Author: ALJAZEERA

US space agency picks Intuitive Machines, Lunar Outpost and Venturi Astrolab to create designs for lunar rover.NASA has awarded contracts to three companies to develop vehicles for the first crewed missions to the Moon in more than five decades. Intuitive Machines, Lunar Outpost and Venturi Astrolab – based in Texas, Colorado and California, respectively – were chosen to create designs for the lunar rover under a contract worth up to $4.6bn, NASA said on Wednesday. NASA plans to pick one of the companies to carry out a test run for their Lunar Terrain Vehicle before the arrival of the crew…

The Israeli army says it ‘strengthened the alertness of combat units’ after attack on Iranian consulate in Damascus.Israel’s military is strengthening its defences after a deadly air raid on the Iranian consulate in Damascus drew threats of retaliation, the military said, increasing manpower and drafting reserve soldiers to operate air defences. “We strengthened the alertness of combat units, where needed,” Israeli army spokesperson Daniel Hagari said on Thursday. “We have reinforced the defence systems and we have aircraft prepared for defence and ready to attack in a variety of scenarios.” The Israeli military also announced it had paused leave for…

Taipei, Taiwan – More than half of people in Southeast Asia would side with China over the United States if forced to choose, a survey has found, underscoring Beijing’s growing influence in the region. In the State of Southeast Asia 2024 survey released this week, 50.5 percent of respondents said they would favour China, up more than 11 percentage points compared with last year. The latest edition of the survey, conducted annually by the Singapore-based ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, is the first to show China being preferred over the US. Last year, only 38.9 percent of respondents preferred China, with 61.1…

Spain’s prime minister says Netanyahu’s strategy leads to international isolation as Gaza death toll rises.Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez ends his latest Middle East tour in Qatar. The Gulf state has hosted several talks on ending Israel’s war on Gaza, and Sanchez’s calls for a ceasefire have resonated worldwide as the death toll now stands at about 33,000. Spain’s foreign policy extends beyond the Middle East. It balances relations with major powers like the United States and Russia while navigating the broader implications of the war in Ukraine. How will Spain manage this era of global challenges and a rapidly…

All eyes will be on Friday’s US unemployment numbers to see how many jobs were added in March and whether the unemployment rate continues to stay in its historically low range or if it is time for the alarm bells to start ringing. Job growth in the United States has continued at a steady clip in the months since the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, when businesses came to a sudden stop. “In the aftermath of the pandemic as things started to pick back up, there was a real struggle to find people to work and companies had to…

Gil Dickmann’s aunt was killed on October 7. His cousin is a captive. He’s leading the charge against Israel’s Gaza war.Night after night, activist Gil Dickmann takes to a stage in Tel Aviv to rally his fellow Israelis in demanding their government change its approach to the war in Gaza. The 31-year-old believes a deal with Hamas is the only way to end the killing and bring Israeli captives back home. For Dickmann, the situation is personal. On October 7, his aunt Kinneret Gat was killed in Be’eri, a kibbutz in southern Israel, and his cousin Carmel Gat is believed…

Israel’s ambassador has sparked outrage for accusing Poles of anti-Semitism following the killing of seven aid workers.A diplomatic crisis has erupted between Poland and Israel following the death of a Polish aid worker in Gaza, with the Polish president denouncing a comment by the Israeli ambassador as “outrageous” and the foreign ministry in Warsaw saying it was summoning him for a meeting. A Polish man, 35-year-old Damian Sobol, was among seven people who were killed while delivering food to besieged Palestinians in Gaza with the charity World Central Kitchen this week. Israel has called the incident a “mistake” that followed…

Mexico City – The fliers promoting the kickoff rally for Claudia Sheinbaum’s presidential campaign posted an official start time of four in the afternoon, but by 2pm, the main square here in this capital city – popularly known as the Zocalo – was already teeming with thousands of supporters jostling for just a smidgen of elbow room and spilling out into the adjoining streets. The closer to the Zocalo, the denser the crowd, and the harder it was to move, until eventually, right before reaching the square, the movement of the crowd slowed, then came to a virtual standstill. With…

Several wounded in clashes in restive Sistan-Baluchestan province which borders Afghanistan and Pakistan.At least 11 Iranian security force members have been killed in an attack on an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) headquarters in the southeastern border province of Sistan-Baluchestan, state media reported. In the ensuing overnight clashes with security forces, 16 members of Jaish al-Adl (Army of Justice) – a Sunni armed group – were killed, Iranian state TV reported on Thursday. The attack took place in the towns of Chabahar and Rask in Sistan-Baluchestan which borders Afghanistan and Pakistan. Reporting from Tehran, Al Jazeera’s Dorsa Jabbari said it…

Rajesh Jatavad*, a delivery rider for Zomato, a food delivery app in southern India, is worried about his full name being displayed for customers on the platform – because his last name reveals that he belongs to a marginalised caste. More privileged communities among India’s caste system historically considered castes like Jatavad’s “untouchables”. Jatavad’s worry is based on lived experience. “It is easy for others to identify my caste from my surname. Some of the customers, after reading my surname from the app, they won’t allow me near them, or even [allow me to] hand over the food packet. They…