Is there life on Mars? The question that eluded David Bowie could finally be answered by a British laboratory. The UK Space Agency has won funding to build the only facility where samples from the Red Planet will be stored and analysed. Dr Rain Irshad, a systems engineer at the Science and Technology Facilities Council’s Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, said: “If we brought these rocks and we split them open and we found a fossil, that would be so exciting. We could definitely have the first discovery of life on Mars happening in the UK.”
Irons and lunch box sales up as WFH ends
Sales of lunch boxes and irons are on the rise as remote working comes to an end, according to The Times. John Lewis said that sales of irons were up 47% last week, with sales of lunch boxes up 64% on the same week last year. The department store said that website searches for smart clothes are also rising. Searches for dresses were up 76% last week, while searches for men’s shirts rose 83%. Steve Jackson, head of category at the department store, said: “As the nation smartens itself up we’ve seen sales of irons soar.”
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Park that closes at sunset spends $350,000 on lights
A park in Miami has spent $350,000 on new lights. But there is one problem: it closes at sundown. The park on the shores of Biscayne Bay recently reopened to the public, boasting several new amenities including a path along the waterfront. Discussing the new lights, Albert Gomez, the co-founder of the Miami Climate Alliance, said: “It’s so that the homeless don’t use it. Police officers like to patrol and not get out of the car and not have to go through the park in the dark with flashlights.”
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Interpol arrests hundreds in Africa-wide sextortion crackdownIN THE SPOTLIGHT A series of stings disrupts major cybercrime operations as law enforcement estimates millions in losses from schemes designed to prey on lonely users
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China is silently expanding its influence in American citiesUnder the Radar New York City and San Francisco, among others, have reportedly been targeted
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How China uses 'dark fleets' to circumvent trade sanctionsThe Explainer The fleets are used to smuggle goods like oil and fish
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One year after mass protests, why are Kenyans taking to the streets again?today's big question More than 60 protesters died during demonstrations in 2024
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What happens if tensions between India and Pakistan boil over?TODAY'S BIG QUESTION As the two nuclear-armed neighbors rattle their sabers in the wake of a terrorist attack on the contested Kashmir region, experts worry that the worst might be yet to come
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Why Russia removed the Taliban's terrorist designationThe Explainer Russia had designated the Taliban as a terrorist group over 20 years ago
