As part of a NASA crew-swapping mission, a SpaceX Dragon capsule brought four astronauts to the International Space Station, allowing them to return to Earth after nine months of stranding.
About 29 hours after leaving NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Sunday, the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule, which was launched at 12: 04 AM ET (04: 04 GMT), docked to the ISS.
The station’s seven-member crew, which includes retired Navy test pilots Suni Williams and retired NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore, has welcomed them.
The Boeing Starliner spacecraft, which was undergoing its maiden crewed voyage, had propulsion issues and was deemed unfit to return the crew to Earth. Their extended stay exceeded the typical six-month ISS rotation for astronauts by a lot.
However, it is much shorter than the 371 days that NASA’s Frank Rubio spent on board the ISS in 2023, and the 437 days that Russian astronaut Valeri Polyakov spent spent on board the Mir space station, respectively.
The Crew-10 mission is a long-awaited first step toward bringing Wilmore and Williams back to Earth, which is a routine crew rotation flight if President Donald Trump hasn’t been in office since January. It’s a part of a plan put forth by NASA last year that has been given more urgency by President Trump.
Along with Russian astronaut Aleksandr Gorbunov and NASA astronaut Nick Hague, Wilmore and Williams are scheduled to leave the ISS on Wednesday at 4am ET (08:00 GMT).
In September, Hague and Gorbunov took a Crew Dragon craft with two empty seats for Wilmore and Williams to the ISS, and that craft has since been attached to the station.
On April 1, 2025, when Ghana’s Shirley Botchwey will take the oath of office to lead the 2.7 billion people of the world’s eight billion, Ms. Patricia Scotland, an Amazon on the global stage, will officially end her nine-year, nine-year, eventful tenure as the first female Commonwealth Secretary General. For her, it’s a privilege serving one-third of the world’s population and it’s time for some deserved rest. She appeared on the Diplomatic Channel program on Channels Television.
Enjoy the excerpts…
As you approach your departure from the company, take us on a memory lane, and show us what it was like for you to take over as president, along with your hopes, fears, aspirations, and ambitions.
In 2015, people said the Commonwealth was in need of real change. Because the Commonwealth was working with so many different nations, I never accepted it. Now we’re 56 countries, 2.7 billion people with 60% under the age of 30 and an opportunity to expand economically and socially to meet the goals of the Commonwealth Charter. Through collaboration, I saw all this potential and opportunity. We have some of the fastest growing cities, we have one language, we have the same legal system, the same parliamentary system, similar institutions. I kept thinking that if interoperability is actually working for us, it could significantly improve the performance of all of our nations. The Commonwealth had done something remarkable, they had done a trade review in 2015 just before I came in which recognised that they had then a 19% advantage, but we weren’t using it. What if we can reduce that 19% to 30%, make it simpler, and move things more quickly? so I came in with that aspiration but we saw we were doing an amazing amount on good governance, on elections, on helping our countries to stay safe.
At a global event, Ms. Patricia Scotland, the secretary general of the Commonwealth, addresses attendees. Credit: @PScotlandCSG
What about our women’s programs and our youth programs? Because if we were going to get really rich, we needed to empower our women and we looked at issues of climate change because in speaking to all the leaders, one thing you get to do before you come in is to talk to the leaders, listen to them, try and understand what it is that they aspire to do and they constantly talked about climate change being an omnipresent threat, particularly for the 25 small island developing states because they were literally on the frontline.
US Ambassador to South Africa is accused of “hating” Trump, according to the US.
What about the the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which had been agreed in 2015? How will they be put into practice? How are we going to get the money because there was a gap between the money we had and the money we needed to deliver the SDGs?
Ms. Patricia Scotland attends the 2025 Commonwealth Day service on Monday, March 10th. Observed by 56 independent member countries, #CommonwealthDay highlights unity, collaboration &, shared progress. Credit: @commonwealthsec
So that went on my hit list. If you recall the first 100 days, I had all those subjects covered, and the president of Nigeria basically declared that he wanted his money back because it was being siphoned off elsewhere. We also held our first anti-corruption summit. So, immediately, we thought so what are we going to do? We must find a way to put policies and laws into practice, making them unique, and that’s not enough.
So, that’s what we started to do and in the first two years we created the regenerative approach to development to reverse climate change and when I said that in 2016 people said this woman’s crazy. Reversal, adaptation, and even regenerative development are something that we are aware of. But we had all the experts from across the Commonwealth and elsewhere come to work with us. We came up with the idea that because the world was spinning more quickly and steadily and that mitigating it wasn’t going to be enough, we had to find a way to stop it.
So, in 2016 we went to COP (United Nations Climate Change Conference) and we said we need regenerative development to reverse climate change. No one is doing anything about oceans, as we stated at the conference that we had to do something about oceans. So, having listened to all my countries I said I think we need a charter, what we called the Blue Charter.
Everyone said this woman is crazy because it takes 10 years to complete a concept and you only have 10 years. We only have 10 months until the next Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, which I believe will be held because all of our nations have the political will to do so.
Participants listen to Commonwealth Secretary General, Ms Patricia Scotland, at a function. Credit: @PScotlandCSG
So, we went to the UN General Assembly, it was at that stage Fiji was in the chair and Fiji had an oceans conference and the prime minister very generously when I phoned him up and said could he possibly find a little space for the Commonwealth? This is what I have.
Let’s talk about climate a bit more. With President Donald Trump’s position on climate and how he typically leads the country forward, climate is a more intriguing topic right now. What are your thoughts?
Since 1989, the Commonwealth has realized the existential nature of this threat. The Commonwealth was the first international organisation to call it out in 1989 when they met in Langkawi in Malaysia and the Commonwealth said then that if we did not address climate change, all the things that have happened in the last 30 years would happen and it’s quite shocking when you go back and look at what what Commonwealth said then.
Climate is a constant threat to our 56 countries, even if you don’t consider the rest of the world. The 25 small island developing states are just 25 of the country. Some of them feel as if they don’t know whether they’ll live till tomorrow. Ministers have said in some of the tiny states, “I left my country, I don’t know if it’ll be there when I try to land home because the sea is rising so high,” according to what I’ve heard. My whole country may be subsumed”.
US Ambassador to South Africa is accused of “hating” Trump, according to the US.
Financing, especially for developing countries, is the other side of that. What will tip this in the right direction?
It involves, in my opinion, comprehending the sources of the threats. We have tried to create a model which most people now believe works. So, if you consider what we did for the Climate Finance Access Hub, the majority of the countries who are most disadvantaged by climate have essentially nothing to do with the problem, but they are still paying the price. The COP, as you know, made a commitment to assist those who had suffered unfairly as a result of those climatic changes for which they were not responsible and yet if you look at the percentage of money that those countries have got, they’re negligible.
Ms. Patricia Scotland, the Commonwealth Secretary General.
So, the Commonwealth, before I came suggested that we should create a mechanism which would help member states to make good successful applications to the green and other funds because they were spending millions of dollars on applications which were not actually getting them anywhere. So I created that when I first started the job that was assigned to me: creating a Commonwealth Climate Finance Access. We created in Mauritius a centre where we could work with the different funds, understand what they needed, how they needed it, what form do they come in and we would be able clear with our member states. After these criteria are established, climate finance advisors are dispatched to the nations to assist in the data collection. Many of our countries didn’t have their own data, so who has the data? We discovered that the UN has numerous space agencies and that the UN has a lot of data. We have the British space agency, we got the data together and we helped our countries to make applications and not only for individuals.
Then, we organized the advisers in each of our member states so they could review and refine each other’s applications. So, instead of having one, you had 20 looking at these and gradually we got better and better. Applications would initially take two or three years. Our latest was just Fiji, a nature-based seawall, $5.7 million was needed and we were able to make the application, and have it granted within 12 months because we used geospatial data and AI. We gave the information to the adaptation fund, which they granted because it was clearly stated in an AI simulator that this is how you do it.
Now what’s amazing is there are probably 23 other small island developing states who need something similar. Therefore, finance is essential if the change is to occur, but we’ve also created a Commonwealth Universal Vulnerability Index because, as we’ve already mentioned, some small nations, including my own country of birth, Dominica, were hit twice in 2015 when 95% of our GDP was wiped out of the middle-income nation. Then two years later in 2017, 226% of our GDP was wiped out.
So we changed from having middle-class families to having no income. Now you cannot base assistance on GDP when in six hours you can have your whole economy obliterated and so we’ve come up with the universal vulnerability index. Additionally, we have a lot to do with our debt. We’ve created something called Meridian which is a debt management system which manages both public and private debt for our member states. I believe there are about 45 trillion dollars in debt under management, but a lot of that debt was created as a result of dealing with climate disasters because, regrettably, the hurricane doesn’t take the debt and dumps it back into the sea, so you have to go find more money to rebuild it.
It’s a privilege to serve a third of the world and I certainly think it’s one of the greatest honours of my life and if I have been able to make a small contribution to making it better for the 2.7 billion people, we all serve and the 56 leaders who are struggling to deliver for their countries and who are thirsting for the same thing and sharing the same values, then I’ll be more than content
On April 1, 2025, Ms. Patricia Scotland, a household name on the international stage, completes her nine-year, nine-year, multifaceted tenure as the first female Commonwealth Secretary General.
What’s the first thing you’re doing as soon as you step out of the office and what’s the future for you?
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English, Tom
Stade de France’s chief sports writer for BBC Scotland is at the top of the charts.
After half an hour of play, things start to get a little rough.
The discipline in France is rank. Two men were present in the garbage can. For kicking Ben White headbutt, PEATO Mauvaka manages to escape a full red. And just scored, Darcy Graham.
The championship-chasers are 13-10, but it’s stressed.
The scene erupts as Antoine Dupont is seen in the crowd by the stadium cameras. It’s like an apparition to these people. Have faith because God is with us.
The loudest of the night was Dupont’s roars, both in that moment of need and again as he lifted the trophy with his stand-in captain Gregory Alldritt, aside from the cacophony that greeted the dominant second half.
French “threatening to rewrite history books”
It would be mild to say that French rugby is in order.
First, take a moment to reflect. The realization will eventually come to light that Les Bleus should have had a Grand Slam season at some point, not on Saturday. This was not the time or the place to reflect on what this might have been like.
The rest of the world will be confused by that singular blip at Twickenham.
Both Dimian Penaud, one of his generation’s great wings, and Damon Dupont, who is undoubtedly his greatest player, had fantastic chances to score. It’s just as unbelievable now as it was in the past.
World-class recognition has been written all over France’s efforts this season.
Wales won the game at home against them in a record-setting 43-0 win on the opening night. For the first time in more than a quarter of a century, they “nilled” the Welsh in the championship.
In the entire history of the competition, they gave Italy the second-highest total in a game with 73 points.
The trip to Dublin, which was meant to be the clash of the heavyweights, ended up being a one-sided romp. One of the best away Six Nations performances to date was by France, who had incredible power and gorgeous subtlety.
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They threatened to rewrite the record books, game by game. There were potential milestones at every turn before Saturday.
To qualify for the tournament, they needed four tries, breaking England’s record of 24 years earlier.
Just after the hour, France duly broke the record by putting Yoram Moefana in front of Louis Bielle-Biarrey and Gael Fickou in a clinical score that showcased France at their best.
With an all-time high of 11 try involvements, Bielle-Biarrey already had a piece of history, but he was looking for more. He would have reached eight for the championship, which is a record for the Six Nations, with an additional score. He delivered . once more.
His crucial try, a breakaway thing sparked by Ntamack, early in the second half, helped France advance. In a holy trio, which has attempted eight championship tries in a single season, he now joins Scotland’s Ian Smith and England’s Cyril Lowe.
You can tell the young Bordeaux wizard’s scale from the two gentlemen’s actions in 1914 and 1925.
Others arrived with the intention of preserving individual immortality and collective glory.
Prior to kick-off, Serge Blanco and Penaud were France’s most prolific try-scorer. He scored 39 tries in his 56th appearance, breaking the previous record of 39. Blanco 93 games were required to reach the top of the mountain.
England “moving forward,” while Ireland “regresses,” but France “stooding ahead.”
The only thing missing is the lack of a Slam in their clear blue sky, but you have to wonder how long French rugby will be waiting. Not very long at all, in my opinion.
The last four Champions Cup victories and three of the previous four Challenge Cup victories were won by French clubs. If that trend continued for a while in international rugby, that would be the least surprising thing.
The reigning champions Toulouse have already defeated Leicester 80-12, Exeter 64-21, and Ulster 61-21. The contenders for 69 points have 66 points against Exeter and 66 against the Sharks, according to Bordeaux. A pair of behemoths are what.
France is roaring ahead while Ireland is regressing and England are improving. For the first time since 2018, they won the Under-20 Six Nations on Friday.
18 of the 23 teams that defeated Scotland have played for their clubs this season despite being still underage. The biggest French guns, Bordeaux, Toulon, and La Rochelle, have all provided game time for their youth. Here, they begin them early.
Their underage drinking program has resulted in three of the previous four junior World Cup victories, as well as a defeat in the other’s final. The age profile is one of the most terrifying things that will happen to everyone else.
Only 20 years old, Theo Attissogbe has three tries in his two championship games. The actors who were on Saturday, Hugo Auradou, Oscar Jegou, and Nicole-Biarrey, all aged 21, are all 21. Nolann le Garrec, who served under Maxime Lucu’s care, is 22. Leo Barre is 22 years old and has scored two tries in his first game despite not being in the team for the massacre.
Other young stars could make a big impact: Marko Gazzotti, the outstanding Bordeaux back-row at the age of 20, Emilien Gailleton, the outstanding Bordeaux 21-year-old center Nicolas Depoortere, who is already a key player in a formidable Bordeaux backline at the age of 22, and Emilien Gailleton, who is already an important player in the magnificent Bordeaux backline.
Although the list isn’t endless, it occasionally seems like it.
As a result of the seven-time world champion’s difficult start to his career at the Scuderia, Lewis Hamilton claimed on Sunday that he found his new Ferrari “really, really hard to drive” in the rain.
After making a bombshell switch from Mercedes, the 40-year-old is hoping for a new lease of life, but his first year with the Italian team has been a difficult one.
In the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, he finished 10th behind teammate Charles Leclerc in a rain-hit race punctuated by safety cars and well off the pace of McLaren, Red Bull, and Mercedes.
It turned out much worse than I anticipated, and it was very challenging. After a series of crashes in the tense conditions, he declared, “The car was really, really hard to drive today.”
For me, it just feels grateful that I kept it out of the wall because it frequently wanted to go there. ”
Ferrari’s debut is referred to as the “most exciting period of my life,” read more here.
Hamilton’s first Grand Prix was held in wet conditions in the Ferrari, not to mention his first Grand Prix.
He was once heard on the radio telling his race engineer they had “missed a big opportunity” to capitalize on a strategic lead after he briefly led during a series of pit stops under the safety car, a position he was clearly getting used to at the new team.
He was subsequently dropped back down the field by a delayed return to intermediate rain tyres, but the Briton later admitted there had been “a lot” to take from his debut.
He said, “Just getting used to the new power unit in the wet.”
It requires a different steering wheel configuration, a different driving style, and a different setup.
I spent the entire time together and eventually took the lead. I believe we missed out on the only information regarding how much more rain was coming. ”
Interior Minister Panche Toshkovski claims that a devastating fire at a packed nightclub in Kocani in North Macedonia has left at least 51 people dead and more than 100 others injured.
When pyrotechnics were ignited at about 3 a.m. (02:00 GMT) on Sunday during a concert by the band DNA inside the Kocani location, which is located about 100 kilometers (62 miles) east of Skopje, the blaze started.
The building is completely engulfed in flames, according to video from social media, with thick smoke plumes rising into the night sky.
According to witnesses, the flames suddenly started to spread quickly to the roof and ceiling before destroying the structure.
According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Kocani’s Basic Public Prosecutor’s Office and emergency services were present.
“The number of victims and injuries is not yet known. The prosecutor’s office announced in a statement that all resources and capacities would be mobilized to assist the Kocani prosecution in its urgent response.
Mick Parkin, age 29, has never lost a fight in the UFC and is training with two of the best heavyweights in the UK. He is shocked to be paid to fight.
“Something I was doing for years for free before I was paid” He claims, “It’s amazing.”
Even worth it for him to travel for three hours on days to train with KSW heavyweight champion Phil De Fries and interim UFC champion Tom Aspinall.
He goes on to say, “I could be going to like a building site in the freezing cold, which I would absolutely dislike.”
What are you being depressed for, or do I enjoy this, sometimes? You are currently living a wonderful life.
In the UFC, Parkin is currently winning four straight fights. He signed with the UFC with only six previous fights.
The Sunderland man has gotten a little faster with the promotion because of his ongoing relationship with Aspinall, one of the biggest stars in the UFC, and the constantly-changing nature of the division he fights in.
In 2022, he was given a spot on Dana White’s Contender Series and a first-round stoppage, earning himself a UFC contract.
Prior to that, Parkin spent time working security at a bar and frequently attending Sunderland games.
He switched from kickboxing to MMA after his mother pressured him to try the jiu-jitsu gym.
Without Phil and Tom and coach [Andrew] Fisher, he claims, “I don’t think I’d be anywhere near where I am right now.”
“I went to Aspinall to train, and I was completely offended. Really awful I sneered at myself, “Oh my god, I’m useless at this.” It feels like resuming.
He continues, “I’m already ranked, despite not having many fights in the UFC.”
There aren’t many of us, so heavyweight, you’re pushed a little more.
Never would I like Aspinall-Parkin to fight.
Images courtesy of Getty
The UK’s heavyweight scene is frequently unpresented. Parker claims that Parker re-joined because of his struggles with his fellow amateurs.
However, two significant men have recently emerged and achieved success across a number of opposing factions.
Aspinall, a 31-year-old Manchester fighter, rose through the ranks to become the top heavyweight contender in the UFC and is eager to compete against legendary champion Jon Jones.
De Fries, 38, is one of KSW’s biggest stars. With eleven successful defecations since 2018, he is the most dominant champion in European promotion.
In the UFC rankings, Parkin is at number 13. On Saturday in UFC London, he takes on No. 8 contender Marcin Tybura.
Similar to boxing, the heavyweight division continues to be at the top of UFC attention.
Under the direction of Aspinall and De Fries, Parkin might be the heavyweight champion. The scene is ready for another fight.
But in reality, Parkin doesn’t want to fight Aspinall in the future; rather, the opposite.
I wouldn’t want to fight him, he declared. He’s my friend, but I had hoped that he would be done by the time I arrived, and that he might have won a lot of money and retire, “Parkin says.
I’ve already had a lot of fights against him, and, unless it was for crazy money, I just wouldn’t really want to fight him.
“I’m 13th ranked now. Although I’m fighting eighth, there might still be at least 15 more to beat before I can even get there.
According to Parkin, “I believe Tybura probably had 20 or so UFC fights.”
