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Scientists have detected evidence of a colossal explosion in space – five times bigger than anything observed before.
The huge release of energy is thought to have emanated from a supermassive black hole some 390 million light years from Earth.
The eruption is said to have left a giant dent in the Ophiuchus galaxy cluster.
Researchers reported their findings in The Astrophysical Journal.
They had long thought there was something strange about Ophiuchus galaxy cluster, which is a giant aggregation containing thousands of individual galaxies intermingled with hot gas and dark matter. X-ray telescopes had spied a curious curved edge to it.
The speculation was that this might be the wall of a cavity that had been sculpted in its gas by emissions from a central black hole.
Black holes are famous for gorging on infalling matter, but they will also expel prodigious amounts of material and energy in the form of jets.
Scientists at first doubted their explanation however, because the cavity was so big; you could fit 15 of our own Milky Way galaxies in a row into the hole.
And that meant any black hole explosion would have to have been unimaginably prodigious.
But new telescope data from the Murchison Widefield Array (MWA) in Australia and the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) in India seem to confirm it.
“In some ways, this blast is similar to how the eruption of Mount St Helens (volcano) in 1980 ripped off the top of the mountain,” said Simona Giacintucci of the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, DC, and lead author of the study.
Residents in parts of East Yorkshire were evacuated from their homes overnight as flood water levels rose rapidly.
The flooding at East Cowick came as fields in the area, holding vast quantities of water from the River Aire, began to overtop.
Emergency services deployed boats to assist with evacuating residents.
Meanwhile in Shropshire, repairs to buckled flood defences will start later if river levels fall low enough.
The Environment Agency (EA) aims to do the work ahead of Storm Jorge, which is due to hit the country this weekend.
The EA said fields around East Cowick form part of the River Aire washlands, which are eight miles long and expected to store a vast amount of water.
“The tricky bit is more water has come down the Aire than was ever calculated so the washlands have overspilled into Snaith and East Cowick,” Frank De Planta, from the EA, said.
It comes after extensive flooding in Snaith on Thursday, when the EA warned the disruption could last for several days.
Mr De Planta said it was a matter of waiting for those washlands to empty back into the river.
“What we have to do now is wait for gravity to do its job – the only way the washlands will empty is when the River Aire is lower than those washlands,” he said.
Barry Worthington said he had decided to stay in his home in East Cowick.
“There’s people come from far and wide to help but it’s a losing battle at the moment.
“We will be staying, when its your life’s work, we will be stopping,” he said.
Another resident, Katie Clements, said they had tried digging tunnels to direct the water into fields.
“A couple of residents had pumps in their garages and brought them out and they seemed to work for a little time, so we thought we were winning,” she said.
“We didn’t get pumps brought from any agency until it was far too late.”
Insp Craig Syms, from Humberside Police, said the main objective overnight had been to persuade residents to leave and ensure vulnerable people were protected.
He praised villagers for the community spirit they had been showing.
“It has been absolutely fantastic. The people and morale of what I have seen in the village. People coming out helping, food supplies and people out all night.”
East Riding of Yorkshire Council said four tonnes of sand bags were used to try and stem the flow.
In the town of Snaith about 30 properties flooded on Thursday, but water levels there have stopped rising.
Schools in the area have been closed and a number of roads are shut or impassable due to flooding.
There are four flood warnings in place in the area and the Met Office has warned of further rain and strong winds over the weekend.
Ian Burnett, from the council, said: “The council is closely monitoring the weather as Storm Jorge is expected to bring heaving rain throughout the day which could result in further flooding.
“People who are at risk of flooding and have not evacuated their properties are urged to do so.”
Three more cases of the coronavirus have been confirmed in the UK, including the first one in Wales.
This brings the total number of cases in the UK to 19 – following the first confirmed case in Northern Ireland on Thursday.
Two new patients in England contracted the virus while in Iran, the Department of Health and Social Care said.
The Welsh patient, from the Swansea area, was infected in northern Italy before travelling to the UK.
Wales’ chief medical officer Dr Frank Atherton said “all appropriate measures” were being taken to care for the patient and reduce the risk of transmission.
Public Health Wales said it was working hard to identify the patient’s close contacts.
The patients in England are being treated at a specialist centre at the Royal Free Hospital in London.
Meanwhile, nine Canary Islands residents have left a hotel in Tenerife that was locked down over coronavirus.
They were part of a group of 130 guests – including about 50 British nationals who were deemed low-risk – confined to the Costa Adeje Palace.
A woman has completely lost the sight in one eye and will soon be blind in the other after getting her eyeballs dyed black. Aleksandra Sadowska, from Wroclaw in Poland, took the risky decision to try and emulate a rapper named Popek – famous in her homeland for having the whites of his eyes dyed black.
But the bungled procedure left the 25-year-old complaining of sharp pain in her eyes, which the tattooist reportedly told her was normal and could be treated with painkillers. Despite taking the advice, Aleksandra has since lost the sight in her right eye and been warned the irreparable damage will soon claim the vision in her left eye too.
She said: ‘Unfortunately, for now doctors do not give me much optimism for improvement. The damage is too deep and extensive. I’m afraid I will be completely blind.’
But she added: ‘I will not lock myself in the basement and get depressed. I have sadness behind me but I live on.’
During an investigation it emerged the tattooist who carried out the procedure, named locally as Piotr A, made a number of serious errors – including using ink made for use on skin, which should never come into contact with the eyes.
Aleksandra’s lawyers said: ‘There is clear evidence that the tattoo artist did not know how to perform such a delicate procedure. And yet he decided to perform it which led to this tragedy.’
The tattooist, who still runs his salon where he mostly carries out ear piercings, now faces up to three years in jail after being charged with severely disabling her, MailOnline reported. He had denied the charge and the case is expected to begin soon.
China’s three-time Olympic champion Sun Yang has been banned for eight years for missing a doping test in September 2018.
The 28-year-old was initially cleared of wrongdoing by Fina, the swimming federation, in January 2019.
Following an appeal by the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas), the decision has been overturned.
An eight-year ban was imposed on Sun because this was his second offence.
He had served a three-month suspension in 2014 for taking prohibited stimulant Trimetazidine.
Sun told China’s Xinhua news agency that he plans to appeal against the decision.
He said: “This is unfair. I firmly believe in my innocence.”
Cas said its decision can be challenged before the Swiss Federal Tribunal within 30 days.
Sun had told an appeal hearing in November that he missed a test because testers failed to prove their identity when they arrived at his home.
He also denied a vial containing his blood samples was smashed with a hammer.
Cas said: “The athlete failed to establish that he had a compelling justification to destroy his sample collection containers and forego the doping control when, in his opinion, the collection protocol was not in compliance with the ISTI (international standard for testing and investigations).
“As the Cas panel noted, it is one thing, having provided a blood sample, to question the accreditation of the testing personnel while keeping the intact samples in the possession of the testing authorities; it is quite another thing, after lengthy exchanges and warnings as to the consequences, to act in such a way that results in destroying the sample containers, thereby eliminating any chance of testing the sample at a later stage.”
Wada welcomed the ruling, and added that it was “satisfied that justice in this case has been rendered”.
At the 2019 World Aquatics Championships in July, Sun won gold in the 200m freestyle but Britain’s Duncan Scott refused to share the podium with him.
Australian Mack Horton took a similar stance after the 400m freestyle, years after accusing him of being a “drug cheat”.
Sun’s results prior to, during and after the championships will stand because he has not tested positive for doping.
He has won 11 world titles since 2011, including two golds at last year’s event in Gwangju, South Korea.
When Fina originally cleared him, it said that testers had breached several rules, including failing to produce authorisation letters and a nursing licence. Sun was subsequently issued with a warning.
The Cas appeal was heard in public. The only previous time that had happened was in 1999 when Ireland’s triple Olympic swimming champion Michelle Smith de Bruin failed with her appeal against a four-year ban for tampering with an anti-doping sample.
News of the first confirmed case of coronavirus in Nigeria has prompted fierce debate on social media, with #CoronavirusNigeria now the top Twitter trend across the country.
Nigerian authorities have urged the public to remain calm.
But some people say they fear the country, which is already battling an outbreak of Lassa fever, may struggle to cope if coronavirus spreads:
Wale Adetona✔ @iSlimfit
Our hygiene is bad, especially in Lagos. If this virus spreads, we are doomed. We need the same energy we used in defeating the Ebola virus. Lord help my country people to all play our parts.
M E S S I@badniggafela
The federal government of Nigeria needs to be heavily slapped for this mess they are trying to put us in
Y’all know our health sector is a mess and we not fully prepared to handle these kinda outbreaks
Yet we allow people come in from affected countries
Others say that the quick response of health authorities to the 2014 Ebola outbreak is proof the country will be able to contain the threat:
Remember when Ebola entered Nigeria?
People cried about how it’s over for us.
We would all be dead. No one can contain it. Our government doesn’t care. Our people are gullible.
But guess what, we’re still here.
THIS TOO SHALL PASS!#coronavirusnigeria
Have some more faith in your country, guys. We did contain ebola.
I’m hopeful that we’ll contain this too, and not at such a heavy cost, God willing.
LASG, we’re all counting on you.
.
That’s one of the key steps recommended by the World Health Organization
. Here’s their full list:
Nigeria is the first country in sub-Saharan to record a positive case of coronavirus, after authorities confirmed an Italian citizen who flew into Lagos from Milan tested positive for the disease.
Egypt and Algeria have also recorded positive cases.
Basse Market to be rebuilt to international standard – President Barrow pledges
State House, Banjul, February 27, 2020 – His Excellency President Adama Barrow on Thursday pledged to rebuild Basse market into a first class one with international standards. He also made a personal contribution of two million Dalasis towards the emergency fund created by URR authorities to the emergency cause.
The President said the inferno saddened him personally; his government, the entire country and the sub region as a whole. He said from the list of victims, the market truly depicts a sub-regional one, not just a Basse market. Its impacts are far reaching beyond just the vendors and commercial community who in fact, bear the brunt of the loss.
“We will urgently set up an inquiry to probe into the incident and come up with facts that will guide our intervention in rebuilding a market of international standard for Basse. My government will do all it can to build a first class market here,” President Barrow said.
He called on the public to desist from politicising the fire incident, adding that it should be treated as a national disaster, and with patriotism. “All should dip into their pockets, especially philanthropists, to raise funds to support this cause,” he maintained.
The Gambian leader noted that the emergency intervention by the Senegalese fire service from across the border also indicates a deeper sense of brotherhood between the two countries and the need for peaceful co-existence. He appealed to Gambians, the international community and development partners to help with reconstruction.
Governor of the region, Fanta BS Manneh, praised the gallantry of the fire fighters from the region, Bansang and the neighbouring border town of Vellingara, who came as reinforcement. She thanked the military, police and Chinese construction workers on the ground, who worked together to contain the fire.
It was reported that the incident began by 7pmand lasted all night, while residents were engaged in supporting firefighters in whatever form they could.
A representative of the market fire victims, Aja Bintou Banta Camara said the victims received the fire in good faith and took solace in the visit by the President. She appreciated that the President earlier dispatched the Vice President to extend solidarity and conduct a preliminary assessment of the extent of the disaster.
On behalf of the victims, she urged for urgent government intervention to rebuild the market, as the market is the source of livelihood for thousands who directly depend on it.
Similar urgent appeal was made by a Mauritanian victim. Vendors of the inferno include nationals from Senegal, Mali, Guinea, Mauritania, Sierra Leone, and Nigeria among others, representing the diversity of ECOWAS nationals doing business in Basse.
According to the Alkalo of Basse, Honourable Sellu Bah, the devastating impact would have included loss of human lives had the fire started during daytime.
The home of Gambia’s Vice President Isatou Touray, has been vandalized by unknown burglars, Freedom Newspaper can report. The house is located in Kaur Touray-Kunda, in the Upper River Region of The Gambia. It was burglarized on Wednesday night.
Doors, windows and other valuables were destroyed. Stones were on found in the destroyed property. The people, who vandalized the VP’s home used stones to destroy the property. The sling fans were also damaged.
The house was well decorated. The nice and expensive sofas were spared. The attackers turned thieves, never steal the expensive household items in the building. According to sources, the attackers stole window curtains and a sound system deck from Mrs. Touray’s home. The items were stolen during what the police called an incident that looks like an attack against the home of the Vice President.
The incident was reported to the Kaur police station on Thursday by one Sako Jobe. The police later visited the scene, where they found what they called “a wanton destruction to property.”
The police are investigating the matters.
It has been gathered that a United Democratic Party (UDP) caravan was on tour of the country, when the incident happened. The UDP delegation had spent a night in Kaur, before proceeding to Janjangbureh. It is not clear if the UDP touring caravan was in Kaur, when the incident occurred.
The UDP touring team started their tour in the Baddibus. They later proceeded to the Central River Region (CRR). Kaur was among their port of call during the tour.
Gambia’s intelligence said the matter is under thorough investigations. No arrest has been made yet. No one has claimed responsibility for the incident.
The United States embassy in Kenya has warned of a terrorist attack at a major hotel in the capital, Nairobi, although the exact hotel has not been identified.
, the embassy said that “terrorist groups may be plotting an attack” on a target that is “popular with tourists and business travellers”.
The warning has prompted fears of a repeat of the January 2019 terror attack when Islamist al-Shabab militants stormed the DusitD2 hotel and business complex and killed at least 21 people.
The US urged its citizens to “exercise increased vigilance when visiting or staying at hotels in the Nairobi area”.
The head of Kenya’s police has said they have enhanced police deployment in the city and border surveillance, but warned the public to be “extra-vigilant”.
He tweeted a statement moments after the US embassy had issued its alert:
National Police Service-Kenya✔ @NPSOfficial_KE
Kenya has been a target for al-Shabab since October 2011, when it sent its army into Somalia to fight the jihadist group.
The Ministry of Health in Lagos State has confirmed its first case of the novel Coronavirus disease (COVID-19), incidentally the first in Nigeria and in West Africa since the outbreak in China in January 2020.
This was contained in a statement released Friday morning by the state Commissioner for Health, Prof Akin Abayomi.
It is the second confirmed case in Africa following one recently recorded in Algeria in North Africa.
The novel virus is fast spreading, having been reported in over 20 countries across Asia, the Middle East, Europe and lately in Africa.
Like the case confirmed in Algeria, the victim, an Italian traveller, arrived in Nigeria on Tuesday from Milan on a business trip.
The victim used the Murtala Muhammad International Airport in Lagos.
The victim whose name was not identified is being managed at the Infectious Disease Hospital in Yaba, Lagos.
The Lagos State Government said it has reported it to the Federal Ministry of Health.
The statement from the government read, “The case is an Italian citizen who entered Nigeria on the 25th of February from Milan, Italy for a brief business visit.
“He fell ill on the 26th February and was transferred to Lagos State Biosecurity Facilities for isolation and testing. COVID-19 infection was confirmed by the Virology Laboratory of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, part of the Laboratory Network of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control.
“The patient is clinically stable, with no serious symptoms, and is being managed at the Infectious Disease Hospital in Yaba, Lagos.”
The state government said it is working with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and other preparedness groups to ensure the case is effectively managed out of circulation.
The Senate had yesterday berated the Federal Government for not doing enough to screen passengers coming into the country from the nation’s airports and seaports.
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