Author: News Desk

New York: The iconic hisses, pings, and screeches that heralded the arrival of the internet for millions of Americans will soon vanish for good when AOL’s dial-up internet service is officially retired at the end of September. AOL, formerly known as America Online, has announced that it will discontinue support for dial-up software on September 30, following a review of its products and services. For many millennials, Gen Xers, baby boomers, and members of the greatest generation, the sound of modems performing an analog handshake was the prelude to a new digital frontier, one that brought emails, instant messages, chatrooms,…

London: Elon Musk’s electric car and energy company Tesla has formally applied to UK energy regulator Ofgem for a licence to supply electricity to homes and businesses in England, Scotland, and Wales. If approved, the move could allow Tesla to compete with major UK energy firms and begin operations as early as next year. While globally recognised as one of the largest electric vehicle (EV) manufacturers, Tesla also operates in the solar energy and battery storage sectors. Tesla has already sold more than 250,000 EVs and tens of thousands of home storage batteries in the UK, potentially giving it a…

London: The Perseids meteor shower, described by NASA as the ‘most popular meteor shower of the year,’ is set to reach its peak on 12 August, offering up to 100 meteors per hour, including bright streaks and colourful fireballs. The annual celestial event, active from 17 July to 24 August, is caused by Earth passing through a dust cloud left behind by Comet Swift-Tuttle. The meteors, smaller than a grain of sand, burn up in the atmosphere at 36 miles per second, producing striking light trails. Named after the constellation Perseus, from which the meteors appear to originate, the Perseids…

Rome: This summer, Italians appear to be avoiding beaches in significant numbers, as many are reportedly rebelling against the high prices charged by private beach concession owners. Traditionally, going to the beach and renting cabins, loungers, and parasols, usually all in the same location, has been a deeply ingrained part of Italian summer holiday culture. However, this season began with a marked decline in beach attendance, with private resorts along Italy’s extensive coastlines recording a 15 percent to 25 percent drop in visitors during June and July compared to the same period in 2024. The decline is most noticeable during…

Washington: Jim Lovell, retired astronaut and commander of the historic Apollo 13 mission, has passed away at the age of 97. One of NASA’s most travelled astronauts during its first decade, Lovell completed four spaceflights, Gemini 7, Gemini 12, Apollo 8, and Apollo 13, earning a reputation for exceptional skill, leadership, and composure under pressure. Jim Lovell’s most famous mission, Apollo 13, was meant to make him the fifth man to walk on the Moon. However, the mission was thrown into peril when an oxygen tank exploded nearly 200,000 miles from Earth. https://twitter.com/NASA/status/1953911096152043658 Alongside crewmates Fred Haise and Jack Swigert,…

London: UK’s Minister for Homelessness, Rushanara Ali, has resigned following allegations that she evicted tenants and significantly increased rents on a property she owns. In her resignation letter to Prime Minister Keir Starmer on August 7, the junior Ministry of Housing official insisted she had complied with all legal requirements ‘at all times’ in her role as a landlord. Ali, who represents Bethnal Green and Stepney, removed four tenants from her four-bedroom east London property last year as it was being put up for sale. https://twitter.com/rushanaraali/status/1953539386026733963 The house, previously rented for £3,300 ($4,433) per month, was re-listed weeks later at…

San Francisco: OpenAI has unveiled GPT-5, the highly anticipated new version of its ChatGPT artificial intelligence chatbot, promoting it as ‘smarter, faster, and more useful’ with PhD-level expertise across a range of subjects. Co-founder and CEO Sam Altman described the model as marking a new era for ChatGPT, and remarked that, “Having something like GPT-5 would be pretty much unimaginable at any previous time in human history.” The rollout began on August 7, for all users, with OpenAI claiming the model excels in coding, writing, and complex reasoning, while producing fewer ‘hallucinations,’ instances where AI generates inaccurate or fabricated information,…

New York: The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has officially approved Modeyso, a drug developed by Jazz Pharmaceuticals, for the treatment of diffuse midline glioma (DMG), a rare and aggressive brain tumor, in adults and children aged one year and older. The FDA announced the approval on August 7, marking a major advancement in cancer treatment as Modeyso becomes the first FDA-approved systemic therapy for DMG with a specific mutation that has progressed despite prior treatment. This rare form of cancer primarily affects children and young adults, forming in midline structures of the brain and spinal cord, such as…

London: If you enjoy eating potatoes, there’s a reason to be mindful of how they’re prepared. A new study has found that while baked, boiled, or mashed potatoes are relatively healthy, regularly consuming fried potatoes, such as chips or French fries, can significantly raise the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Fried forms of potatoes, such as chips and French fries, were found to increase this risk, whereas healthier cooking methods like baking, boiling, or mashing showed far lower associations. The research, led by Seyed Mohammad Mousavi, a public health expert at Harvard University, involved an international team investigating the…

Uttarakhand, India: More than 100 people are missing and at least one person has died after a powerful cloudburst triggered severe flash floods in Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand, India. The incident occurred around 1:30 pm on August 5, when a sudden, intense downpour caused the Kheerganga river to overflow, unleashing torrents of muddy water that submerged roads, buildings, and infrastructure in Dharali village. The floods left widespread devastation in the popular tourist village, located just 2 km from Harsil, home to a large Indian Army base and a nearby Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) camp. At least 10 soldiers stationed in…