The Artemis 2 mission will soon send four astronauts farther into space than anyone has ever been as humanity returns to the Moon for the first time in decades

The Artemis 2 mission – NASA’s first manned mission to the Moon in 54 years – is about to launch.

The four Artemis astronauts have said their goodbyes and entered the Orion capsule on NASA‘s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. The launch is scheduled for 11.24pm UK time tonight, weather permitting.

The crew will travel 685,000 miles inside the tiny Orion space capsule, going roughly 4,500 miles beyond the Moon – farther from Earth than anyone has ever been before.

Commander Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch from NASA, and Jeremy Hansen of the Canadian Space Agency, are the lucky four who get to take part in the mission that will pave the way for Artemis 3. Artemis 3 aims to land a crew on the Moon’s south pole as early as 2028.

READ MORE: WATCH LIVE: Artemis 2 entire Moon mission as NASA plans to launch in hoursREAD MORE: Artemis II launch LIVE: Artemis 2 countdown as Trump addresses Moon astronauts

The rocket will launch from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. For those who live in and around the US state, they will be able to catch a glimpse of Artemis 2 as it launches through the sky and into space.

Sadly, those of us in the UK will not be able to see it launch with the naked eye. You can however watch the launch live here. The graphic below from NASA shows where it will be visible, Manchester Evening News reports.

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READ MORE: Artemis 2 launch: Crew’s life inside ‘shed-sized’ capsule from tortillas to toilet ruleREAD MORE: Artemis 2 launch weather update as NASA lift-off could be postponed at any time

NASA may be forced to delay the launch if weather conditions aren’t favourable, but the space agency said in its latest update that there’s still an 80 per cent chance the weather will be good enough.

The US space agency has been targeting a launch window that starts tonight on April 1. Speaking at a press conference, Ms Blackwell-Thompson added: “Our team has worked extremely hard to get us to this moment and I am so very proud of the work that they have done.”

The mission was originally planned for February but after problems during testing, the launch has been pushed back to a six-day launch window in April. The launch will mark the first time since 1972 that astronauts have flown to the Moon.

Timing is crucial for the mission to work properly, the space agency said. “The trajectory for a given day must ensure Orion is not in darkness for more than 90 minutes at a time so that the solar array wings can receive and convert sunlight to electricity, and the spacecraft can maintain an optimal temperature range.”

Israel’s security has been a political mantra for Benjamin Netanyahu during his decades in office. In the early days of the war in Iran, he said Israel had already changed the Middle East, and its own power within it, but more than a month into the campaign the regime in Tehran is still in power, still firing missiles at Israel, and still in possession of its stockpile of highly-enriched uranium – enough, experts say, to make around a dozen nuclear bombs if further refined.

The Metropolitan Police have vowed to crack down on disorder in Clapham, south London, said to be fuelled by an online trend, which has seen teenagers storm the local high street twice in recent days.

Officers responded to reports of antisocial behaviour involving a group of several hundred young people in Clapham High Street and Clapham Common, from around 5pm on Tuesday, according to the Met.

Young people were reported to be attempting to access shops and a restaurant on Clapham High Street as well as lighting fires and setting off fireworks on Clapham Common, the force said. Similar behaviour took place in the same area on Saturday night, with videos shared widely on social media on Monday.

Footage circulating on social media appeared to show large crowds of young people, many wearing masks, gathering on Clapham High Street on Tuesday evening, as several supermarkets closed their doors.

In one TikTok video, smoke could be seen billowing from Clapham Common while a number of police officers attended the scene. A caption on the video read: “Do NOT attend Clapham Courts linkups.”

A dispersal order was put in place on Tuesday night, while around 100 officers were involved in the police response.

Five people were assaulted, including four police officers. One officer was taken to hospital as a precaution after suffering an injury to his arm while making an arrest.

Three girls, including a 17-year-old and two aged 13, were arrested on Tuesday night on suspicion of assaulting an emergency worker. The 17-year-old has been charged and bailed to appear at court later this month. The two 13-year-olds have been granted bail.

The Met said more arrests would follow in the coming days, adding that officers are also working to identify those who played a leading or organising role.

Detective Chief Superintendent Emma Bond, who leads policing in the area, said: “We have a clear plan in place should any further disorder take place in the coming days, and are in close contact with our partners and businesses in the area.

“Our officers will continue to maintain a strong, visible presence around Clapham, and we will respond robustly to any reports of disorder, thefts or planned meet-ups.

“I’d urge those young people who think this is just a bit of fun to carefully consider the consequences. Events like this, fuelled by online trends and viral content on platforms such as TikTok, can quickly escalate and lead to serious outcomes.

“If you join in or cause further disorder, you should expect to be arrested and risk a criminal record, which can have long-lasting consequences for your future, including employment opportunities and potentially your ability to travel.

“There is widespread CCTV coverage on streets and in businesses in the area, and we’re already reviewing that footage, as well as officers’ body-worn video cameras, to identify those who committed offences on Saturday and last night.

“The parents/guardians of those involved in last night’s disorder also have a role to play. I’d appeal to them to take responsibility – to be proactive in knowing where their children are and who they’re with, and to take steps to make sure they’re not involved in this sort of unacceptable antisocial behaviour.”

Elaine Canning, store manager at Tapi Carpets and Floors on Clapham High Street, said a pregnant woman was among those who sheltered inside her store while the chaos took hold on Tuesday.

Ms Canning told The Independent on Wednesday: “On Saturday there were some people that came and stood in the shop, just people walking by that came in for cover.

“Last night, as well, there was a pregnant lady and her husband, they came in for about 10 to 15 minutes.”

She added: “She would be [panicked], being pregnant, you would be worried about being knocked over. But I don’t think [the young people] were physically threatening towards members of the public, to be fair.”

The store manager described the scenes that unfolded as “scary”, but said that those who gathered were mainly targeting food shops.

Ms Canning said she had been told by other people who worked on the road to be vigilant on Tuesday afternoon, as they had heard of another planned gathering that appeared to have been advertised on social media.

During more than two hours of arguments, U.S. Solicitor General John Sauer sought to convince the justices that the 14th Amendment – which establishes birthright citizenship and was extended to formerly enslaved people – and subsequent court rulings and laws passed by Congress all mistakenly expanded birthright citizenship.

The State Pension age is set to start rising from 66 to 67 this month, with the increase due to be completed for all men and women across the UK by 2028

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The State Pension age is set to begin increasing from 66 to 67 this month, with the transition due to be finalised for all men and women throughout the UK by 2028. The scheduled adjustment to the official retirement age has been enshrined in legislation since 2014, with a subsequent rise from 67 to 68 expected to take effect during the mid-2040s.

The Pensions Act 2014 brought forward the State Pension age increase from 66 to 67 by eight years. The UK Government also modified how the rise in State Pension age is phased, meaning rather than reaching State Pension age on a particular date, individuals born between March 6, 1961 and April 5, 1977 will become eligible for the New State Pension on their 67th birthday.

It’s crucial to be mindful of these alterations now, particularly if you have a retirement strategy in place. Everyone impacted by modifications to their State Pension age will receive correspondence from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) well beforehand. Under the Pensions Act 2007 the State Pension age for men and women will rise from 67 to 68 between 2044 and 2046.

The Pensions Act 2014 provides for a regular review of the State Pension age, at least once every five years. The review will be based around the idea people should be able to spend a certain proportion of their adult life drawing a State Pension. The UK Government has recently established a new Pension Commission to examine ways of increasing pension saving, with its conclusions set to be released in 2027. Key areas under consideration will encompass auto-enrolment saving rates, improving savings amongst groups such as the self-employed, and a review of the State Pension age, reports the Daily Record.

Dr Suzy Morrissey will report on factors the UK Government should consider relating to State Pension age and the Government Actuary’s Department will prepare a report on the proportion of adult life in retirement. The State Pension age review will factor in life expectancy alongside a variety of other relevant considerations when determining the appropriate State Pension age.

Once the review has concluded, the UK Government may opt to put forward amendments to the State Pension age. Nevertheless, any such proposals would need to pass through Parliament before being enshrined in law.

Your State Pension age is the earliest point at which you can begin claiming your State Pension, and may differ from the age at which you can access a workplace or personal pension. Anyone, regardless of age, can utilise the online tool at GOV.UK to check their State Pension age, which can prove invaluable when planning for retirement.

The fire service were called to the blaze at 7am on Wednesday

A person was airlifted to hospital as over 100 firefighters dealt with a “dust explosion” fire in Omagh.

The fire service were called to the blaze in the Bankmore Road area of Omagh, after receiving a call around 7am on Wednesday morning. Over 100 firefighters and 15 appliances were sent to the scene with it taking nearly 12 hours to deal with fire.

One person was taken to hospital by the air ambulance due to injuries they sustained in the incident.

A NIAS spokesperson said: “The Northern Ireland Ambulance Service received a 999 call at 07:21 on Wednesday, April 1, following reports of an incident in the Bankmore Road area, Omagh.

“NIAS dispatched one Emergency Ambulance and the Charity Air Ambulance with HEMS on board, to the scene.Following assessment and initial treatment at the scene, 1 person was taken to Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast.”

Firefighters remained at the scene into the evening with the fire being dealt with at 6.13pm.

Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service (NIFRS) Western Area Commander David Doherty said: “The large fire at a commercial premises at Doogary West Industrial Estate, Bankmore Road, Omagh has now ended. The initial call was received at 7.19am this morning, Wednesday 1 April 2026.

“Firefighters worked tirelessly throughout the duration of the incident to bring the fire under control and prevent further spread.

“At the height of the incident over 100 Firefighters and personnel were involved in the operational response with Appliances from Omagh, Fintona, Newtownstewart, Strabane, Dromore, Irvinestown, Clogher, Castlederg, Enniskillen, Northland, Maghera, Magherafelt, Dungannon, Cookstown and Central Fire Stations, including 2 Aerial Appliances from Northland and Knock Fire Stations, 2 Water Tankers from Pomeroy and Belleek Fire Stations, 1 High-Volume Pump from Northland Fire Station, Specialist Rescue Teams from Central Fire Station and a Command Support Unit from Strabane Fire Station.

“We would like to thank the public for their patience whilst we dealt with this incident.

“The cause of the fire is believed at this stage to be accidental ignition due a dust explosion from a hopper and the incident was dealt with by 18:13pm on Wednesday 1 April 2026.”

For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.

A fire on Wednesday caused the evacuation of a historic building owned by Wayne State University in Detroit.

Video from TV stations showed thick rolling clouds of black smoke near the top of the 14-story Maccabees Building, a nearly century-old building designed by Albert Kahn, along Woodward Avenue, just north of downtown.

The fire on the 11th floor was contained, Wayne State said on social media, and no injuries were reported. Authorities said it likely began in the heating and cooling system.

Wayne State has owned the building for more than 20 years and has offices there, including the Computer Science Department and African American Studies. But it is not generally known as a place for classes.

The Maccabees was the home of early radio and TV studios, including radio broadcasts of “The Lone Ranger,” starting in the 1930s, and “The Green Hornet.”

Robert Sugden (Ryan Hawley) is going to face more than Joe Tate (Ned Porteous) based trouble in the coming months, as Kev Townsend (Chris Coghill) is returning to Emmerdale.

The character was introduced to us last year. He arrived in the village looking for Robert and when he eventually laid eyes on him, Kev made a comment that allowed us to discover he’s Robert’s husband.

Kev rocking up was so badly timed, as Robert had just got back on track with Aaron Dingle (Danny Miller). A flashback episode allowed us to learn that Kev and Robert tied the knot in prison after spending months developing a secret relationship.

As we got to know Kev, it became clear that the complex character had a possessive streak and was absolutely terrified about losing Robert. Behind bars, Kev had told Robert that he was dying, and also stabbed himself when he learnt about Robert’s attempt at appealing against his case.

Robert ended his relationship with Kev because he couldn’t continue pretending to be in love with him, while seeing Aaron. When reality hit Kev that he had lost Robert, he held him, Aaron and Liam Cavanagh (Jonny McPherson) hostage in Mill Cottage flat with a sword.

Kev headed out of the village but made a return towards the end of last year. He had been captured by John Sugden (Oliver Farnworth), who was busy creating a plan to get rid of Robert so he could be with Aaron.

Kev ended up alerting Aaron to the imminent danger and fled the Dales once more. Even though Kev is unpredictable and intimidating, fans of the ITV soap really enjoyed getting to know him.

The character is set to head back to the Dales in the not too distant future. When he arrives, it becomes clear Kev has been very busy as he’s launched a new business venture – and it’s set to stir up trouble for the locals.

Judging by the picture in this article, Kev appears to be starting a new pop-up café., It’s called A Slice of Kev-en, which honestly makes me want to get up off my chair and applaud.

As he gets settled back into Emmerdale, Kev will also have to decide whether or not to tell Lewis Barton (Bradley Riches) that he is his biological father.

Discussing the return, producer of the show Laura Shaw said: ‘Both Chris and the character of Kev made a massive impact on the show last year, so Chris is most definitely back by popular demand. With Kev’s son, Lewis, in the village still unaware of who his father is, it’s safe to say that there’s a lot of unfinished business and drama ahead.’

Chris Coghill added: ‘I’m really pleased to be returning to Emmerdale, I had a brilliant time last year. Kev is a complex character that I love playing.

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‘He has psychopathic tendencies but also an energy and vulnerability that I think makes him pretty unique. I’m properly looking forward to getting back at it.’

MORE: Robert’s big dream in tatters already in Emmerdale as two people betray him

MORE: Joe takes on Robert after delivering cutting blow in Emmerdale spoiler video

MORE: Emmerdale to change forever as decades-long era comes to an end

Spanish police have discovered a tunnel in ‌the North African exclave of Ceuta, to smuggle tons of hashish from Morocco into Spain.

Police said the structure, concealed beneath an ​industrial warehouse, extended over three levels, ‌including a descent shaft, an intermediate chamber for pallet storage, ​and the tunnel itself.

Authorities seized 17 ‌metric tons of the drug, €1.4 million (£1.2m) in cash, and arrested 27 people ‌in connection with the operation.

The tunnel had a rail system and underground crane used to transport the hashish.

Spain is a major entry point for hashish, which is derived from cannabis resin, into Europe.

Ceuta, along ​with the Spanish exclave ⁠of Melilla to the ⁠east, surrounded by Morocco, forms the European Union’s only land border with Africa.

Hashish is usually trafficked into Spain by ⁠sea using speedboats.

Read more from Sky News:
Paintings ‘worth millions’ stolen from museum in Italy
Israel passes controversial death penalty law

In 2023, Spain ​accounted for 68% of all resin ​seizures in the EU, according to the ​latest data from the EU drugs ⁠agency.

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Sky News meets boss of Spain’s ‘biggest smuggling cartel’

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Smugglers have sometimes used unconventional methods to bring other drugs into Spain.

In the northwestern region of ⁠Galicia, submarines or semi-submersible vessels have been used to transport cocaine from South America, ​underscoring Spain’s role as a transit hub.

A border collie separated from her owner during a hiking accident was found alive at the base of a waterfall in a remote New Zealand region after nearly a week of searching, rescuers said.

The dog, Molly, 4, was located on Tuesday near the Southern Alps, close to where she was last seen.

Molly had gone missing after her owner, Jessica Johnston, fell nearly 55m during a hike in rugged terrain in the Arahura Valley on 24 March near the town of Hokitika.

Ms Johnston survived the fall and was airlifted out with serious injuries, but Molly disappeared in the chaos, leaving little hope she could endure the harsh conditions alone.

Despite the odds, a small helicopter team – made up of experienced volunteers – decided to try.

According to The Guardian, Lillian Newton, safety manager and pilot with Precision Helicopters, who helped coordinate the mission, said she couldn’t shake the feeling that the dog might still be out there. Ms Newton from Precision Helicopters said she had a “a gut feeling” that Molly was still alive.

Funding quickly became the first hurdle. Helicopter searches in such remote areas are costly, and there is no official system in place to cover animal rescues in the wilderness. So Ms Newton and her team turned to the public.

Precision Helicopters is not a formal rescue service and was not involved in the initial operation to evacuate Ms Johnston. However, after learning about her survival and the missing dog, Ms Newton moved quickly to organise a search.

“We rang Jess and made sure she was okay for us to put it to the public,” Ms Newton said.

“The goal was to get $2,400 and some volunteers that were experienced to come along.”

Within hours, donations poured in from across the country, allowing the team to mobilise.

The terrain they were heading into was far from forgiving. As Ms Newton described it, the area was “extremely remote, rough, bushy and wet”.

Dense vegetation, constant rain, and steep alpine conditions made the search both technically demanding and physically draining.

“Looking for Molly was a bit like looking for a needle in a haystack. This terrain is extremely isolated, extremely rough. We have thick bush, and we have the most rainfall in New Zealand,” Ms Newton told Outside magazine.

“It’s wet, it’s cold, and it’s rugged and gnarly. We said dog prayers the night before flying with our own dogs.”

Using thermal imaging equipment and years of rescue experience, the team flew directly to the area where Ms Johnston had fallen. To their surprise, that instinct paid off.

“They went directly to the spot where the owner, Jessica, had fallen. And much to our surprise, Molly was there,” Ms Newton said.

The pilot, Matt Newton, who is the owner of Precision Helicopters, said the dog was finally identified through thermal scanning.

“We were just making our way up the river to the most likely location where we felt that she would be, which is where Jess, her owner had fallen two weeks ago. We had the thermal equipment, and she came up on the screen glowing red hot,” he said, according to RNZ.

“As we got closer, we could see it was actually her because other things can glow like possums and deer and goats and shammies and stoats and who knows, but it was the dog. We were stoked. Yeah, absolutely stoked.”

Molly had been stranded in a narrow, slippery area beneath the waterfall, surrounded by moss-covered rocks and constant spray. Reaching her required careful manoeuvring.

As the helicopter hovered low, a crew member climbed out to retrieve her. Food helped gain her trust, and within moments, she was safely lifted aboard.

“I’d say she’d been scragging the odd possum and I’m sure she wouldn’t have killed any kiwis. She knows the rules there because she’s been kiwi trained. I’m pretty sure she’s been munching on the odd possum and she’s in pretty good condition, considering.”

Meanwhile, Ms Johnston – who had been recovering from serious injuries – was still grappling with the uncertainty of her dog’s fate. She had suffered a split elbow and extensive bruising from the fall, making the wait even more difficult.

In a message shared on social media, Ms Johnston expressed her gratitude to those who helped make the search possible.

“I’d like to give the biggest thank you to all that have taken the time to donate with both funding, volunteering and sharing her posts,” she said.

“I’m absolutely blown away with the support everyone has given her so far from the kindest of strangers. Obviously devastated I’m not in a physical state to provide help on the ground. But with the support that’s been given a lot can be achieved for those that can. Incredibly grateful for how much was raised in a short period.

“Thank you for helping bring my Molly back home.”