The fate of an Indian effort to land a probe on the Moon’s southern pole was in doubt after the country’s space agency lost communication with the lander near the surface.
The Chandrayaan-2 craft’s descent was normal until communications with the lander, named Vikram, ended when it reached an altitude of 2.1 km in the early hours of Saturday in India.
The chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation, Kailasavadivoo Sivan, said in a live broadcast: "Vikram lander descent was as planned and normal performance was observed up to an altitude of 2.1 kilometres”.
A failure would deal a blow to India’s ambitious space programme.
The country was trying to become only the fourth nation to pull off a soft landing on the Moon, following the former Soviet Union, the US and China.
Chandrayaan-2, which means “Moon vehicle” in Sanskrit, was designed to analyse virgin territory on Earth’s closest neighbour for signs of water and helium-3.
“These are moments to be courageous, and courageous we will be!” Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote on Twitter.
“We remain hopeful and will continue working hard on our space programme.”
The Indian space agency will analyse data about the landing sequence, Mr Sivan said.
Other officials subsequently appeared on television to say that a planned media briefing on the landing attempt was cancelled while information was still being assessed.
The mission also has a lunar orbiter that continues to take images of the Moon and conduct other science experiments.
Its flight had suffered an inauspicious start. An initial launch attempt in mid-July was aborted minutes before lift-off because of a technical problem. The mission then launched on July 22 and entered a lunar orbit on August 20.
Space-faring nations, as well as billionaires Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk and Sir Richard Branson, are competing in an unofficial space race, from launching satellites to sending astronauts and tourists into space.
India and China are locked in a geopolitical space race of sorts as a way to assert regional dominance and establish a presence in space exploration.
China was the first country to land a rover on the far side of the Moon while India focused on being first at the southern pole, the same spot Nasa is targeting with its Artemis mission planned for 2024.
The lunar south pole has long been of interest to scientists.
The surface is believed to contain essential resources, while permanently shadowed craters are thought to hold millions of tons of water.
The hunt for helium-3, an isotope limited on Earth, is of particular importance because, if harnessed, it is so abundant on the Moon it could theoretically meet global energy demands for 250 years.
Mr Modi has sharpened India’s focus on space since coming to power in 2014, with a pipeline of ambitious flights.
India plans to send a mission to study the Sun next year, another to Venus three years later, and eventually establish its own space station.
It is also working on a $1.4 billion (Dh5.1 billion) Gaganyaan mission, which aims to put three Indian “gaganauts” — including at least one woman — into orbit.
At home, Chandrayaan-2 had captivated millions as the event turned into a symbol of national pride.
The years Ramadan fell in May
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The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
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What is Reform?
Reform is a right-wing, populist party led by Nigel Farage, a former MEP who won a seat in the House of Commons last year at his eighth attempt and a prominent figure in the campaign for the UK to leave the European Union.
It was founded in 2018 and originally called the Brexit Party.
Many of its members previously belonged to UKIP or the mainstream Conservatives.
After Brexit took place, the party focused on the reformation of British democracy.
Former Tory deputy chairman Lee Anderson became its first MP after defecting in March 2024.
The party gained support from Elon Musk, and had hoped the tech billionaire would make a £100m donation. However, Mr Musk changed his mind and called for Mr Farage to step down as leader in a row involving the US tycoon's support for far-right figurehead Tommy Robinson who is in prison for contempt of court.
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
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6.30pm: Madjani Stakes Group 2 (PA) Dh97,500 (Dirt) 1,900m
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9.25pm: Conditions (TB) Dh120,000 (D) 1,900m
10pm: Handicap (TB) Dh92,500 (D) 1,400m
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
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WOMAN AND CHILD
Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
The Pope's itinerary
Sunday, February 3, 2019 - Rome to Abu Dhabi
1pm: departure by plane from Rome / Fiumicino to Abu Dhabi
10pm: arrival at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
Monday, February 4
12pm: welcome ceremony at the main entrance of the Presidential Palace
12.20pm: visit Abu Dhabi Crown Prince at Presidential Palace
5pm: private meeting with Muslim Council of Elders at Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
6.10pm: Inter-religious in the Founder's Memorial
Tuesday, February 5 - Abu Dhabi to Rome
9.15am: private visit to undisclosed cathedral
10.30am: public mass at Zayed Sports City – with a homily by Pope Francis
12.40pm: farewell at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
1pm: departure by plane to Rome
5pm: arrival at the Rome / Ciampino International Airport