Kourou (AFP) – The European Space Agency’s JUICE space probe has successfully launched on a mission to discover whether Jupiter’s icy moons are capable of hosting extraterrestrial life in their vast, hidden oceans. The rocket was launched from Europe’s spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana and its trajectory is “nominal”, i.e. in line with what is expected, according to the teams on site.
Beijing (AFP) – German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock urges China to ask “the Russian aggressor to stop the war” in Ukraine during press conference with her Chinese counterpart Qin Gang in Beijing.
Boston (AFP) – Exterior of the John Joseph Moakley United States Courthouse in Boston, Massachusetts, where 21-year-old national guardsman, Jack Teixeira, is due to appear, after he was arrested on suspicion of leaking a trove of sensitive US government secrets.
Near Bakhmut (Ukraine) (AFP) – The Ukrainian army is using civilian drones in the trenches. “These are the eyes of our army. With the help of a drone, we carry out both reconnaissance and surveillance, but also identification of the enemy and escort of assault groups” explains Oleksandr, a drone operator and 5th Brigade Air Support Department Commander.
Bangkok (AFP) – There was wet and wild fun in abundance on the streets of Bangkok Thursday, as the city celebrated the Thai new year festival Songkran, following a three-year pandemic-related hiatus.
Beijing (AFP) – Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva receives an official welcome from his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping during a ceremony in Beijing, at the start of a state visit.
Fort Lauderdale (United States) (AFP) – Torrential rain has left much of South Florida inundated and forced residents to evacuate. The Wednesday downpour dumped 25 inches (63.5 cm) of rain on Fort Lauderdale in 24 hours, almost twice the amount of water set by the previous record in 1979.
Fort Lauderdale (United States) (AFP) – Torrential rain has left much of South Florida inundated and forced residents to evacuate. The Wednesday downpour dumped 25 inches (63.5 cm) of rain on Fort Lauderdale in 24 hours, almost twice the amount of water set by the previous record in 1979.
Near Bakhmut (Ukraine) (AFP) – The Ukrainian army is using civilian drones in the trenches. “These are the eyes of our army. With the help of a drone, we carry out both reconnaissance and surveillance, but also identification of the enemy and escort of assault groups” explains Oleksandr, a drone operator and 5th Brigade Air Support Department Commander.
Berlin (AFP) – Fatou, the world’s oldest gorilla in captivity, celebrates her 66th birthday with an assortment of fruit, vegetables and berries offered by Berlin zoo to mark the occasion. “In nature the gorillas would live 45 to 50 years at the most, in the zoo considerably older, but her 66 years are an especially old age,” Fatou’s keeper Ruben Gralki says.
Paros (Greece) (AFP) – The tourist season has opened in Greece with some of the first visitors arriving on the picturesque island of Paros. The country is set to break records, but concerns remain about overtourism and overbuilding.
Houston (AFP) – Four small rooms, a gym and a lot of red sand — NASA unveils a new Mars-simulation habitat, in which volunteers will live for a year at a time to test what life will be like for future missions to Earth’s neighbor.
