Russia is on the verge of going into recession, economy minister says
Russian Economy Minister Maxim Reshetnikov said on Thursday that the Russian economy was on the verge of slipping into recession.
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New Paper
4 minutes ago
- New Paper
Lazzat seals 1st victory for France in QEII Jubilee
ASCOT Lazzat gave France their first winner in the £1 million (S$1.73 million) Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes (1,200m) on the final day of the five-day Royal Ascot event on June 21, denying Japan their maiden win at Royal Ascot as the gallant Satono Reve finished second. Lazzat's victory rounded off a superb week for the Emir of Qatar's Wathnan Racing, after Humidity ($29) - who emulated his full brother Holloway Boy in 2022 - also landed the Listed Chesham Stakes (1,400m) in the opener. Haatem, French Master and Crimson Advocate saluted earlier in the week, taking Wathnan Racing's win tally to five at the royal meeting. Lazzat ($28), a four-year-old son of Territories, was France's last hope of salvaging something from the week. Two other French raiders fared badly: Sajir was withdrawn while Topgear lost two of his racing plates and ran last. The winner was still in feisty form post winning as he shied away from someone coming to him with a blanket like a matador and dumped jockey James Doyle on the turf. Doyle dusted himself down as his 26th Royal Ascot winner disappeared into the distance. "I cannot take any credit at all," he said modestly. "(Trainer) Jerome (Reynier) was very confident. I could tell Satono Reve was coming all right but you won't get a more genuine horse than this." The Wathnan Racing's stable jockey also won on Humidity, as well as Haatem and French Master on the first day. A Group 1 winner in Japan, Satono Reve lost little in defeat under Joao Moreira and did better than the previous 10 Japanese runners at the meeting, all of whom had finished outside the first three. "We came in with a lot of confidence but unfortunately bumped into a very good horse. I thought I had him (Lazzat) but he had another gear. My horse ran really well," said Moreira. Owned by the almighty Godolphin, two-time Grade 1 Breeder's Cup Turf (2,400m) winner Rebel's Romance ($10) endeared himself further when he won the Group 2 Hardwicke Stakes (2,400m) on June 21. Trainer Charlie Appleby's last runner of the week delivered his first win at Royal Ascot since Naval Crown landed the Group 1 Platinum Jubilee Stakes (1,200m) in 2022. "It is a huge honour to have a horse like this," said the UK handler. "This was the horse we needed with the last roll of the dice, he is a battler. "He is more than our iron horse; he has kept the yard afloat this week. He is our stable's favourite and always will be." Appleby, who began the season with a bang by winning both the English 1000 and 2000 Guineas, shrugged off the ending of the losing run. "Of course it is not a matter of life and death," said Appleby, who has taken his tally to 16 Royal Ascot winners. "If you look at the bigger picture and beyond racing, you have got to take the losses and take positives out of it. It is the equine Olympics." Jockey William Buick has had a far better week than Appleby after landing three wins, including the Group 1 Ascot Gold Cup (4,000m) with Trawlerman for Godolphin. "He is a dream horse. Any jockey fortunate to have in his career a horse like this is blessed," said the 36-year-old Norway-born jockey. Following the conclusion of the five-day royal meeting, the Irish-based Coolmore parnerships took the leading owner award for a third consecutive year - their sixth title overall - with five wins, three seconds and four thirds, edging out Wathnan Racing, who secured five wins and had six thirds. The father-and-son training partnership John and Thady Gosden enjoyed five wins overall, but they took the leading trainer award only on the final day after Spy Chief ran second in the Group 3 Jersey Stakes (1,400m), giving the British co-trainers their fourth runner-up finish. Irish trainer Aidan O'Brien had to settle for second with five wins and three seconds. Top jockey Ryan Moore ruled the roost in the jockeys' arena after he won the leading jockey award for a 12th time with seven wins. AFP
Daily Mail
4 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Ancient 'lost city' found at bottom of the Atlantic Ocean holds clue to origins of life
Deep in the Atlantic Ocean, scientists have discovered a haunting undersea world that may hold the blueprint for how life began on Earth. This vast field of mineral towers, called the Lost City, is the oldest known hydrothermal system in the ocean. Scientists believe its extreme conditions mirror the early Earth, offering clues to how the first life forms might have emerged. The Lost City Hydrothermal Field lie more than 2,300 feet beneath the surface, on the slopes of an underwater mountain in the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. The Mid-Atlantic Ridge is a massive underwater mountain range that runs through the Atlantic Ocean. It marks the boundary between tectonic plates and is a hotspot for geological activity. Researchers estimate the Lost City has existed for over 120,000 years, making it the longest-living hydrothermal vent field ever discovered. In a recent breakthrough, scientists successfully recovered a core sample of mantle rock from the site. This rock is the deep Earth source that fuels the vent system. The core sample could help scientists better understand the chemical reactions happening beneath the seafloor, reactions that produce hydrocarbons in the absence of sunlight or oxygen, serving as food for marine life. These same reactions may have played a role in the origin of life on Earth billions of years ago. The Lost City is made up of towering spires of carbonate rock, some nearly 200 feet tall, formed by a unique geological reaction called serpentinization, where seawater interacts with mantle rock deep below the seafloor. These reactions release methane and hydrogen gas, which fuel microbial life that survives without sunlight or oxygen, something rarely seen on Earth. The site is located approximately nine miles west of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge axis, just south of the Azores islands. Its isolated position means it has remained undisturbed by human activity for thousands of years, preserving an ecosystem that offers a window into Earth's earliest conditions. Each hydrothermal vent, nicknamed IMAX, Poseidon, Seeps, and Nature emits warm, alkaline fluids. These create a stable environment for life in one of the most extreme corners of the planet. Now, with renewed global attention, scientists believe the Lost City may help explain how life first formed from non-living matter, an unsolved mystery in biology. The site is located approximately 15 kilometers (about nine miles) west of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge axis, just south of the Azores. Its remote position places it far from human interference. Unlike most hydrothermal systems powered by volcanic heat, the Lost City is powered by chemical energy from the Earth's mantle, giving it a distinct structure and chemistry. Inside its towering chimneys, fluids reach up to 194 Fahrenheit, not boiling, but hot enough to fuel chemicals reactions. These vents produce hydrocarbons, organic compounds made from carbon and hydrogen, which are considered the building blocks of life. The site is special because its hydrocarbons form through deep Earth chemical reactions, not sunlight or photosynthesis. This makes the Lost City a rare second example of how life could begin. Microbes inside these chimneys live in total darkness, with no oxygen, using methane and hydrogen as their only fuel. On the outer surfaces, rare animals like shrimp, snails, sea urchins, and eels cling to the mineral-rich structures. Larger animals are uncommon here likely because the energy supply is limited. Unlike surface ecosystems, there's no sunlight or abundant food chain, only chemical nutrients trickling out of the vents. Microbiologist William Brazelton told Smithsonian Magazine: 'This is an example of a type of ecosystem that could be active on Enceladus or Europa right this second.' These are moons of Saturn and Jupiter, which have oceans beneath icy crusts, raising the hope that similar life could exist beyond Earth. Some spires have grown to 60 meters tall over tens of thousands of years. Scientists say they act like natural laboratories, showing how life might arise in environments without sun, plants, or animals. In 2017, the International Seabed Authority (ISA) gave the Polish government a 15-year exploration license for an area of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, which includes territory surrounding the Lost City. Though Lost City itself lacks valuable minerals, nearby vent fields may contain polymetallic sulfides, a target for future deep-sea mining. That's where the threat comes in. Mining operations near hydrothermal vents can stir up sediment plumes, releasing toxic chemicals or particles that drift through the water column and harm nearby ecosystems, even if the site itself isn't directly touched. The Convention on Biological Diversity has already designated Lost City as an Ecologically or Biologically Significant Marine Area (EBSA), based on its uniqueness, biodiversity, and scientific value. Being listed as an EBSA gives scientists leverage to argue for protective measures, though it carries no binding legal protection. Meanwhile, UNESCO is reviewing the site for World Heritage status, which could offer stronger international backing against mining and disturbance. Scientists argue this is urgently needed. Once disturbed, such systems may never recover, and we could lose a living example of how life began.
Fox News
4 minutes ago
- Fox News
Auburn's Bruce Pearl maintains Trump 'wants peace,' US isn't at war with Iran
Auburn Tigers men's basketball head coach Bruce Pearl fired off a reminder to his followers after President Donald Trump announced the U.S. military had struck three Iranian nuclear sites. Pearl, who is the chairman of U.S. Israel Education Association along with his duties as a college basketball coach, thanked God for protecting U.S. troops as they made the daring flight over Iran to bomb its nuclear facilities and wrote that the U.S. is not at war with Iran. "Thank you God for your protection over our troops. We are not at war with Iran, we are at war with Iran's military nuclear program," Pearl wrote on X. "The President wants peace, now the ball is in the court of the Iranian leadership. Iran's terrorist reach has been diminished but still present." Pearl has been a staunch supporter of Israel, and his voice in his support has grown since Hamas' terror attacks on the nation on Oct. 7, 2023. Earlier in the week, he expressed support for the president as he weighed potential strikes on Iran. "We can go back and talk about 1982 in Lebanon and all those U.S. Marines that were murdered," he said on OutKick's "Don't @ Me with Dan Dakich." "We can talk about Oct. 7, where 45 Americans were killed. And they abducted, you know, six or seven more and executed them before Israel rescued them. "This has been going on since 1979, and it is about to become a safer place, a non-nuclear Iran. And without having the money to be able to do what they have been doing, the world is going to be a safer place." "If the Middle East gets safer and stronger, look at what a dynamic country Israel is. Look at all the unicorns that are there. Look at all the high tech and development. Look at all the wealth. If you began to spread that to some of these other Middle Eastern countries, who are they going to partner with? The United States? Russia? China? It's going to be the U.S., because Donald Trump has led the way to create peace and prosperity for everybody in the region." Trump announced in a post on Truth Social that the U.S. military had "completed our very successful attack" on the Iranian facilities. The U.S. targeted Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan. He wrote that U.S. aircraft had dropped a "full payload of BOMBS" on the nuclear installations. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
