifiable information pertaining to subjects of USMS investigations, … Continue reading U.S. Marshals Service suffers ‘major’ security breach that compromises sensitive information

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U.S. News

Food stamp benefits for almost 30 million Americans set to expire as pandemic winds down

The federal government is terminating pandemic-related payments for low-income families on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) on March 1, marking the end of nearly three years of such payments, ABC News reported. The termination of additional SNAP benefits has already been implemented in 18 states, affecting around 12 million Americans. The remaining 32 states and the jurisdictions of Washington, D.C., Guam, and the U.S. … Continue reading Food stamp benefits for almost 30 million Americans set to expire as pandemic winds down

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World News

Putin orders Ukraine border tightening as drones hit Russia

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday ordered officials to tighten control of the border with Ukraine after a spate of drone attacks that Russian authorities blamed on Kyiv delivered a new challenge to Moscow more than a year after its full-scale invasion of its neighbor. One drone crashed just 100 kilometers (60 miles) away from Moscow in an alarming development for Russian defenses. While Putin … Continue reading Putin orders Ukraine border tightening as drones hit Russia

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Politics

Mexican President criticizes U.S. State Department for its remarks on protests

On Tuesday, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador rebuked comments made by officials from the U.S. State Department regarding recent protests in Mexico, alleging that the department had interfered in his country’s internal matters. On Sunday, tens of thousands of Mexicans participated in street demonstrations to oppose measures advocated by Lopez Obrador this month, which aimed to reduce the independence of the country’s electoral authority. … Continue reading Mexican President criticizes U.S. State Department for its remarks on protests

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Politics

US officials present arguments for the renewal of FISA surveillance authorities.

On Tuesday, officials from the Biden administration called on Congress to extend a surveillance program that the government has considered crucial in safeguarding national security. However, due to the scrutiny from an unprecedented alignment of civil liberties advocates and a few Republicans, the future of the program remains uncertain. The program, which falls under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), confers extensive powers on American … Continue reading US officials present arguments for the renewal of FISA surveillance authorities.

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World News

As drones strike Russia, Putin directs for increased border security measures

On Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin instructed officials to strengthen border surveillance with Ukraine following a series of drone assaults that Russian authorities attributed to Kyiv, posing a new obstacle to Moscow over a year after its complete takeover of the neighboring country. A single drone’s crash just 100 kilometers (60 miles) from Moscow is a worrying development for Russian defense systems, the Associated Press … Continue reading As drones strike Russia, Putin directs for increased border security measures

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Politics

‘Gang of Eight’ Congress Leaders to Be Briefed on Classified Documents

Multiple reports suggest that on Tuesday, top Intelligence committee members and Congressional leaders will be briefed about the classified documents discovered at the residences of President Joe Biden, former President Donald Trump, and former Vice President Mike Pence. Representatives from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence are set to provide a bipartisan briefing to congressional leaders … Continue reading ‘Gang of Eight’ Congress Leaders to Be Briefed on Classified Documents

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Politics

UK and EU agree on ‘new chapter’ deal to fix Brexit trade dispute

On Monday, the United Kingdom and the European Union reached an agreement to resolve their complex trade disagreement related to Northern Ireland after Brexit, and they praised the deal as the beginning of a “new chapter” in their often turbulent relationship. The “Windsor Framework,” a name given by British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, was unveiled after they … Continue reading UK and EU agree on ‘new chapter’ deal to fix Brexit trade dispute

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