Project leader echoes Neil Armstrong’s quote after rover’s successful separation from lander China’s space agency has posted the first photo of its Chang’e 4 lunar rover on the far side of the moon after its groundbreaking touchdown on Thursday. The rover – named Yutu 2, or Jade Rabbit 2 – ... Read More »
North Korea’s Kim Jong-un warns nuclear talks at risk over US sanctions
‘I am always ready to sit together with the US president anytime in the future,’ says Pyongyang’s leader North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un has said that he is ready to meet with Donald Trump for nuclear weapon talks, but that his country will be forced to “explore a new path” ... Read More »
Record number of Britons seeking Irish passports ahead of Brexit
The number of British citizens applying for Irish passports has doubled since vote to leave European Union The number of British citizens applying for Irish passports rose by 22% in 2018, Ireland’s foreign office said on Monday, more than doubling the total of annual applications since Britain voted to leave ... Read More »
Artificial intelligence demands genuine journalism
AI is coming to newsrooms, should we embrace it or resist it? Many large newsrooms and news agencies have, for some time, relegated sports, weather, stock exchange movements and corporate performance stories to computers. Machines can be more rigorous and comprehensive than some reporters. Software can import data from various ... Read More »
Trump shocks allies and advisers with plan to pull US troops out of Syria
Administration nears end of campaign to retake territory once held by Isis as Trump tweets: ‘We have defeated Isis in Syria’ Donald Trump is reported to have ordered a full, rapid withdrawal of over 2,000 US troops in Syria, declaring victory over the Islamic State, and taking allies and his ... Read More »
Russia, Turkey and Iran reach agreement on Syria committee
UN says Moscow rejected five names its envoy wanted included in proposed panel The three self-appointed guarantors of the Syrian peace process – Russia, Turkey and Iran – have spurned efforts by the UN to change the composition of a committee due to write a new constitution for the country. ... Read More »
Belgian PM Charles Michel resigns after no-confidence motion
Country braces for snap election as parliament rejects minority administration Belgium’s government of four years has fallen on the issue of migration after the country’s parliament rejected an appeal from prime minister, Charles Michel, for its support for a minority administration. Michel was forced to offer his resignation to the ... Read More »
Untouched ‘one-of-a-kind’ ancient tomb belonging to ‘divine inspector’ uncovered in Egypt
Antiquities official say they’ll dig deeper into tomb in search of priest’s sarcophagus He was known as Wahtye, and served as royal priest or high-ranking religious figure carrying the title “divine inspector.” And he must have been someone of great importance, for when he was buried in the southwest outskirts ... Read More »
Sudan’s president Omar al-Bashir becomes first Arab League member to visit Syria since 2011
Visit comes amid growing calls from some Arab states to normalise ties with Syrian regime Sudan’s president Omar al-Bashir made a surprise trip to Syria on Sunday, becoming the first Arab League leader to visit the country since war began there in 2011. The president met Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad, ... Read More »
Climate talks pass baton in race to stop global warming
Fractious climate change talks in Poland showed the limits of international action to limit global warming in a polarized world, putting the onus on individual governments, cities and communities to stop temperatures rising. Nearly 200 countries at the United Nations talks in Katowice – in the coal mining region of ... Read More »