“Touchdown, we have touchdown!” At 5:12 a.m. PDT, July 20, 1976, mission controllers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory erupted in cheers as they learned that the Viking 1 lander had survived its descent through the thin Martian atmosphere. Forty minutes later, the lander’s first image began to appear on their…
Purge of the Starmerites sees Rachel Reeves sacked as Chancellor by Andy Burnham
By MARTIN BECKFORD, POLICY EDITOR Published: 17:46 BST, 20 July 2026 | Updated: 18:27 BST, 20 July 2026 Rachel Reeves was sacked as Chancellor in a major purge of Starmerites from the Cabinet. She became the most high-profile casualty of Andy Burnham’s plan for a new direction at the top of…
Tropical Depression 2 crawls in the Gulf, trying to organize » Yale Climate Connections
by Irene Sans, Yale Climate Connections July 20, 2026 After what seemed like rapid development from Tropical Depression Two, the system has slowed in organization over the last 24 hours. Much of its lack of organization is due to dry air intruding into the system from the northeast, which prevented…
Lunatic arrested after setting Manhattan ICE building on fire
By RACHEL BOWMAN, US SENIOR NEWS REPORTER Published: 16:57 BST, 20 July 2026 | Updated: 17:56 BST, 20 July 2026 A man was arrested after lighting an ‘incendiary device’ outside of a New York City federal building this morning. Two people were injured after an unidentified suspect set off an…
From Hampton to Mars: How NASA Langley Helped Land on the Red Planet
Fifty years ago, NASA’s Viking 1 and 2 landers made the first successful landings on Mars, opening a new era in planetary exploration. Behind that achievement was a team at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, whose steady leadership and technical expertise helped turn an ambitious idea into a…
A SpaceX rocket is about to crash into the moon—scientists will be watching
Astronomers are gearing up for a unique moon observation event: a stray piece of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is on track to hit the lunar surface on August 5. The collision and its aftermath, which may be visible from Earth and space-based telescopes, present an opportunity for some singular…
Bakery bandit who stole from cake maker’s honesty box stall without paying a penny is fined £333
A bakery bandit has been found guilty of theft after a hidden camera caught him stealing half a home baker’s stock from her honesty box shed without paying a penny. Blake Young from Spignall, Peterborough, appeared at Boston Magistrate’s Court via video link from his car as he pleaded guilty…
Andy Burnham vows to ‘end rough sleeping’ across the UK – despite rates more than doubling in Manchester while he was mayor
Andy Burnham has pledged to end rough sleeping at ‘the earliest opportunity’ in his first speech as Prime Minister – despite seeing homelessness more than doubling in his last four years as Manchester mayor. Mr Burnham today promised to ‘finally end long-term rough sleeping across the UK at the earliest opportunity’…
Artemis II was an incredible reminder of our shared humanity just when we needed it most (op-ed)
For ten glorious days starting on April 1, 2026, one human endeavor captivated our home planet across continents and time zones: the NASA Artemis II mission to orbit the moon, the first crewed mission to cislunar space since 1972. In an Easter-Passover week that had especially demoralizing headlines on global…
Kevin Keegan dead at 75: Football legend passes away following battle with cancer as devastated family pay heartbreaking tribute to England icon
Newcastle and England legend Kevin Keegan has died at the age of 75 after a short battle with illness. Keegan was diagnosed with stage four stomach cancer in January, having been admitted to hospital with abdominal problems. In a statement, his family said: ‘It is with immense sadness that we…