First, Russia banned Mitch McConnell. Now Ukraine blacklists Rand Paul
WASHINGTON — Sen. Rand Paul has been placed on a Ukrainian blacklist for promoting “Russian propaganda,” following months of critical comments about U.S. involvement in the ongoing war.
The country’s Center for Countering Disinformation listed Kentucky’s junior senator among a group of politicians, academics and activists that it sees as hostile to the country as it continues to try to beat back Russia’s five-month invasion.
Former Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, military and geopolitical analyst Edward N. Luttwak and journalist Glenn Greenwald were also included on the list. The listing does not include specific reasons for blacklisting Paul, nor does it lay out consequences.
“While I have repeatedly said my sympathies lie with Ukraine, my loyalty is to the United States,” Paul said in a statement Tuesday. “My oath of office obligates me to defend the United States and that includes defending our country from incurring massive new debt no matter how worthy the cause.”
—McClatchy Washington Bureau
‘They look almost human made.’ NOAA finds weird lines of holes in mid-Atlantic floor
Scientists exploring a submerged mountain range in the mid-Atlantic stumbled onto something they can’t explain: an organized series of holes punched in the floor of the Atlantic Ocean.
The discovery was made July 23, and photos show the dots connect into nearly straight lines ... or trails ... or designs. NOAA Ocean Exploration isn’t yet sure how to explain it.
“We observed several of these sublinear sets of holes in the sediment. These holes have been previously reported from the region, but their origin remains a mystery,” NOAA Ocean Exploration reported. “While they look almost human made, the little piles of sediment around the holes make them seem like they were excavated by ... something.”
The July 23 dive reached depths of 1.7 miles while visiting the summit of an underwater volcano north of the Azores. A remotely operated camera was used to safely record the discoveries.
—The Charlotte Observer
Napping frequently linked to increased risk for high blood pressure, stroke
Don’t sleep your life away. According to a new study, published Monday in the American Heart Association journal Hypertension, napping on a regular basis triggers an elevated risk of developing high blood pressure and having a stroke.
Researchers found snoozing during daylight hours is associated with a 12% higher risk of blood pressure and a 24% higher risk of having a stroke when compared with those who never nap. Their findings are based on data from UK Biobank, a biomedical database that contains anonymized genetic and health information from half a million participants across the United Kingdom.
More than 500,000 people between the ages of 40 and 69 who lived in the United Kingdom between 2006 and 2010 were involved in the study. They regularly submitted blood, urine and saliva samples, as well as detailed information about their lifestyle. They also participated in a survey regarding daytime napping frequency four times between 2006 and 2019, with each round including at least 5,000 participants.
—New York Daily News
Russia plans to withdraw from International Space Station after 2024
MOSCOW — Russia plans to withdraw from the International Space Station (ISS) project after 2024, the new head of the Russian space agency Roscosmos, Yuri Borisov, said during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday.
"Of course, we will fulfill all our obligations, but the decision to exit the station after 2024 has been made," Borisov said. His predecessor, Dmitry Rogozin, had recently repeatedly questioned the cooperation with the United States amid political tensions between Moscow and Washington in the wake of the war in Ukraine.
Borisov said that the construction of a Russian space station should be started by the time of the exit.
Previously, Rogozin had not ruled out the possibility of uncoupling the Russian module from the ISS and continuing to operate it independently.
—dpa
