Wall Street week ahead: Big tech earnings and Fed decision to test US stock rally

Wall Street investors watch Big Tech earnings and the Federal Reserve's interest rate decision as US stocks face a crucial week. (Unsplash)

US stock investors are preparing for an important week as major technology companies report their quarterly earnings and the Federal Reserve announces its interest rate decision on Wednesday. Both events could test the strength of the recent US stock market rally. Wall Street investors watch Big Tech earnings and the Federal Reserve’s interest rate decision … Read more

Pentagon allows DHS to test military-grade heat ray for potential use at US-Mexico border

Pentagon allows DHS to test heat ray weapon for possible use at US border. (Bloomberg)

The Pentagon has authorized the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to test a military-grade heat ray and develop tactics for its potential use along the US-Mexico border, according to a memo obtained by CNN. Pentagon allows DHS to test heat ray weapon for possible use at US border. (Bloomberg) The memo, signed by US Defense … Read more

North Korea fires missiles days after South Korea’s hypersonic test

North Korea fires missiles days after South Korea's hypersonic test

By Heejin Kim and Joyce Lee North Korea fires missiles days after South Korea’s hypersonic test SEOUL, – North Korea fired multiple ballistic missiles toward the sea off its east coast on Monday, South Korea’s military said, marking Pyongyang’s fourth launch in a month and following Seoul’s recent test of a hypersonic missile. The ballistic … Read more

Why is Trump returning to Texas? Paxton Senate race becomes key 2026 midterm test

Donald Trump campaigns for Ken Paxton at a Texas rally ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. (Photo by Mandel NGAN / AFP) (AFP)

Trump is making another major push in Texas as the November 3 midterm elections get closer. President Donald Trump visited Texas for the third time in less than a month to campaign for Republican Senate candidate Ken Paxton. Paxton has privately questioned Trump’s political strength, while Trump has also publicly insulted him in the past. … Read more

NASA sent 10 million cinnamon basil seeds into orbit aboard Endeavour in 2007; the project brought space-flown seeds into classrooms and helped nearly 1 million students test plant-growing designs

NASA sent 10 million cinnamon basil seeds into orbit aboard Endeavour in 2007; the project brought space-flown seeds into classrooms and helped nearly 1 million students test plant-growing designs

The seeds were being carried by teacher-turned-astronaut Barbara Morgan, who was finally making her long-awaited journey into space after a 22-year wait A seed does not look like much. Tucked into a packet, it is barely noticeable, carrying the promise of a plant in a form that seems almost impossibly small. But in 2007, millions … Read more

In 2015, 2kg of rocket seeds went to the space station; after their return, 600,000 UK children helped test them, and researchers found they grew more slowly but remained viable

In 2015, 2kg of rocket seeds went to the space station; after their return, 600,000 UK children helped test them, and researchers found they grew more slowly but remained viable

Tim PeakePhoto credit: Esa.int ESA astronaut Tim Peake took 2kg of rocket seeds to the International Space Station (ISS) in 2015 as part of his six-month Principia mission. The seeds endured intense vibrations from launch and spaceflight and received up to 100 times more radiation than they would have experienced on Earth. After returning in … Read more

In 2019, Los Angeles announced a test of a road mix of old asphalt and plastic bottles to repave without new asphalt

The use of recycled PET in asphalt could enhance road durability and cut carbon emissions by 26.2%. (AI-generated/ChatGPT)

A plastic water bottle takes a few seconds to use and a long time to break down. A 2021 review in Sustainability by researchers at Universiti Putra Malaysia and Misurata University notes that PET (polyethylene terephthalate), the plastic used in drink bottles, is not biodegradable and is a real environmental hazard. So what do you … Read more

Who is Luke Delaney? Meet NASA test pilot preparing for his first spaceflight with SpaceX Crew 13

NASA astronauts Jessica Watkins and Luke Delaney prepare for their upcoming Crew-13 mission to the International Space Station

Luke Delaney is preparing to take the biggest leap of his career, trading the test-pilot cockpit for a seat aboard a spacecraft. He is set to make his first journey into space as the pilot of SpaceX’s Crew 13 mission to the International Space Station on 1st October. NASA astronauts Jessica Watkins and Luke Delaney … Read more

‘You have been so drunk’: Democrat senator takes on Kash Patel over alcoholism test, FBI hiring rules

‘You have been so drunk’: Democrat senator takes on Kash Patel over alcoholism test, FBI hiring rules

FBI director Kash Patel/Image: Reuters Sen. Mazie Hirono confronted FBI Director Kash Patel during a Senate hearing on Tuesday, accusing him of being drunk on the job and demanding answers about his conduct and the bureau’s hiring policies.The sharp exchange took place during a Senate Judiciary Committee oversight hearing at the Hart Senate Office Building … Read more

Princeton put AI in charge of a fusion-plasma control loop running every 20 milliseconds; in one test it predicted a damaging instability 200 ms early and stopped it before it began

Princeton put AI in charge of a fusion-plasma control loop running every 20 milliseconds; in one test it predicted a damaging instability 200 ms early and stopped it before it began

Nuclear fusion illustration Photo: Canva Inside a steel vault at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, a superheated whirl of charged particles spins in near vacuum, held in place by invisible magnetic fields. This is a fusion plasma, the same kind of matter that powers the Sun, and it is notoriously difficult to control.In a recent … Read more