Author: Gulf News Week
SpaceX’s mega Starship rocket came within a second or so from blasting off on a test flight Thursday, but some of the engines failed to ignite, triggering a launch abort amid billowing clouds of smoke and vapor.Elon Musk, the company’s founder and CEO, said two engines will be replaced “to be confident of a good flight” before sending Starship from Texas on a space-skimming journey halfway around the world. It will be the 13th flight for Starship, which at 407 feet (124 meters) tall with 33 main engines is the world’s biggest and most powerful rocket.SpaceX’s launch webcast showed the…
This week, Sir Keir Starmer took part in his last Prime Minister’s Questions as he prepared to hand over the keys to 10 Downing Street, the US and Iran continued to trade both barbs and bombs, and film critics went wild for The Odyssey.But how much attention did you pay to what else happened in the world over the past seven days?Quiz collated by Ben Fell.Fancy some more? Try last week’s quiz, or have a go at something from the archives.
WASHINGTON (news agencies) — Officials under President Donald Trump want to make it easier for men to get a prescription for testosterone, the latest shift in a decades-long debate over the benefits and risks of replacing the hormone that affects sex drive, mood and other health factors.The move, backed by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and other top officials, aligns with the advice of many online influencers and podcasters, including men’s health gurus who tout the hormone as a way to boost muscle and energy. On Tuesday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the military would begin screening for low…
Cole Burston/ AFP/Getty ImagesWildfire smoke is expected to continue affecting air quality in Toronto and US cities throughout the weekCities across north-eastern Canada and the US are suffering from intense smoke brought on by wildfires burning across Ontario and Minnesota.Residents in New York, Boston and Toronto have been encouraged to avoid “strenuous activity” over potential health impacts caused by the pollution.Canada wildfires leave train ‘encased in flames’ as smoke drifts towards USWhere are the wildfires and how did they start?Along the northern edge of Minnesota there are 17 fires that are still burning and an emergency declaration is in place…
NetflixKit Connor (left) and Joe Locke (right) have played Nick Nelson and Charlie Spring in Heartstopper since 2022Heartstopper has been described as “a lifeline for many” young LGBTQ+ viewers and something that has “changed countless lives” through its heartwarming depiction of the secondary school romance between Nick Nelson and Charlie Spring.Based on Alice Oseman’s book series, the Netflix adaptation is now coming to an end in the form of a film, to complete three TV series that have pulled some of the streamer’s highest viewing figures to date.Heartstopper Forever follows the young male couple as they prepare for a huge…
Sarah ReeveSarah and Lee have been together for 25 years and have always had a joint bank account When Sarah Reeve got engaged she gave fiance Lee an ultimatum: he had to pay off his debt before she would marry him.”I was paying my mortgage and bills whereas he was giving his mum some rent,” Sarah says of their situations when they met in their early 20s. “I told him I wouldn’t marry him if he had any debts,” says the 45-year-old.So they set a wedding date for two years ahead which gave Lee the time to pay off the…
Getty ImagesRecent heatwaves have brought Europe to a turning point with air-conditionersSteven Scholtysek, 36, is no stranger to Europe’s heatwaves. The German engineer has lived through sweltering summers since his childhood.But this year the heat has been especially unbearable. Western Europe has experienced its hottest June on record, and cities across Germany saw temperatures rise above 40C (104F). The region is bracing for more heatwaves before the summer ends.To make things worse, a few months ago Scholtysek moved into an attic apartment – the kind that’s notorious for overheating.”It’s not possible to live a normal life in those flats, below…
Getty ImagesDavid Bowie, pictured around 1966, was known as Davie Jones in the earlier part of his music careerTen unreleased tracks by David Bowie are set to be shared with the public, recorded in the early part of his career when he was known as Davie Jones. David Bowie: The Shel Talmy Recordings has been billed by the singer’s label as “the most complete collection of tracks recorded by a nascent David Bowie” with his then-producer Shel Talmy.The collection includes contributions from guitarist Jimmy Page, who would go on to form Led Zeppelin, and pianist Nicky Hopkins, who also worked…
Getty ImagesA White House teleprompter operator is being investigated over allegedly using inside information to place bets and make nearly $100,000 on US President Donald Trump’s speeches. Gabriel Perez, who had worked at the White House since 2016, is accused of placing bets on words the president would use during major public addresses, including the State of the Union speech.The trades were made on Kalshi, a prediction markets platform where users can bet on real-world events. The firm confirmed it reported the activity to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), which regulates the platform.Kalshi froze Perez’s account before any profits…
WASHINGTON (news agencies) — The Food and Drug Administration has approved a first-of-its-kind pill that can drastically reduce cholesterol in a way that’s previously only been available with expensive, injectable drugs.The drug from Merck was OK’d on Thursday for patients with artery-clogging cholesterol that persists even after taking statins, the standard medications for cutting heart attack risk. Merck will market its pill under the brand name Lipfendra.It’s the first noninjectable medication that works by blocking a liver protein called PCSK9. That protein limits the body’s ability to clear cholesterol from the blood, and biotech injectables targeting it have been available…