The recently launched super space telescope James Webb has returned spectacular new imagery of Neptune.
The observatory’s infrared instruments highlight features not seen in such detail since the Voyager 2 probe flew past the planet in 1989.
These include the rings and dust bands that encircle the ice giant.
Scientists are also intrigued by the different cloud structures, which should tell them something novel about the workings of Neptune’s atmosphere.
Beyond the planet itself are seven of the giant’s 14 moons, the most significant of which is Triton.
It appears star-like in the Webb imagery.
That’s because Neptune is darkened in the telescope’s view by methane absorption at infrared wavelengths. Triton, on the other hand, reflects an average of 70% of the sunlight that strikes its icy surface. It’s very bright.
Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a session of the G20 Leaders' Summit taking place in Rome, via teleconference in Moscow, on October 30, 2021. (Photo by Evgeny PAULIN / SPUTNIK / AFP) (Photo by EVGENY PAULIN/SPUTNIK/AFP via Getty Images)
Russian President Vladimir Putin is calling up thousands of extra troops to fight in Ukraine after suffering setbacks on the battlefield.
Mr Putin said the partial mobilisation was necessary to ensure Russian territorial integrity.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said it showed Mr Putin wanted to drown Ukraine in blood – including that of his own soldiers.
The announcement applies to 300,000 military reservists.
They make up a fraction of the about 25 million Russian reservists – people who have done their military service which is compulsory in Russia.
The mobilisation is the first since World War II and comes after Ukraine made gains in a rapid counter-offensive this month, putting the Kremlin on the back foot.
Ukrainian forces have recaptured key towns and villages in the northern Kharkiv region and have made a slower, but still significant progress in the southern Kherson region. Russia still holds about a fifth of the country.
The decree is short on detail. It says nothing about a cap on numbers or about any exceptions, such as not recruiting students or conscripts.
Instead, these details are left to regional heads to decide how to meet quotas. In theory, the net could be cast far wider than the Kremlin has specified.
However Russian officials said it would announce “very soon” those who would be exempt from its partial mobilisation.
The partial call-up stops short of full conscription, a move that would have risked turning a public that has so far largely been in favour of the conflict against it.
In a televised address, Mr Putin also issued a thinly veiled he could use nuclear weapons.
He said the West was engaging in “nuclear blackmail” and that Moscow had “lots of weapons to reply”.
“When the territorial integrity of our country is threatened, we will certainly use all the means at our disposal to protect Russia and our people. It’s not a bluff,” he said.
Drone footage has shown a collapsed bridge damaged in a 6.8 earthquake that hit southeastern Taiwan.
Taiwan’s weather bureau said the epicentre was in Taitung County and followed a 6.4 magnitude temblor on Saturday evening in the same area, which caused no casualties.
Taiwan’s fire department said one person had died and 146 were injured by the quake.
The earthquake caused the Gaoliao Bridge in Hualien County to collapse. Several buildings were also damaged and train carriages were derailed.
The quake could be felt across Taiwan, the weather bureau said. Buildings shook briefly in the capital Taipei, and aftershocks have continued to jolt the island.
At least 14 cachalot were found dead after stranding on a beach of Australia’s King Island.
The cachalot is the largest of the toothed whales and the largest toothed predator.
Australian wildlife authorities are now investigating the deaths of 14 young cachalots that were found beached on an island off of the southeastern coast, officials said Tuesday.
A government Marine Conservation Program team traveled to the island Tuesday and was conducting necrop-sies of the whales to try to determine their cause of death.
Photos distributed by the department showed whales lying on their sides in shallow water on the rocky shore of the island.
Authorities were planning to conduct an aerial survey to determine whether there were any other whales in the area.
The department said it is not unusual for sperm whales to be sighted in Tasmania and the area where they were discovered on the beach was within their normal range and habitat.
The Nigerian Institution of Water Engineers NIWE has called for the application of data and technologies for effective integrated water resources management to maximise economic and social benefits for the country.
Director of Engineering in the Lower Benue Basin Development Authority in Makurdi, Benue State, Valerie Judit Omale, said the major challenge facing the Lower Benue River Basin Authority was funding.
She said this at the 5th NIWE International Water Conference in Abuja, with the theme, “Application of Data and Technology for Effective Integrated Water Resource Management”, was organised by NIWE with support from the Federal Ministry of Water Resources, NiMet, NIHSA, UNESCO and other stakeholders.
“There are many projects we have started, especially the construction of Dams, control of irrigation projects, etc, trying to make sure that underground water is safe, sufficient and clean for the people.
“Before it would be completed, you would find out that resources appropriated don’t come every year and because of that, some projects are abandoned and some take so much time to be completed.
“The Ministry of Water Resources and the River Basins are working tirelessly to make sure Nigerians have safe and portable drinking water for their industrial and domestic use.
“We are calling for more funding for River Basins so that we will be able to produce enough water through the construction of Dams and stop the wastage of water,” Omale said.
The Nigerian Institution of Water Engineers is a division of the Nigerian Society of Engineers.
In line with its mandate on continuous professional development, the Institution holds International Water Conference annually on topical issues in the water sub-sector with a view to bring to front burner existing issues, problems, challenges and possible solutions or recommendations on the way forward.
Deputy Governor, Ogun State, Mrs. Noimot Salako-Oyedele has said the technologies needed to upgrade the health industry should be made easily accessible across the country.
Speaking in Lagos at the 9th Medic West Africa Exhibition and Conference, organised by Informa Markets, Salako-Oyedele, explained that there was a need for Medic West Africa to bridge the technology and knowledge in Nigeria and West Africa.
The theme of the exhibition and conference was ‘Leveraging disruption in healthcare – Opportunities and challenges in technology.
Ogun State Deputy Governor, Mrs. Noimot Salako-Oyedele
She said, “I think it is very important that these technologies needed to upgrade our health industry and provide international-standard healthcare are brought to our doorstep. I welcome Medic West Africa as a platform for key stakeholders to explore what is needed for our facilities and learn more about the newest innovations in healthcare.’’
Medic West Africa’s Exhibition Manager, Mr. Amogh Wadwalkar, expressed his satisfaction with its growth, continuity of legacy, and impact.
He said, “Ten years ago, Medic West Africa began as a platform to showcase the latest innovations in healthcare technology to industry players for the advancement of regional health infrastructures. Now, it has grown to not only be a peerless exhibition platform but also a place of discourse concerning topical issues challenging the healthcare industry.’’
Informa Market’s Group Director for Healthcare, Solenne Singer, also said its role at Informa Markets was to bring together manufacturers to meet with local buyers to aid in the sourcing of health equipment and solutions for their facilities and the people of Nigeria.
Among the technologies exhibited at the conference were state-of-the-art imaging and diagnostics.
Spain’s Prado Museum on Tuesday published a list of 25 artworks seized during the 1936-39 civil war and under Francisco Franco’s dictatorship, and announced a research project that could lead to the works being returned to their legitimate owners.
Among the works are paintings by 17th century Flemish artist Jan Brueghel the Younger and Spanish impressionist Joaquin Sorolla, according to the list.
The two centuries-old museum said in a statement it had set up a research team to study the 25 oeuvres and determine if there are other works that were also confiscated.
“The project aims to clarify any doubts that may exist regarding the works’ history and context prior to their cession to the Prado’s collections, which, in fulfillment of all legal requirements, may result in works being returned to their legitimate owners,” it said.
The findings of the research, to be led by senior professor and expert on cultural heritage and the Civil War Arturo Colorado, are expected by early 2023.
More than half a million people died during the Spanish Civil War and an estimated 150,000 were killed later in repression by Franco’s 1939-75 dictatorship, historians estimate.
None of the works on the list are on display at the museum that is part of Madrid’s “Golden Triangle of art” along with the Reina Sofia and Thyssen galleries. One of the capital’s most famous landmarks, the Prado contains over 7,000 of the world’s finest paintings and other works of art.
New research conducted by researchers in Spain has suggested that skipping breakfast could put a teenager at a higher risk of psychosocial health problems.
The researchers noted that eating breakfast is important for teenage children’s mental health.
They added that the type of food children eat and where they eat it are also very important.
According to the researchers, eating breakfast at home is vital because it not only provides physical benefits but also psychosocial benefits for teenagers.
The lead study author, a professor at the University of Castilla-La Mancha in Cuenca, Spain, Dr. José Francisco López-Gi said, “The association between skipping breakfast and psychosocial health problems have been previously described in the literature in some scientific articles.
“However, the fact that eating breakfast away from home is associated with greater psychosocial health problems is a novel aspect of our study.”
The team of researchers made use of data from the 2017 Spanish National Health Survey, including questions concerning breakfast status, place, habits, and children’s psychosocial health.
The study included 3,772 Spanish children and adolescents between ages four and 14. The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaires were answered by parents or guardians of the children.
Results from the SDC questionnaire revealed that 98.9 per cent of the sample ate breakfast, of which 95.8 per cent ate breakfast at home.
Family having Breakfast
According to findings from the study published in the journal Frontiers in Nutrition, skipping and eating breakfast outside of the home were linked to higher chances of psychosocial behavioural problems than eating breakfast at home.
The researchers also reported that certain foods and beverages are associated with higher or lower odds of psychosocial behavioural problems.
They found that not consuming coffee, milk, tea, chocolate, cocoa, yogurt, bread, toast, cereals, pastries, etc for breakfast were all linked with greater odds of psychosocial behavioural problems while not consuming eggs, cheese, ham, etc., were associated with lower odds of psychosocial behavioural problems.
The researchers in the study report said, “Our results show that eating breakfast, specifically at home, and breakfast habits related to the intake of certain food/beverages groups were associated with higher or lower odds of psychosocial behavioural problems.
“This finding is clinically meaningful, as psychosocial behavioural problems are one of the most important worldwide worries in the young population.
“It might be possible to underscore the significance of focusing not only on breakfast intake but also on habits related to the consumption of certain foods/beverages to try to reduce the harmful effects of psychosocial behavioural problems in young populations. Nevertheless, further studies with different designs are needed to verify cause-effect associations,” it said.
The team of researchers noted that the availability of nutritious breakfasts would possibly influence the results, as would social and family support that comes during breakfast at home.
Family With Teenage Children Eating Breakfast In Kitchen
López-Gil said, “Our findings reinforce the need to promote not only breakfast as part of a healthy lifestyle routine but also that it should be eaten at home.
“Also, to prevent psychosocial health problems, a breakfast that includes dairy and/or cereals, and minimizes certain animal foods high in saturated fat/cholesterol, could help to decrease psychosocial health problems in young people.”
Thirteen health facilities have been shutdown for illegalities across the eighteen local government areas of Cross River State, south-south Nigeria.
The Special Adviser to Governor Ben Ayade on Health, Dr. David Ushie, made the disclosure at a media parley in Calabar, the capital of Cross River, he said that the clamp down on illegitimate facilities was spearheaded by the state’s Health Activities Inspection Task Force.
Dr. Ushie said that the task force also received 22 reports on illegal activities including fake surgeries performed in some government and private health centres across the communities.
Ushie, who is also the chairman of the task force, hinted reporters of a recent arrest of quack doctors in Ogoga, the northern district of Cross River State.
He said following a tip-off, the task force embarked on its investigations which resulted to the arrest of one qualified doctor and others suspected to have performed various degrees of surgeries on 10 innocent villagers.
According to Ushie, “Nine of the ten patients had 11 surgeries, among the 9, three had 4 surgeries for hernia and appendectomy. One patient had two surgeries for appendix have been moved to the General Hospital Ogoja for further investigations.
“So far, out of the eleven patients, we have discovered that 5 had superficial cuts, giving them false sense that they had surgeries. It is important to note that we have so far not found any case of organ harvesting,” he explained.
Dr. Ushie said that some of the perpetrators, who escaped have been found and taken into police custody for further investigations and prosecution, while any licensed individual such as a laboratory scientist, who was conducting false ultrasound on the victims including the only doctor among them, Dr Augustine Adugba would be reported to the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria.
The secretary of the task force and Director, Medical and Dental Services in the Cross River Ministry of Health, Dr. Itam Essien said that henceforth, any individual or group seen to be conducting medical outreaches without due clearance from the ministry, would be arrested and prosecuted.
Dr. Essien lamented that the target for such outreaches were in rural areas where the people are largely unable to immediately verify the status of those offering the services, which despite being touted as free attracts fees.
Essien said, “The ministry and task force have stopped all forms of outreaches in the communities. Anyone or group caught doing so without proper clearance in line with our standard requirements will be arrested and prosecuted.
A Canadian $20 note from 1935, featuring a portrait 8-years-old Princess Elizabeth (later Queen Elizabeth), which will be auctioned later this month is seen in this undated handout picture provided September 20, 2022. Sean Isaacs/Handout via REUTERS
The death of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth has collectors scrambling to secure rare coins and bills bearing her likeness, even as her portrait is set to remain in circulation for years to come on money throughout the Commonwealth.
Coin dealers say demand for rare-issue notes and coins – such as a pre-World War II Canadian US$20 bill featuring Elizabeth as a child or Australia’s Platinum Jubilee 50-cent coin – has surged since the queen died in Scotland on Sept. 8.
Queries have been coming in from both seasoned collectors and novices eager to commemorate the death of Britain’s longest-reigning monarch, who appears on a record 33 currencies around the world, according to the Guinness Book of World Records.
“There’s been an incredible upsurge in demand,” said Peter Hutchison, heritage coin specialist at Hattons of London, adding he is fielding queries from as far away as Australia.
In highest demand are limited-issue coins that were sold to collectors in the first place. Prices are rising as seasoned numismatists try to fill gaps in their collections and newcomers join in, said Hutchinson.
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