TOKYO — A 65-year-old American tourist was arrested for allegedly etching letters onto a traditional wooden gate at a Tokyo shrine, police said Thursday, the latest example of bad behavior by visitors flooding back to Japan post-pandemic. The traveller reportedly used his fingernails to scratch one of the gate’s pillars as a prank at Meiji Jingu, one of the capital’s most famous shrines. A police spokeswoman told AFP the man was arrested Wednesday “on suspicion of damaging property” at the shrine complex in the city center. READ: 100-year-old ginkgo trees could get the axe under disputed plan for Tokyo’s Jingu […]...

Keep on reading: US tourist arrested for defacing Tokyo shrine

When you look at the tallest buildings, you're not just gazing at steel and glass; you're witness to a place's aspirations for greatness. These record-breaking skyscrapers reshape urban space, optimize office space and serve as iconic landmarks.

Bluesky may still be the underdog in the race for alternatives to X, but the once Twitter-affiliated service is gaining momentum. The app just passed the 15 million user mark after adding more than a million new users over the last week, the company said in an update.

While Bluesky is still considerably smaller than Threads, which with 275 million users is its biggest rival, there are signs that Threads users have been increasingly curious about the upstart. “Bluesky” has been a trending topic on Threads in recent days and an in-app search suggestion shows there are more than 19,000 posts about “Bluesky.” Bluesky itself has also made a push to win over Threads users in recent weeks by posting regularly on the Meta-owned service.

That effort seems to be working. A month ago, Engadget noted, the service had just under 9 million users. Its mobile app also has the top spot in Apple’s App Store, followed by Threads and ChatGPT. Its recent success also seems to be driven, at least in part, by frustration with Elon Musk and X following the US presidential election.

A recent report from web analytics company SimilarWeb found that “more than 115,000 US web visitors deactivated their accounts,” on November 7, “more than on any previous day of Elon Musk’s tenure.” The report also noted that “web traffic and daily active users for Bluesky increased dramatically in the week before the election, and then again after election day,” with Bluesky at points seeing more web traffic than Threads. (Threads’ mobile usage, however, is still “far ahead” of Bluesky.)

“In the US, Bluesky got more web visits than Threads in the immediate aftermath of the election,” the report notes. “For context, it’s important to note that both services are app centric, even though they support a web user interface.”

On its part, Bluesky seems intent on distinguishing itself from its larger, billionaire-controlled rivals. The company, which began as an internal project at Twitter before it spun off into an independent entity, has experimented with novel features like custom feeds, user-created moderation services and “starter packs” for new users.

“You're probably used to being trapped in a single algorithm controlled by a small group of people, that's no longer the case,” Bluesky’s COO Rose Wang shared in a video aimed at new users Tuesday. “On Bluesky, there are about 50,000 different feeds … these feeds provide a cozy corner for you to meet people with similar interests. And you can actually make friends again, because you're no longer tied to a dominant algorithm that promotes either the most polarizing posts and or the biggest brands, and that's the mandate of Bluesky.”

Social media platform Bluesky, a major competitor to Elon Musk’s X, has gained more than 1.25 million users since last week's U.S. presidential election. Bluesky posted Wednesday morning it had reached more than 15 million users, up from nine million in September.

Andy Farrell welcomes the pressure last week's All Blacks loss has put on Ireland and admits some players are "lucky enough" to be given an immediate shot at redemption against Argentina.

The TRP ratings of the Bigg Boss 18 Weekend Ka Vaar hosted by Rohit Shetty and Ekta Kapoor have been through the roof, much higher than that of Salman Khan.

Vicky was last seen in Bad Newz. He will now be seen in Chhava. The film, another Dinesh Vijan production, will see Vicky play the role of Chhatrapati Sambhaji. He will then be seen in Love and War alongside Ranbir Kapoor.

Bluesky has been seeing noticeable growth since the election, though its user numbers are nowhere close to Meta's X competitor, Threads.

Russia's state Investigative Committee said in a statement that an improvised explosive device had detonated in an act of terrorism, killing a serviceman whom it did not identify

Bluesky said hello to the one million people that joined the platform in the past week, while Threads crossed 275 million monthly active users earlier in November

ROCKY MOUNTAIN GOLD LIMITED EDITION PRINT by Scott Kennedy is a(n) Limited Edition. The Edition is Limited to Limited to 550 pcs

Hadlari, T; Millar, R A; Lane, L S. Geological Survey of Canada, Open File 8740, 2020, 4 pages, https://doi.org/10.4095/326948
<a href="https://geoscan.nrcan.gc.ca/images/geoscan/gid_326948.jpg"><img src="https://geoscan.nrcan.gc.ca/images/geoscan/gid_326948.jpg" title="Geological Survey of Canada, Open File 8740, 2020, 4 pages, https://doi.org/10.4095/326948" height="150" border="1" /></a>

Skyports Drone Services (Skyports) and Royal Mail have celebrated the one-year anniversary of their pioneering drone delivery service in Orkney by announcing it has been extended until at least February 2026.

Gabriella Arnold competed in the Kentucky Open Road Racing series in Ewing, Kentucky. The course was a challenging 39.7 mile course with an elevation of 3,881 feet. ompeting in the women’s pro division, Arnold finished 8th with a time of 2:07.24. Related Stories Cyclists Head To Guyana For Championships National Criterium Championships Results Arnold And […]

Gabriella Arnold competed in the Kentucky Open Road racing series 3rd race in Ewing, Kentucky. Arnold, competing in the women’s pro race finished 8th crossing the line in a time of 2:07:24. Related Stories Cyclists Head To Guyana For Championships National Criterium Championships Results Arnold And Narraway Compete In Brazil White & Narraway Continue In […]

Gabriella Arnold recently competed in the first-ever Country Boy Crit, an event which featured multiple races for pros, and amateurs at Lanes Run Business Park near Country Boy Brewing, in Kentucky. Arnold competed in the women’s pro race representing LA Sweat finished 12th. Related Stories Cyclists Head To Guyana For Championships National Criterium Championships Results […]

We have probably all seen a soybean plant, about 1 meter high with leaves and pods compactly arranged on a main stem with a few short side branches. The wild relative of the domesticated soybean is a long vine with pods widely distributed on many side branches. Plant breeding by farmers thousands of years ago is to thank for this dramatic change.

Ride of the Valkyrie, новое видео VALKYRIE’S FIRE, доступно для просмотра ниже. Этот трек взят из нового ЕР Ascension, релиз которого состоялся восьмого ноября на Eclipse Records.
#Valkyrie’s_Fire #Valkyrie’sFire
Видео: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRLqgd7s6cg

1. ‘That’s a bad move, Ricky’: Ponting move Aussie icon couldn’t believe as Kohli fear laid bare  Fox Sports
2. 'I'm not surprised it was him': Ricky Ponting hits back at 'prickly' Indian coach after bizarre sledge  Nine
3. Indian coach under siege after Ponting slur  Code
4. India coach Gautam Gambhir defends Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, hits out at criticism from Ricky Ponting  ABC News
5. Ponting ‘slur’ sparks fury in Indian camp  news.com.au

1. Former US ambassador accuses Sky News of creating a ‘self-licking ice cream’ to attack Kevin Rudd  The Conversation
2. Ditching Rudd over Trump insults would be ‘worst possible signal’: Turnbull  Sydney Morning Herald
3. Senior Liberal calls for Rudd to be sacked after Trump advisor suggests US ambassador is on thin ice  9News

1. Airlines cancel Bali flights after volcano spews ash miles into the sky  Al Jazeera English
2. More Bali flight cancellations with experts warning travel disruptions from volcanic ash cloud may continue  9News
3. Volcanic eruption grounds Bali flights, leaving travellers stranded  Sydney Morning Herald
4. Update on Indonesia operations due to volcanic ash  Virgin Australia Newsroom
5. Travellers stranded after flights cancelled due to volcanic eruption  The Age

The BCCI recently informed the ICC of the Indian government's decision to not send team to Pakistan, thus proposing a hybrid model for India's matches.