Education: Scientists at Bristol link short-sightedness to people who study to university
Five genetic variants may be linked to the onset of short-sightedness in people who study to university level. The discovery could help to identify children who are more likely to develop the condition so that interventions can be put in place to help prevent its onset, such as spending more...
Exiting House Speaker Nancy Pelosi pays tribute to Bush, Obama and Biden, snubs Trump
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi didn’t name former President Donald Trump during her speech on Thursday when she announced that she would be stepping down from Democratic leadership. Speaking on the House floor, Pelosi took a victory lap over legislative achievements she’d had under former Presidents George W. Bush, Barack Obama...
While US war industry revels in weapons heaven, the rest us on the planet huddle in hell on earth
In April this year, the United States offered attack helicopters worth $997 million to Nigeria, marking the latest stage in the warming of relations between the two countries that began early in President Donald Trump years. The Nigerian military, however, has committed torture on a massive scale while targeting thousands...
How US-supplied weaponry fuels conflicts and makes it easier for repressive regimes to commit war crimes
Here’s a seldom commented-upon reality of this century and this moment: the United States remains the number-one arms-exporting nation on the planet. Between 2017 and 2021, it grabbed 39 per cent of the total global weapons market and there’s nothing new about that. It has, in fact, been the top...
How NASA finally got Artemis 1 rocket off the ramp and into space after previous false starts
In early November, scientists at Kennedy Space Center in Florida trundled Artemis 1 rocket back to the pad in anticipation of a November 14 launch, just as Tropical Storm Nicole – soon to elevate to hurricane strength – grew on the horizon. NASA considered moving the rocket into shelter again,...
NASA’s launch of Artemis 1 rocket is billed ‘test flight’ that pays way for future crewed missions
After years of delays and several false starts, the wait is finally over: NASA’s massive Space Launch System rocket and the Orion capsule lifted off at 1:48 am Eastern time, heading for a historic lunar flyby. Crowds of onlookers watched at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, where the thunder...
South African parliament sets December 6 for evaluation of President Ramapahosa’s corruption scandal
A long-awaited report on an alleged corruption scandal targeted at South African President Cyril Ramaphosa a month before a crucial deadline for his political future, will be examined on December 6, parliament announced on Thursday. An independent parliamentary committee was tasked in September with examining President Ramaphosa’s accountability in the...
NASA returns to the Moon with Artemis I rocket, over 50 years since the last Apollo 6 lunar tour
NASA’s huge new rocket blasted off from Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 1.47 am ET on Wednesday, achieving a major milestone in the agency’s plans to send astronauts back to the Moon. “We rise together, back to the Moon and beyond,” said NASA launch commentator Derrol Nail as the...
World Cup: ‘Being Neymar’ is a global industry in its own right as it is with Messi, Mbappe or CR7
What does Brazil’s No.10 Neymar da Silva Santos expect in Qatar? Neymar’s answer is cautious. “The World Cup is full of surprises,” he says. “You get teams that unexpectedly get very far even in the competition even if many don’t believe in them. But I believe the favourites are Argentina,...
World’s best dribbler Neymar on why thinks Argentina, France and Germany are Brazil’s main rivals
With just three days to go until the World Cup begins, there is an increasing expectation that much of what happens will revolve around how Brazil, led by their flamboyant ringmaster, their number 10, perform. That shirt is the most iconic in football, and those who wear it carry the...
