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More than fifty years passed between the last Apollo mission and the United States’ return to the lunar surface, when the first-ever private lander touched down last February. Now, starting Sunday, two more missions are set to follow within a single week, marking a bold push by NASA and its industry partners to make Moon landings a routine part of space exploration.First up is Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost Mission 1, nicknamed “Ghost Riders in the Sky.”After launching in January on a 45-day journey, it is targeting touchdown near Mons Latreille, a volcanic feature in Mare Crisium on the Moon’s northeastern near side, at 3:34 am US Eastern time (0834 GMT). Along the way, it has captured stunning footage of the Moon, coming as close as 60 miles (100 kilometers) above the surface.The golden lander, about the size of a hippopotamus, carries ten instruments, including one to analyze lunar soil, another to test radiation-tolerant computing, and a GPS-based navigation system. Designed to operate for a full lunar day (14 Earth days), Blue Ghost is expected to capture high-definition imagery of a total eclipse on March 14, when Earth blocks the Sun from the Moon’s horizon.On March 16, it will record a lunar sunset, offering insights into how dust levitates above the surface under solar influence — creating the mysterious lunar horizon glow first documented by Apollo astronaut Eugene Cernan.- Hopping drone – Blue Ghost’s arrival will be followed on March 6 by Intuitive Machines’ IM-2 mission, featuring its lander, Athena.Last year, Intuitive Machines made history as the first private company to achieve a soft landing on the Moon, though the moment was tempered by a mishap.Coming down too fast, one of the lander’s feet caught on the lunar surface, tipping it over and causing it to rest sideways — limiting its ability to generate solar power and cutting the mission short. This time, the company says it has made key improvements to the hexagonal-shaped lander, which has a taller, slimmer profile than Blue Ghost, and is around the height of an adult giraffe. Athena launched on Wednesday aboard a SpaceX rocket, taking a more direct route toward Mons Mouton — the southernmost lunar landing site ever attempted.It carries an ambitious set of payloads, including a unique hopping drone designed to explore the Moon’s underground passages carved by ancient lava flows, a drill capable of digging three feet beneath the surface in search of ice, and three rovers. The largest, about the size of a beagle, will connect to the lander and hopper using a Nokia cellular network in a first-of-its-kind demonstration.But “Grace,” the hopping drone — named after computing pioneer Grace Hopper — could well steal the show if it succeeds in showing it can navigate the Moon’s treacherous terrain in ways no rover can.- NASA’s private Moon fleet – Landing on the Moon presents unique challenges due to the absence of an atmosphere, making parachutes ineffective. Instead, spacecraft must rely on precisely controlled thruster burns to slow their descent while navigating hazardous terrain.Until Intuitive Machines’ first successful mission, only five national space agencies had accomplished this feat: the Soviet Union, the United States, China, India and Japan, in that order. Now, the United States is working to make private lunar missions routine through NASA’s $2.6 billion Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program, a public-private initiative designed to deliver hardware to the surface at a fraction of traditional mission costs.These missions come at a pivotal moment for NASA, amid speculation that it may scale back or even cancel its Artemis lunar program in favor of prioritizing Mars exploration — a key goal of both President Donald Trump and his close advisor, SpaceX founder Elon Musk.

Volodymyr Zelensky said Friday that his relations with the United States can still be repaired, after President Donald Trump shouted at him in an angry White House meltdown accusing the Ukrainian leader of refusing to make peace with Russia.”Of course,” Zelensky said when asked in a Fox News interview if the relationship with Trump could be salvaged.US-Ukrainian ties are about “more than two presidents,” he said, adding that Ukraine badly needs Washington’s help in the fight against Russia’s far bigger and better-armed military.”It will be difficult without your support,” Zelensky said on Fox — Trump’s favorite news channel.Zelensky’s olive branch came hours after the extraordinary Oval Office scene where the years-long US policy of massive support for Ukraine’s fight against the Russian invasion collapsed in a shouting match.The row saw European leaders scramble to voice support for Ukraine after Zelensky was made to leave the White House early and without signing a minerals-sharing deal seen as vital to an eventual US-brokered truce.During the clash, played out in front of US and international media, Trump and Vice President JD Vance shouted at Zelensky, accusing him of not being “thankful” and refusing to accept their proposed truce terms.”You don’t have the cards right now,” Trump said. “You’re either going to make a deal or we’re out, and if we’re out, you’ll fight it out and I don’t think it’s going to be pretty.”Zelensky departed shortly after, with Trump posting on social media that “he can come back when he is ready for peace.””They were asked to leave the room. Then they had to be asked to leave the building,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who had been in the Oval Office for the row, told Fox News of the Ukrainians.The president told journalists later Friday that Zelensky was “overplaying his hand” and should agree to end fighting “immediately.”Zelensky, however, refused to apologize, telling Fox News, “I’m not sure that we did something bad.” He did, however, say he wished the exchange had not taken place in front of reporters. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio later on CNN called for Zelensky to “apologize for wasting our time.” – ‘Not alone’ -US allies in Europe — already worried that Trump will force Ukraine to effectively hand victory to Russian President Vladimir Putin — rushed to back Zelensky.”You are not alone,” Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said.British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, fresh off his own visit to the White House, said he had spoken to both Trump and Zelensky by phone following the clash and vowed “unwavering support” for Kyiv.Far-right Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called for a summit “without delay” between the United States, Europe and allies on Ukraine.Trump and Vance are “doing Putin’s dirty work,” top US Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer posted.But Russia was delighted.Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev called Zelensky an “insolent pig” who had received “a proper slap down in the Oval Office.”Trump’s Republican Party echoed the Russians in blaming Zelensky.Ukraine appeared united behind Zelensky, with its army chief vowing to stand with him while the foreign minister praised his “bravery.” “He did what he must,” 26-year-old Valentyn Burianov told AFP in Kyiv, echoing others in the streets of the Ukrainian capital.- Compromise with ‘killer’? -The meltdown came after Trump said Ukraine will have to make “compromises” in a truce with Russia.Zelensky said there should be “no compromises with a killer on our territory.”After he pointed out that previous Western-backed peace efforts had failed to deter Russian aggression, Vance interrupted and called him “disrespectful.”The session then boiled over, with the Ukrainian leader sitting in evident discomfort as Trump and Vance berated him.Trump has alarmed Kyiv and European allies with his abrupt U-turn in US policy, casting himself as a mediator between Putin and Zelensky and refusing to condemn the Russian invasion.He said in the Oval Office that he had “spoken on numerous occasions” to Putin — more than has been publicly reported.Trump called Zelensky a “dictator” last week and has said he trusts Putin to “keep his word” over a ceasefire.He told Zelensky that as a mediator he could not criticize one of the main sides.However, speaking to Fox News, Zelensky said he wished Trump was “really more on our side.”Meanwhile, Russia’s assault on Ukraine continued.Russian infantry were on Friday storming the Ukrainian border from the Russian region of Kursk, Kyiv said.burs-sms/sw/st/tym

In lighting the match that set off an extraordinary public clash with Ukraine’s leader Volodymyr Zelensky, US Vice President JD Vance has again shown his steely determination in pushing his “America First” worldview.The Oval Office meeting between Donald Trump and Zelensky was bound to be awkward due to the two presidents’ tense history and opposing views, but started off on comparatively civil terms, as they discussed plans for a minerals deal.More than half an hour after media started recording, Vance spoke up and urged a turn to diplomacy over war — moving Zelensky to explain how Russia has violated earlier deals.Vance, speaking with sangfroid from the facing couch, then told Zelensky that he was being “disrespectful” and that he should have come to the White House to thank Trump.Trump, not one to tolerate questioning of his authority, soon raised his voice with Zelensky and warned him that he had to accept a deal with Russia or be abandoned by the United States.Zelensky in a later interview on Fox News voiced hope at ending the rift. But he made clear how he felt about Vance’s role.The two presidents can answer questions but “with all due respect to the vice president, I mean, he has his (own) interviews,” Zelensky said.- ‘Too radical’ -Vance as a senator famously said he did not care what happened to Ukraine. After Trump picked him as his running mate, Zelensky told The New Yorker that Vance was “too radical.”The clash with Zelensky was the latest bold foray by Vance into pushing US foreign policy sharply away from internationalism.Vance, who at 40 is one of the youngest vice presidents in US history and almost half the age of Trump, made his international debut with a February speech urging Germany to break its taboo of dealing with the far-right, whose leader he met.Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, Vance stunned the audience by urging restrictions on immigration and declared of Trump, “There is a new sheriff in town.”One day before the Zelensky meeting, in a far more cordial meeting with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Vance complained about “infringements on free speech” by the bedrock US ally — repeating criticism he made in Munich about restrictions on disinformation and other tech regulation. Starmer politely replied that Britain had a “very proud” history of free speech.- Rising star -With Trump constitutionally prohibited from seeking another term, Vance was the strong favorite to succeed him in a straw poll a week ago at the Conservative Political Action Conference.Vance, who rose from poverty to Yale Law School, gained national prominence with a book on the struggles of working-class white Americans before heading to Silicon Valley.”There’s been this effort to put Trumpism on a more rigorous academic footing, and Vance is well placed to do that,” said Aaron Mannes, an expert at the University of Maryland School of Public Policy on the national security role of the vice president.The most effective vice presidents, he said, know not to air any disagreements with the president publicly.”He is probably following that model. Plus, Trump likes loyalty, so Vance is going the extra mile on that,” Mannes said.Vance has quickly taken a different role than Trump’s vice president from his first term, Mike Pence, a mild-mannered conservative Christian who starred in memes showing him sitting silently as Trump spoke.Pence also showed loyalty to Trump — until January 6, 2021, when the then-vice president refused to throw out results of their election defeat, prompting Trump to berate him and pro-Trump rioters to threaten to kill him.One of the most influential vice presidents on foreign policy was Dick Cheney, who under George W. Bush championed a sweeping “war on terror” and the invasion of Iraq.Many Bush critics saw him as manipulated by Cheney, who had decades of experience in Washington, although Bush called himself “the decider.”Lawmakers on both sides of the political spectrum saw Vance as key to the confrontation with Zelensky.Senator Mark Kelly, who alongside fellow Democrats met Zelensky earlier Friday, told MSNBC that the United States does not “gain anything by acting like bullies.””It seemed to me it was just JD Vance saying, ‘Hey, look what I can do, Dad.'” 

Mexico’s handover of some of its most notorious imprisoned drug lords to the United States is part of a more confrontational approach by President Claudia Sheinbaum against ultra-violent cartels, experts say.The mass transfer of 29 alleged drug traffickers has sparked concerns of a potential violent backlash from some of the world’s most powerful criminal organizations. It comes as Mexico seeks to avert sweeping tariffs that US President Donald Trump has vowed to impose on its exports next week.What are the implications of the surprise delivery to US authorities of senior figures in several drug cartels, a number of which have been designated terrorist organizations by Trump?- Turning point in anti-drug fight? -While she ruled out declaring “war” on drug cartels after taking office in October, Sheinbaum has quietly dropped her predecessor’s “hugs not bullets” strategy, which prioritized tackling the root causes of criminal violence over security operations.Mexican authorities have recently announced a series of major drug seizures and the capture of suspects including two prominent members of the Sinaloa Cartel, which is gripped by bloody internal fighting.”The number of arrests, drug seizures and now extraditions is increasing significantly. There is a strategy of absolute confrontation with the cartels,” said David Saucedo, a security consultant.The increased pressure from Washington represents an “ideal moment” for Sheinbaum to shape her own security policy, since it is a “frankly critical” problem, said Javier Oliva, a defense and security specialist at the National Autonomous University of Mexico.In November, outgoing US ambassador Ken Salazar said former president Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador’s “hugs not bullets” policy strategy had failed.Spiraling criminal violence, much of it linked to drug trafficking and gangs, has seen around 480,000 people murdered across Mexico since 2006.- How will cartels react? -Mexican cartels have a history of violent responses to detentions or extraditions of their leaders, and experts fear this time may be no different.”It’s highly likely that there will be a furious reaction. It’s not the same for a drug lord to be imprisoned in Mexico as it is to be in a high-security prison in the United States,” Saucedo said.In Mexico, many drug lords are able to run their organizations from behind bars.”High-security prisons quickly become comfortable prisons for drug traffickers,” Saucedo said.The prospect of life imprisonment in a US jail could also make it harder to capture more drug lords, he said.”They will shoot until the last bullet and spill the last drop of blood to avoid being taken to the United States,” Saucedo warned.The fall of kingpins could also further fragment their organizations, said Oliva, leading to bloody turf wars.- Politicians exposed? -The possibility of the suspects becoming protected witnesses in the United States has raised speculation that they could lift the lid on high-level corruption in Mexico.Their testimonies could expose not only their own organizations, but also “the circles of political, police and military protection that support the cartels,” Saucedo said.Such revelations would allow Trump to increase his demands on the Mexican government, which he has accused without proof of colluding with drug trafficking, Oliva said.”The pressure will continue” both to capture criminals and to expose “complicity in political power,” he added

The following is a list of the best picture Oscar winners from the last 20 years, ahead of Sunday’s 97th Academy Awards in Hollywood.This year, 10 films are in contention for the top prize: “Anora,” “The Brutalist,” “A Complete Unknown,” “Conclave,” “Dune: Part Two,” “Emilia Perez,” “I’m Still Here,” “Nickel Boys,” “The Substance” and “Wicked.”2024 – “Oppenheimer”2023 – “Everything Everywhere All at Once”2022 – “CODA”2021 – “Nomadland”2020 – “Parasite”2019 – “Green Book”2018 – “The Shape of Water”2017 – “Moonlight”2016 – “Spotlight”2015 – “Birdman”2014 – “12 Years A Slave”2013 – “Argo”2012 – “The Artist”2011 – “The King’s Speech”2010 – “The Hurt Locker”2009 – “Slumdog Millionaire”2008 – “No Country for Old Men”2007 – “The Departed”2006 – “Crash”2005 – “Million Dollar Baby”

Sunday’s Oscars gala looks set for a nail-biting finale, with “Anora” and “Conclave” equally tipped by pundits to win best picture after a twisty awards season in which favorites have swiftly risen and spectacularly faltered.Here are the 10 movies nominated for Hollywood’s biggest prize at the 97th Academy Awards:- ‘Anora’ -Sean Baker’s sex worker tragicomedy “Anora” is an almost universally admired movie about class, capitalism and Cinderella dreams, from a filmmaker’s filmmaker. Last May, it became the first US movie to win the Cannes festival’s top prize since 2011. But the long path to Oscars success back home was far from assured. “Anora” left January’s Golden Globes empty-handed, before re-emerging as the year’s frontrunner by sweeping key awards from Hollywood’s producers, directors, writers and critics. – ‘Conclave’ -Twisty Vatican-set thriller “Conclave,” based on a Robert Harris novel about the mysterious and cutthroat politics of pope-picking, has surged at the last minute to become a joint favorite with “Anora” for the top prize. It debuted at the Telluride film festival in August to positive reviews but little serious Oscars buzz. That dramatically changed deep into awards season, when it won the top prize at Britain’s BAFTAs. And then last weekend, “Conclave” — starring Oscar nominees Ralph Fiennes and Isabella Rossellini — took the top award from Hollywood’s Screen Actors Guild. – ‘The Brutalist’ -Immigrant saga “The Brutalist” appears likely to seal a second best actor Oscar for Adrien Brody, who plays a brilliant architect and Holocaust survivor. It is a potential dark horse for best picture as well. The longest nominated film, running more than three-and-a-half hours (with intermission), looks like a lavish Hollywood epic, but was shot for less than $10 million. – ‘A Complete Unknown’ – This old-school biopic of a young Bob Dylan, endorsed by the legendary folk singer himself, was the final Oscars contender to be screened for voters last year. It quickly won favor, and eight nominations. The film’s best shot at glory is 29-year-old megastar Timothee Chalamet, though some have suggested a best picture surprise. – ‘Wicked’ -“Wicked” brings the smash-hit Broadway musical about the formative years of the “Wizard of Oz” villain to the big screen. It is the biggest blockbuster on the list, with a whopping $730 million box office worldwide.Voters may wait for the second and final installment to honor this lavish adaptation. But that won’t stop stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo from bringing the house down with a much-hyped live musical Oscars performance.- ‘Emilia Perez’ – No film had a more turbulent campaign than “Emilia Perez.”French director Jacques Audiard’s musical, about a drug cartel boss who transitions to life as a woman and turns her back on crime, was bought by Netflix before its Cannes debut. It won big at the Golden Globes, and topped the Oscar nominations with 13 nods. But its prospects evaporated when racist tweets from Oscar-nominated star Karla Sofia Gascon emerged, compounding criticism of the movie’s Mexican cliches and use of artificial intelligence.- ‘The Substance’ -Very few horror films have ever been nominated for best picture, and this entry about an aging Hollywood star addicted to a dangerous youth serum is even gorier than examples like “The Exorcist.” “The Substance” likely left too many Academy voters feeling queasy to realistically take the top prize, but star Demi Moore is a favorite for best actress.- ‘I’m Still Here’ -Walter Salles’s drama about a family ripped apart by Brazil’s military dictatorship was always a strong candidate for best international film. But the movie caused a huge shock by landing a best picture nomination too.With star Fernanda Torres also up for best actress, “I’m Still Here” has whipped up frenzied levels of support usually reserved for soccer World Cups in Brazil, with organizers of Rio de Janeiro’s Carnival parades planning to give live Oscars updates.- ‘Dune: Part Two’ -A huge commercial hit — its $715 million worldwide box office far outstripped the original — “Dune: Part Two” also earned stellar reviews. But the epic sci-fi sequel was released way back in February 2024, which is not typically a window for Oscars contenders, and it earned just five nominations, with auteur Denis Villeneuve snubbed for best director. Its best picture hopes are reduced by the likelihood of a third “Dune” next year.- ‘Nickel Boys’ -“Nickel Boys” wowed critics with its innovative use of first-person perspective to transport audiences into the trauma and abuse suffered by young Black boys at a notorious 1960s Florida reform school. It is by far the smallest nominated film by box office, with a global haul of just $2.8 million.

US President Donald Trump said Friday that boxes of classified documents that the FBI seized from his Mar-a-Lago home during an investigation into possible misconduct have been returned to him, and that he would one day display them in his presidential library.Trump said that the boxes, which contained top secret documents that he had faced charges of improperly taking with him when he left the White House after his first term, had been returned by the Justice Department, now led by his own appointees.The department “just returned the boxes that Deranged Jack Smith made such a big deal about,” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform, referring to the special counsel who had led the case over the documents.”They are being brought down to Florida and will someday be part of the Trump Presidential Library,” he wrote, without clarifying if all the documents that had originally been kept in the boxes had also been returned.Trump repeated his position that he “did absolutely nothing wrong” and his claim that the case against him was a political witchhunt. The FBI raided Mar-a-Lago in 2022 in a bid to retrieve the classified documents, which Smith had accused Trump of stashing at the Florida golf club after leaving the White House the year before.Photographs had shown the top secret documents — which included records from the Pentagon and the CIA — piled haphazardly and unsecured in a gleaming bathroom at the busy club.Trump had allegedly thwarted multiple efforts by the previous administration of Joe Biden to retrieve them.The prosecution was still moving through the legal system when Trump returned to power on January 20.Nine days later, Smith dropped the case, citing a Justice Department policy of not indicting or prosecuting a sitting president. He also resigned from the department.

Reactions to an extraordinary Oval Office clash between US President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance and visiting Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday laid bare America’s political divisions on the grinding three-year conflict between Ukraine and Russia.Democrats accused Trump and Vance of doing Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s “dirty work” after they berated Zelensky in front of the world’s media. But Republicans said the US leaders were right to accuse pro-Western Zelensky of lacking gratitude for American support in Ukraine’s defense against Russia’s invasion.Here is a selection of political reaction:- Democrats -“What we saw in the Oval Office today was beyond disgraceful. Trump and Vance berating Zelensky — putting on a show of lies and misinformation that would make Putin blush — is an embarrassment for America and a betrayal of our allies. They’re popping champagne in the Kremlin.”- Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen “Trump and Vance are doing Putin’s dirty work. Senate Democrats will never stop fighting for freedom and democracy.” – Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer”Trump is transforming what the United States is as a country in the world into a far right, authoritarian, transactional, valueless oligarchy aligned with the world’s autocracies.”- Ben Rhodes, deputy national security advisor to former president Barack Obama”We cannot let President Trump rewrite history or upend proven partnerships with decades of bipartisan support. I extend my sincere apologies to President Zelensky and again reaffirm my support for our Ukrainian friends.”- Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin, co-chair of the Ukraine Caucus”President Trump and his administration continue to embarrass America on the world stage. Today’s White House meeting with the President of Ukraine was appalling and will only serve to further embolden Vladimir Putin, a brutal dictator.” – House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries- Republicans -“Thanks to President Trump — the days of America being taken advantage of and disrespected are OVER… What we witnessed in the Oval Office today was an American President putting America first.”- House Speaker Mike Johnson”Zelensky is either going to have to fundamentally change or go. I can’t believe most Americans, after what they saw today, would want to be partners with Zelensky.”- South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham”Thank you @POTUS for standing up for America in a way that no President has ever had the courage to do before. Thank you for putting America First. America is with you!”- Secretary of State Marco Rubio”Zelensky could have left the White House today with a peace deal for his country, ending this conflict. Instead, he chose to disrespect our President and nation. Thank you, President Trump and Vice President Vance, for standing up for our country!”- Tennessee congresswoman Diana Harshbarger”Ridiculous grandstanding by Zelensky in the Oval Office. The United States has spent hundreds of billions of dollars to defend Ukraine. And this is the thanks the American people get? It’s time to end this war.”- Florida congressman Greg Steube