All posts tagged: tests

North Korea fires short-range ballistic missiles in latest weapons tests

North Korea fires short-range ballistic missiles in latest weapons tests

Published by Sam Flores

North Korea test-fired multiple short-range ballistic missiles on Sunday, South Korea’s military said, the latest in a recent flurry of launches by the nuclear-armed state. The Sunday launches add to a series of weapons tests Pyongyang has carried out in recent weeks, including ballistic missiles, anti-warship cruise missiles and cluster munitions. Read moreNorth Korea tests nuclear-capable rocket launchers amid US-South Korea military drills “Our military detected several short-range ballistic missiles fired into the East Sea from the Sinpo area of North Korea at around 6:10am (GMT 21:10),” South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said, referring to a body of water also known as the Sea of Japan. “The missiles flew approximately 140 kilometres (86.9 miles), and South Korean and US intelligence authorities are conducting a detailed analysis of their exact specifications,” it added.  Seoul is maintaining a “firm combined defence posture” with the United States – a security ally that stations about 28,000 troops in the South to help it defend against military threats from the North – and will “respond overwhelmingly to any provocation”, …

Trump faces tests from Cuba to the Strait of Hormuz

Trump faces tests from Cuba to the Strait of Hormuz

Published by Sam Flores

A man stands as a tugboat guides the Russian oil tanker Anatoly Kolodkin at the oil terminal in the port of Matanzas, northwestern Cuba, on March 31, 2026. Yamil Lage | Afp | Getty Images Energy shipments are increasingly being used as a foreign policy tool as the Trump administration attempts to hold down two blockades on opposite sides of the globe. The U.S., under the direction of President Donald Trump, has initiated a naval blockade targeting Iranian vessels in and around the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz, seeking to put economic pressure on Iran and bring an end to the Middle East crisis. The move has prompted concern from China, given it has long been the largest buyer of Iranian crude, with Beijing calling the blockade “irresponsible and dangerous.” Iran, for its part, on Friday declared the Strait of Hormuz “completely open” to all commercial traffic in the wake of a ceasefire announcement between Israel and Lebanon. At the same time, the U.S. has imposed a de facto fuel blockade on Cuba, threatening to …

What secret report reveals about British nuclear weapons tests – veterans claimed they were harmed by the fallout

What secret report reveals about British nuclear weapons tests – veterans claimed they were harmed by the fallout

Published by skeptic

“The Ministry of Defence has always maintained that it never rained,” said Ken McGinley, founder of the British Nuclear Test Veterans Association (BNTVA). “I’m sorry, you’re liars … I was there!” McGinley, who was a royal engineer, gave this interview in January 2024, shortly before his death, as part of our Oral History of British Nuclear Test Veterans project. McGinley was present during the Grapple nuclear weapons test series, conducted by the UK on the central Pacific island of Kiritimati (also known as Christmas Island) in the late 1950s. At the time, this remote atoll was inhabited by 250 villagers as well as thousands of British servicemen. For decades, many of those present during this and other above-ground British nuclear weapons tests have argued they were harmed by radioactive fallout. McGinley founded the BNTVA in 1983 to “gain recognition and restitution” for the veterans who took part in British and American nuclear tests and clean-ups between 1952 and 1965. British royal engineers build a runway during construction of the British military base on Kiritimati, November …

Trump’s Hormuz blockade tests U.S. ties with China and India

Trump’s Hormuz blockade tests U.S. ties with China and India

Published by Sam Flores

The U.S. blockade of the Strait of Hormuz is adding strain to Washington’s relations with China and India, as Beijing hardens its rhetoric and New Delhi faces rising energy risks. Getty The U.S. blockade of the Strait of Hormuz is not only squeezing Iran but also ratcheting up pressure on two of its most consequential relationships in Asia — India and China. With roughly 98% of Iranian oil exports bound for China, and a summit between President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping weeks away, Washington’s maximum pressure campaign on Iran risks destabilizing the fragile detente that the administration has carefully cultivated with Beijing. India, with its complicated ties with the U.S., is increasingly finding U.S. policy at odds with its economic interests — most acutely in the energy shock now rippling through its economy. Trump is scheduled to visit China in mid-May, and the administration signaled repeatedly in recent weeks that it wants the bilateral relationship stable enough to keep the high-stakes meeting on track. “The Iran conflict, particularly the blockade, may upend …

Oura and other wearables offer blood tests. Results may confuse patients : NPR

Oura and other wearables offer blood tests. Results may confuse patients : NPR

Published by Sam Flores

ismagilov/iStockphoto/Getty Images Lana McDonald, a 34-year-old teacher from Massachusetts, got an Oura Ring two years ago to track her sleep. When she got an email from Oura selling a set of blood tests for $99, she was intrigued. Her primary care physician had never ordered blood testing before. The app took her to the website for Quest Diagnostics, where she got an appointment within the week. The results started coming in that same day. Direct-to-consumer blood testing is a growing industry targeting health-conscious patients who want to order their own blood work for the price of a dinner out. The space is becoming increasingly crowded: both by direct offerings from commercial laboratories such as Quest and Labcorp OnDemand, and by companies that partner with them to offer the testing. Recent blood-testing rollouts came from Oura, which has sold some 5.5 million of its smart rings and is aiming at that customer base, and from the wearable company Whoop. The telehealth platform Hims & Hers, with 2.5 million members, also released a product in late 2025. …

Hungarian election tests Trump’s global reach as Orban fights for survival

Hungarian election tests Trump’s global reach as Orban fights for survival

Published by Sam Flores

BUDAPEST — In an election that has President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin rooting for the same outcome, Hungarians on Sunday will decide the fate of Prime Minister Viktor Orban, the self-proclaimed champion of illiberal Christian democracy who is a darling of MAGA-aligned American conservatives, an ally of the Kremlin and a proud antagonist of European Union leaders in Brussels. Source link

6 Easy Tests To Tell How Well You’re Ageing

6 Easy Tests To Tell How Well You’re Ageing

Published by Sam Flores

There’s no way to predict exactly how long any of us will live or precisely how well we’re ageing, but scientists have created a series of tests they think might give us a rough idea. It looks, for instance, like the condition of key muscles might be linked to how we’re ageing overall. Your balance and even personality seem to matter, too. Here are just a few of the science-backed challenges: 1) The sit-to-stand test A recent study conducted with women aged 63-99 looked at unassisted sit-to-stand chair raises (going from a seated position to standing without leaning on something, as quickly as possible). Scientists tracked participants’ speed in seconds for five of these raises. “When it came to chair stands, moving from the slowest time to the fastest time in 6-second increments, researchers saw a 4% lower mortality rate,” the University of Buffalo, whose researchers were involved in the study, said. A separate 2012 study called the sit-to-stand test a “significant predictor of mortality” among 51-to-80-year-olds. 2) The grip strength test The same study …

Vietnam Q1 growth slows as costlier Middle East energy tests 2026 target

Vietnam Q1 growth slows as costlier Middle East energy tests 2026 target

Published by Sam Flores

HANOI, April 4 : Vietnam’s economy slowed in the first quarter from the three months prior, data showed on Saturday, as heavy exposure to Middle Eastern oil imports boosted inflation, presenting a challenge in reaching an annual growth target, authorities said. Gross domestic product grew 7.83 per cent in the quarter from January to March over the corresponding period a year earlier, but below 8.46 per cent in the fourth quarter, the National Statistics Office said in a report. “The pressure from rising input costs and energy prices on inflation remains, posing challenges for economic governance,” the NSO added on Saturday. Consumer prices rose 4.65 per cent in March on the year, driven by a surge of 10.81 per cent in transport costs, it said, accelerating from a rise of 3.35 per cent in February.  This year’s growth target of at least 10 per cent is under pressure as the Southeast Asian economy imports more than 80 per cent of crude oil supplies from the Middle East, where the Iran war, now in its sixth …

Students Renting Smart Glasses to Cheat on Tests

Students Renting Smart Glasses to Cheat on Tests

Published by José Betancourt

Sign up to see the future, today Can’t-miss innovations from the bleeding edge of science and tech Smart glasses aren’t just being used by juvenile pranksters and pickup artists to terrorize strangers, traumatize Meta’s data labeling subcontractors in Kenya, and covertly receive advice while being cross-examined in court. As Rest of World reports, students in China are also using them to cheat during exams. One university student, identified as Vivian, told the publication that she uses her Rokid AI glasses to scan questions and display answers on the integrated screen. (Meta’s Ray-Ban Display glasses with a built-in screen are currently only available in the US, but alternatives are available worldwide.) Vivian also took the idea in an entrepreneurial direction, renting out her spectacles to other schoolmates to turn her investment into a lucrative side hustle. Thanks to the advent of AI, the smart glasses industry has gained a considerable boost, allowing owners to take pictures, record videos, analyze the world around them, translate road signs, get directions, or read from a script during presentations. But …

Best Amazon Big Spring Sale robot vacuum deals 2026: Best deals from someone who tests new vacuums every month

Best Amazon Big Spring Sale robot vacuum deals 2026: Best deals from someone who tests new vacuums every month

Published by skeptic

Table of Contents Table of Contents Table of ContentsBest robot vacuum on sale overallBest budget robot vacuum dealMore robot vacuum dealsFrequently Asked Questions A quick look at the best Amazon Spring Sale robot vacuum deals: Best roller mop robot vacuum deal Eufy C28 $499.99 at Amazon (save $270) Best budget robot vacuum deal 3i G10+ $199.99 at Amazon (save $50) I have seven robot vacuums in my apartment right at this moment, and those are all just models that have come out in 2026. Perhaps that gives you an idea of how many robot vacuums I test at home on a yearly basis — and why I’m always super confident in telling readers which robot vacuum deals are worth it during any Amazon sale event. So, I’m back with an updated list of robot vacuum recommendations for Amazon’s 2026 Big Spring Sale, which is live now through March 31. A good robot vacuum is a staple in my general spring cleaning starter kit because automating your floor care quite literally frees up some time to focus …