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Shiniest exoplanet ever found has reflective metal clouds

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:52:38 GMT

(CNN) — An ultrahot exoplanet that zips around its host star every 19 hours is the shiniest exoplanet ever discovered.The scorching world, dubbed planet LTT9779b, has reflective metallic clouds made of silicates and metals like titanium.The exoplanet is the largest “mirror” in the universe that astronomers have spotted to date. The planet is located 262 light-years from Earth.Initially spotted by NASA’s planet-hunting TESS mission in 2020 and ground-based observations from the European Southern Observatory in Chile, the exoplanet was selected for follow-up observations by the European Space Agency’s Cheops mission.Cheops, or the Characterising Exoplanet Satellite, collected measurements that revealed LTT9779b reflects 80% of the light from its host star, outpacing the high shine of Venus in our own solar system. After the moon, Venus is the brightest object in our night sky, and its thick clouds reflect about 75% of the sun’s light. Meanwhile, Earth reflects only about 30% of sunlig...

Twitter’s future is in doubt as Threads tops 100 million users

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:52:38 GMT

Washington (CNN) — Twitter has weathered months, if not years, of mismanagement as well as mass layoffs, frequent service disruptions and an exodus of top advertisers, but the launch of a rival app from Meta could prove to be the final straw.Threads surpassed 100 million users this weekend, less than a week after it launched, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced Monday, marking a staggering feat for any social network and one that puts it on pace to rapidly pass Twitter’s audience size.Meanwhile, multiple internet traffic analysts reported noticeable declines in Twitter usage in just the past few days. The results underscore the risk Meta poses to Twitter’s business and raise questions about how, or if, Twitter can stem its losses.Twitter traffic had already been trending downward for months, according to data from the internet infrastructure company Cloudflare and the web analytics firm Similarweb. But the pace of decline appears to have accelerated in recent days, both companies sai...

Madonna shares health update: ‘I’m on the road to recovery’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:52:38 GMT

(CNN) — Madonna is rescheduling the North American leg of her world tour following her recent hospitalization.The Grammy winner announced the news in an Instagram post on Monday.“Thank you for your positive energy, prayers and words of healing and encouragement. I have felt your love,” she wrote, ‘I’m on the road to recovery and incredibly grateful for all the blessings in my life.”She went on to write, “My first thought when I woke up in the hospital was my children. My second thought was that I did not want to disappoint anyone who bought tickets for my tour. I also didn’t want to let down the people who worked tirelessly with me over the last few months to create my show. I hate to disappoint anyone.”“My focus now is my health and getting stronger and I assure you, I’ll be back with you as soon as I can,” she added.Madonna stated that she will kick off the tour internationally in October.CNN has reached out to her representatives for further comment.Last month, Mad...

EU, US attempt to escape data-flows limbo with new transatlantic deal

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:52:38 GMT

BRUSSELS — The European Union on Monday approved a new deal allowing companies to freely transfer data between the EU and the United States, potentially ending three years of legal limbo for tech giants like Facebook and Google.The European Commission formally recognized the U.S. as a country with sufficient protection for Europeans’ personal data, adopting a so-called adequacy decision under its landmark privacy law, the General Data Protection Regulation.The deal, known as EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework, clears the way for lucrative transatlantic data exchanges after the EU’s top court in 2020 struck down the governments’ previous data agreement, known as Privacy Shield, over concerns that U.S. intelligence agencies had too much leeway to snoop on Europeans’ personal data.The stakes for success are high: According to the White House, transatlantic data flows underpin $7.1 trillion in economic activities, and thousands of companies do business on both continents.“Today we tak...

One person shot outside of courthouse in Brockton

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:52:38 GMT

Authorities are investigating after at least one person was shot behind a courthouse in Brockton on Monday.The Brockton Police Department said its officers were called to Brockton District Court on Main Street where the shooting was believed to have happened some time after noon.No details on the condition of the victim or any possible arrests have been released yet.This is a developing story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest updates.

Just a bit of exercise counters depression in people with chronic conditions, study finds

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:52:38 GMT

(CNN) — As little as 20 minutes of moderate activity a day for five days a week can significantly lower the risk of depressive symptoms for people over 50 who have conditions often linked to depression, such as diabetes, heart disease and chronic pain, a new study found.People with diabetes have twice the risk for depression, according to Diabetes UK, and a 2017 study found heart disease patients are twice as likely to die if they develop depression after their diagnosis. Up to 85% of people with chronic pain experience severe depression, according to a different 2017 study.People without chronic disease in the study, however, needed to do moderate to vigorous exercise two hours a day to see improvement in depressive symptoms, according to lead study author Eamon Laird, a researcher at the Physical Activity for Health Research Centre at the University of Limerick in Ireland.Moderate physical activity is typically defin...

Modelo tops Bud Light in sales for the second month in a row

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:52:38 GMT

New York (CNN) — Mexican-made Modelo Especial is the top-selling beer in the United States for the second straight month, once again snatching the crown from Bud Light.For the four weeks ending on July 1, Modelo Especial captured 8.7% of overall beer sales, compared to Bud Light’s 7% share, according to NIQ data given to consulting firm Bump Williams. Dollar sales for the pre-July 4 period continued to be grim for Bud Light, with sales falling 28.5%, while Modelo’s grew 8.5% during the same time period.Bud Light initially lost the title last month, which it has largely held for two decades. The beer has been struggling following the beginning of the Dylan Mulvaney controversy, when it sent the transgender influencer a custom can of Bud Light, which she posted on Instagram. Right-wing media and anti-trans commenters on social media unleashed a fury of negative and hateful attention. Anheuser-Busch’s lackluster response also angered LGBTQ+ advocates.In Ju...

Russian mercenary leader Prigozhin pledges loyalty at the Kremlin after short-lived mutiny

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:52:38 GMT

By The Associated PressMercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin pledged loyalty to the Russian government in a Kremlin meeting with President Vladimir Putin five days after the commander led a short-lived rebellion, a senior government spokesman said Monday, the latest twist in a baffling episode that has raised questions about the power and influence both men wield.The three-hour meeting took place June 29 and also involved commanders from Prigozhin’s Wagner Group military contractor, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. Putin gave an assessment of Wagner’s actions on the battlefield in Ukraine — where the mercenaries have fought alongside Russian troops — and of the revolt itself.“The commanders themselves presented their version of what happened. They underscored that they are staunch supporters and soldiers of the head of state and the commander-in-chief, and also said that they are ready to continue to fight for their homeland,” Peskov said.The con...

Biden and King Charles III zero in on generational challenge of climate change

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:52:38 GMT

By SEUNG MIN KIM, JILL LAWLESS and CHRIS MEGERIAN (Associated Press)WINDSOR, England (AP) — President Joe Biden and King Charles III, two leaders who waited decades to reach the pinnacle of their careers, used their first meeting in those roles Monday to zero in on the generational challenge of climate change, prodding private companies to do more to bolster clean energy in developing countries. The meticulously choreographed gathering at Windsor Castle injected substance into the type of encounter between president and monarch that historically has been more about ceremony. After the arrival formalities, Biden and Charles participated in a climate-focused roundtable with officials from the financial and philanthropic sectors. John Kerry, the U.S. envoy on climate, also attended.The 74-year-old Charles, who was crowned in May, has long fought to protect wildlife and battle climate change. Biden, for his part, identified climate change as one of the four crises he was determine...

Judge declares mistrial in Emanuel Lopes double-murder case; audible gasps in court

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:52:38 GMT

Following weeks of jury deliberations, a Norfolk Superior Court judge declared a mistrial Monday morning in the case of a Weymouth man accused of killing a police officer and bystander nearly 5 years ago.“Jurors, I’m in receipt of your note. Your services are complete. I’m declaring a mistrial,” Judge Beverly Cannone in courtroom video Monday morning, to audible gasps and the apparent sound of crying from the courtroom.Emanuel Lopes, 25, is accused of shooting Weymouth Police Sgt. Michael Chesna, 42, and bystander Vera Adams, 77, in the early hours of July 15, 2018. The defendant has pleaded not guilty to 11 charges in Norfolk Superior Court, including two counts of murder.Jury deliberations began on June 28 after closing arguments and restarted again when one juror was replaced on July 5.During the trial lawyers and witnesses laid out the day of the crimes in vivid detail. During July 14 and 15, witnesses testified, Lopes mood and actions took an abrupt turn...