Global Pulse

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大洋洲

  • Lunar crater named after Artemis commander’s deceased wife

    Lunar crater named after Artemis commander’s deceased wife

    In a deeply emotional moment that blended humanity, exploration, and remembrance during NASA’s historic Artemis II lunar flyby mission, the four-person crew announced a heartfelt proposal Monday to name a prominent lunar crater after mission commander Reid Wiseman’s late wife, Carroll Taylor Wiseman, who lost her battle with cancer in 2020.

    Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen shared the announcement during a live global broadcast from the crew’s spacecraft, thousands of kilometers from Earth. “It’s a bright spot on the Moon. And we would like to call it Carroll,” he said, noting that the crater is visible from Earth during specific points of the Moon’s orbital transit around our planet. As Wiseman and his crewmates wiped away tears, the group shared a quiet, weightless embrace floating in the microgravity environment of their deep space craft.

    Alongside the proposal for the crater named Carroll, the crew also put forward a second name, “Integrity,” for another nearby lunar feature — a tribute to the name the crew has given their Artemis II spacecraft. A NASA spokesperson based in Houston confirmed Monday that all naming suggestions put forward by the Artemis II crew will be formally submitted to the International Astronomical Union (IAU), the globally recognized governing body responsible for officially naming celestial bodies and surface features across the solar system.

    Monday’s announcement came as the Artemis II crew made history of their own, becoming the humans who have traveled farther from Earth than any previous mission. As part of the flyby mission, the crew is preparing to observe regions of the lunar far side that have never before been viewed directly by the human eye, a milestone that paves the way for future crewed lunar landings as part of NASA’s broader Artemis program, which aims to establish a sustained human presence on the Moon.

    Hansen emphasized that the mission’s legacy extends beyond this single flight, framing it as a call to action for current and future generations of explorers. “We most importantly choose this moment to challenge this generation and the next, to make sure this record is not long-lived,” he said.

    Reid Wiseman, a former U.S. fighter pilot, has raised the couple’s two young daughters as a single parent since Carroll’s passing from cancer in 2020. The tribute on the Moon stands as a permanent memorial to her, carried into the final frontier by the husband who continues her legacy on Earth.

  • Napoli’s Serie A title defence boosted by beating AC Milan

    Napoli’s Serie A title defence boosted by beating AC Milan

    The fight for Italy’s most prestigious domestic football trophy, the Serie A Scudetto, delivered another pivotal twist this week, as defending champions Napoli secured a critical 1-0 victory over title rival AC Milan on Monday that reignited their hopes of retaining their crown. The match, played out at the packed Stadio Diego Armando Maradona in Naples, remained tight and disjointed for most of 79 minutes, until substitute Matteo Politano stepped off the bench to rifle home the only goal of the night, sending the home crowd into raptures.

    Politano’s finish, his second league goal of the entire season, capped a dominant performance from Antonio Conte’s side and stretched their winning streak to five consecutive matches. The result was enough to push Napoli past Milan in the league table, lifting the reigning champions into second place. However, Inter Milan still hold a commanding position at the top of the standings, holding a seven-point lead over Napoli with just seven matches left to play in the campaign. Conte acknowledged the uphill battle his side faces, particularly after a season marred by repeated injury setbacks that could have derailed their title bid entirely.

    “It’s a happy moment for us because we’re back in second place,” Conte told reporters after the win. “I thanked the boys for what they’ve done this season as it could have finished badly. We’ve got back to what we were like last season, we’ve got to keep going without getting ahead of ourselves.”

    Monday’s defeat leaves AC Milan with an almost insurmountable gap to close on league leaders Inter, who sit nine points clear of Stefano Allegri’s side. With their title hopes effectively extinguished, Allegri admitted his team will now shift their full focus to securing a top-four finish to qualify for next season’s Champions League. “I think we’re done with the Scudetto race. We’re nine behind Inter and Napoli are ahead of us now,” Allegri said. “We’ve got an advantage of a few points for the Champions League, let’s try to keep it that way by winning some matches.”

    Napoli earned the vital win without two key attacking players: Romelu Lukaku, who angered club leadership by remaining in Belgium to receive treatment for a hip injury, and Rasmus Hojlund, who was sidelined by a stomach bug. Prior to Politano’s match-winning strike, the closest either side came to breaking the deadlock was a long-range stinging drive from Napoli winter signing Giovanni, which forced AC Milan keeper Mike Maignan into the match’s best save. Politano’s winner came when he pounced on a weak headed clearance from Koni De Winter, firing a powerful first-time finish past the outstretched Maignan to seal three points.

    In another key match in the race for Champions League qualification, Juventus closed the gap on the top four to just a single point with a comfortable 2-0 home win over Genoa. Juventus took full advantage of fourth-placed Como dropping points in a 0-0 draw against Udinese earlier on the same matchday, opening the scoring through Gleison Bremer’s header just four minutes into the match. American midfielder Weston McKennie doubled the lead 13 minutes later, a finish that pushed his season league goal tally to five—matching his best single-season return from his debut 2020-21 campaign with the club. McKennie brushed off the personal milestone after the match, telling DAZN that “the important thing is getting into the Champions League.”

    Juventus had backup goalkeeper Michele Di Gregorio to thank for preserving their clean sheet, after he pulled off a spectacular double save to deny a spirited Genoa side. Di Gregorio, who has endured a difficult second season with Juventus after being dropped from the first team in February following a string of costly mistakes, was only called into action on Monday after starting keeper Mattia Perin was pulled off at halftime with a calf injury. He first saved a penalty from Aaron Martin, then blocked a follow-up volley from Vitinha to keep Genoa off the scoresheet. Bremer defended his teammate’s performance after the match, saying: “He has some good moments and some tough moments, but we always knew that he was a quality goalkeeper. He knew that his moment would come.”

    The three points moved Juventus five places within the Champions League race, opening up a three-point gap over sixth-placed Roma, who were beaten 5-2 by Inter on Sunday. Juventus also hold a four-point advantage over seventh-placed Atalanta, who secured a 3-0 away win over Lecce. The two sides will face off this coming Saturday in Bergamo in what is shaping up to be a critical match for Champions League positioning, while Como hosts league leaders Inter the following day.

    For Genoa, the defeat did little to damage their bid to avoid relegation, as they remain six points clear of the relegation zone. The biggest loser of the matchday was Lecce, whose heavy 3-0 defeat to Atalanta left them stuck in the bottom three, level on 27 points with Cremonese. Cremonese sit just outside the drop zone thanks to a superior head-to-head record, leaving Lecce fans booing their side off the pitch at full time amid growing frustration over their drop in form.

  • ‘Hacks’ has ‘perfect’ ending after 5 seasons, says star Smart

    ‘Hacks’ has ‘perfect’ ending after 5 seasons, says star Smart

    After five critically acclaimed, award-studded seasons, the beloved HBO comedy series ‘Hacks’ is preparing to draw its curtain, and lead star Jean Smart says the story’s final chapter delivers a conclusion that could not have been more fitting. Smart, who has taken home the Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series four consecutive times for her portrayal of iconic aging comedian Deborah Vance, opened up about wrapping up the groundbreaking series in a recent press briefing ahead of the fifth and final season’s launch.

    When co-creators Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs, and Jen Statsky first walked Smart through their planned ending for Vance and her sharp-witted mentee Ava Daniels, played by rising star Hannah Einbinder, the veteran actress admitted she had initial uncertainties about how the narrative would land. “I didn’t really have an idea of how it would end. I wanted to be surprised,” Smart told reporters, adding that she had embraced unforeseen narrative turns throughout her five years on the project. “I’ve loved being surprised every episode for all these years.”

    Smart shared that she was initially taken aback by the creative team’s final plot direction for the two core characters. “I was not sure,” she confessed. “But I said: ‘Hey, I trust you guys. Always have, always turns out great.’ And it did. And now I think it was perfect.”

    Since making its debut on HBO Max in May 2021, ‘Hacks’ has earned near-universal critical praise, cementing its status as one of the most celebrated comedy series of recent years. Across its first four seasons, the show dominated awards circuits, racking up multiple Emmys and Golden Globe Awards, with honors recognizing not just its lead performances but also sharp writing and innovative directing.

    Co-creator Paul W. Downs explained that the series finale wraps up the core theme that anchored the show from its very first episode: legacy and what a person leaves behind after their career comes to a close. “It is about what we set out in the very first episode, which is your legacy and what you leave behind,” he said. “We’re leaving behind a series, and we’re thinking about that for ourselves and for our characters.”

    For the cast, saying goodbye to the show and characters they have lived with for four years has brought a mix of joy and sadness. Einbinder, who has portrayed Ava throughout the character’s entire journey of personal and professional growth, said she could not have asked for a more satisfying conclusion to the story. The 30-year-old actress noted that it has been a privilege to grow alongside her character, and that every evolution the pair underwent across five seasons felt earned and purposeful. “I think every evolution that these characters have undergone has felt warranted and earned,” she said. “Everything that I would hope for them has been achieved.”

    For 74-year-old Smart, the reality of the show ending sank in slowly as the cast filmed final scenes on each of the series’ iconic sets. The actress joked that production allowed her to take small mementos from each set as keepsakes to remember her time on the groundbreaking comedy.

    Viewers will get to see the highly anticipated final chapter when the fifth and final season of ‘Hacks’ premieres on HBO Max on April 9.

  • Injury blow: Matildas lose superstar Steph Catley for international window as Australia begins World Cup journey

    Injury blow: Matildas lose superstar Steph Catley for international window as Australia begins World Cup journey

    Australia’s national women’s football team, the CommBank Matildas, have suffered a last-minute injury setback ahead of their opening 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup qualification matches in Africa, with star left-back Steph Catley forced to withdraw from the squad due to a calf strain. The Arsenal defender will not be replaced for the team’s upcoming fixtures, which mark their first international outing since a devastating runner-up finish at the 2026 AFC Women’s Asian Cup.

    Catley, one of the Matildas’ most influential and experienced leaders, became a national hero in 2023 when she slotted the decisive penalty to secure Australia’s opening win against the Republic of Ireland at the home Women’s World Cup. Her standing in the global game was further cemented last season when she earned a nomination for the Ballon d’Or Feminin, finishing 29th in the rankings — making her just the third Australian player in history to receive a nomination for the sport’s most prestigious individual award. Most recently, she started in Australia’s narrow 1-0 Asian Cup final loss to Japan last month.

    Catley is not the only high-profile name absent from the squad. Star attacking midfielder Mary Fowler, who recently made her long-awaited return to international football at the Asian Cup following a season-ending knee injury in 2025, was not included in the original roster for the African tour. The Matildas will kick off their qualification campaign with a clash against Malawi on Saturday 26 April, kicking off at 9pm AEST, before facing either India or Kenya in the second round of the series the following week.

    Despite the double blow of key absences, head coach Joe Montemurro has retained a largely experienced core of players for the international window, led by the team’s talismanic goal-scoring forward Sam Kerr. Montemurro explained that his selection strategy focused on maintaining continuity as the team builds toward the 2027 Women’s World Cup in Brazil.

    “Continuity is the most important thing for us right now. We need to build on the systems and structures we’ve put in place against different styles of opposition,” Montemurro said. “For me, it was critical to lay a solid foundation for consistent performances moving forward. This window gives me the chance to test different combinations, make targeted adjustments, and put the work in to prepare properly for the World Cup. We’re working to the benchmark we’ve already set as a group.

    “That’s why it was a strategic call to bring the bulk of the existing squad back together. It’s been great to see how eager the players are to return and keep building on the work we’ve started.”

    The two African fixtures formally open the Matildas’ qualification journey for the 2027 World Cup, where the side will aim to replicate or even improve on their historic 2023 home World Cup run, when they reached the semi-finals, captured the attention of the entire nation, drew record-breaking crowds and delivered unprecedented TV viewing numbers for women’s sport in Australia. All matches will be broadcast live on Paramount+ Australia.

  • ‘Incredibly dangerous’: rescuing downed fighter crew in Iran

    ‘Incredibly dangerous’: rescuing downed fighter crew in Iran

    On a Monday press briefing at the White House, top US military and intelligence leaders alongside former President Donald Trump detailed one of the riskiest American combat search and rescue operations in recent Middle Eastern conflict: the recovery of two downed F-15 crew members from inside Iranian territory, after the jet was shot down amid five weeks of ongoing US-Iran hostilities.

    The incident contradicts a recent claim Trump made last week that joint US-Israeli military operations had fully degraded Iran’s air defense capabilities, leaving the country with no functional anti-aircraft systems or operational radars. According to official accounts, the F-15 crashed Friday local time after being hit by a shoulder-fired heat-seeking missile, with its two-person crew — a pilot and a weapon systems officer — ejecting safely but landing in separate, undisclosed locations across Iranian soil.

    “I immediately was asked to make a decision,” Trump told reporters at the briefing. “I ordered the US armed forces to do whatever was necessary to bring our brave warriors back home.”

    The recovery effort unfolded in two distinct phases, drawing on over 170 American aircraft and roughly 200 military personnel, with added support from the Central Intelligence Agency. The first mission to extract the pilot deployed more than 20 warplanes that penetrated Iranian airspace in broad daylight, facing intense enemy fire en route. Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Dan Caine, who spoke alongside Trump, described the operation as a bold incursion into hostile territory.

    After search teams located the pilot, rescue helicopters retrieved him, but the aircraft immediately came under concentrated small arms fire from Iranian forces on the ground. One helicopter sustained critical damage, and multiple crew members suffered minor injuries, though Caine confirmed all are expected to make full recoveries. To clear a safe exit corridor for the rescue convoy, US A-10 Thunderbolt II ground attack aircraft carried out close-range suppression fire against advancing Iranian units. One A-10 took heavy enemy damage mid-engagement, but its pilot continued the mission before diverting to a neighboring allied country. Once on approach, the pilot determined the aircraft could not land safely, ejected over friendly territory, and was recovered unharmed. The damaged A-10 was ultimately lost.

    “This was an incredibly dangerous mission,” Caine emphasized during the briefing.

    The search for the weapon systems officer posed a far greater challenge, with CIA Director John Ratcliffe comparing the task to “hunting for a single grain of sand in the middle of a desert.” With Iranian forces scrambling to locate the downed airman first, intelligence teams launched a broad deception campaign to misdirect enemy search parties, buying critical time for US teams to pinpoint his location. By Saturday morning, US intelligence had confirmed his position. According to Trump, the injured officer evaded capture for more than a day, traversing rugged unmarked terrain, self-treating his wounds, and transmitting his location to US command.

    For the second extraction, more than 150 aircraft were deployed to support the operation. To reach the isolated landing zone, two large C-130 cargo planes carried three compact disassembled helicopters that were assembled on-site after landing. However, the heavy cargo planes became stuck in soft sand and were unable to take off. After all US personnel and the rescued airman were evacuated via smaller aircraft on multiple sorties, the stranded C-130s were deliberately destroyed on the ground to prevent sensitive military technology from falling into Iranian hands. The total cost of all aircraft lost during the entire rescue operation exceeds $250 million, according to unofficial estimates.

    More than 50 hours after the F-15 was shot down, both crew members were safely brought back to friendly territory, Caine confirmed. “These two operations reflect our nation’s most sacred obligation to our military service members,” he said. “We leave no one behind.”

  • Israel hits Iran gas complex after Trump threat

    Israel hits Iran gas complex after Trump threat

    A sharp escalation of conflict across the Middle East unfolded Monday, as Israeli forces carried out targeted strikes on Iran’s largest petrochemical complex in the coastal city of Assaluyeh on the Gulf of Oman, just one day after U.S. President Donald Trump issued an extreme threat to destroy Iran’s civilian infrastructure if Tehran refused to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. The strikes came amid rapidly rising tensions that have already roiled global energy markets and drawn multiple regional nations into direct hostilities.

    Alongside the attack on the critical energy facility, a separate joint U.S.-Israeli strike killed senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) intelligence chief Majid Khademi at dawn Monday. In response, Iran launched a wave of drone and missile attacks targeting Israel, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates, extending the reach of the conflict across the Gulf region. Iranian officials have warned that any follow-through on Trump’s threat to strike civilian infrastructure would be met with far more devastating retaliatory actions.

    Trump’s ultimatum, delivered in an expletive-laden Sunday social media post, gave Iran until 8:00 pm Tuesday (00:00 GMT Wednesday) to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global energy chokepoint that Iran has effectively blocked in recent weeks. “Open the Fuckin’ Strait, you crazy bastards, or you’ll be living in Hell,” Trump wrote in the post. Iran has already rejected the demand, with the IRGC stating publicly Monday that the strait “will never return to its former status, especially for the US and Israel.” The closure of the waterway, through which roughly 20% of global oil trade passes, has sent global oil and gas prices skyrocketing and forced nations around the world to implement emergency contingency plans to offset the energy supply shock.

    Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz confirmed that Monday’s strike on the Assaluyeh petrochemical complex successfully hit the facility, which accounts for nearly half of Iran’s total petrochemical output and holds an estimated value of tens of billions of dollars. Local Iranian media reported multiple explosions at the site following the strike. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a stark warning after the attack, saying “We will reach anyone who seeks to harm us.” In a separate announcement, the Israeli defence ministry confirmed it would ramp up production of Arrow missile interceptors to bolster the country’s multi-layered national air defence system amid the steady influx of Iranian attacks.

    Even as violence accelerates across the region, diplomatic efforts to de-escalate tensions are underway. Axios, citing anonymous U.S., Israeli, and regional sources, reported that a proposed 45-day ceasefire is currently under discussion, with mediation from Pakistan, Egypt, and Turkey, to open space for negotiations on a long-term peace deal. Egypt’s Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty confirmed Sunday that Cairo has been holding active talks with regional governments, U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. A statement from the Egyptian foreign ministry noted that “Views and proposals were exchanged on ways to deescalate the military situation in the region given the delicate juncture it is currently facing.”

    Trump told Fox News Monday that Iran was “close” to reaching a negotiated deal, though Iranian officials have repeatedly denied holding any formal negotiations with either the U.S. or Israel. European Council President Antonio Costa issued a public call for diplomatic resolution Monday, writing on X that “Any targeting of civilian infrastructure, namely energy facilities, is illegal and unacceptable.”

    The current full-scale conflict erupted on February 28, when joint U.S.-Israeli strikes killed Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and has since engulfed the entire Middle East and disrupted the global economy. The global oil supply squeeze has already had ripple effects on commercial aviation: Indonesian authorities announced Monday they would increase jet fuel surcharges, while long-haul low-cost carrier Air Asia X implemented ticket price hikes of up to 40% to offset rising fuel costs. Major Asian energy importers have adjusted their shipping routes to avoid the Strait of Hormuz entirely; a South Korean ruling party lawmaker said Seoul will redirect oil shipments to load from Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea port of Yanbu, and Taiwanese officials confirmed they would adopt the same alternative route.

    U.S. and Gulf allies aligned with Washington have already suffered direct impacts from the expanding conflict. Kuwait reported six civilian injuries in an Iranian drone strike on a residential area between Sunday and Monday. The UAE confirmed Monday that its air defence systems intercepted a combined missile and drone attack, with one person injured in an industrial zone of Abu Dhabi. Jordanian local media reported the government has begun processing compensation claims for residents whose property was damaged by falling missile and drone debris.

    In Israel, four civilian bodies were recovered from a damaged residential building in the northern city of Haifa after an Iranian missile strike Monday. In retaliation, the Israeli military announced it had completed a new wave of strikes across multiple targets in Tehran. Iranian state media reported strikes on multiple residential areas in the capital, and confirmed that gas outages disrupted service across parts of Tehran after a strike on a local university facility. Even amid the threats of further attacks, many Tehran residents appeared to carry on with daily life Sunday, with large groups of young people exercising, flying kites, and holding picnics in the city’s western public parks.

    The conflict has also expanded to Lebanon, where Iran-backed Hezbollah launched attacks on Israel starting March 2. Israel has responded with heavy airstrikes and a ground incursion into parts of southern Lebanon. Israeli Army Chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir visited Israeli troops deployed in southern Lebanon Sunday and pledged to intensify offensive operations. AFP correspondents on the ground observed a large plume of smoke rising over southern Beirut’s suburbs Monday following an Israeli airstrike that the military confirmed targeted Hezbollah positions.

    Trump is scheduled to hold a press conference later Monday to release details on the rescue of a U.S. airman whose fighter jet was shot down by Iranian forces in recent days.

  • MRC: Luke Laulilii charged and faces a ban for the tackle that could end Bailey Simonsson’s season due to sickening injury

    MRC: Luke Laulilii charged and faces a ban for the tackle that could end Bailey Simonsson’s season due to sickening injury

    An NRL round clash between the Wests Tigers and Parramatta Eels has been overshadowed by a dangerous tackle that has left a star Eels winger facing a season-ending injury and sparked debate over on-field judiciary decisions. The thrilling golden-point 22-20 win for Wests Tigers has turned into a post-match controversy, with young winger Luke Laulilii slapped with a Grade 2 dangerous contact charge stemming from a mid-air tackle on Parramatta’s Bailey Simonsson that left Simonsson with a suspected dislocated ankle.

    The incident occurred in the second half of the match, where Laulilii was immediately sin-binned for the contact. Wests Tigers head coach Benji Marshall has publicly rejected the penalty decision, opening the door for the club to challenge the charge at the NRL judiciary. If they opt to contest the charge and lose, they risk increasing Laulilii’s proposed one-match ban to a two-game suspension.

    Marshall made his stance clear immediately after the game, saying: “Didn’t agree, simple as that. It must have been [because of the injury]. Because if he didn’t get injured would it have been the same result? I don’t agree, but whatever, we just have to deal with it.” Alongside Laulilii’s charge, Tigers skipper Api Koroisau received a $3000 fine for a separate hip-drop tackle in the match.

    For the Eels, Simonsson’s injury marks the latest in a string of long-term absences caused by on-field foul play, devastating the club’s depth ahead of a critical stretch of the season. The club already lost forward J’maine Hopgood for the entire season to an injury suffered in a hip-drop tackle, while young fullback Isaiah Iongi is not expected to return to the side until Round 13 after sustaining a syndesmosis injury from another dangerous contact incident.

    Eels head coach Jason Ryles acknowledged that such dangerous plays are rarely intentional, but argued that the string of injuries highlights exactly why these actions are banned from the competition. “Those contests happen every week, same with the hip drop. The players don’t actually mean to do it. We understand that, but there’s a reason those actions are outlawed because of what we’re going through now,” Ryles told reporters post-match. “As disappointing as it is, it’s another opportunity for our next player in.”

    The injury crisis does not end for the Eels with Simonsson. Centre Sean Russell was ruled out of the match after a sickening accidental head clash with Tigers teenager Heamasi Makasini, and while Russell avoided a ban after receiving a Grade 1 dangerous contact charge, he will miss the club’s upcoming clash against the Gold Coast Titans. Five-eighth Jonah Pezet also picked up a low-grade hamstring injury that is expected to keep him sidelined for at least two weeks.

    In a bright spot for the Eels, young debutant Apa Twidle turned heads with a standout performance off the bench, scoring a try with his first touch in the NRL before adding a second just moments later to drag Parramatta back into the contest. Though Twidle left the field with his right arm in a sling, the injury is believed to be a minor AC joint issue, and he is expected to be named in the club’s next round squad when teams are announced Tuesday.

    Facing the loss of multiple key playmakers to long-term injury, Ryles confirmed the Eels are considering seeking salary cap dispensation to bring in new reinforcement, calling for the league to apply common sense to the request. “I said it earlier in the week, that’s above my pay grade. I just need to deal with what’s in front of us right now,” Ryles said. “Surely I think it’d be something worth considering. Foul play, season-ending injury, there should possibly be something where common sense would prevail.”

    With multiple key spots left empty by injury, Ryles admitted he has not yet finalized how his team’s right edge will line up for Sunday’s clash against the Titans, with only halfback Mitchell Moses confirmed in his usual spot. “The right edge, what would it look like? Moses will be the halfback. That’s a good question. Let me have a think about that,” Ryles said.

  • Saudi oasis town adjusts to life in the firing line

    Saudi oasis town adjusts to life in the firing line

    Nestled in central Saudi Arabia, the tranquil oasis town of Al-Kharj has long been a beloved escape. For generations, overstretched residents of nearby Riyadh have flocked here to unwind, drawn by its lush palm-lined avenues, world-famous sweet dates, and green agricultural landscapes that stand out dramatically against the kingdom’s endless expanses of arid desert. Today, however, this once-peaceful retreat finds itself at the heart of escalating regional conflict, its quiet daily routine disrupted by the constant threat of incoming projectiles.

    Al-Kharj’s proximity to the sprawling Prince Sultan Air Base, a critical military installation that once hosted U.S. command operations during the 1991 Gulf War and the 2003 invasion of Iraq, has put the town directly in the line of fire. Following the joint U.S.-Israeli strike on Iran that launched on February 28, Tehran has launched repeated waves of attacks targeting Gulf states it accuses of enabling American military operations. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards has openly claimed that Saudi Arabia hosts advanced U.S. fighter jets including F-35s and F-16s at Prince Sultan, alongside refueling and storage infrastructure, making the base a priority target.

    Last month, multiple U.S. media outlets confirmed that at least a dozen American service members were wounded in an Iranian attack on the base. While Iranian officials have publicly claimed they destroyed a high-value advanced surveillance aircraft worth hundreds of millions of dollars, additional reports confirm several U.S. aerial refueling tankers also sustained damage in the strike.

    For Al-Kharj’s 350,000 residents, the conflict has already spilled into civilian life. The town recorded Saudi Arabia’s first civilian casualties from the current wave of tensions on March 8, when two migrant workers were killed after a projectile crashed into a residential neighborhood. Just last week, two local residents were injured when debris from an intercepted drone fell onto three private homes, and a separate incident damaged six additional properties, according to official Saudi statements.

    Despite the repeated strikes and growing risk, however, most Al-Kharj residents have maintained remarkable stoicism, adapting their daily routines rather than succumbing to panic. “We hear the loud booms of missile interceptions, but we rarely spot anything in the sky,” 66-year-old local Abdullah told AFP, requesting only his first name be published due to strict Saudi security sensitivity. Speaking after afternoon prayers at his neighborhood mosque, Abdullah noted: “This is all very new for Al-Kharj, but life goes on as normal — there’s no panic, no change to how we live.”

    Government worker Turki, who also only shared his first name, explained that while the town’s newfound place in global headlines has led friends and family across the country to check in constantly, daily public life continues uninterrupted. During a recent lunch rush at a local popular restaurant, AFP observed diners scrolling through war updates on their phones between bites of traditional rice and meat dishes, a small routine adaptation that underscores how residents have integrated the new risk into everyday life.

    Even younger residents, who openly acknowledge their fear, refuse to alter their daily schedules. Twenty-one-year-old student Batool, sipping coffee at a downtown cafe, admitted: “I would be lying if I said I’m not afraid when I hear the explosions, or when I heard about the foreign workers who died. But I’m not letting fear change how I live. As you can see, I’m still studying outside, my routine hasn’t shifted at all because of the war.”

    While AFP observed no heavy deployment of additional security forces around the town despite the regular strikes, residents confirm the threat is always lingering. Mobile phones regularly receive alert warnings of incoming attacks, and concerns about the next barrage never fully fade.

    The presence of U.S. forces at Prince Sultan Air Base carries long-standing geopolitical weight. American troops first withdrew from the base in the early 2000s, after decades of controversy: conservative factions of Saudi society have long viewed foreign military presence on the soil of Islam’s two holiest sites as a religious insult, a grievance infamously cited by Osama bin Laden as a core justification for the September 11 attacks. U.S. forces only returned to the base in 2019 under a new bilateral agreement between Washington and Riyadh, with initial reports indicating hundreds of personnel would be stationed there.

  • Sputtering Arsenal face test of character in Sporting clash

    Sputtering Arsenal face test of character in Sporting clash

    For Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal, a season brimming with historic ambition has hit its first major bump in the road, and the club now faces a defining moment of truth as it travels to Portugal to take on Sporting CP in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals. Fresh off two devastating back-to-back defeats that have punctured the Gunners’ dream of an unprecedented domestic and European quadruple, Arteta has called on his shell-shocked squad to turn the pressure into an opportunity to prove their mental grit.

    The crisis of confidence sparked on Saturday, when second-tier Southampton dumped Arsenal out of the FA Cup quarter-finals with a stunning 2-1 upset. That result came just a fortnight after Arteta’s side fell to a 2-0 loss to Manchester City in the League Cup final, wiping out Arsenal’s two remaining domestic cup hopes and ending their chase of a historic four-trophy haul. The pair of defeats mark the first time this season that Arsenal have dropped consecutive matches, with only four other losses recorded across all competitions to this point. For long-suffering Arsenal fans, who have waited 22 years for a Premier League title and not lifted a major trophy since the 2020 FA Cup, the slump has triggered widespread soul-searching, with renewed doubts over whether this squad can finally end the club’s long silverware drought.

    Despite the sudden setback, Arteta remains steadfast in his belief that his side can navigate the mounting pressure. Arsenal still hold a comfortable nine-point lead over second-place Manchester City at the top of the Premier League, and enter the tie against Sporting as clear favorites to advance to the Champions League semi-finals. The Gunners also have prior form on their side, having routed Sporting 5-1 in the 2022-23 Champions League group stage, a result many in the camp are leaning on for confidence ahead of Tuesday’s clash.

    “This is the first challenging period we’ve faced all season, but this is why we play the game,” Arteta told reporters ahead of the match. “You don’t get to win the biggest trophies without facing moments like this. Compared to what other clubs go through, this is nothing. It’s time to stand up and perform the way we have all season.”

    Arteta has doubled down on his support for his players, rejecting any criticism of a squad that has delivered a historic nine months of consistent results. “I will defend these players more than anyone else,” he said. “They’ve put everything on the line for this club all season, and one defeat doesn’t change that. I take full responsibility for the result, and we have the most exciting phase of the season ahead of us.”

    One bright spot for Arsenal in recent weeks has been the resurgence of Swedish striker Viktor Gyokeres, who now looks set to be a key figure against his former club. After a slow start to his first season at the Emirates following his summer move from Sporting, Gyokeres has found his form in crucial moments: he scored Arsenal’s consolation equalizer against Southampton, bagged a brace in the win over Tottenham Hotspur in the north London derby, and even netted the late winner that booked Sweden’s place in the upcoming World Cup.

    The biggest cloud hanging over Arsenal heading into the tie is a growing injury crisis that threatens to derail their dual title push. Star winger Bukayo Saka and midfield enforcer Declan Rice both missed the Southampton defeat and England’s recent international friendlies, and both are racing against the clock to prove their fitness for Tuesday’s clash. Center-back Gabriel Magalhaes is also a major doubt after being forced off early against Southampton with a knee injury.

    Despite the fitness concerns, midfielder Christian Norgaard has kept an upbeat tone, echoing Arteta’s call for the squad to embrace the challenge instead of dwelling on the recent upset. “It’s okay to be frustrated, and we need to learn from what went wrong against Southampton,” Norgaard said. “But this isn’t the time to walk around with our heads down. We’ve got massive games coming up, every one of them is a chance to get back on track, and we have to look forward.”

    For a club that has come so far after years of near-misses, Tuesday’s clash in Lisbon is more than just a quarter-final tie. It is a test of whether this Arsenal side has the character to turn a rare setback into another step toward ending the club’s decades-long wait for major glory.

  • Artemis mission headed for first lunar flyby since 1972

    Artemis mission headed for first lunar flyby since 1972

    Fifty-two years after the final Apollo mission departed the Moon’s vicinity, NASA’s groundbreaking Artemis program is on the cusp of a new era of human lunar exploration, with four international astronauts approaching the historic milestone of the first crewed lunar flyby since 1972. The four-person crew — mission commander Reid Wiseman, Christina Koch, Victor Glover of the United States, and Jeremy Hansen representing the Canadian Space Agency — is closing in on the moment when lunar gravity will capture the Orion capsule’s trajectory, slinging it into a loop around the Moon that marks a turning point for modern deep-space human spaceflight.

    This mission is packed with unprecedented firsts that expand the face of space exploration. Koch will make history as the first woman to fly around the Moon, while Glover, a Black astronaut, will go down in textbooks as the first person of color to complete a lunar flyby. For Hansen, the mission cements his place as the first non-American astronaut to accomplish the feat. The mission’s core objectives stretch far beyond symbolic milestones, however: during their planned flyby on Monday, the crew will spend hours documenting lunar surface features, collecting critical data that will lay the groundwork for future crewed lunar landings.

    Days ahead of the planned flyby, the crew has already achieved a first in observational astronomy. Early Sunday, NASA released a new image captured by the Artemis crew showing the massive Orientale basin on the Moon’s far side, marking the first time human eyes have ever viewed the entire sprawling crater directly. The bullseye-shaped impact crater, often called the Moon’s equivalent of the Grand Canyon, had only ever been photographed by robotic orbital cameras before this mission. Speaking in a live question-and-answer session with Canadian schoolchildren from space, Koch described the crew’s excitement at the unprecedented view. “It’s very distinctive and no human eyes previously had seen this crater until today, really, when we were privileged enough to see it,” she said.

    As the capsule swings around the far side of the Moon near the end of the flyby, the crew will also get a rare front-row seat to a deep-space solar eclipse, where the Moon will pass directly between the Orion capsule and the Sun, leaving only the Sun’s wispy outer corona visible. In addition to observational work, the mission carries a critical engineering mandate: the astronauts are the first to test NASA’s new Orion Crew Survival System (OCSS) spacesuits in the actual space environment. The bright orange suits, designed to protect the crew during launch and atmospheric reentry, can also provide up to six days of breathable air in an emergency scenario. The crew will run through functional tests to assess how quickly they can don and pressurize the suits, gathering real-world performance data that cannot be replicated in ground simulations.

    While the Artemis II crew will not land on the lunar surface itself, they are on track to break a 50-plus-year-old record: they will travel farther from Earth than any human in history. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman outlined the mission’s broader significance in a televised interview with CNN on Sunday, noting that the data collected on this flight is irreplaceable for upcoming Artemis missions. Over the coming day, while the crew operates on the far side of the Moon out of direct communication with Earth, they will eclipse the previous distance record, and engineers will collect vital performance data on Orion’s systems. “This is the first time astronauts have ever flown on this spacecraft before,” Isaacman said. “That’s what we’re most interested in getting data from.”

    As of Sunday, the crew had already completed a successful manual piloting demonstration and walked through their full flyby plan, reviewing all lunar surface features scheduled for analysis and photography. The data collected during this mission will be critical to preparing for Artemis III, the first crewed lunar landing scheduled for 2027, and the subsequent landing mission Artemis IV planned for 2028, Isaacman added. “The information will be pretty paramount to set up for subsequent missions,” he said, emphasizing that Artemis II is far more than a demonstration flight — it is the foundational step for NASA’s long-term goal of establishing a sustained human presence on and around the Moon.