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Breathtaking, swirling, multicolored galaxies and star-forming regions were revealed Monday in the first images of deep space captured by the Vera Rubin Observatory in Chile.More than two decades in the making, the giant US-funded telescope sits perched at the summit of Cerro Pachon in central Chile, where dark skies and dry air provide ideal conditions for observing the cosmos.One of the debut images is a composite of 678 exposures taken over seven hours, capturing the Trifid Nebula and the Lagoon Nebula — both several thousand light-years from Earth — glowing in vivid pinks against orange-red backdrops.The image reveals these stellar nurseries within our Milky Way in unprecedented detail, with previously faint or invisible features now clearly visible.Another image offers a sweeping view of the Virgo Cluster of galaxies.The team also released a video dubbed the “cosmic treasure chest,” which begins with a close-up of two galaxies before zooming out to reveal approximately 10 million more.”The Rubin Observatory is an investment in our future, which will lay down a cornerstone of knowledge today on which our children will proudly build tomorrow,” said Michael Kratsios, director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.It features an advanced 8.4-meter telescope and the largest digital camera ever built, supported by a powerful data-processing system.Roughly the size of a car and weighing 2.8 tons, the camera captures 3,200-megapixel images — more than three times the resolution of the next most powerful instrument, Japan’s Hyper Suprime-Cam, which records at 870 megapixels.- 10-year flagship project -Later this year, the observatory will begin its flagship project, the Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST). Over the next decade, it will scan the night sky nightly, capturing even the subtlest visible changes with unmatched precision.The observatory, which cost roughly $800 million, is named after pioneering American astronomer Vera C. Rubin, whose research provided the first conclusive evidence for the existence of dark matter — a mysterious substance that does not emit light but exerts gravitational influence on galaxies.Dark energy refers to the equally mysterious and immensely powerful force believed to be driving the accelerating expansion of the universe. Together, dark matter and dark energy are thought to make up 95 percent of the cosmos, yet their true nature remains unknown.The observatory, a joint initiative of the US National Science Foundation and Department of Energy, has also been hailed as one of the most powerful tools ever built for tracking asteroids.In just 10 hours of observations, the Rubin Observatory discovered 2,104 previously undetected asteroids in our solar system, including seven near-Earth objects — all of which pose no threat.For comparison, all other ground- and space-based observatories combined discover about 20,000 new asteroids per year.Rubin is also set to be the most effective observatory at spotting interstellar objects passing through the solar system.More images from the observatory were expected to be released later Monday.- Chilean pride -Chile hosts telescopes from more than 30 countries, including some of the world’s most powerful astronomical instruments — among them the ALMA Observatory, the most advanced radio telescope on Earth.The upcoming Extremely Large Telescope, slated to begin operations in 2027, will enable observations of previously unreachable cosmic distances.Northern Chile’s deserts, nestled between the Pacific Ocean and the Andes mountains, offer the clearest skies on the planet, thanks to minimal cloud cover and an arid climate.The Cerro Tololo Observatory has been the site of major discoveries, including the universe’s accelerated expansion — a breakthrough that earned Americans Saul Perlmutter and Adam Riess, along with Australian Brian Schmidt, the 2011 Nobel Prize in Physics.

US rapper Kanye West, who released a song in May glorifying Nazi leader Adolf Hitler, will perform at a rap festival in Bratislava in July, the organisers said on Monday.Calling West’s appearance a “global sensation”, the organisers said it was his only confirmed live performance in Europe this year.West, the winner of 24 Grammys over the course of his career, has become notorious in recent years for his erratic behaviour and increasingly anti-Semitic and hate-filled rhetoric. The 48-year-old, who has legally changed his name to Ye, released “Heil Hitler” on May 8, the 80th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II.”Hip-hop visionary, cultural icon and controversial genius YE will perform July 20, 2025 exclusively at the Rubicon Festival in Bratislava,” the organisers said on the event’s website.More than 3,000 people have signed a petition against West’s performance in the Slovak capital.The rapper — a vocal supporter of US President Donald Trump — is “repeatedly and openly adhering to symbols and ideology connected with the darkest period of modern global history”, two groups behind the petition said.”Kanye West’s concert in our city and our country is an insult to historic memory, a glorification of wartime violence and debasement of all victims of the Nazi regime,” the petition reads.In the “Heil Hitler” clip, dozens of Black men — wearing animal pelts and masks, and standing in a block formation — chant the title of the song, as West raps about being misunderstood and about his custody battle with ex-wife Kim Kardashian.The song ends with an extract of a speech by the Nazi dictator.West has also publicly endorsed fellow rapper and music mogul Sean Combs, who is on trial for alleged sex trafficking and racketeering. The line-up of the Rubicon festival, scheduled for July 18-20, also includes American rappers Ken Carson, Offset and Sheck Wes.

With its influence discredited and its budget in tatters, the United Nations is weathering a firestorm of criticism as it celebrates its 80th anniversary — and tries to convince a polarized and conflict-wracked world it is more vital than ever.The UN’s 193 member states will mark Thursday the signing of the organization’s foundational treaty, the UN Charter, on June 26, 1945 in San Francisco. After ratification, the United Nations came into being on October 24.The anniversary comes as the world body faces a multi-faceted crisis that has raised questions about its future.”Since the end of the Cold War, we have seen the organization struggle in cases from the Rwandan genocide to the Iraq war,” Richard Gowan, an analyst at the International Crisis Group, told AFP.”When each big crisis comes, commentators announce that the UN is finished. And yet it still survives,” he added.”That said, this is an especially bad moment,” Gowan acknowledged, pointing to numerous countries that are “deeply frustrated” by the UN Security Council’s failure to act on major conflicts like those in Ukraine and Gaza.That inaction is largely due to the veto power of the council’s five permanent members — Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States — which have competing interests.”The UN system as a whole has a credibility crisis, and it is not clear that the organization’s members have the resources or political energy to rescue it,” Gowan told AFP.For Romuald Sciora, a research fellow at the French Institute for International and Strategic Affairs, the credibility issue can only result in the virtual disappearance of an organization that is already a political “dwarf” on the world stage.”I’m not sure the UN will cease to exist, even by its 100th anniversary,” Sciora told AFP. “I see a slow vanishing, and the UN becoming a bit of a ghost,” like “these old organizations whose names we have forgotten.”But experts say while the UN desperately needs to enact tough reforms, not all of its problems come from within, and it has become an easy scapegoat for its divided membership.- ‘Worse’ without UN -Gissou Nia of the Washington-based Atlantic Council think tank says she fears that “the approach of might is right… is what is taking hold, and it brings us further and further away from the ideals” that led to the UN’s founding as World War II ended.Nia, a human rights lawyer, says she hopes enough people will remain committed to the set of ideals and values “that will keep the UN alive,” but still worries about the constant questioning of those values, notably from US ally Israel.”The constant berating from some very loud voices about the UN either being anti-Semitic, or the UN being a waste of funding, or the UN propping up dictators, actually has an impact,” Nia told AFP.In a world devastated by the largest number of ongoing conflicts since 1945, and ravaged by major humanitarian crises, “the United Nations has never been more needed,” Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said recently.”Our values have never been more relevant. And the needs have never been greater.”Funding has nevertheless grown scarce as donors — especially the United States under President Donald Trump — pull back.Given the financial constraints, Guterres launched the UN80 initiative in a bid to streamline operations. Those changes could include thousands of positions being cut.For Gowan, “the UN is a very big organization, and of course it suffers from a variety of bureaucratic problems, just as almost all big organizations do. (…) So of course it deserves scrutiny and criticism.”But, he added, “I think we have gotten a bit too accustomed to having this system at our service, and tend to spend too much time grumbling about its flaws and not enough time acknowledging its successes.”The United Nations remains a place where arch-rivals and enemies still sit at the same table to air grievances, and where the smallest member state can have its voice heard.The UN also does important work on the ground, from the World Food Programme bringing needed supplies to more than 100 million people in 120 countries last year, to the thousands of peacekeepers protecting civilians in conflict zones.”The UN was a magnificent tool,” Sciora said. “Obviously, it would be worse if it were to disappear from one day to the next.”

Aerial assaults raged between Iran and Israel early Monday, while Tehran vowed retaliation over the bunker-buster bombs American warplanes unleashed at the weekend on three nuclear sites. US President Donald Trump insisted the attack had “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear capabilities, but other officials said it was too soon to determine how significantly Tehran’s nuclear programme had been impacted.As the world awaited Iran’s reply, supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called the bombing campaign Israel launched on June 13 “a big mistake”.”The Zionist enemy… is being punished right now,” Khamenei wrote on social media.Sirens sounded across Israel and Iran early Monday as the arch enemies exchanged their latest round of fire.The Israeli army said it was intercepting missiles from Iran, while Iranian state media Fars said the air defence system was working to counter a drone attack. In a sign of possible nervousness about the conflict spilling into a wider regional war, oil prices jumped by more than four percent in early trading on Monday.US Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged China to help deter Iran from shutting down the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial trade route through which one-fifth of global oil output passes. With Iran threatening US bases in the Middle East, the State Department issued a worldwide alert cautioning Americans abroad.”The conflict between Israel and Iran has resulted in disruptions to travel and periodic closure of airspace across the Middle East. There is the potential for demonstrations against US citizens and interests abroad,” the department’s security alert said. It made no mention of the US strikes on a key underground uranium enrichment site at Fordo, along with nuclear facilities in Isfahan and Natanz.- ‘Regime change’ -In central Tehran on Sunday, protesters waved flags and chanted slogans against US and Israeli attacks.In the province of Semnan east of the capital, 46-year-old housewife Samireh told AFP she was “truly shocked” by the strikes.”Semnan province is very far from the nuclear facilities targeted, but I’m very concerned for the people who live near,” she said.Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian said the US strikes revealed Washington was “behind” Israel’s campaign against the Islamic republic and vowed a response.After the Pentagon stressed that the goal of American intervention was not to topple the Iranian government, Trump openly toyed with the idea. “It’s not politically correct to use the term, ‘Regime Change,’ Trump posted on his Truth Social platform. “But if the current Iranian Regime is unable to MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN, why wouldn’t there be a Regime change??? MIGA!!!”Hours later he doubled down on emphasising the success of his strikes.”Monumental Damage was done to all Nuclear sites in Iran, as shown by satellite images. Obliteration is an accurate term!” Trump wrote, without sharing the images he was referencing. “The biggest damage took place far below ground level. Bullseye!!!” he added.At a Pentagon press briefing earlier in the day, top US general Dan Caine said that while it would be “way too early” for him to determine the level of destruction, “initial battle damage assessments indicate that all three sites sustained extremely severe damage.”Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, meanwhile, said his country’s bombardments will “finish” once the stated objectives of destroying Iran’s nuclear and missile capabilities have been achieved.”We are very, very close to completing them,” he told reporters.- ‘Grave consequences’ -In response to the US attack, which used over a dozen massive “bunker buster” bombs, Iran’s armed forces targeted sites in Israel including Ben Gurion airport near Tel Aviv, with at least 23 people wounded.Nine members of the Revolutionary Guards were killed Sunday in Israeli attacks on central Iran, local media reported, while three people were killed after an ambulance was struck.Israeli strikes on Iran have killed more than 400 people, Iran’s health ministry said. Iran’s attacks on Israel have killed 24 people, according to official figures.Rafael Grossi, director of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), told an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council that craters were visible at the Fordo facility, but it had not been possible to assess the underground damage.He added that “armed attacks on nuclear facilities should never take place and could result in radioactive releases with grave consequences within and beyond the boundaries of the State which has been attacked.”The United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Oman, which had been mediating Iran-US nuclear talks, criticised the US strikes and called for de-escalation, while France, Germany and Britain called on Tehran “not to take any further action that could destabilise the region.”North Korea, which is also at odds with Washington over its own nuclear weapons, condemned the US strikes as a violation of the United Nations charter.Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi accused the United States of deciding to “blow up” nuclear diplomacy with its intervention in the war.He headed to Moscow on Sunday for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.On Sunday, Russia, China and Pakistan circulated a draft resolution with other Security Council members that calls for an “immediate ceasefire” in Iran.burs-lb/fox

Iran on Sunday threatened US bases in the Middle East after massive air strikes that Washington said had destroyed Tehran’s nuclear program, though some officials cautioned that the extent of damage was unclear.With aerial assaults between Iran and Israel raging — including fresh strikes by Israel on what it said were military targets in Iran — the US State Department issued a worldwide caution alert for its citizens traveling or living abroad.International concern focused on fears that the unprecedented US attacks would deepen conflict in the volatile region after Israel launched a bombing campaign against Iran earlier this month.Ali Akbar Velayati, an advisor to Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said bases used by US forces could be attacked in retaliation.”Any country in the region or elsewhere that is used by American forces to strike Iran will be considered a legitimate target for our armed forces,” he said in a message carried by the official IRNA news agency.”America has attacked the heart of the Islamic world and must await irreparable consequences.”In a sign of possible nervousness about a wider war, oil prices jumped by more than four percent at one point in early trading in Asia.President Donald Trump urged Iran to end the conflict after he launched surprise strikes on a key underground uranium enrichment site at Fordo, along with nuclear facilities in Isfahan and Natanz.”We had a spectacular military success yesterday, taking the ‘bomb’ right out of their hands (and they would use it if they could!)” he said on social media.And while the US president did not directly advocate regime change in the Islamic republic, he openly played with the idea — even after his aides stressed that was not a goal of American intervention.”It’s not politically correct to use the term, ‘Regime Change,’ Trump posted on his Truth Social platform. “But if the current Iranian Regime is unable to MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN, why wouldn’t there be a Regime change??? MIGA!!!”Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told a Pentagon press briefing earlier that Iran’s nuclear program had been “devastated,” adding the operation “did not target Iranian troops or the Iranian people.”Standing beside Hegseth, top US general Dan Caine said that while it would be “way too early” for him to determine the level of destruction, “initial battle damage assessments indicate that all three sites sustained extremely severe damage and destruction.”Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meanwhile said his country’s military strikes will “finish” once the stated objectives of destroying Iran’s nuclear and missile capabilities have been achieved.”We are very, very close to completing them,” he told reporters.- Tehran protests -As Iran’s leaders struck defiant tones, President Masoud Pezeshkian also vowed that the United States would “receive a response” to the attacks.People gathered Sunday in central Tehran to protest against US and Israeli attacks, waving flags and chanting slogans.In the province of Semnan east of the capital, 46-year-old housewife Samireh told AFP she was “truly shocked” by the strikes.”Semnan province is very far from the nuclear facilities targeted, but I’m very concerned for the people who live near,” she said.In an address to the nation hours after the attack, Trump claimed success for the operation, and Vice President JD Vance followed up Sunday morning.”We know that we set the Iranian nuclear program back substantially last night,” Vance told ABC.But he also suggested Iran still had its highly enriched uranium.”We’re going to work in the coming weeks to ensure that we do something with that fuel,” he said. “They no longer have the capacity to turn that stockpile of highly enriched uranium to weapons-grade uranium.”Another Khamenei advisor, Ali Shamkhani, said in a post on X that “even if nuclear sites are destroyed, game isn’t over, enriched materials, indigenous knowledge, political will remain.”Rafael Grossi, director of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), told an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council that craters were visible at the Fordo facility, but no one had been able to assess the underground damage.- Retaliation risk -The main US strike group was seven B-2 Spirit bombers that flew 18 hours from the American mainland to Iran.In response to the attack, which used over a dozen massive “bunker buster” bombs, Iran’s armed forces targeted sites in Israel including Ben Gurion airport near Tel Aviv, with at least 23 people wounded.Nine members of the Revolutionary Guards were killed Sunday in Israeli attacks on central Iran, local media reported, while three people were killed after an ambulance was also struck.Israeli strikes on Iran have killed more than 400 people so far, Iran’s health ministry said. Iran’s attacks on Israel have killed 24 people, according to official figures.The United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Oman, which had been mediating Iran-US nuclear talks, criticized the US strikes and called for de-escalation, while France, Germany and Britain called on Tehran “not to take any further action that could destabilize the region.”Late Sunday the US State Department issued a “worldwide caution” for Americans, saying the conflict in the Middle East could put those traveling or living abroad at an increased security risk.”There is the potential for demonstrations against US citizens and interests abroad,” the security alert said. “The Department of State advises US citizens worldwide to exercise increased caution.”burs-wd/mlm/bjt

Tesla began offering robotaxi services Sunday in the US city of Austin, Texas, an initial step that Elon Musk’s backers believe could lead to the company’s next growth wave.”Super congratulations to the @Tesla_AI software & chip design teams on a successful @Robotaxi launch!!” Musk posted on the X platform that he owns. “Culmination of a decade of hard work.”The kickoff — which comes as Musk refocuses on his business ventures following a contentious stint in Donald Trump’s administration — will employ the Model Y sport utility vehicle rather than Tesla’s much-touted Cybercab, which is still under development.The long-awaited launch follows the dramatic meltdown earlier this month in relations between the US president and the world’s richest person, which saw a cascade of bitter attacks from both men.Since then, Musk has publicly expressed regret for some of his statements, while his company’s Texas operation has readied the Austin push — part of a major drive on autonomous technology and artificial intelligence that Tesla believes will yield huge profits.Wedbush analyst Daniel Ives said autonomous technology could be a catalyst for potentially $1 trillion or more in additional market value.”There are countless skeptics of the Tesla robotaxi vision with many bears thinking this day would never come,” said Ives, who predicted Trump’s administration would clear roadblocks for Tesla and pivot from the recent “soap opera.”- Business-friendly Texas -One of the robotaxi’s self-described first users was Tesla fan Herbert Ong, who livestreamed his ride Sunday in a red vehicle that included a person in the passenger seat monitoring the trip for operational safety.The unveiling in the Texas state capital comes amid questions about how Tesla will try to overcome criticism of Musk’s activities for Trump. Tesla saw profits plunge 71 percent in the first quarter following poor sales in several markets.In picking Austin for the debut of the autonomous vehicle (AV) service, Musk is opting for a US state known for its business-friendly approach to regulation.”Texas law allows for AV testing and operations on Texas roadways as long as they meet the same safety and insurance requirements as every other vehicle on the road,” the Texas Department of Transportation told AFP.The Texas legislature this year passed a bill requiring prior authorization from the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles before companies can operate on a public street without human drivers, a group of Democratic lawmakers said in a June 18 letter to Tesla.Citing the enhanced system, the lawmakers asked Tesla to delay testing until after the law takes effect on September 1.The lawmakers asked for “detailed information demonstrating that Tesla will be compliant with the new law” should the company choose to proceed.- Starting slow -Musk had initially planned the launch for June 12, before pushing back, saying he was being “super paranoid” about safety.”We want to deliberately take it slow,” Musk said May 20 on CNBC, telling the network that Tesla would probably only operate 10 autonomous vehicles the first week.But that number will rise to perhaps 1,000 “within a few months,” Musk added. “And then we will expand to other cities… San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Antonio.”The service will be offered from 6:00 am until midnight and will be available to “early access” users on an invitation-only basis in a geofenced area, Sawyer Merritt, who owns a Tesla, said Friday on X.He added that the company had given him permission to release the information.Musk last fall unveiled the Cybercab, which has no steering wheel or pedals. Its production is not expected to begin until 2026.Tesla’s robotaxi launch comes well after Waymo’s offering of commercial robotaxi service.The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in October 2024 opened a probe into Tesla’s Full Self-Driving software after receiving four reports of crashes.Last month the agency asked Tesla for additional information on its technology in light of the Austin launch.But the NHTSA told AFP it does not “pre-approve” new technologies.”Rather, manufacturers certify that each vehicle meets NHTSA’s rigorous safety standards,” it said.

Iran on Sunday threatened military bases used by US forces to launch attacks on the country’s nuclear sites, saying such facilities would be considered legitimate targets.The United States has thousands of troops deployed on bases across the Middle East.Below, AFP examines countries with major concentrations of US forces in the Middle East, which falls under the US military’s Central Command (CENTCOM).- Bahrain -The tiny Gulf kingdom hosts an installation known as Naval Support Activity Bahrain, where the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet and US Naval Forces Central Command headquarters are based.Bahrain’s deep-water port can accommodate the largest US military vessels, such as aircraft carriers, and the US Navy has used the base in the country since 1948, when the facility was operated by Britain’s Royal Navy.Several US ships have their home port in Bahrain, including four anti-mine vessels and two logistical support ships. The US Coast Guard also has vessels in the country, including six fast response cutters.- Iraq -The United States has troops at various installations in Iraq, including Al-Asad and Arbil air bases. The Iraqi government is a close ally of Iran, but also a strategic partner of Tehran’s arch-foe the United States.There are some 2,500 US troops in Iraq as part of the international coalition against the Islamic State jihadist group. Baghdad and Washington have agreed on a timetable for the gradual withdrawal of the coalition’s forces from the country.US forces in Iraq and Syria were repeatedly targeted by pro-Iran militants following the outbreak of the Gaza war in October 2023, but responded with heavy strikes on Tehran-linked targets, and the attacks largely subsided.- Kuwait -Kuwait has several US bases, including Camp Arifjan, the location of the forward headquarters for the US Army component of CENTCOM. The US Army also has stocks of prepositioned materiel in the country.Ali al-Salem Air Base hosts the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing, which the military describes as the “primary airlift hub and gateway for delivering combat power to joint and coalition forces” in the region. Additionally, the United States has drones including MQ-9 Reapers in Kuwait.- Qatar -Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar includes the forward components of CENTCOM, as well as of its air forces and special operation forces in the region. It also hosts rotating combat aircraft, as well as the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing, which the military says includes “airlift, aerial refueling intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, and aeromedical evacuation assets.”- Syria -The United States has for years maintained troop presences at a series of installations in Syria as part of international efforts against the Islamic State group, which rose out of the country’s civil war to overrun large parts of Syria and neighboring Iraq.The Pentagon announced in April that it would roughly halve the number of its forces in the country to less than 1,000 in the coming months as part of a “consolidation” of US troops in the country.- United Arab Emirates -Al Dhafra Air Base in the UAE hosts the US 380th Air Expeditionary Wing, a force that is composed of 10 squadrons of aircraft and also includes drones such as MQ-9 Reapers.Combat aircraft have rotated through Al Dhafra, which also hosts the Gulf Air Warfare Center for air and missile defense training.

“How to Train Your Dragon,” a live-action reboot of the popular 2010 animated film, set the North American box office ablaze again in its second week, industry estimates showed Sunday.The family-friendly film from Universal and DreamWorks Animation tells the story of a Viking named Hiccup (Mason Thames) who strikes up a friendship with Toothless the dragon.Its $37 million haul was enough to beat out Columbia Pictures’ zombie sequel “28 Years Later,” which took in $30 million despite coming nearly two decades after the last release in the trilogy, “28 Weeks Later.””This is an excellent opening for the third episode in a horror series,” said David A. Gross of Franchise Entertainment Research.”The weekend figure is above average for the genre, and pending final numbers it’s approximately three times the opening of the last episode.”Critics’ reviews and audience ratings have been strong for the Danny Boyle-directed threequel, which picks up — as the title suggests — more than a generation after the initial outbreak of the Rage Virus.”The long layoff has had no negative impact; in fact, it’s given the sequel time to add a new younger age group to the audience,” Gross added.Perhaps the biggest surprise of the weekend was the poor performance of Pixar Animation’s “Elio,” which limped into third place with $21 million in ticket sales, on a $150 million budget.Gross said that while the tally would be respectable for most animation studios, it was the lowliest theatrical debut in Pixar’s history — despite excellent reviews.Disney’s “Lilo & Stitch,” another live-action remake, added $9.7 million in its fifth week, extending a triumphant run for the film about a Hawaiian girl (Maia Kealoha) and her blue alien friend (Chris Sanders). The fourth-placed entry has now grossed a whopping $910 million worldwide, according to Exhibitor Relations.In fifth place — and also in its fifth week — is “Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning,” the latest, and supposedly final, entry in the hugely successful Tom Cruise spy thriller franchise.The Paramount film took $6.6 million in North America, pushing it to $540 million worldwide.Rounding out the top 10 were:”Materialists” ($5.8 million)”Ballerina” ($4.5 million)”Karate Kid: Legends” ($2.4 million)”Final Destination: Bloodlines” ($1.9 million)”Kuberaa” ($1.8 million)

A powerful US bunker-busting bomb was used in combat for the first time when Washington struck Iranian nuclear sites this weekend.Israel had carried out a week of air strikes on Iran, but does not possess the GBU-57 — a 30,000-pound (13,600 kilogram) weapon viewed as necessary to reach the most deeply buried facilities — or the aircraft needed to deploy it.General Dan Caine, the top US military officer, told journalists on Sunday that Washington’s forces dropped 14 of the bombs in the massive operation aimed at knocking out Tehran’s nuclear program.- What are its capabilities? -The US military says the GBU-57 — also named Massive Ordnance Penetrator — is designed to penetrate up to 200 feet (60 meters) underground before exploding.This differs from missiles or bombs that typically detonate their payload near or on impact.”To defeat these deeply buried targets, these weapons need to be designed with rather thick casings of steel, hardened steel, to sort of punch through these layers of rock,” said Masao Dahlgren, of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a Washington-based research center.The 6.6-meter-long GBU-57 also has a specialized fuse as “you need an explosive that’s not going to immediately explode under that much shock and pressure,” Dahlgren said.Caine said Sunday it was too early to comment on what remains of Iran’s nuclear program, but that “initial battle damage assessments indicate that all three sites sustained extremely severe damage and destruction.”- How is it deployed? – The only aircraft capable of deploying the GBU-57 is the B-2 Spirit, a stealth bomber.With their long-range capabilities, B-2s departing from the United States “are able to fly all the way to the Middle East to do bombing runs. That’s been done before,” Dahlgren said.The US employed seven B-2s in the Iran strikes — aircraft that can fly 6,000 nautical miles (9,600 kilometers) without refueling and which are designed to “penetrate an enemy’s most sophisticated defenses and threaten its most valued, and heavily defended, targets,” according to the US military.”This was the largest B-2 operational strike in US history and the second-longest B-2 mission ever flown,” Caine said.Several B-2s proceeded west over the Pacific as a decoy while the bombers that would take part in the strikes headed east — a “deception effort known only to an extremely small number of planners and key leaders,” the general said.

The United States has carried out strikes that caused “extremely severe damage” to three of Iran’s nuclear facilities, the top US military officer, General Dan Caine, said on Sunday.President Donald Trump had spent weeks pursuing a diplomatic path to replace the nuclear deal with Tehran that he tore up during his first term in 2018.But he ultimately decided to take military action against Iran’s nuclear program, which had already been bombarded in a more than week-long Israeli campaign that has also targeted Tehran’s top military brass.Below, AFP examines what we know about the US strikes on Iran — an operation dubbed “Midnight Hammer.”- Major operation -Caine told journalists the strikes involved more than 125 US aircraft including B-2 Spirit stealth bombers, fighters, aerial refueling tankers, a guided missile submarine and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft.”This mission demonstrates the unmatched reach, coordination and capability of the United States military,” the general said. “No other military in the world could have done this.”Caine said it was “too early” to comment on what remains of Iran’s nuclear program, but that “initial battle damage assessments indicate that all three sites sustained extremely severe damage and destruction.”- B-2 bombers -The US employed seven B-2s in the strikes — aircraft that can fly 6,000 nautical miles (9,600 kilometers) without refueling and which are designed to “penetrate an enemy’s most sophisticated defenses and threaten its most valued, and heavily defended, targets,” according to the US military.”This was the largest B-2 operational strike in US history and the second-longest B-2 mission ever flown,” according to Caine.Several B-2s proceeded west over the Pacific as a decoy while the bombers that would take part in the strikes headed east — a “deception effort known only to an extremely small number of planners and key leaders,” the general said.”Iran’s fighters did not fly, and it appears that Iran’s surface-to-air missile systems did not see us. Throughout the mission, we retained the element of surprise,” Caine said.The United States used the B-2 in operations against Serbian forces in the 1990s, flying non-stop from Missouri to Kosovo and back, and the bombers were subsequently employed in the Afghanistan and Iraq wars in the 2000s.- Massive Ordnance Penetrator -Caine said the B-2s dropped 14 bombs known as the GBU-57 or Massive Ordnance Penetrator — a powerful 30,000-pound (13,600-kilogram) bunker-busting weapon that made its combat debut in the Iran operation.The bombs — which are designed to penetrate up to 200 feet (60 meters) underground before exploding — were needed to hit deeply buried Iranian nuclear facilities.Testing of the weapons began in 2004 and Boeing was in 2009 awarded a contract to complete the integration of GBU-57 with aircraft.- Tomahawk cruise missiles -In addition to the bombers, a US guided missile submarine in the Middle East launched more than two dozen missiles at unspecified “surface infrastructure targets” at Isfahan, one of three nuclear sites struck in the operation, Caine said.The missiles are “designed to fly at extremely low altitudes at high subsonic speeds, and are piloted over an evasive route by several mission tailored guidance systems” and were first used in 1991 against Iraqi forces during Operation Desert Storm, according to the US military.- Aim of the strikes -US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told journalists the strikes were launched to “neutralize the threats to our national interests posed by the Iranian nuclear program and the collective self-defense of our troops and our allies.””This mission was not, has not been, about regime change,” Hegseth told journalists.A number of key figures in Trump’s “Make America Great Again” movement have vocally opposed US strikes on Iran, and his promise to extract the United States from its “forever wars” in the Middle East played a role in his 2016 and 2024 election wins.- What comes next? -Trump has called on Iran to “agree to end this war,” saying that “now is the time for peace.”But it remains to be seen whether the strikes will push Tehran to deescalate the conflict, or to widen it further.If Iran chooses the latter option, it could do so by targeting American military personnel who are stationed around the Middle East, or seek to close the strategic Strait of Hormuz, which carries one-fifth of global oil output.