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‘More toxic than ever’: Lahore and Delhi choked by smog as ‘pollution season’ begins
Fri, 01 Nov 2024 11:45:48 GMT
As air pollution hits toxic levels, one proposal is to introduce a ‘smog diplomacy’ initiative between Pakistan and India
As the smog descended over Lahore, people began to feel the familiar symptoms. First came the scratchy throat and burning eyes, then the dizziness, tightness in the chest and the dry racking cough.
“It’s become a physical ordeal just to go outdoors,” said Jawaria, 28, a master’s student living in the Pakistani city.
Continue reading...Security and defence will be difficult areas if the Republicans triumph but neither candidate seems keen on a trade deal with Britain
Early on Wednesday morning the results will start to trickle in from the most consequential US presidential election in a generation.
The result will set the path for the US’s relationship with a UK led by its first Labour government in 14 years. Keir Starmer and his team have sought to prepare themselves for either eventuality: a Kamala Harris victory, with its easier, more predictable consequences, or a second Donald Trump administration and the volatility that would bring.
Continue reading...Populist groups capitalising on costly environmental policies that affect farmers by offering them support
The painful impacts of the climate crisis and globalisation have left farmers in Europe marginalised and vulnerable to populist politicians, warn anti-racism campaigners and academics.
They argue that if the transition to a low-carbon economy is not properly funded, planned and equitable, it risks fuelling a resurgence of the far right across the continent.
Continue reading...Tyre Extinguishers group stencils ‘These cars kill Valencians’ on 4x4s in city to highlight SUVs’ role in climate crisis
Climate activists in Scotland have carried out a series of actions against SUV cars, saying they are acting in solidarity with the victims of the Valencia floods.
The Tyre Extinguishers have called on their supporters to take actions against SUV cars in their areas, after members of the group in Edinburgh stencilled the sides of targeted vehicles on Sunday night with the words: “These cars kill Valencians.”
Continue reading...Exclusive: Researchers find treatment plants designed to clean up leachate liquid waste boost levels of banned PFAS
Processes intended to decontaminate noxious liquid landfill waste before it enters rivers and sewers have been found to increase the levels of some of the worst toxic chemicals, a study has shown.
Landfills are well known to be a main source of PFAS forever chemicals – or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances – but the new study shows that the treatment plants designed to clean up the liquid waste can instead boost the levels of banned PFAS such as PFOA and PFOS, in some cases by as much as 1,335%.
Continue reading...Representatives at the Cop16 summit in Colombia negotiated against a backdrop of extreme weather and ecosystem collapse
As world leaders gathered in Colombia this week, they also watched for news from home, where many of the headlines carried the catastrophic consequences of ecological breakdown. Across the Amazon rainforest and Brazil’s enormous wetlands, relentless fires had burned more than 22m hectares (55m acres). In Spain, the death toll in communities devastated by flooding passed 200. In the boreal forests that span Siberia, Scandinavia, Alaska and Canada, countries were recording alarming signs that their carbon sinks were collapsing under a combined weight of drought, tree death and logging. As Canada’s wildfire season crept to a close, scientists calculated it was the second worst in two decades – behind only last year’s burn, which released more carbon than some of the world’s largest emitting countries.
In global negotiations, climate and nature move along two independent tracks, and for years were broadly treated as distinct challenges. But as negotiations closed at the Cop16 biodiversity summit in Cali on Saturday, ministers from around the world underscored the crucial importance of nature to limiting damage from global heating, and vice versa – emphasising that climate and biodiversity could no longer be treated as independent issues if either crisis was to be resolved. Countries agreed a text on links between the climate and nature, but failed to include language on a phase out of fossil fuels.
Continue reading...No amount of disinformation can hide the truth about why Putin wants to help Trump win again in 2024.
The post The Trump Campaign’s Ties to Russia Were No Hoax appeared first on The Intercept.
Progressive Americans opposed to Israel’s U.S.-funded war in Gaza face a difficult choice: whether or not to vote for Harris.
The post “Every Choice Is Loss”: Voters on Their Decision Amid Genocide in Gaza appeared first on The Intercept.
SEMrush and Ahrefs are among
the most popular tools in the SEO industry. Both companies have been in
business for years and have thousands of customers per month.
If you're a professional SEO or trying to do digital
marketing on your own, at some point you'll likely consider using a tool to
help with your efforts. Ahrefs and SEMrush are two names that will likely
appear on your shortlist.
In this guide, I'm going to help you learn more about these SEO tools and how to choose the one that's best for your purposes.
What is SEMrush?
SEMrush is a popular SEO tool with a wide range of
features—it's the leading competitor research service for online marketers.
SEMrush's SEO Keyword Magic tool offers over 20 billion Google-approved
keywords, which are constantly updated and it's the largest keyword database.
The program was developed in 2007 as SeoQuake is a
small Firefox extension
Features
Ahrefs is a leading SEO platform that offers a set of
tools to grow your search traffic, research your competitors, and monitor your
niche. The company was founded in 2010, and it has become a popular choice
among SEO tools. Ahrefs has a keyword index of over 10.3 billion keywords and
offers accurate and extensive backlink data updated every 15-30 minutes and it
is the world's most extensive backlink index database.
Features
Direct Comparisons: Ahrefs vs SEMrush
Now that you know a little more about each tool, let's
take a look at how they compare. I'll analyze each tool to see how they differ
in interfaces, keyword research resources, rank tracking, and competitor
analysis.
User Interface
Ahrefs and SEMrush both offer comprehensive information
and quick metrics regarding your website's SEO performance. However, Ahrefs
takes a bit more of a hands-on approach to getting your account fully set up,
whereas SEMrush's simpler dashboard can give you access to the data you need
quickly.
In this section, we provide a brief overview of the elements
found on each dashboard and highlight the ease with which you can complete
tasks.
AHREFS
The Ahrefs dashboard is less cluttered than that of
SEMrush, and its primary menu is at the very top of the page, with a search bar
designed only for entering URLs.
Additional features of the Ahrefs platform include:
SEMRUSH
When you log into the SEMrush Tool, you will find four
main modules. These include information about your domains, organic keyword
analysis, ad keyword, and site traffic.
You'll also find some other options like
Both Ahrefs and SEMrush have user-friendly dashboards,
but Ahrefs is less cluttered and easier to navigate. On the other hand, SEMrush
offers dozens of extra tools, including access to customer support resources.
When deciding on which dashboard to use, consider what
you value in the user interface, and test out both.
If you're looking to track your website's search engine
ranking, rank tracking features can help. You can also use them to monitor your
competitors.
Let's take a look at Ahrefs vs. SEMrush to see which
tool does a better job.
The Ahrefs Rank Tracker is simpler to use. Just type in
the domain name and keywords you want to analyze, and it spits out a report
showing you the search engine results page (SERP) ranking for each keyword you
enter.
Rank Tracker looks at the ranking performance of
keywords and compares them with the top rankings for those keywords. Ahrefs
also offers:
You'll see metrics that help you understand your
visibility, traffic, average position, and keyword difficulty.
It gives you an idea of whether a keyword would be
profitable to target or not.
SEMRush offers a tool called Position Tracking. This
tool is a project tool—you must set it up as a new project. Below are a few of
the most popular features of the SEMrush Position Tracking tool:
All subscribers are given regular data updates and
mobile search rankings upon subscribing
The platform provides opportunities to track several
SERP features, including Local tracking.
Intuitive reports allow you to track statistics for the
pages on your website, as well as the keywords used in those pages.
Identify pages that may be competing with each other
using the Cannibalization report.
Ahrefs is a more user-friendly option. It takes seconds
to enter a domain name and keywords. From there, you can quickly decide whether
to proceed with that keyword or figure out how to rank better for other
keywords.
SEMrush allows you to check your mobile rankings and
ranking updates daily, which is something Ahrefs does not offer. SEMrush also
offers social media rankings, a tool you won't find within the Ahrefs platform.
Both are good which one do you like let me know in the comment.
Keyword research is closely related to rank tracking,
but it's used for deciding which keywords you plan on using for future content
rather than those you use now.
When it comes to SEO, keyword research is the most
important thing to consider when comparing the two platforms.
The Ahrefs Keyword Explorer provides you with thousands
of keyword ideas and filters search results based on the chosen search engine.
Ahrefs supports several features, including:
SEMrush's Keyword Magic Tool has over 20 billion
keywords for Google. You can type in any keyword you want, and a list of
suggested keywords will appear.
The Keyword Magic Tool also lets you to:
Both of these tools offer keyword research features and
allow users to break down complicated tasks into something that can be
understood by beginners and advanced users alike.
If you're interested in keyword suggestions, SEMrush
appears to have more keyword suggestions than Ahrefs does. It also continues to
add new features, like the Keyword Gap tool and SERP Questions recommendations.
Both platforms offer competitor analysis tools,
eliminating the need to come up with keywords off the top of your head. Each
tool is useful for finding keywords that will be useful for your competition so
you know they will be valuable to you.
Ahrefs' domain comparison tool lets you compare up to five websites (your website and four competitors) side-by-side.it also shows you how your site is ranked against others with metrics such as backlinks, domain ratings, and more.
Use the Competing Domains section to see a list of your
most direct competitors, and explore how many keywords matches your competitors
have.
To find more information about your competitor, you can
look at the Site Explorer and Content Explorer tools and type in their URL
instead of yours.
SEMrush provides a variety of insights into your
competitors' marketing tactics. The platform enables you to research your
competitors effectively. It also offers several resources for competitor
analysis including:
Traffic Analytics helps you identify where your
audience comes from, how they engage with your site, what devices visitors use
to view your site, and how your audiences overlap with other websites.
SEMrush's Organic Research examines your website's
major competitors and shows their organic search rankings, keywords they are
ranking for, and even if they are ranking for any (SERP) features and more.
The Market Explorer search field allows you to type in
a domain and lists websites or articles similar to what you entered. Market
Explorer also allows users to perform in-depth data analytics on These
companies and markets.
SEMrush wins here because it has more tools dedicated to
competitor analysis than Ahrefs. However, Ahrefs offers a lot of functionality
in this area, too. It takes a combination of both tools to gain an advantage
over your competition.
When it comes to keyword data research, you will become
confused about which one to choose.
Consider choosing Ahrefs if you
Consider SEMrush if you:
Both tools are great. Choose the one which meets your
requirements and if you have any experience using either Ahrefs or SEMrush let
me know in the comment section which works well for you.
Students, apprentices and care leavers over 18 can apply for travel discount cards in phased reopening of service
Transport for London has reopened applications for some Oyster photocards after a cyber-attack in September forced it to close down many online services.
Students, apprentices and care leavers over 18 can now apply for the discount cards that permit travel at reduced rates, but over-60s and schoolchildren will have to wait until later in the month as TfL tackles the backlog in a phased reintroduction.
Continue reading...John and Funmilayo Abe’s famed Abi Morocco photographic studio captured generations of Nigerians on camera
This picture was taken at a famous photographic studio in Lagos in 1979. The studio, Abi Morocco, was run by a husband-and-wife team, John and Funmilayo Abe, from the 1970s to 2006, and captured images of generations of Nigerians during decades in which the exponentially growing city became the unofficial street-style capital of Africa and the world. The picture is included in a new exhibition that traces the place of the staged portrait in that story – in the years before smartphones and Instagram rendered many high street studios obsolete.
The exhibition is derived from an evolving project called Lagos Studio Archives that is the work of two artists and curators, Karl Ohiri and Riikka Kassinnen, which now involves the preservation of thousands of film negatives from that period. The project began when Ohiri, based in London, travelled to Owerri in southern Nigeria in 2015 to visit family. While he was there, he met a local portrait photographer and asked if he might look at his archive of images. The photographer told him that he had thrown out and destroyed all his negatives as they were taking up too much space. When Ohiri asked around other photographers, he often heard the same story. He raised funds from different foundations to create the archive project and preserve the negatives that remained.
Continue reading...Progressive Americans opposed to Israel’s U.S.-funded war in Gaza face a difficult choice: whether or not to vote for Harris.
The post “Every Choice Is Loss”: Voters on Their Decision Amid Genocide in Gaza appeared first on The Intercept.
A ballot initiative to enshrine reproductive rights in the state constitution has a groundswell of support. Its success hinges on turnout.
The post Missouri Could Become the First State to Overturn a Total Abortion Ban appeared first on The Intercept.
Israeli travellers told to evacuate area immediately as police set up patrols and roadblocks
The golden sands of Sri Lanka’s Arugam Bay are usually carefree, a place for tourists to surf the famous break and relax on the beach.
But last week, the slow rhythm of the bay was dealt a shock. The US embassy, followed up by Sri Lankan police and Israel’s national security council, warned of a serious terrorist threat in the area. Israeli travellers were believed to be the intended target of a planned attack and were told to evacuate immediately. Hundreds of police and senior intelligence officials descended on the small coastal town, setting up patrols and road blocks.
Continue reading...Ahmed Ghanim said no thanks — but the ejection could be the kind of thing that drives Arab and Muslim voters to Trump.
The post Michigan Muslim Booted From Kamala Harris Rally Says Team Trump Asked Him to Star in Campaign Ad appeared first on The Intercept.
From biking adventures to city breaks, get inspiration for your next break – whether in the UK or further afield – with twice-weekly emails from the Guardian’s travel editors. You’ll also receive handpicked offers from Guardian Holidays.
From biking adventures to city breaks, get inspiration for your next break – whether in the UK or further afield – with twice-weekly emails from the Guardian’s travel editors.
You’ll also receive handpicked offers from Guardian Holidays.
Continue reading...The fight over a sweepstakes by Musk and his America PAC will likely go to federal court after a judge paused a local lawsuit.
The post Elon Musk Can Keep Throwing Cash at Voters for Now appeared first on The Intercept.
The Florida governor is taking unprecedented steps to undermine citizen-led efforts to protect abortion rights and legalize marijuana.
The post Inside Ron DeSantis’s Quest to Trample the Will of Florida Voters on Abortion appeared first on The Intercept.
Case follows numerous attacks on the voting process and threats of violence, even as officials say voting is safe
A man in Illinois punched an election judge at a polling location and was arrested on Sunday, two days before the climax of the US presidential race, according to authorities.
The man, identified as 24-year-old Daniel Schmidt, was charged with two counts of aggravated battery to a victim over 60, two counts of aggravated battery in a public place, and five misdemeanor counts of resisting arrest and one count of disorderly conduct.
Continue reading...Murray Sinclair praised by prime minister for pioneering country’s Indigenous reconciliation efforts
Murray Sinclair, the Anishinaabe judge, senator and university chancellor, who reshaped Canada’s legal system and forced the public to confront the brutal realities of the Indigenous residential school system, has died at the age of 73.
Sinclair – whose spirit name was Mizhana Gheezhik, meaning “The One Who Speaks of Pictures in the Sky” – was a champion of Indigenous rights and reconciliation efforts, dedicating his life to reversing the stark inequties many Indigenous communities face as the result of colonial policy.
Continue reading...Sheinbaum accuses court of overstepping as it prepares to vote on reform that makes almost all judges elected by vote
Mexican president Claudia Sheinbaum has accused the country’s supreme court of overstepping its functions and “trying to change what the people of Mexico decided” as it prepares to discuss whether to strike down parts of a transformative judicial reform.
The court is expected to vote on Tuesday whether the controversial reform violates other parts of the constitution, setting up a showdown with Sheinbaum barely a month into her government.
Continue reading...Alan Tanner suggests a way forward in terms of compensation figures. Plus letters from Jocelyn Robson, Zaki Cooper and Terry Fulton
Kojo Koram says Keir Starmer should engage with the argument about reparations, in part to help keep “the size of the cash transfer politically palatable” (Here’s what Keir Starmer gets wrong about reparations: we’ve made them before, but now we have to do it right, 30 October). Surely this goes to the heart of the problem. With figures mooted on behalf of claimants being of the order of £18tn, no British prime minister who has any thought of long-term survival can engage realistically with a process that would more than totally bankrupt their country. Indeed, no one appears, in our media at least, to have explained exactly what the claimant countries would do with such vast sums should they receive them.
Interestingly, Koram points out that the £20m paid to enslavers via the 1837 Slave Compensation Act is “worth about £17bn today”. Such a figure is surely a much more sensible basis to start a discussion about enhanced development aid for the Caricom countries. Indeed, as this is in the ballpark of other domestic compensation schemes, such as the £11.8bn being set aside for victims of the infected blood scandal, it might prove harder for the prime minister to resist a similar discussion around slavery.
Alan Tanner
Staunton on Wye, Herefordshire
Old rules about whether to say sofa or settee, loo or toilet, are disappearing down the pan. But will we find new ways to judge each other on how we talk?
Rejoice: British class distinctions are finally crumbling. Yes, the gap between rich and poor is as big as ever and I am, inexplicably, unhappily, aware that Tatler’s “most eligible singles” list exists and features a princess, a lord, a lady, a Getty and a Goldsmith. But forget all that: it’s practically Scandinavia here now that the Prince of Wales has been heard saying “Pleased to meet you” – a phrase, I learn, that is traditionally considered social death. (What should one say instead? Perhaps nothing, just fix the person with an icily underwhelmed stare? I could get into that.)
On top of that, new research suggests different social classes have stopped using different words for the thing we sit on in front of the television. The non-U (U as in upper class) “settee” is dying out and we all mostly say “sofa”. Then there’s the other thing we all sit on: we call it the loo or toilet indiscriminately now, irrespective of where we went to school.
Continue reading...Donald Trump is spreading misinformation about allegedly fraudulent voter registration in Lancaster County.
The post Top Election Official in Pennsylvania’s Lancaster County Hobnobs With Election Deniers appeared first on The Intercept.
Climate activist Nyombi Morris became outspoken about LGBTQ+ rights after his sister was outed as a lesbian and expelled from school. Last year, Uganda passed a new law that imposes up to 20 years in prison for 'recruitment, promotion and funding' of same-sex 'activities', and life imprisonment or the death penalty for certain same-sex acts. After Morris received an anonymous call threatening to rape and arrest him if he did not stop 'promoting homosexuality', the 26-year-old went into hiding for a few weeks and then, with the help of the Uganda-based human rights group Defend Defenders, fled to Denmark where he has applied for asylum.
Continue reading...Against the odds, three Iraqi men could bring CACI to justice for the government contractor’s alleged role in Abu Ghraib abuses.
The post Abu Ghraib Torture Trial Against Virginia-Based Defense Contractor Begins Again appeared first on The Intercept.
Veterans of California’s Fontana Police Department blow the whistle about the racism within its ranks.
The post An Insurrectionist Once Helped Lead This Police Department. Insiders Speak Out About Its Culture of White Supremacy. appeared first on The Intercept.
Harris in Pennsylvania on final day before election; Trump hammers on immigration policy in North Carolina
Here is a look back at some of the more memorable pictures of the 2024 US presidential campaign:
In an interview with NBC News, Donald Trump did not rule out banning certain vaccines if he was elected to a second presidential term.
Continue reading...Researchers reveal the significant role the Danish firm has played in delivering military goods to Israel, including armored vehicles.
The post Shipping Giant Maersk Violated Spanish Embargo on Sending Military Goods to Israel, Researchers Say appeared first on The Intercept.
Detailed plans from 30 oil and gas producers come amid historic levels of potent planet-heating emissions
A powerful US oil and gas industry lobby group has drawn up detailed plans to kill off penalties for emitting methane, a potent planet-heating gas that’s increasing at the fastest rate in decades, with this effort led by a major donor to Donald Trump whose company has just been fined for methane pollution.
Leaked internal documents from the American Exploration & Production Council (AXPC), a group of 30 oil and gas producers, outline a push to repeal a fee levied on methane emissions should the former US president win this week’s election and Republicans gain control of Congress.
Continue reading...Harris and Trump’s policy priorities, polls and paths to victory: a complete guide to the White House race
The 60th US presidential election will decide the 47th president – widely held to be the most powerful job in the world – and 50th vice-president. The candidates and their supporters are describing it as the most important election of their lifetimes, with democracy and the American way of life at stake. Record amounts of money have been raised and spent on campaign ads and ground games. Media coverage in print, on TV, online and on podcasts has never been more intense – or more polarised.
All 435 seats in the House of Representatives are up for grabs, along with 34 of the 100 seats in the Senate, which together will decide the membership of the 119th US Congress. Thirteen state and territorial governorships and numerous other state and local elections will take place.
Continue reading...No amount of disinformation can hide the truth about why Putin wants to help Trump win again in 2024.
The post The Trump Campaign’s Ties to Russia Were No Hoax appeared first on The Intercept.
The Intercept Briefing is a new podcast from The Intercept.
The post Listen: Why Progressive Legislators Live in Fear of AIPAC appeared first on The Intercept.
Former Sen. Kelly Ayotte says she’d oppose new abortion restrictions in New Hampshire — but she hasn’t disavowed her previous anti-abortion stances.
The post GOP Candidate Runs From Anti-Abortion Record in Tight Gubernatorial Race appeared first on The Intercept.
A ballot initiative to enshrine reproductive rights in the state constitution has a groundswell of support. Its success hinges on turnout.
The post Missouri Could Become the First State to Overturn a Total Abortion Ban appeared first on The Intercept.
Former VA officials warn that another Trump term could irreparably damage the health care system for millions of veterans.
The post Trump’s Cronies Threw the VA Into Chaos. Millions of Veterans’ Lives Are on the Line Again. appeared first on The Intercept.
Ahmed Ghanim said no thanks — but the ejection could be the kind of thing that drives Arab and Muslim voters to Trump.
The post Michigan Muslim Booted From Kamala Harris Rally Says Team Trump Asked Him to Star in Campaign Ad appeared first on The Intercept.
A regional Middle East conflict could draw in Russia — and present China with an opportunity to strike out for its own interests.
The post How the Israeli Attack on Iran Could Seed a New World War appeared first on The Intercept.
ESA and Thales Alenia Space have signed a contract amendment today at the International Astronautical Congress in Milan to extend the Lunar View refuelling module for the lunar Gateway.
Just how excited should we be about LaKe, the substance discovered by researchers at Denmark’s Aarhus University?
Can a pill really mimic all the beneficial effects of exercise? You’d think so from some of the stories about substances that “could make going to the gym unnecessary”. There was another rash of these a few weeks ago, when researchers from Aarhus University in Denmark announced that a drug called LaKe “brings the body into a metabolic state corresponding to running 10km at high speed on an empty stomach”. But what’s going on here? Even if a pill can replicate parts of what exercise does for us, how useful is that, really?
First things first: the most commonly accepted term for drugs like LaKe is “mimetics”, because what they do, as a rule, is mimic the biological effects of working out without the need to actually break a sweat. The idea has been around for a while: in 2008, San Diego’s Salk Institute introduced the world to a drug called GW501516 (516 for short), which signals key genes to burn fat instead of sugar, helping rodent test subjects run for longer without hitting the proverbial wall.
Continue reading...Way back in 2018, people noticed that you could find secret military bases using data published by the Strava fitness app. Soldiers and other military personal were using them to track their runs, and you could look at the public data and find places where there should be no people running.
Six years later, the problem remains. Le Monde has reported that the same Strava data can be used to track the movements of world leaders. They don’t wear the tracking device, but many of their bodyguards do.
New Criterion series highlights the work of the actor and director who delivered powerful, provocative performances
When Ida Lupino starred opposite Humphrey Bogart in Raoul Walsh’s gritty film noir High Sierra, it was her name, not Bogie’s, at the top of the poster. This nail-biting movie with its terrific mountainside climax is about a released convict forced back into another heist, and the taxi dancer he can’t shake off. Lupino plays the dancer, a woman longing for an exit strategy from her tawdry world, and she transforms the role into something more than a type, with an unexpectedly authentic air of desperation. The film made household names out of both its leads, but for Lupino, as for Bogart, there was no such thing as overnight success.
Lupino’s own breakthrough came after seven years in Hollywood and a lifetime in showbusiness. She always refused the easy option and fought hard for her wins. Hedda Hopper neatly said Lupino had made her career out of combining “three little words – talent, nerve and courage – to spell success”.
Continue reading...ITV deployed a series of editing techniques to remove all imagery of a watermelon — a long-standing icon of Palestinian solidarity.
The post Watch: Before and After Editors Censored a “Big Brother” Contestant’s Watermelon Shirt appeared first on The Intercept.
Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) are the most popular digital assets today, capturing the attention of cryptocurrency investors, whales and people from around the world. People find it amazing that some users spend thousands or millions of dollars on a single NFT-based image of a monkey or other token, but you can simply take a screenshot for free. So here we share some freuently asked question about NFTs.
NFT stands for non-fungible token, which is a cryptographic token on a blockchain with unique identification codes that distinguish it from other tokens. NFTs are unique and not interchangeable, which means no two NFTs are the same. NFTs can be a unique artwork, GIF, Images, videos, Audio album. in-game items, collectibles etc.
A blockchain is a distributed digital ledger that allows for the secure storage of data. By recording any kind of information—such as bank account transactions, the ownership of Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs), or Decentralized Finance (DeFi) smart contracts—in one place, and distributing it to many different computers, blockchains ensure that data can’t be manipulated without everyone in the system being aware.
The value of an NFT comes from its ability to be traded freely and securely on the blockchain, which is not possible with other current digital ownership solutionsThe NFT points to its location on the blockchain, but doesn’t necessarily contain the digital property. For example, if you replace one bitcoin with another, you will still have the same thing. If you buy a non-fungible item, such as a movie ticket, it is impossible to replace it with any other movie ticket because each ticket is unique to a specific time and place.
One of the unique characteristics of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) is that they can be tokenised to create a digital certificate of ownership that can be bought, sold and traded on the blockchain.
As with crypto-currency, records of who owns what are stored on a ledger that is maintained by thousands of computers around the world. These records can’t be forged because the whole system operates on an open-source network.
NFTs also contain smart contracts—small computer programs that run on the blockchain—that give the artist, for example, a cut of any future sale of the token.
Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) aren't cryptocurrencies, but they do use blockchain technology. Many NFTs are based on Ethereum, where the blockchain serves as a ledger for all the transactions related to said NFT and the properties it represents.5) How to make an NFT?
Anyone can create an NFT. All you need is a digital wallet, some ethereum tokens and a connection to an NFT marketplace where you’ll be able to upload and sell your creations
When you purchase a stock in NFT, that purchase is recorded on the blockchain—the bitcoin ledger of transactions—and that entry acts as your proof of ownership.
The value of an NFT varies a lot based on the digital asset up for grabs. People use NFTs to trade and sell digital art, so when creating an NFT, you should consider the popularity of your digital artwork along with historical statistics.
In the year 2021, a digital artist called Pak created an artwork called The Merge. It was sold on the Nifty Gateway NFT market for $91.8 million.
Non-fungible tokens can be used in investment opportunities. One can purchase an NFT and resell it at a profit. Certain NFT marketplaces let sellers of NFTs keep a percentage of the profits from sales of the assets they create.
Many people want to buy NFTs because it lets them support the arts and own something cool from their favorite musicians, brands, and celebrities. NFTs also give artists an opportunity to program in continual royalties if someone buys their work. Galleries see this as a way to reach new buyers interested in art.
There are many places to buy digital assets, like opensea and their policies vary. On top shot, for instance, you sign up for a waitlist that can be thousands of people long. When a digital asset goes on sale, you are occasionally chosen to purchase it.
To mint an NFT token, you must pay some amount of gas fee to process the transaction on the Etherum blockchain, but you can mint your NFT on a different blockchain called Polygon to avoid paying gas fees. This option is available on OpenSea and this simply denotes that your NFT will only be able to trade using Polygon's blockchain and not Etherum's blockchain. Mintable allows you to mint NFTs for free without paying any gas fees.
The answer is no. Non-Fungible Tokens are minted on the blockchain using cryptocurrencies such as Etherum, Solana, Polygon, and so on. Once a Non-Fungible Token is minted, the transaction is recorded on the blockchain and the contract or license is awarded to whoever has that Non-Fungible Token in their wallet.
You can sell your work and creations by attaching a license to it on the blockchain, where its ownership can be transferred. This lets you get exposure without losing full ownership of your work. Some of the most successful projects include Cryptopunks, Bored Ape Yatch Club NFTs, SandBox, World of Women and so on. These NFT projects have gained popularity globally and are owned by celebrities and other successful entrepreneurs. Owning one of these NFTs gives you an automatic ticket to exclusive business meetings and life-changing connections.
That’s a wrap. Hope you guys found this article enlightening. I just answer some question with my limited knowledge about NFTs. If you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to drop them in the comment section below. Also I have a question for you, Is bitcoin an NFTs? let me know in The comment section below
The chef and author serves a trio of dishes that borrow from the Cantonese and Vietnamese playbook, with tofu and vegetables receiving the star treatment
This recipe was born some time during lockdown. At that time I realised if I’m to eat seasonally, there will be an abundance of the same vegetable in my garden. Hence the creation of char siu-flavoured cauliflower, which gave me one more exciting way to serve this brassica when I had a glut. Packed with the flavours of a great char siu, it’s seriously delicious and a joy to eat. Presenting a whole cauliflower in its glorious roasted splendour is increasingly popular and also a visual treat.
Continue reading...Games in the region were called off but elsewhere, players and coaches with ties to the area had to push grief aside
Thousands of people were at Mestalla this weekend, huge queues all along Avenida de Aragón where Valencia’s players arrived, but there was no game on, not here. They came instead with water, food and clothes for victims of the greatest natural catastrophe the country has seen: floods that have killed more than 210 people and destroyed towns and lives in the Horta Sud, just inland and south of the city, where a year’s worth of rain fell in eight hours. Hundreds of cars and vans turned up and unloaded, and many more made their way by foot. More than a million tonnes of aid filled the space under the stand, silent above them.
Three-and-a-half kilometres away at the Ciutat de València, home of second-division Levante, the scene was much the same. Across the bridges that connect the city to the areas hit hardest, more came, carrying shovels and buckets. On the morning that Valencia had been due to play Real Madrid, 10,000 volunteers gathered at the Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències, taken by bus to the areas affected, when they could get there at all. In the mud with them were some of the footballers they should have been watching at Mestalla.
Continue reading...From Valencia’s floods to Prince William’s rents, any reminder of the gap between the haves and the have-nots can wipe out centuries of deference
There was something so incongruous about the sight of King Felipe of Spain, mud-splattered by raging elements of a crowd in Paiporta, a suburb of Valencia. It’s a timeless royal tradition, to take a walkabout through a fresh disaster. It’s meant to show empathy and leadership, and ideally something even more profound: a togetherness of nationhood that transcends any gulf of status. It’s meant to be healing.
It does, however, require from the public a hell of a lot of deference, to overlook certain things: for instance, that your home is destroyed, you have no food or nappies, and this guy in his pristine shirt and cargo pants will shortly get back in his SUV and go home to his dry and exquisitely appointed quarters. You’d have to avoid asking questions such as: how much is this helping? Wouldn’t it have been preferable to have had some warning of the floods, rather than commiseration afterwards? Is it too soon for a ceremonial visit, when weather warnings are still in place and possibly up to 2,000 people are still unaccounted for? But is it also too late, as one resident shouted: “It’s been four days – where have you been? You’ve just come here to pose for pictures. You have no shame!”
Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here.
Continue reading...Crisp the chicken skin on the hob first, then simply whack it in the oven and serve with lemon-spiked butter bean mash and greens
This recipe is in memory of my late ex-husband, the academic Ken Millard, who used to pan-fry chicken par excellence and who gave me the idea for the first Roasting Tin book. This is the version I made for our honeymoon in Paris, adding rosemary, garlic and lemon, and using the same trick as for crisp-skinned duck: you start off the chicken skin side down in a cold pan on the hob, then flip it over and finish in a hot oven. It’s an easy weeknight dish, and works beautifully with the lemon-spiked butter bean mash and greens. A great dish for a wonderful man.
Continue reading...Everything is easier with modern technology – except fulfilling your true potential
The convenience of modern life is nothing short of astounding. As I write this, my phone is wirelessly sending some of the greatest hits from the 1700s (Bach, if you must know) to my portable speaker. I could use that same device to, within moments, get a car to pick me up, have food delivered to my house, or start chatting with someone on a dating app. To human beings from even the recent past this technology would be, to quote Arthur C Clarke’s third law, indistinguishable from magic.
The fact that, as a culture, we seek out and celebrate such short cuts is understandable. They take much of the tedium out of life, make it easier to have fun, and save us time and energy. That said, most people are able to intuit that convenience has a darker side.
Continue reading...Children for Change contains stories, poems, and illustrations from more than 80 collaborators including Jamie Oliver, Mary Portas, David Baddiel and Adam Kay
Konnie Huq, Jamie Oliver, David Baddiel, Adam Kay, Mary Portas and Joseph Coelho are among those collaborating on an ebook about the climate crisis which will be free to access for every UK primary school.
The ebook, Children for Change, is edited by Huq and features contributions from more than 80 writers, illustrators, environmentalists and young people including Tom Gates author Liz Pichon, The Gruffalo illustrator Axel Scheffler and TV presenter Chris Packham.
Continue reading...They are the couple who became pop stars and anti-poverty campaigners, fundraising for food banks with their songs about sausage rolls. Then came threats so extreme the anti-terror police stepped in ...
A modern Christmas without a LadBaby charity single, some might say, is like sausage meat without the pastry, but it’s something we now have to adjust to. Between 2018 and 2022, Mark and Roxanne Hoyle, the husband-and-wife team behind the social media brand LadBaby, had the Christmas No 1 – for such things still matter – sewn up. With their fifth, they broke the record set by the Beatles. One year, they collaborated with Elton John and Ed Sheeran. Then last year, they decided they’d had enough. What had started as a joke, and a way to raise money for the food bank charity the Trussell Trust (now known as Trussell), had become more successful than they’d ever thought possible.
It also came with a backlash, after allegations spread online that the Hoyles were pocketing the money. They received a deluge of online abuse, threats in public and blackmail attempts. They were labelled grifters and, worse, Tories (in a 2019 Guardian interview, they had declined to say how they voted). Mark started experiencing panic attacks, something he still lives with. Now they’ve written a memoir, Our LadBaby Journey, detailing much of this, and it seems a bit of a cautionary tale – what happens when two ordinary people become online celebrities, and some silly Christmas songs about sausage rolls end with threats and the police involved.
Continue reading...Sudan, South Sudan, Mali, Palestine and Haiti rated at level of highest concern in latest six-monthly analysis
Acute food insecurity is expected to worsen in war-stricken Sudan and nearly two dozen other countries and territories in the next six months, largely as a result of conflict and violence, an analysis by the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization and World Food Programme has found.
The latest edition of the twice-yearly Hunger Hotspots report, published on Thursday, provides early warnings on food crises and situations around the world where food insecurity is likely to worsen, with a focus on the most severe and deteriorating situations of acute hunger.
Continue reading...A weekly email from Yotam Ottolenghi, Meera Sodha, Felicity Cloake and Rachel Roddy, featuring the latest recipes and seasonal eating ideas
Each week we’ll send you an exclusive newsletter from our star food writers. We’ll also send you the latest recipes from Yotam Ottolenghi, Nigel Slater, Meera Sodha and all our star cooks, stand-out food features and seasonal eating inspiration, plus restaurant reviews from Grace Dent and Jay Rayner.
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Continue reading...Style, with substance: what’s really trending this week, a roundup of the best fashion journalism and your wardrobe dilemmas solved, direct to your inbox every Thursday
Style, with substance: what’s really trending this week, a roundup of the best fashion journalism and your wardrobe dilemmas solved, delivered straight to your inbox every Thursday
Explore all our newsletters: whether you love film, football, fashion or food, we’ve got something for you
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Imagine a world in which you can do transactions and many other things without having to give your personal information. A world in which you don’t need to rely on banks or governments anymore. Sounds amazing, right? That’s exactly what blockchain technology allows us to do.
It’s like your computer’s hard drive. blockchain is a technology that lets you store data in digital blocks, which are connected together like links in a chain.
Blockchain technology was originally invented in 1991 by two mathematicians, Stuart Haber and W. Scot Stornetta. They first proposed the system to ensure that timestamps could not be tampered with.
A few years later, in 1998, software developer Nick Szabo proposed using a similar kind of technology to secure a digital payments system he called “Bit Gold.” However, this innovation was not adopted until Satoshi Nakamoto claimed to have invented the first Blockchain and Bitcoin.
A blockchain is a distributed database shared between the nodes of a computer network. It saves information in digital format. Many people first heard of blockchain technology when they started to look up information about bitcoin.
Blockchain is used in cryptocurrency systems to ensure secure, decentralized records of transactions.
Blockchain allowed people to guarantee the fidelity and security of a record of data without the need for a third party to ensure accuracy.
To understand how a blockchain works, Consider these basic steps:
Let’s get to know more about the blockchain.
Blockchain records digital information and distributes it across the network without changing it. The information is distributed among many users and stored in an immutable, permanent ledger that can't be changed or destroyed. That's why blockchain is also called "Distributed Ledger Technology" or DLT.
Here’s how it works:
And that’s the beauty of it! The process may seem complicated, but it’s done in minutes with modern technology. And because technology is advancing rapidly, I expect things to move even more quickly than ever.
Even though blockchain is integral to cryptocurrency, it has other applications. For example, blockchain can be used for storing reliable data about transactions. Many people confuse blockchain with cryptocurrencies like bitcoin and ethereum.
Blockchain already being adopted by some big-name companies, such as Walmart, AIG, Siemens, Pfizer, and Unilever. For example, IBM's Food Trust uses blockchain to track food's journey before reaching its final destination.
Although some of you may consider this practice excessive, food suppliers and manufacturers adhere to the policy of tracing their products because bacteria such as E. coli and Salmonella have been found in packaged foods. In addition, there have been isolated cases where dangerous allergens such as peanuts have accidentally been introduced into certain products.
Tracing and identifying the sources of an outbreak is a challenging task that can take months or years. Thanks to the Blockchain, however, companies now know exactly where their food has been—so they can trace its location and prevent future outbreaks.
Blockchain technology allows systems to react much faster in the event of a hazard. It also has many other uses in the modern world.
Blockchain technology is safe, even if it’s public. People can access the technology using an internet connection.
Have you ever been in a situation where you had all your data stored at one place and that one secure place got compromised? Wouldn't it be great if there was a way to prevent your data from leaking out even when the security of your storage systems is compromised?
Blockchain technology provides a way of avoiding this situation by using multiple computers at different locations to store information about transactions. If one computer experiences problems with a transaction, it will not affect the other nodes.
Instead, other nodes will use the correct information to cross-reference your incorrect node. This is called “Decentralization,” meaning all the information is stored in multiple places.
Blockchain guarantees your data's authenticity—not just its accuracy, but also its irreversibility. It can also be used to store data that are difficult to register, like legal contracts, state identifications, or a company's product inventory.
Blockchain has many advantages and disadvantages.
I’ll answer the most frequently asked questions about blockchain in this section.
Blockchain is not a cryptocurrency but a technology that makes cryptocurrencies possible. It's a digital ledger that records every transaction seamlessly.
Yes, blockchain can be theoretically hacked, but it is a complicated task to be achieved. A network of users constantly reviews it, which makes hacking the blockchain difficult.
Coinbase Global is currently the biggest blockchain company in the world. The company runs a commendable infrastructure, services, and technology for the digital currency economy.
Blockchain is a decentralized technology. It’s a chain of distributed ledgers connected with nodes. Each node can be any electronic device. Thus, one owns blockhain.
Bitcoin is a cryptocurrency, which is powered by Blockchain technology while Blockchain is a distributed ledger of cryptocurrency
Generally a database is a collection of data which can be stored and organized using a database management system. The people who have access to the database can view or edit the information stored there. The client-server network architecture is used to implement databases. whereas a blockchain is a growing list of records, called blocks, stored in a distributed system. Each block contains a cryptographic hash of the previous block, timestamp and transaction information. Modification of data is not allowed due to the design of the blockchain. The technology allows decentralized control and eliminates risks of data modification by other parties.
Blockchain has a wide spectrum of applications and, over the next 5-10 years, we will likely see it being integrated into all sorts of industries. From finance to healthcare, blockchain could revolutionize the way we store and share data. Although there is some hesitation to adopt blockchain systems right now, that won't be the case in 2022-2023 (and even less so in 2026). Once people become more comfortable with the technology and understand how it can work for them, owners, CEOs and entrepreneurs alike will be quick to leverage blockchain technology for their own gain. Hope you like this article if you have any question let me know in the comments section
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