Nature Hub

    From: BBC World News By  :  Nick Levine Edited by : Amal Udawatta Getty Images (Credit: Getty Images) A Roman soldier who was killed for his Christian beliefs, Sebastian has been a hero for gay men over the centuries – from Oscar Wilde to Keith Haring. Here's why. Loaded and emotive, the term "gay icon" is often applied to resilient female celebrities like Judy Garland (embattled), Cher (high camp) and Madonna (tireless). When Dusty Springfield died in 1999, Pet Shop Boys singer Neil Tennant was asked why his friend and collaborator had become "such a gay icon". Tennant's response, as he recalled in a 2024 interview with Mojo , was pretty dismissive: "To call her a gay icon is simply to marginalise her. It's to say, 'She's only of interest to gay people.'" Tennant made a good point regarding Springfield, but attaining "gay icon" status can also be celebratory and subversive. This is certainly the case with Saint Seba...

     English Name: Small Minivets Sinhala Name: Kuda Minivetta Scientific Name: Pericrocotus cinnamomeus The smallest of the minivets; males have a slaty gray crown, cheeks, and back. They have a black throat and wings, while their tails are black with pale yellow edges. The breast is orange, gradually fading into yellowish-white underparts. The black wings also display a patch of orange. In contrast, females are duller than males, featuring light gray upperparts, cheeks, and crown; dark gray wings; a white throat; and light yellow underparts. Both males and females display an orange rump. They are usually seen in small flocks and frequently make high-pitched “swee swee” calls as they move around, feeding on insects. Sometimes, they catch insects mid-air like flycatchers. These birds inhabit various forested environments, particularly thorny jungles, scrub patches, and open dry forests. This picture was taken in my home garden in Kumbukgatte, Kurunegala, Sri Lanka Amal Ud...

From :- BBC World News   By :-  Pallab Ghosh, science correspondent, and Dan Sales Edited by :- Amal Udawatta Reuters Astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS) were ordered to shelter in an attached spacecraft after the structure suddenly started leaking more air. Five of the seven crew were directed to go into the docked SpaceX shuttle Dragon "Freedom" on Friday afternoon and were braced for a potential evacuation. Meanwhile, two remaining personnel - a pair of Russian cosmonauts - attempted to repair a part of the Russian segment of the ISS, where the leaks had started increasing on Monday. The repairs were paused and the crew ordered back onto the ISS by Nasa on Friday afternoon. Jessica Meir, Jack Hathaway, Sophie Adenot and Andrey Fedyaev, who arrived on the ISS in February, had been sheltering on the docked ship, along with another astronaut Chris Williams. They had been told to put on their spacesuits so they were ready to undock and return to Earth at short ...