- Iran mourns president Raisi's death in helicopter crash
- Attack on tourists rocks fledgling Afghanistan tourism sector
- Paralympics should put disability back on global agenda, says IPC chief
- South Africa's top court strikes Zuma from ballot
- Crunch time looms for BHP's bid buy Anglo American
- Kane to face old club Spurs for first time in Seoul
- Markets rise as traders cheered by China property plan
- Black farmers in Brazil changing views on coffee production
- Iran's President Raisi declared dead in helicopter crash
- Australia police arrest 554 in domestic violence crackdown
- South Korea, Britain host AI summit with safety top of agenda
- New president Lai vows to defend Taiwan's democracy
- Forever fad: Rubik says his cube 'reminds us why we have hands'
- Trump eyes witness stand as trial draws to a close
- Ryanair annual profit jumps on higher demand, fares
- High-priced Cummins, Starc face off as IPL enters playoffs
- Iran media says President Raisi died in helicopter crash
- Dominican Republic President Abinader re-elected to 2nd term
- New Taiwan president Lai hails 'glorious' democracy
- New Caledonia separatists defy French efforts to unblock roads
- Timberwolves knock out defending champion Nuggets, Pacers oust Knicks
- Trump biopic hits Cannes Film Festival
- Iran President Raisi's helicopter found, 'no sign of life'
- Three talking points ahead of 2024 French Open
- 'Haikyu!!': Comic heroes fuel Japan Olympic volleyball manga mania
- Timberwolves rally to knock defending champion Nuggets out of NBA playoffs
- London court set to rule on Julian Assange extradition
- Business and Bollywood votes in India election
- Pope calls anti-migrant attitudes at US border 'madness'
- Mexico aims to be big economic winner from US-China tensions
- Uncertain future for thousands after deadly Brazil floods
- Schauffele makes the putt of his life for first major win
- Wirtz returns to help unbeaten Leverkusen chase history
- Search for Iran's President Raisi after helicopter goes missing
- DeChambeau's powerful putting has him excited for US Open
- Taiwan to swear in new president as China pressure grows
- Atalanta can end 61-year wait for trophy in Europa League final
- Schauffele birdies final hole to capture PGA for first major win
- Guardiola casts doubt over long-term Man City future
- Hollywood icons Costner and Demi Moore make Cannes comeback
- Pacers shoot down Knicks to reach NBA Eastern Conference finals
- Schauffele birdies final hole, captures first major at PGA Championship
- McLaughlin powers to Indy 500 pole in all-Penske front row
- Monaco footballer tapes over LGBTQ badge
- Korda wins sixth LPGA title of year with win at Liberty National
- Pacers put on shooting show to down Knicks, reach NBA Eastern Conference finals
- US envoy touts 'potential' of Israel-Saudi deal in Netanyahu talks
- Dominicans vote for president in poll overshadowed by Haiti crisis
- Brest secure Champions League qualification, PSG win without Mbappe
- Mbappe absent as PSG win final Ligue 1 game
Russian spacecraft launch aborted seconds before take-off
The launch of a Russian spacecraft to the International Space Station was aborted at the last minute on Thursday, in another high-profile setback for Russia's space programme.
The Russian Soyuz MS-25 mission was due to take off from the Baikonur space port in Kazakhstan on Thursday, carrying three astronauts from Russia, the United States and Belarus.
But the launch was cancelled just seconds before scheduled blast-off at 4:21 pm Moscow-time (1321 GMT), when engines didn't fire up as the crew were strapped in and counting down.
"Attention at the launch complex. There was an automatic launch cancellation. Bring the units of the launch complex to the initial state," the flight controller said in a live broadcast by Russia's space agency Roscosmos.
A separate NASA broadcast of the planned launch said it was aborted 20 seconds before take-off.
"This is Mission Control Houston. To recap: today's launch of Soyuz MS-25 was aborted at about the T minus 20 second mark," the announcer said.
The announcer said the "engine sequence start" did not occur as expected, triggering an "automatic command to abort the countdown".
Roscosmos head Yury Borisov later said a "voltage dip" had occurred in a chemical power source during the final pre-launch preparations, Russian state news agencies reported.
"This is the thing with space. The situation is quite understandable," he told reporters.
He said the launch would be rescheduled to Saturday.
- Latest setback -
Russia had devoted the mission to Yuri Gagarin, the first man in space, who would have turned 90 this month.
Moscow's once pioneering space programme has faced multiple setbacks since it won the first leg of the space race more than 60 years ago.
The programme has suffered since the collapse of the USSR, including with the loss of its first lunar probe in almost 50 years last August.
The Russian segment of the ISS also suffered three coolant leaks in under a year, spraying flakes of frozen coolant into space on multiple occasions in 2023.
Roscosmos said the crew were safe and were being extracted from the spacecraft after Thursday's failed launch.
Space is one of the final areas of US-Russia cooperation amid an almost complete breakdown in relations between Moscow and Washington over the last two years.
But Russia has said it plans to ditch the ISS and build its own space station.
It previously said it would quit "after 2024," but the most recent position is that Russia will remain a participant until 2028.
Russian officials have decried outdated equipment on board the ISS and said it justifies their desire to quit the initiative.
"The International Space Station is approaching the finish line of its existence," Borisov said last year.
For almost a decade, Russian Soyuz launches were the only way to ferry astronauts between Earth and the ISS, after NASA halted its Space Shuttle programme.
But the United States has now moved to using privately-built SpaceX rockets and capsules, ending Russia's monopoly on manned launches.
E.Schubert--BTB