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  • 5,000 light-year-old Nebula photographed in UAE: A first for Emirati astronomers | World News

    5,000 light-year-old Nebula photographed in UAE: A first for Emirati astronomers | World News

    Crescent Nebula captured in stunning detail from UAE skies. (Tameem Al Tamimi / Emirates Astronomy Society)

    In a remarkable astronomical achievement, astrophotographers from the Emirates Astronomy Society (EAS) have captured breathtaking images of a distant nebula from the skies of the UAE. The phenomenon was spotted in the country’s eastern mountainous regions, offering a rare and awe-inspiring view of the Crescent Nebula, an object located thousands of light-years away from Earth.What Was Seen: the Crescent NebulaThe celestial object observed is the Crescent Nebula, scientifically designated as NGC 6888 and also known as Caldwell 27-Sharpless 105. This stunning emission nebula lies in the Cygnus constellation, roughly 5,000 light-years away from Earth.According to Tamim Al Tamimi, a member of the Emirates Astronomy Society and an astronomical photographer, the nebula was not only observed but also photographed in high resolution, providing a vivid glimpse into deep space from the UAE.

    How the Nebula Was Formed

    The nebula’s origin is tied to a dramatic cosmic event involving a dying star. Ibrahim Al Jarwan, Chairman of the Emirates Astronomy Society, explained the formation process in a statement to WAM (Emirates News Agency).He said the Crescent Nebula was created by strong stellar winds from a Wolf-Rayet star, known as WR 136, which clashed with material previously ejected by the same star during its red giant phase. The result is a massive glowing bubble of gas composed largely of ionized hydrogen and oxygen.“This large gas bubble of ionized hydrogen and oxygen is formed and appears in fine detail when imaged using narrow-field techniques,” Al Jarwan noted.

    How the Image Was Captured

    The stunning images were the result of over 10 hours of observation, using specialized filters, H-alpha and O3, that help isolate specific wavelengths of light emitted by the nebula’s chemical elements. The data was then processed using the HOO (H-alpha, OIII, OIII) scientific color mode to clearly reveal the chemical structures within the nebula.Capturing these detailed images required a combination of advanced equipment and careful planning. The setup included:

    • Camera: Cooled ZWO ASI183MM Pro
    • Telescope: Explore Scientific 152mm David H. Levy Comet Hunter Maksutov-Newtonian
    • Mount: iOptron HAE43
    • Guidance System: ASIAir Plus
    • Post-Processing Tools: PixInsight and Photoshop

    A Milestone for Emirati Astronomy

    The observation and photography of such a distant and intricate deep-sky object underscore the dedication and technical expertise of UAE’s growing astronomy community.Al Jarwan emphasized that this achievement reflects the resilience of Emirati astrophotographers, who continue their work despite harsh environmental conditions. “Night-time temperatures during the photographing period sometimes reach between 36 and 40 degrees Celsius in the mountainous or desert regions,” he said.This sighting not only showcases the beauty of space but also positions the UAE as an emerging center for serious astronomical observation and documentation, especially in regions not traditionally associated with deep-sky astrophotography.


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  • Twelve days in Gaza: what happened while the world looked away? | Gaza

    Twelve days in Gaza: what happened while the world looked away? | Gaza

    In the weeks leading up to Israel’s war with Iran, which it launched on 13 June, there had been little let-up in its offensive in Gaza. A tenuous ceasefire had broken down in March, and a wave of airstrikes followed, as well as an 11-week blockade on all aid. Though some humanitarian assistance was allowed in from late May, military action intensified at the same time.

    Growing numbers of desperate Palestinians were being killed as they sought scarce food either from looted aid convoys or from distribution hubs set up by the new, secretive Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a group backed by Israel and the US as an alternative to the existing, much more comprehensive UN-led system. Rolling IDF “evacuation orders” covered much of the territory.

    map 1

    14 June

    On the second day of the Israel-Iran conflict, at least 20 Palestinians were killed by Israeli strikes in Gaza, according to local health officials, and another 11 near food distribution points run by the GHF. Palestinian witnesses said Israeli forces fired on the crowds, while the Israeli military said it fired warning shots near people it described as suspects who approached its forces.

    Footage filmed in Gaza City showed people pleading for food at a soup kitchen distribution point.

    Gaza City soup kitchen 14 June.

    A day later, eight more Palestinians were killed as they sought aid.

    16 June

    Before dawn, Israeli troops opened fire on crowds of hungry Palestinians heading for two hubs managed by the GHF. At least 37 people died, mainly while trying to reach the GHF centre near the southern city of Rafah, which has largely been razed by the Israeli military, and close to a second GHF site in central Gaza.

    Most of the casualties were taken to the Nasser hospital, which received more than 300 injured people. More than 200 patients were take to a Red Cross field hospital – the highest number received by the facility in one single mass casualty incident to date.

    17 June

    On the bloodiest day for weeks in Gaza, witnesses described scenes like “a horror movie” after Israeli forces fired towards a crowd waiting for UN trucks loaded with flour near Khan Younis in the south, killing at least 59 Palestinians and injuring hundreds more.

    Gaza death graphic

    Footage showed people carrying flour bags away from the scene before the IDF began shooting.

    People carrying flour at food distribution site.

    A short time later injured Palestinians were seen arriving at a hospital in Khan Younis.

    Palestinians carry the bodies of loved ones killed when the IDF opened fire near Khan Younis on 17 June. Photograph: APAImages/Shutterstock

    The incident led to a temporary suspension of such convoys, exacerbating an acute lack of food in the devastated territory. Fuel, clean water, medical supplies and much else is also in short supply, with dire humanitarian consequences. An Israeli military spokesperson said troops followed international law and took feasible precautions to mitigate civilian harm.

    18 June

    Once again, vast crowds gathered to “self-distribute” flour loaded on to aid convoys in central Gaza, and once again they were fired on by Israeli troops. Reports put the death toll at 11. A series of airstrikes killed at least 24 Palestinians, including a nine-year-old boy, who died in the Bureij refugee camp.

    Palestinians flocking to a food distribution site in northern Gaza City. Photograph: Habboub Ramez/ABACA/Shutterstock

    19 June

    Aid officials said an average of 23 UN trucks a day were entering Gaza through the main checkpoint of Kerem Shalom, but admitted most aid had been “self-distributed” by hungry Palestinians who stopped them, or was looted by organised gangs. Fifteen Palestinians waiting for aid were killed in central Gaza. Elsewhere, about 60 people were reported killed in a wave of airstrikes.

    A Palestinian woman mourns the death of one of her children, who was killed in an Israeli military strike on 19 June. Photograph: Jehad Alshrafi/AP

    20 June

    New displacement orders issued by the Israeli military sent thousands fleeing eastern parts of Gaza City. Elsewhere, at least 24 people waiting for aid were killed by Israeli fire, according to local health authorities, in addition to other deaths by airstrikes.

    A body wrapped in a blanket outside al-Awda hospital in Nuseirat. Photograph: AFP/Getty Images

    Marwan Abu Nasser, the director of al-Awda hospital in the town of Nuseirat, said his staff had dealt with 21 injured and 24 dead people. “The injuries were extremely severe, most of them in the chest and head. There were women, children and young people among the injured,” Abu Nasser said.

    This footage shows scenes from a funeral in held in Gaza on 20 June.

    This footage shows scenes from a funeral held on 20 June for Palestinians killed by the IDF.

    21 June

    The Israeli military retrieved the bodies of three Israeli hostages from the Gaza Strip. All had been killed on 7 October 2023 during the Hamas raid into Israel that triggered the war. Fifty Israeli and foreign nationals remain captive in Gaza, more than half of whom are thought to be dead.

    Mourners attend the funeral of the Israeli hostage Jonathan Samerano at the Nahalat Yitzhak cemetery in Tel Aviv. Photograph: Jack Guez/AFP/Getty Images

    23 June

    Further displacement orders were issued by the Israeli military for parts of Khan Younis in advance of new operations. More than 80% of the territory in Gaza is now covered by such orders or held by Israeli troops. Israeli authorities said they had facilitated the entry of 430 trucks of humanitarian aid into Gaza over the previous seven days, a fraction of the 500 a day the UN estimates is needed.

    Footage from Beit Lahiya in the far north of the territory showed people attempting to clamber on to aid trucks.

    Crowds of people gather on and beside aid trucks in Gaza’s Beit Lahiya on 23 June

    24 June

    Another 25 Palestinians seeking aid were killed and dozens wounded when Israeli forces opened fire with bullets and tanks in Rafah, about 1.5 miles (2km) from a US-backed aid distribution point.

    Relatives of people killed while waiting to access aid in Rafah transport a body from Nasser hospital for burial in Khan Younis. Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images

    Medics in Gaza said they also received casualties from a second incident near the Netzarim corridor, a strategic road that separates the northern third of the territory and is partially held by Israeli troops.

    Seven Israeli soldiers were killed in a Hamas attack in southern Gaza, in one of the most lethal such incidents for many months. The soldiers died when militants planted a bomb on their armoured vehicle in Khan Younis.

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  • New career-best rating for India batter as No.1 ranking looms

    New career-best rating for India batter as No.1 ranking looms

    It also sees Mandhana reach a new career-best rating of 771 points and close to within 23 points of No.1 ranked player Beth Mooney at the top of the charts for T20I batters.

    Fellow Indian opener Shafali Verma gains one place to move to 13th on the same rankings list following her innings of 20 in the same match against England, while teammate Harleen Deol re-enters the batter rankings in equal 86th after a quickfire knock of 43.

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  • Mastung: Terrorist targets passenger vehicles on Quetta-Karachi highway – Pakistan

    Mastung: Terrorist targets passenger vehicles on Quetta-Karachi highway – Pakistan

    A deadly terrorist attack occurred on Monday in the Mastung district of Balochistan on the Quetta-Karachi highway, where gunmen opened indiscriminate fire on passenger vehicles. As a result, a teenager lost his life, and eight others were injured.

    According to eyewitnesses, the attackers set three vehicles on fire during the assault. Explosions were also heard in the area, causing widespread panic and fear among the residents.

    The injured were immediately shifted to Shaheed Nawab Ghous Bakhsh Hospital in Mastung, where they are currently receiving treatment. Hospital sources report that the condition of some of the injured is critical.

    Sources also revealed that the terrorists stormed nearby government offices and set official records ablaze.

    Balochistan government’s spokesperson issued an official statement which stated that, “Two terrorists were killed while another three were injured in an intense fire exchange between the security forces and the terrorists”.

    According to the statement, Indian-backed terrorist proxies were involved in the deadly attack, “Fitna al Hindustan attacked the tehsil office, government offices and a bank. A 16-year-old boy died while seven individuals were injured by the terrorists’ firing”.

    “The Frontier Constabulary, Counter-Terrorism Department and Levies immediately cordoned off the area, crushing the terrorists,” according the spokesperson Shahid Rind.

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  • No casualties reported as 4.4-magnitude earthquake jolts Lahore – Pakistan

    No casualties reported as 4.4-magnitude earthquake jolts Lahore – Pakistan

    A 4.4-magnitude earthquake jolted Lahore on Tuesday, according to the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD).

    The earthquake was recorded at 6:39am, with the epicentre 25 kilometres south-southwest of Lahore at a depth of 14 kilometres.

    There have been no immediate reports of casualties.

    On June 30, another earthquake of 3.9 magnitude was recorded at 2:07pm, 35 kilometres west of Dera Ghazi Khan in Punjab at a depth of seven kilometres. The same day, Balochistan recorded a 4.8-magnitude earthquake at 11:11am, 40 kilometres southwest of Zhob at a depth of 20 kilometres.

    Earlier on Sunday, a moderate 5.5 magnitude earthquake struck Musakhail, a remote district of Balochistan that borders Punjab, injuring five people and damaging dozens of mud houses. A day prior, low to moderate intensity earthquakes hit parts of Karachi and Pasni in Balochistan.

    The country has experienced many low-intensity earthquakes over the past few months. Pakistan straddles the boundary where the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates meet, making the country susceptible to earthquakes.

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  • First-ever collisions of oxygen at the LHC

    The Large Hadron Collider gets a breath of fresh air as it collides beams of protons and oxygen ions for the very first time. Oxygen–oxygen and neon–neon collisions are also on the menu of the next few days

    home.cern,Accelerators
    LHC Page 1 today at 05:55 am. (Image: CERN)

    A major event at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC): the accelerator has just collided beams of protons and oxygen ions for the very first time. From 29 June to 9 July, the LHC will switch to a special operations: two days of proton–oxygen ion collisions, followed by – additional firsts – two days of oxygen–oxygen collisions and one day of neon–neon collisions, with several days of machine set-up and commissioning in between.

    This campaign will cover a wide range of research, from the study of cosmic rays to the strong force and quark–gluon plasma, and the LHC experiments are already looking forward to a great harvest of new data.

    It is not only the start of a vibrant campaign, but also the end of a long and meticulous process that began in the accelerator complex in mid-April (and as early as 2019 in the case of the initial feasibility studies). Each machine had to be specially configured for operation with oxygen and neon ions, which are produced in Linac3 before being injected into the Low-Energy Ion Ring (LEIR), the Proton Synchrotron (PS), the Super Proton Synchrotron (SPS) (which will also send oxygen beams to the fixed-target experiments in the North Area) and finally the LHC.

    “The current operating mode, in which a beam of protons collides with a beam of oxygen ions, is the most challenging,” points out Roderik Bruce, an LHC ion specialist. “This is because the electromagnetic field inside the accelerator affects protons and oxygen ions differently, due to their different charge-to-mass ratios. In other words, without corrections the two beams would collide in different places at each turn.” To overcome this problem, the engineers are carefully adjusting the frequency of revolution and the momentum of each beam, so that the collisions take place right at the heart of the LHC’s four main experiments: ALICE, ATLAS, CMS and LHCb.

    But these four experiments are not the only ones to be involved in this special campaign. Last week, the LHCf experiment, which studies cosmic rays using the small-angle particles created during collisions, installed a detector along the LHC beamline, 140 metres from the ATLAS experiment’s collision point, which it will use for proton–oxygen run. This detector will later be removed and replaced by a calorimeter, which will provide additional data during the oxygen–oxygen and neon–neon collisions.

    This campaign is also an opportunity to continue to test crystal collimation. This is a crucial upgrade of the LHC collimation system to mitigate the problem of ion beam halos (halos of particles that stray from the beams’ orbit). The conventional collimation system at the LHC is less efficient with ion beams, so some crystal collimators will be inserted for testing right before the oxygen–oxygen and neon–neon runs begin.

    To find out more about the LHC experiments’ programme of research during this special campaign, read the following articles:

    Fun fact
    After several hours in the accelerator, the oxygen beams might have to be ejected because of “beam pollution”. “This is a problem that we don’t face with proton beams, but with oxygen we experience what’s called the transmutation effect,” explains Roderik Bruce. “Each collision creates secondary particles of the same charge-to-mass ratio as oxygen ions, polluting the beam and potentially making it complicated to analyse collisions. So, at some point, we might need to eject the beam and inject a new beam of pure oxygen, but the degree of transmutation is not yet known. The data analysis will tell us.”

     

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  • Pakistan’s white-ball vice-captain Shadab faces lengthy layoff due to shoulder injury

    Pakistan’s white-ball vice-captain Shadab faces lengthy layoff due to shoulder injury

    Pakistan’s white-ball vice-captain Shadab Khan is facing a three-month layoff because of a recurring shoulder injury that will require a surgery.

    A source in the Pakistan Cricket Board said on Tuesday that the PCB’s medical panel has advised the leg-spin all-rounder to undergo a surgery for the chronic shoulder problem.

    “He is likely to fly to London for the surgery very soon and he will require at least three months rehabilitation,” the source added.

    Shadab, one of Pakistan’s most experienced white-ball players, was appointed vice-captain earlier this year and played in the recent home series against Bangladesh which Pakistan won 3-0.

    ALSO READ | Nathan Lyon yearns for Test series win in India before retirement

    The source said that because of the shoulder problem, Shadab was now certain to miss out on the coming white-ball series in Bangladesh and West Indies and also a home assignment against Afghanistan.

    “If the Asia Cup is held in September, Shadab will also miss that event,” the source said.

    The 26-year-old has appeared in six Tests, 70 ODIs and 112 T20 internationals and was recently also drafted in to play in the Big Bash this season.

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  • Gastric cancer risk after Helicobacter pylori eradication in gastritis and peptic ulcer: a retrospective cohort study in Japan | BMC Gastroenterology

    Gastric cancer risk after Helicobacter pylori eradication in gastritis and peptic ulcer: a retrospective cohort study in Japan | BMC Gastroenterology

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  • ECB Consumer Expectations Survey results – May 2024

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    1 July 2025

    Compared with April 2025:

    • median consumer perceptions of inflation over the previous 12 months remained unchanged, while median expectations for inflation one and three years ahead decreased, and median inflation expectations for five years ahead remained unchanged;
    • expectations for nominal income growth over the next 12 months increased, while expectations for spending growth over the next 12 months decreased;
    • expectations for economic growth over the next 12 months became less negative, while the expected unemployment rate in 12 months’ time decreased;
    • expectations for growth in the price of homes over the next 12 months remained unchanged, while expectations for mortgage interest rates 12 months ahead declined.

    Inflation

    In May, the median rate of perceived inflation over the previous 12 months remained unchanged at 3.1% for the fourth consecutive month. This was its lowest level since September 2021. Median expectations for inflation over the next 12 months decreased by 0.3 percentage points to 2.8%. Expectations for three years ahead also decreased, by 0.1 percentage points, to 2.4% while expectations for inflation five years ahead were unchanged at 2.1% for the sixth consecutive month. Uncertainty about inflation expectations over the next 12 months decreased in May, reversing the increase observed in April. While the broad evolution of inflation perceptions and expectations remained relatively closely aligned across income groups, over the previous year and a half inflation perceptions and short-horizon expectations for lower income quintiles were, on average, slightly above those for higher income quintiles. Younger respondents (aged 18-34) continued to report lower inflation perceptions and expectations than older respondents (aged 35-54 and 55-70), albeit to a lesser degree than in previous years.

    Inflation results

    Income and consumption

    Consumers’ nominal income growth expectations over the next 12 months increased to 1.0%, from 0.9% in April. This increase was observed across all income groups. Perceived nominal spending growth over the previous 12 months increased to 5.0%, from 4.9% in April. Conversely, expected nominal spending growth over the next 12 months decreased to 3.5% in May, from 3.7% in April. This decrease was prevalent across all income quintiles, except for the lowest income group.

    Income and consumption results

    Economic growth and labour market

    Economic growth expectations for the next 12 months became less negative, standing at -1.1% in May compared with -1.9% in April. Expectations for the unemployment rate 12 months ahead decreased to 10.4%, from 10.5% in April. Consumers continued to expect the future unemployment rate to be only slightly higher than the perceived current unemployment rate (9.9%), implying a broadly stable labour market.

    Economic growth and labour market results

    Housing and credit access

    Consumers expected the price of their home to increase by 3.2% over the next 12 months, which was unchanged from April. Households in the lowest income quintile continued to expect higher growth in house prices compared with those in the highest income quintile (3.5% and 3.1% respectively). Expectations for mortgage interest rates 12 months ahead declined to 4.4%, from 4.5% in April. As in previous months, the lowest income households expected the highest mortgage interest rates 12 months ahead (4.9%), while the highest income households expected the lowest rates (4.1%). The net percentage of households reporting a tightening (relative to those reporting an easing) in access to credit over the previous 12 months declined. The net percentage of those expecting a tightening over the next 12 months declined as well, reversing the increase seen in April.

    Housing and credit access results

    The release of the Consumer Expectations Survey (CES) results for June is scheduled for 29 July 2025.

    For media queries, please contact: Benoit Deeg, tel.: +49 172 1683704.

    Notes

    • Unless otherwise indicated, the statistics presented in this press release refer to the 2% winsorised mean. For further details, see ECB Consumer Expectations Survey – Guide to the computation of aggregate statistics.
    • The CES is a monthly online survey of, currently, around 19,000 adult consumers (i.e. aged 18 or over) from 11 euro area countries: Belgium, Germany, Ireland, Greece, Spain, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Austria, Portugal and Finland. The main aggregate results of the CES are published on the ECB’s website every month. The results are used for policy analysis and complement other data sources used by the ECB.
    • Further information about the survey and the data collected is available on the CES web page. Detailed information can also be found in the following two publications: Bańkowska, K. et al., “ECB Consumer Expectations Survey: an overview and first evaluation”, Occasional Paper Series, No 287, ECB, Frankfurt am Main, December 2021; and Georgarakos, D. and Kenny, G., “Household spending and fiscal support during the COVID-19 pandemic: Insights from a new consumer survey”, Journal of Monetary Economics, Vol. 129, Supplement, July 2022, pp. S1-S14.
    • The survey results do not represent the views of the ECB’s decision-making bodies or staff.

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  • British and Irish Lions 2025: Blair Kinghorn finally arrives in Australia

    British and Irish Lions 2025: Blair Kinghorn finally arrives in Australia

    Kinghorn’s fantastic versatility is part of why he’s here. Full-back is, in his own words, his favourite position, and it’s where he plays his Test rugby. He’s played five of his last six games for Toulouse on the left wing and he’s also played right wing. He scored a try for Scotland against the Wallabies while playing 10.

    “I’ve played the majority of my rugby at full-back, so I still say that’s probably my best position,” the 28-year-old says. “At club level, it’s different. We have positions, but we don’t really have positions. Everything’s interchangeable, it’s not structured, so you’re floating around. Winger’s the same as a full-back in most instances.”

    On the night the Lions were playing the Pumas in Dublin, Kinghorn was playing Bayonne in the Top 14 semi-final in Lyon. When the Lions were going up against Western Force in Perth, Kinghorn was running out in front of French president Emmanuel Macron and 80,000 others in Paris for the domestic final against European champions Bordeaux. It turned out to be an all-time classic.

    He continues: “I was so focused on finishing the season well with Toulouse that I hadn’t many thoughts about [the Lions]. I tried to keep them at the back of my head just because I wanted to stay in the moment. Now I can turn my full attention to this and it’s really exciting.

    Did Andy Farrell or any of the Lions coaches keep him up to speed with what was going on in their camp? “No, I think all the coaches understand how intense it is to be in the knockout stages of your league competition. They all know that overloading information is not going to help anyone.

    “The next couple of days will be head-in-the-book days for me, I just need to learn everything and catch up with where the boys are at. Hopefully I’ll catch on pretty quickly. All I can do is learn as fast as I can and show what I can do if I get the chance to play.”

    He’s got some ground to make up, for sure. Elliot Daly is the early Lions pace-setter at full-back and Hugo Keenan has a big opportunity against the Queensland Reds on Wednesday. Best-case scenario is that Kinghorn starts against the Waratahs on Saturday. That’s game three in Australia. There are only two more after that before we get to the Test series.

    Toulouse has been the most extraordinary move for him. Everything is different there, he says. “The squad is so deep and so talented that you’ve got to be on top of your game. You’ve got to come into training every day and work hard. Coaches are on your back the whole time, which is great. It’s high pressure, but it makes you thrive.

    “Having great players and great coaches around you does make you a better player. The way that Toulouse see the game is similar to the way I like to play, so it’s matched up nicely there. Competition for places, consistency of training, high pressure.”

    Back in April, Kinghorn picked up a knee injury and missed two months of the season, a blessing in disguise in a sense. “I was injured for eight weeks. It’s never fun, but it freshened the brain up a little bit.”

    He’s about to bring that energy to the camp now, a late arrival, but quite possibly a very key man in the weeks ahead.

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