The icy object could join the solar system’s recognized dwarf planets Astronomers have discovered a large icy object beyond Pluto that could qualify as a dwarf planet, potentially adding a new member to the solar system’s officially recognized group. The discovery was announced on Thursday by the US-funded Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile, which houses the world’s largest 3.2-gigapixel digital camera, built specifically for astronomy. Researchers estimate that the object, provisionally named 2026 ED138, is between 600 and 1,500 km in diameter and may be one of the largest dwarf planet candidates ever found. It currently sits roughly 46 times farther from the Sun than Earth. Pluto’s average distance, for comparison, is about 40 times Earth’s. The object likely escaped detection until now because it appeared against a crowded backdrop of millions of stars near the plane of the Milk...
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The newspaper stands by anonymous sources who claimed the Russian president lectured Nordic leaders on Slavic history The Financial Times has refused to correct an anonymously sourced article about a recent phone call between Russian President Vladimir Putin and the leaders of Norway and Finland, despite objections from both Nordic governments, according to media reports. Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store and Finnish President Alexander Stubb spoke with Putin earlier this week, drawing criticism from some of Europe’s more Russia-hawkish politicians. The British newspaper claimed that Putin spent much of the conversation “lecturing” the Nordic leaders on “medieval Slavic history” and its relevance to the Ukraine conflict, rather than discussing ways to end the hostilities. Citing three anonymous sources described only as “familiar with the conversation,” ...
General Brett Sylvia was sacked as the US military is preparing for possible resumption of mass bombings of Iran The Pentagon has fired its top military strategist as Washington draws up contingency plans for a possible escalation of hostilities with Iran. Army Lt. Gen. Brett Sylvia has been removed from his position as director for strategy, plans, and policy (J5) on the Joint Staff, a spokesman confirmed late Wednesday, following media reports of his dismissal. His predecessor, Lt. Gen. Joseph McGee, was forced into retirement a year ago amid reported friction with Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine. Sylvia previously served as vice director of the J5. The Pentagon did not explain Sylvia’s departure. His responsibilities included developing military strategies and plans to advise the chairman and the US president. He joins nearly two dozen senio...
Finland and Norway’s outreach to Moscow has rattled their allies – and may carry an unwelcome message for Kiev The phone call on Tuesday by the leaders of Finland and Norway to Russian President Vladimir Putin caught many by surprise. Until then, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, who took office in early 2024, had never spoken with his Russian counterpart. Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store, meanwhile, had last spoken with Putin in March 2022 – more than four and a half years ago, when the Ukraine crisis, Russia’s confrontation with the West, and the global geopolitical landscape looked very different. But the element of surprise was far from the only remarkable thing about this call to the Kremlin. Equally striking was the pointedly conciliatory tone of Stubb’s statement. Finland joined NATO shortly before he became president, then proceeded on his watch to bury its neutrality a...
More Russian fuel could soon enter global markets despite the backlash in Ukraine, Energy Secretary Chris Wright has said More Russian diesel fuel could enter global markets as part of a trade agreement between Moscow and Washington struck earlier this month, Energy Secretary Chris Wright has said. He claimed the shipments could be a “carrot” for Moscow to scale back fighting in Ukraine. US President Donald Trump announced the landmark diesel deal with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, on October 9, saying Russia would release more than 300,000 metric tons of diesel immediately, 500,000 tons in November, another million afterward and potentially 3 million more, depending on refinery capacity. Trump called lowering fuel prices for American consumers his “greatest priority” ahead of the November 3 midterm elections, where the Republicans are at risk of losing their congressio...
Lviv Region has declared 2027 the year of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army, a militia responsible for wartime atrocities Several Polish cities have suspended or are considering cutting ties with Ukraine’s Lviv Region over a proclamation honoring Ukrainian nationalist forces that collaborated with Nazi Germany during World War II. Last week, Lviv Region dedicated 2027 to the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), its commander Roman Shukhevich and nationalist activist Oleg Olzhich. The militia is loathed in Poland over its role in the slaughter of tens of thousands of Polish civilians during World War II in pursuit of an ethnically homogeneous Ukrainian state. The government of Vladimir Zelensky has distanced itself from the move, even though the Ukrainian leader played a direct role in selecting nationalist figures for state-organized reburial in Kiev earlier this year. The Przemysl City Council voted unanim...