For Laken Riley’s mother, the anguish of losing a child in a gruesome attack is amplified by the horror of hearing details about the final minutes of her daughter’s life. But a relentless pursuit of justice has brought Allyson Phillips to the front row of a Georgia courtroom’s cold, barren benches each day of suspect Jose Ibarra’s murder trial. The prosecution rested Tuesday, and the defense will resume calling witnesses Wednesday. The case could go to the judge for a decision later in the day. Phillips, her husband John, and Riley’s father, Jason Riley, have sat through hours of agonizing testimony and evidence. The suspect, an undocumented migrant from Venezuela, has shown little emotion throughout the trial. A few yards away, Riley’s mother has openly wept numerous times – including when an officer testified about missed calls between Riley and her mother the morning Riley died. These are some of the most intense revelations from the trial so far: Surveillance video captures Riley’s final jog Riley, a former cross-country runner, was last seen alive jogging near the University of Georgia’s Oconee Forest Park the morning of February 22. She was a student at UGA until spring 2023, before switching to Augusta University’s College of Nursing in the same city of Athens. UGA surveillance video shows Riley jogging with her phone in her left hand – a device that would play a key role in the trial. Phillips sobbed as she watched footage of her daughter the day she died. Hours after Riley left for her run, the surveillance footage shows two of her roommates and their dog searching for their missing friend near a trailhead. They leave about 20 minutes later, with Riley nowhere to be found. Riley fought her attacker, prosecution says Forensic evidence shows Riley “fought for her life” and “fought for her dignity,” before she died, the prosecution said. Genetic testing of fingernail clippings from Riley revealed a link to the genetic profile of Ibarra, Georgia Bureau of Investigation crime lab scientist Ashley Hinkle testified Tuesday. For someone to get another person’s DNA under their fingernails, it generally “either has to have some sort of scratching or contact with the inside of the nail,” Hinkle said. In separate testimony Monday, UGA police Sgt. Joshua Epps said he encountered Ibarra the day after Riley’s killing and noticed what “looked like fingernail scratches.” “While speaking to him, I noticed on his right arm, his bicep, there was a scratch,” Epps said. “On his left arm, he had a forearm scratch that was very similar – which in my mind, looked like fingernail scratches to me.” “I also noticed on his left wrist, just below the palm, he had a puncture – maybe half an inch wide – that, through my experiences playing sports in high school, and receiving the same injury from fingernails in football, I could see, like, wet flesh, like almost like it was fresh,” Epps said. “It wasn’t very old.” As Epps described the injuries he saw on Ibarra’s arms, Riley’s mother cried and wiped away tears. Missed texts and frantic calls Perhaps the most poignant testimony came Tuesday when UGA police Sgt. Sophie Raboud recounted Riley’s last communications on her cell phone. Minutes before her death, Riley called and texted her mother to see if she wanted to catch up. The missed call would be the last time Riley reached out to a loved one. Phillips sobbed in court as she listened to the police sergeant, who also sounded emotional when describing the following timeline: 8:55 a.m.: Riley sent her final text to her mother: “Good morning,” she wrote. “About to go for a run if you’re free to talk.” 9:03 a.m.: Riley called her mother, but she did not answer. 9:11 a.m.: Riley called 911. 9:12 a.m.: The 911 operator called Riley back twice within one minute. 9:24 a.m.: Riley’s mother called her daughter back, but Riley didn’t answer. 9:37 a.m.: Riley’s mother texted her daughter: “Call me when you can.” 9:51 a.m.: Riley’s mother called her daughter again. 9:53 a.m.: Riley’s mother called her daughter again. 9:58 a.m.: Riley’s mother texted her daughter: “You’re making me nervous not answering while you’re out running. Are you OK?” 11:04 a.m.: Riley’s mother called her daughter again. 11:12 a.m.: Riley’s mother called her daughter again. 11:15 a.m.: Riley’s mother called her daughter again. 11:19 a.m.: Riley’s sister tried to call. 11:47 a.m.: Riley’s mother texted her daughter: “Please call me, I’m worried sick about you.” 12:07 p.m.: Riley’s mother called her daughter again. 12:20 p.m.: Riley’s stepfather tried to call. At 12:38 p.m., police found Riley’s body in a wooded area near Lake Herrick. Medical examiner says Riley was asphyxiated and had blunt-force head trauma Riley’s father, mother and stepfather left the courtroom before a medical examiner testified about their daughter’s injuries and cause of death. The 22-year-old died from the combined effects of blunt-force head trauma and asphyxia, said Dr. Michelle DiMarco, an associate medical examiner with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. Asphyxia relates to a lack of oxygen and can be caused by hanging, manual strangulation or physical compression. DiMarco said she was not able to pinpoint the type of asphyxia Riley suffered. Riley also had injuries to her face and a skull fracture – injuries that “could be consistent with a rock,” DiMarco said.

In Indian-administered Kashmir, long before the morning call to prayer reverberates across neighborhoods, the city of Srinagar’s kandurs, or bakers, have fired up their tandoor ovens. Located in the snowy Himalayas, at the northern tip of India, this disputed region between India and Pakistan is a paradise of snowy glaciers, ice-blue lakes, fir-lined mountains, and gushing, stormy rivers. So famed is its beauty that Mogul Emperor Jehangir once remarked, “If there is a heaven on earth, it’s here, it’s here, it’s here.” Kashmir’s rich history includes the legacy of Buddhist pilgrims, Islamic rulers, Sikh dynasts and Central Asian Silk Road traders, who brought their arts, crafts and rituals to this treasured land that remains one of the world’s most militarized regions, marred with decades of conflict and violence. But beyond the troubled state’s borders, few talk of the artisans who work with flour, water and ghee (clarified butter) to give Kashmiris their daily bread. Many of the region’s breads are prepared in an oven or over a flame. Faisal Khan/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images Here, bakers prepare breads that will be eaten at iftar, the fast-breaking meal during Ramadan. Faisal Khan/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images Kandurs (bakers) make and sell bread in kandarwans (bakeries). Mukhtar Khan/AP The region’s rich bread culture is a patchwork of the legacy of the Silk Road, an ancient trade route that connected Europe, the Middle East and Asia along the way. While rice is the staple that’s cooked in households across Kashmir, bread is what drives the local community and economy. Local bakeries churn out roughly 10 kinds of bread a day, each with its own peculiar ritual and time of day to be consumed. With so much traditional knowledge guarded and passed down through generations, Kashmir’s bread culture could qualify for a UNESCO intangible heritage listing and possibly rival France’s boulangerie tradition. So why does no one talk about this culinary legacy? Mehvish Altaf Rather, a Kashmir-based documentary filmmaker, tried to change that when she made her film “Kandurwan: Baking History,” in 2019. The piece offers a peep into life in the valley, of which the kandurwan (bakery) forms an integral part. “I wanted to capture the daily life of Kashmiris and talk about the one thing that everyone can identify with, a love for food,” she tells CNN. Bothered by the singular narrative around bloodshed and politics emerging from Kashmir, Mehvish turned to another aspect of local culture to tell a larger story. “The identity of Kashmiris is constantly threatened, so bread is part of a culture that we hold onto very dearly,” she says, explaining how the kandurwan is a place of congregation and culture in Kashmiri society. Kandurs, the traditional bakers of Kashmir, use clay tandoor ovens to prepare various breads. This baking tradition is similar to those found throughout Central Asia. The term “tandoor” comes from the Persian word “tanur,” meaning oven. Despite its ancient origins, the technique of using the clay oven for bread making has remained largely unchanged, deeply ingrained in Kashmiri culture. A boy sells breads at a street stall in Kashmir. Mukhtar Khan/AP Dal Lake (pictured) is a popular tourist attraction and home to a ‘floating’ vegetable garden in warmer months. Muzamil Mattoo/NurPhoto/Getty Images On their way back from the mosque, locals pick up freshly made, crisp-on-the-outside, pillowy-on-the-inside, circular girdas and crunchy, thin lavasas for the entire family. As they wait for the shop boys to wrap up their warm breads in yesterday’s newspaper, locals swap daily news, essential information and, more often than not, gossip. “These kandurs are experts in extracting information out of you! The conversation will start with an innocent ‘Did you hear the news?’ and after some raised eyebrows, it will lead to the customer divulging the juiciest bits of news,” says food writer and author Marryam H. Reshii, who lives between Srinagar and New Delhi. “Sometimes when my husband takes more than 30 minutes for what is actually a five-minute job of picking up the morning bread, I know he’s catching up on all the local news at the kandurwan.” Brought up Catholic in Goa, an erstwhile Portuguese colony that is now India’s sunshine state, Reshii was fascinated by her Kashmiri husband’s bread traditions. They differed vastly from those in Goa, where Portugal’s bread-making techniques blended with local ingredients and tastes. “India has a very diverse bread culture, but Kashmir’s is wholly unique,” she explains. For starters, most breads in Kashmir are cooked in an underground tandoor at a kandurwan, while across India, they’re cooked on a pan or baked in an oven. Besides girda and lavasa, Kashmir’s bread pantheon includes the croissant-like katlam, kulcha, the bagel-esque, sesame-seed dusted tschowor, the festive sheermal, the flaky bakarkhani and roth, to name a few. “There’s a very complex ritual around what one should eat with which bread and at what time of the day. But it’s not documented and no one tells you. You simply have to learn by observation,” says Reshii. In the morning, girda and lavasa are consumed with noon chai, a savory tea made with milk, butter and salt. The breads are also paired with eggs or butter and jam. In the afternoon, one might eat a tschowor, that’s often introduced to outsiders as an equivalent to the bagel. Then there’s bakarkhani, served on special occasions. The layered bread is often large, with a diameter that can extend up to 36 inches. It goes well with mutton dishes like lamb rogan josh. Roth, which is sweet, spongy and sometimes studded with dry fruits, is a celebratory food, and a favorite across Hindu and Muslim families in the region. “Every Kashmiri has their favorite bread and is partial to their family kandur,”explains Jasleen Marwah, the chef-founder of Folk, a regional Indian cuisine cafe in Mumbai. Her father hailed from Kashmir so for her, summertime equals Kashmir, and Kashmir equals a warm, pillowy girda. ”Our family’s morning order of girda was seven. I’d always buy eight so that I could eat a freshly baked one on my way home from the kandurwan,” says Marwah. While she enjoyed eating the breads of Kashmir as a child, it was only

With tears in his eyes, Rafael Nadal said goodbye to professional tennis on Tuesday. In a message to his adoring fans, one of the all-time greatest athletes said he just wanted to be celebrated for something so simple. “I just want to be remembered as a good person and a kid that followed their dreams and achieved more than what I’ve ever dreamed,” the Spanish great modestly said after playing in his final match. Despite Nadal and Spain having just been shockingly ousted from the Davis Cup by the Netherlands, the 38-year-old appeared at peace with his decision to walk away from a trophy-laden career while listening to his peers praise him in a tribute video. “It was such a privilege to play with you but especially against you,” Roger Federer said. “Congratulations on the most incredible career.” Novak Djokovic added, “Your tenacity, your fighting spirit, the energy that you brought, the power, is something that will be studied and something that will be transferred to many, many generations that are coming up. “I’ve been very honored and thrilled to be called your rival.” Serena Williams admitted, “You inspired me to have so many wins – to keep going – to fight – to get better – to improve – to basically play like you.” The accolades could have continued for hours. As he walked off the court, the tennis great blew kisses to the crowd and hugged his Spanish teammates before waving goodbye. Full circle moment Nadal’s singular career began in 2001, when he turned professional at the age of just 14. It wasn’t until April 2002, when Nadal was two months shy of his 16th birthday, that he recorded the first ATP Tour win of his career, which fittingly came on his home island of Mallorca. Nadal then propelled himself from world No. 199 to No. 49 in 2003, winning Challenger titles and matches at Masters 1000 events, as well as recording his first two wins over top 10 opponents – including his current coach, Carlos Moyá. The following year would be Nadal’s breakthrough on tour and cement his place as a Spanish hero. He won the first ATP singles title of his career at the Pokrom Open and then, at just 18 years of age, beat world No. 2 Andy Roddick in the final of the Davis Cup on home soil to help Spain win the title for only the second time in history. It is fitting that Nadal bade farewell to tennis on the stage that helped make him in Spain. That year, 2003, there was also the small matter of a first meeting with Federer, a straight sets win for Nadal at the Miami Open that surely nobody predicted would be the beginning of arguably tennis’ greatest rivalry. “All that buzz I’d been hearing about you — about this amazing young player from Mallorca, a generational talent, probably going to win a major someday — it wasn’t just hype,” Federer wrote of that match in his farewell message to Nadal. But 2004 was the year Nadal truly shot to stardom and became a household name. He won 24 straight matches during the clay court season, breaking Andre Agassi’s Open Era record for most consecutive victories by a teenager, culminating in his first French Open title in his tournament debut. He may not quite have been the King of Clay just yet, but his game on the red stuff was already looking princely. Rafael Nadal serves during a French Open match in 2018. Christophe Simon/AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Tennis legend Rafael Nadal 1 of 45 PrevNext Nadal became the first male teenager to win a grand slam since Pete Sampras won the 1990 US Open and climbed to a career high No. 3 in the world. It was the first of four straight French Open titles, before he was stunned by Robin Söderling in the fourth round in 2009 for his first ever defeat at Roland Garros. That loss would be the first of just three that Nadal suffered at the French Open, though he had to retire injured ahead of his third-round match in 2016, giving him a 112-3 record on the Parisian clay, a win rate of 97.39%. “On clay, it felt like I was stepping into your backyard, and you made me work harder than I ever thought I could just to hold my ground,” Federer wrote. “You made me reimagine my game – even going so far as to change the size of my racquet head, hoping for any edge.” Greatest match ever? Nadal’s relentless brilliance on clay redefined what it means to dominate a surface. The Spaniard finished his career with 14 French Open titles, two Australian Opens, two Wimbledon titles and four US Opens for a total of 22 grand slams, second all-time behind only Djokovic. “I’ve been able to compete against him a couple of times, get wins over him which, again, you tell the little kid that’s watching him on TV winning 14 Roland Garros in a row, it’s pretty special,” world No. 9 Alex de Minaur told CNN Sport. “All those experiences of sharing the court with him is something I’ll take with me for a very long time and I’ll pass it on to generations to come.” Though grass was considered Nadal’s weakest of the three grand slam surfaces, it was on Wimbledon’s Centre Court that he enjoyed arguably his most iconic moment. In the fading late-evening summer light, Nadal finally toppled Federer in 2008 and ended the Swiss’ five-year winning run at Wimbledon in a match that spanned almost seven hours from start to finish due to rain delays. Nadal celebrates after beating Roger Federer in the Wimbledon final in 2008. Alessia Pierdomenico/Pool/Getty Images That was the last year Wimbledon was played without a roof on Centre Court, putting an end to matches being interrupted by dramatic hours-long delays. Federer beat Nadal in the final in 2006 and 2007, but the Spaniard had demolished Federer 6-1, 6-3, 6-0

Jaguar has unveiled a new logo that emphasizes its posh British pronunciation as it transitions into a “new era” that emphasizes its upcoming all-electric vehicle lineup. The 102-year-old luxury automaker is replacing its former logo, resplendent in all capital letters, with a new one that is supposed to be a “powerful celebration of modernism,” the company announced Tuesday. It’s also a little less of the American “Jag-wahr,” and a bit more of the traditional “Jag-you-are,” as it’s said across the pond. Perhaps best known for its pricey race cars and luxurious sedans, Jaguar has stripped itself down to one model in the US, the F-Pace SUV, and stopped selling cars entirely in the British market as it tries to re-invent itself as an electric vehicle maker. The first electric vehicle after the company’s re-imagining is planned to go into production in 2026. The gold-colored Jaguar letters, designed with a custom font, are spaced out and in lowercase, except for “G” and “U,” which the company says demonstrates the “unexpected by seamlessly blending upper and lowercase characters in visual harmony.” Jaguar’s new logo. Jaguar The redesigned “Leaper.” Jaguar Other changes to Jaguar’s branding include a redesigned pouncing cat logo, called the “Leaper,” and a new monogram that incorporates the “J” and “R” in the brand name. Car and Driver reports that the Leaper, which has adorned its cars for several decades, is being eliminated in favor of the badge. “This is a reimagining that recaptures the essence of Jaguar, returning it to the values that once made it so loved, but making it relevant for a contemporary audience,” said Gerry McGovern, Jaguar Land Rover’s chief creative officer, in a press release. He even joked a press event that Jaguar has “not been sniffing the white stuff — this is real,” according to Car Dealer Magazine. What all the new branding will look like on the cars will be unveiled at a Miami Art Week event on December 2.

An anonymous male celebrity says he is the victim of an extortion scheme and is suing a high-powered Texas attorney who is representing several people in civil lawsuits that accuse Sean “Diddy” Combs of sexual assault. The unnamed plaintiff, described in the lawsuit as “a celebrity and public figure who resides in Los Angeles,” filed his complaint under a “John Doe” pseudonym this week in Los Angeles Superior Court. He has accused Houston-based attorney Tony Buzbee and his firm of “shamelessly attempting to extort exorbitant sums from him or else publicly file wildly false horrific allegations against him.” A spokesperson for Quinn Emanuel, the law firm representing Doe, confirms that the complaint was filed on Monday. Buzbee has said he is representing at least 120 alleged victims of Combs. Over the past month, he has filed more than a dozen civil lawsuits against Combs, in some cases accusing the producer of drugging and sexually assaulting plaintiffs, some of whom allege they were minors at the time. Combs, who is in jail awaiting his criminal trial, has denied the allegations against him. The lawsuit filed by the anonymous celebrity claims that Buzbee’s firm is trying to capitalize off the “explosive allegations against Sean Combs” by roping in public figures who have been acquainted with Combs. Attorneys for Doe claim that Buzbee sent a demand letter earlier this month in which his firm “threatened to unleash entirely fabricated and salacious allegations of sexual assault” that include “multiple instances of rape of a minor, both male and female” if their client “refuses to comply with their demands.” In the demand letter, attorneys for the male celebrity said that Buzbee characterized their famous client as “having been friends with Mr. Combs based on the fact that the two often attention similar events frequented by celebrities.” “These baseless accusations are nothing more than a weapon in a calculated plot to destroy Plaintiff’s high-profile reputation for profit, despite the complete absence of any factual basis for such claims,” the lawsuit states. Doe’s lawsuit states that he is filing anonymously to avoid “irreparable harm to reputation.” Buzbee denied the extortion claims against him, in an Instagram post in which he wrote that his firm “won’t allow the powerful and their high-dollar lawyers to intimidate or silence sexual assault survivors,” and in a statement to CNN. Tony Buzbee speaks during a press conference in Houston, Texas, on October 1, 2024. CNN “If you are trying to hide your identity and you claim you did nothing wrong, doesn’t seem very smart to take this approach,” Buzbee told CNN in an email on Monday. “We will address it in due course.” “I have confidence that with full public disclosure all of this will sort itself out,” Buzbee wrote. Questions about claims by unnamed accusers The celebrity’s lawsuit applauds Combs’ accusers who have spoken out with their names attached to their lawsuits but cast doubt on some of the allegations filed anonymously as a “Jane Doe” or “John Doe,” stating that Buzbee’s firm has “managed to find some 120 plaintiffs” who “claim to have been sexually assaulted by Combs.” The lawsuit accuses Buzbee of creating “a pocket industry that capitalizes on the bravery of those victims who came forward to shakedown innocent celebrities, politicians, and businesspeople with an army of masked accusers.” Last month, a judge ruled that one of Buzbee’s civil suits against Combs could not proceed with the female accuser filing under a pseudonym, stating that Combs has the right to defend himself by investigating the plaintiff. Shortly after her “Jane Doe” status was denied, the accuser refiled her complaint under her real name. In an interview with CNN last month, Buzbee explained that his firm initially files cases anonymously in an effort to protect the safety of his clients. But he said that each of his 120 clients are prepared to testify and publicly reveal their names. “They think that (if) the person’s name is revealed that maybe they’ll go crawl back under a rock and we’ll never hear from them again,” Buzbee said. “I’ve told every client when we file your case, be prepared that your identity will be revealed.” Buzbee has said that he does not believe Combs acted alone in his alleged misconduct. He said in a press conference last month that his clients have shared information pertaining to celebrities, entertainment executives, business entities and other high-profile individuals that were complicit or engaged in Combs’ alleged abuse. In Doe’s lawsuit this week, his attorneys paint a different picture. “It is a cynical extortion scheme that is dressed up in vindicating victims of actual sexual abuse,” the lawsuit states. “Defendants corrupting this righteous cause by trying to monetize the victimization of the women who suffered at the hands of this one guy.”

  Mourners will gather to remember Liam Payne in England on Wednesday, according to PA Media, after the British singer died last month. Close family of Payne, 31, and his former One Direction band members are among those expected to attend the funeral, PA Media reported. The service will be held in an undisclosed location outside of London. The British singer died on October 16 after falling from the third floor of a hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Payne had alcohol, cocaine, and a prescription antidepressant in his system, according to the country’s public prosecutor’s office, which launched an investigation. Three people are facing preliminary charges for crimes related to his death. The musician spoke publicly about his challenges with substance abuse and his mental health. In the summer of 2023, he said he was marking six months of sobriety after completing treatment in a US facility. Later that year, he delayed his tour after suffering a kidney infection. He is survived by his 7-year-old son, Bear, whom he shared with singer Cheryl Tweedy. The couple confirmed they had split in 2018 but continued to co-parent. Payne soared to global fame as part of One Direction, the group that was created on the British talent show “The X Factor” in 2010. He and his former colleagues – Zayn Malik, Harry Styles, Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson – subsequently embarked on solo careers, after going on an “indefinite hiatus” in 2016. The quartet were “completely devastated” over his death, according to a joint statement on Instagram. “We will take some time to grieve and process the loss of our brother, who we loved dearly,” Malik, Styles, Horan and Tomlinson posted on social media. “The memories we shared with him will be treasured forever.

The Biden administration has approved sending anti-personnel mines to Ukraine for the first time in another major policy shift, according to two US officials. The decision comes just days after the US gave Ukraine permission to fire long-range US missiles at targets in Russia, a shift that only occurred after months of lobbying from Kyiv. The US intends for Kyiv to use the anti-personnel mines in the eastern part of the country, where Russian troops have made slow and steady progress against Ukrainian defensive lines. The grinding battle has cost Moscow tremendously, with Ukraine claiming Russia suffered its highest number of casualties this week. But Russia’s unrelenting pressure, coupled with shortages in Ukrainian manpower and ammunition, has allowed the Russian military to gradually seize more territory. The US expects Ukraine to use these anti-personnel mines to bolster defensive lines within sovereign Ukrainian territory, not as an offensive capability in Russia. The US has also sought assurances that Ukraine will try to limit the risk to civilians from the mines. The administration’s decision was first reported by the Washington Post. Since the early days of the war, the US has provided Ukraine with anti-tank mines to blunt Russia’s numerical superiority in armored vehicles. But until now, the Biden administration had not provided Ukraine with anti-personnel mines over concerns about the enduring danger they may pose. Human rights groups have long criticized the use of anti-personnel mines because they can kill indiscriminately and can remain armed for years after the conflict in which they were initially used has ended. In June 2022 – four months after the start of the war in Ukraine – the Biden administration pledged to limit the use of anti-personnel mines. In announcing the decision, which was a reversal from the earlier Trump administration, the White House said there was a “need to curtail the use of (anti-personnel mines) worldwide.” The US said that it would no longer develop or export anti-personnel mines and would work to destroy all of its existing stockpiles. (The one exception to the policy was South Korea.) In a picture taken with a night vision camera, a unit of miners carries out a combat mission to mine the territory between Ukrainian and Russian positions with remotely controlled mines in Pokrovsk Frontline, Ukraine, on November 17, 2024. Kostya Liberov/Libkos/Getty Images The announcement of anti-personnel mines for Ukraine, especially with only weeks left in the Biden administration, is a sudden change on what had been a long-standing policy. The type of mines the US provides to Ukraine will be “non-persistent,” according to the officials, meaning they have an internal mechanism to shorten the lifespan of the trigger. The mines are designed to become inert after a set period of time ranging from as little as four hours to two weeks, the officials said. The mines use an electrical fuse that requires a battery, and the mine becomes inert when the battery runs out. Russia has deployed anti-personnel mines and anti-tank mines since the earliest days of the war. As Russian forces advanced into Ukraine and established their own defensive lines, they established minefields to slow any Ukraine counterattack. Last summer, as Ukrainian forces mounted an ultimately unsuccessful counteroffensive, one Ukrainian official described the density of Russian mines as “insane.”

Ukraine hit a Russian weapons arsenal with US-made ATACMS missiles that it fired across the border for the first time, according to two US officials, in a major escalation on the 1,000th day of war. The attack comes just two days after the Biden administration gave Kyiv the green light to use the longer-range American weapons against targets inside Russia. Russia’s Defense Ministry said Ukraine fired six ballistic missiles at a facility in Bryansk at 3:25 a.m. local time (7:25 p.m. ET) Tuesday and that ATACMS missiles had been used in the attack. The attack marks the first time Ukraine has used the longer-range American weapons to strike targets deep inside Russia, and shows that Kyiv has wasted little time in making use of its newly-granted powers. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky declined to confirm or deny the attack during a Tuesday news conference but said: “Ukraine has long-range capabilities. Ukraine has long-range drones of its own production. We now have a long ‘Neptune’ (Ukrainian cruise missiles) and not just one. And now we have ATACMS. And we will use all of this.” Russian air defenses said they shot down five of the missiles and another was damaged. Fragments from the damaged missile fell on the territory of a military facility, causing a fire that has since been extinguished. There were no casualties or damage. On the same day of the attack, Russian President Vladimir Putin updated Russia’s nuclear doctrine where Moscow will consider aggression from any non-nuclear state – but with the participation of a nuclear country – a joint attack on Russia. In what appeared to be a fresh round of saber rattling, the Kremlin said Tuesday the revised military doctrine would, in theory, lower the bar to the use of nuclear weapons. US President Joe Biden had authorized Ukraine to use longer-range American missiles inside Russia on Sunday, ending a months-long prohibition aiming to help Ukraine defend itself while not drastically escalating the conflict. The decision came at a crucial moment in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Russia is probing on the frontlines in Ukraine’s east while pummeling its cities with missile and drone strikes, aiming to disable Ukraine’s power grid and weaponize the freezing temperatures for a third consecutive winter. Meanwhile, thousands of North Korean troops have been deployed to Russia’s Kursk region, where Ukrainian troops launched a daring counteroffensive in the summer. In a press briefing Monday, US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said the involvement of North Korean troops in the war was “a major escalation by Russia, bringing in an Asian military to a conflict inside Europe.” The decision to allow the use of the Army Tactical Missile Systems, or ATACMS, inside Russia had been under consideration for months, with American officials divided on the wisdom of allowing the new capability. Some had concerns about escalating the war, while others worried about dwindling stockpiles of the weapons. Other Western allies remain more cautious. At the G20 summit in Brazil on Tuesday, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz reiterated his stance of withholding Taurus missiles from Ukraine, adding that “supplying cruise missiles would be a mistake.” Although Kyiv has repeatedly used Ukrainian-made drones to hit targets in Russia – deeper into the country than Bryansk – Moscow has long maintained that using far-reaching Western weapons would constitute a major escalation. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Tuesday that Moscow will view launches of US-made longer-range missiles as a “new phase of war” by the West. American officials said they were unsurprised by the news of Putin updating Russia’s nuclear doctrine. “Russia had been signaling its intent to update its doctrine for several weeks,” a US official told CNN. Pentagon Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh said at a briefing that the US doesn’t have any indications that Russia is preparing to use a nuclear weapon within Ukraine, adding, “It’s the same irresponsible rhetoric that we’ve seen before and that we’ve seen, frankly, for the past two years.” An ATACMS missile is loaded onto the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) in Queensland, Australia, on July 26, 2023. Sgt. 1st Class Andrew Dickson/U.S. Army/AP In more than two-and-a-half years of war, Russia has often rattled the nuclear saber in response to perceived escalation by Ukraine and its allies. After French President Emmanuel Macron said earlier this year that he would not rule out sending European troops to Ukraine, Putin ordered a tactical nuclear weapons drill in response to what he called “threats” by the West. For months, Ukraine’s President Zelensky had argued that “long-range capabilities for our army” is a key part of his “Victory Plan” for winning the war. Responding on Sunday evening to reports of Biden’s green-light, Zelensky said: “Strikes are not carried out with words. Such things are not announced. Missiles will speak for themselves.”

Jimmy Lai, the pugnacious Hong Kong media tycoon whose now shuttered tabloid Apple Daily was a regular thorn in Beijing’s side, took the stand Wednesday in his own defense for the first time in a high stakes national security trial that could send him to prison for life. The 77 year-old, known for his decades-long support of the city’s pro-democracy movement and outspoken criticism of China’s leaders, hasn’t been heard from since he was arrested nearly four years ago amid a deepening crackdown on dissent. Dressed in a green cardigan and a brown blazer, a visibly thinner Lai smiled and waved at a public gallery packed with supporters, as he entered the courtroom flanked by officers. His wife and daughter were seated next to Cardinal Joseph Zen, an outspoken former bishop of Hong Kong and a friend of Lai’s. He faces two counts of colluding with foreign forces, a crime under a sweeping national security law introduced in 2020 that has transformed Hong Kong, as well as a separate sedition charge. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges and faces a maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted. In his defense, Lai stressed that he had always opposed violence during the anti-government protests of 2019 and called the idea of advocating for Hong Kong and Taiwan independence as “crazy.” Both issues are deemed anathema by Beijing and seen as “red lines.” The tycoon called allegations of him lobbying for independence a “conspiracy” to trap him, adding that “I never allow any of our staff or our newspaper to mention … this.” He said he never hired anyone at Apple Daily who advocated the idea. In US court rooms, defense lawyers often advise their clients against testifying in court. But in Hong Kong, court testimony offers a rare chance for detained democracy figures to have their voices heard in a system where national security charges have resulted in months and years of pre-trial detention as well as restrictions on speaking out. On Tuesday, more than 40 of Hong Kong’s best known pro-democracy figures were sentenced to prison terms of up to 10 years on subversion charges at a separate national security trial. Among them was Joshua Wong, a former student leader and poster child of the city’s once thriving pro-democracy movement, who shouted “I love Hong Kong” before he left the dock. Lai’s testimony comes just weeks after Donald Trump, who has previously vowed to free the media tycoon, won the White House and has announced a proposed cabinet stacked with multiple China hawks. Lai said on the stand he had never spoken with Trump, though he knew two people who had unofficial access to the first Trump administration. “I don’t think he knew me. I think his aides knew me and briefed him about me,” said the former businessman. In later testimony Lai subsequently named the two people as Jack Keane, a retired US army general, and former deputy defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz. Britain has also called for the release of Lai, who has a British passport. On Monday, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer raised the issue with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Brazil. “We’re concerned by reports of Jimmy Lai’s deterioration,” Starmer told Xi in their first meeting. A heavy police presence is seen outside the West Kowloon Law Courts Building ahead of the national security trial against pro-democracy media tycoon Jimmy Lai, in Hong Kong, China on November 20, 2024. Chris Lau/CNN High-profile trial Lai has been in jail since December 2020 awaiting trial on multiple charges linked to his support for Hong Kong’s democracy protest movement through his media business. He was the founder of Apple Daily, a pro-democracy, anti-Beijing newspaper that was forced to shut down in 2021. The trial, which began in December 2023, is the most high-profile prosecution of a Hong Kong media figure since the city was handed over from British to Chinese control in 1997. It is resuming following a lengthy pause after Lai’s attorneys’ unsuccessful attempt to have the charges dismissed. Around 100 people waited in line under cold rain on Wednesday morning ahead of the trial testimony, with some expressing support for the media tycoon. Chiu Mei-ying, a woman in her 70s, said she got to court at 4am this morning. “Lai represents the spirit of Hong Kong,” she told CNN. “After the closure of Apple Daily, there is no real news (to read).” On Wednesday, Lai began his defense by laying out what he called the core values of Apple Daily, which he said included the rule of law and the pursuit of democracy and personal freedoms. He also recounted how he built his media empire in the aftermath of Beijing’s bloody crackdown on the pro-democracy Tiananman Square protests in 1989. As a businessman who had made “a bit of money,” he wanted to be involved in distributing information to the public, he said. “The more information you have, the more you are in the know, the more you’re free,” he told the court. Prosecutors allege that articles published by Apple Daily violated Hong Kong’s national security law by calling for overseas sanctions against the city’s leaders following the imposition of the national security law in 2020. Chinese and Hong Kong officials say the law, enacted in the wake of anti-government protests in 2019, has “restored stability” and closed loopholes that allowed “foreign forces” to undermine China. But critics say it has decimated Hong Kong’s freedoms and altered the city’s legal landscape. Like all national security trials in Hong Kong, Lai’s trial does not have a jury and is presided over by three judges picked from a national security committee that is approved by Hong Kong’s leader. An Apple Daily journalist holds freshly-printed copies of the newspaper’s last edition outside their office in Hong Kong early on June 24, 2021 Daniel Suen/AFP/Getty Images Overseas lobbying Lai, a businessman who made a fortune selling clothing before becoming a publisher, has long been an unapologetic thorn

Kevin Costner has left “Yellowstone,” and some viewers are not happy about it. The actor, who played the patriarch John Dutton on the hit series, addressed some backlash over his character’s exit. “Fans have a voice in things and they choose to follow stuff,” Costner told E! over the weekend. Costner said he had earlier pitched “Yellowstone” on how to conclude his storyline, but the producers decided on the exact details of his character’s exit due to a gunshot wound. “They do what they want to do,” he said. “That’s fine with me.” Costner announced on social media in June that he would not be returning to “Yellowstone.” “I just want to reach out and let you know that after this long year and a half of working on Horizon and doing all the things that’s required, and thinking about ‘Yellowstone,’ that beloved series that I love, that I know you love,” Costner said at the time. “I just realized that I’m not going to be able to continue Season 5b or into the future.” A planned second installment that has been postponed. Costner told E! he’s still working on what will happen next. “I’m gonna try to figure that out,” he said with a laugh. “I make these things, I will figure out how to get it to an audience.”

  Ohio officials have denounced a small contingent of neo-Nazis who paraded Saturday afternoon through a Columbus neighborhood – waving flags featuring swastikas and shouting a racist slur – in the latest public demonstration by White nationalists in recent years across the United States. Around a dozen people in black pants, shirts and head coverings – their faces obscured by red masks – marched along the street near downtown Columbus as three carried black flags emblazoned with red swastikas, footage provided to CNN affiliate WBNS shows. At least one person yelled, “N***er,” again and again, according to the video that’s garnered online attention far beyond Ohio’s capital. The group strode past low-rise brick buildings housing a salon and a clothing boutique, along with cafés serving tacos, coffee, cookies and bar grub, as its leader shouted through a black bullhorn. Columbus public safety dispatchers got 911 calls around 1:30 p.m. reporting a group marching in the Short North area, the dispatchers told the station. Columbus’ mayor condemned the “cowardly display” and asserted the city’s commitment to standing against “hatred and bigotry.” “We will not allow any of our neighbors to be intimidated, threatened or harmed because of who they are, how they worship and whom they love,” Mayor Andrew Ginther, a Democrat, wrote on social media. Ohio’s governor also condemned the demonstration, describing those involved as “spewing vile and racist speech against people of color and Jews.” “There is no place in this state for hate, bigotry, antisemitism or violence, and we must denounce it wherever we see it,” Republican Gov. Mike DeWine said. The number of events organized or attended by White supremacists in the United States hit a new high last year at 282, the anti-hate Anti-Defamation League reported. Marches and public gatherings of White nationalists or people with Nazi flags have unfolded in recent years in Nashville, New Hampshire, Boston, Arkansas, Virginia, Washington, DC, and Michigan, where flags with swastikas were toted this month outside a community theater performance of “The Diary of Anne Frank.” The swastika since 1945 has been the most significant and notorious of hate symbols, anti-Semitism and White supremacy for most of the world, with roots tracing to the murderous legacy of Germany’s Nazi Party, especially the Holocaust, according to the Anti-Defamation League. In Ohio, no arrests were made during Saturday’s event, though police briefly detained some marchers, according to WBNS. CNN has reached out to Columbus police for more information. Columbus community leaders organized a unity march Sunday in response to Saturday’s neo-Nazi gathering, CNN affiliate WSYX reported. “Take your flags and the masks you hide behind and go home and never come back. Your hate isn’t welcome in our city,” City Attorney Zach Klein said on social media of Saturday’s march. “This is not who we are, and we will not tolerate or normalize this disgusting ideology in any form.”

Victoria Kjær Theilvig of Denmark has been crowned Miss Universe 2024, becoming the first Dane to ever win the competition. The 21-year-old, a competitive dancer, entrepreneur, and aspiring lawyer, beat more than 120 other contestants to win the annual beauty pageant in Mexico City on Saturday night. She was applauded by other contestants on stage as she accepted the tiara from reigning titleholder Sheynnis Palacios of Nicaragua. This year’s finale featured a performance by singer Robin Thicke and was hosted by “Saved by the Bell” star Mario Lopez and former Miss Universe Olivia Culpo. The glitzy pageant began with contestants being narrowed down to a shortlist of 30, based on the results of Thursday’s preliminary event, which included a flamboyant national costume contest. The semi-finalists then paraded in swimwear, before 12 of them advanced to an evening gown contest. The final five contestants later faced questions on a range of topics, including leadership and resilience. When asked how she would live differently if nobody would judge her, Theilvig told the judges she wouldn’t change anything, saying, “I live by each day.” When later asked what she would say to those watching, Theilvig urged viewers to “keep fighting … no matter where you come from.” “I stand here today because I want a change, I want to make history, and that’s what I’m doing tonight,” she said. Chidimma Adetshina of Nigeria finished as first runner-up and Maria Fernanda Beltran of Mexico was named second runner-up. Suchata Chuangsri of Thailand and Ileana Marquez Pedroza of Venezuela followed – with Pedroza, a 28-year-old mother, making history in the top five after the competition removed several restrictions in recent years. This year marked the first time in Miss Universe’s 72-year history that women aged over 28 were permitted to enter. More than two dozen of the finalists were older than would have been allowed in previous years, with Malta’s Beatrice Njoya becoming the first and only woman in her 40s to reach the grand finale. The age limit’s removal came amid growing calls for the pageant to modernize. Ahead of 2023’s contest, the Miss Universe Organization also lifted a longstanding ban on pregnant women or mothers, and women who are — or ever have been — married. Theilvig participates in the Miss Universe competition at Arena Ciudad de Mexico in Mexico City on November 16, 2024. Hector Vivas/Getty Images Delegates for each country were selected via local pageants that license local rights from the Miss Universe Organization. This year’s contest saw Cuba, represented by Marianela Ancheta, take part in Miss Universe for the first time since 1967. Several countries, including Belarus, Eritrea and the United Arab Emirates, sent contestants for the first time, though in April the Miss Universe Organization moved to dispel a flurry of what it called “false and misleading” reports that Saudi Arabia was due to make its debut in the 2024 pageant. Some national-level contests were marred by controversies in the build-up to this year’s final — including Miss Universe South Africa, which saw Adetshina quit the competition (and later be selected to represent Nigeria) after questions around her nationality sparked a wave of xenophobic hostility. Last December, the director of the Miss Universe Nicaragua contest, Karen Celebertti, resigned just weeks after Palacios took the crown, amid charges of conspiracy and treason. She, along with her husband and son, were accused of involvement in a plot to overthrow the government.

Building new railways is an expensive business. Even in ideal circumstances, carving a new route through the landscape costs millions of dollars per mile and can take decades to complete. If you want to build that railway through one of Europe’s most densely populated countries, expect the costs and opposition to increase dramatically. With its first — and now only — phase currently costed at between $58.4 billion and $70 billion by the UK government, Britain’s High Speed 2 (HS2) rail project now costs an eye watering $416 million per mile. It’s a metric that gives it the dubious honor of being the world‘s most expensive railway project. Only the equally troubled $128-billion California High Speed Rail project in the United States comes close to matching HS2’s soaring costs, with some estimates suggesting that it could top out at $200 million per mile. For comparison, the Tours-Bordeaux TGV line in France cost around $32-$40 million per mile in the mid-2010s — although much of that line runs through sparsely populated agricultural regions. European high speed rail projects outside the UK typically cost around $66.4 million per mile. Population density and topography obviously have a significant effect on construction costs. That said, China and Japan have succeeded in threading new high-speed railways through some of the world‘s most densely populated megacities for far less than it will cost Britain to build the 140 miles of track between London and the central English city of Birmingham. And Chinese contractors managed to drive the Jakarta-Bandung “WHOOSH” high-speed line through some of Indonesia’s most difficult and densely populated terrain for around $80 million per mile. ‘Prolonged dysfunction’ HS2 construction work takes place behind hoardings at London’s Euston Station in September 2023. Henry Nicholls/AFP/Getty Images But in Britain, where it’s common for major infrastructure projects to blow their budget, the costs for HS2 keep racking up. Now, with even its supporters despairing at how it’s been managed in recent years, the rail project is widely viewed as an expensive mess that will likely never deliver many of the social and economic benefits it once promised. So, how did it get here? Political interference. Chronic short-termism. The UK’s lack of long-term, integrated transport and industrial policies. Slow and overly bureaucratic planning and environmental regimes. Poor project management. Inadequate oversight by the civil servants and government. The blame list goes on. Add to that a construction industry seeking to insulate itself from all of the above with contract bids that include enormous mitigation costs. Since it was launched in 2012 with a projected overall cost of $42.8 billion for almost 400 miles of new railway, HS2 has been led by five different CEOs and seven chairmen. It has, in theory, been overseen by six prime ministers, eight finance ministers and nine transport ministers during a time of unprecedented political turmoil in the UK. In October 2024, the London Times newspaper called HS2 “a story of prolonged dysfunction.” It said: “The gradual stunting of HS2 represents egregious short-termism but also an object lesson in why Britain struggles to escape its doom loop of anemic growth. “The project has become emblematic of Britain’s inability to complete big infrastructure projects.” Railway journalist, author and long-time HS2 skeptic Christian Wolmar told CNN Travel the project was likely doomed from the start, with a soaring price tag partly down to simple design flaws. “A number of mistakes were made at the outset, including the decision to build the line for 400 kilometers per hour (250 mph) operation — 100 kph faster than the international norm,” he says. “There was also a lack of discussion over the chosen route, which could have followed existing highway corridors.” Rapidly rising construction costs have plagued major projects across the world in recent years. But even before the Covid pandemic, Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine and the surge in inflation that followed those global events, HS2‘s spiraling costs were starting to alarm many observers. Speaking at an industry conference in 2022, Ricardo Ferreras, director of Spanish construction giant Ferrovial — one of many companies involved in HS2 — blamed the process of obtaining permits and conducting environmental studies for the increased cost of building high-speed railways in the UK. “It’s true the cost per kilometer is way higher in the UK than it is in Europe, for example in France or Spain,” Ferreras said, laying most of the blame at the maze of UK planning and environmental restrictions construction companies must navigate. “As an example, in Spain the government will get all consents, and all environmental permits, and then when they award the contract, the contractor can just focus on delivering the project.” There’s no doubt that building railways is cheaper elsewhere. As journalist Wolmar points out, Spain has built an entire high-speed rail network of 2,500 miles for around $65 billion, which in the UK won’t even cover the cost of HS2’s 140 miles from Birmingham to the London suburbs. But, he says, the costs associated with HS2 still boggle the mind. “There are mitigating factors such as the relative cost of land and the lack of opposition in other countries but, regardless, a variance of 10 or 20 times is remarkable,” he says. ‘Northern powerhouses’ Pictured in September 2023, HS2’s north tunnel portal (bottom of image) takes shape at the Chiltern Hills near Great Missenden. Chris Gorman/Big Ladder/Getty Images HS2 initially seemed to make sense to many. Successive UK governments have sold the project to voters as a chance to “level up” deprived post-industrial cities across central and northern regions through investment in improved infrastructure to create “northern powerhouses.” But not everyone was convinced even before costs got really out of hand. UK social justice think tank New Economics Foundation, in analysis published in 2019, said HS2 was more likely to benefit London rather than the northern cities. “The High Speed 2 (HS2) rail line will deepen the regional divide and should be shelved in favor of investments across the rail network, especially in the north of England,”

  Famously known for its extensive ring system, Saturn is one of four planets in our solar system that have the distinctive feature. And now, scientists hypothesize that Earth may have sported its own ring some 466 million years ago. During the Ordovician Period, a time of significant changes for Earth’s life-forms, plate tectonics and climate, the planet experienced a peak in meteorite strikes. Nearly two dozen impact craters known to occur during this time were all within 30 degrees of Earth’s equator, signaling that the meteoroids may have rained down from a rocky ring around the planet, according to a study published September 12 in the journal Earth and Planetary Science Letters. “It’s statistically unusual that you would get 21 craters all relatively close to the equator. It shouldn’t happen. They should be randomly distributed,” said lead author Andrew Tomkins, a geologist and professor of Earth and planetary sciences at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia. Not only does the new hypothesis shed light on the origins of the spike in meteorite impacts, but it also may provide an answer to a previously unexplained event: A global deep freeze, one of the coldest climate events in Earth’s history, may have been a result of the ring’s shadow. Scientists are hoping to find out more about the possible ring. It could help answer the mysteries of Earth’s history as well as pose new questions about the influence an ancient ring could have had on evolutionary development, Tomkins said. A Saturn-like ring on Earth When a smaller object gets close enough to a planet, it reaches what’s known as the Roche limit, the distance where the celestial body has enough gravitational pull to break apart the approaching body. The resulting debris then creates rings around the planet, such as those around Saturn that may have been formed by debris from icy moons, according to NASA. Scientists previously believed that a large asteroid broke apart within the solar system, creating the meteorites that hit Earth during the Ordovician Period. However, such an impact would have likely caused the strikes to be more randomly distributed, such as the randomization of the craters on the moon, Tomkins said. The study authors hypothesize that a large asteroid, estimated to be about 7.5 miles (12 kilometers) in diameter, instead reached Earth’s Roche limit, which might have been about 9,800 miles (15,800 kilometers) from the planet based on the measurements of past rubble-pile asteroids. The asteroid would have been largely beat up from other collisions, making rubble loose and easy to pull apart by Earth’s tidal force, Tomkins said. The ring would have formed along the equator due to Earth’s equatorial bulge, similar to how the rings of Saturn, Jupiter, Uranus and Neptune are also around each of those planets’ equatorial planes, he added. About 200 impact strikes from throughout Earth’s history are known, Tomkins said. By looking at how Earth’s landmasses moved over time, the authors found that the 21 known craters dated to the Ordovician Period were all near the equator. Furthermore, only 30% of Earth’s land surface suitable for preserving a crater was near the equator. If the impacts were random instead of from a ring, most of the craters should have formed away from the equator, he added. The authors also point to a February 2022 study that analyzed impact craters on Earth, the moon and Mars, and found signs for the Ordovician impact spike only on Earth, further adding evidence that aligns with the ring theory. “The paper presents a pleasing idea that ties together a few mysteries,” said astrophysicist Vincent Eke, an associate professor in the Institute for Computational Cosmology at the UK’s Durham University who was not involved with the new study. The research analysis found several deposits across Earth from the same period as the impact craters containing high levels of L chondrite, a common meteorite material, that had signs of shorter space radiation exposure than meteorites found today. The finding suggests that a large, space-weathered asteroid that likely strayed within Earth’s Roche limit broke up near the planet, the study authors wrote. A few million years following the period of increased meteor strikes, about 445 million years ago, there was a dramatic decrease in Earth’s global temperatures known as the Hirnantian Age. “The subsequent debris from such an event (a potential ring) could account for these three observations,” Eke said in an email, referring to the impact craters, meteorite debris and global climate shift. The study authors are researching what extent of shade would be needed to cause a deep global freeze, a finding that in turn could help estimate how opaque the ring was, Tomkins said. Similarly, Earth could have been cooled by clouds of dust from the meteorite impacts, he added. Tomkins said he hopes future research will establish how long the ring persisted and shed light on how it could have influenced the evolutionary changes that Earth faced most likely due to challenging climatic conditions. “Understanding the causes of Earth’s climate change can help us think about (the) evolution of life as well,” he added. It’s difficult to say what such a ring would have looked like without knowing the density of the material, but Tomkins estimates that even a faint ring would have been visible from Earth. “If you were on the night side of the Earth looking up, and the sunlight is shining on the rings, but not on you, that would make it probably quite interestingly visible — it would be quite spectacular,” he said. The possibility of future rings Based on the duration of the global cooling period and the dating of the craters and meteorite material, Earth’s possible ring could have lasted 20 million to 40 million years, Tomkins said. Collisions between other particles would have caused space rocks to be thrown out of the ring. Previous research found that ancient Mars might have also sported a ring, or rings, and scientists predict that planet may one day have more in the future. “While rings are associated with the outer, giant planets in the

There’s nothing quite like the mouthwatering taste of real Prosciutto di Parma, known the world over as Parma ham. The Italian delicacy, which generates an annual turnover of $1.6 billion, is prized by Italians and enjoys a protected status — only meat cured in the northern region of Emilia Romagna using just Italian-grown pork legs, salt and air can be certified as authentic by the Parma Ham Consortium. Tourists regularly flock to the region, known for other epicurean delights like balsamic vinegar and Parmesan cheese, to savor the tastiest cuts in their place of origin, bringing in more income as they join guided tours of ham producers. But all is not well in ham country. A warming climate and the spread of viruses affecting the pigs are causing big problems for Italian pork. The end result is that Parma ham as we know it is increasingly hard to find on international dinner plates. Unlike many heavily mechanized meat processing industries, Parma ham production is steeped in history and tradition. In factories like the Slega prosciuttificio, in the hamlet of Langhirano near the city of Parma, Stefano Borchini remembers his father teaching him methods of curing Parma ham that date back to Roman times, when local salt was used to preserve the meat. The Italian-grown pig’s hind leg is carefully butchered and then salted by a maestro salatore, or salt master, and then left for about a week in a cooling room to begin a process that must take at least 400 days and can be cured for up to three years to create the finest aged Parma ham. Related articleExtra virgin olive oil is getting very expensive. And it might not even be real ‘Meat, salt, time and air’ Parma ham exported from Italy is enjoyed all around the world. Alessia Pierdomenico/Bloomberg/Getty Images Parma ham is salted twice, grease-sealed with a lard and salt mixture, and then left to cure in climate-controlled rooms. When possible, curing room windows are left open to let in the clean local air. “My father founded this company, and my first job in the factory was to swat the flies when I was six years old,” Borchini says. “You have a passion for this product, like a wine producer, it’s the same. When you produce food, it’s special. You put your heart in what you do.” Each of the 40,000 to 50,000 legs of ham the company produces each year is cured the same exact way, and tested for quality with a needle made from horse bone. The needle is stuck into the curing ham in several places and pulled out to check the smell to ensure food safety. Borchini explains the final phases of the curing process are fine tuned by opening and closing windows to let in the fresh air on cool nights, just the way his father taught him to do. “Meat, salt, time and air is what it takes,” he says. The process — and the product — draws hundreds of thousands of foodies and curious visitors from all over the world to the area each year to take food tours. Up and down the streets of Parma and little hamlets like Langhirano, small tour groups taste the delicacies, often in conjunction with the area’s other delicacies including Parmiggiano Reggiano (or Parmesan cheese), balsamic vinegar from Modena and local wine. But lately, threats like manmade climate change and diseases like African swine fever have challenged the ham industry. Borchini says that a few years ago his business had to install air conditioning systems in the curing rooms because the air doesn’t cool down like it used to. “We no longer have the fresh cool nights during the summer that we had before, but we are lucky that we can continue,” he says. “It has changed by one or two degrees warmer at night than 15 years ago, which means we have had to adjust.” Swine fever Italian pigs have been at risk from a swine fever outbreak that emerged in 2021. Luca Bruno/AP African swine fever, a highly contagious disease that can be fatal to pigs, has also had an impact on production. Although not a danger to humans, the virus can be spread by people, including through the consumption of infected meat. That’s led to strict controls in Italy and beyond. Borchini says there’s been a reduction in pork legs of around 8%, and a drastic hike in costs, as a consequence. “We are finding that there are just not as many fresh pork legs to meet our needs because of restrictions and controls,” he says. “We have difficulties in raw materials and the price has increased because there is less pork than usual. The supply is less than the demand, and the price has risen.” Around 80 miles north of Parma, near Brescia in the northern region of Lombardy, the air is very different. On Alberto Cavagnini’s farm, the atmosphere is heavy with the strong scent of pigs. But they are nowhere to be seen, essentially kept under lockdown to protect them from the swine fever virus. Cavagnini produces pork for products including Parma ham and San Daniele ham — a similar cured meat originating in Italy’s northeastern Friuli region. These are exported all over the world. Cavagnini has had to cull more than 2,000 of his animals after the virus, thought to have been introduced by wild boar, was detected in one of his pig barns earlier this year. The government, which has appointed a special commissioner to help manage the crisis, requires the destruction of all animals on farms where the virus has been detected. “It’s obligatory to destroy the animals because the virus is so contagious,” he says. Workers take strict safety measures, including showering before they are in contact with his pigs, to avoid accidental spread of the virus, which is not airborne but easily carried on shoes or clothing. “There is no option but to put down the infected animals because 95% of the animals

A South African court ordered police to end a standoff with illegal miners and allow emergency workers to gain access to a shaft where hundreds are believed to be holed up. The High Court in Pretoria, South Africa, said in an interim ruling that all miners underground in the mine in Stilfontein should be allowed to leave and no one should block their exit, according to state broadcaster SABC. Yasmin Omar, an attorney who helped bring the case to court, told SABC that the ruling was a temporary order and a full hearing will take place next week. The ruling follows growing concerns about the well-being of the illegal miners – who can spend months below ground – after police cut off food and water supplies. On Friday, the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) said in a statement it was investigating the police for restricting the miners’ essential supplies. At least one decomposed body has been recovered from the mine, police said. Relatives of miners and community members wait near the shaft of the mine. Jerome Delay/AP The blockade of the Stilfontein mine is part of an escalating clampdown by the government and police on the activity of illegal miners in the country. “We’ve got about 6,000 abandoned mines in the country,” David Van Wyk, a lead researcher at Johannesburg-based Benchmarks Foundation, told CNN, adding that when large-scale companies and multinational corporations fail to properly close mines, they are left vulnerable to illegal mining. Others say the root of the problem is the high levels of unemployment and poverty in the country, which force local people in precarious and dangerous work. The South African Police Service welcomed the court order but said that the ruling does not prevent the detention of illegal miners who are in good health. “All those who resurface will continue to be assessed by emergency medical personnel on site, as has been the case,” they said Saturday in a Facebook post. “Those that are in a good health will be processed and detained. Those that require further medical care will be taken to hospital under police guard,” they added. The police force said that operations would continue at all abandoned and disused mining shafts in the Stilfontein area and repeated their request for all illegal miners to resurface. Three illegal miners resurfaced by Saturday afternoon, according to the police. Also on Saturday, a South African national was arrested in Kanana at a house used as a smelter – a facility used to purify gold – they added.

Sitting at your desk all day may put you at greater risk for heart disease –– even if you work out in your spare time, according to new research. “Our findings really emphasize the importance of avoiding excess sitting… whether or not you’re physically active,” said first study author Dr. Ezim Ajufo, a cardiology fellow at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. While there is a general understanding that sitting too much is likely bad for your health, there’s a need for more research to understand the exact risks and the guidelines for what qualifies as too much sitting, said Dr. Keith Diaz, associate professor of behavioral medicine at Columbia University Medical Center. He was not involved in the research. This study was particularly helpful in investigating sitting because of its large sample size and the methodology it employed, Diaz said. Researchers looked at data from nearly 90,000 people who wore an accelerometer for a week and compared their sedentary and active time with later diagnoses of conditions like stroke, heart attack and heart failure in later years, according to the study published Friday in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. Not only was more sedentary time associated with greater risk for cardiovascular disease, but the data was able to show a general guideline for what might count as too much sitting, according to the study. “We would really recommend that as many people as possible avoid sitting more than 10.6 hours a day,” Ajufo said. “That’s not a hard and fast threshold, but we think it’s a reasonable first step for guidelines and public health intervention.” Sitting in an office all day could be linked to cardiovascular disease, a new study suggested. BartekSzewczyk/iStockphoto/Getty Images Why sitting is so bad? There are some limitations when it comes to the data. The data was part of the UK Biobank, a large biomedical database and research resource that follows people long-term. The sample was largely White and of European ancestry, which means that it doesn’t totally represent the US population, Ajufo said. The study is also observational, which means that while it can make associations, it can’t prove that the sitting was the cause of the heart disease, she added. It makes sense that sitting too much of the day would take a toll, however, Diaz said. Muscles are very important for regulating blood sugar and fat levels in the blood, he added. To do their job well, muscles need movement. “Taking movement breaks is a way to give your muscles the stimulation they need to do their jobs, and it doesn’t take much,” Diaz said. How to get moving If you sit in an office all day and commute to and from work, those 10 and a half hours of sitting can add up quickly. The answer may not be to get a standing desk, Diaz said. While standing is certainly not sitting, being still in one place like that doesn’t give your muscles the movement they need to efficiently break down sugars and lipids, he said. A bike or treadmill desk may help, he said. You can also try to see if small meetings can be had over a walk. The important thing is to add movement into your day in a way that makes sense for you and your schedule, Diaz added. He recommended getting up and walking for just a few minutes every half hour to hour or when you finish one task before moving to the next. Unfortunately, the data suggested a good workout at the end of the day won’t necessarily undo the problems caused by long bouts of sitting, Ajufo said. “Sometimes we think we can completely make up for some of the unhealthy behaviors we have … by going out and going for a run,” she said. “What we can say from the findings is that moderate to vigorous physical activity –– so that’s running, a brisk walk –– is not sufficient to neutralize the harmful effects of sitting.” But don’t be disheartened about activity. Exercise is still always a good idea and benefits people in so many ways, Diaz said. “You’re still better off than the person who sat all day then didn’t exercise,” he said.

As a bomb descended on a multi-story apartment building in Beirut’s Tayouneh area Friday, hundreds of onlookers gathered in the street at a traffic roundabout several hundred meters (yards) away. Among them was an Associated Press photographer. Hassan Ammar had donned his flak jacket and helmet and rushed to the scene — taking up his position at a safe distance using a long lens — after the Israeli military issued an evacuation warning with a map marking the targeted building. The Israeli army said the building contained facilities belonging to the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. A bomb dropped from an Israeli jet prepares to hit a building in Tayouneh, Beirut, Lebanon, on November 15, 2024. Hassan Ammar/AP Thick smoke and flames erupt from the building after it is struck. Hassan Ammar/AP However, Ammar had different associations with the building. He had grown up less than a kilometer (less than 0.6 miles) from it, and he had been there on multiple occasions. When he was a child during the 15-year Lebanese civil war that ended in 1990, “this building was on the front line between Muslim and Christian neighborhoods,” the so-called Green Line, he recalled. But in later years, Ammar said, he visited the building “many times.” There was a notary public on the first floor, and next door was a sports supply store where he used to shop. Next to the building was a cemetery where his family had loved ones buried. “I know it very well,” he said. Ammar said he even once considered renting an apartment in the building that was struck, or in the building next door — now he can’t remember which — because it had a beautiful view of the pine trees in Horsh Beirut, a large public park nearby. When he heard the sound of the projectile overhead, Ammar had his camera already trained on the building set to a high shutter speed, and he began snapping photos immediately, capturing the bomb in mid-air and as it descended, ending with a massive explosion. There were no immediate reports of casualties, but much of the building was reduced to rubble. Civil defense workers extinguish a fire as smoke rises from the site of the airstrike. Hassan Ammar/AP Richard Weir, a senior crisis, conflict and arms researcher at Human Rights Watch, reviewed close-up photos of Friday’s bomb to determine what type of weapon was used. “The bomb and components visible in the photographs, including the strake, wire harness cover, and tail fin section, are consistent with a Mk-84 series 2,000-pound class general purpose bomb equipped with Boeing’s Joint Directed Attack Munition (JDAM) tail kit,” he said. Weir added that “the use of large, air-dropped bombs, like these, that produce wide-area effects in populated areas carries significant risks to civilians and civilian objects.” A few weeks earlier, another AP photographer, Bilal Hussein, had captured a nearly identical scene as a similar powerful bomb hit a nearby building in Beirut. The Israeli military has maintained that it takes measures to reduce civilian casualties by issuing warnings before many of its strikes in Lebanon. More than 3,200 people have been killed in Lebanon during 13 months of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah — most of them since mid-September — of whom about 27% were women and children, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry.

Victor Wembanyama put his name alongside some legendary figures in NBA history after posting yet another monstrous stat-line during the San Antonio Spurs’ 116-96 victory over the Sacramento Kings on Monday. The 20-year-old scored 34 points while also adding 14 rebounds, six assists and three blocks as the Spurs comfortably recorded their fifth win of the 2024 season. Monday’s game was Wembanyama’s 82nd in the league since being chosen as the No. 1 overall pick in last year’s draft, meaning he has now played the equivalent of a full season. And with his big performance against the Kings, the Frenchman joined a select group of Oscar Robertson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Larry Bird, Blake Griffin and Sidney Wicks as the only players in league history with at least 1,700 points, 800 rebounds and 300 assists in their first 82 games. When asked about what he’s learned after playing a full season, Wembanyama highlighted the mental aspect of preparing for a busy schedule. “Approaching the game mentally is more important than approaching it even physically,” he told reporters. “Of course, we’re going to take care of our bodies but there are people whose jobs it is to take care of our bodies, make sure we’re healthy. Of course, we’re going to think about that but to be great you’ve just got to approach the game with that killer mentality.” Monday’s performance came after Wembanyama filled the stats sheet during a victory over the Utah Jazz on Saturday, with 24 points, 16 rebounds and seven blocks – his third career game with 20 points, 10 rebounds, five blocks and five three-pointers, the most in NBA history. One thing that has developed for Wembanyama as the season has gone on is his success from three-point range. He began the season shooting 25% from deep but has since shot 14-for-27 on his three-point attempts, including going six-for-12 against the Kings to match his career high. “I’m just taking better threes,” Wembanyama said. “Yeah, of course it’s feeling better. I’m 20, I’m hoping for some years it’s going to keep feeling better and better. There is no reason for it to feel worse.” Monday’s game also included some of Wembanyama’s trademark amazing defense, including a 360 block of Sacramento center Domantas Sabonis at the rim. This was Wmebanyama’s 82nd game in the NBA. Scott Wachter/USA TODAY Sports/Reuters His teammate, Chris Paul, said that this version of the seven-foot-three center is far from the finished article. “I wish you guys could see the work that goes in day in and day out,” the veteran point guard told reporters. “You know how talented he is, but his will to want to get better, his will to want to work on things – the more games we play, I think we all will get more and more familiar with each other.” The Spurs are 5-6 following the victory and host the Washington Wizards at Frost Bank Center on Wednesday.

  “All we have to have is just a human form to be a victim.” That’s how lawyer Carrie Goldberg describes the risk of deepfake porn in the age of artificial intelligence. While revenge porn — or the nonconsensual sharing of sexual images — has been around for nearly as long as the internet, the proliferation of AI tools means that anyone can be targeted by this form of harassment, even if they’ve never taken or sent a nude photo. Artificial intelligence tools can now superimpose a person’s face onto a nude body, or manipulate existing photos to make it look as if a person is not wearing clothes. A new kind of deepfake revenge porn is sweeping the internet. Using artificial intelligence, bad actors can do things like superimpose your face on a nude body, creating convincing and harmful images. Tech companies and lawmakers are trying to play catch up, but the truth is these tools are still easy to access. So how can you and your loved ones stay safe? Carrie Goldberg, a lawyer specializing in digital harassment and sex crimes, has some answers. In the past year, targets of AI-generated, nonconsensual pornographic images have ranged from prominent women like Taylor Swift and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to high school girls. For someone discovering that they, or their child, have been made the subject of deepfake porn, the experience is typically scary and overwhelming, said Goldberg, who runs the New York-based firm C.A. Goldberg Law representing victims of sex crimes and online harassment. “Especially if they’re young and they don’t know how to cope and the internet is this big, huge, nebulous place,” she said. But there are steps that targets of this form of harassment can take to protect themselves and places to turn for help, Goldberg told me in an interview on CNN’s new tech podcast, Terms of Service with Clare Duffy. Terms of Service aims to demystify the new and emerging technologies that listeners encounter in their daily lives. (You can listen to the full conversation with Goldberg here. Goldberg said that for people targeted by AI-generated sexual images, the first step — however counterintuitive — should be to screenshot them. “The knee-jerk reaction is to get this off the internet as soon as possible,” Goldberg said. “But if you want to be able to have the option of reporting it criminally, you need the evidence.” Next, they can seek out the forms that platforms like Google, Meta and Snapchat provide to request removal of explicit images. Nonprofit organizations like StopNCII.org and Take It Down can also help facilitate the removal of such images across multiple platforms at once, although not all sites cooperate with the groups. A bipartisan group of senators sent an open letter in August calling on nearly a dozen tech firms, including X and Discord, to join the programs. The fight to address nonconsensual explicit images and deepfakes has received rare bipartisan support. A group of teens and parents who had been affected by AI-generated porn testified at a hearing on Capitol Hill, where Republican Sen. Ted Cruz introduced a bill — supported by Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar and others — that would make it a crime to publish such images and require social media platforms to remove them upon notice from victims. But, for now, victims are left to navigate a patchwork of state laws. In some places, there are no criminal laws preventing the creation or sharing of explicit deepfakes of adults. (AI-generated sexual images of children typically fall under child sexual abuse material laws.) “My proactive advice is really to the would-be offenders which is just, like, don’t be a total scum of the earth and try to steal a person’s image and use it for humiliation,” Goldberg said. “There’s not much that victims can do to prevent this … We can never be fully safe in a digital society, but it’s kind of up to one another to not be total a**holes.”

  Aching knees are surprisingly common. While you may be tempted to hang out on the couch if one or both of your knees hurt, exercise — Pilates in particular — may be a much better option. It all depends on the reason for your pain. About 25% of adults experience knee pain, according to a 2018 study published in the journal American Family Physician. The report also found the prevalence of knee pain has increased 65% over the past 20 years. Osteoarthritis is often the cause of knee pain, especially for women and older adults, according to the Arthritis Foundation. But sore knees may also result from an injury, weak or tight muscles, obesity, overuse, or muscle imbalances. “Establishing a correct diagnosis is super important,” said Dr. Adam Kreitenberg, a rheumatologist and internal medicine physician at Rheumatology Therapeutics Medical Center in Tarzana, California. “You’ll want to know if the pain is from, say, a fracture, meniscus tear, osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis.” Knee pain from poor biomechanics is the driver behind much of the knee issues seen by Shari Berkowitz, a biomechanist and founder of The Vertical Workshop, a studio in New York’s Westchester County that provides continuing education to Pilates instructors. “People have a malalignment, and then irritation or strains occur,” Berkowitz said. “Over many years, it can be compounded into a catastrophic injury like a muscle tear, or it can become something that affects the cartilage and turns into osteoarthritis.” If you experience sudden knee pain, it’s probably best initially to rest your knee, Kreitenberg said. But you don’t want to be immobile for too long. “In the long term, that results in weakness and muscle atrophy,” he said. “Working on strengthening the supporting structures of the knee, particularly the surrounding muscles, can frequently help relieve stress on the injured area, and help with flexibility and pain.” Pilates exercises can be beneficial in warding off knee pain. The regimen was deemed significantly effective at reducing pain associated with knee osteoarthritis and osteoporosis, back pain, and neck pain in a systematic review published in the March 2022 edition of the journal Musculoskeletal Care. Protect your knees with Pilates exercises Even those with no knee pain can benefit from strengthening the structures supporting the knees since these joints are the largest in the body and quite complex. They are also extraordinarily powerful, absorbing a lot of force from daily activities, a process known as knee loading. Knees absorb about 1.5 times your body weight while walking on level ground. That jumps to 316% of your body weight while climbing stairs and 346% while descending stairs, according to an August 2010 study published in the Journal of Biomechanics. To stave off knee pain, you primarily need strong quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes and calves, Kreitenberg said. It’s also helpful to have strong hip joint muscles. “Everything is connected,” he said. “If you have a weakness in any area of your body, it can cause poor alignment and excessive force on areas where you don’t want it.” The low-impact, simple movements of Pilates were found to improve people’s mobility, gait and postural stability in a September 2021 meta-analysis. Here are five easy exercises to try. Shoulder bridge prep Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet on the floor. Make sure your feet are parallel and a fist apart, Berkowitz said. Breathe from your diaphragm and engage your core, then lift your pelvis and spine off the floor. Hold for five breaths and then lower back down. Half roll-down In this Pilates exercise, you begin by sitting upright on a mat with your knees bent at a 90-degree angle and your feet flat on the floor. Place your hands under your knees with your elbows out to the side, Berkowitz said, then lightly round your spine. Inhale and roll your pelvis and spine away from the legs until your arms are straight, then exhale and roll your pelvis and spine back up. Squat Stand with your feet and legs parallel to one another and shoulder width apart. Lower yourself down, as if sitting in a chair, making sure to press your heels into the floor. It’s also important to keep the middle of your knees in line with the middle of your feet, which is the space between your second and third toe joints. Hold, then rise. “You want that proper knee and foot alignment,” Berkowitz said. “This is a huge component of why knee problems develop.” While performing a squat, pay attention to proper form so that the middle of the knee is in line with the middle of the foot. Prostock-Studio/iStockphoto/Getty Images Straight leg raise Lie on your back with your right knee bent. Engage your abdominal muscles and, keeping your chest open, squeeze the muscles in your left thigh and lift your left leg up to the same height as your bent right knee. Hold, then slowly lower. Repeat on the opposite leg. Squeeze the muscles in the left thigh before raising your left leg while keeping the leg completely straight. Ziga Plahutar/E+/Getty Images Standing hamstring curl Stand up straight with your knees 1 or 2 inches apart. Holding onto a stable chair or countertop, slowly bend one knee to a 90-degree angle. Hold several seconds, then slowly lower your foot to the floor. Repeat with the other leg. You can work your way up to three sets of 10 to 15 repetitions for these exercises, although Berkowitz said you generally do three sets of three to five repetitions of an exercise in Pilates. The most effective Pilates experience to lessen knee pain would also include exercises on the reformer, a Pilates machine that facilitates precise movements, muscle engagement and body alignment, and additional mat exercises. Experts agree these five exercises should help alleviate knee pain, although they are not cure-alls. “While it’s impossible to say how much they’ll help any given person, incorporating these exercises could help relieve about 20% to 30% of your knee pain,” Kreitenberg said. Berkowitz agreed. “When you have a serious thing, like an injury to a joint

Deep within the Arctic Circle, pocketed between giant glaciers and beneath polar ice floes, Swedish photographer and content creator Cecilia Blomdahl found extraordinary warmth. The Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard, lying roughly midway between Norway’s northern coast and the North Pole, is the site of the world’s northernmost permanent settlements. Blomdahl, who lives in Svalbard’s largest city of Longyearbyen, is one of about 2,500 residents in the region. Here, colorful cabins contrast colossal ice cap backdrops and vibrant celestial phenomena light the sky. Blomdahl moved to Svalbard in 2015 and documents her unique life to millions of fascinated social media followers. She has now captured her home’s serenity, sparkling in shades of blue, in a new photobook titled “Life on Svalbard.” “When you live here, you really get immersed in it; the quiet and peaceful nature,” Blomdahl, a former hospitality worker turned content creator, told CNN, “And every day being so close to the nature; it’s infatuating.” The challenges of a beautiful life For all its natural beauty, Svalbard is much more than a pretty place. Its rich resources, such as fish, gas, and mineral deposits, have made it a topic of economic and diplomatic dispute in the past, and it now serves as a flourishing global hub for economic activities and scientific research. For those just coming for a spell, it’s a bucket list tourist destination. But as Blomdahl knows, life in Svalbard isn’t easy. From temperatures sometimes plummeting to below minus 30 (-34.4 Celsius), to polar bears and arctic foxes occasionally roaming local streets, it takes a unique individual to forgo life on the mainland and move to such a remote, and at times forbidding, place. Blomdahl and other Svalbard residents carry polar bear protection gear. Cecilia Blomdahl “Every day feels adventurous. It’s going to be crazy or wild or just a regular day,” said Blomdahl, “But a regular day here is so different; it’s drinking coffee with Northern Lights, or midnight sun, or reindeers.” Those are common sentiments within Svalbard’s community — the extreme conditions, while enchanting, means people don’t stick around the area by accident. People from around 50 countries reside there, working in areas such as scientific research and seasonal tourism. What moves someone to search for a home in such a remote corner of the world? According to behavioral science experts, many people who seek out extreme conditions may be motivated by desires to challenge the limits of their physical and psychological abilities, escape personal problems or everyday tedium, or simply for the thrill. For Blomdahl, a glimpse of Svalbard’s unparalleled scenery was all she needed to forsake her corporate ambitions in England and Sweden and opt to live what she describes in her book as a “nature-connected life marked by a slower pace.” “Everything up here is so pure and so beautiful,” Blomdahl said, “you think that it’s some sort of magic because it’s so unreal.” Cecilia Blomdahl has been photographing the Norwegian archipelago since moving there in 2015. Cecilia Blomdahl “Every day feels adventurous,” said Blomdahl. Cecilia Blomdahl Living on the edge of the world On her social media channels, Blomdahl shows viewers firsthand how Svalbard’s environment shapes her everyday life. For example, not only is it necessary to carry polar bear protection gear when traveling outside designated settlements, it’s legally mandated. In one striking image in her book, she is shown sporting a firearm on her back as she and her dog stand far from the settlements. Blomdahl, who photographed all of the images herself, even caught one of a polar bear near her home — taken from a noticeable distance away, for safety reasons. The influencer, who’s been living on Svalbard for nine years, has now documented her home in a book. DK A year in Svalbard is marked by two unusual periods of light: polar night and midnight sun. Polar night runs from mid-November to the end of January, when the sun doesn’t rise above the horizon. Midnight sun, which lasts about 18 weeks between April and August, is when the sun doesn’t set below the horizon. These periods of constant light and day-long dark can take a toll on the body and mind. Blomdahl recalled how friends, disoriented by polar night, found themselves heading to work in the middle of the night, instead of the equally dark daytime hours. Such abnormal living conditions can have pervasive effects on people’s health. Despite an overall positive outlook on health and quality of life in Svalbard, polar night and midnight sun can disrupt sleep-wake cycles, blood protein levels, and lead to increased risks of chronic disease. Despite taking supplements, Blomdahl says she noticed a drop in her vitamin D levels, which support immune health and brain cell activity. Nonetheless, Blomdahl still says polar night is “one of the best times of year,” where she can “become one with the darkness.” She enjoys the tranquility during that period, but emphasizes the importance of maintaining a positive outlook and staying active during what otherwise could be a lethargic season. “Your mindset is so powerful. I see these dark days as something cozy,” Blomdahl said, “I think it’s very much up to each and every person to try to create that routine and that mindset.” A balanced outlook Her images also speak to the increasing climate change threats her home faces. Cecilia Blomdahl Blomdahl originally planned to stay in Svalbard for just three months. Cecilia Blomdahl Maintaining an adaptive mindset is also an important way Svalbardians process the unique threat climate change poses to the region. Longyearbyen is warming six times faster than the global average, studies suggest, and thawing permafrost and rising sea levels threaten the local economy and infrastructure. Studies within other Arctic communities show a correlation between climate change and higher levels of mental stress. In Svalbard, people report a high level of satisfaction with their lives despite environmental challenges, but the complications of climate issues like permafrost thaw can leave some feeling disempowered. Blomdahl notes that an annual environmental survey is conducted in Svalbard to manage risks. “I want

The Tennis Channel has taken an analyst off air indefinitely after he made a disparaging remark about Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejčíková. Off-air, while preparing for a broadcast on Friday covering the WTA Finals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, American journalist Jon Wertheim commented on Krejčíková’s forehead. Wertheim called his remark “deeply regrettable” and said he reached out to Krejčíková to apologize. “I made some deeply regrettable comments off-air. I acknowledge them. I apologize for them,” he wrote on X. Krejčíková called the remark unprofessional. “You might have heard about the recent comments made on Tennis Channel during the WTA Finals coverage that focused on my appearance rather than my performance,” Krejčíková wrote on X. “As an athlete who has dedicated herself to this sport, it was disappointing to see this type of unprofessional commentary. “This isn’t the first time something like this is happening in sports world. I’ve often chosen not to speak up, but I believe it’s time to address the need for respect and professionalism in sports media. “These moments distract from the true essence of sport and the dedication all athletes bring to the field. I love tennis deeply, and I want to see it represented in a way that honors the commitment we make to compete at this level.” In his statement issued on Sunday, Wertheim said his comment was made during a “private rehearsal” that “inadvertently” made it to air. “What happened? I joined the show by Zoom. In rehearsal we were shown a graphic of a player who had just competed. It showed her at an angle that exaggerated her forehead,” Wertheim wrote on X on Sunday. “A few moments later, I was told to frame up my Zoom. Krejčíková won her first Wimbledon title in 2024. Clive Brunskill/Getty Images “I looked at the low camera angle and joked that it made my forehead resemble the photo of the player in question. Someone in the control room chimed in and I bantered back. Though this was a private rehearsal, this exchange inadvertently, and without context, made it to live air. “I realise: I am not the victim here. It was neither professional nor charitable nor reflective of the person I strive to be. I am accountable. I own this. I am sorry.” Later on Sunday, the Tennis Channel released a statement saying it has “apologized to the player, Barbora Krejcikova, as did Jon.” “When Tennis Channel became aware of an inappropriate comment about a professional tennis player made by our analyst Jon Wertheim on Friday, we immediately removed him from our air indefinitely,” the statement read. “Jon has dedicated his career to shining a light on and growing this sport and has been a valued member of our family and the tennis community. That said, Tennis Channel holds its employees to a standard of respectfulness for others at all times, a standard that was not met in this moment.” Krejčíková, the current world No. 10 and a two-time grand slam champion, lost in the semifinals of the WTA Finals to eventual runner-up Zheng Qinwen.

Sexist and abusive attacks on women, like “your body, my choice” and “get back to the kitchen,” have surged across social media since Donald Trump’s reelection, according to an analysis from the Institute for Strategic Dialogue. An X post from White nationalist and Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes last Tuesday night saying, “Your body, my choice. Forever,” has been viewed more than 90 million times and reposted more than 35,000 times. Between Thursday and Friday, the ISD recorded a 4,600% increase in mentions of the phrase on X. And a number of women on TikTok posted videos saying their comments had been filled with users posting the phrase. “Nick Fuentes” was still trending on X and TikTok on Monday. The phrase “we own your body” was also trending on TikTok, although many of the videos featured women pushing back on the trend. “Your body, my choice” is an apparent subversion the phrase “my body, my choice,” which was used by women as a rallying cry in support of reproductive rights. The rise in harassment signals that far-right online trolls and extremists feel emboldened by the outcome of an election that many had viewed as a referendum on women’s reproductive rights. On the campaign trail, Trump himself came under fire for comments about women, including that he would protect women whether “they like it or not.” Vice President-elect JD Vance also took heat for comments about women, including deriding “childless cat ladies” and calling Vice President Kamala Harris “trash.” Many of those trolls are part of the so-called “manosphere,” which the ISD describes as online “misogynistic communities that vary from anti-feminism to more explicit, violent rhetoric towards women.” And as with many types of online provocations, experts worry that this type of harassment could spill over into the offline world. Already, the ISD said, “Young girls and parents have used social media to share instances of offline harassment” involving the phrase “your body, my choice.” “They include the phrase being directed at them within schools or chanted by young boys in classes,” according to the report, published Friday. In some cases, X and TikTok users responded to posts saying “your body, my choice” with vague threats of retaliatory violence. Other, similar posts have also gone viral on X in recent days, including one from Jon Miller, a former contributor to conservative media outlet TheBlaze, saying, “women threatening sex strikes like LMAO as if you have a say,” which received 85 million views. (The post appeared to refer to conversations among young liberal women across TikTok and Instagram about South Korean feminist movement in which straight women refuse to marry, have children, date or have sex with men.) Posts calling for the repeal of the 19th Amendment, which gives women the right to vote, also surged 663% on X last week, compared to the prior week, the ISD reported. X did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The platform’s harassment policy generally prohibits only targeted abuse of specific individuals. A TikTok spokesperson said “your body, my choice” violates the platform’s community guidelines and that content with mentions of the phrase would be removed unless it is explicitly speaking out against such language. TikTok removed three videos identified by CNN that appeared to suggest threats of retaliatory violence. The ratcheting up of violent online rhetoric also comes as Black people across the country last week received anonymous, racist text messages referencing slavery and telling them they were “selected to pick cotton at the nearest plantation,” raising further concerns about violence in the wake of the election. Federal and state authorities are working to find the origins of the messages.

Shell is not obliged to dramatically reduce its planet-heating pollution by 2030, a Dutch appeals court ruled Tuesday, delivering a blow to efforts by environmental activists to push energy companies away from fossil fuels. The ruling — handed down just as annual climate talks take place at COP29 in Azerbaijan’s capital Baku — overturns a previous verdict that imposed steep carbon emissions reductions on the British oil and gas giant. “We are pleased with the court’s decision, which we believe is the right one for the global energy transition, the Netherlands and our company,” Shell (SHEL) CEO Wael Sawan said in a statement. Shell had appealed the previous ruling, handed down in 2021, which ordered the company to slash its CO2 emissions by 45% by 2030 from 2019 levels. That included emissions from its own operations and from the energy products it sells. While The Hague Court of Appeal ruled that Shell is obliged to limit its CO2 emissions — in order to protect the planet from dangerous climate change — it said there is insufficient agreement in climate science on a specific reduction percentage that an individual company such as Shell should adhere to. As such, it dismissed the previous ruling. Tuesday’s ruling noted that Shell is already working to reduce emissions from its own operations — so-called scope 1 and 2 emissions — and that forcing the company to reduce the far greater emissions caused by the use of its products, known as scope 3 emissions, would not be effective. “A court ruling would not reduce overall customer demand for products such as petrol (gasoline) and diesel for cars, or for (natural) gas to heat and power homes and businesses,” Shell said. Friends of the Earth Netherlands, an environmental campaigning group that brought the case against Shell, expressed disappointment with the outcome. “This hurts,” said director Donald Pols. At the same time, he highlighted several positives from the ruling. “The court affirmed that companies… are responsible for the human rights violations resulting from climate change,” he told CNN. “The judge also stated that the more than 800 fossil fuel projects (in Shell’s pipeline) are contradictory to its responsibility to act in accordance with human rights principles. These are all very important legal principles that… can be used in future court cases.” Pols said Friends of the Earth Netherlands would study the ruling before deciding whether to launch an appeal at the Supreme Court of the Netherlands. Joshua Sherrard-Bewhay, an analyst at investment platform Hargreaves Lansdown, said Shell’s successful appeal “signals to high emitters that they are safe for now from the jurisdiction of international frameworks,” citing the Paris Agreement, which binds nearly all countries to drastically cut carbon pollution, as one example. Shell’s backslide on emissions targets Despite the initial ruling ordering Shell to slash its emissions, the energy giant has in fact watered down some of its climate targets as it seeks to boost financial returns and amid concerns globally about secure and affordable energy. Earlier this year, the company said it would target a 15-20% reduction in the so-called net carbon intensity of its energy products by 2030 compared with 2016, having previously aimed for a 20% cut. It also scrapped an objective to almost halve its net carbon intensity by 2035. At the same time, Shell has pledged to halve emissions from its own operations by 2030 and to become a net-zero emissions energy business by 2050, meaning its greenhouse gas emissions must go down to zero by mid-century, taking account of all the pollution it produces and removes from the atmosphere. Shell continues to invest much more into fossil fuels than it does into clean energy. Last year, it invested $5.6 billion into low-carbon energy, amounting to 23% of its total capital spending. By comparison, it poured more than $16 billion into its oil and gas businesses. According to Friends of the Earth Netherlands, Shell accounts for 3% of worldwide greenhouse gas emissions, more than most countries emit individually. Addressing the ruling’s implications for COP29, Pols said international climate agreements will be ineffective at combating climate change if they exclude, as the Paris Agreement does, large corporate polluters. He noted that since 2015, when that accord was signed, about 50 companies had emitted 80% of global CO2 pollution. “It is as if the negotiations between governments have not adapted to the new economic and geopolitical reality of multinationals,” he added. Mark van Baal, the founder of Follow This, a group that aims to compel major energy companies to reduce emissions through shareholder votes at their annual meetings, said the ruling intensifies investors’ responsibility to “reform Big Oil.” “The court’s decision… is a setback in the fight against the climate crisis,” he added.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is on a winning streak. From a low point in the aftermath of Hamas’ October 7 attack, his poll numbers have rebounded. He fired his defense minister, Yoav Gallant, who long threatened his coalition and whose attempted dismissal last year led to massive protests. He has installed allies as foreign and defense ministers, meaning his governing coalition has never been more stable. He passed a law to dismantle the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, long derided by Israel. The White House will soon be home to Donald Trump, with whom Netanyahu has spoken three times in the past week. He is riding a wave of military success too: The leaders of Hamas and Hezbollah are dead. Gaza is decimated, and Israel controls the Lebanese border His victories have been achieved at least partially by a long-standing tactic: delay. He has refused to establish a national commission of inquiry into October 7. He has refused to outline a coherent plan for governance and security in Gaza the day after the war ends. Qatar has withdrawn as mediator with Hamas after accusing both sides of refusing “to engage constructively.” And Netanyahu continues to be stalked by the scandal that has long followed him through his career. His critics – among whom are prosecutors, investigators and journalists – allege that that success has come through an aggressive and high-stakes strategy, which has led in recent weeks to a raft of new inquiries and revelations. His lawyers this week asked an Israeli court to delay by 10 weeks a deposition he was set to give in a yearslong corruption case lodged against him. “Over the past two months, it has been almost impossible to hold meetings for the purpose of preparing the Prime Minister for testimony,” his office said in a letter to the court. Donald Trump meets with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at Mar-a-Lago on July 26, in Palm Beach, Florida.  Alex Brandon/AP An aide has now spent weeks in custody after allegedly leaking manipulated intelligence reports about Hamas to foreign media. In focus, too, is the allegation that Netanyahu’s office has tried to cover up actions taken in the opening hours of October 7, 2023, by altering the minutes of emergency meetings. Journalistic investigations allege that Netanyahu may have had advance warning about Hamas’ attack, and that he shut his defense secretary out of meetings in the days after. The denials come as quickly as the allegations. “This is another hunting expedition,” his office said. Another report was “mendacious.” A third was “entirely baseless.” Netanyahu himself entered the fray Sunday evening. “In recent days, my office has been under a wild and unchecked attack,” he said in a taped statement. “As I lead this war and deflect international attacks from various arenas, we are now confronting an additional front – the fake news from the media.” The Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported that on the eve of Hamas’ October 7 attack, the Prime Minister’s Office was aware that the group was activating Israeli SIM cards for cell phones en masse – suggesting an impeding operation inside Israel. His office called that report a lie “aimed at covering up the serious failures of others on the night of October 7.” (Netanyahu has resisted calls from the likes of Gallant to launch to a state commission of inquiry into October 7 failings, saying it must wait until after the war. The left-wing Israeli Ha’aretz newspaper said in an editorial that the slew of revelations “could rival those of a mafia,” and were an attempt to “evade the judgments of the criminal justice system, the public and history.” “We have tough enemies from the outside,” opposition leader Yair Lapid said in a statement, “but the danger from within the house, and at the heart of the most sensitive decision-making centers, is shaking the foundations of the Israeli public’s trust in the management of the war and in the handling of the most sensitive and volatile security issues.” Domestic politics dominate the conversation in Israel even as the security chiefs insinuate their work is done – or at least, just about. “Militarily, there is nothing to do in Gaza,” Yoav Gallant told families of hostages still held in Gaza, hours before leaving his post as defense minister, according to Israel’s Channel 13. It is now for the politicians, he said, to lead the next step and bring home 101 hostages. Yoav Gallant, then-Israel’s defense minister, in Arlington, Virginia on June 25. Andrew Harnik/Getty Images As Trump was able to do in the United States, the investigations may end up playing to Netanyahu’s advantage, said Nadav Shtrauchler, a political strategist who has worked closely with the prime minister. “He took this lemon and presented it as lemonade,” he said. “It’s easy to do it,” he explained, because to Netanyahu’s base, the investigations are examples of brazen and selective prosecution. The slate of accusations against the prime minister, he said, are “an opportunity” to brand himself as the victim of a witch hunt. “And this is how he sees it.” The Prime Minister’s Office argues, in essence, that it’s Netanyahu against the deep state. Israeli media on Sunday reported that Netanyahu boasted during a cabinet meeting: “The beeper operation and the elimination of (Hezbollah leader Hassan) Nasrallah were launched despite the opposition of senior officials in the security establishment and the political echelon in charge of them.” It so happens that that was also the first time that Israel acknowledged it was behind the deadly September incident that detonated explosives in thousands of pagers across Lebanon. The attack has already gained cult status in Israel – harkening back to the days when the Mossad staged daring operations around the world. Israeli media report that Netanyahu would like to further clean house of his political rivals – including the head of the Israel Security Agency (also known as Shin Bet) Ronen Bar and the attorney general, Gali Baharav Miara. The judicial reforms that were stalled last year – and notably opposed by Gallant, the now-former defense

President-elect Donald Trump’s return to the White House already carried the potential for sweeping changes to the Federal Reserve. But now a growing question is not how the central bank will operate under Trump but if it’ll continue to operate at all. Elon Musk, a key Trump backer who is expected to have considerable sway in helping shape Trump’s policies, included a “100” emoji while resharing Republican Sen. Mike Lee of Utah’s post on X calling for abolishing the Fed. “The Executive Branch should be under the direction of the president,” Lee said Thursday in a post on X, hours after Fed Chair Jerome Powell told reporters he wouldn’t resign if Trump asked him to. “The Federal Reserve is one of many examples of how we’ve deviated from the Constitution in that regard,” Lee added. “Yet another reason why we should #EndTheFed.” Asked where Trump stands on the matter, Trump-Vance transition spokesperson Karoline Leavitt told CNN: “Policy should only be deemed official if it comes from President Trump directly.” Calls to abolish the Fed are hardly new. Former congressman Ron Paul, who ran for president once as a Libertarian and twice as a Republican, published a book in 2009 titled “End the Fed.” Then in June, Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Lee introduced corresponding bills aimed at uprooting the nation’s central bank and shifting its responsibilities to the Treasury Department. But thus far, Trump has not publicly voiced his support for dismantling the Fed. On the campaign trail, he has, however, advocated for changing the central bank’s rulebook, to the dismay of many economists. Challenging the Fed’s independence “The American people re-elected President Trump by a resounding margin giving him a mandate to implement the promises he made on the campaign trail. He will deliver,” Leavitt said in an emailed statement to CNN. Those promises include bringing interest rates “way down,” which Trump vowed to do if elected at the National Association of Black Journalists’ annual conference in August. Presidents, however, don’t have any direct influence over the rates Americans pay to borrow money. For over 70 years, it’s been the duty of the central bank to set rates at levels aimed at fulfilling its congressional mandate for price stability and maximum employment. And throughout that time, Congress has also guaranteed the Fed’s ability to act as an independent body, devoid of any political interference. That’s empowered Fed officials to make interest rate decisions that aren’t necessarily popular but could help the nation’s economy in the long run. For instance, central bankers resisted calls to lower rates, instead opting to keep rates at a two-decade high for a year to rein in stubborn inflation. It wasn’t until two months ago that they finally cut rates as inflation cooled to just shy of the Fed’s 2% target. But on the campaign trail, Trump floated requiring Fed officials to consult with him on interest rate decisions. That could lead to pressure on Fed officials to keep rates lower to satisfy Trump’s wishes, which in turn could reignite inflation. During his first term, Trump also threatened to remove or demote Fed Chair Jerome Powell, whom he has at times blamed for keeping interest rates too high. It’s unclear if Trump has the legal authority to overhaul the Fed’s independence on his own, let alone at all, or remove a Fed appointee before their term expires. On the latter, Powell, a lawyer himself, made his view abundantly clear when asked by a reporter at last week’s press conference after the Fed’s two-day monetary policy meeting. “Not permitted under the law,” he briskly responded. That’s because the head of America’s central bank can only be fired “for cause,” as specified in the Federal Reserve Act. The exact interpretation of what would constitute a for-cause firing has not been precisely defined, but it’s reasonable to assume that it would entail a lot more than just having policy differences with the president. A spokesperson for the Fed declined to comment. Testing the waters If there’s any time for Trump to test the Fed’s ability to maintain its status quo, it would probably be in 2025. While the balance of power in the House hasn’t been determined, Republicans have majority control of the Senate. Additionally, six of the nine Supreme Court justices were appointed by Republican presidents and half of those six were appointed by Trump in his first term. But anyone challenging the Fed in the nation’s highest court shouldn’t expect to necessarily come out victorious. In a 7-2 court ruling this year, the Supreme Court ruled the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau could continue to operate in its current form despite many Republican lawmakers’ arguments that its structure was unconstitutional. And last month, the court declined to hear a case that threatened to dismantle the independent Consumer Product Safety Commission. Like officials sitting on the Fed’s Board of Governors, members of the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s board can only be removed by a president for cause.

Three of the astronauts who were unexpectedly hospitalized after returning from the International Space Station in late October discussed the SpaceX Crew-8 mission during a NASA news conference on Friday. The trio revealed some anecdotes about the trials of readjusting to life on Earth after spending more than 230 days in space. The astronauts remained tight-lipped about the nature of the medical issue that had left an as-yet-undisclosed crew member hospitalized overnight. But they did discuss some of the symptoms they have experienced during the readjustment to life under the effects of gravity. “I’m a first-time flyer, and fascinated by the readaptation,” said NASA astronaut Matthew Dominick, who served as mission commander. “The big things you expect — being disoriented, being dizzy. But the little things like just sitting in a hard chair … My backside has not really sat in a hard thing for (235) days.” Dominick added that he was recently sitting outside with his family eating dinner and was forced to lie down on a towel in the yard to remain part of the conversation because his seat proved too uncomfortable. “That wasn’t in a book I read,” Dominick joked. “Hey, you’re going to space. It’s going to be hard to sit on a hard chair.” Dominick and fellow NASA astronauts Michael Barratt and Jeanette Epps fielded questions Friday while their fourth crewmate, Russian cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin, did “not participate because of his travel schedule,” according to a NASA news release. “The weight and the heaviness of things just is surprising,” Epps said of her experience returning to Earth. “(I’ve been) laying any chance I got. But you have to move, and you have to exercise every day, otherwise you don’t get those gains. You have to move regardless of how exhausted you feel.” Barratt, Dominick, Epps and Grebenkin spent 235 days in space before returning to Earth with a splashdown landing off the coast of Florida aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule on October 25. The SpaceX capsule “executed a normal entry and splashdown,” according to NASA, and all four crew members could be seen smiling and waving as they exited the vehicle aboard a recovery ship. Hours later, however, NASA revealed that the entire crew had been taken to a nearby hospital — Ascension Sacred Heart Pensacola — “out of an abundance of caution.” The space agency later disclosed that one of the astronauts had experienced a medical issue and remained at the hospital overnight. NASA did not disclose which astronaut remained hospitalized nor did the space agency share any details about the medical issue, saying in a statement only that the crew member was “in stable condition” and “under observation as a precautionary measure.” The three NASA astronauts repeatedly declined to comment on the matter Friday. In this screenshot from video, NASA astronauts (from left) Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt, and Jeanette Epps speak during a November 8 news conference to discuss the SpaceX Crew-8 mission. NASA “In the fullness of time, we will allow this to come out and document it for now, medical privacy is very important to us,” Barratt, a medical doctor and veteran astronaut who piloted the Crew-8 mission, said. “Medical privacy and the processes we have going on right now negate our ability to (discuss the issue).” Medical checkouts are routine after long-duration missions to space. However, astronauts are typically transported directly back to their home base in Houston after splashdown, rather than diverted to a nearby hospital, for reconditioning as they transition back to Earth’s environment. Boeing Starliner’s impact on Crew-8’s return The Crew-8 astronauts launched into space on March 3 and remained in space longer than expected. Among the roadblocks for their return to Earth were schedule changes related to issues with the Boeing Starliner spacecraft, which had carried NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to the space station on a test flight in early June but was deemed too risky to return its crew back to Earth. NASA ultimately chose to send back the Boeing spacecraft empty and moved Starliner’s astronauts onto the SpaceX Crew-9 mission, delaying the launch of that mission. That schedule adjustment in turn delayed Crew-8’s return because Crew-9 had to arrive at the orbiting laboratory for a handoff of duties before Crew-8 could disembark. Weather delays also pushed Crew-8’s return into late October. While the 235-day mission was a few weeks longer than routine trips to the orbiting outpost, it’s not a record-setting stay in space for the astronauts. The Crew-8 astronauts are seen before heading to the launchpad on March 3. The group includes (from left) Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin and NASA astronauts Michael Barratt, Matthew Dominick and Jeanette Epps. Gregg Newton/AFP/Getty Images Astronauts commonly extend their stay aboard the space station for days, weeks or even months as unexpected events arise. NASA astronaut Frank Rubio, for example, logged a record 371 days in space during a mission that concluded in September 2023. Rubio’s stay was extended after his original ride to low-Earth orbit — a Russian Soyuz capsule — sprang a coolant leak while docked to the space station.

Lost luggage is one of the major woes of the modern travel era, with rates of mishandled bags still up since the start of the pandemic. And while many passengers are taking matters into their own hands, putting tracking devices into their checked luggage so they can see where they are, there’s just one major problem: The airlines often don’t want to know. When American Airlines and British Airways lost mountain biker Barry Sherry’s bicycle en route to the Swiss Alps in 2023, he showed airport staff in Zurich the exact location of his bike — but they were unable to do anything with it. But should Sherry be so unlucky on a future trip, he might just score an easier recovery. Travelers using Apple AirTags may be able to give third-party access to tracking information in the future — allowing airports and airlines to hunt for bags in real time. A new third-party sharing option has appeared in beta versions of Apple’s new iOS operating system, according to reports from those who have seen it. That means it’s likely to be rolled out across the board in the future. Apple has not responded to CNN’s request for confirmation or comment. But travelers wanting their bags back will still have to move fast – the shareable tracking option is currently only available for a week. The updated Find My app has the ability to “share item location,” creating a link that can be sent to a third party, even if they’re not using an Apple device. That means staff at airport desk and in airline call centers could see the live location from their own computer networks. Another new option, Show Contact Info, will allow for a “lost” item to connect to any phone or tablet, and share its owner’s information. The link will also expire once the owner is reunited with their device. Of course, expect that where Apple leads, other brands will follow. So even if you don’t have an Apple device, it might not be too long before your Tile, Eufy or Knog Scout can do the same thing. Will it improve airlines’ rates at reuniting passengers with their bags? Only time will tell. In 2023, airlines lost an average of 6.9 bags per 1,000 passengers, according to SITA, which offers solutions for the aviation industry. That’s an improvement on 2022, which saw a whopping 7.6 bags lost per 1,000 passengers — but still well up on pre-pandemic numbers. In 2019, 5.6 bags were lost per 1,000 flyers.

It was 5.30 in the morning and Royal Caribbean’s Voyager of the Seas cruise ship was floating off the coast of Fiji. American passenger Bobbi Waterman was one of only two people on the deck, gazing out at the ocean as the sky illuminated the water with amber and bronze reflections. It was a spectacular view, and Bobbi felt her spirits rise with the sun. Bobbi didn’t know the other passenger on the deck. She didn’t even recognize them from the preceding days of the cruise. At first, the two strangers kept their distance, but as the sun continued to rise, they found themselves coming together to share the moment. They both enthused about the view, at the tranquility of the empty ship deck in the early hours of the morning and at the beauty of Fiji. It was 2013. Bobbi, who is a trans woman, was still male-presenting at the time. She was in her 50s, living in Florida, and had recently lost her wife of 14 years to breast cancer. Every day was a struggle through the grief. Bobbi wanted to live her life to the fullest — she knew that’s what her late wife would have wanted too — but she was also navigating an internal struggle with her gender identity. She really wasn’t sure what the future held. Bobbi didn’t share all of this with the other sunrise watcher. They didn’t even talk much at first. But once the fellow passenger introduced themselves as Tam Asbury, from Australia, and started making conversation, Bobbi unexpectedly found herself talking to Tam about her recent loss. “We talked for about three hours,” Bobbi tells CNN Travel today. “Bonding over grief, because I had lost my wife and Tam had experience in grief and losing people. So we just talked for a while. Tam is very empathetic — they started crying — and that, to me, was a sign Tam had a big heart.” Tam, who is non-binary and uses they/them pronouns, was also going through a difficult time. When Bobbi and Tam met, Tam, then in their forties, was in the middle of an acrimonious separation from their husband. “I’d bought 10 acres of land and was going to build a tiny house and live on there with dogs and donkeys and ducks,” Tam tells CNN Travel. “I wasn’t ever contemplating another relationship. I was happy being on my own.” Tam’s two teenage daughters were on the brink of adulthood and were now old enough to stay home alone, so the cruise around the South Pacific was Tam’s first vacation without kids in tow. For Tam, this was both exciting and bittersweet. They were looking forward to the future, but still unpacking the complexities of the disintegrating marriage. Tam discussed some of these complicated feelings with Bobbi that day, and listened as Bobbi talked about her grief, her late wife’s illness. The two strangers shared, empathized and connected with one another. As dawn finally broke, Bobbi and Tam left the deck and went their separate ways. As they walked in opposite directions, they each felt grateful that they’d run into each other. It felt like a significant meeting. But neither Bobbi nor Tam could have anticipated just how significant this meeting would prove to be. Rocket science After their sunrise bonding moment, Bobbi and Tam kept running into each other on the cruise ship, “sometimes accidentally, sometimes on purpose,” as Bobbi puts it. Some days, they’d just find themselves in the same place at the same time and start chatting. Other times, they’d arrange to eat dinner together or grab a drink on the pool deck. “We continued to hang out,” Bobbi says. “I thought I’d made a new friend.” The two passengers talked about everything and anything — but one thing Bobbi downplayed in their conversations was her job and her workplace. Then, one day, one of the other passengers mentioned to Tam, in passing, that Bobbi was a rocket scientist at NASA. Tam couldn’t believe Bobbi hadn’t dropped this information into their conversation on day one. But when Tam reflected on it, they decided this was illustrative of Bobbi’s humility and natural modesty. “I was like, ‘If I was a rocket scientist, I would lead with that in conversation,’” says Tam, laughing. “But Bobbi didn’t.” At the end of the 10-day cruise, Tam disembarked thinking how Bobbi was very different from their ex-husband. “Bobbi showed her emotions, talking about losing her wife, and she seemed intelligent,” says Tam. Tam was also grateful for their deep, interesting conversations. “I like people with brains, and it was nice to talk to someone you could converse with,” they say. As for Bobbi, she also felt thankful that Tam had entered her life and had quickly become “somebody I could talk to.” Before Tam returned to their kids in Melbourne, Australia, and Bobbi flew back to her home in Florida, the two swapped social media details and email addresses. While they both acknowledged that their connection ran deep, neither expected it to turn into anything beyond a long distance friendship. The question of romance had hung over all their interactions, but neither was looking for love. “At the time, friendship was fine,” says Tam. “At that point in my life, I was not ready to have a relationship.” “And I was not ready to move on,” says Bobbi. “I still had this black spot in my head, in my brain, from losing my wife and not really seeing a future yet of what I was going to do. It was just nice to have somebody to talk to.” A long-distance connection Tam and Bobbi spoke for over three hours on the first day they met. They instantly connected and opened up to one another. Tam & Bobbi Waterman Almost 10,000 miles apart, Tam and Bobbi stayed in touch via instant messages and social media updates. Before long, they were enjoying regular video calls via Skype. Rather than seeing their friendship dwindling,

Aching knees are surprisingly common. While you may be tempted to hang out on the couch if one or both of your knees hurt, exercise — Pilates in particular — may be a much better option. It all depends on the reason for your pain. About 25% of adults experience knee pain, according to a 2018 study published in the journal American Family Physician. The report also found the prevalence of knee pain has increased 65% over the past 20 years Osteoarthritis is often the cause of knee pain, especially for women and older adults, according to the Arthritis Foundation. But sore knees may also result from an injury, weak or tight muscles, obesity, overuse, or muscle imbalances. “Establishing a correct diagnosis is super important,” said Dr. Adam Kreitenberg, a rheumatologist and internal medicine physician at Rheumatology Therapeutics Medical Center in Tarzana, California. “You’ll want to know if the pain is from, say, a fracture, meniscus tear, osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis.” Knee pain from poor biomechanics is the driver behind much of the knee issues seen by Shari Berkowitz, a biomechanist and founder of The Vertical Workshop, a studio in New York’s Westchester County that provides continuing education to Pilates instructors. “People have a malalignment, and then irritation or strains occur,” Berkowitz said. “Over many years, it can be compounded into a catastrophic injury like a muscle tear, or it can become something that affects the cartilage and turns into osteoarthritis.” If you experience sudden knee pain, it’s probably best initially to rest your knee, Kreitenberg said. But you don’t want to be immobile for too long. “In the long term, that results in weakness and muscle atrophy,” he said. “Working on strengthening the supporting structures of the knee, particularly the surrounding muscles, can frequently help relieve stress on the injured area, and help with flexibility and pain.” Pilates exercises can be beneficial in warding off knee pain. The regimen was deemed significantly effective at reducing pain associated with knee osteoarthritis and osteoporosis, back pain, and neck pain in a systematic review published in the March 2022 edition of the journal Musculoskeletal Care. Protect your knees with Pilates exercises Even those with no knee pain can benefit from strengthening the structures supporting the knees since these joints are the largest in the body and quite complex. They are also extraordinarily powerful, absorbing a lot of force from daily activities, a process known as knee loading. Knees absorb about 1.5 times your body weight while walking on level ground. That jumps to 316% of your body weight while climbing stairs and 346% while descending stairs, according to an August 2010 study published in the Journal of Biomechanics. To stave off knee pain, you primarily need strong quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes and calves, Kreitenberg said. It’s also helpful to have strong hip joint muscles. “Everything is connected,” he said. “If you have a weakness in any area of your body, it can cause poor alignment and excessive force on areas where you don’t want it.” The low-impact, simple movements of Pilates were found to improve people’s mobility, gait and postural stability in a September 2021 meta-analysis. Here are five easy exercises to try. Shoulder bridge prep Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet on the floor. Make sure your feet are parallel and a fist apart, Berkowitz said. Breathe from your diaphragm and engage your core, then lift your pelvis and spine off the floor. Hold for five breaths and then lower back down. Half roll-down In this Pilates exercise, you begin by sitting upright on a mat with your knees bent at a 90-degree angle and your feet flat on the floor. Place your hands under your knees with your elbows out to the side, Berkowitz said, then lightly round your spine. Inhale and roll your pelvis and spine away from the legs until your arms are straight, then exhale and roll your pelvis and spine back up. Squat Stand with your feet and legs parallel to one another and shoulder width apart. Lower yourself down, as if sitting in a chair, making sure to press your heels into the floor. It’s also important to keep the middle of your knees in line with the middle of your feet, which is the space between your second and third toe joints. Hold, then rise. “You want that proper knee and foot alignment,” Berkowitz said. “This is a huge component of why knee problems develop.” While performing a squat, pay attention to proper form so that the middle of the knee is in line with the middle of the foot. Prostock-Studio/iStockphoto/Getty Images Straight leg raise Lie on your back with your right knee bent. Engage your abdominal muscles and, keeping your chest open, squeeze the muscles in your left thigh and lift your left leg up to the same height as your bent right knee. Hold, then slowly lower. Repeat on the opposite leg. Squeeze the muscles in the left thigh before raising your left leg while keeping the leg completely straight.  Ziga Plahutar/E+/Getty Images Standing hamstring curl Stand up straight with your knees 1 or 2 inches apart. Holding onto a stable chair or countertop, slowly bend one knee to a 90-degree angle. Hold several seconds, then slowly lower your foot to the floor. Repeat with the other leg. You can work your way up to three sets of 10 to 15 repetitions for these exercises, although Berkowitz said you generally do three sets of three to five repetitions of an exercise in Pilates. The most effective Pilates experience to lessen knee pain would also include exercises on the reformer, a Pilates machine that facilitates precise movements, muscle engagement and body alignment, and additional mat exercises. Experts agree these five exercises should help alleviate knee pain, although they are not cure-alls. “While it’s impossible to say how much they’ll help any given person, incorporating these exercises could help relieve about 20% to 30% of your knee pain,” Kreitenberg said. Berkowitz agreed. “When you have a serious thing, like an injury to a joint or

  In Amsterdam’s Red Light District, the hologram of a woman sits behind a window. She looks out at passers-by, then appears to knock on the window and breathe on the glass. The glass seemingly fogs up, and the word “help” appears. This hologram is modeled on Bernadett “Betty” Szabó, a 19-year-old Hungarian sex worker who was murdered in the Dutch capital in 2009. Now, more than 15 years after her death, police are hoping to uncover new information about her killing. Szabó grew up in poverty in the Hungarian city of Nyíregyháza, before moving to Amsterdam when she was 18 years old and beginning work as a prostitute, Dutch police said in a statement. She quickly became pregnant, but continued to work throughout her pregnancy, giving birth to her son in November 2008. Three months later, she was found dead in her workroom, lying in a pool of blood. She had been stabbed “dozens of times,” Dutch police said. Despite a large-scale investigation, in which police monitored CCTV, interviewed witnesses, and combed over the crime scene, the case eventually became cold. The holographic representation of Szabó was created to reach those who may know something about her murder but did not come forward when it happened. Bernadett “Betty” Szabó was murdered in February 2009, three months after giving birth to her son. Dutch Police “It is difficult to determine what it takes to get possible witnesses in this case to share their information with us,” Benjamin van Gogh, coordinator of the Amsterdam Wanted and Missing Persons Team, said in the statement. “Betty’s hologram may create a certain connection with her and thus convince a person to come forward. In this type of case, we always try to put a face on a victim, so that informants know who they’re doing it for, and the hologram is a way of taking this a step further.” The police force discussed the campaign with Szabó’s family, van Gogh said, adding that it is “committed to doing this with dignity and with the clear purpose of achieving some form of justice for Betty by finding her murderer or murderers.” Eline Roovers, a spokesperson for Amsterdam Police, told CNN that it is “never too late to talk.” “Research shows that people who commit a crime like this usually tell multiple people – 2.2 persons to be exact – what they have done. This means that there must be people that know more about Betty’s death,” she said. The reward for information related to the case has been raised to €30,000 (around $32,160). Amsterdam gets tourists from around the world, Roovers pointed out, so police are urging those who visited the city in February 2009 to get in touch if they know anything more about the case.

Although Cillian Murphy read the acclaimed Irish book “Small Things Like These” during the Covid-19 lockdown and was “floored by it,” it was the Oscar winner’s wife, Yvonne McGuinness, who suggested he turn the story of one man’s stand against church abuse into a movie. Murphy produces and stars in an adaptation of Claire Keegan’s Booker Prize-shortlisted novel involving one of Ireland’s Magdalene laundries, workhouses run by the Catholic Church, where unmarried, pregnant women were interned and forced to give birth in secret. Even though the book “stayed with me for a long time,” the Irish actor admitted to CNN that he didn’t initially think of it as a potential film project. But after his wife’s encouragement, Murphy reached out to previous collaborators like screenwriter and playwright Enda Walsh and Peaky Blinders director Tim Mielants, enlisting their help on a subject he calls “a collective trauma” that Irish people “are still processing.” Murphy plays coal merchant Bill Furlong, father of five girls in a small Irish town in the 1980s. “We meet him at this point in his life where he’s experiencing some major emotional turmoil. If feels like he’s going through some sort of breakdown,” Murphy told CNN. “And then this oppressive atmosphere in the town and the control that the Church exerts over the whole of society. It’s all coming to a head on this particular couple of days before Christmas.” “Small Things Like These” opens in US theaters on Friday. Enda Bowe/Lionsgate Also coming to a head is the future of the five Furlong girls, whose carefree energy is in stark contrast to the misery of the young women Bill catches sight of in the laundry attached to the local convent, as he delivers coal. Entering the building, he sees them scrubbing floors and toiling in the laundry; one begs him to help her escape as a nun hurries him away. In the distance a baby cries. When Bill finds one of these girls abandoned in the convent’s coal shed, the mother superior, played by Emily Watson, makes it clear to him how quickly she can take away the prized education the nuns give to his daughters. She gives him an envelope of cash to help with Christmas. And to ensure his silence. “Small Things Like These” may appear to be a small, quiet film, especially when compared to Murphy’s Oscar-winning blockbuster “Oppenheimer,” but the film’s hero is on an epic moral journey. And there is nothing quiet about the film’s portrayal of misogyny. Despite having the feel of a period movie, this Irish story has not yet been consigned to the past. Earlier this year the government of Ireland opened a mother and baby institutions redress scheme. In Northern Ireland consultations on a public enquiry into mother and baby homes have begun. Many Irish people are still trying to comprehend the reality of what happened to tens of thousands of women and their babies. Last week, the Vatican presented its first annual report on child protection initiatives to tackle another major scandal, that of clerical sexual abuse. It found parts of the Roman Catholic Church are still failing to ensure clerical sexual abuse is reported adequately. This is the first film for Murphy’s production company, “Big Things” and is executive produced by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck. “Small Things Like These” releases in theaters in the US on Friday and is already out in cinemas in the UK.

Mary DeBardelaben once made a promise to her grandmother’s portrait hanging on the sage green wall in her living room. One day, she vowed, she’d find out just how her grandmother, Hattie DeBardelaben, died in the back of a police car in rural Alabama in March 1945. She promised to uncover why four law enforcement officers searching for illegal whiskey beat her to death. And she promised to learn why her grandmother’s son — Mary’s father — had never uttered a word about the brutal assault in Alabama’s Autauga County. Not a lot was known about what happened that day. Over the years, Mary DeBardelaben reached out to an organization that documented civil rights abuses in the Jim Crow era but without much success. All that changed late last month, when a mailman delivered a bulky manila envelope to her home in the Atlanta suburb of Ellenwood, Georgia. It was stuffed with 69 pages of federal documents detailing Hattie DeBardelaben’s final moments. Mary DeBardelaben curled up on her burgundy couch under the sepia-toned portrait and sobbed. “I cried for three days straight when I got the documents and read descriptions of what happened to her,” Mary DeBardelaben says, her eyes welling with tears. “I was drained, I just couldn’t function.” After she read all the documents, she gazed up at the portrait with a new wave of compassion. “I told her, ‘Grandma, I know I kept promising to do something to bring your death to light … this is it, ‘” she told CNN. “Now I finally know what happened. And other people are going to know, too.” Federal officials are releasing documents on civil rights cold cases Last month, some 79 years after her death, the National Archives and Records Administration released pages of documents about what happened to Hattie DeBardelaben. She was 46 when she died. They were the first set of documents made public under the Civil Rights Cold Case Records Collection Act signed into law by President Donald Trump in 2019. The act established a board made up of private citizens appointed by President Joe Biden and confirmed by the US Senate. They are tasked with reviewing and releasing investigative records from unresolved cold cases in the US from between 1940 and 1979. More cases will be released in the coming weeks. A week prior to the documents’ release, both the review board and the NARA notified Mary DeBardelaben’s family of their plans. She says she collapsed on the floor in tears when she opened the letter and learned she’d finally get answers about her grandmother’s death. “I said yes, absolutely, I want to see the records,” she says. On October 26, the thick envelope arrived. The review board says it hopes these long-hidden documents will provide answers to descendants about the fate of their ancestors and shed light on a dark chapter in the nation’s history. “The name Hattie DeBardelaben may be unfamiliar to most people, but her death at the hands of law enforcement officers in 1945 was sadly typical of the violence — and even lethality — that many Black Americans suffered in the Jim Crow South,” review board co-chair Margaret Burnham said in a statement. “Although her death was investigated by federal agents at the time, the perpetrators were never held accountable.” Records detail a fatal beating that may have broken her neck Federal documents show that a visit from authorities escalated into a fatal beating — followed by an alleged coverup. Around 2:30 p.m. on March 23, 1945, Hattie DeBardelaben was washing clothes in the backyard of her family home in Autaugaville, according to the documents. The town is midway between Montgomery and Selma, where 20 years later police would brutally beat civil rights marchers, horrifying Americans and leading to the passage of the Voting Rights Act. Three federal officers and a sheriff’s deputy arrived from a neighboring plantation, where they’d confiscated illegal whiskey. At the time, Jim Crow laws in some Southern states restricted selling alcohol to Black people, making it harder for them to obtain liquor legally. Mary DeBardelaben keeps a binder of everything she’s learned about her grandmother, including this March 1945 newspaper story about her killing. Austin Steele/CNN The law enforcement officers asked Hattie DeBardelaben if she was selling the chicken roaming the yard. No, she said. They then accused her of selling bottles of “wildcat” whiskey, which she denied. During the exchange, one of the officers struck Hattie DeBardelaben’s nephew, and she asked them to stop. Instead, two of the officers struck her several times, knocking her over a pot of boiling water, according to the nephew’s affidavit included in the documents. When she tried to get up, they knocked her down again. Hattie DeBardelaben’s son, Edward, called out for his two brothers who were in the field planting corn. Police met the brothers — including Bennie, Mary’s father — with guns drawn and ordered them to sit on the ground and not move. As Hattie DeBardelaben panted, moaned and begged for her life, the officers hauled her into the back of the police car, where she started throwing up. Edward, who was sitting with her in the car, held up her dress to contain the vomit. She died on the way to the county jail, according to the records. The undertaker noted her head “sagged” when she was brought in, indicating a broken neck. The deputy sheriff, Clyde White, signed a statement denying DeBardelaben was a victim of police brutality. In the statement, he said he went to her house after receiving complaints that she was selling whiskey, but a search of the house yielded no alcohol. A White doctor determined she had a history of heart attacks and declared that as the cause of death, the statement says. Her grandchildren say they finally have some closure, but it’s not enough Hattie DeBardelaben’s eight children, including Mary DeBardelaben’s father, Bennie, are all deceased. She also had 27 grandchildren — 20 of whom are still alive — and 36 great-grandchildren.

  If you missed the chance to see fireballs of the Southern Taurids light up the sky last week, don’t worry. The second branch of the Taurid meteor showers, the Northern Taurid event, is about to take center stage. The Northern Taurids have been active since mid-October, but the shower will peak Monday night into Tuesday — with optimal visibility likely occurring after midnight — offering patient sky-gazers the best opportunity to view meteor activity, according to NASA. The Northern Taurids — which appear to radiate from the Taurus constellation — are visible almost anywhere in the world, except Antarctica, said Dr. Shannon Schmoll, director of Abrams Planetarium at Michigan State University. However, the moon will be about 79% full when the Northern Taurids peak this week, according to the American Meteor Society, which could make spotting meteors earlier in the evening more challenging. For the best viewing experience, Schmoll suggests waiting until later at night when the moon is closer to setting, allowing for clearer skies and better visibility. “Don’t move around too much but get away from the lights, get comfortable and be patient,” Schmoll said. The optimal time for a meteor sighting may vary depending on the area, so entering your approximate location into The Old Farmer’s Almanac moonrise and moonset calculator will help determine the best time to enjoy this cosmic phenomenon. Reasons to watch Like their southern counterparts, the Northern Taurids originate from Comet Encke, which has the shortest orbit of any known comet in the solar system — taking just 3.3 years to complete a full trip around the sun. Although the Northern Taurid event produces fewer meteors than other major showers — only about five per hour — it still offers something special: the chance to see increased fireball activity. Unlike most meteors, which are typically between 10 microns (0.0004 inch) and around 1 meter (3.3 feet) in size, according to NASA, fireballs are larger, giving them a brighter appearance. In fact, fireballs often appear so bright that they even outshine Venus in the night sky. In addition to their brightness, fireballs can be visible for longer periods, leaving behind two distinct types of trails: trains and smoke trails. A train, as defined by the American Meteor Society, is a shining trail of ionized and excited air molecules left behind after the meteor passes, typically lasting a few seconds but on rare occasions enduring for several minutes. Smoke trails, which are most often visible during daylight hours, resemble the contrails left by airplanes and can appear light or dark. Regardless of whether you’re lucky enough to see fireballs flying through the night sky, Schmoll recommends taking some time to enjoy the beauty of the universe by observing the meteor shower. “Something that is really good for us is to be able to have that connection to nature,” Schmoll said. “There’s still something so exciting about seeing that … interaction of the Earth with the rest of the solar system, and it being this beautiful sight.” More than just awe-inspiring spectacles, meteor showers provide new information about the universe for astronomers and amateur space lovers alike. “If there are any larger pieces of (meteorites) that land with this now new material about the solar system (they can help us) study and put together all of those pieces about the formation and origin of our solar system,” Schmoll said. The Northern Taurids are visible until December 2, according to the American Meteor Society, so there is potential to spot more fireballs over the next few weeks. Upcoming celestial events There are still a few more opportunities to see celestial activity before the end of 2024. Here are peak dates for upcoming meteor showers, according to the American Meteor Society: Leonids: November 16-17 Geminids: December 12-13 Ursids: December 21-22 Two full moons also remain — the beaver moon, which is a supermoon, on November 15 and the cold moon on December 15, according to the Farmers’ Almanac.

If you like Snoop Dogg’s “Drop It Like It’s Hot,” Fall Out Boy’s “Dance, Dance” and Gwen Stefani’s “Hollaback Girl” as much as I do, chances are we were born around the same time. When I listen to those songs now, I’m hit with waves of nostalgia — first crushes, the tribulations of high school, and the highs and lows of living with my parents. While I’ve come to appreciate younger artists such as Doja Cat, Lil Nas X and Sabrina Carpenter in recent years, songs from the 2000s hold a special place in my head and heart. But a younger colleague recently told me that “the music from 2008 through 2016 was top tier.” She said that she loved Meghan Trainor, One Direction and Kesha during that time — all artists who were the soundtrack of her crucial developmental years. As I see other generations of music lovers say music was so much better when they were younger, I wondered why. We can’t all be right — or maybe we are? I talked to experts in how music influences our brains to find out. “It’s not that music was better when (we) were younger; it’s that music elicits very, very strong emotions,” said Dr. Rita Aiello, a music psychologist at New York University who examines how people process music and how music and memories shape each other. Aiello remembers the Beatles’ “Yesterday” and Barbra Streisand’s “People” as two of her favorite songs from her youth. “Music is an extremely powerful cue for remembering what has happened before in our lives,” she said. The Beatles, here playing at the London Palladium, shaped the musical tastes of youth in the 1960s, and for many pop music fans, the group’s artistry has not been surpassed. Michael Webb/Hulton Archive/Getty Images But why does music hold such power? “Music is episodic,” said Dr. Robert Cutietta, a professor of music at the University of Southern California. “If you look at an artwork or something, you can look at it and leave. Music is over time. There’s a part of our brain called episodic memory — that’s where it goes.” It makes sense. A person’s preference for popular music peaks around age 23, according to a 1989 study published in the Journal of Consumer Research, with a 2013 follow-up in the journal Musicae Scientiae reporting age 19. A 2022 replication of the latter study in Marketing Letters: A Journal of Research in Marketing found that a person’s music preference peaks as young as 17. “It’s part of your identity,” Cutietta said. “During those years, we are developing so much (of) who we are, (and) we get attached to the music.” Cutietta, who was born in 1953, cited the work of the Beatles and conductor Leonard Bernstein as among his favorites. Those artists helped shape his musical tastes as a teenager. This attachment to your identity may be why you feel less of a connection to contemporary music as you grow older. The emotions tied to music at impressionable ages help form a lifelong bond, with happy and sad feelings intertwining — even complementing each other — when listening to a song. “If we were sad (listening to a song) 20 years ago, we’re going to be sad today, but with a distance from that sadness … so there’s a different sense of enrichment in the experience,” Aiello said, noting that “sadness can be the opening of joy.” It could also explain why listening to something you enjoyed from an earlier, tougher period in your life can bring a sense of catharsis when hearing it now, she said. Music becomes a part of person’s identity, which may explain why songs from our youth have such a powerful hold over us.  MarsBars/E+/Getty Images What if you think of the 1970s and 1980s as the holy grail of “real music,” even though all decades contain good and bad songs? It may be because you’re remembering the artists, songs and albums that were meaningful to you and forgetting the ones that weren’t. “There are circumstances that made certain songs particularly meaningful to you and the memories of those circumstances will come back as you listen to the songs,” Aiello said. Those meaningful songs still resonate with you, Cutietta said, eclipsing the forgettable ones. “Every era has horrible songs that became huge hits,” Cutietta said. “They’re still there somewhere in our memory, but we choose not to pull those up. Naturally, we’re going to pull up the songs we like.” I’m sure that today’s young people will hail the early 2020s as a great time in music, saying that the artists of 2038 have nothing on those from their day. But most likely, they’ll be thinking about how the artists they loved shaped their younger selves and forgetting the songs that didn’t matter.

The Federal Reserve cut its key overnight lending rate again on Thursday, following on the heels of a half-point cut in mid-September. Fed watchers also expect the central bank may cut the rate once more this year, by another quarter point, at its December meeting. If so, that would mean the fed funds rate, which directly or indirectly influences the rates on a host of consumer savings and lending products across the economy, would have dropped by a full percentage point by year-end. But that doesn’t mean as a result interest rates are now low — or will soon be low. “‘Falling interest rates’ are not the same as ‘low interest rates.’ Interest rates are high and will only decline to ‘not as high’ as … we move into 2025,” said Greg McBride, chief financial analyst at Bankrate. Here’s a breakdown of how far rates have fallen on your savings, loans and investments, and what experts see going forward. Assessing your debts The rate environment is still not much friendlier for those carrying debt Credit cards: Just before the Fed cut its key rate in September, the average credit card rate was 20.78%, according to Bankrate. As of this week, it had only fallen to 20.39%, less than half a point. That is still well above the 16.3% average rate recorded at the start of 2022, before the Fed started hiking rates to beat back inflation. So even if the Fed keeps cutting rates gradually over the next two years, carrying credit card debt will continue to be the most expensive debt you carry. That’s why you will always get the same advice in any rate environment. Pay down your credit cards as quickly as you can. If you qualify, try to find a balance-transfer card that will offer you up to 21 months at 0% interest and pay as much of your principal down during that period as possible. “Using a 0% balance transfer credit card or a low-interest personal loan to lower your rates and consolidate your debt can have a much bigger impact on your debt load than most anything the Fed will do,” said Matt Schulz, chief credit analyst at LendingTree. Another option: Try transferring your balance to a credit card from a credit union or local bank. They may offer fewer perks but typically have lower rates, said certified financial planner Chris Diodato. Mortgages: Since the Fed started cutting rates, mortgage rates have actually gone up. That’s because they’re directly tied to movements in the 10-year Treasury yield, which typically moves on economic factors such as inflation and growth, and interpretations of the Fed’s future moves. Since recent data has come in strong, the 10-year has moved higher since mid-September. Consequently, the average rate on a 30-year mortgage hit 6.79% as of November 7, above the 6.2% registered a week before the Fed’s September meeting. Nevertheless, it is still well below where it was a year ago, when the average hit 7.50%, according to Freddie Mac. In the wake of the US presidential election, Sam Khater, Freddie Mac’s chief economist, indicated that he expects some risk in the short term that mortgage rates may drift higher because policy uncertainty is now high. Low-risk ways to earn money on savings The fact that consumer interest rates haven’t fallen a lot yet — and in some cases not at all — is benefiting savers. “Interest earnings on savings accounts, money markets and certificates of deposit will come down, but the most competitive yields still handily outpace inflation,” McBride said. Savings accounts: Traditional savings accounts continue to offer paltry returns, well below 1%. The best return on cash savings is in online high-yield savings accounts at FDIC-insured banks. Before the Fed’s September rate cut many of those accounts were offering yields between 4.25% and 5.3%, according to those listed on Bankrate.com. On Thursday, the yields on offer had fallen by a quarter point or so, ranging between 4% and a little over 5%, well above the latest inflation reading of 2.1%. Certificates of deposit: FDIC-insured CDs are also still offering inflation-beating returns. Before the last Fed meeting, CDs listed on Schwab.com with maturities ranging from three months to 10 years were offering annual rates of between 3.65% and 4.99%. As of Thursday, the range was 4.25% to 4.60%. Bonds: If you live in a high-tax area, you might consider putting some cash into Treasuries, which are not subject to state and local taxes; or into high-quality municipal bonds, which are typically exempt from federal tax, and sometimes state and local taxes too. Short-term T-bills (with durations of three months to a year) were yielding 4.32% to 4.54% on Thursday on Schwab.com. And Treasury notes (with durations of two to 10 years) were yielding between 4.19% to 4.35%. That’s well above where they were back in mid-September, when the two- and 10-year notes were at 3.6% and 3.64%, respectively. Muni rates, meanwhile, have held up even in the face of Fed rate cuts because more of them have been coming online in the runup to the US election, said Sinead Colton Grant, chief investment officer at BNY Wealth. Given expectations that the Fed will likely continue cutting rates next year, Colton Grant said, “We favor bonds, particularly as cash yields are going to move lower.” But she does expect volatility in bonds, which is why she favors active management for the fixed income part of your portfolio over the next year — whether through a separately managed account in your 401(k) or through an actively managed bond fund. Don’t overinvest in low-risk options Making money in very low-risk ways on your cash is easy and gratifying when rates are high. But as they start coming down in the next year, you forfeit a lot of other gains. Diodato now cautions his clients against falling into what he calls “the cash trap” and keeping too much money in savings and money markets because it could hurt your net worth over time given that stocks and bonds broadly have outperformed cash yields.

Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett stands apart. She is the only former full-time law professor on the right wing. And she differs from her five fellow conservatives for the obvious reason that she is the sole woman in their bloc, a mother of seven who peppers her hypotheticals with references to ambitious babysitters and delivered meal kits. But perhaps most important for the court amid today’s polarization, she is the only one of the conservatives who never served in the top echelons of a Republican administration. She is less likely to echo the GOP political agenda in her questions during oral arguments or reasoning in her written decisions. Her views of executive power, as in Donald Trump’s immunity case last July, are tempered. And that is why Barrett has become the best hope for what remains of the liberal wing, particularly after Trump’s election victory. Liberals on and off the bench see Barrett as someone who may provide some equilibrium to a court remaking the law in America, possibly able with her legalistic ways to secure a cross-ideological majority for moderation. As Trump returns to the White House, the Supreme Court may be even more positioned to check the balance of powers. He has vowed to bring a new level of conservative muscle to the executive branch. Republicans, meanwhile, regained the Senate in Tuesday’s elections and may hold onto the House of Representatives, where several races are yet to be called. Yet, as much as the 52-year-old former Notre Dame law professor has indeed engaged with the left on legal doctrine, she has routinely cast her vote with the right. She has voted to overturn precedent on abortion, affirmative action and federal regulatory power. So far it is her method, not bottom-line votes, that primarily sets this Trump appointee apart. Nonetheless, progressives have few options, and an uncertain horizon, and cannot help but imbue Barrett with hope. Perhaps that is also to fill a notable void. In previous decades, as a succession of Republican appointees galvanized the court’s right wing, individual justices defied expectations and staked out the center. Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, a 1981 Reagan appointee who retired in 2006 and died last December, exemplified the phenomenon. She satisfied the left but struck dread among movement conservatives, as did Justice Anthony Kennedy, who served from 1988 to 2018. Republican presidents have been dominating judicial appointments and will continue to do so after Trump’s election this week. In the past 55 years, as a total of 20 Supreme Court vacancies occurred, Republican presidents were able to fill 15 seats, and Democratic presidents only five. Three of those Democratic appointees, Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson, are still sitting, a frustrated minority facing a conservative-supermajority. In their quest for some middle ground, they engage Barrett on the bench and as they draft opinions. During oral arguments, liberal justices often pick up on her questioning to make their own points and try to persuade her in their direction. In October, on the first day of the current session, Barrett homed in on the timing of a statute of limitations, repeatedly asking for clarification. Sotomayor immediately referred to Barrett’s query before making her own point. “As Justice Barrett said…,” is a common Kagan refrain, too. Last Monday, in a controversy tied to a whistleblower’s claims that schools were overcharged for telecommunications services, Barrett entered the fray early with a series of queries. Then Kagan interjected, “I had the same sort of question that Justice Barrett did…” In a similar vein, the lawyers who stand at the court’s lectern have become more attentive to Barrett’s queries, circling back to the topics she raises as they field questions from other justices. Barrett declined a CNN request for an interview for this story. A meticulous approach Before Barrett takes the bench with the eight other justices, her assistants emerge from behind the red velvet drapes with briefs, binders and a mug and meticulously arrange the items at her place. Aides to other justices sometimes set out case materials before oral arguments begin, but they tend to drop them quickly. The routine at Barrett’s place on the bench is notably particular. The exacting jurist is succinct in questioning advocates in the well of the courtroom. She minimizes any prefatory remarks and swiftly gets to what she wants to know. (She seems thoroughly aware of each minute, waking daily at 5 a.m. to exercise and get children ready for school and keeping a color-coded calendar.) Barrett delves into the recesses of the factual record of a case and homes in on procedural issues. That was seen in early October in a high-profile Oklahoma death penalty case, when she focused on procedural barriers that could prevent Richard Glossip from obtaining a new trial. Her queries stood in contrast to those of fellow conservative Brett Kavanaugh, for example, who minimized the procedural obstacles and emphasized, more substantively, the uncertain credibility of the key witness against Glossip. As she begins her fifth session, Barrett has become conspicuous for writing separate opinions that seem designed to stimulate a dialogue on methodology. She has repeatedly challenged Thomas on his use of historical analogues when engaging in the “originalist” constitutional interpretation they otherwise share. In a June case, she called his interpretation of history and tradition to settle a trademark dispute “wrong twice over.” A year earlier, she faced off against Kagan, also a former law professor, as they unspooled theories for when agencies may take significant policy action without explicit statutory authorization, in that case, on student-loan forgiveness. Yet while Barrett takes a more analytical approach, compared to the ideologically inclined conservatives, when casting votes on major cases, Barrett is with them. She voted last session most often, about 90%, with Roberts and Kavanaugh, according to EmpiricalSCOTUS statistics compiled by Adam Feldman and Jake Truscott. And on major cultural issues, such as abortion rights and religious liberties, Barrett lands to the right of Republican centrists O’Connor, Kennedy, and, before them, Justice Lewis Powell

Ancient DNA has revealed surprises about the identities of some people who perished in the ancient Roman town of Pompeii after a volcanic eruption, overturning misconceptions about their genetic relationships, ancestry and sex. When Mount Vesuvius erupted in AD 79, the volcano spewed hot, lethal gases and ash into the air, slowly killing most of the city’s population. Ash and volcanic rock called pumice then covered Pompeii and its residents, preserving scenes of the victims of the city’s destruction like an eerie time capsule. Excavations first began to unearth the forgotten city in 1748, but it wasn’t until 1863 that archaeologist Giuseppe Fiorelli developed a method to make plaster casts of some of the Pompeii victims. The soft tissue of the bodies encased in ash had decomposed over time, so Fiorelli poured liquid chalk into some of the outlines left behind by the bodies to preserve the shapes of 104 people. Narratives formed based on the positioning of some of the remains, including those of an adult wearing a bracelet who was holding a child and thought to be the child’s mother. Similarly, a group of bodies found together were suspected of being sisters. Now, during modern efforts to restore some of the casts, researchers retrieved bone fragments from within the plaster and sequenced DNA from them, discovering that none of those assumptions were true. The discoveries, published Thursday in a new study in the journal Current Biology, are upending researchers’ understanding of the population demographics in Pompeii as well as how bodies found together were connected to one another. “The scientific data we provide do not always align with common assumptions,” said study coauthor David Reich, professor of genetics at Harvard Medical School and a professor of human evolutionary biology at Harvard University, in a statement. “These findings challenge traditional gender and familial assumptions.” A window to the ancient past Pompeii’s unique preservation of the tragic tableaux of its citizens’ final moments has provided archaeologists with a way to understand what life was like during the Roman Empire. Located about 14 miles (22.5 kilometers) southeast of Naples in what’s now Italy’s Campania region, Pompeii was geographically ideal due to its port, according to the study. While the Greeks, Etruscans and Samnites attempted to conquer it, Pompeii became a Roman colony, the study authors noted. But Mount Vesuvius’ eruption wiped it and other nearby Roman settlements off the map. The ash spewed by the volcano coated the bodies of people and animals and encased buildings, monuments, mosaics, frescoes, sculptures and other artifacts in Pompeii and other surrounding towns. Rainfall after the eruption caused the bodies to become cemented within the ash, and the hardened ash preserved outlines of everything it blanketed, according to the study. When excavations began at the Pompeii site centuries later, archaeologists uncovered nearly 1,000 outlines of people, both isolated and grouped together, in houses, squares, streets, gardens and just outside the city walls. In 2015, the Archaeological Park of Pompeii began efforts to restore 86 of the 104 casts originally made by Fiorelli. X-rays and CT scans showed that while none of the casts contained complete skeletons, bone fragments were within many of them. The scans also indicated that when archaeologists and restorers initially worked with the casts centuries ago, they manipulated them — enhancing and altering aspects of the body shapes, removing bones and inserting stabilizers such as metal rods. The Archaeological Park of Pompeii invited the study team to research the bone fragments and teeth that were accessible due to earlier damage to the casts, said coauthor David Caramelli, director of the department of biology and professor of anthropology at the University of Florence in Italy. The study team included the archaeological park’s past director, Massimo Osanna, current director Gabriel Zuchtriegel and park anthropologist Dr. Valeria Amoretti. Together, park scientists and the study authors are working on a larger project to better understand the genetic diversity present in Pompeii during the Roman Empire. “It is a ‘genetic’ photo taken of a Roman city from 2000 years ago,” Caramelli said by email. Changing old assumptions Some bones were mixed directly in with plaster used in the casts and incredibly fragile, but the team was able to extract and analyze DNA from multiple fragments. The remains studied had been found at different sites preserved within the archaeological park, including the House of the Golden Bracelet, the House of the Cryptoporticus and the Villa of the Mysteries. The House of the Golden Bracelet, a terraced structure decorated with colorful frescoes, was named for an adult found wearing the item and with a child astride on their hip. Next to them was another adult, presumed to be the child’s father. All three were found at the foot of a staircase that led out to a garden, while a second child was discovered a few meters away, possibly separated from the rest as they tried to escape to the garden. It was long believed that two of these bodies belonged to a mother with a child astride her hip, but genetic analysis has shown it’s an unrelated adult male with a child. Archeological Park of Pompeii It is believed the two adults and one of the children were killed when the staircase collapsed as they tried to flee, presumably to the nearby port. Traditionally, researchers assumed the bracelet-wearing person to be the child’s mother. But the genetic analysis revealed the pair to be an unrelated adult male and child, Reich said. The adult male likely had black hair and dark skin. The new study reveals a lot about our own cultural expectations, said Steven Tuck, professor of history and classics at Miami University in Ohio. Tuck was not involved in the new study. “We expect a woman to be comforting and maternal, so much so that we assume a comforting figure is a woman and mother, which here is not the case,” Tuck said. Learning more about the remains of people at Pompeii can help others appreciate those who lost their

Eight of 11 justices on Mexico’s Supreme Court have resigned and declined to participate in an election for the court scheduled for June, the court said on Wednesday. According to a statement, the court’s president, Norma Pina, presented her resignation, as did Luis Maria Aguilar, Jorge Mario Pardo, Alfredo Gutierrez, Alberto Perez, Javier Laynez, Juan Luis Gonzalez and Margarita Rios. Seven of the jurists’ resignations are effective August 31, 2025, while Aguilar will leave office on November 30. The resignations are the result of a constitutional overhaul that was enacted last month that requires all judges be elected by popular vote. The reform requires judges to resign ahead of the June election if they do not want to participate in the electoral process and wish to maintain their pension, or risk losing it, prompting an outcry among judicial workers. The slate of resignations heightens tensions between Mexico’s Supreme Court and the ruling bloc, increasing the risk of a constitutional crisis as Congress and the presidency remain at odds with the judiciary over the reform. “It is necessary to underscore that this resignation does not imply an implicit acceptance of the reform’s constitutionality,” said justice Gutierrez in a resignation letter on Tuesday. In her letter to the Senate on Wednesday, Rios said her resignation “should not be seen as an implicit endorsement of a (reform) framework that remains controversial.” The 11-member Supreme Court will see its number reduced to nine as part of the reform. Three current justices have publicly backed the reform.

More than a billion Hindus, Sikhs, Jains and Buddhists around the world are celebrating Diwali, the festival of lights. Diwali, also called Deepavali, is one of the biggest festivals in India. It’s also widely celebrated in Nepal, Malaysia, Fiji and other countries with large South Asian diasporas. Homes, businesses and public spaces are lit up with diyas, or oil lamps made from clay, and fireworks displays abound. People gather with their families, eat sweets and exchange gifts. Despite its deep religious significance, Diwali today is also a cultural festival observed by people regardless of faith. Here’s what to know about the holiday. What is Diwali? Customers buy paper lanterns and other decorative items at a shop in Mumbai ahead of Diwali in 2023. Sujit Jaiswal/AFP/Getty Images Diwali comes from the Sanskrit word deepavali, meaning “row of lights.” It marks the triumph of light over darkness, of good over evil. Though Diwali traditions vary according to region and religion, the myths and historical stories behind the holiday share themes of justice and liberation. When is Diwali? Diwali is celebrated every year in autumn, usually falling between October and November. The festival lasts five days, with the main celebration occurring on the third day. This year, Diwali will be observed on October 31. These are the five days of Diwali: • Dhanteras: People typically mark the first day of Diwali by purchasing gold and silver jewelry, utensils and other new household items for good luck. Many clean their homes to invite the blessings of Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and prosperity. Others also honor Dhanvantari, the god of Ayurveda, and Yamaraj, the god of death, on this day. People often mark Dhanteras, the first day of the Diwali festival, by purchasing gold or silvery jewelry. Ashish Vaishnav/SOPA Images/LightRocket/Getty Images • Choti Diwali, or Naraka Chaturdashi: The second day of Diwali marks Lord Krishna’s defeat of the demon king Narakasura. People wake up early to bathe and wash their hair. They also clean their homes, decorate them with rangolis and diyas and prepare sweets. • Diwali, or Lakshmi Puja: The third day of the festival is what people typically think of as Diwali. Families gather to exchange gifts, feast on scrumptious dishes and indulge in sweets. Many Hindus worship the goddess Lakshmi on this day. • Padwa, or Govardhan Puja: The fourth day of Diwali honors the relationship between husband and wife, and husbands will typically buy a gift for their spouses. In some traditions, it commemorates the day Lord Krishna lifted Govardhan Hill to protect villagers of Vrindavan from rains brought on by Lord Indra’s anger. Some devotees offer a mountain of food to Krishna in remembrance, while others make clay and cow dung figures recreating the event. • Bhai Dooj: The final day of Diwali celebrates the love between siblings, in honor of the bond between Lord Yama and his sister Yami (or Yamuna). Sisters will sometimes place a tilak, or red mark, on their brothers’ foreheads, while brothers will give gifts to their sisters. What is the meaning of Diwali? Diwali is largely observed by Hindus, Sikhs, Jains and Buddhists, but much like Christmas, the holiday transcends religion and is now celebrated by many people outside those traditions. The meaning of the festival varies by community and region. One of the legends at the heart of Diwali comes from the Hindu epic, the Ramayana. During the exile of Prince Rama (an incarnation of the god Vishnu) and his wife Sita (an incarnation of the goddess Lakshmi), Sita is kidnapped by the demon king Ravana. Rama ultimately defeats Ravana to rescue his wife. For some Hindus, Diwali marks Rama and Sita’s triumphant return to their kingdom after 14 years of exile. Students in the Indian city of Guwahati light oil lamps on a rangoli, a traditional Indian art form that is a staple of Diwali celebrations. Biju Boro/AFP/Getty Images Some Hindus in southern India celebrate Lord Krishna’s defeat of Narakasura, which led to the rescue of 16,000 girls in the demon’s captivity. In western India, Diwali commemorates the day that Lord Vishnu banishes the demon king Bali to rule the netherworld. Sikhs commemorate the occasion as “Bandi Chhor Divas” (The Day of Liberation). It marks the day that Guru Hargobind, their sixth guru, and 52 Hindu kings were freed from wrongful imprisonment. The Mughal Emperor Jahangir initially only agreed to release Guru Hargobind, but the guru refused to go without the royals. After Jahangir declared that those who could hold onto the guru’s cloak could leave, Guru Hargobind tied 52 tassels to his cloak so that each ruler could walk to freedom. For Jains, Diwali signifies the day Lord Mahavira, their last spiritual leader, attained physical death and achieved enlightenment. Some Buddhists acknowledge Diwali as the day the Emperor Ashoka embraced Buddhism. How is Diwali celebrated? A market in Singapore’s Little India district is stocked with decorations ahead of Diwali. Roslan Rahman/AFP/Getty Images Aside from the common traditions of decorating one’s home, setting off firecrackers and feasting on delicious food, there are several other ways that people mark Diwali. In some parts of India, people play gambling card games such as teen patti, blackjack and poker. Gambling during the holiday is considered auspicious, stemming from a legend in which the god Shiva and his consort Parvati play a dice game. Diwali also marks the start of the new Hindu financial year, and many businesses, traders and shopkeepers open new accounts books during the holiday.

An electric motorcycle, made by Swedish-Kenyan manufacturer Roam completed a 6,000-kilometer (3,700-mile) journey from Nairobi, Kenya, to Stellenbosch, South Africa, in 17 days, using only solar power. While the world record for the longest electric motorcycle journey is 25,000 kilometers (11,300 miles), undertaken over 42 days in the US, Roam hopes that its stunt helps to prove the viability of renewable energy for long-distance travel even in remote areas with poor charging infrastructure. The batteries were charged en route through a solar panel charging system carried in a support vehicle, which would drive ahead each day, stopping to charge up the batteries, so that when the bike caught up it could swap the dead battery for a fresh one. During the journey, the motorcycle model, the Roam Air, achieved its new single battery record range of 113 kilometers (70 miles), and on the trip’s last day, it traveled 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) in less than 18 hours. “(We wanted) to break a lot of boundaries on how traversing through sub-Saharan Africa is possible without pre-installed charging infrastructure,” Masa Kituyi, Roam product owner and one of the riders on the expedition, tells CNN. “From Roam’s perspective, we wanted to prove that this ‘ride anywhere, charge everywhere’ ideology is true.” Roam product owner Masa Kituyi was one of the riders on the journey. Lewis Seymour Kituyi split the riding with Stephan Lacock, a postgraduate student at Stellenbosch University who is working on a powertrain simulation project to boost the Roam Air’s efficiency. Accompanied by two support vehicles, they set off on 29 September, traveling through Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia and Botswana, before arriving in Stellenbosch on the morning of 16 October. The team drove along highways and dirt tracks, stopping off at Victoria Falls and Chobe River, where they camped under the stars and among hippos. On average the team covered around 400 kilometers (250 miles) per day, with about 80 kilometers (50 miles) per battery. Cloud cover The biggest challenge the team faced during the journey was the weather. “You can’t force the sun to shine,” says Kituyi, and at some points they ended up adapting their route so that they could escape cloud cover and have an opportunity to recharge the batteries. While Roam wanted to demonstrate the potential of solar energy as a solution for powering bikes in areas that lack charging infrastructure, Kituyi says that most of Roam’s customers charge their bikes at home with energy from the grid. However, he insists that this mammoth journey would still be possible for people without a solar support car. “Anywhere you can charge your phone, you can charge the bike,” he says. “That means with enough planning and lodging in hotels that have electricity, you are able to do this journey yourself.” However, he adds that he’s not expecting many of Roam’s customers to travel cross-continent – rather, riders might need the bike to travel between rural areas and cities. The feat was about “showing the flexibility works,” he says, and countering range anxiety. A support car equipped with a solar panel charging system followed the motorbike along the route. Lewis Seymour Accelerating market The journey was a collaborative effort between Roam and Stellenbosch University, which launched an Electric Mobility Lab this month, dedicated to advancing sustainable transport solutions. Roam donated two motorcycles to the lab to support research and develop the bikes further. Kituyi hopes that through powertrain efficiency tests and “accelerated testing,” which involves charging and discharging the battery multiple times a day, the startup will gain a better understanding of the life cycles of the bike and the battery. He adds that “accelerated testing” requires special facilities, and in the past Roam has carried out these tests outside Africa, including in China. The lab will give Roam the opportunity to keep the testing within the continent, which he says will make it more reliable as it’s undertaken in a similar climate, as well as helping to build Africa’s electric vehicle (EV) market. According to market research firm Mordor Intelligence, the African EV market is worth an estimated $16 billion, and it is projected to reach $25 billion by 2029. It claims this is driven by increased investment, rising EV sales, and government policies that encourage electrification. For example, Rwanda has eliminated import taxes on electric vehicles and is offering incentives for charging infrastructure development. The team encountered elephants and hippos along the 17-day journey. Lewis Seymour Two-wheelers are a central part of this, with demand for electric motorbikes soaring. According to another report from Mordor, by 2030 the two-wheeler segment of the market is expected to achieve an electrification rate of 22%, significantly higher than other types of vehicles. Low operating costs are a key driver, analysts from Mordor told CNN in an email: “Electricity is generally cheaper than gasoline, and electric motorcycles have fewer mechanical parts. Riders can save approximately $400 to $700 annually on fuel alone, making electric motorcycles an attractive option financially.” They added that African startups are dominating the space, since they have designed bikes to withstand local road conditions, do not rely on traditional charging infrastructure, and offer flexible payment options. Rwanda’s Ampersand currently has a fleet of almost 4,000 and expects this to surpass 40,000 by the end of 2026, whereas Spiro has over 18,000 e-bikes on the road across Kenya, Benin, Togo, Rwanda and Uganda, and has launched in Nigeria. Roam, founded in 2017 and formerly known as Opibus, has seen this transition firsthand. It started by electrifying safari vehicles, before turning to buses and motorcycles. Today, motorcycles are its main focus and it produces around 40 bikes a day, according to Kituyi. Currently, the bikes are available to buy in greater Nairobi, and in early 2025, it will be expanding across the whole of Kenya, as well as entering Uganda and Rwanda. “There is a big demand and constant growth of the market for motorcycles,” says Kituyi, adding that he has seen a gradual shift in people’s mindset. “They are getting more confident with the idea of stopping at a restaurant and asking them for

Gothic fantasy? Whimsical horror? Macabre comedy? Despite making films for over 40 years, Tim Burton’s visual style — a signature blend of light and dark — continues to defy neat description. Nevertheless, his otherworldly drawings, paintings, animations and feature films have wriggled into our lives to the point where we can name ‘Burtonesque’ as a style in its own right. But what is Burtonesque — or as some on TikTok seem to be calling it, Burtoncore? Well, it starts with the strange and unusual. “I read somewhere, that if you were going to describe his style through references that are in the cultural vernacular, it would be Van Gogh’s Starry Night and Frankenstein,” said Maria McLintock, curator of the newly opened World of Tim Burton exhibition at London’s Design Museum. The exhibition will feature over 600 items, including the first ever public display of the viral Rave’N dress worn by Jenna Ortega in Netflix series “Wednesday” (2022). Winona Ryder and Johnny Depp in Edward Scissorhands, 1990. 20th Century Fox/Kobal/Shutterstock “Tim, more than anything, is an artist. He is not drawn to expressing reality, in fact, he probably would say what even is reality?” McLintock told CNN. From suburbia, springs the surreal Burton grew up in Burbank, California, a land of eternal sunshine. Nonetheless, his childhood beneath the Hollywood sign in the 1960s was characterised by suburban boredom and isolation, finding solace in the world of film and television. Burton devoured everything from horror films to Ray Harryhausen animations, science fiction B movies and Japanese Kaiju monster films. An avid artist from an early age, Burton’s uncanny style of drawing is inspired by these films — along with gothic novels, expressionist paintings, holiday rituals and even the illustrations of Dr Seuss. Burton studied character animation at the California Institute of Arts before he was offered an apprenticeship at Disney. Although the relationship didn’t last (Burton has joked that his Disney drawings “looked like roadkill”), while there, he completed “Vincent” (1982), a black and white stop motion animation. The short was narrated by the infamous horror actor Vincent Price, who would later play the inventor in Burton’s 1990 film “Edward Scissorhands.” While the character Vincent laments his “ordinary” life, elongated jagged lines, twisted spirals, pinstripes and chequerboards dance across the screen — motifs that crop up repeatedly in Burton’s work and are the basis of the striking world of the Burtonesque. A signature style: Staples, skeletons and stripes These visual motifs are evident in Beetlejuice’s suit, Jack Skellington’s physique, Edward Scissorhands’s gothic mansion and Wednesday Addams’ uniform. Stitches, too, have repeatedly occurred in Burton’s visual aesthetic, such as when Sparky the dog returns from the dead in the “Frankenweenie” films (1984 and 2012), in Catwoman’s black latex number in “Batman Returns” (1992), the singular hand ‘Thing’ in horror TV series “Wednesday” (2022), and Monica Bellucci’s undead ‘staple’ look in this year’s “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice”. (Both “Beetlejuice” movies were released by Warner Bros., which is owned by CNN’s parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery.) Tim Burton on the set of “Batman Returns” 1992 Warner Bros/Dc Comics/Kobal/Shutterstock While the Burtonesque certainly calls on the frightful and gory, it also embraces humor and charm. Jenny He, co-curator of the first ever major exhibition of Burton’s work at MoMA 15 years ago, told CNN that: “Stitches seems very macabre, but for Tim, actually, it’s a very positive, optimistic motif, because stitching means that you can put yourself back together — no matter how many times you fall apart.” Dichotomy has always been a key element of the Burtonesque, contrasting vivid color with greyscale, experimenting with humor and horror, exploring the clash of the beautiful and grotesque. Hidden behind these very recognisable visual stylings, however, is Burton’s fastidious world building. “To me, the Burtonesque is a process, a deep commitment to handmade, slower processes, not feeling that obligation to go for the quickest, slickest route. That’s what lingers beyond the credits rolling, everything feels like this entire world has been so considered,” McLintock told CNN. Remarking on the sheer volume of work created for each film, Jenny He added: “Even though films are a collaborative effort, inherently, it very much starts from Tim… Everything is in his head, and then it flows out onto paper, or a napkin, or canvas, and then he hands it off to his collaborators, and then they go out into the world of his fans.” Brand Burton Though it may be Burton’s world, his chosen collaborators play a large part in bringing it to life. Designer Colleen Atwood’s costumes have been instrumental in expressing Burton’s vision. Atwood breathed life into the iconic Edward Scissorhands outfit, a beautiful DIY mess of blades and belts, and the dramatic sculptural Victorian costumes in the 2007 movie “Sweeney Todd”. Perhaps most remarkably, Atwood hand-painted Christina Ricci’s black and white striped dress in “Sleepy Hollow” (1999) so that the garment would fall precisely as Burton had envisioned in his original sketch. Michelle Pfieffer as Catwoman – complete with Burton’s signature stitches style – in 1992. Snap/Shutterstock The final piece of the Burtonesque puzzle is the coterie of actors that regularly appear in his projects. The likes of Johnny Depp, Winona Ryder, Jenna Ortega and Eva Green all incapsulate a certain Burtonesque ‘Je ne sais quoi,’ extending it into ‘reality,’ spilling his signature style out of the silver screen and onto the red carpet. Beyond Hollywood, Burton’s work has been inspiring the world of fashion for decades. The late Alexander McQueen’s Fall-Winter 2002 show, ‘Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious,’ featured a now-iconic Batman-esque parachute cape inspired by Burton’s work. You can see Burton’s influence on the darkly fantastical fashion photographer Tim Walker, whose work is filled with striking silhouettes and wonderous themes — the pair even collaborated on a shoot for Harper’s Bazaar, ‘Tricks and Treats,’ in 2009. Then there’s shoe designer Sophia Webster’s 2016 collection which essentially revolved around Lydia Deetz, one of the principal characters in the original Beetlejuice, with the models all sporting her archetypal spiky updo. 2024: A new era of goth It’s a style that’s not going away

Michigan prosecutors charged a Chinese citizen with voter fraud and perjury after he allegedly cast a ballot in the 2024 election, authorities announced Wednesday. Sources familiar with the matter told CNN that the 19-year-old Chinese man who allegedly voted is a student who lives in Ann Arbor, home to the University of Michigan. Authorities said the man isn’t a US citizen, and therefore can’t vote in federal elections. The announcement from Michigan’s secretary of state and attorney general, and local prosecutors in Ann Arbor, comes as former President Donald Trump and his Republican allies spread concerns about mass voting by non-citizens. Experts say illegal voting by non-citizens is extremely rare, and when it does happen, it is usually caught quickly. The Chinese man – a student at the University of Michigan – cast his ballot on Sunday and then reached out to local election officials later that day in an attempt to get the ballot back, according to a source familiar with the situation. The man registered to vote at the polling place on Sunday, the source said. He used his university ID and other documents to demonstrate his residency in Ann Arbor while filling out a same-day voter registration forms, the source said. The Detroit News first reported the details. The suspect is legally present in the US, the source added. If he is convicted, he could potentially be deported over the incident, legal experts said. “Investigations in multiple states and nationwide have found no evidence of large numbers of noncitizens registering to vote. Even less common is a noncitizen actually casting a ballot. When it does happen, we take it extremely seriously,” Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and Washtenaw County Prosecutor Eli Savit, both Democrats, said in a statement. They also said that “any noncitizen who attempts to vote fraudulently in Michigan will be exposing themselves to great risk and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.” Investigators in Michigan are still looking at whether this was an isolated incident, an accident or possibly part of an attempt by China to interfere in the 2024 election, and federal investigators are also looking into the matter, a source familiar with the matter told CNN. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, who is also a Democrat, said in a statement that her office has launched an “independent, parallel investigation” into the situation. Authorities did not identify the Chinese student accused of voting in the election. He is facing one count of illegally attempting to vote and one count of perjury – both felonies. It appears that the student’s vote can’t be nullified after the fact and will be counted. Washtenaw County Clerk Lawrence Kestenbaum told CNN ballots can’t be retrieved once they have gone through the tabulator. Unlike vote-by-mail, ballots cast at in-person voting locations don’t contain any identifying information about the individual voter, making it impossible to determine which one belonged to the student, Kestenbaum said. “There’s a box of ballots underneath the tabulator and all of the ballots — they all look the same … there’s no way to go back and undo it,” Kestenbaum said in an interview. Experts said this is a standard election procedure to maintain secrecy. “An in-person ballot is placed in a tabulator or ballot box, intermingled with other ballots. This is to preserve secrecy, so you can’t go into the ballot later and confirm who a particular parson voted for,” said David Becker, a former Justice Department voting rights official and founder of the nonpartisan Center for Election Innovation & Research. After the charges were announced, Michigan GOP operatives and state lawmakers seized on the news to criticize Democrats for not requiring proof-of-citizenship to vote. Ciara Torres-Spelliscy, an election law expert at Stetson University, said this is one of the “downsides” of the secret ballot, which was instituted to prevent vote-buying. Earlier in US history, different color ballots were sometimes used for different political parties, making it easier to meddle in the process. The secret ballot for in-person votes ensures “no one can trace a particular vote to a particular voter,” Torres-Spelliscy said. “Plucking out an improperly cast ballot is basically impossible because it looks like every other ballot cast by an eligible voter,” Torres-Spelliscy, a CNN contributor, said, adding that the Chinese national who voted in Michigan “swore under penalty of perjury that he was an American citizen, thus this explains why poll workers would give him a ballot.”

Russia is seeking an unfathomable sum of money from one of the world’s biggest tech companies. Google reportedly owes the Kremlin more than 2 undecillion rubles — a 2 followed by 36 zeroes — after refusing to pay fines that are now accruing for blocking pro-Russian channels on YouTube. The virtually unpronounceable penalty amounts to $20 decillion — or around $20 billion trillion trillion. That dwarfs the size of the global economy. At $110 trillion, according to International Monetary Fund figures, world gross domestic product looks modest in comparison. Google parent Alphabet, meanwhile, has a market value of around $2 trillion. Russian state media TASS reported this week that a Russian court had earlier ordered Google to restore the YouTube channels — several of which have been blocked since 2022 — or else face mounting charges, with penalties doubling every week. Asked about the lawsuit during a call with reporters Thursday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov admitted that he “can’t even pronounce this figure right” but said that the eye-watering sum was “filled with symbolism.” Google “should not be restricting the actions of our broadcasters on its platform,” he added. CNN has contacted Google for comment. In quarterly earnings published this week, the company referred to “ongoing legal matters” relating to its business in Russia. “Civil judgments that include compounding penalties have been imposed upon us in connection with disputes regarding the termination of accounts, including those of sanctioned parties,” Google said. “We do not believe these ongoing legal matters will have a material adverse effect (on earnings).” Following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Google curtailed operations in the country but stopped short of pulling out altogether, in contrast with several other American tech companies. Many of its services, including Search and YouTube, continue to be available in the country. Months after the invasion, Google’s Russia subsidiary filed for bankruptcy and paused most of its commercial operations after the government seized control of its bank accounts.