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Global stocks mostly rise, shrugging off US tariff threats
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Solar becomes Europe's main energy source in June: consultants
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Last-gasp Xhemaili fires Swiss into Euro 2025 quarters
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NBA champion Thunder agree contract extension with Jalen Williams
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Gaza civil defence says Israeli strike kills children at clinic
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Swiatek surprised by surge to Wimbledon final
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Lyles back, ready to 'run fast', as Tebogo lurks
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Anisimova proves doubters wrong with run to Wimbledon final
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Spurs set to sign £60m Gibbs-White - reports
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Booker agrees to record $145 mn extension with Suns: reports
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Sabalenka criticises Anisimova behaviour after shock Wimbledon exit
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Russia and US hold 'frank' talks on Ukraine war
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Swiatek swats Bencic aside to reach Wimbledon final against Anisimova
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Root's 99 not out keeps India at bay in third Test
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Delta offers upbeat outlook on travel demand, lifting shares
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Sara Netanyahu: the ever-present wife of Israel's prime minister
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Italy can hurt rampant Spain, says coach Soncin
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Djokovic faces Sinner in Wimbledon blockbuster as Alcaraz meets Fritz
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Rebooted and 'vulnerable': Superman is back on screens
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Sri Lanka steamroll Bangladesh to win first T20
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Swiatek routs Bencic to reach first Wimbledon final
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Anisimova shocks Sabalenka to reach Wimbledon final, Swiatek in action
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Europe court says S.African Semenya's gender eligibility trial wasn't fair
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Ten rescued after deadly Huthi ship sinking off Yemen
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Scrutiny over Texas flood response mounts as death toll hits 120
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Rami Al Ali becomes first Syrian in Paris fashion programme
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London stocks hit record high on tariff optimism
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Ireland's Healy pulls off solo win at Tour de France
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French appeals court clears two over first lady gender rumours
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French appeals court court clears two over first lady gender rumours
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Barry Callebaut cuts outlook as chocolate sales volumes melt away
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The $10 mn bag: Original Birkin smashes records at Paris auction
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Anisimova stuns Sabalenka to reach Wimbledon final
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Root leads England revival after Reddy's double strike for India
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Snap, crackle and pay: Ferrero to buy WK Kellogg for $3.1 bn
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Shein faces 150-mn-euro fine in France
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Rubio says Asia might get 'better' tariffs than others
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India wicketkeeper Pant leaves field injured in third Test
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Russia says holds 'frank exchange' with US on Ukraine war
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Tendulkar says 'life has come full circle' with Lord's portrait
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Wall Street stocks stall, London hits record high
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Duplantis unfazed by late world champs in Tokyo
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Europe court says S.African athlete's gender eligibility trial wasn't fair
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Dzeko, 39, returns to Serie A with Fiorentina
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Scrutiny over Texas flood response mounts as death toll tops 120
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Iran threats in UK 'significantly increased': Intel watchdog
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Volkswagen halts electric minivan exports to the United States
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EU chief von der Leyen comfortably survives confidence vote
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India's Reddy strikes twice to rock England
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EU opens new probe into TikTok data transfer to China

In milestone, SpaceX 'catches' megarocket booster after test flight
SpaceX on Sunday successfully flew the first-stage booster of its Starship megarocket back to the launch pad after a test flight, a technical tour de force that furthers the company's quest for rapid reusability.
The "super heavy booster" had blasted off attached to the uncrewed Starship rocket minutes earlier, then made a picture-perfect controlled return to the same pad in Texas, where a pair of huge mechanical "chopsticks" reached out from the launch tower to bring the slowly descending booster to a halt, according to a livestream from Elon Musk's SpaceX company.
Not long afterward, the upper stage of Starship splashed down, as planned, in the Indian Ocean, a development saluted by Musk on X.
"Ship landed precisely on target!" he said of the vehicle's fifth test flight. "Second of the two objectives achieved."
The successful "catching" of the booster at its Texas launch pad had company staffers erupting in cheers.
"Folks, this is a day for the engineering history books," a SpaceX spokesperson said on the company's livestream.
Liftoff occurred at 7:25 am (1225 GMT) in clear weather from the SpaceX facility in southern Texas.
During its last flight in June, SpaceX achieved its first successful splashdown with Starship, a prototype spaceship that Musk hopes will one day carry humans to Mars.
US space agency NASA, which congratulated SpaceX on its successful test, is also keenly awaiting a modified version of Starship to act as a lander vehicle for crewed flights to the Moon under the Artemis program later this decade.
SpaceX said its engineers have "spent years preparing and months testing for the booster catch attempt, with technicians pouring tens of thousands of hours into building the infrastructure to maximize our chances for success."
Teams were monitoring to ensure "thousands" of criteria were met both on the vehicle and at the tower before any attempt to return the booster.
Had the conditions not been satisfied, it would have been redirected for a splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico, as in previous tests.
Instead, having been given the green light, the returning booster decelerated from supersonic speeds and the powerful "chopstick arms" embraced it.
- 'Fail fast, learn fast' -
The large mechanical arms, called "Mechazilla" by Musk, have generated considerable excitement among space enthusiasts.
Video posted by SpaceX showed the booster slowly descending, its bottom wobbling slowly to and fro as some of its 33 powerful engines corrected its descent, until the arms closed gently around it and held the huge device in place above the ground.
Starship stands 397 feet (121 meters) tall with both stages combined -- about 90 feet taller than the Statue of Liberty.
Its Super Heavy booster, which is 233 feet tall, produces 16.7 million pounds (74.3 Meganewtons) of thrust, about twice as powerful as the Saturn V rockets used during the Apollo missions.
SpaceX's "fail fast, learn fast" strategy of rapid iterative testing, even when its rockets blow up spectacularly, has ultimately accelerated development and contributed to the company's success.
Founded only in 2002, it quickly leapfrogged aerospace industry giants and is now the world leader in orbital launches, besides providing the only US spaceship currently certified to carry astronauts.
It has also created the world's biggest internet satellite constellation -- invaluable in disaster and war zones.
But its founding vision of making humanity a multiplanetary species is increasingly at risk of being overshadowed by Musk's embrace of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and his alignment with right-wing politics.
A clearly energized Musk, wearing an "Occupy Mars" T-shirt, appeared alongside Trump at a recent rally in Pennsylvania.
The company has been openly sparring with the Federal Aviation Administration over launch licensing and alleged violations, with Musk accusing the agency of overreach and calling for its chief, Michael Whitaker, to resign.
"He's trying to position himself for minimal regulatory interference with SpaceX once Donald Trump becomes president," said Mark Hass, a marketing expert and professor at Arizona State University. "But it's a calculated gamble if things go the other way."
A.Malone--AMWN