
-
AI coming for anime but Ghibli's Miyazaki irreplaceable, son says
-
Swedish insurer drops $160 mn Tesla stake over labour rights
-
Hunger returns to Gaza as Israeli blockade forces bakeries shut
-
Rubio heads to Europe as transatlantic tensions soar
-
Like 'living in hell': Quake-hit Mandalay monastery clears away rubble
-
'Give me a break': Trump tariffs threaten Japan auto sector
-
US approves $5.58 bn fighter jet sale to Philippines
-
Tsunoda embracing pressure of Red Bull debut at home Japanese GP
-
'Outstanding' Hay shines as New Zealand seal Pakistan ODI series
-
El Salvador's Bukele flaunts 'iron fist' alliance with Trump
-
Stock markets mixed as uncertainty rules ahead of Trump tariffs
-
China probes for key target weak spots with 'paralysing' Taiwan drills
-
'Top Gun' and Batman star Val Kilmer dies aged 65: New York Times
-
US lawmakers seek to rename street for Hong Kong's jailed Jimmy Lai
-
Greece to spend big on 'historic' military shake up
-
Trump faces first electoral setback after Wisconsin Supreme Court vote
-
Hay shines as New Zealand beat Pakistan for ODI series win
-
Israel says expands Gaza offensive to seize 'large areas'
-
Curry drops 52 as Warriors win, Jokic bags career-high 61 in Denver loss
-
South Korea mobilising 'all resources' for violence-free Yoon verdict
-
Myanmar quake victim rescued after 5 days as aid calls grow
-
Real Madrid coach Ancelotti tax fraud trial set to begin
-
Warner showcases 'Superman' reboot, new DiCaprio film
-
'Incredible' Curry scores 52 as Warriors down Grizzlies, Bucks edge Suns
-
Asian markets edge up but uncertainty rules ahead of Trump tariffs
-
Nintendo's megahit Switch console: what to know
-
Nintendo to unveil upgrade to best-selling Switch console
-
China practises hitting key ports, energy sites in Taiwan drills
-
Oil, sand and speed: Saudi gearheads take on towering dunes
-
All eyes on Tsunoda at Japan GP after ruthless Red Bull move
-
'Image whisperers' bring vision to the blind at Red Cross museum
-
Hay shines as New Zealand make 292-8 in Pakistan ODI
-
Other governments 'weaponising' Trump language to attack NGOs: rights groups
-
UK imposes online entry permit on European visitors
-
How a Brazilian chief is staving off Amazon destruction
-
Meme politics: White House embraces aggressive alt-right online culture
-
China launches military drills in Taiwan Strait
-
US senator smashes record with 25-hour anti-Trump speech
-
Brazil binman finds newborn baby on garbage route
-
US senator smashes record with marathon anti-Trump speech
-
Trump advisor Waltz faces new pressure over Gmail usage
-
Niger junta frees ministers of overthrown government
-
Trump set to unleash 'Liberation Day' tariffs
-
Boeing chief to acknowledge 'serious missteps' at US Senate hearing
-
Real Madrid hold Real Sociedad in eight-goal thriller to reach Copa del Rey final
-
Nuno salutes 'special' Elanga after stunning strike fires Forest
-
PSG survive scare against Dunkerque to reach French Cup final
-
Sundowns edge Esperance as crowd violence mars quarter-final
-
Nottingham Forest beat Man Utd, Saka scores on Arsenal return
-
Elanga wonder-goal sinks Man Utd as Forest eye Champions League berth

Stockton Rush, Titanic sub's deep-sea 'daredevil'
Deep-sea thrill-seeker Stockton Rush founded OceanGate in 2009 with the hopes of advancing submersible vehicle technology and taking travelers into the darkest depths of the ocean.
Described by Smithsonian Magazine as a "daredevil inventor," Rush pushed the envelope of underwater exploration and complained about strict rules he said were holding the industry back.
"It's obscenely safe because they have all these regulations. But it also hasn't innovated or grown -- because they have all these regulations," Rush told the magazine in 2019.
In an attempt to raise his company's profile, Rush began in 2021 to take paying customers to the iconic wreck of the Titanic on his specially built vessel.
During such a mission on June 18, 2023, the submersible -- with Rush onboard -- went missing, losing contact with the surface ship less than two hours after it began its descent.
An international search effort was launched to try and find Rush and the four other passengers in the remote North Atlantic, but no sign of them has been found.
The trips cost $250,000 with hardly a guarantee that the 110-year-old wreck will be reached, given all the potential obstacles, like bad weather, while customers must also sign a waiver recognizing the possible risk of death.
In a segment for CBS News, Rush extolled the excursions and pushed back against claims his equipment seemed slapped together -- though he admitted his sub was steered with a modified video game controller.
But he insisted that the fundamental design was sound and not slipshod.
"The pressure vessel is not 'MacGyver' at all, because that's where we worked with Boeing and NASA and the University of Washington," he told CBS.
"Everything else can fail. Your thrusters can go, your lights can go, you're still going to be safe," he said.
The Titanic trips followed a long period of delay during which Rush failed to get the proper permits for the project's support vessel.
- Marketing ploy -
He admitted that visiting the legendary shipwreck was part of a marketing strategy as he attempted to grow his business and develop new innovations for submersible vessels.
"If you ask people to name something underwater, it's going to be sharks, whales, Titanic," he told Smithsonian.
According to his company website, Rush began his career not underwater, but as a pilot, qualifying for the United Airlines Jet Training Institute in 1981 at the age of 19.
During college at Princeton University, he spent summers serving as a DC-8 first officer on flights to Europe and the Middle East.
He then got an MBA at UC Berkeley after which he dabbled in experimental aircraft and submarines.
But over the last two decades, Rush threw himself into several ocean-related tech ventures including serving on the board of Seattle's BlueView Technologies, which makes small, high-frequency sonar systems.
Rush has downplayed the risk of going to the depths of the ocean, saying that he was more concerned by the unexpected.
"What I worry about most are things that will stop me from being able to get to the surface. Overhangs, fish nets, entanglement hazards," he told the Unsung Science podcast.
He also said that he worried about a passenger on the journey out to the Titanic, when they could slip on the icy deck or have a door slam and crush a hand.
"That's to me the dangerous part. But, the scary part for most people is going down to 6,000 PSI (pressure)," he said.
D.Kaufman--AMWN