NewsNight of shockwaves: Space mission delay, Vanuatu quake, and more
Night of shockwaves: Space mission delay, Vanuatu quake, and more
It happened while you were sleeping. Here's what world agencies reported overnight from Tuesday to Wednesday.
5:58 AM EST, December 18, 2024
- Two NASA astronauts, who have been on the International Space Station since June due to issues with the Boeing Starliner, will stay there longer. NASA announced that the launch of the next crew to the ISS has been rescheduled from February to March to allow for the completion of work on the new SpaceX spacecraft. Four crew members on the station must wait for the arrival of the new team before they can return to Earth aboard the SpaceX Dragon capsule. Among them are NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, who were originally supposed to spend a week on the station, but their stay has been extended to over nine months. The new Dragon capsule, whose launch is planned for March, is expected to arrive at NASA's facility in Florida in January. The Crew-10 mission includes participation from NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, Russian cosmonaut Kirill Peskov, and Japanese astronaut Takuya Onishi. Until then, the crew will continue training in Houston.
- On Tuesday, the Electoral College officially elected Donald Trump as the President of the United States. According to the results from individual states, Trump received 312 electoral votes, while Kamala Harris, representing the Democratic Party, received 226 votes.
- An earthquake with a magnitude of 7.4 struck the capital region of Vanuatu, Port Vila, on Tuesday, causing the death of 14 people and injuring over 200. Rescuers are continually searching for people trapped in the rubble. Vanuatu's Prime Minister, Charlot Salwai, declared a state of emergency and imposed a curfew for seven days in the most affected areas. The earthquake's epicenter was 19 miles from Port Vila, at a depth of 35 miles. Commercial buildings, embassies, and a hospital were destroyed. Police Commissioner Robson Iavro reported on the damages, and the national broadcaster VBTC showed damaged vehicles and landslides. The international airport in Port Vila was closed for commercial flights for 72 hours. Vanuatu, an archipelago of 80 islands, is home to approximately 330,000 people. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs estimated that the earthquake affected 116,000 people, including 36,000 residents of Port Vila. Aftershocks, including one with a magnitude of 6.1, were felt overnight. Prime Minister Salwai appealed for international assistance.
- After the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria, many mass graves were discovered. Experts indicate that at least 100,000 bodies may be buried in the graves. "We've really not seen anything like this since the Nazis," said former U.S. Ambassador for War Crimes, Stephen Rapp.
- Luigi Mangione has been charged with the first-degree murder of UnitedHealthcare director Brian Thompson. Mangione allegedly shot Thompson in New York.
