Breaking News Today
Elon Musk’s SpaceX Starship disintegrated during a test flight, marking an extraordinary setback for his private company. Meanwhile, conflict has created great trauma across western Colombia; experts are working with local healers and raw milk advocates alike are searching for answers as to where their health and human services secretary has gone.
Oslo’s Vulkan district is where sustainability, style and everyday ease converge; you’ll also find some of Nordic fashion’s finest labels here.
Table of Contents
Hurricane Erick
On Thursday morning, a powerful Category 3 hurricane made landfall just east of Punta Maldonado in western Mexico, unleashing devastating winds, floodwaters and an extremely dangerous storm surge that had devastating repercussions.
Erick was moving inland under perfect conditions for rapid intensification, something we are witnessing more frequently due to climate change. Its sudden development brought back memories of Hurricane Otis which hit Acapulco two years prior with Category 5 wind speeds that caught residents unaware.
The storm’s eye was expected to strike between the resort towns of Acapulco and Puerto Escondido, where agricultural fields blanket coastal mountains. If it hit, its destructive winds could bring life-threatening winds close to where its center crashes ashore as well as heavy rainfall which will trigger life-threatening floods and mudslides in mountainous terrain. Though expected to dissipate by late Thursday or early Friday, its remnants will unleash torrential downpours across Oaxaca and Guerrero states where mountain terrain usually experiences higher rainfall totals with rugged mountainous terrain expecting the highest rainfall totals predicted for regions where deadly mudslides can often occur.
Abortion in England
Abortion remains technically illegal in England, though most of the population supports pro-choice views. Yet abortion remains a highly contentious topic across Britain.
At present, abortions in Portugal may only take place up to 24 weeks into gestation and require approval by two doctors deeming that having the baby poses a threat to life or health of either party. Although this limit is lower than other European countries’, it remains significant.
MPs will cast their vote Tuesday to decriminalise abortion. Labour backbenchers Tonia Antoniazzi and Stella Creasy are pushing two competing amendments to the Crime and Policing Bill, with Antoniazzi’s being most likely to pass with 170 signatories supporting her amendment, including cross-party support. Her amendment would remove criminal penalties for women who end their pregnancies without meeting certain criteria; time limits, telemedicine services and grounds would still apply, making this measure the biggest change since 1967!
Japan’s Honda Rocket
Honda’s research and development subsidiary dedicated to space technology has successfully launched and landed their prototype reusable rocket. According to Honda, this test rocket flew for 56.6 seconds before landing at their facility in Taiki Town in Hokkaido Japan. Honda first announced this project back in 2021 but have kept most of their work under the radar until now.
Interstellar Technologies hopes to become the first Japanese private firm to successfully accomplish suborbital space flight, which would open up new avenues for satellite launch. Its move coincides with efforts by government and JAXA to allow more private participation in space industries; rival car maker Toyota recently invested $44 million into local start-up Interstellar Technologies as an effort to gain an edge in market.
Honda’s global chief, Takashi Mibe, believes rocket development is an undertaking worthy of Honda’s resources and technology developed for automobiles and other products. Mibe indicated that increasing utilization of data systems will require additional satellite launches into orbit.
Israel’s Strike on Iran
Iran launched an anti-Israel missile that caused significant damage and led Israeli leaders to vow increased attacks against Iranian military and “government targets.” Soroka Medical Center in southern Israel remains closed except for life-saving services; no serious injuries were reported, however.
According to the IDF, these attacks were directed against Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs at their core. Their targets include air defense batteries as well as surface-to-surface missile storage sites and detection radar systems.
Israel may have struck its most devastating blow against Iran’s state television headquarters, leaving it virtually intact after Tel Aviv struck and sent chairs flying. Tel Aviv showed how easily they can target Iranian leadership; although whether Israel’s initial strikes will deter Iran or bring about full-scale war with Hezbollah remains to be seen, but they demonstrate Tel Aviv’s capacity to strike hidden areas with precision targeting.
