Overview
- NASA’s Orion capsule, which splashed down Friday off California, carried four astronauts after a far‑side lunar loop that set a 406,771‑kilometer human‑flight distance record.
- U.S. and Iranian teams ended face‑to‑face talks in Islamabad without a deal, with Vice President Bance saying Sunday the delegation would fly home after sharp rifts over Iran’s nuclear intent and access to the Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint for global oil shipments.
- A Moscow military court on Friday sentenced former deputy defense minister Pavel Popov to 19 years for bribery and fraud and ordered heavy fines, asset seizures, and the loss of his general’s rank and state honors.
- Japan’s government now sees the long‑promised return of the U.S. Futenma airbase as unlikely before 2036 because of court battles with Okinawa and difficult ground improvement at the Henoko relocation site.
- Seven people denied official recognition for Minamata disease will get an appeals ruling at the Fukuoka High Court on April 23, after families and lawyers gathered Saturday in Minamata to press for a finding that links their symptoms to mercury exposure.