Travel

Flights cancelled at UK’s Manchester airport after power cut

LONDON, June 23, 2024 (AFP) – Flights at the UK’s third-busiest airport were being delayed or cancelled Sunday after a major power cut, the airport operator said. The Manchester Airports Group, which also operates London Stansted and the East Midlands airports, said Manchester Airport had been “affected by a major power cut in the area earlier this morning.” Power has now been restored at the international airport in the north of England, but passengers due […]

China to launch first probe to return samples from Moon’s far side

By Hector Retamal with Qian Ye WENCHANG, China, May 3, 2024 (AFP) – China is set Friday to launch a probe to collect samples from the far side of the Moon, a world first as Beijing pushes ahead with an ambitious programme that aims to send a crewed lunar mission by 2030. A rocket carrying the Chang’e-6 lunar probe is scheduled to blast off from the Wenchang Space Launch Center in southern China’s Hainan province […]

China’s Shenzhou-18 mission docks with space station: Xinhua

By Michael ZHANG A spaceship carrying three astronauts from China’s Shenzhou-18 mission safely docked at Tiangong space station Friday, state-run media reported, the latest step in Beijing’s space programme that aims to send astronauts to the Moon by 2030. The crew took off in a capsule atop a Long March-2F rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in China’s northwest at 8:59 pm local time !1259 GMT) Thursday. By early Friday the spacecraft had “successfully […]

US astronauts prep for first crewed flight on Boeing’s Starliner

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, United States, April 25, 2024 (AFP) – Two US astronauts arrived Thursday at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, ahead of their launch aboard the Boeing Starliner’s first crewed mission next month. Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams will blast off on the years-delayed flight on May 6 for a weeklong stay on the International Space Station (ISS). “We’re about to launch on Boeing Starliner and broaden the capability to and from Space […]

Blades of Paris landmark Moulin Rouge windmill collapse

PARIS, April 25, 2024 (AFP) – The blades of the Moulin Rouge windmill, one of the most famous landmarks in Paris, collapsed during the night, firefighters said on Thursday, just months before the French capital hosts the Olympics. There was no risk of further collapse, Paris firefighters said. The reason for the accident was not yet known. “Fortunately this happened after closing,” a Moulin Rouge official told AFP on condition of anonymity. “Every week, the […]

Japan Moon probe survives 3rd lunar night

TOKYO, April 24, 2024 (AFP) – Japan’s Moon lander woke up for a third time after its main functions survived another frigid two-week lunar night, the country’s space agency said Wednesday. The Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM), dubbed the “Moon Sniper” for its landing precision, touched down in January — making Japan only the fifth nation to achieve a soft lunar landing. But the unmanned lightweight spacecraft, carrying a mini-rover that moves like a […]

In world first, Venice to trial day tickets

By Gildas LE ROUX ROME, April 23, 2024 (AFP) – Venice will this week begin charging day trippers for entry, a world first aimed at easing pressure on the Italian city drowning under the weight of mass tourism. On Thursday — a public holiday in Italy — day visitors will for the first time have to buy a five-euro ($5.3) ticket, monitored by inspectors carrying out spot checks at key points in the UNESCO world […]

Gaza’s historic treasures saved by ‘irony of history’

By Guillaume Lavallee JERUSALEM, April 15, 2024 (AFP) – Gaza’s ancient Greek site of Anthedon has been bombed, its “Napoleon’s Palace” destroyed and the only private museum burned down: the war has taken a terrible toll on the rich heritage of the Palestinian territory. But in a strange twist of fate, some of its greatest historical treasures are safe in a warehouse in Switzerland. And ironically, it is all thanks to the blockade that made […]

Japanese astronaut to be first non-American to set foot on Moon

By Lucie AUBOURG WASHINGTON, April 10, 2024 (AFP) – A lucky Japanese astronaut will become the first non-American to set foot on the Moon during one of NASA’s upcoming Artemis missions, US President Joe Biden announced Wednesday. The offer to Japan — an opportunity many nations have long dreamed of — came as part of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s state visit, and as Washington seeks to strengthen ties with its key Asian ally. “Two Japanese […]

Kyoto seeks to guard geishas from tourist ‘paparazzi’

By Fred Mery KYOTO, Japan, March 11, 2024 (AFP) – Kyoto is cracking down after locals complained that Instagram-obsessed tourist “paparazzi” are harassing the Japanese city’s famous, immaculately dressed geisha. Real-life geisha, or “geiko” (“women of art”) as they are known locally, work for a living — as they have for centuries — in teahouses in Kyoto’s picturesque Gion district where they perform traditional Japanese dance, music and games. However, like other major tourist attractions […]

Climbers to pay $13 fee on popular Mount Fuji trail

Hikers using the most popular route to climb Japan’s Mount Fuji will be charged $13 each from July, with numbers capped to ease congestion and improve safety, a regional official said Tuesday. Increasingly large crowds are scaling Japan’s highest mountain, which is covered in snow most of the year but draws more than 220,000 visitors each July-September climbing period. From July 1, an entry fee of 2,000 yen ($13) will be charged per person to […]