Source: The Guardian

Tiny glass beads strewn across the moon’s surface contain potentially billions of tonnes of water that could be extracted and used by astronauts on future lunar missions, researchers say.

The discovery is thought to be one of the most important breakthroughs yet for space agencies that have set their sights on building bases on the moon, as it means there could be a highly accessible source of not only water but also hydrogen and oxygen.

“This is one of the most exciting discoveries we’ve made,” said Mahesh Anand, a professor of planetary science and exploration at the Open University. “With this finding, the potential for exploring the moon in a sustainable manner is higher than it’s ever been.”

Tests on the glass particles revealed that together they contain substantial quantities of water, amounting to between 300m and 270bn tonnes across the entire moon’s surface.


Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/science/2023/mar/27/glass-beads-on-moon-surface-hold-billions-of-tonnes-of-water-scientists-say

Source: ABC News

Saudi Arabia's state-owned oil giant Aramco will invest billions of dollars in China's downstream petrochemicals industry, including the construction of a new refinery, the company said in deals announced Sunday and Monday.

The announcements came as the company posted a record profit of more than $160 billion in 2022 and as Saudi Arabia, a longtime U.S. ally, has developed closer ties with Beijing in recent years.

Aramco will acquire a 10% interest in China's Rongsheng Petrochemical Co. Ltd,, a purchase valued at $3.6 billion. Under a long-term sales agreement, Aramco will supply 480,000 barrels per day to Rongsheng affiliate Zhejiang Pettroleum and Chemical Co. Ltd., which owns and operates China's largest refining and chemicals complex.

Saudi Arabia has cultivated closer ties with both Russia and China in recent years. Earlier this month, Saudi Arabia and Iran agreed to restore diplomatic ties for the first time since 2016 in a deal brokered by Beijing even as Riyadh announced a massive contract to buy commercial planes from U.S. manufacturer Boeing.


Read more: https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/saudi-aramco-invest-billions-chinese-petrochemicals-98149556

Source: CNN

Massive crowds filled the streets of the Israeli city of Tel Aviv late Sunday night after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fired his defense minister over his opposition to a planned judicial overhaul.

Waving Israeli flags and chanting “democratia,” protestors could be seen blocking streets and bridges, including the Ayalon Highway.

Protesters lit several fires on the main highway in Tel Aviv, their acrid, black smoke billowing into the sky, partly obscuring some of the city’s iconic skyscrapers. Demonstrators also gathered beside the highway, burning scrap metal and wood with almost no police around.

Israel’s political crisis deepened on Sunday when Netanyahu’s office announced the removal of Yoav Gallant in a one-line statement, after he became the first member of the cabinet to call for a pause to controversial plans to overhaul the country’s court system.




Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/26/middleeast/israel-judicial-overhaul-legislation-intl/index.html

Source: NPR

The man who was celebrated as a hero in the movie Hotel Rwanda for saving lives during the Rwanda genocide is about to be released from prison. Rwanda's government has commuted the sentence against Paul Rusesabagina.

The 68-year-old U.S. resident and Belgian citizen will be able to return to the United States, which has been pushing for his release.

Rusesabagina was a hotel manager during the 1994 Rwandan genocide. He rose to fame when Hollywood released the film, where he was played by Don Cheadle, about his actions to protect Tutsis, who sought refuge at the hotel from Hutu death squads. He was credited with protecting and saving the lives of more than 1,000 people during that period.

He's been an outspoken critic of Rwanda's President Paul Kagame and was sentenced in 2021 on terrorism charges. His family says he was kidnapped in 2020 after he boarded a plane in Dubai that he believed was taking him to Burundi.


Read more: https://www.npr.org/2023/03/24/1165886663/paul-rusesabagina-hotel-rwanda-hero-will-be-released-prison

Source: Reuters

Most of the roughly 2.5 tons of natural uranium ore concentrate (UOC) recently declared missing from a site in Libya have been found at that site, the U.N. nuclear watchdog told member states on Friday in a statement seen by Reuters.

The International Atomic Energy Agency informed member states in a similar confidential statement on March 15 first reported by Reuters that 10 drums containing the UOC had gone missing from a Libyan site not under government control.

While the amount of fissile material is less than that required for a nuclear bomb, and would need to go through processes known as conversion and enrichment to be usable in one, the IAEA said at the time that losing it "may present a radiological risk, as well as nuclear security concerns".

Following eastern Libyan forces' statement last week that they had found the drums of UOC near the warehouse they were taken from in southern Libya, the IAEA carried out an inspection on Tuesday and found that only "a relatively small amount of UOC was still unaccounted for," Friday's IAEA statement said.


Read more: https://www.reuters.com/markets/commodities/iaea-confirms-almost-all-missing-uranium-libya-now-accounted-2023-03-24/

Source: Yahoo News

Slovakia delivered four of the 13 promised MiG-29 jets to Ukraine, the Slovak Defense Ministry reported on March 23. Ukrainian pilots, assisted by the Slovak Air Force, coordinated the transfer.

"As a nation, we have written ourselves in capital letters in the modern world's history, showcasing timely help, sincere solidarity, and the greatness of our country," Defense Minister Jaroslav Nad said, praising everyone involved in the transfer.

Kyiv has repeatedly requested fighter jets from Western allies, underlining the need for air superiority on the battlefield.

According to the Air Force spokesperson, Yurii Ihnat, Ukraine needs jets "to drive the Russian aviation as far as possible from our borders and provide support to our ground troops by disrupting the enemy logistics."


Read more: https://news.yahoo.com/ukraine-war-latest-ukraine-receives-215600650.html

Source: The Hill

California lawmakers voted on Thursday to advance a bill that would penalize oil companies for “price gouging” — a first-of-its-kind legislation pushed forward in recent months by Gov. Gavin Newsom (D).

The SBX1-2 bill, sponsored by state Sen. Nancy Skinner (D), received the approval of the California State Senate in an Extraordinary Session convened to fast-track the legislation on Thursday morning.

The bill could head to the State Assembly as early as Monday and receive the governor’s signature shortly after that, a source familiar with the matter told The Hill.

Newsom commended the state Senate’s “quick action” following the vote, stressing that “for decades, oil companies have gotten away with ripping off California families while making record profits.”



Read more: https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/3914818-newsom-gets-big-win-california-senate-approves-first-of-its-kind-price-gouging-bill/

Source: CNN

The judge handling the civil lawsuit of E. Jean Carroll against Donald Trump says jurors’ personal information will be kept confidential and other security measures will be taken to protect them, citing the former president’s history of attacking the legal system.

Judge Lewis Kaplan noted Trump’s most recent comments surrounding the Manhattan District Attorney’s investigation into alleged hush money payments adult film star Stormy Daniels as a reason to protect jurors as much as possible

“Mr. Trump’s quite recent reaction to what he perceived as an imminent threat of indictment by a grand jury sitting virtually next door to this Court was to encourage ‘protest’ and to urge people to ‘take our country back.’ That reaction reportedly has been perceived by some as incitement to violence,” Kaplan wrote in an order Thursday.

“And it bears mention that Mr. Trump repeatedly has attacked courts, judges, various law enforcement officials and other public officials, and even individual jurors in other matters,” the judge added.


Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/23/politics/carroll-trump-jury/index.html

Source: CBS News

The parents of a teenager who killed four students at a Michigan high school can face trial for involuntary manslaughter, the state appeals court said Thursday in a groundbreaking case of criminal responsibility for the acts of a child.

The murders would not have happened if the parents hadn't purchased a gun for Ethan Crumbley or if they had taken him home from Oxford High School on the day of the shooting, when staff became alarmed about his extreme drawings, the appeals court said.

The court noted that the legal threshold at this stage of the case is fairly low under Michigan law.

"Whether a jury actually finds that causation has been proven after a full trial, where the record will almost surely be more expansive — including evidence produced by defendants — is an issue separate from what we decide today," the court said in a 3-0 opinion.


Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/oxford-high-school-shooter-ethan-crumbley-parents-involuntary-manslaughter-michigan-court/

Source: Washington Post

Donald Trump’s history of suggestive allusions to endorsing violence by his supporters is well-chronicled. But rarely have his comments been this unvarnished at such a fraught time.

With his potential indictment looming in Manhattan, the former president on Thursday criticized those who have called for his supporters to remain peaceful.

“EVERYBODY KNOWS I’M 100% INNOCENT, INCLUDING BRAGG,” Trump said on Truth Social, referring to Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. “BUT HE DOESN’T CARE. HE IS JUST CARRYING OUT THE PLANS OF THE RADICAL LEFT LUNATICS. OUR COUNTRY IS BEING DESTROYED, AS THEY TELL US TO BE PEACEFUL!”

While not explicitly urging his supporters to get violent, the seeming message here is that a peaceful response might be insufficient. To label it a dog whistle would be an understatement. Trump is standing next to a tinderbox and casually lighting a match.


Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/03/23/indictment-looms-trump-criticizes-calls-peace/