Abdiwahab Ahmed

Four astronauts chosen for NASA’s Artemis II mission are preparing to cross the next threshold in the push to return humans to the Moon: arrival in Florida and the final sprint of pre-launch work for the first crewed journey to deep space in more than five decades. Commander Reid Wiseman, Mission Pilot Victor Glover and Christina Koch will launch alongside Canadian astronaut Colonel Jeremy Hansen from Kennedy Space Center as soon as 1 April, riding atop NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. They will travel inside an…

Fresh strikes in Ukraine killed three people and left at least 13 others wounded, local officials said, underscoring how Russia’s war against Ukraine has continued largely uninterrupted even as international attention has focused on the Middle East. The attacks struck Odesa and Kryvyi Rig, damaging residential areas as well as a maternity hospital and an industrial site. In Odesa, Sergiy Lysak, head of the city’s military administration, said one person died in hospital from injuries received during overnight strikes. Lysak…

An estimated 259,000 people die from meningitis each year worldwide, according to a large new study released after the disease sparked fresh concern in the UK. The research found that children made up roughly a third of those deaths, with many occurring in Africa—an outcome the authors described as the most extensive global assessment of meningitis to date. The new findings arrive after meningitis was thrust into the spotlight following an outbreak in southeast England believed to have spread through a nightclub earlier this…

The Trump administration wants its campaign of military operations against Iran to end in weeks, not months—and US officials say Washington believes it can accomplish its goals without deploying ground troops. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the timeline can be met while US forces continue working to pressure Tehran. At the same time, fighting has widened across the region. A Reuters report cited a US official as saying an Iranian strike on an airbase in Saudi Arabia wounded two American service members severely and…

The Kremlin has rejected claims that President Vladimir Putin asked prominent business figures to contribute funds to help shore up Russia’s finances as the war in Ukraine continues. According to reports from unnamed sources, the independent Russian outlet The Bell and the Financial Times said the allegations stemmed from a closed-door meeting Mr Putin held with business leaders yesterday. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, “It’s not true that Putin made such a request.” He added that one attendee at the…

A US federal judge has put the Trump administration’s sanctions on Anthropic on hold, ruling that the measures likely broke the law by effectively punishing the AI company for publicly questioning how its technology is being used by the Pentagon. In the Northern District of California, Judge Rita Lin granted Anthropic’s request for a preliminary injunction, freezing a presidential order that barred all federal agencies from using Anthropic’s technology while the lawsuit proceeds. The decision also halts the Pentagon’s…

Austria has set its sights on social media use by young people, announcing plans to prohibit access for children up to the age of 14—arguing the platforms drive addiction, amplify violence, fuel misinformation and pressure children into unrealistic beauty ideals. Vice-Chancellor Andreas Babler said it is “almost impossible for parents to control their children's consumption” on services that, he argued, are built to keep users “deliberately dependent.” Speaking at a press conference, he said the government’s approach focuses…

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio pushed back sharply on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, accusing him of misstating Washington’s position and signaling that the United States could redirect weapons support toward Kyiv to bolster its own campaign following attacks on Iran. Zelensky had claimed in an interview that the United States was urging Ukraine to surrender the eastern Donbas region to Russia before any post-war security commitments are finalized. Russia launched the invasion of Ukraine more than four years ago.…

Irish peacekeepers are still deployed in southern Lebanon, even as Israel steps up operations and signals an intention to seize control of territory aimed at establishing what it calls a buffer zone. In recent days, Israeli actions have included strikes on bridges, ground operations and evacuation orders—developments taking place inside the UN-monitored area where Irish troops are stationed. The Defence Forces said Irish UN peacekeepers remain in place as Israel implements plans to take the area through military force.…

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio argued Friday that it would benefit every G7 member to press for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping route currently blocked by Iran. Rubio made the case as he prepared to fly to France for a meeting of G7 foreign ministers scheduled outside Paris, saying bluntly that assisting in any effort to restore access “is in their interest.” The trip marks Rubio’s first return to international travel since the United States and Israel launched airstrikes on Iran on February 28.…