SpaceX rocket debris crash lands on man’s lawn

A chunk of SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket made an “uncontrolled re-entry into the atmosphere” over Poland and crash-landed into a man’s lawn, the Polish space agency said on Wednesday.

The debris, about 1.5m by 1m wide, is from a SpaceX rocket launched from the Vandenberg Air Force Base in California on 1 February carrying a payload of Starlink satellites, the agency suspects.

“The Team of the Department of Space Security (DBK) confirms that at about 4.46am to 4.48am on 19 February 2025, an uncontrolled entry into the atmosphere of a member of the Falcon 9 reusable launch vehicle over Polish territory,” the Polish space agency Polsa said.

The mysterious object “resembling a tank” crash-landed into the lawn of Adam Borucki’s warehouse in Komorniki, Poland.

“We are securing the scene… explaining the circumstances of how this object ended up on the premises of the company. We know that parts from a Falcon rocket had flown over Poland,” local police told Poland’s news agency.

A second identical container was found in the forest of Wiry Village about 30km (19 miles) away, Reuters reported, citing local police.

Earlier in the day, the Polish news agency said flashes could be seen in the sky over many parts of Poland.

Witnesses posted videos on social media of spectacular luminous trails as debris entered the atmosphere over western Poland.

Local police said no injuries were reported as a result of this incident.

“The part of the rocket, weighing about 4 tons, came from the Space X Starlink Group 11-4 mission, which took off from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California on 1 February 2025,” the Polish space agency said in a statement.

“We already have photos of the objects that fell near Poznan. The Polsa Space Security Department will verify the object with SpaceX,” it said.

Harvard astronomer and space observer Jonathan McDowell said the Falcon 9 rocket’s second stage from the Starlink satellite launch “failed to deorbit itself”.

“This image claims (and it’s very likely correct) to show a pressure vessel from the reentered Falcon 9, fallen near Poznan in Poland,” said Dr McDowell, who tracks rocket movements, citing a photograph of the object.

“It reentered over Northern Europe last night, with entry over the Irish Sea at 0343 UTC Feb 19 and the reentry track extending to Poland and Ukraine a couple of minutes later,” he said in a post on X.

SpaceX did not immediately respond to The Independent’s request for comment.

Rocket debris crashing onto Earth could pose increasing risk for aircraft, according to a recent study.

Last year, a giant ring part suspected to be part of a rocket crash landed in Kenya’s Mukuku village.

In 2021, Nasa condemned China for its “irresponsible” attitude towards space safety after debris from one of its rockets fell to Earth.

Tasmanian authorities begin euthanising stranded whales

Wildlife authorities in Tasmania have decided to euthanise the surviving false killer whales that stranded on a remote beach on the state’s northwest coast after rough ocean conditions made it impossible to refloat them.

More than 150 false killer whales were found stranded on a remote beach near Arthur River on Wednesday and wildlife officials confirmed on Wednesday that 90 of the 157 animals were still alive.

Brendon Clark, a liaison officer at the Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service told reporters on Thursday that euthanasia was the only option. “The conditions that the team faced yesterday in attempts to refloat the whales proved very challenging and, in fact, dangerous to our staff.”

He added that the “forecasts over the forthcoming days show no likelihood of improvement in weather conditions, and so those challenging conditions trying to refloat animals into that exposed ocean will remain constant”.

Despite its name, the false killer whale is a highly sociable species of dolphin. These animals, which can grow up to 6m long, live in large pods, making them more susceptible to mass strandings.

On Wednesday afternoon, the team began euthanising animals, processing 27 on-site this morning, Mr Clark said. As of now, 38 animals remain alive, indicating that 25 more succumbed naturally overnight.

The euthanasia process is expected to conclude on Thursday, after which the authorities will assess “options for carcass disposal”.

Authorities decided to euthanise the stranded whales to prevent their further suffering, as they had become disoriented and distressed. While machinery is often used to relocate stranded whales for release, the remote location of the beach made it impossible to deploy equipment.

Marine biologist Kris Carlyon told the media that the site, located about 300km from Launceston, is highly inaccessible, making it difficult to transport rescue equipment. “This is possibly the trickiest location I have seen in 16 years of doing this role in Tasmania.”

He added: “We’re talking a very rough, steep, single lane road into the site. We can get four-wheel drives in there, but not a lot else.”

Shelley Graham, incident controller with Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service said: “It’s quite rough, and the animals just can’t get past the break to get out. They just keep turning around and coming back towards the beach.”

Aerial images revealed false killer whales scattered along the beach, some partially buried in sand, while others remained stranded in shallow waters near rocky outcrops.

The last mass stranding of false killer whales in Tasmania occurred 50 years ago, in June 1974, when a pod of 160 to 170 was found at Black River Beach on the island’s northern coast. It remains unclear how many survived.

Around 470 pilot whales stranded at Macquarie Harbour near Strahan in Tasmania’s west coast in 2020, followed by another 200 in the same area in 2022.

Dr Angus Henderson at the Institute of Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, told CNN: “It’s not often clear why whales strand, but they have been stranding for many centuries across the world’s coastlines, including en mass.

“There are many natural causes such as lead animals getting sick, lost or disoriented, as well as other factors such as weather and magnetic anomalies… This is the third mass stranding in 5 years on the west coast of Tasmania, but whether this is a pattern with a discernible cause is yet to be determined.”

Meanwhile, Mr Clark added that, as part of standard procedure, postmortem investigations, “including full necropsies” would be conducted on several animals “to help try to gain additional information as to why these types of events may be occurring”.

Indian national arrested over hydrogen balloon explosion in Nepal

A man responsible for filling hydrogen gas balloons at a tourism event in Nepal has been arrested after an explosion left deputy prime minister Bishnu Paudel and mayor Dhanraj Acharya with burn injuries.

Nepali authorities have arrested Kamlesh Kumar, an Indian national, in connection with the explosion of hydrogen-filled balloons at the inauguration of Visit Pokhara Year 2025. The blast occurred on 15 February when Mr Paudel and Mr Acharya released the balloons while lighting ceremonial candles with an electric switch.

Police confirmed that Mr Kumar, 41, had been in charge of inflating the balloons, which ignited and burst into a fireball. The explosion injured the two officials and others standing nearby. Both Mr Paudel and Mr Acharya were immediately airlifted to Kathmandu for medical treatment.

Footage from the event, widely shared on social media, showed the moment the balloons exploded, engulfing the stage in flames. The Kathmandu Post reported that a spark from the automatic switch ignited the hydrogen, leading to the explosion.

Deputy superintendent of police, Basanta Sharma, stated that a case has been registered against Mr Kumar at the Kaski district court. Following the incident, country’s home minister Ramesh Lekhak established an investigation committee to determine the cause of the explosion and assess any lapses in safety protocols.

Mr Paudel, who also serves as Nepal’s finance minister, suffered burns to his hands and face. He was discharged on Monday after receiving treatment at Kirtipur Burn Hospital in Kathmandu. Mayor Acharya, who sustained facial burns, remains under medical observation.

The event, aimed at promoting Pokhara as a key tourist destination, proceeded despite the explosion. Organisers have assured that safety measures will be reviewed to prevent such incidents in the future.

Local media reports indicate that Visit Pokhara Year 2025 is expected to attract around two million tourists.

Bodies of missing coal miners found after 44-day search

The bodies of five miners trapped in a flooded rat-hole coal mine in India’s northeastern Assam state were recovered on Wednesday, concluding a 44-day operation.

Nine miners were trapped when the mine in Umrangso area of Dima Hasao district flooded on 6 January.

Rescue efforts faced significant delays due to persistent water inflow from interconnected rat-hole tunnels. At one point, pumps were extracting five lakh litres of water per hour, but the 310ft central pit of the mine and narrow tunnels made access difficult, local officials said.

In the initial phase of the operation, four bodies were recovered within the first week. One was found two days after the rescue mission began and three more on 11 January.

The remaining five bodies remained trapped deep inside the tunnels, requiring weeks of sustained dewatering before retrieval became possible.

“The bodies were trapped in the rat-holes. Today, after dewatering efforts, water had been cleared from the base of the mine and men could go down and look for the bodies,” Riki Phukan, an official at the district disaster management authority, said on Wednesday. “After the bodies were found by National Disaster Response Force and Army teams, the operation was finally closed by around 5 pm.”

Only after water levels were sufficiently reduced did rescue personnel manage to enter the depths of the mine and recover the last of the victims, concluding the 44-day operation.

State authorities launched a criminal investigation into the incident, setting up a Special Investigation Team and a one-man inquiry commission led by former Gauhati High Court judge Justice Anima Hazarika to assign responsibility.

The Assam government has pledged Rs 10 lakh (£9,154) in financial assistance to the families of each of the victims.

The tragedy has reignited concerns about illegal rat-hole mining, leading to a crackdown on such operations in Dima Hasao and Tinsukia districts.

“Today, the dewatering of the Umrangso mines was completed to a level where retrieval operations could be launched. The mortal remains of the remaining 5 miners have been recovered and brought up from the mine shaft. The process to identify the remains has been initiated,” state chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on X.

The victims have been identified as Ganga Bahadur Shresth, 38, Hussain Ali, 30, Jakir Hussain, 38, Sarpa Barman, 46, Mustafa Seikh, 44, Khusi Mohan Rai, 57, Sanjit Sarkar, 35, Lijan Magar, 26, and Sarat Goyary, 37.

Shresth hailed from Nepal while Sarkar was from West Bengal. The remaining seven victims came from various regions of Assam.

North Korea reopens to foreign tourists for first time since pandemic

North Korea is welcoming foreign tourists for the first time since closing its borders in January 2020 due to the Covid pandemic, with a limited number of tour operators set to lead visitors into the country’s Rason Special Economic Zone this week.

Among the first to return was Australian tour manager Rowan Beard.

In an interview with The Straits Times, Mr Beard said his arrival at North Korean immigration was met with surprise and excitement. “At first, the North Korean immigration official was like, ‘You Russian?’ and I replied, ‘No, I’m Australian’ and handed him my passport,” Mr Beard of the Young Pioneer Tours said. The officer quickly alerted colleagues, who gathered around to examine his passport.

He was part of a small delegation of travel operators invited to assess conditions in Rason ahead of its reopening to tourists on 20 February. His company, along with Koryo Tours from Beijing, is running the first trips to the isolated country, leading groups of around 15 visitors each. The itineraries include visits to a local brewery, a foreign language school, a taekwondo academy, and a site where the North Korean, Chinese and Russian borders intersect.

North Korea, largely sealed off since the pandemic began, is taking cautious steps to revive tourism. Rason, established in 1991 to attract foreign investment, was never as popular a destination as the capital Pyongyang, which remains closed to all but Russian tourists.

Before the pandemic, Chinese visitors accounted for about 90 per cent of all foreign arrivals, with 350,000 entering in 2019 alone, reported The Straits Times.

The resumption of tours comes amid a thaw in Pyongyang’s relations with Beijing. A Chinese travel agency confirmed on 18 February that it had received approval to restart trips and was accepting bookings for a group scheduled to visit Rason on 24 February.

Mr Beard said demand for the first tours was overwhelming. “In the first five minutes, our inbox started getting smashed with all the inquiries coming in. We were being ‘attacked’ from all angles from people wanting more details and to book and to be one of the first to return,” he said.

The clientele for North Korean tours is typically drawn from Australia, Canada and Europe, with some visitors from Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore.

South Koreans remain barred from entry and the US has prohibited its citizens from travelling to North Korea since 2017 following the detention and subsequent death of American student Otto Warmbier.

While North Korea is keen to revive tourism, some restrictions remain in place. Local markets, once a key attraction for foreign visitors, are currently off-limits due to lingering concerns over Covid. Strict health measures, including mask-wearing and temperature checks, remain in place at various locations.

Gergo Vaczi, the chief representative of Koryo Tours, said North Korean guides expressed a mix of excitement and apprehension over the return of tourists. “Because they haven’t had tourists for five years, the guides feel like they are out of practice. They are anxious about their English,” he said.

In spite of the prolonged border closure, Mr Beard and Mr Vaczi said they have seen no visible signs of economic distress in Rason. There has been speculation that Pyongyang is reopening tourism to generate much-needed revenue, with estimates suggesting the industry could bring in almost $175m annually.

While some critics argue that tourist spending could support North Korea’s weapons programme, Mr Beard disagreed. “I have seen this money go back into the tourism infrastructure they have. This is what pays the staff, puts fuel in the bucket, pays for the running of the hotels,” the manager said. “Sure, some percentage goes back to the government, but is it enough to put plutonium into a nuclear missile? I don’t think so.”

North Korea has also made subtle ideological shifts during its years of isolation. Mr Vaczi observed that Pyongyang’s language towards South Korea has changed, with state media referring to it as the “Republic of Korea” instead of the traditional “South Chosun”. Additionally, world maps in hotels and schools, which previously highlighted the entire Korean peninsula in red, now only mark North Korea.

Professor Mimura Mitsuhiro, from the University of Niigata Prefecture in Japan, noted that while tourism is not a major contributor to North Korea’s economy, it plays a role in supporting the sector and offering a rare glimpse into the outside world.

Dr Yee Ji Sun, a researcher at the Korea Institute for National Unification, said North Korea’s reopening could be part of an effort to reshape its international image. “The return of tourists could help reshape North Korea’s reputation, shifting it from a ‘dangerous country’ in the eyes of the international community to a potentially ‘safe’ travel destination,” she said.

While US citizens remain banned from visiting North Korea due to travel restrictions imposed in 2017 after the death of Warmbier, a handful of Western tourists have found ways around such bans. American filmmaker Justin Martell, for instance, obtained a second passport at significant personal cost to gain entry.

Mr Martell, who recently visited North Korea, observed that the country remains highly cautious about Covid. He heard theories while in the country that the virus entered via balloons sent from South Korea.

His observations align with those of tour operators who note that while enthusiasm for tourism’s return is high, the process of rebuilding access and trust will take time.

Mr Beard remains optimistic, however. “I’m over the moon that the first group’s going this week,” he said, “but it’s a hard reboot, and it’ll take time to find that balance.”

Yoon Suk Yeol becomes first sitting president to go on criminal trial

South Korea‘s impeached president Yoon Suk Yeol appeared in court on Thursday for the first hearing of his criminal trial over insurrection charges.

His lawyers argued before the Seoul Central District Court that the insurrection investigation was conducted in an illegal manner and that there was no risk of Mr Yoon trying to destroy evidence.

Prosecutors last month indicted Mr Yoon after accusing him of leading an insurrection by imposing a short-lived martial law on 3 December 2024.

Mr Yoon is the first sitting president to be put on criminal trial and faces years in prison for declaring martial law, which sought to ban political and parliamentary activity and wrest control of the media.

South Korean presidents enjoy immunity from prosecution for most offences, but not treason or rebellion.

Footage aired by local broadcasters showed justice ministry vehicles leaving the Seoul Detention Centre, where Mr Yoon is being held, and arriving at the court where lines of police buses were parked to ensure security.

The impeached president was indicted on 26 January on a rebellion charge carrying a potential punishment of death or life in prison. The indictment alleges that his imposition of martial law was an illegal attempt to shut down the National Assembly and arrest political leaders and election officials.

Mr Yoon previously claimed that his martial law decree was intended as a temporary warning to the opposition and that he always meant to respect the will of the lawmakers if they voted to lift the measure.

The decree was withdrawn after lawmakers voted against it despite attempts by security forces to prevent them from gathering in the National Assembly.

In the court on Thursday, prosecutors called for quick proceedings considering the “gravity” of the case, but Mr Yoon’s lawyers said they needed more time to review records.

Mr Yoon had “no intention to paralyse the country”, one of his lawyers told the court, adding that the martial law decree was to inform the public of the “legislative dictatorship of the huge opposition party”.

The next hearing is set for 24 March.

Mr Yoon was suspended as president when he was impeached by the National Assembly on 14 December. He is now awaiting the Constitutional Court’s decision on the validity of the impeachment. If the court rules the parliamentary action valid, Mr Yoon will be removed from office.

The court will hear witnesses, including prime minister Han Duck Soo, testify on Thursday. Mr Yoon will also attend the impeachment trial hearing, Korean media reported.

The martial law was lifted about six hours after Mr Yoon imposed it, but the declaration caused political turmoil, disrupted high-level diplomacy and tested the resilience of the country’s democracy.

The president’s conservative supporters rioted at the Seoul Western District Court after it authorised his arrest last month while his lawyers and the ruling party openly questioned the credibility of courts and law enforcement institutions handling the case.

Mr Yoon’s defense minister, police chief and several military commanders have been arrested as well and indicted on rebellion, abuse of power and other charges related to the martial law declaration, which saw hundreds of heavily armed troops deployed to the National Assembly and National Election Commission.

Additional reporting by agencies.

Flu outbreak kills 9 people and leaves over 100,000 sick in Thailand

An influenza outbreak has killed at least nine people and left thousands sick across Thailand, according to the Southeast Asian country’s health ministry.

The country has recorded at least 107,507 flu infections so far in 2025 with the number of patients increasing by about 15,000 per week, Jurai Wongsawat, a spokeswoman for the Department of Disease Control, said.

The health ministry has been speeding up the supply of vaccines for the vulnerable populations of children and the elderly.

The highest number of infections have been found among children aged five to nine followed by those under four and between 10 and 14 years old. The most common strain of the influenza virus is A/H1N1, according to the ministry.

While only around 7,800 cases of influenza were recorded across Thailand in the whole of January, the number had leapt to 99,057 by 15 February, with nine fatalities.

The youngest victim was 11 years old and the oldest 86, the health ministry said, adding that all of them had been vaccinated against the flu.

Phuket, Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phayao, Lamphun, and Lampang are among the worst-affected provinces in the country. The highest rates of infection have been reported in schools, prisons and military camps, The Nation reported.

Dr Jurai said that there has been a steady increase in influenza cases in the country since the relaxation of the Covid pandemic restrictions. “Statistics show that the flu is spreading rapidly among children. It’s recommended that schools enforce strict measures to curb infections.”

To prevent further spread, infected people should stay home for at least three to five days, she said.

Yong Poovorawan, a virologist at the Chulalongkorn University Faculty of Medicine, said in an advisory: “Influenza is seasonal. It spreads in the cold season in the northern and southern hemispheres.”

South Korea to accept North Korean soldiers captured in Ukraine

South Korea has said it will grant asylum to North Korean soldiers captured by Ukraine if they seek refuge, reinforcing its longstanding policy of recognising North Koreans as South Korean citizens under its constitution.

The announcement came after a North Korean soldier reportedly taken prisoner by Ukrainian forces expressed his wish to settle in South Korea, raising questions about whether Seoul would accept his request.

“The government, based on the basic principle of accepting all of them when they request to come to South Korea and according to relevant laws, will provide necessary protection and support,” a South Korean foreign ministry official, speaking anonymously, said on Wednesday.

The official confirmed this stance had already been conveyed to Ukraine and that discussions on the matter would continue, the Korean Herald reported.

“Respecting their free will is also in line with international law and practices and they must not be sent back to their country where they would face persecution,” the official said, according to the South China Morning Post.

“We have conveyed this position to the Ukrainian side, and we plan to conduct necessary consultations.”

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky claimed last month his forces had captured two North Korean soldiers fighting for Russia. One of them, a 26-year-old sniper identified by the surname Ri, was interviewed by South Korean newspaper Chosun Ilbo and spoke about his desire to defect.

“I will apply for refugee status,” Ri was quoted as saying by the paper. “I am thinking of going to South Korea. If I apply for refugee status, will they accept me?”

Ri claimed he was unaware he would be deployed to fight against Ukraine. He had been told he would be training as an international student in Russia, the paper said. “I didn’t know I would be participating in combat,” he said.

The other soldier, 21-year-old rifleman Paek, also suggested he was considering defecting to South Korea. Both soldiers had been deployed to Russia’s Kursk border region in late October and November after serving in the North Korean military for several years.

Mr Zelensky has suggested that Ukraine is open to various options for North Korean prisoners of war. He has previously indicated that Kyiv is willing to exchange them for Ukrainian prisoners held by Russia.

“Ukraine is ready to hand over Kim Jong Un’s soldiers to him if he can organise their exchange for our warriors who are being held captive in Russia,” Mr Zelensky said. “For those North Korean soldiers who do not wish to return, there may be other options available.”

Seoul’s decision to accept defecting North Korean soldiers aligns with its constitution, which recognises all North Koreans as South Korean citizens. The foreign ministry reiterated that international law and humanitarian principles dictate that prisoners of war should not be repatriated to countries where they may face persecution.

The South Korean defence ministry condemned the North’s deployment of troops to Russia calling it “deceptive and inhumane”. A ministry spokesperson, Jeon Ha Gyu, urged Pyongyang to immediately halt further troop deployments.

Seoul also criticised Chosun Ilbo for publishing images and personal details of the captured North Korean soldiers. “Prisoners of war must be treated humanely and media coverage involving them should be handled with caution under relevant agreements, including the Third Geneva Convention,” a foreign ministry official said.

“We express concern and regret that the facial photos of North Korean prisoners of war were exposed as they were by the media report, creating the possibility of disadvantages to the safety of themselves and their families.”

The ruling conservative People Power Party has urged the government to make efforts to facilitate the safe defection of North Korean prisoners held in Ukraine.

Interim leader Kwon Young Se warned that captured North Korean soldiers could be exchanged for Ukrainian prisoners, meaning they could be returned to North Korea.

“If they return to North Korea, the lives of these young men cannot be guaranteed,” he said. “We must not send them back to a place where their safety cannot be ensured.”