The Shenzhou-23 crewed spaceship, atop a Long March-2F carrier rocket, blasts off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, May 24, 2026. China launched the Shenzhou-23 crewed spaceship on Sunday. (Xinhua/Lian Zhen)
People cool off in the sea amid a heat wave in Dubrovnik, Croatia, May 24, 2026. (Grgo Jelavic/PIXSELL via Xinhua)
Chinese astronauts Zhu Yangzhu (C), Zhang Zhiyuan (R) and Li Jiaying attend the send-off ceremony at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, May 24, 2026. A send-off ceremony for the three Chinese astronauts of the Shenzhou-23 crewed space mission was held here on Sunday. (Xinhua/Li Zhipeng)
An Indonesian volunteer from Global Sumud Flotilla 2.0 is welcomed at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Banten Province, Indonesia, May 24, 2026. Indonesia on Sunday welcomed the return of nine nationals involved in the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) humanitarian mission after they were detained by Israeli forces following the interception of their vessel near Cyprus on Monday, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The volunteers, who joined the GSF 2.0 mission through Global Peace Convoy Indonesia, arrived in Jakarta on Sunday after being released from detention in Ashdod, Israel, on Thursday, the ministry said in a press release. (Xinhua/Agung Kuncahya B.)
Health workers perform disinfection in Mongbwalu, Ituri Province, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, May 23, 2026.
The government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has temporarily suspended all passenger flights to and from Bunia, the capital of the northeastern Ituri Province that is the epicenter of the ongoing Ebola outbreak, the Ministry of Transport said on Saturday.
An Ebola outbreak was declared in Ituri on May 15, with Bunia among the main affected areas. According to an official statement, no aircraft will be allowed to land at or take off from Bunia Airport until further notice. (Str/Xinhua)
This image captured at Beijing Aerospace Control Center on May 25, 2026 shows a group picture of the crew of Shenzhou-21 and Shenzhou-23 spaceships. The three astronauts aboard China's Shenzhou-23 spaceship have entered the Tiangong space station and met with another astronaut trio on Monday, starting a new round of in-orbit crew handover.
The Shenzhou-21 crew aboard Tiangong opened the hatch at 5:13 a.m. (Beijing Time) and welcomed the new arrivals, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).
The two crews then took group pictures for the eighth space get-together in China's aerospace history.
They will conduct handover work aboard the space station, the CMSA said. (Xinhua/Jin Liwang)
Visitors are pictured during a VR immersive experience at the 22nd China (Shenzhen) International Cultural Industries Fair in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province, May 24, 2026. The 22nd China (Shenzhen) International Cultural Industries Fair, which highlights cultural industry development, focuses on the digital intelligence empowerment of the industry and the cultivation of new quality productive forces, gathering domestic and foreign high-end cultural industry resources and innovation elements. (Xinhua/Liang Xu)
People perform during the 16th annual Omagongo Festival at Onamega Village, Omusati region, Namibia, May 23, 2026. Namibia on Saturday celebrated the 16th annual Omagongo Festival at Onamega village under the Uukwambi Traditional Authority in the country's northern Omusati Region, highlighting the enduring role of culture in fostering unity, identity and social cohesion. (Photo by Ndalimpinga Iita/Xinhua)
