Axiom Space, based in Houston, Texas, will be responsible for the design, development, certification and eventual production of the spacesuits and associated equipment, the U.S. space agency said.

The contract also includes testing the suits in a "space-like environment," it said. In the end, however, acceptance and approval will be up to NASA itself.

NASA struggles with technical problems

Axiom made headlines in April with the first private charter flight to the International Space Station (ISS). At the time, three private individuals flew into space in a "SpaceX" space capsule with an experienced pilot - ticket prices reportedly $50 million.

Meanwhile, NASA's Artemis space program is struggling with problems. The launch of the Artemis I mission has already been aborted twice due to technical problems with the newly developed SLS rocket.

Razor-sharp - down to the last gray hair

Then the Obamas pulled large swaths of blue fabric from their portrait paintings, which had been kept top secret until then. Artist Robert McCurdy painted Barack Obama in a dark suit against a bright white background; at first glance, the oil painting looks like a razor-sharp photograph. The artist has also portrayed the Dalai Lama or Nelson Mandela in such photorealistic fashion.

"You can see he refused to hide any of my gray hairs. He also ignored my request to paint my ears smaller," Obama joked - and, then serious again, described the office of the president as a relay race:

"There are nights when we lie awake wondering if this decision or that decision was the right one. You do your best. And in the end, you pass the baton that you took on in the beginning to someone else."

One name is withheld

There was also an allusion to Obama's successor, Donald Trump, whose name was not directly mentioned even once during the speeches broadcast live. Trump had denied the Obamas a reception at the White House to unveil their portraits. Michelle Obama alluded to this as well. Her brightly colored portrait, painted by Sharon Sprung, shows the ex-First Lady in an off-the-shoulder light blue dress on a red sofa. "Traditions like this are important," Michelle said, "Not just for public officials, but for all people in this country who participate in democracy."

It is not yet clear when the portraits of Donald and Melania Trump will move into the White House and can be seen up close during tours. The only thing that is known is that the Trumps have commissioned their painting.

07.09.2022 Unless drastically altered new variants of the virus emerge, U.S. officials are likely to recommend an annual Corona booster vaccination, similar to that for influenza. "We're probably moving toward a vaccination schedule similar to the annual flu shot, with vaccines retargeted each year to the strains that are circulating," U.S. President Joe Biden's top Corona adviser, Anthony Fauci, told the press Tuesday.

At-risk groups, however, may need more frequent booster shots, Fauci added. The announcement came a week after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) cleared the new vaccines from Biontech/Pfizer and Moderna targeting omicron subtypes BA.4 and BA.5.

Distribution of doses has reportedly already begun. Booster vaccinations are expected to begin this week and prevent a new wave this winter.

The approved vaccines are so-called bivalent vaccines that target both the wild type of coronavirus prevalent in early 2020 and the currently predominant omicron subtypes BA.4 and BA.5. The BA.4 and BA.5 subtypes currently predominate worldwide and had caused the recent corona waves in Europe and the U.S. in recent months.

07.09.2022

The USA now definitely does not want to classify Russia as a "terrorist state". It is explained that the classification for Ukraine could even be negative.

The USA does not want to classify Russia as a terror-supporting state. The administration in Washington does not consider this the most effective way to hold Russia accountable, National Security Council Communications Director John Kirby, 59, said Tuesday.

"We have taken a serious look at this," he stressed. He said the U.S. government has looked at possible implications, including talking to outside experts about it, and has concluded that such a classification could be more of a hindrance. This, for example, for the efforts of non-governmental organizations to provide humanitarian assistance to the people in Ukraine.

In the end, such a classification could also hinder Ukraine's role at the negotiating table if negotiations with Russia were to eventually occur, Kirby continued. That is why the U.S. government decided against such a move, he said. "It was not dismissed lightly," he stressed.

U.S. President Joe Biden, 79, had on Monday evening (local time) denied reporters' question whether Russia should be classified accordingly. He did not elaborate.

The Ukrainian government had called on the U.S. to take such a step. Most recently, Latvia's parliament had classified Russia as a terror-supporting state.

U.S. sees these countries as terror supporters

Four countries are currently on the U.S.-led list of terror-supporting states: Syria, Iran, North Korea and, since the beginning of 2021, Cuba. They face corresponding sanctions - including on US development aid, arms exports and the financial sector. (SDA/euc)

25.08.2022

Los Angeles County must pay millions in compensation to the widow of Kobe Bryant, the U.S. basketball star who died in the crash. She complained of emotional distress because police officers and firefighters had taken photos of the crash site.

In the trial over photos of the crash site following the death of U.S. basketball star Kobe Bryant in a helicopter accident, a jury awarded $31 million in damages to Bryant's widow and another victim's relative. Jurors on Wednesday ordered Los Angeles County to pay Vanessa Bryant $16 million after about four and a half hours of deliberations.

The jury awarded $15 million in damages to plaintiff Chris Chester, whose wife and daughter also died in the January 2020 helicopter crash.

Images never made public, according to county

The plaintiffs had said in their civil lawsuit that they experienced emotional distress because police officers and firefighters took photos of the crash site and later shared them with acquaintances and other rescue workers. According to Vanessa Bryant's attorneys, at least 11 police officers and a dozen firefighters shared the photos in the 24 hours following the January 26, 2020, accident.

In the coming weeks, an employee of the Los Angeles sheriff's office "flaunted" the photos at a bar, the attorneys explained. They said another sent photos to a group of video game friends, and a firefighter showed photos at an awards ceremony. The Los Angeles county that sued did not dispute that the photos were taken. But its attorneys argued the images never became public and have since been deleted.

At the trial in Los Angeles, however, Vanessa Bryant said she lived in fear of the footage getting on the Internet and then spreading and spreading. "It's like Covid," the widow said in court last week. "Once it spreads, it can't be undone."

In a separate lawsuit last year, other victims' relatives had been awarded a total of $2.5 million in damages for pain and suffering because of the photos.

Kobe Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven other occupants were killed when their helicopter crashed near Los Angeles on Jan. 26, 2020. According to the investigation, the pilot of the helicopter apparently lost his bearings after getting caught in dense clouds. Bryant is considered one of the best players in the history of the North American professional league NBA. He won five NBA championships with the Los Angeles Lakers in his 20-year career and won gold medals with the U.S. team at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics. He ended his career in 2016.

24.08.2022

Ukraine declared its independence 31 years ago. In Kiev, there is nervousness about feared Russian missile attacks on major cities. From well-wishers, the country wants heavy weapons above all. The overview.

n the shadow of the Russian war of aggression that has been going on for half a year, Ukraine is celebrating its national holiday on Wednesday. Independence Day is an important date for Ukrainians - "and thus, unfortunately, also for our enemy," President Volodymyr Selenskyj said. There was nervousness in Kiev over feared Russian missile attacks on major cities. Selenskyj called on the population to abide by curfews and move to safety in case of air alerts. "Remember, we should all experience victory together," he said.

The war-torn country is receiving further arms aid from abroad. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD), for example, announced a German arms package including anti-aircraft systems, rocket launchers, ammunition and anti-drone equipment. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg urged Ukraine's backers to provide more military aid. "NATO allies should urgently do more so that Ukraine can survive as a sovereign independent nation," Stoltenberg told Die Welt newspaper.

Thirty-one years ago, on Aug. 24, 1991, the then Soviet republic of Ukraine had declared independence after the failed coup by conservative forces against General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev. His successor in the Kremlin, Vladimir Putin, ordered an attack on the neighboring country six months ago to bring it back under Russian control. Since Feb. 24, large parts of Ukraine have been devastated, with Russian troops holding about one-fifth of the country. While Ukraine has held out at great sacrifice, there is no end in sight to the war.

California has been in drought for 20 years. San Diego is the only city in the western United States that has managed to reduce per capita water consumption - through incentives and a treatment plant.

Lush succulents, prickly palms, cacti, magnolia bushes - Nancy and Ken Cavanah have put on work gloves: most of the native plants the two have planted in their front yard otherwise leave obvious marks with their thorns. They cut off a few dry branches, pick up wilted leaves. After all, "It's all pretty low maintenance. We don't have to water. That makes it easy," Ken Cavanah is pleased to say. One gardening session a month is enough, he says.

Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis had several dozen migrants airlifted to the island of Martha's Vineyard in the state of Massachusetts unannounced Wednesday. It is known as a posh resort. In doing so, he is escalating a tactic by Republican governors to focus public attention on what he sees as the Biden administration's failed border policy - and making no secret of that intention.

"Yes, Florida can confirm that the two planes carrying illegal immigrants that arrived in Martha's Vineyard today were part of the state's resettlement program to transport illegal immigrants to sanctuary cities," DeSantis spokeswoman Taryn Fenske told Fox News Digital on Wednesday.

Other Republican governors had also repeatedly managed migrants to Democratic-leaning regions of the country recently. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Thursday had two buses full of migrants brought near U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris' residence in Washington in a high-profile move.

Memories of 9/11

On Sept. 11, 2001, Islamist terrorists had hijacked four airliners. After they piloted American Airlines Flight 11 into the north tower of the World Trade Center, another plane flew into the south tower a short time later. The attackers steered American Airlines Flight 77 into the Department of Defense near Washington. A fourth plane crashed in Pennsylvania after passengers resisted the hijackers. What the hijackers' goal was with the fourth plane is still unclear.

While Biden was visiting the Pentagon in Arlington, Vice President Kamala Harris was at the memorial in New York, and first lady Jill Biden traveled to the crash site in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, at the time.

Aid totaling 15.8 billion U.S. dollars

With the further military support, the financial equivalent of the aid provided by the U.S. to Ukraine since the beginning of the war in February increases to about 15.8 billion U.S. dollars.

Most recently, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced an aid package worth $2.2 billion during a visit to the Ukrainian capital Kiev in September. The funds are to be used to strengthen not only Ukraine, but also other countries in eastern and southern Europe. In August, U.S. President Joe Biden had previously pledged almost three billion U.S. dollars in aid to Ukraine - the largest single U.S. aid package to date.

In total, the U.S. Congress had agreed to invest nearly $40 billion in military and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine. However, the sum is also to be used to replenish U.S. military stocks.

Further sanctions imposed

In addition to aid to Ukraine, the U.S. has also launched further sanctions against Russian politicians, officials and companies. The punitive measures target, among others, a senior economic adviser to Russian President Vladimir Putin, pro-Russian officials in Russian-occupied territories in Ukraine, and judicial officials operating on the Russian-annexed Crimean peninsula.

The sanctions also once again focus on the Russian intelligence service GRU. The background to these further measures is also the accusation that Ukrainian citizens are initially being taken to camps in their home country and then deported to Russia against their will.

Further sanctions imposed

In addition to aid to Ukraine, the U.S. has also launched additional sanctions against Russian politicians, officials and companies. The punitive measures target, among others, a senior economic adviser to Russian President Vladimir Putin, pro-Russian officials in Russian-occupied territories in Ukraine, and judicial officials operating on the Russian-annexed Crimean peninsula.

The sanctions also once again focus on the Russian intelligence service GRU. The background to these further measures is also the accusation that Ukrainian citizens are initially being taken to camps in their home country and then deported to Russia against their will.

16.09.2022 The Kansas City Chiefs also won their second game of the season in the NFL, prevailing against the Los Angeles Chargers despite a difficult first half.

In Thursday night's 27-24 win, the Chiefs trailed for a long time in their first home game and didn't look as dominant as usual. In the end, star quarterback Patrick Mahomes still finished with two touchdown passes and 235 yards after throws. Justin Herbert in the Chargers' team had three touchdown passes, but also an interception.

The Chiefs benefited in particular from a pass intercepted by Justin Watson, who prevented a touchdown for the Chargers and scored himself. "There are a lot of great players and coaches on both teams. Everybody was ready," Chiefs pro Travis Kelce said. "We've got to do some things better. This was a division rival, so it was very important for that. Other than that, though, just a win and we've got to move on."