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☆ A year in Azerbaijan: From the Grand Prix to the ski slopes
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Words Cnn Staff | Photo Illustrations Woojin Lee | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +18 min

CNN —Anyone who has tuned in to the Azerbaijan Grand Prix has seen a tantalizing glimpse of what the capital Baku has to offer. This year’s Grand Prix comes at the height of spring, often said to be Azerbaijan’s most beautiful season. Juan Vilata/Alamy Stock Photo Explore Azerbaijan in spring Prev NextSummers in Azerbaijan are hot, so getting out of the city is a good idea. Alexander Melnikov/Alamy Stock Photo Explore Azerbaijan in fall Prev NextWrap up, because even at its coldest Azerbaijan still has plenty to offer. You’ll learn much more at the Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum in Baku.

☆ Thirty years on, Zambia mourns national team killed in plane crash
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Mark Gleeson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The bulk of the team were experienced internationals, fancied to emerge top of their final round qualifying group and secure a first-ever World Cup final appearance at the 1994 tournament in the United States. Engine failure after takeoff from Libreville caused the plane to crash into the sea, killing all on board including the coaches, support staff and crew. A year after the crash, the team were surprise finalists at the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations in Tunisia, losing 2-1 to Nigeria. Twenty years after the disaster, Zambia finally won the African title - in Gabon, site of the crash. Just days before the final, players threw flowers into the sea at the beach where the bodies had washed up.

[1/2] Mourners hold a poster during the state funeral of Zimbabwe's longtime ruler Robert Mugabe at a national sports stadium in Harare, Zimbabwe, September 14, 2019. Still, some farmers say they will reject the government's $3.5 billion compensation package for being inadequate financially and for paying scant regard to land restitution or restoring property rights. Farmers say the plan was agreed by the Commercial Farmers Union in July 2020 and subsequently revised without adequate consultation. "The offer of bonds represents a very significant reduction in value with a prolonged redemption period," Gilpin, 67, told Reuters. The government was continuing discussions with farmers over appropriate payment methods and time frames, Ncube said.

☆ NASA chief sees Russians and Americans together on space station through 2030
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( Steve Scherer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Joe SkipperOTTAWA, April 25 (Reuters) - NASA Administrator Bill Nelson on Tuesday condemned Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine, but said in Ottawa that he expected Russians and Americans to work together on the International Space Station (ISS) until it is decommissioned. American-Russian space cooperation was put in doubt after the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Yuri Borisov, the director-general of Russia's space agency Roscosmos, surprised NASA by announcing in July 2022 that Moscow intended to withdraw from the space station partnership "after 2024." And I expect that to continue all the way through the end of the decade, when they we will then de-orbit the space station." The space station was born in part from a foreign policy initiative to improve American-Russian relations following the collapse of the Soviet Union and the Cold War hostility that spurred the original U.S.-Soviet space race.

☆ South Africa to try to withdraw from ICC again - Ramaphosa
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( Carien Du Plessis | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] South African President Cyril Ramaphosa responds to a parliamentary debate on his state of the nation address in Cape Town, South Africa, February 16, 2023. Only two days earlier, South Africa's parliament announced that it would abandon a seven-year-long legislative process to pull South Africa out of the ICC's Rome Statute. The process was abandoned because the governing party in December decided that South Africa should rather remain in the ICC and try to effect changes from within, a decision that has now been reversed. The international arrest warrant against Putin was issued after he had already received his invite from South Africa to the BRICS summit in August, and it would oblige South Africa to hand him over to the International Criminal Court in The Hague if he set foot in the country. "He has been invited by President Ramaphosa and Russia has indicated attendance," South Africa's official in charge of the relationship with BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) countries, Anil Sooklal, told Reuters.

☆ Wolves earn vital points in battle against drop
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Victory put Wolves nine points clear of the bottom three places, joining Palace on 37 points and ended Hodgson’s run of three wins and a draw since returning to Palace in the wake of Patrick Vieira’s sacking last month. But it was largely a nervy night for the fans as Palace threatened to fight their way back into the game and dominated many of the exchanges. But Lokonga was firmly on his feet when he struck a point-blank shot on target five minutes before halftime, only to see the effort saved by diving Wolves keeper Jose Sa. Neves hit the resultant spot kick into the corner of the net to wrap up the win. Writing by Mark Gleeson in Cape Town; Editing by Clare FallonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

From the 15th to the 19th century, 6 million Africans were kidnapped and forcibly transported across the Atlantic by Portuguese vessels and sold into slavery, primarily to Brazil. But so far Portugal has rarely commented on its past and little is taught about its role in slavery in schools. Reparations and public policies to fight inequalities caused by Portugal's past were essential, Cardoso said. "We continue to suffer in Brazil the effects of a legacy of slavery," Almeida said in a statement. Europe's top human rights group previously said Portugal had do more to confront its colonial past and role in the transatlantic slave trade in order to help fight racism and discrimination today.

☆ Commercial lunar lander presumed lost after historic moon landing attempt
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( Jackie Wattles | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —A Japanese lunar lander, carrying a rover developed in the United Arab Emirates, attempted to find its footing on the moon’s surface Tuesday — and potentially mark the world’s first lunar landing for a commercially developed spacecraft. The lunar lander, called Hakuto-R, was carrying the Rashid rover — the first Arab-built lunar spacecraft, which was built by Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre in Dubai. Israel-based company SpaceIL was the first XPrize contestant to attempt to put its lander on the moon after the program ended. Its Beresheet spacecraft crashed in 2019 after ground teams lost contact with the lander as it approached the surface. That same year, the Indian Space and Research Organisation lost contact with a lunar lander shortly before it was slated to touch down on the moon.

☆ Up-close photos of the Martian moon, Deimos, are forcing scientists to rethink how it formed in the first place
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( Marcia Dunn | Associated Press | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The United Arab Emirates' Amal spacecraft recently flew within 62 miles (100 kilometers) of Deimos. Deimos is a tiny Martian moon that was thought to be a captured asteroid from space. But new close-up photos from the Amal spacecraft suggest its origins are closer to home. The United Arab Emirates' Amal spacecraft flew within 62 miles (100 kilometers) of Deimos last month and the close-up shots were released Monday. Instead, they say the moon appears to be of Martian origin — perhaps from the bigger Martian moon or from Mars itself.

[1/6] Takeshi Hakamada, "ispace" 's founder and chief executive, is pictured at a venue to watch landing of the lander in HAKUTO-R lunar exploration program on the Moon, in Tokyo, Japan, April 26, 2023. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-HoonTOKYO, April 25 (Reuters) - Japanese startup ispace (9348.T) said its attempt to make the first private moon landing had failed on Tuesday after losing contact with its Hakuto-R Mission 1 (M1) lander, concluding it had most likely crashed on the lunar surface. The M1 lander appeared set to autonomously touch down about 12:40 p.m. Eastern time (1640 GMT Tuesday) after coming as close as 295 feet (90 meters) from the lunar surface, a live animation of the lander's telemetry showed. The company said in a statement Wednesday in Japan that it believes the spacecraft may have made a "hard landing" on the lunar surface. The M1 also carried an experimental solid-state battery made by NGK Spark Plug Co (5334.T), among other objects to gauge how they perform on the moon.

[1/6] Takeshi Hakamada, "ispace" 's founder and chief executive, is pictured at a venue to watch landing of the lander in HAKUTO-R lunar exploration program on the Moon, in Tokyo, Japan, April 26, 2023. But a lunar landing would be an ambitious feat for a private firm. The Japanese firm "determined that there is a high probability that the lander eventually made a hard landing." In disclosure to the Tokyo Stock Exchange, ispace said it did not expect an immediate impact on its earnings forecast. The lander completed eight out of 10 mission objectives in space that will provide valuable data for the next landing attempt in 2024, Hakamada said.

☆ Ajax in danger of missing out on Champions League football
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] Soccer Football - Champions League - Group A - Rangers v Ajax Amsterdam - Ibrox Stadium, Glasgow, Scotland, Britain - November 1, 2022 Ajax Amsterdam fans with flares and banners in the stands before the match Action Images via Reuters/Lee SmithApril 24 (Reuters) - Ajax Amsterdam are in danger of finishing outside the top two in the Dutch league for the first time in 13 seasons and missing out on the Champions League next season as they struggle to build a new team in the wake of record sales last year. However, after a 3-0 drubbing from PSV Eindhoven on Sunday, Ajax have dropped to third with four league matches left to play. It could get worse as their next league clash on May 6 is home to AZ, who lie two points behind them in fourth place. Now it is their arch rivals Feyenoord who are on course to win the league, needing five points from their final four matches. They have 73 points with PSV second on 65 and Ajax on 62, facing having to play in the Europa League next season after 13 successive season of competing in the Champions League.

☆ Beer thrown from stands halts another Dutch league clash
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

AMSTERDAM, April 23 (Reuters) - Beer thrown from the crowd caused a 15-minute stoppage to the match before PSV Eindhoven secured a 3-0 home win over Ajax Amsterdam in the Dutch league on Sunday in another incident involving objects thrown from the crowd. A similar incident on Saturday caused the abandonment of the league match between second-from-bottom Groningen and NEC Nijmegen. But while Saturday’s game was called off after a plastic beaker of beer struck the linesman, Sunday’s match was only halted temporarily because the beer thrown did not land on anyone on the field. Dutch football has been grappling with abuse from the stands and the throwing of objects. They also decided that if an object is thrown from the terraces but misses, play will be temporarily stopped with the players sent to the dressing rooms.

☆ Why I signed up to live on a cruise ship for three years
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-22 | by ( Francesca Street | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —When Sharon Lane heard about a cruise company offering a three-year-long voyage around the world, she immediately started fantasizing about life on board. While it’s long been Lane’s dream to live on a cruise ship full time, the steep cost has always been a barrier. I don’t know, the sky’s the limit.”Preparing for a new lifeSharon Lane will spend three years living on the MV Gemini cruise ship, pictured here. The 130-square-feet cabin has no window, but guests have been promised a screen that will broadcast live footage from outside the ship. Lane won’t disembark the ship in certain destinations, like Antarctica, where the cold air might aggravate her lungs.

☆ Activists gather for Earth Day, urge action to avoid 'dystopian' future
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"Climate impacts are here," Areeba Hamid, co-executive director of Greenpeace UK, said on Friday as climate change activists walked down the street outside parliament, some dressed in green costumes and green paint. Activists led by the Extinction Rebellion group have gathered in London to kick off a four-day action, billed "The Big One", to coincide with Earth Day. [1/5] Peru's shamans perform a traditional ritual and make an offer to "Pachamama" (Mother Earth) on the eve of "Earth Day", in Lima, Peru April 21, 2023. In Peru, shamans on Friday made an offering to the "Pachamama", or Mother Earth. Holding yellow flowers and rattles, the shamans walked around a papier-mache globe as they performed a cleansing ritual.

LONDON, April 21 (Reuters) - African countries are lining up to approve a new vaccine for malaria, with 20 million doses available for them to buy this year, the shot’s manufacturer told Reuters. African countries that do not have extensive resources for drug regulation have previously relied on the U.N. agency to initially review new medicines. "We expect many more countries to come through," Mary Hamel, the WHO's malaria vaccine implementation head, told the expert meeting on Tuesday. “We are committed to making the R21 vaccine available to people who need it most,” Poonawalla said. FUNDING DOUBTSThe moves are a further sign that African countries want to exert their own pharmaceutical oversight after COVID-19 exposed inequity in vaccine supply.

☆ Gunmen ambush family in South African homestead, kill 10
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Rogan Ward | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/6] A body is moved at the scene of a deadly mass shooting, near Pietermaritzburg, South Africa April 21, 2023. REUTERS/Rogan WardJOHANNESBURG, April 21 (Reuters) - Gunmen stormed a homestead in a township outside the South African city of Pietermaritzburg and ambushed a family, killing 10 people, police said on Friday. South Africa has one of the world's highest murder rates, with about 20,000 murders recorded every year out of a population of 60 million. Cele said police management needed to sit down to talk about whether the province needed more police resources. According to campaign group Gun Free South Africa, 30 people on average are shot and killed every day in the country, where about 4.5 million guns are registered.

Trump won 76% of the white evangelical vote in 2020, down from 80% in 2016, according to Edison Research exit polls. In a March poll, Trump edged DeSantis among evangelicals in a two-way matchup 51% to 42%, a nine-point improvement for Trump from the month before. The gathering is traditionally an important stop for Republican presidential candidates, although this year DeSantis, who was invited, will not be going. Vander Plaats said evangelicals will consider whether Trump can prevail next year after losing the 2020 election to President Joe Biden. “I don’t think President Trump is a principled man -- I think he was a great president,” Ascol said.

☆ Mysterious glowing 'SpaceX spirals' in the night sky seem to be linked to rocket launches
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Rebecca Cohen | Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

It's likely a cloud of excess fuel from a SpaceX rocket launched earlier that day. "SpaceX spirals" are rare, but they may be getting more common. These spirals are appearing shortly after SpaceX rocket launches, and are probably residual fuel the rockets released during flight, space physicist Don Hampton told the Associated Press. SpaceX spirals, jellyfish, and smoke rings may happen more oftenThis is the third time in the past year that a Falcon 9 rocket has appeared to produce a SpaceX spiral. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft launches at Cape Canaveral, Florida.

NEW YORK, April 18 (Reuters) - Burger King is banking on its viral "Whopper Whopper" jingle to lift sales as part of the flagging fast-food chain's turnaround plan, as broader economic uncertainty pushed two big franchisees into bankruptcy. "I'm optimistic about the trajectory of sales in 2023," said U.S. and Canada Burger King president Tom Curtis in an interview, adding that the jingle's fervent success was "unanticipated." Unlike other fast-food chains like Subway that are consolidating restaurant ownership among fewer franchisees, Burger King is expanding the number of owners in its system. This year, two large U.S. Burger King franchisees that run more than 200 locations across at least 10 states have filed for bankruptcy, citing poor sales atop surging costs for labor and goods. "We don't want to diminish the importance of this crisis, but we also will leverage it to bring in new operators," Curtis said.

☆ I make 6-figures a month in revenue making games on Roblox. Here's how I started earning thousands in my first year.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( Robin Madell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Madsen creates new games on Roblox and updates his previous games to keep up a revenue stream. I remember when I made my first $2 from a Roblox game I created in 2017. Now, I've been generating six figures a month in revenue from Roblox experiences I've created or been a part of creating since 2021. I also create Roblox experiences outside of Splitting Point with friends. The reason is that even if it's a beautifully designed game, it isn't a Roblox game.

REUTERS/Carlos BarriaWASHINGTON, April 18 (Reuters) - The U.S. Air Force's 102nd Intelligence Wing, which the alleged leaker of classified information belonged to, has been ordered to halt its intelligence mission as the service's inspector general carries out an investigation, the Air Force said on Tuesday. The Air Force said all units would also have to carry out a "security-focused standdown" sometime in the next 30 days. "The 102nd Intelligence Wing is not currentlyperforming its assigned intelligence mission," Air Force Spokesperson Ann Stefanek said in statement. The Air Force inspector general would investigate the unit's "compliance with policy, procedures, and standards...related to the release of national security information," Stefanek added. If the accusations against Teixeira are correct, the Air Force will be under pressure to explain how he could have smuggled and disseminated highly classified intelligence for months without being noticed.

☆ Analysis: Rocket startups face adapt-or-die moment amid investment drought
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( Joey Roulette | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Venture investment in space startups has dropped 50% year-over-year in 2022 to $21.9 billion, according to VC firm Space Capital. Astra Space (ASTR.O), which ditched its small Rocket 3.3 for a planned, larger Rocket 4 in the next few years, has struggled to bring its stock price above $1, facing delisting threats from Nasdaq. Despite the startups' struggles, launch demand has soared after sanctions following Russia's invasion of Ukraine cut off access to Russian rockets. Recent failures with Europe's Arianespace's Vega-C rocket have added to demand in the U.S., outstripping the number of available rockets. Private plans to deploy mega-constellations, vast swarms of satellites in low-Earth orbit, have also given launch startups hope for future demand.

☆ Horse racing-BHA analysing horse deaths at Grand National, condemns protesters
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Hill Sixteen was the third horse to die at this year's three-day festival after a heavy fall at the first fence of Saturday's National. Two other horses, Recite A Prayer and Cape Gentleman, were assessed by veterinary staff on the course. The start of the National, one of the highest-profile events in Britain's sporting calendar, was delayed for around 15 minutes after the protesters made their way on to the course. The protesters say the race is cruel to horses, with many having died over the daunting fences down the years. "The Grand National is and always will be an iconic sporting event and the actions of a small number of people will do nothing to diminish its huge and enduring international appeal."

☆ Jack Teixeira's alleged Discord leaks show why the US should not give Top Secret clearances to 21-year-olds
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-15 | by ( Mattathias Schwartz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Nevertheless, that looks to be the US intelligence community's approach to handling classified information. The tangled views of Jack Teixeira, who was indicted Friday in connection with leaking hundreds of classified documents to a private Discord server, are still coming into focus. There are classified phone systems, email systems, fiber optic cables, and a Wikipedia clone. Aside from the question of how many people have access to secrets, it's also worth considering how many of those supposed secrets belong on classified systems at all. Who was tracking the whereabouts of the volume of secret files he appears to have sent to the printer?

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