Japan approves record $785bn budget, boosts defence spending
Japan's cabinet has approved a record-high $785 billion budget for the next fiscal year - including the largest allocation for defence spending ever....
An all-female crew, including pop icon Katy Perry and other trailblazing women, safely returned to Earth after a historic Blue Origin spaceflight—the first all-female mission to reach space since 1963.
Historic All-Female Crew Returns Safely from Blue Origin Spaceflight
An all-female crew, including internationally renowned pop star Katy Perry, has successfully returned to Earth following a landmark suborbital spaceflight aboard Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin rocket. The mission marks the first all-female crewed expedition to space since 1963, when Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova completed a solo mission.
The flight, operated by Blue Origin's New Shepard rocket, lasted approximately 11 minutes and crossed the Kármán line—the internationally recognized boundary of space located 100 kilometers above Earth's surface.
The crew of six featured prominent figures from various fields:
Katy Perry, award-winning singer and philanthropist
Gayle King, veteran broadcaster and journalist
Lauren Sánchez, journalist and vice chair of Bezos Earth Fund
Aisha Bowe, aerospace engineer and former NASA rocket scientist
Amanda Nguyen, civil rights activist and Nobel Peace Prize nominee
Kerianne Flynn, film producer and advocate for women in STEM
The mission not only highlighted the continued advancement of commercial space travel but also celebrated the achievements of women in diverse sectors—from science and media to activism and the arts.
Blue Origin has stated that this historic flight is part of its ongoing commitment to democratizing space travel and showcasing the contributions of underrepresented communities in aerospace.
The successful return of the crew marks a significant milestone in space exploration, echoing both historical achievements and future aspirations for inclusive participation beyond Earth’s atmosphere.
A majority of Russians expect the war in Ukraine to end in 2026, state pollster VTsIOM said on Wednesday, in a sign that the Kremlin could be testing public reaction to a possible peace settlement as diplomatic efforts to end the conflict intensify.
In 2025, Ukraine lived two parallel realities: one of diplomacy filled with staged optimism, and another shaped by a war that showed no sign of letting up.
It’s been a year since an Azerbaijan Airlines plane crashed near Aktau, Kazakhstan, killing 38 people. Relatives and loved ones mourn the victims, as authorities near the final stage of their investigation.
The White House has instructed U.S. military forces to concentrate largely on enforcing a “quarantine” on Venezuelan oil exports for at least the next two months, a U.S. official told Reuters, signalling that Washington is prioritising economic pressure over direct military action against Caracas.
Polish fighter jets on Thursday intercepted a Russian reconnaissance aircraft flying near Poland’s airspace over the Baltic Sea and escorted it away from their area of responsibility.
Director James Cameron has shared the key reasons behind the global success of Avatar: Fire and Ash, the third installment in one of the highest-grossing film franchises of all time. In an interview with China Media Group in Hainan Province, Cameron spoke about the universal appeal of the film.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has become the world’s richest individual, with a net worth of US$749 billion, after the Delaware Supreme Court reinstated $139 billion in stock options that were voided last year, according to Forbes’ billionaires index.
A rare pair of bright-green Nike “Grinch” sneakers worn and signed by the late NBA legend Kobe Bryant have gone on public display in Beverly Hills, ahead of an auction that could set a new record for sports memorabilia.
The Games of the Future 2025 kicked off with an opening ceremony, merging physical sports and digital e-sports to create a unique "phygital" category.
In a ground-breaking development, artificial intelligence (AI) is taking on new forms in Japan, where it has extended to a more personal and intimate domain being romantic relationships.
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