Month: February 2023

In a ray of hope for rescue workers amid an increasingly grim recovery mission, a two-year-old boy has been pulled alive from the rubble in Turkey 79 hours after a devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake. Mert Tatar was alert and smiling as he emerged from a hole in the rubble of a collapsed building in Antakya, prompting cheers from the surrounding rescue team, who quickly wrapped him in a blanket. READ MORE: Earthquake death toll surges as survivors struggle to stay warm, fed Mert Tatar smiles as he emerges from a hole in the rubble. (Today) Mert Tatar embraces his rescuers and elated relatives after 79 hours under the rubble of a collapsed building in freezing temperatures in the Turkish city of Antakya following a devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake. (Today) It is on...

The president of SpaceX, founded by billionaire Elon Musk, has revealed the company is moving to prevent Ukrainian forces from using the critical Starlink satellite technology with Ukrainian drones that are a key component of their fight against Russia. "There are things that we can do to limit their ability to do that," Gwynne Shotwell said, referencing reports on Starlink and drone use. "There are things that we can do, and have done." READ MORE: Zelenskyy calls Russia 'most anti-European force' in address to EU Starlink was never meant to be used militarily in the way that it has, Shotwell argued, saying the company didn't foresee how profoundly - and creatively - Ukrainian forces would rely on the technology. "It was never intended to be weaponised," Sh...

It sounds like a science fiction plot from the 1950s: In the far future year of 2023, one researcher has proposed we blast dust off the moon to shield us from the sun. But no - scientists from the University of Utah have calculated that it would be theoretically possible to shoot moon dust into space to block the sun's rays before they reach Earth, in an attempt to stop the planet from warming. The researchers say dust grains in the right place in space could shade the Earth for up to a week, and moon dust takes less energy to launch than dust from Earth. Using moon dust also avoids any long-term impacts on Earth or its atmosphere. And given the dust clouds would disperse relatively quickly, it would allow for some level of control over the shading between seasons...

An international team of investigators says it has found "strong indications" that Russian President Vladimir Putin approved the supply of heavy anti-aircraft weapons to Ukrainian separatists who shot down Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 in 2014 with a Russian missile. However, members of the Joint Investigation Team said they had insufficient evidence to prosecute Putin or any other suspects and suspended their 8½-year inquiry into the shooting down that killed all 298 people on board the Boeing 777 — including 38 Australians —flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur. Russia has always denied any involvement in the downing of the flight over eastern Ukraine on July 17, 2014, and refused to cooperate with the international investigation. Dutch prosecutors said "there are st...

Madonna has spoken out against criticism of her appearance after presenting at the Grammy Awards this week. In her latest Instagram post, the multi-award-winning singer lamented being "caught in the glare of ageism and misogyny that permeates the world we live in," after a close-up photo of her face went viral online and sparked a torrent of negative comments. The image was taken while Madonna was introducing Kim Petras and Sam Smith's performance of "Unholy." READ MORE: Woman loses $37k to catfish posing as Aussie actor Singer Madonna has hit back at critics of her appearance at the Grammy Awards. (Francis Specker/CBS/Getty Images) Madonna called it a "history making moment," adding: "Instead of focusing on what I said in my speech which was about giving thanks fo...

Disney become the latest company to report deep job cuts, saying it will cut 7000 jobs from its global workforce. Disney had about 220,000 workers as of October 1, of which approximately 166,000 were employed in the US. A cut of 7000 jobs represents about 3 per cent of its global workforce. READ MORE: Madonna hits back at 'ageist' critics after Grammys appearance "While this is necessary to address the challenges we're facing today, I do not make this decision lightly," CEO Bob Iger, who returned to lead the company in November when the board fired Bob Chapek as the company's leader, said. "I have enormous respect and appreciation for the talent and dedication of our employees worldwide, and I'm mindful of the personal impact of these changes." The job...