Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images News Astronauts blasted off on a long-awaited journey toward the moon in a mission NASA hopes will mark the beginning of a new chapter in human space exploration after years of delays. The agency’s Space Launch System rocket lifted off at roughly 6:30 p.m. ET Wednesday, sending a towering column of flame and smoke into the sky as its engines and boosters powered the v...
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images News Astronauts blasted off on a long-awaited journey toward the moon in a mission NASA hopes will mark the beginning of a new chapter in human space exploration after years of delays. The agency’s Space Launch System rocket lifted off at roughly 6:30 p.m. ET Wednesday, sending a towering column of flame and smoke into the sky as its engines and boosters powered the vehicle upward. Soon after launch, the rocket’s upper stage detached from the core and continued onward with the Orion crew capsule attached. That stage then began a series of maneuvers in orbit, preparing the spacecraft for a trajectory that will carry the crew more than 250,000 miles (402,336 km) from Earth. The Artemis II mission is designed to send astronauts around the moon and safely back home, representing the farthest distance humans have traveled in space in over 50 years. As part of the flight plan, Orion will first circle Earth before heading toward lunar orbit. At its closest approach, the spacecraft is expected to come within about 5,000 miles (8,046.72 km) of the moon’s surface. The mission is a key step in NASA’s broader effort to return astronauts to the moon. The Artemis program aims to establish a sustained human presence there and eventually support deeper space exploration missions. On board Orion are NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch, along with Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen. The crew has spent years preparing for the mission, which will make them the first humans to travel to the vicinity of the moon since the Apollo era. Although Artemis II will not attempt a lunar landing, it is intended to pave the way for a future mission that will put astronauts on the moon’s surface, currently targeted for later this decade. Unlike the Apollo program, which unfolded during Cold War competition with the Soviet Union, NASA’s renewed lunar effort is taking place amid rising competition with China, which is also pursuing pl...
(RTTNews) - The South Korea stock market on Wednesday ended the four-day losing streak in which it had plummeted almost 600 points or 11 percent. The KOSPI now sits just beneath the 5,480-point plateau and it's expected to open to the upside again on Thursday.
(RTTNews) - The South Korea stock market on Wednesday ended the four-day losing streak in which it had plummeted almost 600 points or 11 percent. The KOSPI now sits just beneath the 5,480-point plateau and it's expected to open to the upside again on Thursday.
Royal Exchange theatre, Manchester Sparring lovers play a capricious game in Blanche McIntyre’s revival – but the cut and thrust is kept witty, rather than curdling into danger In director Blanche McIntyre’s take on Private Lives, love is a dizzying thing. Staged in-the-round, Noël Coward’s vicious comedy of desire and spite is spun around like the records its sparring lovers play on the gramophon...
Royal Exchange theatre, Manchester Sparring lovers play a capricious game in Blanche McIntyre’s revival – but the cut and thrust is kept witty, rather than curdling into danger In director Blanche McIntyre’s take on Private Lives, love is a dizzying thing. Staged in-the-round, Noël Coward’s vicious comedy of desire and spite is spun around like the records its sparring lovers play on the gramophone. From the moment that acrimonious exes Amanda and Elyot collide on their honeymoons, the revolve starts to turn, gradually accelerating to the point of nausea. This queasy effect is apt for Coward’s play, which slowly peels back the ugliness of its central couple’s destructive bond. Opening in the luxurious surroundings of a French holiday resort – rendered in sleek, monochrome minimalism by designer Dick Bird – the first act is all pre-dinner cocktails and witty dialogue. The reunited Amanda and Elyot quickly ditch their respective new spouses, pompous Victor and vapid Sibyl, and escape to Paris. But in Amanda’s cluttered apartment, surrounded by booze and half-eaten plates of food, the rekindled romance starts to sour. Continue reading...
Charity calls for a levy on the very richest and the closing of tax loopholes in its report on offshore wealth The global super-rich may have as much as $3.55tn hidden away from tax authorities, according to estimates by Oxfam. The charity renewed its call for a wealth levy and urged governments to close tax loopholes as it published its latest analysis of the scale of offshore holdings. Continue ...
Charity calls for a levy on the very richest and the closing of tax loopholes in its report on offshore wealth The global super-rich may have as much as $3.55tn hidden away from tax authorities, according to estimates by Oxfam. The charity renewed its call for a wealth levy and urged governments to close tax loopholes as it published its latest analysis of the scale of offshore holdings. Continue reading...
The war in Iran prompted a record surge in the price of petrol and diesel in the UK last month, adding to pressure on Prime Minister Keir Starmer to step in to help motorists. “March has been truly unprecedented — fuel prices have never risen this fast in a single month,” motoring group RAC said, while noting that the outright cost of filling up remains lower than in 2022. Starmer acknowledged the...
The war in Iran prompted a record surge in the price of petrol and diesel in the UK last month, adding to pressure on Prime Minister Keir Starmer to step in to help motorists. “March has been truly unprecedented — fuel prices have never risen this fast in a single month,” motoring group RAC said, while noting that the outright cost of filling up remains lower than in 2022. Starmer acknowledged the rising cost of energy on Wednesday, but stopped short of announcing any major new support. By contrast, Germany has moved to cap how often gas stations can raise prices, while countries including Slovenia and Hungary have cut fuel taxes. In Britain, both the main opposition Conservative Party and the poll-leading Reform have called on Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves to reverse course on plans to begin unwinding a Covid-era 5-pence-per-liter reduction in fuel duty in September. The price of gasoline rose by 20 pence a liter last month, about half the increase in diesel, according to the RAC. The greater spike in diesel reflects Europe’s reliance on imports of the fuel from oil refineries across the Middle East that have been caught up in the conflict.
Ofcom research shows people also concerned old posts could affect personal or professional life Social media users in the UK are becoming less active on tech platforms due to the rise of video apps and fears that posts could come back to haunt them, according to the communications watchdog. Ofcom said just under half of adult social media users (49%) now post, share or comment compared with 61% in...
Ofcom research shows people also concerned old posts could affect personal or professional life Social media users in the UK are becoming less active on tech platforms due to the rise of video apps and fears that posts could come back to haunt them, according to the communications watchdog. Ofcom said just under half of adult social media users (49%) now post, share or comment compared with 61% in 2024. The proportion exploring new websites has also fallen, from 70% to 56%. Continue reading...