Nasa’s Orion capsule returns to Earth, capping Artemis I flight around moon
Nasa’s Orion capsule barreled through Earth’s atmosphere and splashed down in the Pacific ocean on Sunday after making an uncrewed voyage around the moon, winding up the inaugural mission of the US agency’s Artemis lunar programme 50 years to the day after Apollo’s final moon landing.
The gumdrop-shaped Orion capsule, carrying a simulated crew of three mannequins wired with sensors, plunked down in the ocean at 9:40 a.m. PST (1740 GMT) off Mexico’s Baja California peninsula, executing a key demonstration of how future lunar astronauts would safely return to Earth.
“From Tranquility Base to Taurus-Littrow to the tranquil waters of the Pacific, the latest chapter of Nasa’s journey to the moon comes to a close. Orion, back on Earth,” said Rob Navias, a Nasa commentator speaking on a live stream.
Volcano erupts in Guatemala, forcing airport closure
One of the most active volcanoes in Central America has erupted again, spewing lava and ash and forcing authorities in Guatemala City on Sunday to close the country’s largest airport and a major highway.
The volcano named Fuego – Spanish for fire – rumbled into activity overnight Saturday into Sunday, with molten rock oozing down its slopes and ash belching two kilometres into the sky. Winds carried the ash toward Guatemala City, 35 kilometres away.
La Aurora international airport, six kilometres south of the capital, was temporarily closed at mid-morning, the General Directorate of Civil Aeronautics said in a statement, citing the presence of ash near the runway.
Italian PM Meloni pays tribute to victims after gunman kills three women
Three women including a friend of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni were killed on Sunday when a man pulled out a gun and opened fire at a meeting of residents of an apartment block in Rome.
Meloni posted a picture of herself alongside Nicoletta Golisano, one of the victims, on Instagram on Sunday evening. “For me she will always be beautiful and happy like this,” Meloni wrote alongside the photograph.
“It is not right to die like this.”
US forces kill two ISIS ‘officials’ in Syria raid
US forces killed two Islamic State group “officials” in an overnight raid in eastern Syria, US Central Command said on Sunday.
The forces “conducted a successful helicopter raid in eastern Syria at 2:57 am (2357 GMT)... killing two ISIS officials,” Centcom said in a statement, using an alternative acronym for ISIS and without providing a more specific location.
It identified one of those killed as “Anas”, an ISIS “Syria province official” who was involved in “plotting and facilitation operations in eastern Syria”, according to the statement.
Football: Ronaldo says dedication to Portugal unchanged but will ‘let time be a good adviser’
Cristiano Ronaldo said on Sunday that he had always been dedicated to being a part of the Portuguese national team, which was knocked out of the World Cup a day earlier, but he was coy about his future in the national side.
The 37-year-old, a five-times Ballon D’Or winner, had arrived in Qatar with a mission to prove he could still make a difference on his national team. He ended the tournament, however, coming on as a second-half substitute in Portugal’s 1-0 quarter-final loss to Morocco.
“I just want you all to know that much has been said, much has been written, much has been speculated, but my dedication to Portugal has not changed for a moment,” Ronaldo said in a Facebook post.
