Breaking News, Business, Financial and Economic News, World News from EconoTimes

Become a contributor

Bookmark Econotimes

Tue, Mar 24, 2026 12:34 PM All times are UTC

Follow Series

©Econometrics LLC . All Rights Reserved.

Ian Whittaker

Lecturer, Nottingham Trent University

I completed my PhD in 2010 looking at the interaction of the Sun with the upper atmosphere of Venus. Since then I have held six postdoctoral contracts, covering medical imaging, solar physics, the Earth's radiation belts, lightning in tropical cyclones, X-ray astronomy, and X-ray observations of the Earth's magnetopause.

I currently teach at Nottingham Trent University, where I am responsible for astrophysics lectures, laboratory supervision, tutorials and student projects. I am very strongly interested in space science outreach, encouraging students and the public to take an interest in how our planet interacts with the solar system.

Space Science Series

Privatised Moon landings: the two US missions set to open a new era of commercial lunar exploration

Jan 04, 2024 04:37 am UTC| Business

Two commercial spacecraft are scheduled to launch to the Moon early in 2024 under a Nasa initiative called the Commercial Lunar Payload Service CLPS. This programme is intended to kickstart a commercial transportation...

Space Science Series

Earth has many objects in orbit but definitely only one Moon – despite what some people think

Nov 10, 2023 14:37 pm UTC| Science

Big Brother has always chosen its contestants for entertainment value rather than for intellectual debate. This was recently highlighted in a discussion started on the programme by dental therapist Chantelle, who suggested...

Space Science Series

Nasa's Psyche mission is set for launch – here's how it could unveil the interior secrets of planets

Oct 15, 2023 04:07 am UTC| Science

Its unlikely to be a bad omen, but Nasas mission Psyche is currently due to launch on Friday 13 October. Lifting off at 10.19 EDT on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket, it faces a perilous journey and isnt scheduled for arrival...

Space Science Series

Chandrayaan-3: India hopes to land a rover on the Moon for the first time

Aug 22, 2023 04:20 am UTC| Science

On Wednesday August 23, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) mission Chandrayaan-3 will deploy its lander and rover to the surface of the Moon. As the name suggests, this is the third mission in a programme of...

Scientists have started steering lightning with lasers – here's how

Jan 24, 2023 07:36 am UTC| Science

Lightning may look beautiful but every year it kills thousands of people, does huge amounts of damage to buildings and infrastructure, and causes power outages. The only protection we have is lightning rods, which were...

Space Science Series

The UK is about to have its first space launch – but Cornwall is unlikely to become a new Cape Canaveral

Oct 19, 2022 08:52 am UTC| Science

Virgin Orbit, a US company which provides launch services for satellites, has announced that the first orbital space mission from the UK will blast off from Cornwall. The rocket, which will carry nine satellites, along...

Ax-1: why the private mission to the International Space Station is a game changer

Apr 05, 2022 11:57 am UTC| Science

Its not long since billionaires were competing to get to the edge of space. Now, the first set of private citizens are getting ready to take a SpaceX shuttle up to the International Space Station (ISS). Unlike the short...

1 2 3

Economy

Asian Currencies Weaken as Dollar Rebounds Amid Middle East Uncertainty and Japan Inflation Data

Most Asian currencies declined on Tuesday as mixed signals surrounding the Middle East conflict, a recovering U.S. dollar, and softer Japanese inflation data weighed on regional markets. Investors remained cautious as...

Japan's Private Sector Growth Slows in March Amid Rising Costs and Middle East Uncertainty

Japans private sector expansion lost steam in March 2025, with both manufacturing and services activity cooling as geopolitical tensions in the Middle East drove up business costs and dampened confidence, according to the...

Australia-EU Free Trade Deal Signed After Years of Negotiations

Australia and the European Union have officially signed a landmark free trade agreement, marking the end of years of negotiations and opening a new chapter in economic relations between the two regions. The deal gained...

Suspicious Oil Market Trades Precede Trump's Iran Peace Post by 15 Minutes

Financial markets are buzzing with controversy after a report by the Financial Times revealed that roughly $580 million in oil futures were traded just 15 minutes before President Donald Trump published a post on Truth...

U.S. Futures Slide as Iran Denies Nuclear Talks with Washington

U.S. stock index futures declined Monday evening after Iran officially denied engaging in any diplomatic discussions with Washington, contradicting earlier statements from President Donald Trump that suggested progress...

Politics

U.S. and Costa Rica Reach Deportation Transfer Agreement

The United States and Costa Rica have officially signed a preliminary agreement allowing Costa Rica to receive third-country migrants deported by the U.S. government. The announcement was made by Costa Ricas presidency on...

Bolsonaro Released from ICU After Lung Infection Battle

Brazils former President Jair Bolsonaro has been moved out of intensive care following a challenging hospitalization, local media confirmed on Monday. The 71-year-old was transferred to a standard hospital room after...

Israel Eyes Litani River as New Border Amid Escalating Lebanon Offensive

Israels Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has publicly called for redrawing Israels northern boundary to reach the Litani River, deep within Lebanese territory marking one of the most direct statements yet from a senior...

Trump Visits Graceland, Pays Tribute to Elvis Presley During Memphis Trip

President Donald Trump made a memorable stop at Graceland, Elvis Presleys iconic Memphis estate, expressing his lifelong admiration for the King of Rock and Roll during a visit focused on federal efforts to reduce crime in...

Kim Jong Un Declares Nuclear Forces Permanent, Labels South Korea "Most Hostile State"

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has reaffirmed his countrys commitment to expanding its nuclear arsenal, declaring the nations status as a nuclear-armed state irreversible. Speaking before the Supreme Peoples Assembly on...

Science

SpaceX Pivots Toward Moon City as Musk Reframes Long-Term Space Vision

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has revealed a significant shift in the companys near-term space exploration strategy, announcing that SpaceX is now prioritizing the development of a self-growing city on the Moon rather than focusing...

SpaceX Prioritizes Moon Mission Before Mars as Starship Development Accelerates

Elon Musks SpaceX is shifting its near-term space exploration strategy, choosing to prioritize a return to the Moon before pursuing missions to Mars, according to a recent Wall Street Journal report citing sources familiar...

NASA and SpaceX Target Crew-11 Undocking From ISS Amid Medical Concern

NASA has confirmed that the agency, in coordination with SpaceX, is targeting no earlier than 5 p.m. Eastern Time (2200 GMT) on Wednesday, January 14, for the undocking of the SpaceX Crew-11 mission from the International...

Neuralink Plans High-Volume Brain Implant Production and Fully Automated Surgery by 2026

Elon Musks brain-computer interface company Neuralink is preparing for a major expansion, announcing plans to begin high-volume production of its brain implant devices and transition to a fully automated surgical procedure...

Jared Isaacman Confirmed as NASA Administrator, Becomes 15th Leader of U.S. Space Agency

The U.S. Senate has officially confirmed billionaire private astronaut Jared Isaacman as the new NASA administrator, making him the 15th leader in the agencys history. The confirmation, which took place on Wednesday, marks...

Technology

Nintendo Switch 2 Production Cut as Holiday Sales Miss Targets

Nintendo has announced plans to scale back production of its Switch 2 console following disappointing holiday season sales, particularly in the United States. According to a Bloomberg report, the Japanese gaming giant will...

Elon Musk Announces Terafab: SpaceX and Tesla to Build Dual AI Chip Factories in Austin, Texas

Elon Musk revealed plans for a massive dual-chip manufacturing complex called Terafab in Austin, Texas, set to be jointly developed by SpaceX and Tesla. The announcement marks a significant step in Musks broader strategy...

NVIDIA's Feynman AI Chip May Face Redesign Amid TSMC Capacity Crunch

NVIDIA could be forced to redesign its next-generation Feynman artificial intelligence chip platform as contract manufacturing giant TSMC struggles to keep pace with surging global demand. According to a report from...

Elliott Investment Management Takes Multibillion-Dollar Stake in Synopsys

Activist hedge fund Elliott Investment Management has quietly built a multibillion-dollar position in Synopsys, the electronic design automation (EDA) giant, signaling a push for stronger financial performance from one of...

Palantir's Maven AI Earns Pentagon "Program of Record" Status, Reshaping Military AI Strategy

Palantir Technologies (NASDAQ: PLTR) is drawing renewed investor and industry attention after the U.S. Department of Defense officially designated its Maven Smart System as a program of record, a classification that...