😎 The Mandalorian's totem animal is the auk

Adults reach a length of 38 to 43 cm and a wingspan of 60 to 69 cm. The back and head are black, and the belly and underside of the wings are white. In winter, the head also turns white.

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Facing NGC 1232

April 18, 2024

via @nasapictures

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap240418.html

US House approves long-awaited $61 billion Ukraine aid package
The House is pushing swiftly through a series of votes in a rare Saturday session to approve $95 billion in foreign aid for Ukraine, Israel and other U.S. allies, Democrats and Republicans joining together after a grueling monthslong fight over renewed American support for repelling Russia's invasion.

👉 Read more: https://f24.my/AGxy.g

watercolored sakura cat macro Yin Yang tenderness pastel blue style

Midjourney Art

Ruzzian used cluster munition bombs in Odessa hitting civilians.

The real experts in camouflage are the leafhoppers and orchid mantises.

⚡️Reuters: US warns Raiffeisen that access to dollar system could be restricted due to Russia presence.

Austria's Raiffeisen Bank International (RBI) was warned by the U.S. Treasury that its access to the U.S. financial system could be curbed due to its continued presence in the Russian market, Reuters reported on May 15.

Western leaders join veterans to mark 80th anniversary of D-Day landings in France
Western leaders are set Thursday to remember the 1944 World War II D-Day landings in northern France to liberate Europe from Nazi occupation, mindful of the over two-year war raging since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

👉 Read more: https://f24.my/ANse.g

SpaceX's mega rocket survives return to Earth, completing fourth test flight
SpaceX’s giant Starship rocket survived reentry through Earth’s atmosphere on Thursday and splashed down in the Indian Ocean as planned during its fourth test mission after launching from south Texas.

👉 Read more: https://f24.my/ANwg.g

Sharpless 308: The Dolphin Head Nebula

June 07, 2024

via @nasapictures

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap240607.html

The EU has started negotiations with Ukraine on joining the union, — the head of the EC, Ursula von der Leyen

International Court issues warrants for top Russian military officials

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for two top Russian military figures who led the war on Ukraine for alleged crimes against humanity and war crimes, it announced Tuesday.

Former defense minister Sergei Shoigu and the chief of the staff of the Russian Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov were named in the warrants for their attacks on civilian infrastructure in particular.

The action comes after the court — to which Russia is not a signatory — last year issued indictments against President Vladimir Putin and his Commissioner for Children’s Rights Maria Lvova-Belova, over the removal of Ukrainian children to Russia.

Read the full story here.

Russian strike hits Kyiv's main children's hospital

In Kyiv, Ohmatdyt Children’s Hospital was hit, killing two people, including a doctor. At least 16 others, including seven children were injured, according to Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko, and patients were forced to evacuate into the street. In the city of Kryvyi Rih, at least 10 people were killed, officials said.

Read the full story here.

First F-16 fighter jets have arrived in Ukraine, Zelensky confirms

Ukraine has received and is already using its first batch of F-16 fighter jets, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Sunday. Their arrival provides the country with a much-needed morale boost in its grinding war against Russia, though experts say they are unlikely to have a major impact on the battlefield.

“F-16s are in Ukraine. We made it happen,” Zelensky said in comments posted in a video on Telegram and on the official presidential website. “I am proud of all our guys who master with high quality these planes and have already started using them for our state.”

Belgium, Denmark, Norway and the Netherlands have pledged to supply Ukraine with the American-made F-16s. Zelensky did not provide further details about how many planes had been delivered, which nations had supplied them or how they were being utilized.

Read the full story here.

September 01, 2024

via @nasapictures

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap240901.html

Rocket Eclipse at Sunset

September 28, 2024

via @nasapictures

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap240928.html

JUST IN: SpaceX booster rocket successfully returns to the same tower it launched from.

@WatcherGuru