- Wednesday, 3 September 2025
CNN
World’s happiest countries in 2025
The world’s happiest country has managed to keep its No. 1 ranking for eight years running. The picture in the United States isn’t so rosy. While Finland once again tops the World Happiness Report’s rankings, the United States — at No. 24 — earned its lowest ranking yet in the 2025 report. In the United States and parts of Europe, declining happiness and social trust have contributed significantly to the rise of political polarization and votes against “the system,” the report finds. But in brighter news, global research shows that people are much kinder than we expect.
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SpaceX’s Crew-10 arrives at ISS, paving way for NASA’s Wilmore and Williams to return home
The four crew members docked with the space station around 12:04 a.m. ET on Sunday. They will spend a few days in a “handover” period with Williams, Wilmore, and their fellow Crew-9 astronauts, NASA’s Nick Hague and Roscosmos’ Aleksandr Gorbunov. The Crew-9 Dragon capsule has been docked at the space station since September. If all goes according to plan, Williams, Wilmore, Hague and Gorbunov will climb aboard the Crew-9 spacecraft and head back to Earth as soon as March 19.
World’s best city for food for 2025
In travel news this week: Why Nigerians say their Guinness is even better than Ireland’s, a Texan woman who moved to France in her 70s and is loving every minute, plus Time Out reveals the best foodie destinations for 2025.
SpaceX’s Crew-10 launches, paving way for NASA’s Wilmore and Williams to return home
SpaceX has launched a crew of astronauts who will take over duties on the International Space Station from NASA’s Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore — allowing the duo to return home from the orbiting laboratory after a days-long journey turned into a nine-month, politically charged trip. The Crew-10 mission, part of a routine staff rotation jointly operated by NASA and SpaceX, took off at 7:03 p.m. ET Friday from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. A SpaceX Dragon capsule, riding atop one of the company’s Falcon 9 rockets, carried the four Crew-10 astronauts — NASA’s Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, Takuya Onishi of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov — to orbit.
Passengers evacuate onto wing of American Airlines plane after engine catches fire
Dozens of passengers were forced to stand on the wing of an American Airlines plane at Denver International Airport as they evacuated the aircraft after one of its engines caught fire Thursday evening, sending thick black smoke billowing into the air. American Airlines Flight 1006, a Boeing 737-800 en route to Dallas-Fort Worth from Colorado Springs with 172 passengers and six crew aboard, diverted to Denver around 5:15 p.m. local time, after the crew reported “engine vibrations,” the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement.
Indiana woman found alive after 6 days trapped in her car following crash
A 41-year-old woman was found alive on Tuesday after being trapped in her car for six days following a crash in northwest Indiana, officials said. Brieonna Cassell disappeared last Wednesday after leaving her mother’s home to visit a friend near the towns of Wheatfield and DeMotte, Indiana, according to CNN affiliate WLS.
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Intuitive Machines’ Athena lander on moon surface but status unclear
A robotic lander named Athena has made its final descent to the moon’s surface, marking the second lunar touchdown for a US company this week. However the orientation of the lander is currently unknown. Houston-based Intuitive Machines, which last year became the first private-sector company to soft-land a vehicle on the moon, said that its Athena spacecraft was expected to touch down around 11:31 a.m. CT (12:31 p.m. ET) Thursday. The company confirmed Athena was on the moon and that mission control was communicating with the lander during a live broadcast of the event, cohosted by NASA and Intuitive Machines. Shortly after landing, the team powered down systems that were not required, said Josh Marshall, the company’s communications director.
Trump issues ‘last warning’ to Hamas to release all hostages
US President Donald Trump issued what he said was a “last warning” to Hamas to release all of the hostages in Gaza immediately – in a move that came just hours after the White House confirmed it was negotiating directly with the militant group. “Release all of the hostages now, not later, and immediately return all of the dead bodies of the people you murdered, or it is OVER for you,” Trump posted on Truth Social on Wednesday, soon after meeting eight freed hostages at the White House.
Trump says US has apprehended ‘top terrorist’ responsible for 2021 Kabul airport bombing
President Donald Trump announced Tuesday evening that the US is transporting a “top terrorist” involved in the 2021 bombing at Kabul airport’s Abbey Gate in Afghanistan where 13 US service members and at least 170 Afghan civilians were killed.
China defies Trump’s trade war by setting ambitious 5% growth target, vows to ‘prevail over any difficulty’
China has set an ambitious target of “around 5%” growth for 2025, in a defiant show of confidence as it braces for the fallout from escalating American tariffs on its export-driven economy.
Firefly’s Blue Ghost lander successfully touches down on the moon
An uncrewed spacecraft developed in the United States has successfully soft-landed on the moon, making Texas-based Firefly Aerospace only the second private-sector company ever to complete such a feat. Firefly’s 6.6-foot-tall (2-meter-tall) Blue Ghost lunar lander touched down on the moon’s near side at 2:34 a.m. CT (3:34 a.m. ET) Sunday. A parade of lunar landers developed by the private sector was launched this year, part of a convoy of robotic spacecraft that NASA and its partner agencies hope will pave the way for astronauts to return to the moon’s surface later this decade.
Firefly ‘Blue Ghost’ lunar lander aims for touchdown
A robotic lunar lander built by Texas-based company Firefly is set to attempt a soft landing on the moon, aiming to touch down at 2:34 a.m. CT (3:34 a.m. ET). The lander, called Blue Ghost, launched into orbit on a SpaceX rocket in January, spent some time in Earth’s orbit and has been manoeuvring toward the moon ever since.
Ramadan starts with crescent moon sighting, varying by location around world
You might already know that roughly a quarter of the world’s population is expected to head into Ramadan this weekend, the Islamic holy month perhaps best known for its followers’ dawn-to-sunset abstinence of food and liquids. What you might not realize if you’re not a follower: Muslims tentatively know when it’s coming up, but they may get a notice of mere hours of when Ramadan officially starts. Further, it’s not uniformly observed around the world — the start date can vary from country to country and can even be different from mosque to mosque in the same city.But what unites all Muslims is the observance of the new crescent moon in the ninth month of the Islamic calendar.
Chief Justice John Roberts pauses order for Trump admin to pay $2 billion in foreign aid by midnight
Chief Justice John Roberts on Wednesday paused a court-imposed midnight deadline that would have required the Trump administration to release $2 billion in frozen foreign aid, a goal that the government has claimed it is unable to meet
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World’s largest religious gathering wraps up after 600 million devotees take holy dip
Over the last 45 days, more than 620 million people – nearly a third of India’s roughly 1.4 billion population - have attended the Maha Kumbh Mela, or the festival of the Sacred Pitcher, on the riverbanks in the city of Prayagraj, in a spectacle of colour and expression of faith.
