Latest news with #DPAWashington
Qatar Tribune
13 hours ago
- Science
- Qatar Tribune
Private space crew returns to Earth after stay at ISS
DPA Washington A private astronaut crew returned to Earth from the International Space Station (ISS) on Tuesday. The Axiom Mission 4 landed in the sea near the Californian coast and was picked up by a recovery ship. The four travellers on board the Dragon capsule from Elon Musk's company SpaceX had spent two weeks in space. An astronaut from India's ISRO space agency was on board for the first time. The flight was made possible by co-operation between NASA and ISRO, after an agreement between US President Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In addition to the Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla, the crew also included the Pole Sławosz Uznaski-Winiewski, the Hungarian Tibor Kapu and the former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson. The mission brought astronauts from Poland and Hungary to the space station for an extended stay for the first time. A video on X showed Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk watching the landing on television. 'Welcome back,' he said. 'Thank God, everything went well.' On its return, the Dragon capsule brought around 260 kilograms of cargo to Earth, including NASA equipment and scientific data from over 60 experiments. The mission is part of NASA's long-term strategy to open up low-Earth orbit more to commercial space travel. In future, private providers are to increasingly take over transport and research services, while the US space agency concentrates on missions to the moon and later to Mars. According to media reports, a flight with Axiom costs around €70 million ($81.4 million) per passenger. In 2022, the company organized the first private mission to the ISS, followed by others in 2023 and 2024.
Qatar Tribune
6 days ago
- Business
- Qatar Tribune
Trump fires off more tariff letters, threatens Brazil with 50% levy
DPA Washington US President Donald Trump on Wednesday sent a barrage of letters to eight more countries dictating steep new tariff rates as of August 1, including a 50% levy on goods from Brazil. Trump posted the two-page letters - addressed to the leaders of the Philippines, Brunei, Moldova, Algeria, Iraq, Libya, Sri Lanka and Brazil - on his Truth Social platform. The latest batch comes two days after he sent letters to 14 countries, including key allies Japan and South Korea, telling them to expect higher tariffs unless new trade deals can be struck. Algeria, Libya, Iraq and Sri Lanka face tariff rates of 30%, while Brunei and Moldova were threatened with 25% and the Philippines with 20%. Trump told Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to expect a 50% rate due to the treatment of former far-right president Jair Bolsonaro, who is standing trial for plotting to overturn the 2022 election results and stage a coup. Trump called the criminal charges against the firebrand nationalist 'an international disgrace.' 'This Trial should not be taking place,' Trump wrote in the letter. 'It is a Witch Hunt that should end IMMEDIATELY!' In a statement, Lula said Brazil was a sovereign nation with independent institutions. Charges against Bolsonaro were exclusively under the jurisdiction of Brazil's Judicial Branch and are 'not subject to any interference or threats that could compromise the independence of national institutions,' Lula said. 'Sovereignty, respect and the unwavering defence of the interests of the Brazilian people are the values that guide our relationship with the world.' Any increase in tariffs by the US would 'be addressed in accordance with Brazil's Economic Reciprocity Law,' Lula said. He rejected Trump's claim regarding a US trade deficit with Brazil. 'Statistics from the US government itself show a surplus of $410 billion in the trade of goods and services with Brazil over the past 15 years.' Trump's tariff blitz Trump has been rolling out new tariff rules for goods entering the US since Monday, when he also extended a 90-day pause on his so-called reciprocal tariffs first announced on April 2. The tariffs have sent heads spinning in corporate boardrooms and foreign capitals. Investors, however, seem to be taking the news in their stride as US stocks continue to push higher. Trump said on Tuesday he will stick to his August 1 deadline, writing on Truth Social: 'No extensions will be granted.'
