Latest news with #darkness
News24
4 hours ago
- Politics
- News24
Gaza seen from above: debris and darkness
The Gaza Strip, largely deprived of electricity by Israel since the start of the war, appears seven times less bright at night than before October 7, 2023, according to AFP analysis of NASA satellite data. Compared to the five months preceding the conflict, satellite images between January and May this year show a territory plunged into darkness. From above, the nighttime brightness of Gaza City has reduced by a factor of 16 in the intervening period. - One power plant - In 2022, the Palestinian territory was supplied with electricity for an average of 12 hours per day, according to statistics from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). This figure drops to zero for 2024. The war in Gaza was sparked by Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. Israel's retaliatory campaign has killed at least 60,034 people, also mostly civilians, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory. Israel imposed tight restrictions on the Gaza Strip from the very first days of the war, including on fuel. Due to lack of fuel, Gaza's sole power plant stopped functioning early in the conflict, and power lines coming from Israel have been cut. These two sources combined accounted for 43 percent of Gaza's electricity demand in 2022, with the rest left unmet. - As dark as a desert - AFP analysed NASA's Black Marble project, which measures ground radiance -- the power of the luminous radiation emitted for a given surface area -- almost daily. It allows measurements of this radiance at 2,100 different points within the Palestinian territory, spaced 500 metres apart. This data shows a sharp drop in radiance between October 10 and October 11, 2023, the shutdown date of Gaza's sole power plant. Some parts of the territory that were populated areas before the war are now as dimly lit as neighbouring desert regions like the Sinai Peninsula. Only certain locations, such as hospitals equipped with generators, are identifiable at night in Black Marble's data. For example the European Hospital is 70 percent more visible between January and May 2025 than the rest of Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza. One area where nighttime lighting in Gaza has remained consistent is the Philadelphi Corridor, a strip of land along the border between Gaza and Egypt, controlled by the Israeli military. And at its southeast end, the Kerem Shalom crossing, used by humanitarian aid trucks, is the only area brighter today than it was before the start of the war.
Al Arabiya
4 hours ago
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
Satellite images reveal Gaza plunged into darkness as power grid collapses amid Israel war
The Gaza Strip, largely deprived of electricity by Israel since the start of the war, appears seven times less bright at night than before October 7, 2023, according to AFP analysis of NASA satellite data. Compared to the five months preceding the conflict, satellite images between January and May this year show a territory plunged into darkness. From above, the nighttime brightness of Gaza City has reduced by a factor of 16 in the intervening period. One power plant In 2022, the Palestinian territory was supplied with electricity for an average of 12 hours per day, according to statistics from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). This figure drops to zero for 2024. The war in Gaza was sparked by Hamas's October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. Israel's retaliatory campaign has killed at least 60,034 people, also mostly civilians, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory. Israel imposed tight restrictions on the Gaza Strip from the very first days of the war, including on fuel. Due to lack of fuel, Gaza's sole power plant stopped functioning early in the conflict, and power lines coming from Israel have been cut. These two sources combined accounted for 43 percent of Gaza's electricity demand in 2022, with the rest left unmet. As dark as a desert AFP analyzed NASA's Black Marble project, which measures ground radiance -- the power of the luminous radiation emitted for a given surface area -- almost daily. It allows measurements of this radiance at 2,100 different points within the Palestinian territory, spaced 500 meters apart. This data shows a sharp drop in radiance between October 10 and October 11, 2023, the shutdown date of Gaza's sole power plant. Some parts of the territory that were populated areas before the war are now as dimly lit as neighboring desert regions like the Sinai Peninsula. Only certain locations, such as hospitals equipped with generators, are identifiable at night in Black Marble's data. For example the European Hospital is 70 percent more visible between January and May 2025 than the rest of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza. One area where nighttime lighting in Gaza has remained consistent is the Philadelphi Corridor, a strip of land along the border between Gaza and Egypt, controlled by the Israeli military. And at its southeast end, the Kerem Shalom crossing, used by humanitarian aid trucks, is the only area brighter today than it was before the start of the war.
CBC
3 days ago
- CBC
In a world of light pollution, this starry spot could become a top tourist destination
The Fundy-St. Martins area has rare darkness, making it a prime location for celestial viewing.
Yahoo
04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Orlando Bloom speaks of 'loneliness and darkness' amid split from fiancée Katy Perry
Orlando Bloom shared a post about 'loneliness and darkness' on Instagram on Wednesday after splitting with his fiancée Katy Perry. The 48-year-old actor shared quotes from psychiatrist Carl Jung to Instagram stories after it was revealed last week that he and Katy had separated. The quotes included: 'Loneliness does not come from having no people about one, but from being unable to communicate the things that seem important to oneself.' Another quote said: 'Even a happy life cannot be without a measure of darkness, and the word happy would lose its meaning if it were not balanced by sadness.' The singer shares four-year-old daughter Daisy Dove with Orlando, and the couple were together for nine years. It comes after Katy Perry's tearful performance in Australia, which included a heartfelt tribute to her fans following their split. In footage shared on X, Katy made a heart with her hands, struggling to hold back tears as she addressed the crowd in Adelaide. Katy Perry got emotional at the end of the last show of #THELIFETIMESTOUR in Australia 🥺♥️ — Katy Perry Tours (@KatyPerryTours) July 1, 2025 'Thank you Australia for always being there for me,' she said. The performance came just hours after Orlando shared a series of cryptic Instagram posts, including a quote from Buddha with his seven million followers. The quote said: 'Each day is a new beginning. What we do today is what matters most.' On another slide, a post titled 'Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda' said: 'The important thing is to take that first step. 'Bravely overcoming one small fear gives you the courage to take on the next.' A source close to the couple told Us Weekly: 'Katy and Orlando have split but are amicable,' adding that the separation has been 'not contentious' thus far. 'Katy is of course upset but is relieved to not have to go through another divorce, as that was the worst time in her life.' Following the news of the split, Orlando has been seen embracing his newly single status, living it up across Europe. The stops on his tour included a wild weekend at billionaire Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's wedding, and a star-studded night out on a yacht party in Rome - also attended by Naomi Campbell, Kendall Jenner and Sofia Vergara.
Daily Mail
03-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Orlando Bloom shares post about 'loneliness and darkness' amid split from fiancée Katy Perry split
Orlando Bloom has shared a post about 'loneliness and darkness' to Instagram on Wednesday following his split from his fiancée Katy Perry. The Lord Of The Rings star, 48, shared quotes from the late psychiatrist Carl Jung to his Stories after it was revealed last week that he and Katy have parted ways after nine years together. In a series of emotive quotes, he shared: 'Loneliness does not come from having no people about one, but from being unable to communicate the things that seem important to oneself.' Reposting another quote, Orlando touched on living in darkness and experiencing sadness. The quote read: 'Even a happy life cannot be without a measure of darkness, and the word happy would lose its meaning if it were not balanced by sadness.' His heartfelt sapienkind repost comes after Katy was seen fighting back tears while on-stage in Australia, as she paid tribute to her fans following their split. Orlando has shared these posts on his social media The singer, 40, who shares daughter Daisy Dove, four, with Orlando, was visibly emotional in footage from her last show Down Under amid the split. Orlando has been embracing his newly-single status with a week of partying across Europe, including a wild weekend at Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez 's wedding, followeed by a night out at a star-studded yacht bash in Rome. The actor appeared to allude to his split from Katy in a cryptic post to Instagram Stories on Monday. As Katy took to the stage for the final show of her Australian leg of her Lifetimes world tour on Tuesday, she fought back tears as the show came to a close. In footage posted on X, Katy made a heart with her fingers, before struggling to hold back tears as she spoke to the crowd at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre. 'Thank you Australia for always being there for me,' she said. It came just hours after Orlando shared a series of cryptic Instagram posts, sharing a quote from Gautama Buddha to his seven million followers. The quote that Orlando reposted read: 'Each day is a new beginning. What we do today is what matters most.' He additionally shared a separate slide which had another quote which was titled 'Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda.' It continued, 'The important thing is to take that first step. Bravely overcoming one small fear gives you the courage to take on the next.' Last week, it was revealed that Orlando and Katy officially called it quits after dating for nine years. At the time, a source told Us Weekly: 'Katy and Orlando have split but are amicable,' while also adding that the separation has been 'not contentious' thus far. 'Katy is of course upset but is relieved to not have to go through another divorce, as that was the worst time in her life.' The Teenage Dream hitmaker - who is currently embarking on her Lifetimes Tour - was previously married to Russell Brand from 2010 until their divorce in 2012. The insider further added that the reported breakup had been 'a long time coming' and that their relationship had also been 'tense for months.' In the wake of the separation, Orland whisked himself away to Venice to attend the star-studded nuptials between Jeff and Lauren this past weekend. The actor was spotted mingling with a number of celebrities, including Kim Kardashian and Sydney Sweeney. Orlando was also spotted living single life as he headed to another lavish party on Sunday. He danced the night away following his recent split from former fiancée Katy Perry as a guest on the swanky superyacht alongside 450 other VIPs including likes of Naomi Campbell, Kendall Jenner, Sofia Vergara and Heidi Klum. Fresh from three days partying, Orlando headed on board Ritz-Carlton's gleaming 794ft Luminara for its inaugural cruise from Rome. Orlando was also recently spotted cozying up to Leonardo DiCaprio's girlfriend, Vittoria Ceretti, during a water taxi ride as they headed to the airport following the Amazon founder's wedding this past weekend.
