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☆ Scientists capture first direct image of a supermassive black hole, 6.5 billion times the size of the sun, spewing out jets of plasma
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The jets were captured being released from a black hole 6.5 billion times the size of our sun. The image is the first to connect the jets to the edge of the supermassive black hole. The black hole, located at the center of the M87 galaxy 55 million light-years away, is around 6.5 billion times bigger than our sun. Black holes don't only swallow matter, they sometimes shoot it outMost galaxies, including our own, swirl around a supermassive black hole. Material swirling around a black hole needs to lose speed and energy before it can fall inwards.

☆ Black hole image captures jet of material launching into space
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

But a black hole can also send powerful jets of material blasting across space and beyond its home galaxy. Previous observations have shown the jet and black hole separately, including the first direct image of a black hole, released in 2019. Astronomers believe that more material is falling toward the black hole in the new image, which is why the ring looks bigger. Studying black holesRecently, astronomers also used machine learning to release a cleaner, sharper version of the original M87 black hole image from 2019. The central region is darker and larger, surrounded by a bright ring as hot gas falls into the black hole.

☆ New image reveals violent events near a supermassive black hole
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Will Dunham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/2] This image shows the jet and shadow of the black hole at the center of the M87 galaxy together for the first time. The supermassive black hole pictured resides at the center of a relatively nearby galaxy called Messier 87, or M87, about 54 million light-years from Earth. This black hole, with a mass 6.5 billion times that of our sun, was the subject of the first image of such an object ever obtained, released in 2019, with another black hole pictured last year. Seeing the entire scene in the vicinity of a supermassive black hole can be insightful. The EHT project has yielded the images of the two supermassive black holes.

Unlike the chubby, fluffy image of her younger self, 22-year-old Ya Ya has appeared skinny in recent photos, with her black and white coat missing clumps of fur. But Le Le died suddenly of heart disease in early February, further fueling suspicions of mistreatment. Throughout the past weeks, Ya Ya regularly appeared as a top trending topic on Weibo, each time attracting hundreds of millions of views. Allegations of mistreatmentWhen Ya Ya and Le Le arrived at Memphis in 2003, it was a huge deal for the city. A petition by Panda Voices to bring Ya Ya and Le Le back to China on change.org has garnered 193,000 signatures.

☆ How Ukraine's artillery is doing more damage than Russia's, even with fewer rounds
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( David Hambling | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

While Ukraine has fewer guns firing fewer shells, it appear to be doing more damage than Russia. But while Ukraine has fewer guns firing fewer shells, they appear to be doing more damage even though, with some notable exceptions, they are using the same weapons as their Russian opponents. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stated in February that Russia was firing around four times as many shells as Ukraine. This suggests an improvement of a factor of 7-10, which is roughly what we see in the ratios of artillery shells: casualties above. A vast number of Ukrainian drone videos show this process in operation.

☆ Russia's military has been preparing for a drone-filled battlefield, and even its cooks are being trained to shoot them down
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Counter-drone training has also become common throughout the Russian military. Having used drones and seen drones used with increasing frequency, the Russian military has also expanded its counter-drone training. The threat is now considered so widespread that most Russian troops, regardless of military specialty, are getting instruction in spotting and dealing with drones. Ukraine's military has been bolstering its drone defenses throughout the war, as shown in the Western military aid being sent to Kyiv. Despite having kinetic and electronic-warfare countermeasures to take out Russian drones, Ukraine still faces a difficult challenge.

☆ Live updates: Supreme Court protects access to abortion pill
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Elise Hammond | Matt Meyer | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

A patient prepares to take Mifepristone, the first medication in a medical abortion, at Alamo Women's Clinic in Carbondale, Illinois. Along with misoprostol, mifepristone is one of the drugs used for an abortion via medication, as opposed to surgery. Someone having a medication abortion takes mifepristone and then, after 24 to 48 hours, takes misoprostol. Side effects of mifepristone: Mifepristone usually doesn’t have many side effects, doctors say, but as with any drug, there can be short-lived ones. Preliminary data published February 2022 from the Guttmacher Institute, a research and policy organization focused on sexual and reproductive health that supports abortion rights, showed that medication abortion accounted for 53% of all abortions in the US.

Kyiv and the West accuse Russian forces of committing war crimes in occupied Ukrainian territory, which Moscow denies. Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Luhansk and Donetsk are the four regions that Putin proclaimed annexed last September following what Ukraine said were sham referendums. Russian forces only partly control the four regions. HEAVY ARTILLERYFighting has raged in and around Bakhmut in Donetsk region for months, with Ukrainian forces holding out despite regular claims by Russia to have taken the city. "Any use of chemical, biological or nuclear weapons by Russia would be met with severe consequences," they said.

Summary Putin visits Russian-held UkrainePutin discusses war with Kherson commandersUnclear when the visit took placePutin sits beside General TeplinskyApril 18 (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin has visited military headquarters in Russian-controlled Ukraine, the Kremlin said, where he discussed the war with a general from Russia's airborne troops who has reportedly taken up a powerful new role in the invasion. Russia's invasion of Ukraine, launched on Feb. 24, 2022, has triggered the deadliest European conflict since World War Two. Dressed in a heavy blue jacket, Putin, 70, was shown on Russian state television descending from a military helicopter in Russian-held Ukraine and greeting senior military commanders. Colonel-General Mikhail Teplinsky, commander of Russia's airborne troops, sat to Putin's right while Colonel-General Oleg Makarevich sat to Putin's left. "Teplinsky, commander of Russia’s corps of airborne troops, the VDV, has highly likely returned to a major role in Ukraine," British military intelligence said.

☆ The Russian air force's struggles in Ukraine reveal glaring problems in now Moscow trains its pilots
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( Alex Hollings | Sandboxx News | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +35 min

Despite being bigger and more advanced than its enemy, Russia's air force has struggled in Ukraine. It's commonly said that Russian fighter pilots are not as well trained as their Western counterparts, particularly those from the United States. But however ineffective you may think Russian pilot training is compared to the West, the truth seems to be … much worse. A Russian air force pilot prepares to take off in an Su-35 fighter jet at Hemeimeem air base in Syria in September 2019. Put simply, the Gulf War air campaign creates a damning juxtaposition when compared directly to Russia's air campaign over Ukraine.

☆ Texas judge's ruling to ban mifepristone nationwide cites Wikipedia, contains pro-life talking points, and gets basic facts about abortion wrong: Experts say it's 'completely flawed'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-08 | by ( Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | Hannah Getahun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

"So many of the things in this ruling I would say are completely flawed," a researcher told Insider. But an OB-GYN told Insider the judge's interpretation of what the drug does is medically inaccurate. Mifepristone and misoprostol are used before we can even see an embryo on ultrasound," Grossman told Insider. Spreading such misinformation through an official judicial ruling, Biggs said, is "inappropriate, unethical, and jarring." It's definitely not going to help or prevent mental health harm or physical harm as it claims – it's going to do the opposite."

☆ Fact Check-Miscaptioned picture of Vladimir Putin with African leaders is not recent, dates back to 2019
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A picture of Russian President Vladimir Putin posing alongside several African leaders was taken at the 2019 Russia-Africa summit in Sochi, not during the Russia-Africa parliamentary conference that took place in Moscow in March 2023. Focus.”The 2023 Russia-Africa parliamentary conference took place in Moscow on March 19 and 20 (here). A press release issued by the Russian Duma on March 20 says that parliamentary delegations of African countries, were present during the 2023 conference (duma.gov.ru/en/news/56536/). Reuters reporting on the 2019 summit is viewable (here). The photograph was taken at the 2019 Russia-Africa summit, not during the recent parliamentary conference in Moscow.

☆ Fact Check-Video purporting to show Soviet-era tanks shipped from Russia to Ukraine dates to at least 2019
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A video purporting to show Soviet-era tanks being shipped from Russia to battle in Ukraine is being circulated online, but the clip predates Russia’s invasion of its neighbour and is unrelated. Designed before World War II, these antiques will quickly become food for Leopards,” said one Twitter user sharing the footage on March 22 (here ). However, an online search of still images taken from the clip reveals that it dates to at least Jan. 18, 2019, three years before Russia invaded Ukraine. The Russian Embassy in Laos posted about the transfer of 30 T-34 tanks on Jan. 10, 2019 (here ). Video purporting to show Soviet World War Two tanks being shipped from Russia to Ukraine in March 2023 can be traced back to 2019.

☆ Reactions to ICC's arrest warrant for Putin citing Ukraine war crimes
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

REUTERS/Roman Baluk/File PhotoMarch 17 (Reuters) - Following are reactions to the news on Friday that the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant against Russian President Vladimir Putin, accusing him of the war crime of illegal deportation of children from Ukraine. There are reasonable grounds to believe that Mr Putin bears individual criminal responsibility for the aforementioned crimes." RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESWOMAN MARIA ZAKHAROVA"The decisions of the International Criminal Court have no meaning for our country, including from a legal point of view. Russia is not a party to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court and bears no obligations under it." I welcome the decision of the International Criminal Court."

☆ Russia wants to replenish its troops by recruiting 400,000 new contract soldiers starting April: reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russia wants to recruit 400,000 new contract soldiers starting in April, per multiple local reports. Russian contract soldiers are typically volunteers who serve three-year paid stints in the army. The authorities said the summons were issued just to collect information, and not to lay the groundwork for a second mobilization, BBC Russia reported. Russian contract soldiers are typically volunteers who sign up for a three-year paid stint in the army, per the Institute for the Study of War, a think tank. Since the war began in February 2022, recruiters have been offering hefty bonuses and increased salaries to contract soldiers, while the Kremlin rushes to bolster resources for its hard-hit troops.

☆ A Russian oil depot caught fire hundreds of miles from Ukraine, the possible result of a daring Ukrainian drone attack
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A fire broke out at a Russian oil facility on Tuesday night, far from the country's borders. Neither Ukrainian nor Russian authorities verified the incident as an attack, though Russian outlets said drones were seen near the oil facility, run by government-controlled oil giant Rosneft. Russia's Ministry of Defence said that there was a drone attack on a site in Krasnodar, though it claimed to have foiled it. "One where NATO is allegedly directly helping Ukraine to attack Russia." Ukraine has previously struck Russian territory with the same modified drones, unnamed Kyiv officials told Politico in December last year.

☆ Russia has been able to keep its most effective drone flying over Ukraine thanks to Western-made parts
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Ukraine and Russia have employed an array of drones since Moscow attacked in February 2022. Despite sanctions imposed by the US and its allies, Russia has been able to keep its most effective drone flying over Ukraine thanks to Western-made parts. The Orlan-10's specifications and characteristics in a graphic published by the Royal United Services Institute in December 2022. Russian intelligence services are likely involved in sourcing this technology through contacts and front companies around the world. Western-made components found in the Orlan-10, according to the Royal United Services Institute.

☆ Russia's air force is struggling to hit targets in Ukraine, but its missiles can still keep Ukraine's jets at bay
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-26 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

However, more potent air-to-air missiles are helping Russian jets keep Ukrainian aircraft at bay. However, a potent mix of air-to-air missiles — some of which out-range their Ukrainian counterparts — have helped keep Ukrainian aircraft at bay. The Kh-38 is a Soviet concept dating back to the 1980s, but the Russian air force never procured them "in anything like operationally useful numbers," Barrie said. Russian air-to-air missiles have been "effective in limiting the Ukrainians ability to use their own air force," Barrie said. For now, the only blessing for Ukraine is that Russia doesn't have a lot of these long-range air-to-air missiles.

☆ One year into Russia's invasion of Ukraine, disinformation sites with ads powered by Google have more than doubled
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( Ryan Joe | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Russian disinformation sites with Google-powered ads have more than doubled since last year, according to NewsGuard. Last year, as Russia began its invasion of Ukraine, Google and major brands placed ads on sites that promoted Kremlin propaganda. Google added that it has stopped running ads on specific pages on sites shared by Insider that show "violating content." The problem of ads appearing in sites containing disinformation is growing, as these sites take advantage of programmatic ad buying, where digital ads are purchased in an auction using automation. Programmatic ad buying is both a complicated and technical process, so advertisers often don't see where their ads are going.

☆ Brawling with elite, Russian mercenary boss wishes politician shot
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( Andrew Osborn | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

"During the 1941-45 war, which is now being repeated, Stalin simply shot people like you. I think we're going to return to those times soon," he told Sverdlovsk governor Yevgeny Kuivashev, according to his press service. Earlier this week, he accused various regional governors of refusing to bury Wagner fighters with military honours, labelling them as lawless, corrupt bureaucrats. From eastern Ukraine, Prigozhin replied that he had stopped being a businessman a year ago and was now devoting his life to leading his fighters. "There is a ceiling (of growth) and mechanisms in place," said the source, who declined to provide more details.

☆ Hackers claim to have caused Russian websites broadcasting Vladimir Putin's annual address to go offline
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( Joshua Zitser | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Online broadcasts of Vladimir Putin's annual speech were interrupted on Tuesday. A pro-Ukraine hacking group has claimed responsibility for a DDoS cyberattack. Russia's state-run RIA Novosti news agency, meanwhile, said disruptions to the broadcast were the result of a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack. Though it is not clear who or what was behind the outages, at least one pro-Ukraine hacking group has claimed responsibility. Newsweek reported that another hacking group claiming to work on behalf of Russian opposition activist Alexey Navalny also claimed responsibility, saying it caused the disruption along with "other hackers."

☆ There will be an 'unprecedented spike' in maternal mortality if a Trump-appointed judge bans the abortion pill, Democratic attorneys general argue
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Charles R. Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Banning mifepristone will result in more women dying in pregnancy, Democratic attorneys general argued this month. The argument comes as a judge in Texas is considering a ban on the abortion pill. Republican attorneys general who have weighed in on the case also maintain that its approval infringed on state rights. In her brief, James noted that carrying a pregnancy to term poses significantly greater health risks than an early abortion. As Slate's Christina Cautertucci notes, mifepristone is only one of the two drugs used in a typical medication abortion.

☆ Fact Check-Video is unrelated to Turkey earthquake, shows cat being rescued in Russia in 2018
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A video of a cat being rescued from a fire in Volgograd, Russia in 2018 is being shared as if it shows a cat being rescued from the earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria on February 6, 2023. Huge earthquakes struck Turkey and Syria, with a death toll that has surpassed 21,000 as of Friday here. Every life is important #Turkey #Syria #TurkeyQuake #TurkeySyriaEarthquake.”A reverse Google Images search of keyframes in the video revealed the same video shared by Russian broadcaster V1.RU on YouTube (here) on Feb. 26, 2018. A similar looking cat named Strawberry was recently rescued in Turkey’s Hatay province, as reported by Reuters (here). The video shows a cat being rescued from a fire in Volgograd, Russia in 2018.

☆ After bloody failures in Ukraine, Russians are reconsidering the role of their military's 'elite' paratroopers
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The issues raised about the role and value of paratroopers are not unique to Russia's military. Russian paratroopers in the Kyiv region in March 2022. Russian paratroopers unload a truck from an IL-76 to join the NATO peacekeeping operation in Bosnia in January 1996. That point underlines the debate about the value of airborne forces — a debate that isn't unique to Russia. That battle, an ignominious Allied defeat, has stood as a lesson in the limits of airborne forces.

☆ Russian fighter jets are struggling in Ukraine, but Ukraine can't beat their missiles and radars, researchers say
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The Russian air force's lackluster performance in Ukraine has been scrutinized throughout the war. Despite its failings over Ukraine, Russia's air force still has advanced jets and missiles. Russian pilots have modified their operations in order to make the most of those advantages. But that doesn't mean that the Russian air force is stupid. Yuri Smityuk\TASS via Getty ImagesDespite initial fears that they would be smashed by Russian missiles and jets, Ukrainian air defenses have had a major impact.

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