Source: CNN International
Security & Justice
State Action Signals Change in Tackling Longstanding Illegal Land Grabs in Jbeil District
For years, the serene villages of Jbeil's highlands have been far from peaceful. Ghabat, a Maronite village nestled between the predominantly Shiite towns of Afqa and Lassa, has become a focal point of growing tensions due to territorial disputes.
Friday, December 20, 2024
Mawlawi Ensures Strict Monitoring for Wanted Syrian Regime Figures at Beirut Airport
Caretaker Minister of Interior, Bassam Mawlawi, conducted an inspection tour of Rafic Hariri International Airport in Beirut to review the security arrangements and measures implemented by the Airport Security Apparatus ahead of the holiday season.
Thursday, December 19, 2024
Opinion
Lebanon After the Assads
The United States has important equities in Lebanon, including a desire for a generally friendly government’s economic and political stability; security cooperation; long-standing relations with the large Christian community in Lebanon and Lebanese diaspora in the United States; and ultimately peace between Israel and Lebanon within a broader regional settlement. Achieving these objectives will require navigating a tumultuous period in the country’s history following a war between Hezbollah and Israel that has devastated a large part of the country, exacerbating Lebanon’s already challenging economic conditions. But perhaps the most important dynamic will be how a likely Sunni-dominated state of uncertain composition in Syria will differ in its intentions toward Lebanon from the previous Alawite-led minoritarian Assad regime.
Thursday, December 19, 2024
Europe’s Syrian Dilemma
The news of the sudden and unexpected demise of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria has met a mixed response in Europe. The jubilation that a murderous dictator and close ally of Russia and Iran has fallen is not just good for the Syrian people but serves as a morale booster for Eastern Europeans wondering whether Russia can be defeated
Wednesday, December 18, 2024
Sports
Cristiano Ronaldo Unveils New Private Jet Worth $73 Million
Cristiano Ronaldo, one of the richest global athletes, has unveiled his upgraded private jet reportedly worth $73 million. With its top-notch design, exceptional speed and range of 7500 nautical miles, the Gulfstream G650 is among the fastest jets in the world.
Monday, December 16, 2024
Guardiola Accepts Man City May Need to Sign More Players to Cope with Schedule
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola believes he will need a bigger squad to handle soccer’s ever-expanding fixture schedule.
Saturday, December 14, 2024
Thursday 21 April 2022 11:49:16
Small 'Micronova' Explosion Burns through Tons of Material within Hours
Astronomers have discovered a new kind of star explosion called a micronova. Although it may be smaller than the giant supernova explosions that claim the lives of stars, this incendiary event still packs a punch.
Each micronova can burn through "around 3.5 billion Great Pyramids of Giza" of material (or 20,000,000 trillion kilograms) in just a few hours, according to the researchers.
These extremely powerful outbursts can occur on the surface of white dwarfs, or dead stars about as small as our planet, based on observations made by a team of astronomers using the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope in Chile's Atacama Desert.
"We have discovered and identified for the first time what we are calling a micronova," said lead study author Simone Scaringi, an astronomer and assistant professor at Durham University in the United Kingdom, in a statement.
"The phenomenon challenges our understanding of how thermonuclear explosions in stars occur. We thought we knew this, but this discovery proposes a totally new way to achieve them."
A study detailing the findings published Wednesday in the journal Nature.
Strong magnetic fields
White dwarf stars that are found paired with other stars draw hydrogen from their companions, like zombies feeding on their fellow stars. When the gas encounters the piping hot surface of the white dwarf, the hydrogen atoms fuse into helium, triggering an explosion. These events are known as novae.
"Such detonations make the entire surface of the white dwarf burn and shine brightly for several weeks," said study coauthor Nathalie Degenaar, an astronomer and assistant professor at the University of Amsterdam, in a statement.
Micronovae are smaller than typical novae and only last for a few hours.
Micronovae explosions occur on white dwarfs that have strong magnetic fields, which send material toward the star's poles. This trajectory causes the hydrogen fusion reactions to occur in more localized spots at the magnetic poles.
