News in Brief-(2024-03-03)

FE Team | Published: March 02, 2024 22:45:47

Chad junta chief says he will contest May 6 presidential vote
N'DJAMENA, Mar 02: Chad junta chief Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno, who took power in 2021 after the death of his long-ruling father, on Saturday announced he would contest a long-awaited May 6 presidential vote. "I, Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno, am a candidate for the 2024 presidential election under the banner of the For a United Chad coalition," he said in a speech. — AFP
Texas battling largest wildfire in its history
HOUSTON, Mar 02: Texas emergency crews were struggling Thursday to contain the largest wildfire in the US state's history, with the blaze killing at least two people and scorching a million acres as it raged out of control. The Texas A&M Forest Service said five major fires, fueled by an unseasonably hot winter and ferocious winds, were actively burning across the state's northern area known as the Texas panhandle. The largest, the Smokehouse Creek Fire, started on Monday, grew to a record 1,075,000 acres (435,000 hectares) in size, and was just three percent contained, the forest service said. — AFP
Japan Moon lander put to sleep
TOKYO, Mar 02: Japan's Moon lander has been put back to sleep after it surprisingly survived the freezing, two-week lunar night, the country's space agency said, with another operation attempt scheduled for later this month. The unmanned Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) touched down in January at a wonky angle that left its solar panels facing the wrong way. As the sun's angle shifted, it came back to life for two days and carried out scientific observations of a crater with a high-spec camera. This week, the SLIM probe, which was "not designed for the harsh lunar nights," when the temperature plunges to minus 133 degrees, produced another surprise by waking up after two weeks. — AFP