SpaceX successfully launched its revamped Super Heavy-Starship from Starbase, Texas on 22 May — the biggest version yet. The upgraded rocket, which NASA is counting on for lunar landings, deployed satellite simulators before the spacecraft splashed down in the Indian Ocean. First-stage booster landed in the Gulf of Mexico.
NASA's Artemis II launched on 1 April — the first crewed mission to the Moon in over 50 years — and is currently demonstrating life support systems with four astronauts aboard Orion. The mission lays groundwork for a permanent lunar presence ahead of future Mars expeditions.
Pope Leo published an encyclical on AI risks on 25 May, warning that autonomous weapons systems are becoming impossible to control. He called on developers and the Catholic Church to work together on proper AI oversight and insisted humans must retain key controls.
Lenovo reported record quarterly revenue of $21.6bn for the March quarter, its highest-ever Q4, as AI server revenue nearly doubled. The company maintained its position as the world's top PC vendor with 24.4% global market share. Shares jumped 19%.
Farmers For Action warned Britain risks becoming dangerously reliant on imported food unless farm incomes improve. Producers face volatile markets, rising input costs, inheritance tax reforms and supply chain disruption, with many "can't afford to feed the people anymore."
Thousands of farmers gathered in central London in May to protest the government's changes to Agricultural Property Relief. Farms worth over ~£1m face a new 20% inheritance tax from April 2026, ending a long-standing exemption that has sparked the biggest rural protests in years.
Layer a Uniqlo Men's Corduroy Overshirt in burgundy or brown over a black band tee for that rustic-gothic vibe. Pair with Dr. Martens 1460 Laceless Slip-On Boots for practical countryside stomping that doesn't sacrifice the look. Both under £130, and the overshirt doubles as a light jacket for unpredictable spring weather.
Labour lost over 1,400 council seats and its majority in Wales in the 7 May elections, as Reform UK surged to become the largest party by councillor count (1,454 seats), while the Greens also made major gains (441 seats up). Sir John Curtice described UK politics as "fragmented" into five parties.
Over 90 Labour MPs have publicly called for Keir Starmer's resignation or a departure timetable following the crushing local election losses. The PM insists he will fight the next general election, but a leadership challenge is increasingly seen as possible later in the year.
Peak spring on a pizza — blitz pistachios, basil and garlic into a vibrant pesto, spread on a crispy base, then top with thin asparagus spears and dollops of creamy ricotta. Bake until the edges are charred and the ricotta is golden. A 30-minute weeknight winner that tastes like a restaurant dish.
Irish post-punks with a poet's soul. If Idles are the angry bloke at the pub, Fontaines D.C. are the brooding one nursing a Guinness in the corner, muttering something devastatingly beautiful. "I Love You" off their Skinty Fia album is all jangly guitars and singer Grian Chatten's Dublin drawl — a deceptively tender love song wrapped in a punk's leather jacket.
A man walks into a library and asks, "Do you have any books about Pavlov's dogs and Schrödinger's cat?"
The librarian says, "It rings a bell, but I'm not sure if it's here or not."
President Trump announced on 23 May that a deal to end the US-Israel war on Iran is "largely negotiated," including reopening the Strait of Hormuz and Iran giving up its enriched uranium stockpile. Pakistan-led mediation has been key. Israel's opposition and Netanyahu's government have both expressed concerns about the emerging terms.
The WHO says the current Ebola outbreak may be spreading faster than originally estimated, with the BBC's "The Global Story" podcast dedicating an episode to the question. Health officials are racing to contain cases as the virus shows signs of wider geographic reach than initially reported.