Latest news with #The Times
New York Times
13 hours ago
- Science
- New York Times
Watch Twin Meteor Showers Reach Their Simultaneous Peak in Summer Skies
Our universe might be chock-full of cosmic wonder, but you can observe only a fraction of astronomical phenomena with your naked eye. Meteor showers, natural fireworks that streak brightly across the night sky, are one of them. The latest observable meteor showers travel in tandem. One, the Southern Delta Aquarids, has been active since July 18. The other, the Alpha Capricornids, got going on July 12. Both will reach their peak on Tuesday night into Wednesday morning, or July 29-30. Each shower peters out around Aug. 12. The Southern Delta Aquarids, best seen in the Southern Hemisphere in the constellation Aquarius, while the Alpha Capricornids are visible from both hemispheres in Capricorn. With the moon around 27 percent full, viewing opportunities could be favorable. But the Southern Delta Aquarids, sometimes spelled Aquariids, tend to be faint, and the Alpha Capricornids rarely create more than five meteors an hour. A third meteor shower, the Perseids is also active. It is arguably the best sky show of the summer but doesn't achieve peak activity until Aug. 12-13. To get a hint at when to watch, you can use a meter that relies on data from the Global Meteor Network showing when real-time fireball activity levels increase in the coming days. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Russia Today
a day ago
- Business
- Russia Today
UK leads Europe in mobile phone pickpocketing
Nearly two in five phone theft claims across Europe originate in the UK, according to data compiled by the US insurer SquareTrade, as cited by The Times on Friday. London alone reportedly accounts for nearly half of all pickpocketing incidents involving mobile phones in the country. The research, based on claims across SquareTrade's twelve European markets, found that 39% of all mobile phone thefts occurred in the UK, despite British customers representing only 10% of the company's client base. According to the report, mobile phone theft claims in Britain have soared by 425% since June 2021, with 42% of these taking place in London. That figure represents 16% of all phone thefts across the region, while Birmingham recorded the second-highest number of reported incidents. The data also revealed that phone thefts in the UK spike during the summer months and around Christmas, aligning with travel, festivals, and seasonal shopping activity. These findings are supported by official data from the Crime Survey for England and Wales, which reported a 50% increase in 'theft from the person' in the year ending December 2024 — amounting to 483,000 incidents. Mobile phones were the most commonly stolen item in these crimes. Separate research by Compare the Market, released earlier this year, showed that over 70,000 phones were stolen in London in 2024, equivalent to 1,349 per week. If replaced with the latest models, the cost to Londoners could reach £70 million. According to the Metropolitan Police, nearly 40% of all phone thefts in London occur in Westminster and the West End. The Met estimates that mobile phone theft has become a £50 million per year industry for criminal gangs. The sharp rise in thefts comes amid ongoing economic pressures and deteriorating living standards in the UK. Earlier this year, the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR) noted that Britain is neither a high-wage nor a high-welfare country, leaving millions 'trapped between low wages and inadequate support.' In addition, Britain has long struggled with illegal migration, with officials linking some rises in theft and gang activity to undocumented individuals operating via criminal networks.
Russia Today
2 days ago
- Business
- Russia Today
Britain leads Europe in mobile phone pickpocketing
Nearly two in five phone theft claims across Europe originate in the UK, according to data compiled by the US insurer SquareTrade, as cited by The Times on Friday. London alone reportedly accounts for nearly half of all pickpocketing incidents involving mobile phones in the country. The research, based on claims across SquareTrade's twelve European markets, found that 39% of all mobile phone thefts occurred in the UK, despite British customers representing only 10% of the company's client base. According to the report, mobile phone theft claims in Britain have soared by 425% since June 2021, with 42% of these taking place in London. That figure represents 16% of all phone thefts across the region, while Birmingham recorded the second-highest number of reported incidents. The data also revealed that phone thefts in the UK spike during the summer months and around Christmas, aligning with travel, festivals, and seasonal shopping activity. These findings are supported by official data from the Crime Survey for England and Wales, which reported a 50% increase in 'theft from the person' in the year ending December 2024 — amounting to 483,000 incidents. Mobile phones were the most commonly stolen item in these crimes. Separate research by Compare the Market, released earlier this year, showed that over 70,000 phones were stolen in London in 2024, equivalent to 1,349 per week. If replaced with the latest models, the cost to Londoners could reach £70 million. According to the Metropolitan Police, nearly 40% of all phone thefts in London occur in Westminster and the West End. The Met estimates that mobile phone theft has become a £50 million per year industry for criminal gangs. The sharp rise in thefts comes amid ongoing economic pressures and deteriorating living standards in the UK. Earlier this year, the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR) noted that Britain is neither a high-wage nor a high-welfare country, leaving millions 'trapped between low wages and inadequate support.' In addition, Britain has long struggled with illegal migration, with officials linking some rises in theft and gang activity to undocumented individuals operating via criminal networks.
Yahoo
20-07-2025
- Yahoo
Cornwall spot with 'handful of whitewashed cottages' among UK's best mini-breaks
A tiny Cornwall village with a "handful of whitewashed cottages" has been named among the UK's prettiest spots for a mini-break. Portloe was featured in the list from The Times, which was looking at the villages with special appeal for a short stay. The publication shared: "Whether your ideal village is veering towards a hamlet or one with a rom-com-worthy collection of trendy shops, we've got you covered in this list of the UK's 25 prettiest — all with a gorgeous place to stay." The full list of the UK's 25 prettiest mini-breaks can be found on The Times website here. Why is Portloe among the UK's prettiest spots for a mini-break? The beauty of Portloe is definitely a factor that has helped its inclusion on the list, with its landscape and cove being some of the highlights. The Times wrote: "With a handful of whitewashed cottages wedged above a small cove, this tiny village on the Roseland peninsula has plenty of superb optics. "It was once a thriving harbour, and a few boats still drop off crabs and lobsters while foot traffic comes from walkers on the South West Coast Path, which travels through the village. "The Lugger hotel has been part of the Portloe landscape since the 18th century, when it allowed villagers to absorb smuggled goods, especially French brandy. "These days, with 22 rooms and three cottages, it delivers a beautifully curated Cornwall land and seascape." Portloe is considered to be one of the county's prettiest villages, according to the Cornwall Guide, with it being described as "the jewel in the crown of the Roseland peninsula". It adds: "Its steep-sided valleys has meant that it has managed to escape development over the years and many buildings differ little from when they were built." Recommended reading: Remaining residents fight to buy pub in village at risk of being 'hollowed out' Cornwall has two harbours that are among the 'cutest' in the UK Pensioner's mission to solve housing crisis in 'second homes paradise' Portloe dazzled the poet John Betjemen when he visited, as he declared it "one of the least spoiled and most impressive of Cornish fishing villages". As mentioned previously, The Lugger hotel is a well-known aspect of the village alongside The Ship Inn pub just up the road. St Austell Brewery announced earlier this year that they were going to sell the pub, leading local residents to launch a campaign to try and buy it.
New York Times
19-07-2025
- General
- New York Times
Open Season
There's a period before sunrise called civil twilight, when the sun is still below the horizon but it's light enough to start your day. In high summer in New York City, light starts to peek around the edges of the shades at 5 a.m., scratching at the screen like a pet trying to get in: I'm here! Get up! Let's go! It makes for a long day if you get up at this hour — around 15 hours if you're keeping track, as I am, trying to squeeze as much juice out of the season as possible before it's done. A member of the anti-summer contingent recently groused to me that she hates this time of year, because she feels so much pressure to always be doing things, to fill her time with outdoor activities that would be impossible in colder months. She feels guilty saying 'I'm just doing nothing' when asked about her weekend plans. How could she be so wasteful, squandering this brief period of light and warmth? Think of all the picnics and pool parties and breezy strolls she'll regret not having undertaken come February! She's right — in the warmer months, there's a tinge of accusation to our small talk. 'What are you up to this summer?' seems to require a recitation of an action-packed agenda in response. If you have kids, the pressure to keep them properly occupied can set the season up as 'a parenting Rorschach test,' as Hannah Seligson recently wrote in The Times. Someone once suggested to me that there's no question that makes one feel more defensive than, 'Any fun trips coming up?' The socially acceptable definition of fun and the reality of what we actually experience as fun can often be quite different from each other. One person's 'beach barbecue' is another person's 'lying on the couch, reading, kind of dozing all afternoon.' Doing absolutely nothing today might be the most pleasant summer activity you can think of. You do not need to get up with the sun and pack your hours with berry picking and butterfly catching in order to have a dreamy summer day. (I did that only once, and I was so tired by lunch I could barely keep my eyes open.) The true promise of summer, the one we're all entitled to, is that feeling of lightness and openness, of our cares diminishing at least a little bit. Let no well-intentioned but ultimately irksome query about what you did this weekend keep you from doing, or not doing, whatever it takes to achieve this. Trump Administration In a prisoner swap, the Venezuelan government released 10 Americans and U.S. permanent residents in exchange for more than 200 Venezuelans whom the U.S. had sent to El Salvador. The State Department will sharply restrict its criticism of tainted foreign elections, pulling back from the pro-democracy advocacy that the U.S. long offered. At President Trump's request, the Justice Department asked a federal judge to unseal grand jury testimony from the Jeffrey Epstein case. Trump sued Rupert Murdoch and The Wall Street Journal over an article that said Trump had contributed a cryptic note and a drawing as part of a birthday gift for Epstein. Trump, disputing The Journal's report, said, 'I don't draw pictures.' But many of his sketches have sold at auction. Other Big Stories Brazil's Supreme Court ordered Jair Bolsonaro, the former president, to wear an ankle monitor. Bolsonaro, who is charged with attempting a coup, has lobbied Trump for help. Heavy monsoon rains in Pakistan have killed at least 57 people in recent days. The leaders of Britain, France and Germany are working together to build diplomatic and defense institutions that free them from their reliance on the U.S. An explosion at a law enforcement training center in Los Angeles killed three sheriff's deputies. A state official said it appeared to be an accident. Colbert Cancellation CBS said it canceled Stephen Colbert's late-night talk show for financial reasons. People familiar with the show's finances told The Times that it was losing of tens of millions of dollars a year. But Democratic lawmakers raised questions about the cancellation, which came just days after Colbert criticized CBS's parent company for paying Trump millions to settle a lawsuit. 'Do I think this is a coincidence? NO,' Senator Bernie Sanders said. The saga evokes a term Colbert coined many years ago, our TV critic writes: 'truthiness,' or a statement that is not actually true but represents a reality the speaker wishes to inhabit. Ari Aster Ari Aster has made some of this century's most unsettling films — like 'Hereditary' and 'Midsommar' — by taking his own anxiety and putting it onscreen. Read a profile of the director. Aster's new movie is 'Eddington,' a Western set in the early days of the Covid pandemic. Our critic gives it a good review, writing that the film 'sets us not-so-gently adrift on a sea of very recent memories and the nausea they re-prompt.' In the mood for horror after all this Aster talk? Here are five movies you can stream now. Drake's Comeback Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
