Black holes collide, world's first hijacking, 7 steps to better health: Catch up on the day's stories
Here's what else you might have missed during your busy day.
Using ripples in space-time predicted by Einstein, researchers detected a cosmic merger of unprecedented proportions. A collision between two black holes — each more massive than 100 suns — is the largest of its kind ever recorded, astronomers said.
When Annette McKay's first grandson was born, she thought her mother would be over the moon. She had become a great-grandmother. Instead, it led her to reveal a secret. An excavation in Ireland is shedding light on stories that have been buried for decades.
Taking care of your heart has an influence on the health of your whole body, according to a new study. It found that better health can be broken down into several factors known as 'Life's Simple 7.'
On this day in 1948, a seaplane crashed during a short flight to Hong Kong. There was only one survivor — a Chinese rice farmer — but his story didn't add up. That routine 20-minute jaunt became the world's first airplane hijacking.
You don't need to get worked up about wine, but there's no denying that a perfect pairing can accentuate the taste and tone of your soirée. Here's how to find the best notes.
GET '5 THINGS' IN YOUR INBOX
If your day doesn't start until you're up to speed on the latest headlines, then let us introduce you to your new favorite morning fix. Sign up here for the '5 Things' newsletter. ⚡ 'Oh jeez!' A paraglider struck power lines and crashed into the Red River in Grand Forks, North Dakota. Firefighters rushed to the scene to rescue the man, who was not injured.
Trump says it's 'highly unlikely' he'll fire Powell after suggesting otherwise in meeting with lawmakers
Trump lashes out at 'weaklings' who believe Epstein 'bullsh*t' amid building GOP pressure to release documents
Louisiana police chiefs among those arrested and accused in a bribery scheme to help foreign nationals get visas
🪨 That's how much the world's biggest Mars rock — a meteorite weighing 54 pounds — just sold for at a Sotheby's New York auction.
⚰️ 'Buried in style': The typical somber procession of mourning takes a celebratory turn among the Ga people in southeast Ghana, where coffins are intricately designed by families of the deceased. A photographer documented the secretive tradition.
'It was touch and go for a while.'
Barack Obama
🤭 Just kidding: The former president joked about divorce rumors circulating about him and his wife Michelle. Speculation picked up steam after several public appearances where she didn't join her husband, including President Donald Trump's inauguration.
📺 Which actor, pictured here, just apologized for his disastrous 2009 interview with David Letterman?A. Ethan HawkeB. Joaquin PhoenixC. Mark RuffaloD. Paul Rudd⬇️ Scroll down for the answer.
🦟 Healthier babies: The first malaria drug for newborns and young infants is expected to be approved in Africa within weeks. Ghana has agreed to use it, and eight more African countries could follow suit within 90 days. Malaria is a potentially deadly disease spread by mosquitoes.
👋 We'll see you tomorrow.🧠 Quiz answer: B. Joaquin Phoenix's appearance went so badly that some wondered if he was having a breakdown. The actor called it 'one of the worst nights of my life.'📧 Check out all of CNN's newsletters.
Today's edition of 5 Things PM was edited and produced by CNN's Kimberly Richardson and Chris Good.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Hong Kong created an oyster reef on a seawall beside an airport. Canada could learn from it
Oyster farming has been happening in Hong Kong for hundreds of years. Traditional farming practices, namely harvesting oysters and then putting back hard substrate including shells into the water for oysters to grow on, are one of the reasons oyster populations haven't disappeared completely from the wild. Now the farms are contributing key knowledge and providing the oysters themselves for restoring natural oyster reefs. An estimated 85 per cent of the world's oyster reefs have been lost. And the remaining oyster beds in Hong Kong are not recognized by the government as ecologically important, and therefore, not granted protection. But recent restoration projects are trying to change that, according to Marine Thomas, associate director of conservation for the Nature Conservancy Hong Kong. Thomas explained that oyster reef restoration is about restoring wild habitats — similar to restoring coral reefs — rather than restoring oyster reefs for consumption. One reef restoration project in Hong Kong is taking advantage of an unlikely site: off the seawall of Hong Kong International Airport. It used live oysters grown in labs and from local oyster farms to seed the reef. Thomas says it's the first of its kind in the region in trying to establish living reefs along its seawall. Thomas says oyster reefs can be developed along other seawalls of reclaimed land (this is very common in Hong Kong), if these areas had native oyster reefs before and suitable ecological conditions, which would be applicable to many areas of the Pearl River Delta. This approach has the potential to be replicated in Canada, too, depending on the location and type of seawall, according to Ramón Filgueira, professor at Dalhousie University's department of marine affairs. But both Hong Kong and Canada lag behind efforts in the United States, where there is growing awareness of the benefits oyster reefs provide such as increasing fish numbers, regulating water quality and providing coastal protection against erosion from storms. Not just for shucking More than a thousand years ago, when Hong Kong was just a collection of small fishing villages, thousands of tonnes per year of oysters were dredged up and whole oyster shells were used in the construction of buildings across the Guangdong region. When shells are burned they turn into lime, the raw material used to make cement. It was this industry, which boomed in the 19th century, that saw almost all wild oyster reefs removed. While people mostly associate oysters with food, they also fulfil several other functions. Oyster reefs regulate water quality by filtering particles, increase fish populations by providing nursery grounds and the reefs create natural coastal protection against storms and erosion, problems that are set to intensify as a result from climate change. The United States is leading the way when it comes to oyster reef restoration and enhancement, according to Filgueira, who said there was also a lack of awareness by decision-makers and communities in Canada of the benefits of oyster reefs. He pointed to the flagship Billion Oyster project in New York, an ambitious rewilding initiative that has planted 150 million larvae in its harbour to improve water quality and to protect shorelines. While man-made sea walls are being built in Nova Scotia, Filgueira says he believes oyster reefs would be a long term, sustainable complement to those structures that the local community might not be aware of. "If you look at projects and investment in the U.S., you cannot compare it with the Canadian investment. It's peanuts." Case in point: In Harris Creek, in Maryland, an oyster reef restoration project cost $29 million US, which is part of a wider project in Chesapeake Bay. Within three years, it was getting more than that back in increased fisheries production — everything from fish to crabs to prawns to other shellfish — which in turn benefits the local fishing community, according to Bayden Russell, associate director of ecology and biodiversity at the University of Hong Kong. "They're getting over 100 per cent return per year," he said. "It's renewable, every year." Unlikely oyster reef One bright spot in Hong Kong is a project in the waters near Hong Kong International Airport. The airport is almost entirely built on reclaimed land, in an area that was once a thriving oyster habitat, according to Thomas. But it was a heavily degraded and challenging environment, she adds. Due to it being a restricted area, it was de facto protected and gave permission for the restoration of an oyster reef. Last year, recycled concrete was put into the ocean along the 500-metre seawall — since restoring oyster reefs requires reintroducing hard substrate into the ocean for the oysters to latch onto. It was then seeded with native oysters and recycled shells, provided by oyster farmers, as well as larvae grown in the laboratory at the University of Hong Kong. Teams have been monitoring the new reef to see if the plan to boost oyster populations along the runway is working. Challenges remain, and Thomas will continue to monitor the reef over the next year, but if all goes to plan, a thriving new reef will emerge. Russell says that the airport project was exciting because it was a "demonstration that we can actually do this at scale," noting that there used to be at least 750 kilometres of coastline along southern China's Pearl River Delta that had oyster reefs Oyster reefs belong there: researcher Beyond that, the notion that oyster reefs can exist in Hong Kong needed to be replanted in people's minds, according to Daniel Pauly, principal investigator of the Sea Around Us project at the University of British Columbia. "People have to realize that the default setting for a coastline like Hong Kong is to have an oyster reef, and thus rebuilding an oyster reef would be not introducing something new, but rebuilding something that was there before. That belongs there," he said. Hong Kong is in the process of updating its Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan, which will outline the priorities for the next decade. Thomas is advocating for the government to do more to protect the city's coastal marine ecosystems, and expand its marine protected areas to include vulnerable biodiversity hotspots. "Hong Kong may be a very urbanized area, but it's extremely biodiverse. It is just 0.03 per cent of Chinese waters, and yet, 25 per cent of all marine species recorded [in China] are found in Hong Kong," she said. Around five per cent of waters are designated as marine parks or marine reserves, which are protected areas under the city's law managed by the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department. She wants to bring this up to at least 10 per cent, which is still below the global target of 30 per cent.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Woman Accuses Roommate of 'Showing Off' After Talking to Guest About Her Family's Culture
She was just sharing her background when a guest asked about her cooking, but now her roommate thinks she crossed a lineNEED TO KNOW A woman explains her multicultural background to a guest who asks about her cooking Her roommate later accuses her of flirting and being "showy" in her own kitchen The woman says she just answered his questions and now faces awkward tension at homeA woman got into a tense confrontation with her roommate over a seemingly innocent conversation about her culture. The 21-year-old, who describes herself as half Mexican and half Chinese, was left questioning whether she crossed a line after speaking about her heritage with a guest in their shared apartment. 'My parents came to the US before I was born, but thought it was very important for me to learn their native languages and participate in both of their cultures," she explains in her Reddit post. As a result, she grew up fluent in both Spanish and Mandarin and surrounded by a rich blend of Chinese and Mexican cuisine due to their love of cooking. The conflict unfolded one evening when she was cooking dinner, specifically, a family-created "fusion" dish, at home. 'I got stuck on a particular step, so I called my mom to ask for help and we talked in Spanish,' she writes, adding that her 23-year-old roommate, Ann, unexpectedly returned home with friends. One of the male guests entered the kitchen after noticing the aroma and asked what she was making. 'I explained the dish was created by my parents to blend Mexican and Chinese cuisine,' she recalls, noting that the guest seemed genuinely interested in the cultural fusion. He then asked why she was speaking Spanish on the phone, prompting her to share a bit about her upbringing. 'I told him that I'm half Mexican and half Chinese, and that I grew up speaking both Spanish and Mandarin with my parents,' she writes. The conversation continued with more questions about food and language, which she answered enthusiastically. The next day, the situation took a turn when another roommate told her that Ann felt she was 'showing off and flirting' with the guest. 'This pissed me off because I wasn't trying to flirt with him and he was the one who started the conversation with me,' she says. Wanting to clear the air, she approached Ann to discuss what happened, but the talk didn't go well. 'She just seemed annoyed and told me that it was obvious how it looked and I should be more mindful when she has her friends over,' the woman writes. Caught off guard by the accusation, she pointed out that she hadn't even been informed that guests were coming over. 'I told her that I can't be 'mindful' if she doesn't even warn me about having company over,' she says, adding, 'She said that she doesn't have to get my permission to invite people to the apartment.' At this point, the poster admits she got frustrated and decided to drop the conversation. 'I was getting irritated by this point so I let the conversation die down after this,' she shares. Since then, the atmosphere at home has been noticeably strained. 'Every time I see her she's short with me and barely acknowledges me,' she explains. With tension lingering, she turns to Reddit to ask if she "behaved out of line." Responses from Reddit users flooded in, offering strong support. One commenter emphasizes, 'This doesn't have anything at all to do with your heritage. This has to do with somebody she's obviously interested in was talking to you.' Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Another backed her up by addressing the apartment dynamic. ''She said that she doesn't have to get my permission to invite people to the apartment.' She's right. And you don't need permission to talk to people in your apartment.' Though the original post centers on cultural identity and a casual kitchen conversation, it became clear that jealousy may be at the heart of the issue. Still, the poster insists she had no hidden motives. Her only intention, she explains, was to cook dinner and share a meaningful part of her life when asked, expressing both pride in her heritage and confusion over the backlash. For the poster, the ordeal remains unresolved, but she ends on a lighter note by sharing, 'I posted the recipe to what I made on my profile since many of you were curious!' Read the original article on People Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Woman's Mother-in-Law Moves in During Her Pregnancy, Says She Is 'Not Making My Pregnancy Pleasant'
Now, she's worried she made the wrong decision by agreeing to allow the woman to live with her and her husbandNEED TO KNOW A woman who will soon give birth says she was initially excited for the extra help when her mother-in-law moved in — but now, her husband's mom is making life awful In a post on Reddit, she details how the woman is being overbearing throughout her pregnancy Now, she's worried she made the wrong decision by agreeing to allow the woman to live with her and her husbandA woman who will soon give birth says she was initially excited for the extra help when her mother-in-law moved in — but now, her husband's mom is making life awful. In a post shared to Reddit, the woman details how she had only met her mother-in-law five times before the woman moved in, due to her living in China. From her post: "I have become advanced in spoken Chinese and I have spent years studying both the language and the culture. I am pregnant and will be giving my son a Chinese middle name and raising him in the culture. My MIL will be watching him when I go back to work. In return she lives with us and we cover all of her expenses." But the experience is not going as planned, with the woman noting that her mother-in-law is "not making my pregnancy pleasant." Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. "She is constantly giving me comments about how I shouldn't be drinking cold water or eating cold food because I will kill my baby," she writes. "She thinks he will die if I am too happy, or too anything. I have gently told her that constant feedback of this type makes me anxious but it has not stopped. I am triggered by it as I have had a prior miscarriage and she knows it." She continues: "I do my best speaking Chinese with her, but she often enters the room and interrupts a conversation my husband and I are having to speak to him in a dialect I don't speak. I know she's talking about me because I recognize my name in this dialect." She adds that her mother-in-law invites herself on her dates with her husband, and the two are now struggling to have alone time. "My husband doesn't want to be the middle guy, which I respect, but I do wish he would stand up for me or set boundaries," she adds. She continues: "I am [empathetic] to her situation, I truly am, and I feel terrible that I'm so upset. But I am grieving the pregnancy I wanted to have. This is very bad for my mental health and for my marriage. I don't know what to do. It feels like nothing I want matters." Other Reddit users are urging the woman to stand up for herself, with one writing: "I suggest you let yourself be the bad guy. Step into your own power. Do not be polite when she makes weird comments. Tell her that you would prefer to go on your date alone. You will feel a lot better once you stand up for yourself - better even than if your husband did it (which he should do anyways..)." Read the original article on People
