‘Ambassadors to the stars’: Artemis II makes historic lunar return
The mission unveils lunar mysteries, treats astronauts to a solar eclipse and sets records around the moon.
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Fishing boats remain anchored at Sassoon Dock beside a cooperative diesel pump that is shut due to rising bulk fuel prices in Mumbai, India. [Rafiq Maqbool/AP Photo]
A deckhand arranges empty fuel cans on his handcart at Sassoon Dock beside a cooperative diesel pump that is shut due to rising bulk fuel prices in Mumbai. [Rafiq Maqbool/AP Photo]
Fishermen rest on a fishing boat anchored and idle due to high fuel prices at Sassoon Dock. [Rafiq Maqbool/AP Photo]
Empty fishing baskets are seen hanging on the wall outside a fish market at Sassoon Dock In Mumbai. [Rafiq Maqbool/AP Photo]
A fisherman prepares tea on a stove in a boat anchored due to the high price of fuel in Mumbai. [Rafiq Maqbool/AP Photo]
A fisherwoman haggles with a customer over the price of fish at a fishmarket at Bhaucha Dhakka in Mumbai. [Rafiq Maqbool/AP Photo]
Fishermen sort fish on a boat at Sassoon Dock In Mumbai. [Rafiq Maqbool/AP Photo]
A woman carrying her child checks out fresh fish at Bhaucha Dhakka in Mumbai. [Rafiq Maqbool/AP Photo]
A fisherman carries a stove as he walks towards his boat at Sassoon Dock In Mumbai. [Rafiq Maqbool/AP Photo]
A fisherman pushes his cart filled with his day's catch as he passes a mural of the fisher community at Sassoon Dock In Mumbai, India. [Rafiq Maqbool/AP Photo]
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Iranian demonstrators chant slogans while holding Iranian flags and a poster of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei during a gathering at Enqelab-e-Eslami (Islamic Revolution) Square in Tehran. The demonstration followed the announcement of a two-week ceasefire in the conflict with the United States and Israel [Vahid Salemi/AP Photo]
Tehran residents flooded the streets, jubilantly waving flags to celebrate a two-week ceasefire agreement between Iran and the United States, marking a pause in the intense hostilities that had gripped the two nations for weeks. [Vahid Salemi/AP Photo]
Crowds filled the streets of Tehran late into the night after authorities announced a two-week ceasefire. [Vahid Salemi/AP Photo]
A girl holds an Iranian flag at the Enqelab-e-Eslami, or Islamic Revolution, street, in Tehran. [Vahid Salemi/AP Photo]
Iranian demonstrators burn the US and Israeli flags during a gathering after the announcement of a two-week ceasefire. [Vahid Salemi/AP Photo]
A woman holds Iranian flags and a poster of the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during a gathering following the announcement of a two-week ceasefire in the war. [Vahid Salemi/AP Photo]
A demonstrator holds a poster of the Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei at the Enqelab-e-Eslami, or Islamic Revolution, street, in Tehran. [Vahid Salemi/AP Photo]
Demonstrators holds a poster of the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei with a sign that reads in Farsi: "Death to America," during a gathering after the announcement of a two-week ceasefire. [Vahid Salemi/AP Photo]
Protesters burn an Israeli flag at the Enqelab-e-Eslami, or Islamic Revolution, square in Tehran. [Vahid Salemi/AP Photo]
Celebrations have erupted in Iraq’s capital, Baghdad, following the announcement of the two-week ceasefire between Iran and the US. [Vahid Salemi/AP Photo]
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Displaced boys who fled with their families from Israeli shelling in southern Lebanon gather around a bonfire near their tent shelter in Beirut, Lebanon. [Emilio Morenatti/AP Photo]
A building destroyed in an Israeli air raid in the southern port city of Tyre, Lebanon. [Mohammed Zaatari/AP Photo]
Displaced men from Beirut's southern suburbs wait to receive donated food rations at a school converted into a shelter. [Emilio Morenatti/AP Photo]
Displaced young boys sit at the entrance of a tent at an unofficial camp for displaced people on Beirut's waterfront area. [Joseph Eid/AFP]
Rescue workers search for victims at the site of an Israeli air raid on a crowded neighbourhood south of Beirut. [Hussein Malla/AP Photo]
As of late March 2026, United Nations data showed that the escalation in hostilities had displaced more than 1.2 million people, almost 22 percent of Lebanon's population, from its south, including Beirut's southern suburbs and the Bekaa Valley. [Wael Hamzeh/EPA]
Members of the Taleb and Issa families, displaced from Beirut's southern suburb of Haret Hreik, have lunch in a school turned into a shelter. [Emilio Morenatti/AP Photo]
A photograph shows a portrait of Iran's slain Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei amid rubble from an Israeli air raid that destroyed a building in Beirut's southern suburb. [AFP]
A child plays at a school-turned-shelter for displaced people in Beirut. [Adnan Abidi/Reuters]
A displaced family, who fled Israeli bombings in southern Lebanon, make a bonfire next to a tent used as a shelter in Beirut. [Emilio Morenatti/AP Photo]
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A view of Earth taken by Artemis II commander Reid Wiseman from one of the Orion spacecraft’s windows after the crew completed the translunar injection burn to send the craft towards the moon on April 2, 2026. [Handout/NASA via Reuters]
A view of the Orion capsule taken with a camera mounted on one of its solar array wings during a routine external inspection of the spacecraft on the second day of the Artemis II mission towards the Moon. [Handout/NASA via Reuters]
A view of the moon taken by one of the Artemis II's four crew members through the window of the Orion spacecraft on the third day of the NASA mission. [Handout/NASA via Reuters]
Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman peers out of one of the Orion spacecraft's main cabin windows for a look back at Earth. [Handout/NASA via Reuters]
The Artemis II mission left Earth on April 1, 2026, on a 10-day journey around the moon and back. [Handout/NASA via AP]
The crew is expected to swing around the far side of the moon early this coming week, a manoeuvre not tried in more than 50 years. [Handout/NASA via Reuters]
Overnight from Sunday into Monday US time, Orion is due to enter what NASA calls the “lunar sphere of influence” when the moon's gravity will have a stronger pull on the spacecraft than the Earth's. [Handout/NASA via Reuters]
Artemis II mission specialist Christina Koch is on board the Orion with her fellow Americans Wiseman and pilot Victor Glover and Canadian Jeremy Hansen, also a mission specialist. [Handout/NASA via Reuters]
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Followers of Iraq's Shia leader Muqtada al-Sadr wave Iraqi flags during a protest against US-Israeli attacks on Iran, in Tahrir Square, Baghdad, Iraq. [Hadi Mizban/AP Photo]
Iraq has been unwillingly drawn into the regional tension, suffering attacks targeting US interests and pro-Iranian factions within its territory. [Hadi Mizban/AP Photo]
In Baghdad's Tahrir Square, enormous crowds filled the streets, brandishing Iraqi flags and shouting slogans against Israel and the United States. [Hadi Mizban/AP Photo]
The ongoing war has resulted in thousands of casualties throughout the region. [Hadi Mizban/AP Photo]
Shia leader Muqtada Sadr had issued calls for peaceful demonstrations “to condemn the Zionist-American aggression and to establish peace in the region”. [Hadi Mizban/AP Photo]
Beneath Baghdad's Freedom Monument, which honours Iraq's independence declaration, protesters denounced what they characterised as US and Israeli meddling in regional matters. [Mohammed Aty/Reuters]
Sadr commands a loyal following of millions within Iraq's Shia majority and has consistently demonstrated his ability to mobilise large crowds. [Hadi Mizban/AP Photo]
Though Sadr has opposed various governments over the years, his influence extends into Iraqi ministries and official institutions through his representatives. [Hadi Mizban/AP Photo]
“What America and Israel are doing in their aggression against the countries of the region is not a war of a military nature, but a senseless war,” said Dhirgham Samir, a demonstrator in his 40s. [Ahmed Saad/Reuters
"They [US and Israel] violate the rights of all the peoples of the region first, and then the world," cleric Ali Al-Fartousi told AFP. [Hadi Mizban/AP Photo]
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People wave Iranian flags while attending the funeral of people killed in US-Israeli strikes on Iran, including Alireza Tangsiri, commander of the IRGC navy, at Enghelab Square in Tehran on April 1, 2026. [AFP]
People attend Alireza Tangsiri's funeral, holding his portrait and that of Iran's slain supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, right. [AFP]
Iran confirmed on March 30 that an Israeli strike had killed the commander of the naval force of the IRGC, who Israel had said was responsible for the blocking of the Strait of Hormuz. [AFP]
Thousands of Iranians gather for the funeral of Alireza Tangsiri and others killed in US-Israeli strikes on Iran. [AFP]
A woman holds a portrait of Alireza Tangsiri and anti-US posters during his funeral. [AFP]
People shown by state media in various cities chanted “Death to America” and “Death to Israel” in addition to a series of religious slogans. [AFP]
A statement carried by the IRGC's Sepah News website said Alireza Tangsiri "succumbed to severe injuries" from the attack last week. [AFP]
A woman holds a portrait of Alireza Tangsiri during his funeral. [AFP]
On Wednesday afternoon, authorities hoisted what they said was Iran’s tallest and heaviest flag at 150 metres (492 feet) and 300kg (660 pounds) in an area of downtown Tehran. [AFP]
Political, military and religious leaders have called on supporters to safeguard security to prevent any domestic unrest or attempts by opposition forces to incite regime change in Iran. [AFP]
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Football fans in the Karrada district of Baghdad celebrate after Iraq became the 48th and final team to qualify for the World Cup. [Ahmad Al-Rubaye/AFP]
Iraqis celebrate after Iraq defeated Bolivia 2-1 in the inter-confederation playoff to qualify for the World Cup. [Thaier Al-Sudani/Reuters]
The Iraqi team beat Bolivia in their World Cup 2026 playoff final. [Hadi Mizban/AP Photo]
Iraq became the 48th and final team to qualify for the World Cup with a nerve-shredding 2-1 win. [Hadi Mizban/AP Photo]
Iraq, whose preparations were disrupted by the US-Israel war on Iran, sealed their first appearance at the finals in 40 years and will play in Group I against France, Senegal and Norway. [Hadi Mizban/AP Photo]
Goals from Ali al-Hamadi and Aymen Hussein secured Iraq's famous win. [Ahmed Saad/Reuters]
Iraq will face Norway in their opening game on June 16 in Boston. [Thaier Al-Sudani/Reuters]
The jubilant crowd brought traffic to a standstill. [Hadi Mizban/AP Photo]
Government officials had promised financial bonuses for a win and declared a two-day holiday following victory. [Fernando Llano/AP Photo]
Iraqi football fans celebrate after the World Cup playoff final match between Iraq and Bolivia in Monterrey, Mexico. [Fernando Llano/AP Photo]
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Catholic worshipers carry their children on their shoulders as they march in a procession during a Palm Sunday mass in Beirut, Lebanon in front of a poster that reads, in Arabic, 'Honour, sacrifice and loyalty'. [Emilio Morenatti/AP Photo]
Worshipers walk in a procession during a Palm Sunday mass at the Our Lady of Hadat Church in Beirut, Lebanon. [Emilio Morenatti/AP Photo]
Georges Iskandar, the Metropolitan Archbishop of Tyre for the Melkite Greek Catholic Church, presides over a Palm Sunday mass at Saint Thomas Cathedral, in the southern port city of Tyre, south Lebanon. [Hussein Malla/AP Photo]
Worshipers attend a Palm Sunday mass procession at Saint Thomas Cathedral in Tyre. [Hussein Malla/AP Photo]
Worshipers light candles in the procession at Saint Thomas Cathedral. [Hussein Malla/AP Photo]
A Christian woman takes pictures of her daughters outside a church, as they celebrate Palm Sunday in Tyre. [Hussein Malla/AP Photo]
A woman walks in one of the Christian alleys on her way to attend Palm Sunday mass at Saint Thomas Cathedral in Tyre. [Hussein Malla/AP Photo]
A Catholic woman kneels beside her dog at the entrance of a church during a Palm Sunday mass in Beirut. [Emilio Morenatti/AP Photo]
Worshippers shelter from the rain under umbrellas as they arrive at a church to attend a Palm Sunday mass in Beirut. [Emilio Morenatti/AP Photo]
A priest blesses the palm branches held by the worshippers during a Palm Sunday mass at the Our Lady of Hadat Church in Beirut, Lebanon. [Emilio Morenatti/AP Photo]
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Demonstrators gather for a 'No Kings' march in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC. [Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters]
'No Kings' organisers have made the metropolis of Minneapolis-St Paul, Minnesota, the site of their flagship protest on Saturday. [Tom Baker/AP Photo]
A demonstrator dressed up as 'Uncle Scam' attends a 'No Kings' protest in New York City on Saturday. [Jeenah Moon/Reuters]
New York Attorney General Letitia James and New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams were among the officials at the 'No Kings' rally in New York City. [Eduardo Munoz/Reuters]
A protester wears a paper crown to the 'No Kings' rally in Boston, Massachusetts, on March 28. [AFP]
In Washington, DC, protesters hold aloft a papier-mache head representing Trump in a crown. [Leah Millis/Reuters]
The 'No Kings' march was designed as a demonstration against what activists considered a swerve towards authoritarianism under Trump. [Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters]
Demonstrators — some carrying pictures of Alex Pretti and Renee Good — gather outside Saint Paul College before the 'No Kings' protest in St Paul, Minnesota. [Joe Scheller/AP Photo]
The 'No Kings' march on Saturday was echoed by international antiwar demonstrations, including this one in Rome, Italy. [Andrew Medichini/AP Photo]
Demonstrators march across Memorial Bridge during the 'No Kings' protest in Washington, DC. [Allison Robbert/AP Photo]
A woman dresses as the Statue of Liberty for the 'No Kings' protest in Paris, France, on Saturday. [Aurelien Morissard/AP Photo]
'No Kings' demonstrators gather around the reflecting pool on the National Mall in Washington, DC, a site historically associated with major US protests. [Leah Millis/Reuters]
A person disguised as US President Trump in an orange prison jumpsuit gestures a thumbs-up in New York City on March 28. [Jeenah Moon/Reuters]
Demonstrators in Washington, DC, wave effigies depicting key Trump officials, including Vice President JD Vance and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth. [Jose Luis Magana/AP Photo]
In St Paul, Minnesota, Demi Richardson, 30, holds a playful placard — poking fun at the local accent — at a local 'No Kings' protest. [Erica Dischino/Reuters]
One demonstrator in St Paul, Minnesota, dressed up in a US Revolutionary War costume for the 'No Kings' rally. [Tim Evans/Reuters]
A drone view shows the crowd gathered for the 'No Kings' in Boston, Massachusetts. [Brian Snyder/Reuters]
New York Attorney General Letitia James, actor Robert Di Niro and Reverend Al Sharpton march in New York. [Adam Gray/AP Photo]
A person holds up a sign reading 'No Kings' in front of the US Capitol. [Ken Cedeno/AFP]
Kymone Freeman holds a US flag as he marches across the Frederick Douglass Bridge in Washington, DC. [Tom Brenner/AP Photo]
Christine Hughes, 79, holds a sign as she protests in the suburb of Nyack, New York. [Mike Segar/Reuters]
Sara R, dressed as a character from the dystopian novel The Handmaid's Tale, protests as part of the 'No Kings' rally in Nashville, Tennessee. [George Walker IV/AP Photo]
Nashville was one of more than a dozen cities in red-leaning Tennessee that saw 'No Kings' protests on Saturday. [George Walker IV/AP Photo]
Protesters in New York City denounced Trump's policies on immigration, healtchare and the environment. [Eduardo Munoz/Reuters]
A demonstrator in Lisbon, Portugal, holds a sign during a 'No Kings' protest that recognises the protest movement in Minnesota against Trump's immigration raids. [Armando Franca/AP Photo]
A 'No Kings' fills Times Square in New York City, New York, on Saturday. [Olga Fedorova/EPA]
Musician Bruce Springsteen performs during the 'No Kings' protest in St Paul, Minnesota. [Stephen Maturen/Getty Images via AFP]
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A sharp increase in prices of basic commodities and the possible loss of employment for thousands of people due to the fuel price hike have raised the spectre of stagflation in the Philippines [Ted Regencia/Al Jazeera]
In a bid to ease the economic pain for commuters due to the fuel price increase, the government has slashed train fares in half. [Ted Regencia/Al Jazeera]
Roxas Boulevard, one of the oldest streets of Metro Manila, during rush hour on Wednesday, the day Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr's national energy emergency declaration took effect. [Ted Regencia/Al Jazeera]
A Catholic devotee prays at Manila's Baclaran Church, which typically attracts thousands every Wednesday, but which was been left significantly quieter as the country faces a fuel price crunch. [Ted Regencia/Al Jazeera]
As fewer buses, jeepneys and ride-hailing vehicles ply the streets due to the fuel price hike, more commuters have been forced to use Manila's railway system, creating bottlenecks during rush hour while exposing the acute insufficiency of the train network. [Ted Regencia/Al Jazeera]
Outside Baclaran Church, the usual festive chaos during Wednesdays when thousands flock to the Catholic shrine, have been replaced with a more sombre display of devotion. [Ted Regencia/Al Jazeera]
Emily Ruado, 59, a mother of four children, told Al Jazeera that before the war began, she earned the equivalent of $10 a day selling tissue paper and other items, but since then, her income has shrunk to about $5 a day. [Ted Regencia/Al Jazeera]
Patrick dela Cruz, 33, used to pay $11 for a full tank of diesel to power his public utility vehicle for 12 hours. But these days, he has been paying almost $25 for the same amount of petrol, leaving him with a daily take-home income of less than $4. [Ted Regencia/Al Jazeera]
Before the Iran war began, economic managers and analysts predicted that the country’s GDP would grow by 5 percent, but that looks more unlikely now as the country faces a short supply of fuel, forcing the government to declare an energy emergency. [Ted Regencia/Al Jazeera]
A transport strike has forced the government and many businesses in Manila to allow their employees to work from home, slightly easing the pain of commuting at a time when fuel prices have doubled within three weeks. [Ted Regencia/Al Jazeera]
An electronic screen display reads, "Pray for the Middle East", along Metro Manila's main avenue EDSA, during Thursday's rush hour, when vehicles typically move at a snail's space. [Ted Regencia/Al Jazeera]
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