BUSINESS

Virgin Galactic is poised on Saturday for its last spaceflight before heading into a two-year pause on commercial operations to upgrade its fleet, as the company seeks to finally turn a profit.

William Anders, the former US astronaut who took the historic "Earthrise" photo from space over 55 years ago, died in a plane crash on Friday at the age of 90, his family said.

A landslide election win will embolden Claudia Sheinbaum, Mexico's first woman president, to defend her country's interests in sometimes-tense relations with the United States dominated by trade, migration and drugs, experts say.

The upcoming inclusion of Israel on a UN list of countries and armed forces determined to be failing to protect children in war prompted a furious Israeli response Friday.

French premier Gabriel Attal on Friday wielded objects including a condom and a Nintendo Switch in a last ditch bid on social media to win the votes of young people in European elections.

The United States on Friday reestablished a temporary pier to boost aid deliveries into Gaza after the structure suffered storm damage and underwent repairs in a nearby port, the country's military said.

Even in Surrey, a historic stronghold of UK Conservatives, voters are tempted to give opposition parties a chance at the July 4 general election, saying successive governments have "made a mess of it".

US job growth blew past estimates in May while unemployment also edged up, according to government data released Friday, underscoring the labor market's resilience as policymakers seek to cool the economy gradually.

The Passwords app, which will debut on June 10 at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), aims to generate and track passwords more efficiently.

In Georgia's oldest gay bar, Tato Londaridze carefully stepped around construction materials as he set out his ambitious plan to put a stage for drag queens on the dance floor.

A disembodied woman's head mugged and grimaced, aping the facial expressions of a user on a nearby laptop as visitors to the China Humanoid Robot Developer Conference watched in fascinated unease.

Hundreds of deadly landmines and unexploded ordnance still litter parts of Libya after years of fighting, posing a constant danger to civilians, especially children, long after the conflict.

Asian markets fluctuated Friday and investors trod cautiously ahead of US jobs data that could play a key role in the Federal Reserve's plans for cutting interest rates, with the bank's next policy decision looming next week.

Workers at tech giant Samsung Electronics in South Korea staged the first strike at the company on Friday, the head of a major union representing tens of thousands of people told AFP. Samsung Electronics is one of the world's largest smartphone makers and also one of the only companies globally to produce high-end memory chips used for generative AI, including top-of-the-line AI hardware from industry leaders such as Nvidia.

A YouTuber who allegedly directed a helicopter to shoot fireworks at a speeding Lamborghini for a "crazy stupid" video has been arrested in California, US prosecutors said Thursday.

France will transfer Mirage-2000 fighter jets to Ukraine and train their Ukrainian pilots as part of a new military cooperation with Kyiv as it fights the Russian invasion, President Emmanuel Macron announced on Thursday.

A world-first launch from the far side of the Moon this week showcased China's progress in space, and Beijing now wants its commercial sector to catch up to rivals such as Elon Musk's SpaceX. Chinese companies lag far behind American frontrunners led by SpaceX, which plans to launch Starship, a massive prototype rocket that may one day send humans to Mars, on Thursday.

Four people were killed and more than 20 injured when an express train crashed head-on with a freight train in the central Czech city of Pardubice, officials said on Thursday.

The planned docking of a Boeing Starliner capsule carrying its first astronauts to the International Space Station has been delayed as teams work to troubleshoot problems affecting the propulsion system, NASA said Thursday.

If ever a place encapsulated the glorious complexity and sometimes paradoxical nature of the European Union, it would be Baarle, just on the Dutch side of the Netherlands-Belgium border.

Around 180 veterans in their late 90s or even over 100 were guests of honour at D-Day commemorations in France, many attending in wheelchairs for possibly the last time.

Dollar Tree is putting Family Dollar up for sale after an $8.5 billion merger in 2015 failed to work.

The FTC and the Justice Department have cleared the way for an antitrust investigation into Microsoft, Nvidia and OpenAI.

Boeing's Starliner crew capsule, which is making its way to the International Space Station on its first mission carrying astronauts, has developed two helium leaks since entering orbit but remains stable and on course for docking, NASA said.

Both part-time and full-time associates will be eligible for bonuses of up to $1,000 annually.

Russia's central bank chief called Thursday for Russia to be an "open economy" despite the barrage of Western sanctions and trading restrictions it has been hit with over its Ukraine offensive.

A tall metal fence will be built to control unruly tourists who have annoyed locals at a popular Mount Fuji photo spot, a Japanese official said Thursday.

Boeing's outgoing CEO Dave Calhoun will testify before a US Senate panel later this month to answer questions about safety and production issues at the aircraft manufacturer, the company said Wednesday.

The European Central Bank is expected to start cutting interest rates from record highs Thursday, its first reduction in nearly five years, but volatile inflation means the path ahead is uncertain.