MODERN-DAY PIONEERS: Aside from surpassing Apollo 13’s distance record from Earth, the crew included the first person of color, first woman and first non-American
The Artemis II astronauts yesterday wrapped up their lunar flyby as they continued their journey back to Earth, bringing with them rich celestial observations, including little-known lunar craters, a solar eclipse and meteor strikes that scientists hope would open doors.Their eyes glued to the space
Filipino farmers like Romeo Wagayan have been left with little choice but to let their vegetables rot in the field rather than sell them at a loss, as rising oil prices linked to the Iran war drive up the cost of harvesting, labor and transport.“There’s nothing we can do,” said Wagayan, a 57-year ol
Davorin Cetin was cleaning a yard in a Croatian village when a landmine exploded meters away, leaving him badly injured and killing a close friend instantly. It took him two decades and more than a dozen operations before he felt safe stepping on grass again, haunted by what might lie beneath.Croati
Nepal’s government has developed tough measures to stamp out insurance scams involving unnecessary helicopter rescues of trekkers, an official said yesterday, a long-running racket threatening the country’s vital tourism industry.The Himalayan nation, home to eight of the world’s 10 highest peaks in
IRANJapanese freed on bailA Japanese national who had been detained in Iran since Jan. 20 has been released on bail, Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara told reporters in Tokyo said yesterday. Japanese Ambassador to Iran Tamaki Tsukada met the person, who was released on Monday, and confirmed that
JAN. 1 CLAUSE: As military service is voluntary, applications for permission to stay abroad for over three months for men up to age 45 must, in principle, be granted
A little-noticed clause in sweeping changes to Germany’s military service policy has triggered an uproar after it emerged that the law requires men aged up to 45 to get permission from the armed forces before any significant stay abroad, even in peacetime.The legislation, which went into effect on J
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s officially declared wealth is fairly modest: some savings and a jointly owned villa in Budapest.However, voters in what Transparency International deems the EU’s most corrupt country believe otherwise — and they might make Orban pay in a general election this
FLYBY: The four astronauts were set to become the most distant humans from Earth in history, surpassing the record of 400,171km set by Apollo 13 in April 1970
AP, HOUSTON With the moon looming ever larger, the Artemis II astronauts yesterday raced to set a new distance record from Earth on a lunar fly-around promising magnificent views of the far side never seen before by eye.The six-hour flyby is the highlight of NASA’s first return to the moon since the
Beverage giants Pepsi and Diageo on Sunday pulled out of sponsoring a music festival in London headlined by US rapper Kanye West, who has a history of anti-Semitic outbursts.The disgraced 48-year-old hip-hop star — now known as Ye — is due to play three nights at the Wireless Festival in London in J
One of the world’s most important collections of 20th-century Mexican art, including works by Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, is set to be exported to Spain under an agreement with Banco Santander, sparking outrage among Mexico’s cultural community.Nearly 400 cultural professionals have signed an open
Salvage crews in Fiji are working to prevent an oil spill after a cruise ship ran aground off the island on which the 2000 Tom Hanks film Cast Away was filmed.The Blue Lagoon Cruises vessel Fiji Princess grounded at a reef near the uninhabited Monuriki Island on Saturday, the Maritime Safety Authori
An image of US President Donald Trump appears during the Burning of Judas folk tradition in Caracas on Sunday. Rag dolls representing indifference, the mistreatment of political prisoners in Venezuela and Trump were burnt as part of the popular custom.
RESIGNATION CALLS: The PP and Vox parties have said that the prime minister should step down and call early elections, saying the scandals expose systemic corruption
A corruption trial of a former right-hand man to Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez is to begin tomorrow, a politically explosive case that has threatened to topple the minority government led by the Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party.Jose Luis Abalos is a disgraced ex-Socialist heavyweight, a forme
Now more than two-thirds to the moon, the Artemis II astronauts are preparing for their historic lunar fly-around to push deeper into space than even the Apollo astronauts. On the downside, their toilet is on the blink again.The three Americans — Christina Koch, Reid Wiseman and Victor Glover — and
Showcasing phallus-shaped portable shrines and pink penis candies, Japan’s annual fertility festival yesterday teemed with tourists, couples and families elated by its open display of sex.The spring Kanamara Matsuri near Tokyo features colorfully dressed worshipers carrying a trio of giant phallic-s
EYE IN THE SKY: Tehran could be attempting to access commercial imagery, including pictures obtained through US adversaries, some space specialists said
Satellite imaging firm Planet Labs on Saturday said it would indefinitely withhold visuals of Iran and the region of conflict in the Middle East to comply with a request from the US government.California-based Planet Labs announced the decision in an e-mail to customers and said the US government ha
More than four years on from one of the most powerful volcanic eruptions in history, Tonga is struggling to improve its infrastructure as it pays off a massive Chinese loan.When Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai erupted on Jan. 15, 2022, the blast could be heard as far away as Alaska and sent a powerful tsu
Before war erupted in the Middle East, fisherman Peter Bruce spent about ￡5,000 (US$6,610) on diesel to trawl the North Sea for haddock and cod, the main species used in fish and chips.“Now, the last trip we spent about ￡10,000,” despite his crew reducing the speed of the boat to save fuel, he said.
Louisiana police have charged a man with impaired driving after his vehicle on Saturday struck revelers at a parade celebrating the Lao New Year, injuring several people, some critically, authorities said.Louisiana State Police said they arrested Todd Landry, 57, and charged him with driving while i
RSS