Members of the NASA-funded 'Backyard Worlds: Planet 9' have created the ''most complete'' three-dimensional map of 525 brown dwarfs&nbsp;around the Sun.

The 3D map encompasses a radius of 65 light-years, or about 400 trillion miles, with “close neighbours” inhabiting space within about 35 light-years, or 200 trillion miles.

To achieve this feat, scientists tapped into the worldwide network of 150,000 volunteers.&nbsp;The study has been&nbsp;published in the journals Nature and the Astrophysical Journal Letters.

“Without the citizen scientists, we couldn't have created such a complete sample in so short a time,” said J. Davy Kirkpatrick, a scientist at Caltech/IPAC in Pasadena and lead author of the study. “Having the power of thousands of inquiring eyes on the data enabled us to find brown dwarf candidates much faster.”

Brown dwarfs&nbsp;are bigger than Jupiter-sized planets but too small for nuclear fusion, the signature process that gives a star its shine.&nbsp;Also known as “failed stars,” brown dwarfs are born hot and emit faint but telltale infrared light as they slowly cool.

These objects&nbsp;are balls of gas that are not heavy enough to be stars since they can’t&nbsp;power themselves through nuclear fusion the way stars do. And while “brown” is in the name, they would appear magenta or orange-red if a person could see them close up. By making a complete map of these objects, scientists could find out whether different kinds of brown dwarfs are evenly distributed in our solar system’s neighbourhood.&nbsp;

Telescopes can detect brown dwarfs because they emit heat, in the form of infrared light, leftover from their formation. Infrared light is invisible to human eyes, but it can reveal tantalising details about brown dwarfs and other objects throughout the universe.&nbsp;

“If you were to put the Sun at a random place within our 3D map and you were to ask, ‘Typically, what do its neighbours look like?’ We find that they would look very different from what our actual neighbours are,” said Aaron Meisner, assistant scientist at the National Science Foundation’s NOIRLab and co-author of the study.&nbsp;

The Backyard Worlds: Planet 9 project is ongoing and open to anyone worldwide who wants to join the quest to find more mysterious objects in spacecraft data. In addition to a total of about 3,000 brown dwarfs, volunteers have helped find&nbsp;the oldest, coldest white dwarf surrounded by a disk&nbsp;of debris.

“I enjoy this project because the objects that we send to the researchers might get observed with a big telescope,” said Melina Thévenot, a citizen scientist in Germany who is listed as a co-author of the new study. “I think we volunteers can really see the fruits of our efforts with this project and the publications by the science team.”

Members of the NASA-funded 'Backyard Worlds: Planet 9' have created the ''most complete'' three-dimensional map of 525 brown dwarfs around the Sun. The 3D map encompasses a radius of 65 light-years, or about 400 trillion miles, with “close neighbours” inhabiting space within about 35 light-years, or 200 trillion miles.

Members of the NASA-funded 'Backyard Worlds: Planet 9' have created the ''most complete'' three-dimensional map of 525 brown dwarfs around the Sun. The 3D map encompasses a radius of 65 light-years, or about 400 trillion miles, with “close neighbours” inhabiting space within about 35 light-years, or 200 trillion miles. To achieve this feat, scientists tapped into the worldwide network of 150,000 volunteers. The study has been published in the journals Nature and the Astrophysical Journal Letters. “Without the citizen scientists, we couldn't have created such a complete sample in so short a time,” said J. Davy Kirkpatrick, a scientist at Caltech/IPAC in Pasadena and lead author of the study. “Having the power of thousands of inquiring eyes on the data enabled us to find brown dwarf candidates much faster.” Brown dwarfs are bigger than Jupiter-sized planets but too small for nuclear fusion, the signature process that gives a star its shine. Also known as “failed stars,” brown dwarfs are born hot and emit faint but telltale infrared light as they slowly cool. These objects are balls of gas that are not heavy enough to be stars since they can’t power themselves through nuclear fusion the way stars do. And while “brown” is in the name, they would appear magenta or orange-red if a person could see them close up. By making a complete map of these objects, scientists could find out whether different kinds of brown dwarfs are evenly distributed in our solar system’s neighbourhood. Telescopes can detect brown dwarfs because they emit heat, in the form of infrared light, leftover from their formation. Infrared light is invisible to human eyes, but it can reveal tantalising details about brown dwarfs and other objects throughout the universe. “If you were to put the Sun at a random place within our 3D map and you were to ask, ‘Typically, what do its neighbours look like?’ We find that they would look very different from what our actual neighbours are,” said Aaron Meisner, assistant scientist at the National Science Foundation’s NOIRLab and co-author of the study. The Backyard Worlds: Planet 9 project is ongoing and open to anyone worldwide who wants to join the quest to find more mysterious objects in spacecraft data. In addition to a total of about 3,000 brown dwarfs, volunteers have helped find the oldest, coldest white dwarf surrounded by a disk of debris. “I enjoy this project because the objects that we send to the researchers might get observed with a big telescope,” said Melina Thévenot, a citizen scientist in Germany who is listed as a co-author of the new study. “I think we volunteers can really see the fruits of our efforts with this project and the publications by the science team.”

Scientists create 'most complete' three-dimensional map of brown dwarfs around the Sun

A team of scientists at Durham University have claimed that they have resolved the mystery of people 'hearing the dead'.

The study&nbsp;published in the journal, Mental Health, Religion and Culture found that mediums who "hear" spirits are said to be experiencing clairaudient communications, rather than clairvoyant ("seeing") or clairsentient ("feeling" or "sensing") communications.

Researchers believe that the reason&nbsp;why some people and not others eventually adopt spiritualist beliefs and engage in the practice of "hearing the dead" is that spiritualist mediums might be more prone to immersive mental activities and unusual auditory experiences early in life.

They conducted a survey of 65 clairaudient spiritualist mediums from the Spiritualists` National Union and 143 members of the general population in the largest scientific study into the experiences of clairaudient mediums.

Scientists&nbsp;found that these spiritualists have a proclivity for absorption - a trait linked to immersion in mental or imaginative activities or experience of altered states of consciousness.

Mediums are also are more likely to report experiences of unusual auditory phenomena, like hearing voices, often occurring early in life. Many who experience absorption or hearing voices encounter spiritualist beliefs when searching for the meaning behind, or supernatural significance of, their unusual experiences, the researchers said.

The research is part of Hearing the Voice - an interdisciplinary study of voice-hearing based at Durham University and funded by the Wellcome Trust.

Spiritualism is a religious movement based on the idea that human souls continue to exist after death and communicate with the living through a medium or psychic.Interest in Spiritualism is increasing in Britain with several organisations supporting, training, and offering the services of practising mediums. One of the largest, the SNU, claims to serve at least 11,000 members through its training college, churches, and centres.

Through their study, the researchers gathered detailed descriptions of the way that mediums experience spirit `voices` and compared levels of absorption, hallucination-proneness, aspects of identity, and belief in the paranormal.They found that 44.6 per cent of spiritualist participants reported hearing the voices of the deceased on a daily basis, with 33.8 per cent reporting an experience of clairaudience within the last day.

A large majority (79 per cent) said that experiences of auditory spiritual communication were part of their everyday lives, taking place both when they were alone and when they were working as a medium or attending a spiritualist church. Although spirits were primarily heard inside the head (65.1 per cent), 31.7 per cent of spiritualist participants said they experienced spirit voices coming from both inside and outside the head.When rated on scales of absorption, as well as how strongly they believe in the paranormal, spiritualists scored much more highly than members of the general population.

Spiritualists were less likely to care about what others thought of them than people generally, and they also scored more highly for proneness to unusual hallucination-like auditory experiences. Both high levels of absorption and proneness to such auditory phenomena were linked to reports of more frequent clairaudient communications, according to the findings.

For the general population, absorption was associated with levels of belief in the paranormal, but there was no significant corresponding link between belief and hallucination-proneness.There was also no difference in levels of superstitious belief or proneness to visual hallucinations between spiritualist and non-spiritualist participants.Spiritualists reported first experiencing clairaudience at an average age of 21.7 years.

However, 18 per cent of spiritualists reported having clairaudient experiences ''for as long as they could remember''&nbsp;and 71 per cent had not encountered Spiritualism as a religious movement prior to their first experiences.

The researchers say their findings suggest that it is not giving in to social pressure, learning to have specific expectations or a level of belief in the paranormal that leads to experiences of spirit communication.

Instead, it seems that some people are uniquely predisposed to absorption and are more likely to report unusual auditory experiences occurring early in life. For many of these individuals, spiritualist beliefs are embraced because they align meaningfully with those unique personal experiences.

Lead researcher Dr Adam Powell, in Durham University`s Hearing the Voice project and Department of Theology and Religion, said: "Our findings say a lot about `learning and yearning`.

For our participants, the tenets of Spiritualism seem to make sense of both extraordinary childhood experiences as well as the frequent auditory phenomena they experience as practising mediums.

"But all of those experiences may result more from having certain tendencies or early abilities than from simply believing in the possibility of contacting the dead if one tries hard enough."

Dr Peter Moseley, the co-author on the study at Northumbria University, commented: "Spiritualists tend to report unusual auditory experiences which are positive, start early in life and which they are often then able to control. Understanding how these develop is important because it could help us understand more about distressing or non-controllable experiences of hearing voices too."

Durham`s researchers are now engaged in further investigation of clairaudience and mediumship, working with practitioners to gain a fuller picture of what it is like to be on the receiving end of such unusual and meaningful experiences.

A team of scientists at Durham University have claimed that they have resolved the mystery of people 'hearing the dead'. The study published in the journal, Mental Health, Religion and Culture found that mediums who "hear" spirits are said to be experiencing clairaudient communications, rather than clairvoyant ("seeing") or clairsentient ("feeling" or "sensing") communications.

A team of scientists at Durham University have claimed that they have resolved the mystery of people 'hearing the dead'. The study published in the journal, Mental Health, Religion and Culture found that mediums who "hear" spirits are said to be experiencing clairaudient communications, rather than clairvoyant ("seeing") or clairsentient ("feeling" or "sensing") communications. Researchers believe that the reason why some people and not others eventually adopt spiritualist beliefs and engage in the practice of "hearing the dead" is that spiritualist mediums might be more prone to immersive mental activities and unusual auditory experiences early in life. They conducted a survey of 65 clairaudient spiritualist mediums from the Spiritualists` National Union and 143 members of the general population in the largest scientific study into the experiences of clairaudient mediums. Scientists found that these spiritualists have a proclivity for absorption - a trait linked to immersion in mental or imaginative activities or experience of altered states of consciousness. Mediums are also are more likely to report experiences of unusual auditory phenomena, like hearing voices, often occurring early in life. Many who experience absorption or hearing voices encounter spiritualist beliefs when searching for the meaning behind, or supernatural significance of, their unusual experiences, the researchers said. The research is part of Hearing the Voice - an interdisciplinary study of voice-hearing based at Durham University and funded by the Wellcome Trust. Spiritualism is a religious movement based on the idea that human souls continue to exist after death and communicate with the living through a medium or psychic.Interest in Spiritualism is increasing in Britain with several organisations supporting, training, and offering the services of practising mediums. One of the largest, the SNU, claims to serve at least 11,000 members through its training college, churches, and centres. Through their study, the researchers gathered detailed descriptions of the way that mediums experience spirit `voices` and compared levels of absorption, hallucination-proneness, aspects of identity, and belief in the paranormal.They found that 44.6 per cent of spiritualist participants reported hearing the voices of the deceased on a daily basis, with 33.8 per cent reporting an experience of clairaudience within the last day. A large majority (79 per cent) said that experiences of auditory spiritual communication were part of their everyday lives, taking place both when they were alone and when they were working as a medium or attending a spiritualist church. Although spirits were primarily heard inside the head (65.1 per cent), 31.7 per cent of spiritualist participants said they experienced spirit voices coming from both inside and outside the head.When rated on scales of absorption, as well as how strongly they believe in the paranormal, spiritualists scored much more highly than members of the general population. Spiritualists were less likely to care about what others thought of them than people generally, and they also scored more highly for proneness to unusual hallucination-like auditory experiences. Both high levels of absorption and proneness to such auditory phenomena were linked to reports of more frequent clairaudient communications, according to the findings. For the general population, absorption was associated with levels of belief in the paranormal, but there was no significant corresponding link between belief and hallucination-proneness.There was also no difference in levels of superstitious belief or proneness to visual hallucinations between spiritualist and non-spiritualist participants.Spiritualists reported first experiencing clairaudience at an average age of 21.7 years. However, 18 per cent of spiritualists reported having clairaudient experiences ''for as long as they could remember'' and 71 per cent had not encountered Spiritualism as a religious movement prior to their first experiences. The researchers say their findings suggest that it is not giving in to social pressure, learning to have specific expectations or a level of belief in the paranormal that leads to experiences of spirit communication. Instead, it seems that some people are uniquely predisposed to absorption and are more likely to report unusual auditory experiences occurring early in life. For many of these individuals, spiritualist beliefs are embraced because they align meaningfully with those unique personal experiences. Lead researcher Dr Adam Powell, in Durham University`s Hearing the Voice project and Department of Theology and Religion, said: "Our findings say a lot about `learning and yearning`. For our participants, the tenets of Spiritualism seem to make sense of both extraordinary childhood experiences as well as the frequent auditory phenomena they experience as practising mediums. "But all of those experiences may result more from having certain tendencies or early abilities than from simply believing in the possibility of contacting the dead if one tries hard enough." Dr Peter Moseley, the co-author on the study at Northumbria University, commented: "Spiritualists tend to report unusual auditory experiences which are positive, start early in life and which they are often then able to control. Understanding how these develop is important because it could help us understand more about distressing or non-controllable experiences of hearing voices too." Durham`s researchers are now engaged in further investigation of clairaudience and mediumship, working with practitioners to gain a fuller picture of what it is like to be on the receiving end of such unusual and meaningful experiences.

Scientists resolve mystery of people 'hearing the dead'

ONA has become the first establishment in France&nbsp;serving only animal-free products to win a&nbsp;Michelin Guide star.

Claire Vallee runs the ONA restaurant in the city of Ares, near Bordeaux, which she launched in 2016 thanks to crowdfunding from supporters and a loan from a green bank.

"It felt like I got hit by a train," Vallee said&nbsp;about the moment she received a call from the Guide Michelin on Thursday informing her of its decision.

<img alt="aa" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="45bff84a-c457-4239-a916-440515e6cb69" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Untitled%20design%20%2810%29_31.jpg" />

In picture:&nbsp;Claire Vallee, the owner of&nbsp;the ONA restaurant in the city of Ares, near Bordeaux

In addition to the classic star award, Vallee also won a green star, which Michelin introduced only last year to reward establishments with a strong record for ethical practices.

ONA, which stands for "Origine Non Animale" ("Animal-free origin"), is "the first vegan restaurant in France to win a star", a Guide Michelin spokeswoman said.

Vallee offered seven dishes on her gourmet menu before she had to close ONA because of Covid-19 restrictions. Her favourite combinations involve pine, boletus mushroom and sake, or celery, tonka and amber ale.

Traditional French banks gave the young chef short shrift when she came to them looking for a loan to get started.

"They said the outlook for veganism and plant-based food was too uncertain," she said.

allee says she holds no grudge: "Everybody does their job."Confident "that I had a few things going for me", Vallee went on to secure financing through crowdfunding, without the need for collateral, and through Le Nef, a bank that specialises in lending for projects it considers to be ethical.

"This goes to show that nothing is impossible," she said.

Vallee admits to having wondered along the way "whether we were good enough because vegetable-based cooking is difficult and innovative".

But, she added: "The most important thing is to enjoy doing this."

Although now considered a pioneer for vegan cuisine in France, Vallee said she simply followed in the footsteps of others, singling out the late Jean-Christian Jury, who ran the Mano Verde restaurant in Berlin.

ONA has become the first establishment in France serving only animal-free products to win a Michelin Guide star. Claire Vallee runs the ONA restaurant in the city of Ares, near Bordeaux, which she launched in 2016 thanks to crowdfunding from supporters and a loan from a green bank.

ONA has become the first establishment in France serving only animal-free products to win a Michelin Guide star. Claire Vallee runs the ONA restaurant in the city of Ares, near Bordeaux, which she launched in 2016 thanks to crowdfunding from supporters and a loan from a green bank. "It felt like I got hit by a train," Vallee said about the moment she received a call from the Guide Michelin on Thursday informing her of its decision. In picture: Claire Vallee, the owner of the ONA restaurant in the city of Ares, near Bordeaux In addition to the classic star award, Vallee also won a green star, which Michelin introduced only last year to reward establishments with a strong record for ethical practices. ONA, which stands for "Origine Non Animale" ("Animal-free origin"), is "the first vegan restaurant in France to win a star", a Guide Michelin spokeswoman said. Vallee offered seven dishes on her gourmet menu before she had to close ONA because of Covid-19 restrictions. Her favourite combinations involve pine, boletus mushroom and sake, or celery, tonka and amber ale. Traditional French banks gave the young chef short shrift when she came to them looking for a loan to get started. "They said the outlook for veganism and plant-based food was too uncertain," she said. allee says she holds no grudge: "Everybody does their job."Confident "that I had a few things going for me", Vallee went on to secure financing through crowdfunding, without the need for collateral, and through Le Nef, a bank that specialises in lending for projects it considers to be ethical. "This goes to show that nothing is impossible," she said. Vallee admits to having wondered along the way "whether we were good enough because vegetable-based cooking is difficult and innovative". But, she added: "The most important thing is to enjoy doing this." Although now considered a pioneer for vegan cuisine in France, Vallee said she simply followed in the footsteps of others, singling out the late Jean-Christian Jury, who ran the Mano Verde restaurant in Berlin.

ONA becomes first vegan restaurant to win a Michelin Guide star

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US will not lift travel bans, says Biden's team after Trump's order Melania Trump faces criticism for breaking tradition on giving official walkthrough to next 

US will not lift travel bans, says Biden's team after Trump's order Melania Trump faces criticism for breaking tradition on giving official walkthrough to next First Lady China reports over 100 coronavirus cases for seventh consecutive day Virus cases surge in Spain, Portugal amid vaccination in Europe US inaugurations: High drama and sore losers

Morning news brief: US will not lift travel bans, China reports over 100 coronavirus cases and more

A German zookeeper is in a ''serious'' condition after being bitten in the face by a camel on Monday.

A staff member of the Perleberg zoo was cleaning the camel enclosure and feeding the animals when suddenly one of them turned and bit him.

He is being treated in a local hospital which described his condition as ''serious''.&nbsp;

The zoo is closed due to the coronavirus restrictions in Germany under the&nbsp;lockdown.

Chancellor Angela Merkel and leaders of&nbsp;Germany's 16 states are expected Tuesday to extend and tighten a partial&nbsp;lockdown&nbsp;beyond January, as fears grow over virus variant strains believed to be more contagious.

Germany&nbsp;shuttered restaurants, leisure and sporting facilities in November, then expanded the shutdown in mid-December to include schools and most shops to halt runaway growth in new coronavirus infections.

The measures ordered until the end of January have brought about a "flattening of the infections curve", said Merkel's spokesman Steffen Seibert, noting also that the number of patients in intensive care had also fallen slightly.

"This trend is cautiously positive and a success of the restrictions of the last weeks," he said.

"But it only brings us to the point where we still have a long way to go before we can say we have the infections under control," he added.

Virus variants first seen in Britain and South Africa also posed major risks to whether the falling infections trend could be sustained, added Seibert.&nbsp;

The crisis talks between Merkel and state premiers were brought forward by a week because of the virus variants.

"It is a risk that responsible politicians must take into account -- sooner rather than later," he added.

Germany&nbsp;got out of the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic relatively well, but a second wave hit Europe's biggest economy hard.

New infections have soared far above the 50 per 100,000 people incidence rate threshold set by the government. And just last Thursday, the country saw a new high in daily deaths, at 1,244.

Seibert noted that the incidence rate was still at over 130 per 100,000 and that&nbsp;Germany&nbsp;"must more quickly" bring that down to 50.

A German zookeeper is in a ''serious'' condition after being bitten in the face by a camel on Monday. A staff member of the Perleberg zoo was cleaning the camel enclosure and feeding the animals when suddenly one of them turned and bit him.

A German zookeeper is in a ''serious'' condition after being bitten in the face by a camel on Monday. A staff member of the Perleberg zoo was cleaning the camel enclosure and feeding the animals when suddenly one of them turned and bit him. He is being treated in a local hospital which described his condition as ''serious''. The zoo is closed due to the coronavirus restrictions in Germany under the lockdown. Chancellor Angela Merkel and leaders of Germany's 16 states are expected Tuesday to extend and tighten a partial lockdown beyond January, as fears grow over virus variant strains believed to be more contagious. Germany shuttered restaurants, leisure and sporting facilities in November, then expanded the shutdown in mid-December to include schools and most shops to halt runaway growth in new coronavirus infections. The measures ordered until the end of January have brought about a "flattening of the infections curve", said Merkel's spokesman Steffen Seibert, noting also that the number of patients in intensive care had also fallen slightly. "This trend is cautiously positive and a success of the restrictions of the last weeks," he said. "But it only brings us to the point where we still have a long way to go before we can say we have the infections under control," he added. Virus variants first seen in Britain and South Africa also posed major risks to whether the falling infections trend could be sustained, added Seibert. The crisis talks between Merkel and state premiers were brought forward by a week because of the virus variants. "It is a risk that responsible politicians must take into account -- sooner rather than later," he added. Germany got out of the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic relatively well, but a second wave hit Europe's biggest economy hard. New infections have soared far above the 50 per 100,000 people incidence rate threshold set by the government. And just last Thursday, the country saw a new high in daily deaths, at 1,244. Seibert noted that the incidence rate was still at over 130 per 100,000 and that Germany "must more quickly" bring that down to 50.

German zookeeper bitten by camel is in a 'serious' condition

Parler, a social media website and app popular with the American far right, has partially returned online with the help of a Russian-owned technology company.

John Matze, the chief executive of social media&nbsp;app Parler, which is popular&nbsp;among conservatives&nbsp;posted a brief message on the company's website vowing its returns after finding a new host.

"Hello world, is this thing on?," Matze asked in a message dated Saturday, posted above a note from the company saying the platform would be restored after challenges were resolved.

The internet protocol address it used is owned by DDos-Guard, which is controlled by two Russian men and provides services including protection from distributed denial of service attacks.

A little over a week ago, Apple Inc suspended the&nbsp;Parler&nbsp;from its App Store, shortly after Alphabet-owned Google banned it from Google Play. The app is still unavailable for download on both platforms.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/apple-ceo-tim-cook-says-parler-could-return-to-app-store-after-moderation-in-terms-of-service-357390">Apple CEO Tim Cook says Parler could return to App Store after 'moderation' in terms of service</a>

Amazon.com Inc then suspended&nbsp;Parler&nbsp;from its web hosting service, effectively taking the site offline unless it can find a new company to host its services.

US&nbsp;right-wing social media users have flocked to&nbsp;Parler, along with other apps such as Telegram and social site Gab, citing the more aggressive policing of political comments on mainstream platforms such as Twitter Inc and Facebook Inc, which intensified after the January&nbsp;6 Capitol riot.

Before Apple Inc banned&nbsp;Parler&nbsp;from its App Store store on Saturday, the social media site topped the charts as the most popular free app on its App Store in the United States.

Interest in the fast-growing app had surged again after Twitter banned President Donald Trump on Friday.

After Amazon.com Inc stopped hosting its business, effectively taking the upstart social media service offline,&nbsp;Parler&nbsp;is now fighting for survival.

What is&nbsp;Parler?

Parler, which was founded in 2018, is a social media network that styles itself as a "free speech-driven" space. The app has largely attracted US&nbsp;conservatives who disagree with rules around content on social media sites like Facebook Inc and Twitter Inc.

Parler&nbsp;has had about 10.8 million installs globally from across the App Store and Google Play, 8.7 million of those from the United States, according to Sensor Tower data. In January, it said it has over 12 million registered users.

Trump, who was last week permanently suspended from Twitter as social media platforms cracked down on his accounts, does not have a verified&nbsp;Parler&nbsp;account, but his 'Team Trump' campaign does. Trump allies such as attorney Rudy Guiliani and the president's son Eric Trump also joined the platform, as did conservative media such as Epoch Times and Breitbart News and prominent Republicans including Senator Ted Cruz.

In November, conservative activist Rebekah Mercer confirmed that she and her family, including her father and hedge-fund investor Robert Mercer, have provided funding to the company. Conservative commentator Dan Bongino also said in June he was taking an ownership stake in the company, which is based near Las Vegas in Nevada.

Why has&nbsp;Parler&nbsp;been taken offline?

The site effectively "went dark" after Amazon.com Inc suspended its web hosting service and will remain so unless it can find a replacement.

Suspensions by Apple Inc's App Store and Alphabet Inc's Google had already meant potential new users were unable to download the app.

The platforms said&nbsp;Parler&nbsp;was not doing enough to prevent the spread of posts inciting violence, following unrest at the US&nbsp;Capitol by Trump supporters last Wednesday after weeks of violent rhetoric on online sites.

Parler&nbsp;is now suing Amazon, accusing the company of an illegal, politically motivated decision to shut it down.

Amazon said the lawsuit has no merit. In an email correspondence included in&nbsp;Parler's lawsuit, Amazon cited 98 examples of&nbsp;Parler&nbsp;posts that "clearly encourage and incite violence."

Parler&nbsp;Chief Executive John Matze has said the company "does not condone or accept violence" on its platform.

Parler's policies ban certain types of content, including 'fighting words' or 'threats to harm' that include threats of violence against an individual or group, obscenity, and pornography. The guidelines advise users to "not purposefully share rumors about other users/people you know are false," but do not mention other policies against misinformation.

Disinformation researchers said far-right groups that appeared at the riot maintained a vigorous online presence on alternative platforms including&nbsp;Parler&nbsp;where they spread violent rhetoric and organized ahead of the unrest.

Parler, a social media website and app popular with the American far right, has partially returned online with the help of a Russian-owned technology company. John Matze, the chief executive of social media app Parler, which is popular among conservatives posted a brief message on the company's website vowing its returns after finding a new host.

Parler, a social media website and app popular with the American far right, has partially returned online with the help of a Russian-owned technology company. John Matze, the chief executive of social media app Parler, which is popular among conservatives posted a brief message on the company's website vowing its returns after finding a new host. "Hello world, is this thing on?," Matze asked in a message dated Saturday, posted above a note from the company saying the platform would be restored after challenges were resolved. The internet protocol address it used is owned by DDos-Guard, which is controlled by two Russian men and provides services including protection from distributed denial of service attacks. A little over a week ago, Apple Inc suspended the Parler from its App Store, shortly after Alphabet-owned Google banned it from Google Play. The app is still unavailable for download on both platforms. Also read: Apple CEO Tim Cook says Parler could return to App Store after 'moderation' in terms of service Amazon.com Inc then suspended Parler from its web hosting service, effectively taking the site offline unless it can find a new company to host its services. US right-wing social media users have flocked to Parler, along with other apps such as Telegram and social site Gab, citing the more aggressive policing of political comments on mainstream platforms such as Twitter Inc and Facebook Inc, which intensified after the January 6 Capitol riot. Before Apple Inc banned Parler from its App Store store on Saturday, the social media site topped the charts as the most popular free app on its App Store in the United States. Interest in the fast-growing app had surged again after Twitter banned President Donald Trump on Friday. After Amazon.com Inc stopped hosting its business, effectively taking the upstart social media service offline, Parler is now fighting for survival. What is Parler? Parler, which was founded in 2018, is a social media network that styles itself as a "free speech-driven" space. The app has largely attracted US conservatives who disagree with rules around content on social media sites like Facebook Inc and Twitter Inc. Parler has had about 10.8 million installs globally from across the App Store and Google Play, 8.7 million of those from the United States, according to Sensor Tower data. In January, it said it has over 12 million registered users. Trump, who was last week permanently suspended from Twitter as social media platforms cracked down on his accounts, does not have a verified Parler account, but his 'Team Trump' campaign does. Trump allies such as attorney Rudy Guiliani and the president's son Eric Trump also joined the platform, as did conservative media such as Epoch Times and Breitbart News and prominent Republicans including Senator Ted Cruz. In November, conservative activist Rebekah Mercer confirmed that she and her family, including her father and hedge-fund investor Robert Mercer, have provided funding to the company. Conservative commentator Dan Bongino also said in June he was taking an ownership stake in the company, which is based near Las Vegas in Nevada. Why has Parler been taken offline? The site effectively "went dark" after Amazon.com Inc suspended its web hosting service and will remain so unless it can find a replacement. Suspensions by Apple Inc's App Store and Alphabet Inc's Google had already meant potential new users were unable to download the app. The platforms said Parler was not doing enough to prevent the spread of posts inciting violence, following unrest at the US Capitol by Trump supporters last Wednesday after weeks of violent rhetoric on online sites. Parler is now suing Amazon, accusing the company of an illegal, politically motivated decision to shut it down. Amazon said the lawsuit has no merit. In an email correspondence included in Parler's lawsuit, Amazon cited 98 examples of Parler posts that "clearly encourage and incite violence." Parler Chief Executive John Matze has said the company "does not condone or accept violence" on its platform. Parler's policies ban certain types of content, including 'fighting words' or 'threats to harm' that include threats of violence against an individual or group, obscenity, and pornography. The guidelines advise users to "not purposefully share rumors about other users/people you know are false," but do not mention other policies against misinformation. Disinformation researchers said far-right groups that appeared at the riot maintained a vigorous online presence on alternative platforms including Parler where they spread violent rhetoric and organized ahead of the unrest.

'Hello world, is this thing on?': Parler's website is back online after finding new host

January 19 in history: India's first female prime minister, discovery of calcium deposits on Mars and more

US inaugurations: High drama and sore losers

Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg held a phone conversation during which they discussed the peace talks between the Kabul government and the Taliban, an official statement said here on Tuesday. 
 
The two sides on Monday discussed "the Afghan peace process and NATO`s continued support for Afghanistan Defense and Security forces", Xinhua news agency quoted the statement issued by Ghani`s office as saying. 
 
"NATO remains committed to supporting the Afghan Defense and Security forces and continues its mission to train, advise and assist the forces," the statement quoted Stoltenberg as saying. 
 
The development comes as the second round began on January 5 after a three-week break. 
 
This round will focus on a ceasefire and reduction in violence in the war-torn country, TOLO news reported. 
 
The peace negotiations, which formally kicked-off in September 2020, witnessed a breakthrough last month after the two sides agreed on procedural rules for the talks. 
 
They also confirmed to have exchanged their lists about the agenda of the peace talks.

Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg held a phone conversation during which they discussed the peace talks between the Kabul government and the Taliban, an official statement said here on Tuesday.

Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg held a phone conversation during which they discussed the peace talks between the Kabul government and the Taliban, an official statement said here on Tuesday. The two sides on Monday discussed "the Afghan peace process and NATO`s continued support for Afghanistan Defense and Security forces", Xinhua news agency quoted the statement issued by Ghani`s office as saying. "NATO remains committed to supporting the Afghan Defense and Security forces and continues its mission to train, advise and assist the forces," the statement quoted Stoltenberg as saying. The development comes as the second round began on January 5 after a three-week break. This round will focus on a ceasefire and reduction in violence in the war-torn country, TOLO news reported. The peace negotiations, which formally kicked-off in September 2020, witnessed a breakthrough last month after the two sides agreed on procedural rules for the talks. They also confirmed to have exchanged their lists about the agenda of the peace talks.

Afghan President Ghani, NATO chief Stoltenberg discuss peace talks

Turkey's Information and Communication Technologies Authority has imposed advertising bans on Twitter, Periscope and Pinterest under a new social media law, according to decisions published in the countrý's Official Gazette on Tuesday.

Under the law, which critics say stifles dissent, social media companies that do not appoint such representatives are liable for a series of penalties, including the latest move by the Information and Communication Technologies Authority (BTK).

The law allows authorities to remove content from platforms, rather than blocking access as they did in the past. It has caused concern as people turn more to online platforms after Ankara tightened its grip on mainstream media.

The latest decisions in the country's Official Gazette said the advertising bans went into effect from Tuesday. Twitter, its live-streaming app Periscope, and image sharing app Pinterest were not immediately available to comment.

Deputy Transport Minister Omer Fatih Sayan said Twitter and Pinterest's bandwidth would be cut by 50 per cent&nbsp;in April and by 90&nbsp;per cent&nbsp;in May. Twitter said last month it would shut down Periscope by March due to declining usage.

"We are determined to do whatever is necessary to protect the data, privacy and rights of our nation," Sayan said on Twitter. "We will never allow digital fascism and disregard of rules to prevail in Turkey," he said, echoing tough comments by President Tayyip Erdogan.

On Monday, Facebook Inc joined other companies in saying it would appoint a local representative but added it would withdraw the person if it faced pressure regarding what is allowed on its platform.

YouTube, owned by Alphabet Inc's Google, said a month ago it would abide by the new law, which the government says enhances local oversight of foreign companies.

In previous months Facebook, YouTube and Twitter had faced fines in Turkey for not complying. Companies that do not abide by the law will ultimately have their bandwidth slashed, essentially blocking access.

Erdogan said last week that those who control data can establish "digital dictatorships by disregarding democracy, the law, rights and freedoms". He vowed to defend what he described as the country's "cyber homeland".

Turkey's Information and Communication Technologies Authority has imposed advertising bans on Twitter, Periscope and Pinterest under a new social media law, according to decisions published in the countrý's Official Gazette on Tuesday.

Turkey's Information and Communication Technologies Authority has imposed advertising bans on Twitter, Periscope and Pinterest under a new social media law, according to decisions published in the countrý's Official Gazette on Tuesday. Under the law, which critics say stifles dissent, social media companies that do not appoint such representatives are liable for a series of penalties, including the latest move by the Information and Communication Technologies Authority (BTK). The law allows authorities to remove content from platforms, rather than blocking access as they did in the past. It has caused concern as people turn more to online platforms after Ankara tightened its grip on mainstream media. The latest decisions in the country's Official Gazette said the advertising bans went into effect from Tuesday. Twitter, its live-streaming app Periscope, and image sharing app Pinterest were not immediately available to comment. Deputy Transport Minister Omer Fatih Sayan said Twitter and Pinterest's bandwidth would be cut by 50 per cent in April and by 90 per cent in May. Twitter said last month it would shut down Periscope by March due to declining usage. "We are determined to do whatever is necessary to protect the data, privacy and rights of our nation," Sayan said on Twitter. "We will never allow digital fascism and disregard of rules to prevail in Turkey," he said, echoing tough comments by President Tayyip Erdogan. On Monday, Facebook Inc joined other companies in saying it would appoint a local representative but added it would withdraw the person if it faced pressure regarding what is allowed on its platform. YouTube, owned by Alphabet Inc's Google, said a month ago it would abide by the new law, which the government says enhances local oversight of foreign companies. In previous months Facebook, YouTube and Twitter had faced fines in Turkey for not complying. Companies that do not abide by the law will ultimately have their bandwidth slashed, essentially blocking access. Erdogan said last week that those who control data can establish "digital dictatorships by disregarding democracy, the law, rights and freedoms". He vowed to defend what he described as the country's "cyber homeland".

Turkey slaps ad ban on Twitter under new social media law

Taiwanese troops using tanks, mortars and small arms staged a drill on Tuesday aimed at repelling an attack from China, which has increased its threats to reclaim the island and its own displays of military might.

''No matter what is happening around the Taiwan Strait, our determination to guard our homeland will never change,''&nbsp;said Maj. Gen. Chen Chong-ji, director of the department of political warfare, about the exercise at Hukou Army Base south of the capital Taipei.

Chen said the exercise was intended as a show of Taiwan's determination to maintain peace between the sides through a show of force.

The drills are also meant to reassure the public the military is maintaining its guard ahead of next month's Lunar New Year festival when many troops take leave.

Hukou base lies in Hsinchu county, a centre for Taiwan's high-tech industries that have thrived despite the constant threats of invasion by China, which considers the self-governing island democracy part of its own territory to be conquered by force if necessary.

Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen has sought to bolster the island's defences with the purchase of billions of dollars in weapons from key ally the US, including upgraded F-16 fighter jets, armed drones, rocket systems and Harpoon missiles capable of hitting both ships and land targets.

She has also boosted support for the island's indigenous arms industry, including launching a program to build new submarines to counter China's ever-growing naval capabilities.

China's increased threats come as economic and political enticements bear little fruit, leading it to stage war games and dispatch fighter jets and reconnaissance planes on an almost daily basis toward the island of 24 million people, which lies 160 kilometres (100 miles) off China's southeast coast across the Taiwan Strait.

Along with the world's largest standing military, numbering around 2 million members, China has the largest navy, with approximately 350 vessels, including two aircraft carriers and about 56 submarines. It also possesses around 2,000 combat fighters and bombers and 1,250 ground-launched ballistic missiles, considered a key strategic and psychological weapon against Taiwan.

Taiwan's armed forces are a fraction of that number, with much of its ground force consisting of short-term conscripts, and its fleet numbers only around 86 vessels, roughly half of the missile boats for coastal patrol.&nbsp;

Taiwanese troops using tanks, mortars and small arms staged a drill on Tuesday aimed at repelling an attack from China, which has increased its threats to reclaim the island and its own displays of military might.

Taiwanese troops using tanks, mortars and small arms staged a drill on Tuesday aimed at repelling an attack from China, which has increased its threats to reclaim the island and its own displays of military might. ''No matter what is happening around the Taiwan Strait, our determination to guard our homeland will never change,'' said Maj. Gen. Chen Chong-ji, director of the department of political warfare, about the exercise at Hukou Army Base south of the capital Taipei. Chen said the exercise was intended as a show of Taiwan's determination to maintain peace between the sides through a show of force. The drills are also meant to reassure the public the military is maintaining its guard ahead of next month's Lunar New Year festival when many troops take leave. Hukou base lies in Hsinchu county, a centre for Taiwan's high-tech industries that have thrived despite the constant threats of invasion by China, which considers the self-governing island democracy part of its own territory to be conquered by force if necessary. Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen has sought to bolster the island's defences with the purchase of billions of dollars in weapons from key ally the US, including upgraded F-16 fighter jets, armed drones, rocket systems and Harpoon missiles capable of hitting both ships and land targets. She has also boosted support for the island's indigenous arms industry, including launching a program to build new submarines to counter China's ever-growing naval capabilities. China's increased threats come as economic and political enticements bear little fruit, leading it to stage war games and dispatch fighter jets and reconnaissance planes on an almost daily basis toward the island of 24 million people, which lies 160 kilometres (100 miles) off China's southeast coast across the Taiwan Strait. Along with the world's largest standing military, numbering around 2 million members, China has the largest navy, with approximately 350 vessels, including two aircraft carriers and about 56 submarines. It also possesses around 2,000 combat fighters and bombers and 1,250 ground-launched ballistic missiles, considered a key strategic and psychological weapon against Taiwan. Taiwan's armed forces are a fraction of that number, with much of its ground force consisting of short-term conscripts, and its fleet numbers only around 86 vessels, roughly half of the missile boats for coastal patrol.

Taiwan military stages drill aimed at repelling China attack

India reported the lowest number of daily coronavirus infections in over seven months with 10,064 new cases, which took the caseload to 1,05,81,837, while recoveries have surged to 1,02,28,753, according to Union health ministry data updated on Tuesday.

The country's death toll increased to 1,52,556 as 137 fatalities, the lowest in around eight months, were recorded in a span of 24 hours, the data updated at 8 am showed.

The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 1,02,28,753, pushing the national COVID-19 recovery rate to 96.66 per cent, while the COVID-19 case fatality rate stands at 1.44 per cent.

The COVID-19 active caseload remained below three lakh.

There are 2,00,528 active COVID-19 cases in the country which comprise 1.90 per cent of the total caseload, the data stated.

India's COVID-19 tally had crossed 20 lakh on August 7, 30 lakh on August 23, 40 lakh on September 5 and 50 lakh on September 16. It went past 60 lakh on September 28, 70 lakh on October 11, crossed 80 lakh on October 29, 90 lakh on November 20 and surpassed the one-crore mark on December 19.

According to the Indian Council of Medical Research, 18,78,02,827 samples have been tested up to January 18 with 7,09,791 samples being tested on Monday.

The 137 new fatalities include 35 from Maharashtra, 17 from Kerala, 10 from West Bengal, nine from Karnataka, and eight each from Delhi and Tamil Nadu.

A total of 1,52,556 deaths have been reported so far in the country, including 50,473 from Maharashtra followed by 12,272 from Tamil Nadu, 12,175 from Karnataka, 10,754 from Delhi, 10,063 from West Bengal,?8,580 from Uttar Pradesh, 7,141 from Andhra Pradesh and 5,509 from Punjab.

The health ministry stressed that more than 70 per cent of the deaths occurred due to comorbidities.

"Our figures are being reconciled with the Indian Council of Medical Research," the ministry said on its website, adding that state-wise distribution of figures is subject to further verification and reconciliation.

India reported the lowest number of daily coronavirus infections in over seven months with 10,064 new cases, which took the caseload to 1,05,81,837, while recoveries have surged to 1,02,28,753, according to Union health ministry data updated on Tuesday.

India reported the lowest number of daily coronavirus infections in over seven months with 10,064 new cases, which took the caseload to 1,05,81,837, while recoveries have surged to 1,02,28,753, according to Union health ministry data updated on Tuesday. The country's death toll increased to 1,52,556 as 137 fatalities, the lowest in around eight months, were recorded in a span of 24 hours, the data updated at 8 am showed. The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 1,02,28,753, pushing the national COVID-19 recovery rate to 96.66 per cent, while the COVID-19 case fatality rate stands at 1.44 per cent. The COVID-19 active caseload remained below three lakh. There are 2,00,528 active COVID-19 cases in the country which comprise 1.90 per cent of the total caseload, the data stated. India's COVID-19 tally had crossed 20 lakh on August 7, 30 lakh on August 23, 40 lakh on September 5 and 50 lakh on September 16. It went past 60 lakh on September 28, 70 lakh on October 11, crossed 80 lakh on October 29, 90 lakh on November 20 and surpassed the one-crore mark on December 19. According to the Indian Council of Medical Research, 18,78,02,827 samples have been tested up to January 18 with 7,09,791 samples being tested on Monday. The 137 new fatalities include 35 from Maharashtra, 17 from Kerala, 10 from West Bengal, nine from Karnataka, and eight each from Delhi and Tamil Nadu. A total of 1,52,556 deaths have been reported so far in the country, including 50,473 from Maharashtra followed by 12,272 from Tamil Nadu, 12,175 from Karnataka, 10,754 from Delhi, 10,063 from West Bengal,?8,580 from Uttar Pradesh, 7,141 from Andhra Pradesh and 5,509 from Punjab. The health ministry stressed that more than 70 per cent of the deaths occurred due to comorbidities. "Our figures are being reconciled with the Indian Council of Medical Research," the ministry said on its website, adding that state-wise distribution of figures is subject to further verification and reconciliation.

COVID-19: India records 10,064 new cases in the last 24 hours

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