A robotic dog and a tribute to Colombia's cycling soul: photos of the day
David van Wyk, lead researcher at Bench Marks foundation, is reflected in a stream of contaminated water leaching from a mine dump at Snake Park. In South Africa, 15-20 million people live close to highly toxic substances such as arsenic, lead and the radioactive element uranium Photograph: Emmanuel Croset/AFP/Getty Images
A man rides a rickshaw past fishing boats moored at a port Photograph: Chaideer Mahyuddin/AFP/Getty Images
A French police officer enters the sea in an attempt to prevent migrants and asylum seekers from boarding small boats. Officers used teargas and pepper spray to try to disperse hundreds of people trying to board boats, but were overwhelmed by the numbers. A record 15,000 migrants have left northern France and arrived in the UK this year Photograph:Patients lie in beds in the underground parking of the Sourasky medical centre in Tel Aviv, in readiness for retaliation from Iran after Israel's attack Photograph: Itai Ron/Reuters
A jaguar bares its teeth at the Mata Ciliar association, an organisation for the conservation of biodiversity, in Jundiai. Twenty-five pumas and 10 jaguars are recovering at the Brazilian Center for the Conservation of Neotropical Felines at Mata Ciliar, a site as large as 40 football fields where monkeys, wild dogs, maned wolves, ocelots, and other regional animals are also rehabilitated Photograph: Nelson Almeida/AFP/Getty Images
A performer dressed as the Na Tcha deity, a character in Chinese myths and legends, prepares for the traditional celebratory feast at the temple of Na Tcha Photograph: Eduardo Leal/AFP/Getty Images
A fire officer inspects the site of the Air India flight 171 crash Photograph: Adnan Abidi/Reuters
Destroyed vehicles are pictured outside a building hit by an Israeli strike. It was among 100 targets, including nuclear facilities and military command centres, struck in an attack that killed senior figures in Iran, including the armed forces chief and top nuclear scientists Photograph: Meghdad Madadi/Tasnim News/AFP/Getty Images
People carry buckets of mud on their heads during the re-plastering of the Great Mosque of Djenne. Thousands of Malians converge before dawn for the annual plastering of the iconic mosque, in the world heritage-listed historical town in central Mali. First built in the 13th century before being destroyed, the mosque was completely rebuilt in 1907 and is the largest earthen monument in the world Photograph: Ousmane Makaveli/AFP/Getty Images
Visitors interact with an inflatable art installation at the Euphoria Art Is in the Air exhibition at the Grand Palais d'ete Photograph: Stéphane de Sakutin/AFP/Getty Images
Palestinians flee to the western parts of the Khan Younis after the Israeli army warned that it would launch an offensive against the centre of the city Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images
A worker loads food aid in a cargo plane for delivery in Ulang and Nasir counties in Upper Nile State, which have been ravaged by fighting between militiamen and the army, in an operation run by Fogbow, a US company organising the airdrops with funding from the South Sudanese government Photograph: Thomas Mukoya/Reuters
Members of the art collective Sand in your Eye take part in creating a 40m-diameter sand drawing of Ludwig van Beethoven on Elie Beach, East Neuk, to celebrate the East Neuk festival, which starts at the end of June Photograph: Jane Barlow/PA
A view of the damage to a school attacked by Shahed drones Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images
Kenyan police look on as an assortment of 7,000 illicit firearms and small weapons, recovered during security operations in the Bulbul area of Ngong district, burn Photograph: Thomas Mukoya/Reuters
An installation called The World's Largest Bicycle rises as a tribute to Colombia's cycling soul in the rolling highlands of Tinjaca
Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images
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The Sun
a day ago
- The Sun
Didn't win the £210 Euromillions? Full list of the lottery games with the highest chance of you winning
LAST night, the life of a French lottery player changed forever, after they scooped up an enormous £210 million Euromillions prize. Thousands of Brits have been left devastated to have missed out on the eye-watering sum, but with the chance of winning the top prize standing at 1 in 139 million, the odds definitely aren't in your favour. 1 So, if you are keen to bag yourself a windfall, which lotto has the highest chance of winning? Postcode Lottery Entering the Postcode Lottery is your best bet, with 87% of people winning a prize in 2024. The chance of winning a big prize (Postcode Millions, Millionaire Street or £250,000 prize) is better than one in 250,000 and the chance of winning £1000 are better than 1 in 2000. In July, 18.3% of playing postcodes bagged prizes. To play the Postcode Lottery, you have to pay a £12.25 a month fee, which automatically enters you in to the draw. The winning postcodes are announced every month, and if your postcode wins, you will get a prize. Health Lottery The Health Lottery raises funds for health related causes in the UK, and has just 20,000 weekly players (compared with 100 million Euromillions players). According to the Health Lottery website, the odds of winning any All of Nothing Prize is 1 in 4.5 and the odds of winning the All of Nothing Jackpot is £1.35 million. The odds of winning the Big Win jackpot are 1 in 2.1 million, and the odds of winning any Big Win prize is 1 in 9.7. Tickets start from just £1, and The Health Lottery is drawn five times a week, on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays & Saturdays. Heartwarming moment dad who battled cancer tells son he's won massive jackpot on the EuroMillions Set For Life Set For Life gives players the chance to win £10,000 every month for the next 30 years, and the odds of winning the top prize are 1 in 15.3 million. The odds of winning the second prize (£10,000 every month for a year) is 1 in 1.7 million. And the odds of winning any prize at all is 1 in 12.4. Set For Life tickets costs £1.50 per line, and the draw takes place every Monday and Thursday. How to increase your chances of winning the lottery The odds of picking a winning lottery ticket are pretty slim but there are some ways to improve your chances . Games with small jackpots tend to have better odds, so it's worth taking notice of the difference. For example, EuroMillions is harder to win than UK Lotto. Some lotteries may have bonus numbers or other features which could improve someone's chance of winning. Looking at these additional elements and understanding them can help someone make a more informed decision when choosing their numbers. Each lottery draw is random and balls have the same chance of being drawn. However, there are some balls that statistically have appeared more often than others which could make them seem a better bet. For example, previous research has showed that number 38 was most common, 23 was second most drawn, followed by 31, 11, 45 and 25. There is another easy way of getting more tickets at the same cost and that is by joining a syndicate. Of course, you share the winnings, but the chances of matching the numbers drawn are vastly improved. Thunderball The top prize on Thunderball is £500,000, and you have a one in eight million chance of being the lucky winner. However, the odds of winning any prize at all on Thunderball are just one in 13. Thunderball draws take place five times a week, on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, and you can pick up tickets for as little as £1. National Lottery A lotto ticket costs £2 (up from £1 when the game launched) and sees players select six numbers between one and 59 as well as a bonus ball. Customers have the choice of selecting a lucky dip to determine their pick or choosing their own numbers, with some sticking loyal to the same selection every week. To win the Lotto jackpot players must match the six main numbers in the draw. The odds of winning the Lotto jackpot are currently around 45million to one. However, the odds of winning any prize at all on the National Lottery are one in 54. Euromillions A ticket for the EuroMillions will cost you £2.50, with players selecting five main numbers between one and 50 as well as two lucky stars, between one and 12. The draw is open to players across Europe and has a huge jackpot prize. Accordingly, the odds of winning the EuroMillions, which is drawn every Tuesday and Friday, are much lower than Lotto at one in 139million. However, the chance of winning any prize is just one in 13.
The Independent
2 days ago
- The Independent
Grow fruit trees in small spaces with the trick known as espalier
If you'd love to grow fruit trees but think you don't have the space, think again. You don't need an orchard or even a large backyard to enjoy garden-picked fruit. Instead, use a method perfected by Louis XIV's gardeners back in the 1600s at Versailles, when cold, windy winters, not a lack of space, inspired them to train trees to grow flat against walls. Their goal was to use the masonry as a windbreak and insulator, but the method they called 'espalier' also made excellent use of a tiny footprint. The trees' form maximized their exposure to sunlight, and also enabled the trees to withstand chilly temperatures better than their untrained cousins. Surprisingly, perhaps, they also produced more fruit. Which trees are good for espalier? Most trees with long, flexible branches, such as apple, cherry, fig, peach, pear, plum and quince lend themselves nicely to the espalier method. Even ornamental trees like magnolia, firethorn and witch hazel are good candidates. The name 'espalier' comes from French, indicating something to lean a shoulder against, as the trees lean on their supports. But the 17th century French didn't invent espalier; it is believed to have been practiced in the Middle Ages and even as far back as ancient Egypt. The Versailles gardeners, however, gave the method a name — and fame. How it works Training an espalier tree requires equal parts pruning and patience. You remove undesired branches and coax the remainder to grow sideways by affixing them to walls or fencing with wires or frames until they submit to the process and adapt to the pattern. Trees will send up shape-spoiling shoots that will continually need to be clipped, but the desired branches will take longer to establish. To accelerate growth, apply a dose of high-nitrogen fertilizer (look for a ratio of 12-4-8 or 16-4-8 on the package label) three times per season — in mid spring, early summer and late summer. Don't expect flowers or fruit during this stage, which can take several years. The point of the fertilizer is to force the trees to direct most of their energy on growth, not production. When the tree has achieved the shape and size you desire, switch to a fertilizer specifically formulated for fruit trees and cut down the frequency to just one application per year, in spring, following the dosage recommended on the package. (If growing a non-fruiting tree, seek out a product intended for the species). The method, however, can lead to increased pest and disease problems, as growing a tree pressed against a wall will restrict air flow around it. So be sure to monitor trees closely, and address issues quickly if they arise. All that TLC will pay off with a beautiful, living garden sculpture –- and a great story to tell as you await your juicy harvest. ___ Jessica Damiano writes weekly gardening columns for the AP and publishes the award-winning Weekly Dirt Newsletter. You can sign up here for weekly gardening tips and advice. ___
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Daily Mail
Horrifying moment plane spirals out of control and slams into the sea during final display at air show as rescuers search for veteran pilot
A veteran pilot is missing after losing control of his plane and crashing into the sea in front of horrified spectators during a final display at an air show. Footage filmed by a witness from a nearby beach in Durban, South Africa, captured the moment the ZS-AEC Extra 300 aircraft plummeted out of the sky on August 14. The clip shows the aircraft climbing and then banking before plunging into the waves just metres from the shore during an airshow linked to the Next Generation of Aviation Professionals Global Summit 2025. South African Airlines pilot Andrew Blackwood-Murray, 61, from Johannesburg, who had been participating in the airshow, was performing his final display when the crash occurred. Rescue teams were immediately alerted by beachgoers who saw the plane fall from the sky and into the water below. National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) duty coxswain Lorenzo Taverna-Tunisan confirmed that teams are searching for the wreckage. Municipal lifeguards have also deployed resources to extend the search beyond the breakers. 'The NSRI rescue craft Spirit of Surfski 6 is assisting in ongoing operations and providing a platform for Police and Metro Police divers to conduct scuba searches,' Taverna-Tunisan said. Parts of the wreckage have since been recovered, but the body of the veteran aerobatic pilot has not yet been found. Footage filmed by a witness from a nearby beach in Durban, South Africa, captured the moment the ZS-AEC Extra 300 aircraft plummeted out of the sky on August 14 Authorities have confirmed that the search is now a recovery mission rather than a rescue, and it is widely believed that Blackwood-Murray did not survive the crash. Officials have temporarily closed Battery Beach to the public, urging residents and visitors to avoid the area while recovery operations remain underway. Authorities are, however, appealing to the public and the maritime community to report any findings of debris that may be related to the light aircraft accident along the Durban shoreline or at sea. Civil Aviation Authority spokesperson Sisa Majola confirmed that the crash happened during the aircraft's final display at the beachfront airshow shortly before 2pm. Tributes have poured in for Blackwood-Murray, described as a world-class pilot and a true gentleman within the aviation community. His wife Kyla paid an emotional tribute on Facebook, writing: 'It was the call I have been dreading my whole life. 'But I always said I would rather he go doing the things he loves the most. I just didn't realise he would have left so soon. 'He was my world. We did everything together and we had so many plans. We were going to grow old and be the most awesome geriatrics together. 'He has taken away the biggest piece of my soul and I don't know how I am going to live without my wingman. 'He brought me more joy than I ever imagined possible. He was always there for me helping me become the best version of myself. I am beyond heartbroken.' South African aviation platform, Smoke on Go, said: 'It is with deep sorrow that we bid farewell to a remarkable aviator, Andrew Blackwood-Murray, whose passion for flight and dedication to the aviation community inspired all who knew him. Andrew's love for the skies was more than a profession, it was a calling. His skill at the controls, his unwavering professionalism and his ability to share the joy of aviation with others made him not just a pilot but an ambassador for the wonder of flight. 'Those who saw him perform will never forget the precision, grace and energy he brought to every display. 'Beyond the cockpit, Andrew was a friend, mentor and gentleman. 'His humility matched his talent and his warmth extended to everyone he met – whether on the flight line, in a hangar or among the crowd after a show. 'He embodied the spirit of camaraderie that binds aviators together. 'Andrew left us while doing what he loved most – flying. 'Though his passing leaves a void that can never be filled, his legacy will endure in every takeoff, every display and every young dreamer inspired to look skyward. 'Our deepest condolences go to his wife Kyla and to the rest of his family and friends during this difficult time. 'May you find comfort in the love, respect and admiration Andrew inspired in so many. 'Blue skies and tailwinds Andrew. May you rest in peace and may your spirit forever soar'. The search for the pilot is ongoing.
