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Astronomers discover never-before-seen two-faced star

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:27:18 GMT

(CNN) — Astronomers have made a first-of-its-kind discovery — a white dwarf star with two completely different faces.White dwarfs are burnt remains of dead stars. Our sun will become a white dwarf in about 5 billion years after it swells into a red giant star, blows out its outer material and, with only the core left, shrinks back into a blinding white-hot remnant.The newly discovered white dwarf has two sides, one made of hydrogen and the other made of helium. Researchers have nicknamed the star Janus, for the Roman god of transition, which has two faces. A study detailing the findings was published July 19 in the journal Nature.“The surface of the white dwarf completely changes from one side to the other,” said lead study author Ilaria Caiazzo, a postdoctoral scholar research associate in astronomy at the California Institute of Technology, in a statement. “When I show the observations to people, they are blown away.”White dwarfs are incredibly dense, compressing a mass comparable...

Russia raises maximum military draft age to 30

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:27:18 GMT

The lower house of the Russian parliament on Tuesday voted in favor of a bill increasing the maximum conscription age for military service from 27 to 30, in a renewed push by the Kremlin to recruit soldiers to fuel its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.This means that starting January 1, 2024, men aged 18-30 will be subjected to compulsory one-year military service, Russian state-owned newswire TASS reported.The bill still needs to be approved by the parliament’s upper house and signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin to become law.In recent months, Putin has repeatedly sought to expand the military draft to feed Moscow’s army, which has seen conscripts being sent to the front lines in Ukraine.Last week, Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the Wagner paramilitary group, announced that his troops would not return to fight in Ukraine after relocating to Belarus following an aborted mutiny against Russia’s military leadership last month.

Gulf Stream shutoff could happen this century, scientists warn

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:27:18 GMT

The Atlantic Ocean current that keeps large parts of Europe warm could come to an abrupt and catastrophic stop any time in the coming decades, according to a new study published Tuesday.A collapse of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) was likely to occur “around mid-century under the current scenario of future emissions” — perhaps as soon as 2025 and not later than 2095, said Peter Ditlevsen and Susanne Ditlevsen from the University of Copenhagen in a peer-reviewed study published in Nature Communications.Other scientists urged caution in interpreting the findings.Niklas Boers of the Technical University of Munich, said the modeling was “heavily oversimplified.” The authors of Tuesday’s study themselves admitted they made assumptions that were uncertain. AMOC pushes warm water north along the Gulf Stream. As a result, England, which is at the same latitude as Canada, is much warmer. Its sudden end is a long-standing climate change prediction but there are de...

ESPN: Jaylen Brown agrees to 5-year, $304 million supermax contract extension with Celtics

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:27:18 GMT

Boston Celtics star player Jaylen Brown has agreed to a supermax contract extension with the team that will span five years and total $304 million, the richest deal in NBA history, according to ESPN.ESPN’s Marc J. Spears reported that, per Brown’s agent Jason Glushon, the Celtics were still finalizing “the remaining elements of the historic deal” that beats the previous record set when Nikola Jokic reached a $276 million deal with the Denver Nuggets.This is a developing story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest updates.

Patrice Bergeron, Boston Bruins forward and captain, announces retirement after 19 seasons

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:27:18 GMT

BOSTON (AP) — Patrice Bergeron, who in two decades with the Boston Bruins established himself as the NHL’s dominant two-way forward and one of the most respected players in the game, announced Tuesday “with a full heart and a lot of gratitude” that he will retire.“I have given the game everything that I have physically and emotionally, and the game has given me back more than I could have ever imagined,” the Bruins captain said in a statement posted on social media. “As I step away today, I have no regrets. I have only gratitude that I lived my dream, and excitement for what is next for my family and I. I left everything out there and I’m humbled and honored it was representing this incredible city and for the Boston Bruins fans.”Bergeron, who turned 38 on Monday, helped the Bruins win the Stanley Cup in 2011 and make two other trips to the Final. He considered retirement last summer only to return for another season: With him as the captain and the first-line center, th...

Ex-US Marine accused of training Chinese military pilots fights extradition to the US

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:27:18 GMT

Brisbane, Australia (CNN) — Former Marine Daniel Duggan once flew Harrier jets for the United States, taking off and landing on Navy carriers during international missions as part of Marine Attack Squadron 214, based in Yuma, Arizona.That was over 20 years ago, but his activity since leaving the service is now the subject of a US indictment that alleges he used his specialist skills to teach Chinese pilots how to land planes on aircraft carriers, claims he denies.Since last October, Duggan, 54, has been held in a maximum-security prison in regional Australia as his lawyers fight an extradition order, approved by Australia’s attorney general, to return him to the US to face trial on charges including money laundering and conspiracy to export US defense services.On Tuesday, Duggan’s lawyers argued for a stay of extradition while Australia’s Office of the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security (IGIS) investigates claims of improper action by Australian ...

Bronny James, son of LeBron James, suffers cardiac arrest at USC basketball practice

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:27:18 GMT

(CNN) — Bronny James, the son of NBA star LeBron James, suffered a cardiac arrest during basketball practice at the University of Southern California and was hospitalized on Monday, according to a statement from a family spokesperson.He is out of the intensive care unit and in stable condition, the statement said.“Yesterday while practicing Bronny James suffered a cardiac arrest. Medical staff was able to treat Bronny and take him to the hospital. He is now in stable condition and no longer in ICU,” the statement said.“We ask for respect and privacy for the James family and we will update media when there is more information.“LeBron and Savannah wish to publicly send their deepest thanks and appreciation to the USC medical and athletic staff for their incredible work and dedication to the safety of their athletes.”Bronny, 18, is an incoming freshman for USC’s basketball team after graduating from Sierra Canyon High School in Los Angeles this spring. He was r...

Harvard legacy and donor preferences under federal civil rights investigation

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:27:18 GMT

The U.S. Department of Education has launched a civil rights investigation into Harvard’s legacy and donor admissions preferences, according to a letter released by Lawyers for Civil Rights Tuesday morning.“(The Office of Civil Rights) is opening the following issue for investigation: Whether the University discriminates on the basis of race by using donor and legacy preferences in its undergraduate admissions process in violation of Title VI and its implementing regulations,” said Ramzi Ajami, Regional Director of DOE’s Office of Civil Rights (OCR).The investigation comes in response to a complaint filed by Lawyers for Civil Rights on behalf of the Chica Project, African Community Economic Development of New England and Greater Boston Latino Network in early July.Filed on the heels of the Supreme Court’s ruling against Harvard and UNC’s affirmative action policies, the complaint alleges that Harvard’s admissions preference for legacy and do...

Boston city councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson violated conflict of interest law by hiring two family members, state finds

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:27:18 GMT

Boston City Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson has admitted to violating the state’s conflict of interest law by hiring her sister and son to paid positions on her staff, and agreed to pay a $5,000 fine.The State Ethics Commission said Tuesday that Fernandes Anderson appointed her sister and son to full-time positions in 2022, her first year on the City Council. She also chose to increase their salaries, and in the case of her sister, award a $7,000 bonus.“Fernandes Anderson’s actions as a Boston city councilor concerning the appointment and compensation of her sister and son violated the conflict of interest law’s prohibition against municipal employees participating in their official capacity in matters in which they know members of their immediate family have a financial interest,” the Ethics Commission said in a statement.Related ArticlesPolitics | Wu-backed candidate for Boston City Council admits he’s never voted Politics | State lawmakers weig...

DeSantis is unhurt in a car accident in Tennessee while traveling to presidential campaign events

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:27:18 GMT

By KIMBERLEE KRUESI and MICHELLE L. PRICE (Associated Press)NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was involved in a multi-car accident on Tuesday in Tennessee but was uninjured as he traveled in a motorcade to a campaign stop for his 2024 presidential bid.The chain reaction crash happened before 8:15 a.m. when traffic slowed on Interstate 75 in Chattanooga, causing four cars in the motorcade to hit one another, police said. All the vehicles involved in the crash were government vehicles taking DeSantis and his team to his scheduled event, police said.The Republican White House hopeful was not hurt, police and DeSantis campaign spokesperson Bryan Griffin said. A female DeSantis staff member suffered a minor injury and was later treated at the campaign event, police said.Representatives for DeSantis’ campaign did not answer questions about who was driving the governor or reveal details about the accident. DeSantis was continuing on to his event, spokesperson An...