Scientists say there is a 'once in a lifetime' opportunity for humans to reach Mars in 2033 when the planets align to allow a journey to the Red Planet to be cut almost in half. But some experts warn the deadline isn't feasible.

Cape Canaveral

Astronauts could fly to Mars by 2033

2033 is when the planets will align, literally, to give humans their easiest shot to fly over Mars then fly home. That's when the red planet will be in position to give earthling astronauts a gravitational assist, shortening the round trip journey from two and a half years to one and a half. This will be an opportunity to send a crew to the vicinity of Mars and bring them back. It would not be a landing mission because we don't think we would be able to build and test a lander by 2033. A manned Mars landing would be much further down the road. And even a manned flyover for now is just talk. But here at the Humans to Mars Summit in Washington, the gathered space community is buzzing with hope that it will happen soon. It's a dream come true. I can't wait. Since I was a little boy, I've always dreamed about working in space. I'm doing it now. And I can't wait to be a part of this great adventure. NASA still lacks money and a government mandate from Congress to officially green light a humans to Mars mission. But the agency has been preparing for years. The so-called transit habitat in which Mars-bound astronauts would travel would likely look similar to a module of the International Space Station. And NASA is studying ways to improve life support systems when aborting the mission is not an option. We have the baseline systems that we have been using on the International Space Station. But as with the entire mission, we will have to take fresh eyes on all of our systems and make sure that they play well together and they will work for a crew that is autonomous and a very long way from home. NASA's Artemis missions to the moon are also part of the prep work for Mars. Agricultural scientist Daniel Tompkins will send up so-called moon gardens ahead of NASA astronauts returning to the lunar surface in 2025. We're going to have the first butterfly, the first bee, the first fish. We're going to pack this full, rather complex ecosystem and really see how it changes over time and how it stabilizes. If the moon garden experiment works, Mars gardens will be next. And while NASA appears to lead the race to Mars at the moment, China and SpaceX also have their ambitions. The scientists say whoever wins will take one home for humankind. Heidi Jocastro, Al Jazeera, Washington.

The official relations between China and the US could be severely strained, but Beijing is welcoming top American business leaders with open arms. Meanwhile, Nvidia Corp. CEO Jensen Huang is heading to China to meet with tech executives, according to people familiar with the matter. 

Beijing

China woos US CEOs amid strains

Russo-German relations are at a new low after the German government announced on Wednesday that Russia will have to close four out of its five consultants across Germany.

Berlin

Russian Sanctions

Russia to close four consulates in Germany

Former Republican VP Mike Pence, who incurred Donald Trump's wrath by refusing to support his effort to overturn the results of the 2020 election, and former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie who advised Trump's White House campaign in 2016 only to become a vocal critic of the former president, will launch bids for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, sources tell Reuters. 

Washington

Pence, Christie plan 2024 campaign launches

A man remains under police guard in a Sydney hospital as homicide squad detectives investigate the stabbing death of a three year old boy. The man, who was also in the apartment with critical injuries is in a stable condition after surgery.

Riverwood

Man arrested after three-year-old stabbing death

A Malaysian climber narrowly survived after a Nepali sherpa guide hauled him down from below the summit of Mount Everest in a 'very rare' high altitude rescue, a government official says. The ‘death zone’ is a part of the mountain where temperatures can drop below minus 20 degrees Fahrenheit. Rescues are 'almost impossible' there, authorities say.


Kathmandu

Rare 'death zone' rescue on Everest

The founder of Theranos, Elizabeth Holmes has entered a Texas prison to begin her sentence for a notorious hoax that involved dangerously overselling the capabilities of her company's blood testing technology.

Austin

Elizabeth Holmes begins eleven year sentence

"Manhattanhenge brings not magic, but majesty" says astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson who coined the term "Manhattanhenge". It happens for a few days a year when the sun aligns with the grid-streets of New York.

Manhattan

Famous faces take in 'Manhattanhenge'

A ceasefire in Ukraine would lead to a 'frozen conflict,' says Ursula von der Leyen. The European Commission president suggested creating a group of "like-minded states" to provide security guarantees to Ukraine during a keynote speech.

Brussels

Ukraine Invasion

Ceasefire in Ukraine 'not enough'; says EU

The discovery of a rudimentary shelter, some half-eaten fruit and a fresh footprint led the Colombian military to announce Tuesday it was getting "very close" to the four Indigenous children roaming the Amazon since a plane they were on crashed a month ago.

Caqueta

Rescuers 'very close' to kids missing in Amazon

There are fears of renewed bloodshed in Sudan, after a diplomatic source claimed the army had suspended ceasefire negotiations with its paramilitary rival, the Rapid Support Forces.

Khartoum

Sudan Civil War

Sudan army suspends truce talks

Republican presidential candidate and Florida governor Ron DeSantis stepped up his attack on opponent Donald Trump, saying the former president has decided to "move left" on some issues.

Iowa

DeSantis steps up attack on opponent Trump

A North Korean satellite launch on Wednesday ended in failure, sending the booster and payload plunging into the sea, North Korean state media said, and the South's military said it had recovered parts of the launch vehicle.

Pyongyang

North Korean satellite launch failure

The man set to become Western Australia's next Premier will face one of his final hurdles on his way to the top job today. Deputy Premier Roger Cook has emerged as the lone candidate to replace Mark McGowan, who will retire at the end of the week.

Perth

Roger Cook to become WA Premier

Russian authorities are accusing Ukraine of launching drone strikes in Moscow that damaged some buildings and alarmed residents. Ukraine, which has endured a series of deadly airstrikes this month, denies any involvement.

Moscow

Moscow hit by drone swarm, blames Ukraine

More NATO troops are on their way to keep the peace in Kosovo as tensions between ethnic Serbs and Albanians heat up. Recent clashes have raised fears of a return to the violence of the late 1990s.

Belgrade

NATO deploys more troops to Kosovo amid violence

A key Republican hardliner on the powerful House Rules Committee said on Tuesday that he would support sending the bipartisan debt ceiling deal to the floor for a vote, a critical first step in advancing Speaker Kevin McCarthy's agreement with President Joe Biden and avoiding a catastrophic default.

'A bad deal': Debt limit faces Republican test

Tesla chief executive Elon Musk has arrived in China, as he makes his first trip to the world's second largest economy in over three years. The multi-billionaire met China's foreign minister Qin Gang within hours of arriving in the country. He arrived is also expected to visit Tesla's huge manufacturing plant in Shanghai.


Shanghai

Elon Musk in China for Tesla talks

The debt-limit agreement forged by President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy heads into a crucial final stretch with less than a week to win congressional passage before a June 5 default deadline. Both Biden and McCarthy will be lobbying their party to pass the measure.

Will Congress pass the debt-Limit deal?

President Vladimir Putin says a series of drone strikes deep inside Russia are the work of 'Ukraine terrorists' designed to scare and provoke the country. Ukraine, however denies responsibility and some experts say it may be a 'false flag attack'. Putin meanwhile has vowed to strengthen air defences around the capital.

Large scale drone attack hits Moscow

The world-famous ruins of Pompeii still have many secrets for us to discover. Recent discoveries have been made thanks to The Great Pompeii Project, launched in 2012 to stop the deterioration of the archaeological site.

Pompei

More victims uncovered in Pompeii ruins

Sudan’s warring sides on Monday agreed to extend a shaky cease-fire in their battle for control of the country, after two key international mediators signalled impatience with persistent truce violations.

Sudan truce extended for five days

North Korea will launch its first military reconnaissance satellite in June for monitoring U.S. activities, state media KCNA reported on Tuesday, drawing criticism over its potential use of banned missile technology. 

N.Korea to launch first military spy satellite

Russia claimed that Ukraine launched its biggest ever drone attack on Moscow on Tuesday, but said air defenses destroyed all eight of the drones. It brings the 15-month war in Ukraine to the heart of Russia's capital. Meanwhile, Kyiv was also hit by air for the third time in 24 hours. 

Ukraine war comes to Moscow 

Ukrainian defense forces said they shot down more than 20 drones during a fresh wave of Russian air attacks on Kyiv early Tuesday (May 30) which killed at least one person and injured four others when their apartment building was hit and caught fire.

Kyiv

'Relentless': Kyiv endures more air attacks

Residents have been forced to drive through thick smoke and fire to escape a fast-moving blaze in the Halifax-area that has destroyed hundreds of homes. Thousands of locals were ordered to evacuate immediately as the fire closed in. It comes as as the Canadian Government called for international help, admitting it doesn't have enough fire crews to protect communities.

Hammonds Plains

Climate Crisis

'Leave, now': Canadians flee through the flames

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has signed one of the world’s harshest anti-LGBTQ laws. Other nations have been quick to condemn the new law, which includes the death penalty for 'aggravated homosexuality.'

Pretoria

Global criticism of Uganda's anti-LGBTQ laws

'Media bias and ongoing restrictions to freedom of expression created an unlevel playing field, and contributed to an unjustified advantage of the incumbent', the OSCE said on Monday.

Ankara

Turkish election 'free but not fair', observers say

The NATO-led KFOR peacekeeping force on Monday said that 25 of its troops, including 11 from Italy, were injured in the clashes with ethnic Serbs in northern Kosovo who were trying to take over the offices of one of the municipalities where ethnic Albanian mayors took up their posts last week.

NATO troops injured in Kosovo clashes, 3 critical

Police say they can't rule out the possibility that people may have died in last week's inferno in inner Sydney. They're still trying to find two homeless people who may have slept there.

Surry Hills

'There could be bodies': Search after CBD fire

After 30 years in public life, six of those as Western Australia’s Premier, Mark McGowan says he's burnt out and has lost his fighting spirit. He'll depart by the end of the week.