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NASA planning to launch an integrated Lunar Gateway in 2023

NASA has already assessed the viability of the Falcon Heavy for the task.





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The imaginary American town that became a tourist attraction

Map-makers insert fake towns or trap-streets to catch out plagiarists, but Agloe, in New York state, took on a strange life of its own

In 2008, Argleton village in west Lancashire appeared on Google, complete with weather reports, a job site and an estate agent advertising houses for sale. Argleton vanished two years later. While its site was – and still is – a damp field in the middle of nowhere, it’s worth noting that Argleton is an anagram of G Not Real. Although Google never admitted to having created it, Argleton was a phantom settlement, planted as a trap.

In the world of digital mapping and cartography, snares to catch unwary plagiarists take the form of fake roads or places, known as “trap streets” or “paper towns”. For some, such as Lye Close or Noereal Road, the clue is in the name. (A real alleyway in Cardiff that served as a trap street in the 2014 Dr Who episode Face the Raven may, conversely, be the world’s only fictional fictional street.)

Continue reading...



  • Maps
  • United States holidays
  • North and Central America holidays
  • Travel

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NASA puts Blue Origin, Dynetics and SpaceX on the list for lunar lander development program

NASA has selected teams led by Blue Origin, Dynetics and SpaceX to develop lunar landing systems capable of putting astronauts on the moon by as early as 2024. "We want to be able to go to the moon, but we want to be a customer," NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine told reporters today during a teleconference. "We want to drive down the costs, we want to increase the access, we want to have our partners have customers that are not just us, so they compete on cost and innovation, and just bring capabilities that we've never had before." Fixed-price contracts totaling… Read More





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US says Russia working with Syria to send mercenaries to Libyan war

The US believes Russia is working with Syrian President, Bashar al-Assad, to send militia fighters and equipment to Libya, according to senior officials. Speaking to reporters on Thursday, US special envoy for Syria, Jim Jeffrey, said Libya’s increasingly shadowy battlefield could get even more complicated. “We know that, certainly, the Russians are working with Assad to transfer militia fighters, possibly third country, possibly Syrian, to Libya, as well as equipment,” he said. His comments came a day after a leaked UN report confirmed the presence of Russian and Syrian mercenaries operating in Libya in support of renegade military commander, Khalifa Haftar. The report revealed that Russian private military contractor, Wagner Group, has up to 1,200 mercenaries operating in Libya in support of General Haftar’s forces, which are already backed by the UAE, Russia and Egypt. The report, seen by Reuters, is one of the first indications of the scale of Wagner’s military operation in Libya’s messy battlefield, as well as the first time the UN has confirmed the presence of the shadowy Russian mercenaries. Since 2014, the oil-rich North African country has been split between areas controlled by the internationally recognised Government of National Accord in Tripoli and the northwest, and territory held by Gen Haftar’s eastern-based forces in Benghazi. For almost six years Gen Haftar’s forces have been at war with a coalition of militias from the west of the country who support the government in Tripoli. Turkey is the only military backer of the Tripoli government that is currently trying to stave off Haftar’s year-long offensive on the capital. The UAE and Egypt have long strengthened Haftar’s forces with military equipment, including aircraft and helicopters, while Moscow provided private contractor forces. As the conflict has drawn on and involvement has increasingly become the stage for a struggle for power in the region, diplomats say both Turkey and the UAE have deployed drones and the use of mercenaries has increased, now seemingly including forces from Russia and Syria. Libya has been mired in chaos since a 2011 NATO intervention helped topple Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, and its battlefields increasingly populated with foreign fighters in a shadow-war. Russian mercenaries were first reported fighting alongside General Haftar’s forces in Libya in 2018. Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, however, insisted that those mercenaries do not represent the Russian government. Yet when General Haftar visited Moscow in 2018, Yevgeny Prigozhin, a businessman with long-standing ties to Mr Putin and suspected owner of Wagner, was seen in the footage of the meeting, sitting near the Russian defence minister. Russia, which also backs Assad’s government in Syria, has maintained a delicate balancing act in Libya, forging ties with both the UN-recognised government and with the rebel commander. But Moscow’s patience with General Haftar began to run out earlier this year when he and his entourage in January abruptly left the much-anticipated cease-fire talks in Moscow mediated by Russia and Turkey without signing the deal. Henry Wooster, deputy assistant secretary at State Department’s Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs also expressed increasing concern over the ties between the Libyan commander and Syria’s president, who are both bitter enemies of Turkey and fighting Turkish-backed militant groups on their soil. “Haftar’s establishment of so-called diplomatic relations with the Assad regime...is very much a part of the piece of the question of Syrian mercenaries, at least on his side of the equation,” he said. While the leaked report also confirmed the presence of Syrian mercenaries in Libya fighting alongside Haftar’s forces, Pro-Turkish Syrians are also known to be fighting with the Tripoli government, against General Haftar.





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LockBit, the new ransomware for hire: A sad and cautionary tale

You've probably never heard of LockBit, but that's likely to change.




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Narendra Modi has his eyes set on boosting business: Joao Cravinho, EU Ambassador

Ambassador Joao Cravinho, head of the EU delegation, led Ambassadors of various European countries to a quiet lunch with Modi at the capital last year.




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Canada undoubtedly in 'recessionary time,' federal finance minister says

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau described Canada’s current economic situation as a recession on Friday, and that should come as no surprise, says Finance Minister Bill Morneau, as the latest economic figures show two consecutive months of major job losses.




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SNP MP Steven Bonnar apologises after row over football flag in his window




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Matt Hancock 'speechless' at Professor Neil Ferguson's 'extraordinary' breach of coronavirus lockdown rules

Matt Hancock has slammed Professor Neil Ferguson for his "extraordinary" breach of coronavirus lockdown rules, adding he was left "speechless" by his actions.




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Viral video shocks Georgia into action on shooting death of unarmed black man

It took 75 days of mounting pressure, social media outrage and publicly revealed video evidence for two white men to be arrested in the murder of an unarmed black man in Georgia. 





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Coronavirus: Cancellation of CFL season is ‘most likely scenario’, commissioner says

"Our best-case scenario for this year is a drastically truncated season," Randy Ambrosie said. "And our most likely scenario is no season at all.''




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'Complete anarchy': frontline NHS staff on the coronavirus peak

Medics reflect on the stress and strain they have been under, and what might happen next

More people have died of coronavirus in the UK than in any other country in Europe, and details about the true scale of the pandemic continue to emerge as the extreme pressure on the NHS begins to ease.

We have been speaking to frontline workers since the crisis began about how they are coping. They have told us how they were resigned to contracting Covid-19 because of shortages of protective equipment and a lack of testing as hospitals were inundated with coronavirus patients. Here, they recall the pandemic reaching its peak and begin to make plans for where the health service will go from here.

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Quiz: Charles Ingram brands Chris Tarrant 'deluded' and a 'liar' in extraordinary rant

Ingram also called ITV's new drama about his cheating scandal 'terrifyingly accurate' and 'excruciatingly enjoyable'




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Netflix movies and TV shows being added in February 2020, from Narcos and Lady Bird to a new Pokemon film

All the titles to add to your streaming list




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Ricky Gervais branded a 'visionary' for predicting Donald Trump's infamous disinfectant comments

'Ricky, you were way ahead of the curve!'




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Australia We're Full Party or an Independent? Who will win the Eden-Monaro by-election? | First Dog on the Moon

Is it all moot because of the deadly virus infecting Australia and no I don’t mean the National party ahahaha

Continue reading...




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Queen Elizabeth style file: a look back over the fashion choices of our longest-reigning monarch

As Queen Elizabeth II turns 94 today, we reminisce about her greatest-ever looks




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Hilary Mantel, Bernardine Evaristo and Maggie O' Farrell make Women's Prize for Fiction shortlist

Mantelmania continues as The Mirror And The Light makes it to the final stages of the 2020 Women's Prize for Fiction




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Netflix's Narcos is set to become a designer menswear brand

The hit show has just been renewed for a fifth season




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The Ordinary and The Inkey List launch free online skincare consultations

Expert skincare advice is just a click away




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From Jehovah's Witness to gay sex worker to novelist: the extraordinary life story of Paul Mendez

When truth is stranger than fiction




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Daniel Radcliffe to narrate first chapter of Harry Potter and The Philosopher's Stone in new series

David Beckham, Dakota Fanning and Eddie Redmayne will also narrate chapters of the first book





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Manchester United transfers: 14 players on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's list of targets this summer

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is hoping to continue his Manchester United rebuild this summer with a number of targets already identified.




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David Moyes predicts tight turnaround for West Ham squad when football season resumes

West Ham manager David Moyes says he does not expect to have any more than three weeks to work with his players before the season resumes.




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Phil Foden ready to replace Man City star David Silva, insists Bernardo Silva

Manchester City midfielder Bernardo Silva insists team-mate Phil Foden is destined for greatness, assuring that opportunities will come for the youngster.




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Transfer News LIVE: Man United want Saka, Donnarumma to Chelsea latest, Liverpool, Arsenal, Tottenham gossip

Welcome to the Evening Standard's live blog covering the latest transfer news and rumours from the Premier League and beyond.




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Thomas Partey to Manchester United? Rio Ferdinand gives Ole Gunnar Solskjaer FIVE new transfer targets

Rio Ferdinand has given Manchester United five new transfer targets as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer looks to refresh his squad.




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What Manchester United loanee Odion Ighalo instantly learned from Ole Gunnar Solskjaer

Loan sensation Odion Ighalo has revealed he felt the benefits of working under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer instantly upon arriving at Manchester United.




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How Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's signings have transformed Manchester United

Luke Shaw has hailed the togetherness of the Manchester United squad, revealing the introductions of manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and signings such as captain Harry Maguire have provided pivotal turning points.




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Manchester United want to extend Odion Ighalo loan deal as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer weighs up £15m transfer

Manchester United want to extend Odion Ighalo's loan deal as they continue to weigh up a permanent move.




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Ole Gunnar Solskjaer won't force any reluctant Manchester United stars to play if Premier League returns

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer insists he wouldn't blame his Manchester United players if they do not want to return to action when the coronavirus lockdown is lifted.




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Manchester United still focused on Jadon Sancho transfer as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer targets attackers

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has confirmed he still wants to improve his attack - despite Ed Woodward issuing a warning about Manchester United's spending this summer.




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Controversial San Bernardino airport cargo expansion approved

Inland Empire residents have protested the airport expansion — rumored to be an Amazon project — for months. On Monday, airport officials approved the project.




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MLB season startup: Here are the pros and cons of the three most likely scenarios

MLB can choose from at least three models: allowing teams to operate in their cities; an enclosed operation in Arizona; and a three-state hub.




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New stamps, digital project mark centenary of Group of Seven's debut

On the 100th anniversary of the Group of Seven's inaugural exhibit, the influential art collective is being recognized with efforts putting their distinctively Canadian paintings in front of a fresh crop of art lovers.




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Why The Last Dance reminds Ole Gunnar Solskjaer of Manchester United

Man United were the team of the 90s in English football and the Chicago Bulls were the team of the 90s in the NBA and that has been the subject of a Netflix documentary.




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Pangolins may possess evolutionary advantage against coronavirus

Pangolins lack two genes that function to sound the alarm when a virus enters the body, triggering an immune response in most other mammals. The findings from the Medical University of Vienna, Austria, are significant because, while the exotic animals can be carriers of coronavirus, they appear able to tolerate it through some other unknown mechanism. Understanding how pangolins are able to survive coronavirus may point to possible treatment options for humans.




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Talent is key to school turnarounds

New research has shown that the key to implementing successful reform in low-performing schools is hiring and retaining effective principals and teachers.




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A luminary of Australian science fiction

Mervyn Binns, well-known Melbourne bookseller who specialised in science fiction, fantasy and counter cultural literature, has died aged 85.




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A luminary of Australian science fiction

Mervyn Binns, well-known Melbourne bookseller who specialised in science fiction, fantasy and counter cultural literature, has died aged 85.




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Leonard French’s flair remembered

LEONARD French, the Australian artist who designed the stained glass ceiling for the National Gallery of Victoria’s Great Hall, has died aged 88.




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Opposition accuses Government of scaring Victorians with 'worst-case scenario' modelling

The modelling predicts more than a quarter of a million jobs could be lost in Victoria due to the coronavirus pandemic in what Premier Daniel Andrews says is the perhaps the "biggest economic and employment challenge" in the state's history.




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Preliminary report released into plane crash that killed four people

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau releases a preliminary report into the mid-air collision near Mangalore in Victoria that killed four people in February.




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A luminary of Australian science fiction

Mervyn Binns, well-known Melbourne bookseller who specialised in science fiction, fantasy and counter cultural literature, has died aged 85.




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Column: Supporters to run in honor of Ahmaud Arbery, the unarmed black man gunned down while jogging

Ahmaud Arbery was gunned down by two white men while jogging in Georgia. The #IRunWithMaud campaign honors his life with a 2.23-mile run or walk.




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Ole Gunnar Solskjaer gives his verdict on Man Utd return from coronavirus crisis

Solskjaer has revealed a return to action – even behind closed doors – will lift the country and he can't wait to start “doing my job” again after being starved of football




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‘The Nightmare Scenario’: How Coronavirus Could Make the 2020 Vote a Disaster

Trump can’t cancel the presidential election. Here’s what you should really be worrying about.