'Morale boost': NASA carries out Moon mission during tough year for science

Venezuela's opposition on Friday called for presidential elections, noting that the 90-day legal period for organizing a vote on replacing ousted leader Nicolas Maduro had elapsed.

In a statement, the Vente party of opposition leader Maria Corina Machado said that with Maduro absent from the country since his capture by US forces in a January 3 raid, "presidential elections must be called within 30 days of this declaration."

Maduro's former vice president Delcy Rodriguez was sworn in as interim president on January 5, two days after longtime socialist leader Maduro was flown out of Venezuela by US forces to face trial in New York.

He has appeared in court twice since then to answer drug trafficking charges.

The Venezuelan constitution says that "temporary absences of the president of the republic shall be filled by the executive vice president for up to 90 days, extendable by decision of the National Assembly for an additional 90 days."

"If a temporary absence lasts for more than 90 consecutive days, the National Assembly shall decide by a majority vote of its members whether it should be considered a permanent absence," says Article 234 of the constitution, which was cited by Vente.

Vente said the "entire country and the democratic international community know and can attest to" Maduro's complete absence from the country

By Friday, 97 days had passed since Venezuela's authoritarian leader of 12 years was nabbed by US special forces at a military compound in Caracas, together with his wife Cilia Flores.

Caracas says that around 100 people were killed in the pre-dawn bombing raid that preceded his capture and the firefight between US forces and Maduro's security detail.

Venezuela's parliament, which has a pro-government majority, has not yet discussed calling new elections.

So far, its focus has been on rolling back state control over the economy to pave the way for more foreign investment in the critical oil and mining sectors.

The reforms are a key demand of the United States, which has been content to let Maduro's former inner circle retain power as long as it unlocks access to oil and eases state repression.

- Stability first -

President Donald Trump has voiced satisfaction with Rodriguez -- he has called her "terrific" -- and threatened her with a similar fate to Maduro if she does not do his bidding.

Speaking in late February, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Venezuela "will need the legitimacy of democratic -- fair, democratic -- elections" but said Washington's initial priority after Maduro's capture had been to ensure stability.

Rodriguez told NBC News in mid-February that she was committed to holding free and fair elections, but the timing would be decided as part of a "political dialogue."

Maduro is accused of stealing the last presidential elections in July 2024.

The opposition's tally of votes at that time showed Machado's candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, winning by a wide margin.

The National Electoral Council (CNE) proclaimed Maduro the winner without providing a detailed vote breakdown, triggering mass protests that were harshly suppressed.

Opposition parties have called for a change in the leadership of the CNE, which is accused of doing the bidding of the ruling "chavismo" movement founded by late socialist firebrand Hugo Chavez, who was president from 1999 to 2013.

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British Prime Minister Keir Starmer insisted on Friday that NATO was "in America's interests", at the end of a three-day visit to the Gulf to discuss bolstering the "fragile" Middle East truce.

Starmer's comments followed US President Donald Trump's renewed attacks this week on the Western military alliance and his threats to withdraw from it, after a refusal by NATO allies to join the US-Israel war against Iran.

"It is in America's interests. It's in European interests," Starmer told UK broadcasters of the nearly 80-year-old security bloc. 

"NATO is a defensive alliance, which for decades has kept us much safer than we would otherwise have been," he added, while reiterating European members "need to do more" financial burden sharing.

Starmer spoke before leaving Qatar, the last stop of his tour of the war-hit region, which also included visits to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain

The British leader talked by phone to Trump late on Thursday, when he said he set out "the views of the region here" to the US president, primarily centred on the Strait of Hormuz.

The crucial maritime chokepoint has remained largely closed in recent days.

It was due to be re-opened under a temporary ceasefire between the United States and Iran, announced this week, but has been jeopardised by Israeli attacks on Lebanon and accusations that the truce is not being implemented.

"We spent most of the time on the call talking about the practical plan that's going to be needed to get navigation through the strait and the role that the UK is playing," Starmer said. 

He said Britain was building a coalition of over 30 countries to work on a diplomatic and military plan to get vessels moving through the waterway.

In an earlier interview, Starmer had appeared to draw parallels between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, expressing frustration over rising oil and other costs linked to the war.

"I'm fed up with the fact that families across the country see their bills go up and down on energy, businesses' bills go up and down on energy, because of the actions of Putin or Trump," he said.

Starmer later spoke by phone to the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Shehbaz Sharif, ahead of planned ceasefire talks in the South Asian country.

Starmer thanked Sharif for his "critical role" in securing the temporary, two-week truce, according to a readout issued by Starmer's Downing Street office.

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An African AIDS charity co-founded by Britain's Prince Harry said on Friday it had launched legal proceedings against him for "reputational harm", after a bitter dispute about its management.

Harry helped found the Sentebale charity in 2006 in honour of his late mother, Princess Diana. But he quit the institution last year amid a bitter governance dispute with its chairperson. 

"Sentebale has commenced legal proceedings in the High Court of England and Wales," the charity said in a statement sent to AFP.

"The charity seeks the court's intervention, protection and restitution following a coordinated adverse media campaign conducted since 25 March 2025 that has caused operational disruption and reputational harm to the charity, its leadership and its strategic partners," it said.

Online court filings show the prince is a defendant alongside Mark Dyer, who was also previously a trustee of Sentebale, according to UK media reports.

"The proceedings have been brought against Prince Harry and Mark Dyer, identified through evidence as the architects of that adverse media campaign, which has had significant viral impact and triggered an onslaught of cyber-bullying directed at the charity and its leadership," Sentebale added.

In August 2025, the UK's Charity Commission pointed to "mismanagement" at the charity.

But it found no evidence of "bullying" -- a charge that had been levelled at Harry by the organisation's chairperson, Sophie Chandauka, in March 2025.

The charity was launched to help young people with HIV and AIDS in Lesotho and later Botswana.

Harry -- the youngest son of Britain's King Charles III -- and co-founder Prince Seeiso of Lesotho announced last year they were resigning from the charity, after the trustees quit.

The trustees walked out when Chandauka refused their demand to step down.

- Bitter dispute -

After an inquiry, the Charity Commission said it had "found no evidence of widespread or systemic bullying or harassment, including misogyny or misogynoir (prejudice against black women) at the charity".

But it "criticised all parties to the dispute for allowing it to play out publicly", saying the "damaging internal dispute" had "severely impacted the charity's reputation".

It found there was "a lack of clarity in delegations" which led to "mismanagement in the administration of the charity" and issued the organisation with a plan to "address governance weaknesses".

Chandauka, who was appointed to the voluntary post in 2023, said she "appreciated" the Charity Commission's conclusions.

She added that the findings "confirm the governance concerns I raised privately in February 2025".

Speaking to British media after accusing the prince of trying to force her out, Chandauka criticised Harry for his decision to bring a Netflix camera crew to a fundraiser in 2024. 

She also objected to an unplanned appearance by his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex at the event.

The accusations were a fresh blow for the prince, who kept only a handful of his private patronages, including with Sentebale, after splitting with the British royal family in 2020. 

He left Britain to live in North America with his wife and children.

Harry chose the name Sentebale as a tribute to Diana, who died in a Paris car crash in 1997 when the prince was just 12. 

It means "forget me not" in the Sesotho language and is also used to say goodbye.

The court filing comes less than a fortnight after Harry's own case against a UK tabloid publisher wrapped up in the High Court.

The proceedings against the publisher of the Daily mail and the Mail on Sunday, are the third case brought by the Duke of Sussex in his acrimonious legal battle with the British press.

Harry and six other claimants accuse the publisher of spying on them, including placing listening devices in cars and homes. Associated Newspapers has strongly denied the accusations.

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Former US vice president Kamala Harris on Friday delivered her clearest signal yet that she may mount another bid for the White House, telling a Democratic audience she is thinking about running in 2028.

Speaking at a convention hosted by civil rights leader Al Sharpton's National Action Network, the 61-year-old stopped short of a formal declaration but left little doubt she is weighing a third campaign.

The Democrat -- defeated in 2024 by Donald Trump in a tumultuous presidential election -- was asked if she would run again in 2028 and electrified the crowd of party activists in New York when she replied: "I might, I might -- I'm thinking about it." 

Having served four years a "heartbeat away" from the presidency under Joe Biden, Harris said she understands the demands of the job -- and argued that the current political and economic landscape is failing many Americans. 

"I spent countless hours in my West Wing office, footsteps away from the Oval Office. I spent countless hours in the Oval Office, in the Situation Room. I know what the job is. And I know what it requires," she said.

Harris has maintained a relatively low profile since her 2024 defeat, but has been easing back into the spotlight with a series of appearances and trips across southern states. 

Allies say she remains undecided but is taking steps to preserve the option of a campaign.

The National Action Network event has emerged as an early proving ground for 2028 hopefuls, with Black voters -- a cornerstone of the Democratic base -- expected to play a decisive role in choosing the party's nominee. 

Harris used the platform to launch a broad critique of Trump's leadership, telling the crowd: "The status quo is not working, and hasn't been working for a lot of people for a long time." 

Early polling suggests that she begins the shadow 2028 race with a significant advantage in name recognition. But with several prominent Democrats testing the waters, her path to the nomination -- if she runs -- is far from guaranteed.

"The American people have right to expect that anyone who wants to run for office and be a leader, that it can't be about themselves and what they want for themselves," Harris added.

"It's got to be about the American people, and that's how I think of it."

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Djibouti began counting votes Friday in a presidential election expected to hand a sixth term to 78-year-old Ismail Omar Guelleh, who faces just one little-known opponent in the small but highly strategic Horn of Africa nation.

Guelleh has ruled the east African country of about one million people for 27 years with an iron grip, leveraging its key location to turn it into an international military and maritime hub.

Its mere 23,000 square kilometres (8,900 square miles) host military bases and contingents from France, the United States, China, Japan and Italy, generating substantial financial, security and political benefits.

Guelleh had announced he would step down this year but a constitutional amendment in November removed the upper age limit of 75 for presidential candidates, clearing the way for him to run again.

Catching up after a delayed opening on Friday morning, some polling stations in the capital Djibouti closed around 7:00 pm (1600 GMT), an hour after the official end of voting, AFP journalists saw.

The first official results were expected later in the evening. 

"I'm not going to vote, it's pointless. He's been in power for 27 years and the city is dirty," a taxi driver told AFP.

Just over 256,000 people were eligible to choose between Guelleh and Mohamed Farah Samatar, leader of the Unified Democratic Centre (CDU), a party with no seats in parliament.

Amid heavy security, Guelleh, widely known by his initials IOG, voted before noon at City Hall alongside his wife, while Samatar cast his ballot earlier.

"By the grace of God, we have arrived here, and we hope that this will end in victory," Guelleh told reporters.

After trickling in throughout most of the day, voter numbers picked up in the late afternoon at polling stations in the capital, although no queues formed. 

Turnout ranged from 36 to 58 percent at several polling stations visited by AFP, but it exceeded 90 percent at one where soldiers were voting.

Guelleh has plastered the capital with campaign posters and drawn thousands to his rallies, while Samatar has struggled to gain support.

The national broadcaster aired one of Samatar's rallies, with only a few dozen people present.

"I'm going to vote for Ismail Omar Guelleh because he has a good programme for young people. I don’t even know what his opponent looks like," Deka Aden Mohamed, 38, told AFP.

- Unemployment and debt -

In the last presidential election in 2021, which the opposition largely boycotted, Guelleh won more than 97 percent of the vote.

He has faced little opposition since succeeding the country's first president, Hassan Gouled Aptidon, in 1999. He had been Aptidon's chief of staff.

In 2005, he was re-elected unopposed.

His candidacy is seen by some as offering "stability" in the troubled Horn of Africa region, but analysts say it is driven by the absence of a unanimously accepted successor. The health of the president has come under scrutiny.

Despite claims by the Djibouti League of Human Rights that the vote is a "masquerade", people told AFP they were eager to vote.

"It's a duty to go vote," said Yussuf Mohamed Hussein. "I'm going to vote for the president; Samatar, I don't even know him."

Around 70 percent of young Djiboutians are unemployed and the country's development has come at the cost of substantial debt, particularly to China.

Djibouti is situated on the key Bab al-Mandeb strait, which divides the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden and is one of the world's busiest shipping routes.

Without agriculture to rely on, the country depends on ports for 70 percent of its gross domestic product, with Ethiopia its main maritime outlet.

The nation is accused by human rights organisations of repressing dissent, while Guelleh faces claims of favouring his own majority Issa ethnic group at the expense of the Afar minority.

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(The Center Square) – The Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of New Richmond Parents for Good Schools over the school district’s policy on gender identity and the use of bathrooms at the school.

“The policy has resulted in at least one male being frequently present in the girls’ bathrooms with girls, causing anxiety, stress, and an invasion of personal privacy for the girls,” WILL wrote in a description of the lawsuit.

WILL argues that Title IX states that schools can provide separate locker rooms, toilets and shower facilities on the basis of sex.

The lawsuit is looking for a declaration that New Richmond’s policy violates the 14th Amendment, which prohibits sex discrimination, and an injunction against the New Richmond school district from allowing anyone besides females from entering the female facilities and anyone besides a male from entering boys facilities.

“Girls should feel safe at school and their privacy should be respected,” WILL Deputy Counsel Cory Brewer said in a statement. “New Richmond schools left parents and young girls no choice but to go to court and sue to end this ridiculous policy allowing biological boys into the girls’ bathroom. WILL is proud to represent this association of parents and students to bring an end to this destructive and dangerous policy.”

New Richmond Junior Ella Frei is a WILL client who has been outspoken against the district’s policy.

“Protecting girls by not allowing boys in the girls’ bathroom shouldn’t be controversial – it should be common sense,” Frei said in a statement. “We are not going to abandon our identity as girls or ignore the real privacy concerns the school district has forced on us.”

Thousands of Michael Jackson fans descended on Berlin on Friday for the premiere of a new biopic about the "King of Pop", undeterred by child sex abuse allegations that continue to haunt the star.

"Michael", in which the singer is portrayed by his nephew Jaafar Jackson, is expected to be one of the highest-grossing films of its kind in history.

In the queue for the screening, Andy Escobar, a 31-year-old aircraft mechanic from the United States, said his nickname at school was MJ -- "because everybody knew that I was a Michael Jackson fan".

Asked about the child abuse allegations, Escobar said simply: "We know that's not true."

"He was found not guilty," added Megane Kittler, a 31-year-old educator from France who lives in Berlin.

Only around 4,000 fans will actually be able to watch the film on Friday evening, two weeks before its official release, after being allocated seats via prize draws.

For the rest, there will be Michael Jackson-themed activities throughout the weekend including panel discussions with the film crew, an exhibition dedicated to the singer and themed parties.

Jackson, who died aged 50 in 2009 from an overdose of propofol, faced multiple allegations of child sex abuse during his lifetime.

- Release pushed back -

Despite his 2005 acquittal in a criminal trial for child molestation, the star never managed to restore his image while alive. 

Other alleged victims filed civil lawsuits after his death and several proceedings are ongoing. The artist has never been convicted in a criminal or civil court.

"Michael" was originally intended to explore the impact of the allegations on the star, according to industry magazine Variety, citing unnamed sources "with knowledge of the production".

However, a third of the film was cut after lawyers for the Jackson estate realised there was a clause in a settlement with one of the singer's accusers that barred any mention of him in a film, the magazine said.

As a result, large parts of the film had to be rewritten and the release -- originally scheduled for April 18, 2025 -- was pushed back.

Film studio Lionsgate is banking on making $700 million in global box office receipts for the feature-length film. 

That figure would far surpass other productions in the same genre except for the Freddie Mercury-inspired "Bohemian Rhapsody", which took in $910 million.

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As the Orion spacecraft hurtles home, friction caused by re-entry into Earth's atmosphere will drastically decrease its speed from a potential 25,000 miles per hour (40,000 kilometers per hour).

But for a gentle, 17-mile-per-hour (27-kph) impact in the Pacific Ocean, Orion and the humans onboard need parachutes.

Artemis II is scheduled to splash down off the southern California coast at 5:07 pm local time (0007 GMT) after the most dangerous part of its mission -- re-entry.

Jared Daum, the parachute system manager for Artemis II, explains how it will work in comments to AFP that have been lightly edited for clarity.

Q: What is the role of parachutes during re-entry?

A: The heat shield gets us down to 350 miles per hour (560 kph), but that's all the heat shield can do due to the mass of the vehicle. So at that point we need something more.

So at 24,000 feet (7,300 meters), we start the deployment sequence to get us down to the water. The parachute system, in my opinion, is one of the most important systems on the spacecraft.

It decelerates the vehicle from about 350 miles per hour to about 17 miles per hour for a nice soft landing for the crew in the Pacific Ocean.

Q: How does it work?

A: [It's] a series of four types of parachutes, 11 total, starting with what we call the forward bay cover parachute. It's all Kevlar, about seven feet (two meters) in diameter, and its job is to lift off the cover to expose the rest of our hardware.

[Next] we have two mortar-deployed drogue parachutes, each about 23 feet (7 meters) in diameter. Their job is to stabilize and decelerate the vehicle from that 350 down to about 150 miles per hour (240 kph).

The [three] pilot parachutes [deployed next] are about nine feet (2.7 meters) in diameter, and their only job is to lift up our three main parachutes. Each main parachute is about 300 pounds (136 kg) and 11,000 square feet (1,022 square meters).

As we get into our larger parachutes, like the drogues and the mains, we have a lighter-weight nylon ... not unlike what you might build a tent out of, or an old-school windbreaker. It's very light but strong enough to produce the drag that we need to decelerate.

As the capsule splashes down, the parachutes will instantaneously deflate when the risers are severed ... and we'll see the parachutes fall into the ocean.

The flight software deploys the first parachutes all the way down through the main parachutes. Of course the crew has the ability to manually command the chutes ... if for some reason we have low confidence in the flight software.

Q: Is there a plan B?

A: Redundancy is key with spaceflight. It's not like you can drive your car down the road, get a flat tire, pull over, fix it and keep going. With these parachutes you have one shot and it's got to work then.

So we have redundancy built into each of the four types of parachutes. We can lose one forward bay cover parachute, one drogue, one pilot and one main parachute, and the astronauts will still have a safe landing.

Without the parachutes, the crew would have no safe way to get back. This vehicle is designed to use parachutes, as are all of our crewed spacecraft from now all through previous history.

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President Donald Trump said Friday that Iran has "no cards" in upcoming talks with the United States -- apart from Tehran's effective stranglehold on the crucial Strait of Hormuz shipping channel.

"The Iranians don't seem to realize they have no cards, other than a short term extortion of the World by using International Waterways," Trump said on his Truth Social network.

"The only reason they are alive today is to negotiate!" 

In a separate social media message, the 79-year-old US leader added: "The Iranians are better at handling the Fake News Media, and 'Public Relations,' than they are at fighting!"

Control of the narrow Strait of Hormuz, through which one-fifth of the world's crude oil passes, will be at the heart of peace talks between the United States and Iran in Pakistan on Saturday.

Iran and the United States said the crucial channel would reopen after a two-week truce was announced on Tuesday, but Tehran's threats mean very few ships are passing through.

Trump said on Thursday that Iran was doing a "very poor job" of allowing oil through the waterway, adding: "That is not the agreement we have!"

His "no cards" comments about Iran echoed his notorious broadside at Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office in February when he raged that "you don't have the cards" against Russia.

Separately on Friday, Trump told the New York Post that US warships are being reloaded with weaponry to strike Iran if the talks fail to produce a deal.

"We have a reset going. We're loading up the ships with the best ammunition, the best weapons ever made -- even better than what we did previously and we blew them apart," the Post quoted Trump as saying by telephone.

"And if we don’t have a deal, we will be using them, and we will be using them very effectively."

In a brief and cryptic social media message earlier, Trump had spoken of the "WORLD’S MOST POWERFUL RESET!!!"

Vice President JD Vance headed to Islamabad on Friday to lead the US delegation in this weekend's talks with Iran, warning Tehran not to "play" Washington.

"We're going to try to have a positive negotiation," Vance told reporters before take-off from Joint Base Andrews outside Washington.

"If the Iranians are willing to negotiate in good faith, we're certainly willing to extend the open hand. If they're going to try to play us, then they're going to find the negotiating team is not that receptive."

In addition to the Strait of Hormuz, other sticking points include US demands that Iran give up its stockpile of highly enriched uranium, and Iran's aim to prevent further US and Israeli attacks.

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(The Center Square) – Minnesota House Republicans unveiled a budget proposal that would deliver the largest tax cut in state history, while reprioritizing state spending.

The plan, dubbed the “North Star Comeback,” includes $3.8 billion in tax reductions and is built around three priorities – protecting family budgets, making government work and creating a working-class economy.

House Speaker Lisa Demuth, R-Cold Spring, said the proposal responds to rising costs facing Minnesotans.

“Right now, Minnesotans are feeling squeezed from every direction – groceries, child care, housing, insurance, energy,” Demuth said. “When you think about it, it’s the basics and they’re just getting more expensive. Families are actually working harder but they’re falling further behind.”

The proposal includes $1 billion in one-time property tax relief, eliminating taxes on tips and overtime, and repealing car tab fees. It also calls for lowering child care costs and directing hundreds of millions of dollars into education through scholarship-granting organizations.

“Many of these proposals have bipartisan support already and can pass this year,” Demuth said. “We’re ready to get to work and we’re calling on our Democrat colleagues to work with us to deliver these solutions to Minnesotans.”

Additional investments proposed in the plan include modernizing county-administered public service IT systems and allocating additional funding for fraud prevention and compliance with federal requirements tied to President Donald Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill.”

House Republican Floor Leader Harry Niska, R-Ramsey, said the plan would be funded in part by redirecting money from major infrastructure projects he argued are unlikely to move forward, including the Blue Line light rail extension and the proposed Northern Lights Express passenger rail line between the Twin Cities and Duluth.

Republicans framed the proposal as a response to hardship being felt by Minnesotans due to policies enacted in 2022 under Democrat control.

“We’re giving $1 billion back to Minnesotans to soften the blow of property tax hikes that were the result of the DFL trifecta in 2022,” Niska said.

The announcement comes as Minnesota’s budget outlook has recently improved, as previously reported by The Center Square.

A February forecast from Minnesota Management and Budget projected a $3.7 billion balance for fiscal years 2026-27, an increase of $1.3 billion from prior estimates.

State officials attributed the improved outlook to a stronger economic forecast and higher-than-expected revenues, though they cautioned that much of the revenue growth comes from volatile sources.

Spending is still expected to outpace revenues in future years.

Republican leaders have pointed to the surplus as an opportunity for tax relief and pro-business policies.

“Tax increases on Minnesota families and more government spending should be off the table, and our focus should remain on lowering costs on family budgets,” Demuth said of the February forecast.

Democrats, however, argued that the improved numbers largely benefit wealthier Minnesotans and corporations rather than everyday workers.

Rep. Zack Stephenson, DFL-Coon Rapids and Democratic-Farmer-Labor caucus leader, pointed to the forecast’s rapid growth in “non-wage income” – earnings from capital gains, interest, and dividends – as evidence that the gains are not reaching typical households.

“I was glad to see the improvement in the state’s fiscal position,” Stephenson said. “But regular Minnesotans are still feeling the pain.”

In a supplemental budget proposal unveiled by Gov. Tim Walz in March, the Democrat also proposed tax breaks, including expanding dependent care tax credits for families with young children and a small decrease in the state sales tax.

“There’s no reason the sales tax can’t be expanded to broader numbers so that people who are at the top can pay a little bit on that and the folks at the bottom can see a reduction in the sales tax,” Walz said at that time.

In a statement, House Republicans argued their budget proposal reflects what they are hearing from constituents and urged bipartisan cooperation.

“It reflects what we are hearing from Minnesotans across the state and delivers real solutions that put families first,” the caucus said. “The comeback can start now, if Democrats are willing to stop blocking and start working with us.”

Currently, in the Minnesota State Senate, the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party holds a slim majority by just one seat. DFL has 34 seats, compared to the Republicans’ 33. In the Minnesota State House, DFL and Republicans are tied—both holding 67 seats.