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BBC News with Danielle Jalowiecka.
The four astronauts aboard the Orion spacecraft are heading to the Moon, the first manned lunar mission in more than 50 years. After spending a day orbiting the Earth, the Artemis II mission completed a critical engine burn that propelled the capsule on its journey to the far side of the Moon, which the crew should reach on Monday. Arunade Mukherjee was watching at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The burn lasted for just a little less than six minutes, five minutes, 55 seconds to be precise and they said it all went off well. They have officially begun that journey to the Moon, a very, very significant moment because before this, if they found anything to have had a glitch, they had the option of coming back to the Earth. With this move, essentially with this maneuver, they are now committed to that journey to the Moon, which will take them all the way towards the Moon as they enter the Moon's sphere of influence on day five, day six. They do the lunar flyby, they get those amazing pictures and then they start their journey home. Pam Bondi has been sacked from her position as U.S. attorney general and replaced temporarily by President Trump's former personal lawyer, Todd Blanche. Ms. Bondi was a close ally of Mr. Trump, but had been criticized for her handling of the release of files relating to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The Democratic Congressman, Ro Khanna, who co-authored the act that forced the release of the Epstein files, suggested how the next attorney general should be approved. "The Democrats and, frankly, the thoughtful Republicans need to make it clear, no confirmation unless you commit to the release of the rest of the Epstein files, unless you commit to unredacting the names of the rich and powerful men you're protecting." The U.S. and Israel have carried out widespread airstrikes across Iran a day after President Trump repeated his threat to bomb the country back to the Stone Age. A bridge still being built was hit and an historic institute known for producing vaccines was destroyed. Kasra Naji has more details. We had right in the center of Tehran, in the old part of Tehran, Institute Pasteur, which is an institute for producing vaccines in Iran and medical research. That was hit and this is a century-old institute that was established in collaboration with France at the time, the French government. And obviously I cannot think that this particular target had any military significance. A hundred experts in international law have warned of serious violations by the U.S., Israel and Iran in the war. The academics and former government officials say both the conduct and rhetoric of the U.S. is profoundly concerning and in some instances could amount to war crimes. The White House said the U.S. campaign was making the region safer. World news from the BBC. The U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has asked the Army Chief of Staff General Randy George to step down and retire immediately, an extraordinary move amid an ongoing war with Iran. General George had been expected to serve until 2027, but Mr. Hegseth's team said in a brief written statement that the defense secretary had decided to go in another direction. The Nigerian President Bola Tinubu has promised to bring to justice those responsible for the killing of 30 people in the central city of Jos last Sunday. The Nigerian authorities have approved the recruitment of an additional 1,000 forest guards. Hundreds of Cubans have demonstrated outside the U.S. embassy in Havana to protest against Washington's fuel blockade that has crippled the island. Activists were accompanied by the Cuban president. The government-sanctioned rally was staged as Russia said it would send a second oil tanker to Cuba. The White House this week allowed a first vessel through on humanitarian grounds. Scientists and designers have unveiled a handbag made with artificial leather grown in a laboratory using proteins extracted from Tyrannosaurus rex fossils from the U.S. The first handbag made from such leather went on display at the Art Zoo Museum in Amsterdam. After a six-week exhibition the "T-Rex" bag will be auctioned as Sanjay Dasgupta reports. It's a handbag that will make a dent in your purse when it goes under the hammer. Starting bids are expected to be well over half a million dollars. But it is unique. Three firms from the U.S., the Netherlands and Britain have collaborated to use AI-assisted biology to produce new DNA from collagen protein recovered from T-Rex fossils. The DNA was then synthesized into specialized cells to make a material that behaves like leather. From that, a one-of-a-kind collector's piece, a dark teal handbag with DNA helix-styled hardware connecting the strap to the bag. BBC News. |