Swiss climbs 1,800-foot vertical rock face in record time... without a safety rope

It's one thing climbing over 1,800 feet up a vertical rock face, it's another thing altogether to do it without the use of safety ropes -- at speed.

In September, Dani Arnold scaled the imposing Cima Grande wall in the Dolomites mountain range, Italy, with nothing but his bare hands and a bag of chalk.
He did so in a record breaking time of 46 minutes, 30 seconds, obliterating the previous record by almost 20 minutes.
"It's very much a head game. All the skills, like the climbing technique and all the endurance, these are basic for me," the 35-year-old Arnold told CNN Sport, from his home in Switzerland, as he reflected on his love of free soloing (climbing without ropes).
"There are so many very strong climbers around but having these normal climbing skills whilst also having a very clear mind and feeling safe without a rope, that's a bit like a joker [card] or a jackpot."

The secret to a long life? No sex or spicy food, says monk who claims to be 124 years old

An Indian monk who claims to be 124 years old left airport security staff in Dubai aghast when he presented his passport during a stopover.

Swami Sivananda was en-route from Kolkata to London when murmurs spread of his age, after which photos spread on social media of the gentleman with various employees at Abu Dhabi International Airport.

While doubts exist as to the validity of the date of birth (August 8, 1896) on his document, Sivananda puts his longevity down to a lifelong regime involving plenty of yoga, no sex or "fancy foods", and sleeping on just a mat with a wooden slab for a pillow.

Indian passport authorities obtained Sivananda's birth records from a temple register, according to Gulf News, making it difficult to verify.

One social media user, Bint Bilaad Al Harmain stated: “These ages are often not true because of the lack of identity documents and available data back in the old days. While the birth dates may be accurate for some, there are parents that would not have been able to remember all the dates of when their children were born.”

Sivananda lost both parents when he was six years old and was sent to live with a guru. He was raised in poverty and adapted to a basic lifestyle. While the purpose of his trip to London is unknown, it's not the first time the Hindu yogi has made the press.

Ancient 'New York': 5,000-year-old city discovered in Israel

The remains of a 5,000-year-old cityhave been discovered in Israel - the largest and oldest such find in the region. The city was home to 6,000 people and included planned roads, neighbourhoods, a ritual temple and fortifications. An even earlier settlement, believed to be 7,000 years old, was discovered beneath the city.

 


 Israeli archaeologists said the discovery was the most significant in the region from that era. "This is the Early Bronze Age New York of our region; a cosmopolitan and planned city where thousands of inhabitants lived," the excavation directors said in a statement. "There is no doubt that this site dramatically changes what we know about the character of the period and the beginning of urbanization in Israel," the statement added. Known as En Esur, the site spans 650 dunams (161 acres), about double the size of previous similar findings.

Mesut Ozil and Sead Kolasinac: Man pleads guilty to attempted robbery of Arsenal duo

A man who admitted attempting to rob Arsenal stars Mesut Ozil and Sead Kolašinac in London in July has pleaded guilty, PA Media reported Thursday.

Ashley Smith, 30, pleaded guilty of attempting to steal watches from the Arsenal pair in Hampstead, northwest London on July 25.
Smith, of Archway, north London, has been remanded in custody and will be sentenced at Snaresbrook Crown Court on November 1.
A CCTV video, which was shared widely across social media at the time, showed both Ozil and Kolašinac being approached by masked men who had pulled alongside their vehicle on a moped in north London.

Chernobyl control room now open to visitors -- but only wearing a hazmat suit

The Chernobyl nuclear power plant has seen a huge increase in visitor numbers in recent years as part of a growing global interest in dark tourism.
And now, intrepid travelers be able to get inside the control room where the world's worst nuclear accident unfolded, Chernobyl tour companies confirmed to us.
Those who venture inside the highly radioactive area at the infamous Reactor 4 will be provided with white protective suits, helmets and masks for the brief visits. After leaving, they will be subject to two radiology tests to measure exposure.
The move is part of a government drive to encourage tourism in the area after President Volydymyr Zelensky signed a July decree designating Chernobyl an official tourist attraction.
"We must give this territory of Ukraine a new life," Zelensky said at the time. "Until now, Chernobyl was a negative part of Ukraine's brand. It's time to change it."

Four killed in knife attack at Paris police headquarters

Four police employees were killed in a knife attack at Paris police headquarters on Thursday, according to city prosecutor Remy Heitz.

The three policemen and a female police administrative worker were killed by a fellow member of staff, who was later shot dead, authorities told us.
The incident took place inside the building, which is located near Notre Dame Cathedral on the Île de la Cité in central Paris.
One victim is undergoing surgery, said French Interior Minister Christophe Castaner. He did not elaborate on the victim's condition or injuries.
Castaner said the assailant was a 45-year-old man and had been an employee at the police station since 2003. There is no indication of a motive yet.
The wife of the attacker has been taken into custody, a source in the Paris prosecutor's office told us. It is not yet clear if she was at the scene of the attack or why she was taken into custody.

Justin Bieber and Hailey Baldwin Wed in South Carolina

A little over a year since the couple legally tied the knot in a Manhattan courthouse, they held their more traditional wedding ceremony on Monday.
Justin Bieber and Hailey Baldwin are Mr. and Mrs. (again)!

A little over a year since the couple legally tied the knot in a Manhattan courthouse, they held their more traditional wedding ceremony in South Carolina on Monday, according to multiple news outlets. The duo wed at sunset at Montage Palmetto Bluff in Bluffton, South Carolina.

The 154 guests included Scooter Braun, Kendall Jenner, Camila Morrone and Joan Smalls, and Daniel Caesar is expected to perform later in the evening.

As a "wedding gift" for himself, Bieber splurged on a watch from Jadelle Beverly Hills, taking to Instagram to share a photo of his new ice.

MTV EMAs: Ariana Grande Leads Nominations

The star gets seven nominations, followed by Shawn Mendes, Lil Nas X and Billie Eilish with six each.
Ariana Grande is leading the nominations for the MTV Europe Music Awards (EMAs) with seven, including for best artist, best video for "thank you, next," as well as best song.

Shawn Mendes, Lil Nas X and Billie Eilish follow with six nominations each, J Balvin with five and Lizzo and Taylor Swift with four each.

Camila Cabello, Nicki Minaj, Shawn Mendes and Cardi B were among last year's winners.

With the EMAs set to take place in Seville, Spain on Nov. 3, MTV unveiled the nominees in key categories with a nod to the traditional Spanish cortado via foam cream visuals.

The awards show will air live on MTV in nearly 180 countries, with the red carpet sponsored by the upcoming Charlie’s Angels film.

Below is the full list of nominations.

Al Franken Faces New Sexual Harassment Allegation

Al Franken was accused of sexual harassment by an anonymous woman on Monday, the latest in a string of misconduct allegations that forced the former Democratic Minnesota senator’s resignation last year.

In a piece published by New York magazine’s The Cut, the woman, a current “senior staffer at a major progressive organization” came forward on condition of anonymity to accuse Franken groping her at an fundraising event in 2006 for U.S. Senator Patty Murray.

“At the time of the incident, I think, I’m going to go to law school. All I want to do is run for office in my home state. This created a moment of reflection,” she told The Cut. “ … It rocked my confidence. As I look back on my career, I am always in deputy roles and support roles.”

Franken resigned in July 2018 at the behest of Democratic leadership after a conservative talk radio host accused him of forcibly kissing her during a skit performed as part of a 2006 U.S.O tour.

The latest allegation comes in the midst of a bit of public comeback for Franken, who on Saturday launched a weekly program on SiriusXM titled “The Al Franken Show.”

Trump's 'Civil War' threat is 'beyond repugnant,' says GOP Rep. Kinzinger

President Trump sent out a barrage of tweets over the weekend defending his “perfect” phone call with the president of Ukraine and trying to shut down the House impeachment inquiry before it gets underway — including passing along a warning that removing him from office would lead to “a Civil War like fracture,” a threat that a Republican congressman called “beyond repugnant.”

“If the Democrats are successful in removing the President from office (which they will never be), it will cause a Civil War like fracture in this Nation from which our Country will never heal,” Trump tweeted, adding his own parenthetical to a quote from Robert Jeffress, an evangelical pastor and ardent Trump supporter who appeared on “Fox & Friends Weekend.”

The invocation of a civil war was met with outrage from Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., an Air Force veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“I have visited nations ravaged by civil war,” Kinzinger tweeted, tagging Trump’s Twitter handle. “I have never imagined such a quote to be repeated by a President. This is beyond repugnant.”

Trump, though, did not seem interested in toning down the rhetoric.

Leonardo DiCaprio reacts to Trump's 'insulting' tweet to Greta Thunberg at 2019 Global Citizen Festival

Leonardo DiCaprio shocked the 60,000 people who united in Manhattan's Central Park on Saturday for the 2019 Global Citizen's Festival, which honored the significant efforts to end extreme poverty by 2030.

The Oscar-winning actor took the stage to discuss the current climate movement and expressed gratitude for youth climate activists. He brought out three young leaders, Alexandria Villaseñor, Xiye Bastida, and Selina Neirok Leem, who he says " are powering the movement from the frontlines."

During DiCaprio's speech, he got candid about Donald Trump's headline-making tweet, where the president seemingly mocked 16-year-old Greta Thunberg hours after she delivered a passionate speech to the United Nations Climate Action Summit.

Khashoggi murder 'happened under my watch,' Saudi crown prince tells PBS

Saudi Arabia's crown prince said he bears responsibility for the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi last year by Saudi operatives "because it happened under my watch," according to a PBS documentary to be broadcast next week.

It is the first time that Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom's de facto ruler, has publicly indicated personal accountability for the killing inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul by operatives seen as close to him. The CIA and some Western governments have said they believe he ordered it, but Saudi officials say he had no role.

The death sparked a global uproar, tarnishing the crown prince's image and imperiling ambitious plans to diversify the economy of the world's top oil exporter and open up cloistered Saudi society. He has not since visited the United States or Europe.

"It happened under my watch. I get all the responsibility, because it happened under my watch," he told PBS' Martin Smith, according to a preview of a documentary, "The Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia," set to air on Oct. 1, ahead of the one-year anniversary of Khashoggi's death.

Facebook is rolling out a test to hide your likes

For the past decade, "likes" have been the chief currency of Facebook. It's the way we've determined how many people think our babies are cute, believe our jokes are funny and recognize our new jobs are impressive.

Facebook (FB) itself has been so synonymous with likes that the thumbs up icon for the like button was placed on the sign outside the company's headquarters.
Now, Facebook is rethinking this feature as part of a broader effort to make the social network less stressful to use.
On Thursday, the company said it will begin a test to hide the number of likes, reactions and video views from posts in Australia. The author of the post will still be able to see those metrics, but other users won't.
The test applies to posts from users and pages, as well as ads across Facebook. It will slowly roll out to the majority of Australian users.

"We are running a limited test where like, reaction, and video view counts are made private across Facebook. We will gather feedback to understand whether this change will improve people's experiences," a Facebook spokesperson said in a statement.

Hypersonic 'space plane' promises four-hour London to Sydney flights by 2030s

 


Flight times from London to Sydney could be 80% shorter by the 2030s, should a hypersonic rocket engine being developed in the UK get off the ground. The UK Space Agency announced Tuesday at the UK Space Conference 2019 that it would be working more closely with the Australian Space Agency in an agreement dubbed a "world-first Space Bridge." The Synergetic Air-Breathing Rocket Engine (SABRE) engine, from Oxfordshire-based Reaction Engines, looks to be the jewel in the crown of this new enterprise. "When we have brought the SABRE rocket engine to fruition, that may enable us to get to Australia in perhaps as little as four hours," said Graham Turnock, head of the UK Space Agency. "This is technology that could definitely deliver that.

We're talking the 2030s for operational service, and the work is already very advanced." Fans of supersonic flight have been yearning for a new way to break the sound barrier ever since Concorde stopped flying in 2003. In April 2019, Reaction Engines announced successful tests of a precooler, simulating conditions at Mach 3.3, or more than three times the speed of sound. That's more than 50% faster than the cruising speed of Concorde -- which used to make the journey between New York and Paris in around 3.5 hours -- and matches the speed record of the fastest jet aircraft ever made, the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird. The precooler tests took place at a testing facility at the Colorado Air and Space Port in the United States. At such high speeds, air flowing through the engine can reach incredibly high temperatures, which can potentially cause damage.

'10 Minutes Gone': Film Review

 

Bruce Willis and Michael Chiklis co-star in Brian A. Miller’s crime thriller about a botched bank heist that sets off a wave of bloody retribution. Boasting a synopsis stacked with keywords certain to deliver reliable hits from streaming platform searches, Brian A. Miller’s lightweight action vehicle 10 Minutes Gone makes only a perfunctory stop in theaters before finding a more appropriate niche on VOD. Miller has made a career out of directing aging action icons in a string of generic thrillers, including Backtrace (Sylvester Stallone), Reprisal (Bruce Willis) and The Prince (Willis again), although few of them rate much of a mention, and his latest feature looks unlikely to change that track record for the better. Rex (Willis) runs a handpicked crew that pulls bank robbery jobs for hire, although he keeps them at arm’s length so he doesn’t need to have any personal conversations other than on the phone, preferring to handle the business side of the operations.

 His latest anonymous client needs a mysterious metal case extracted from an underground vault in Cincinnati, so Rex brings on safecracker Frank (Michael Chiklis) and his brother Joe (Tyler Jon Olson), along with weapons specialists Baxter (Swen Temmel) and Mitchell (John Hickman) and tech expert Griffin (Kyle Schmid) to take out the bank’s security system. Practically the only interesting thing about this hopelessly mismatched lineup entails predicting in what order they’ll all die, since their demise appears an almost foregone conclusion.