Neither bird, nor plane, this is A/2017 U1 On October 19th Rob Weryk of the University of Hawaii saw something rather strange. In pictures produced by Pan-STRRS 1, a telescope on Haleakala, he identified an unusually fast-moving, faint object that he concluded could not have originated in Earth's solar system. It was travelling at more than 25km per second. That is too fast for it to have a clos..
It hasn't stopped the discount grocers from thriving The aisles are wide, the lights bright and shelves low. Most obviously, however, the apples shine and the broccoli beckons. For those used to the cramped, dimly lit Aldi stores of yore, all expense spared, the new supermarket in Herten, Germany, is almost shocking. Opened in April this is the prototype for a vast new renovation and expansion p..
An Uzbekistani immigrant carries out a lethal attack against pedestrians and cyclists It was a beautiful, sunny afternoon, the perfect day to cycle or walk along the Hudson river on Manhattan's west side. Parents were beginning to gather at schools to pick up their excited children, many wearing Halloween costumes. But the idyllic autumn day came to an abrupt end at 3.05pm when a man in a hired ..
Making pay more transparent Swedes discuss their incomes with a frankness that would horrify Britons or Americans. They have little reason to be coy; in Sweden you can learn a stranger's salary simply by ringing the tax authorities and asking. Pay transparency can be a potent weapon against persistent inequities. When hackers published e-mails from executives at Sony Pictures, a file studio, the..
Mutual mistrust between the two administrations scuppered a deal to avoid a head-on clash It was political theater - epic for some, farce for others and tragic for many more. By 70 votes out of 135, and with the opposition having walked out, the Catalan parliament in Barcelona voted today, October 27th, to declare independence and constitute Catalonia as a republic. Minutes later in Madrid, the ..
As the world marks the centenary of the October Revolution, Russia is once again under the rule of the tsar Seventeen years after Vladimir Putin first became president, his grip on Russia is stronger than ever. The West, which still sees Russia in post-Soviet terms, sometimes ranks him as his country's most powerful leader since Stalin. Russians are increasingly looking to an earlier period of h..
Consider and regard can both mean ‘believe’ or ‘realise’ or ‘understand’. When they mean ‘believe’ or ‘realise’ or ‘understand’, we don’t often use the continuous forms. ConsiderConsider takes several different patterns.Consider + that-clauseWhen you consider that she was very scared, her story is even more remarkable.Consider + object + to beThey consider him to be the best chef in the country...
Yet again, reality turns out to be complicated Britain is running out of time to finish negotiations before it is due to leave the European Union on March 29th 2019. Theresa May insisted in Parliament this week that the recent EU summit had made important progress. Yet the start of talks on a framework for future trade may not happen until after December. Hence a favorite idea for averting a "cl..
"No doubt I will hear what your brother says soon enough," Robert said. "The Wall has stood for what, eight thousand years? It can keep a few days more. I have more pressing concerns. These are difficult times. I need good men about me.
Then his tone softened. "Enough of this. There is a more important office to discuss, and I would not argue with you." Robert grasped Ned by the elbow. "I have need of you, Ned." "I am yours to command, Your Grace. Always." They were words he had to say, and so he said them, apprehensive about what might come next. Robert scarcely seemed to hear him.
Does this mean no one can challenge him? The constitution of the Chinese Communist Party defines what it means to be a party member and lists the organization's core beliefs. On October 24th a new principle was added to it: "Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era" - quite a mouthful. Xinhua, a government news agency, said the change was approved at the end of ..
Robert Baratheon had always been a man of huge appetites, a man who knew how to take his pleasures. That was not a charge anyone could lay at the door of Eddard Stark. Yet Ned could not help but notice that those pleasures were taking a toll on the king. Robert was breathing heavily by the time they reached the bottom of the stairs, his face red in the lantern light as they stepped out into the ..
Lyanna had only been sixteen, a child-woman of surpassing loveliness. Ned had loved her with all his heart. Robert had loved her even more. She was to have been his bride. "She was more beautiful than that," the king said after a silence. His eyes lingered on Lyanna's face, as if he could will her back to life.
Five outliers - Chesapeake Energy, Netflix, Nextera Energy, Tesla and Uber - have collectively lost $100bn in the past decade Yves Saint Laurent, Lady Gaga, David Bowie. Some people do not operate by the same rules as everyone else. Might the same be true of companies? Most bosses complain of being slaves to short-term profit targets. Yet a few flout the orthodoxy in flamboyant fashion. Consider..
His voice was hoarse with remembered grief. "She deserved more than darkness... " "She was a Stark of Winterfell," Ned said quietly. "This is her place.""She should be on a hill somewhere, under a fruit tree, with the sun and clouds above her and the rain to wash her clean."