Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Hard Numbers

Hard Numbers: SpaceX has a rocky reentry, Norway to hit NATO target early, British MPs are OOO, Somalia debt is canceled, Berlin techno is protected

​SpaceX's next-generation Starship spacecraft atop its powerful Super Heavy rocket lifts off on its third launch from the company's Boca Chica launchpad on an uncrewed test flight, near Brownsville, Texas, U.S. March 14, 2024.

SpaceX's next-generation Starship spacecraft atop its powerful Super Heavy rocket lifts off on its third launch from the company's Boca Chica launchpad on an uncrewed test flight, near Brownsville, Texas, U.S. March 14, 2024.

REUTERS/Joe Skipper
Make us preferred on Google
3: SpaceX launched the third test flight of the tallest and most powerful rocket ever built, Starship, to mixed success. Designed to one day send astronauts to the moon (and beyond), the third test was the most successful yet, flying farther than any previous launch. The spacecraft was lost during atmospheric reentry.


2: Norway announced that the country intends to meet its NATO defense spending target of 2% this year — two years ahead of schedule — citing a “serious” security situation. Sweden, the alliance’s newest member, says it will do the same. The two Nordic states can now rest assured that at least Donald Trump would protect them from a Russian invasion.

49: A new analysis found the workday for members of UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s parliament is 49 minutes shorter than the 1997-2023 average, clocking in at only seven hours and nine minutes long. With all that extra time on their hands, Kate Middleton should be found in no time.

99: This week, 99% of Somalia’s debt was canceled by the Paris Club — a group of officials from major creditor countries including the United States, Japan, and Russia. Somalia’s information minister, Daud Aweis, called the move a “big milestone in the country’s journey to financial recovery.”

150: The number of UNESCO heritage sites in Germany rose to 150, with six entities being added this week. Notably, an Intangible Cultural Heritage designation was given to Berlin’s techno scene for its contribution to German culture. Oonts Oonts.

More For You

Tour de Heat
Will Fitzpatrick
Amid a heatwave across Europe, 184 cyclists rode 113 miles and climbed more than 8,500 feet during Stage 4 of this year’s Tour de France. Temperatures forced race organizers to relax regulations and allow greater assistance from team cars. Wildfires burning in the Pyrenees have also created problems: in the previous stage, officials barred [...]
Out of Le Pen-alty box
Farida Dowidar
Le Pen, who leads the National Rally party, can run for president for a fourth time next year in 2027, after the Paris Court of Appeals shortened her ban on holding public office. However, she may have to run under conditions she won’t like: the court ruled Le Pen must wear an ankle bracelet, which she previously said she wouldn’t accept. Le Pen [...]
The new smoke-free craze
Farida Dowidar
Nicotine pouches have exploded in popularity, and Zyn, the leading brand, is expected to see nearly $33 billion in sales growth. Like vapes, pouches are part of the wave of smoke-free nicotine products creating new revenue streams for tobacco companies while sales of cigarettes in places like the US have seen a sharp decline. While the [...]
Over a million migrants seek legal status in Spain
Farida Dowidar
Spain has taken a very different tack from other European countries toward migrants, with Sánchez welcoming them into the country and pledging to grant legal status to half a million undocumented migrants under a new program. However, the PM underestimated how many people would apply: his government had expected 750,000 applications. With [...]