Argentina have a relatively easier road to the latter stages of the FIFA World Cup 2026 compared to some of the other favourites in the tournament. Argentina face the tournament's surprise package Cape Verde in the Round of 32, Australia or Egypt await in the Round of 16, and one of Switzerland, Colombia or Ghana could be the potential quarter-final opponent. Against all these teams, Argentina will be overwhelming favourites to win. Therefore, it won't be a surprise if the reigning champions make it all the way to the semis at the very least. Argentina's easier route has led to certain sections of social media users conspiring whether FIFA themselves want Argentina to win the World Cup again. However, Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni rubbished such suggestion when asked on the matter ahead of their Round of 32 match. "I don't read social media, but today every opinion can become popular no matter its content. We must ignore such unrealistic opinions and focus o...
Russia could supply a small nuclear power plant for a mission to Mars planned by billionaire entrepreneur and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, President Vladimir Putin's international cooperation envoy said on Thursday.
The envoy, Kirill Dmitriev, said Moscow could discuss the offer with Musk by video conference. It was the second time Dmitriev has spoken of potential cooperation with Musk this month.
The proposal comes after US President Donald Trump launched talks with Russia aimed at reviving bilateral ties which were languishing at their lowest level in decades due to Russia's war in Ukraine. Moscow is seeking to develop economic cooperation with Washington, even as US sanctions against Russia over the conflict remain in place.
Musk, a close Trump associate, said earlier this month that his Starship rocket would blast off for Mars by the end of next year despite various failures in tests and amid scepticism from some space experts about Musk's projected timeline.
In a post on X, Musk said human landings could take place as early as 2029, but that "2031 was more likely." He spoke last year of plans to build a "self-sustaining city in about 20 years" on Mars, something that would need a power source.
Speaking in Murmansk on the sidelines of an Arctic Forum, Dmitriev, who is also head of a fund that works to attract foreign investors, said Russia could contribute a lot to a potential Mars mission.
"Russia can offer a small-sized nuclear power plant for a mission to Mars and other advanced technological capabilities," the state RIA news agency cited him as saying.
"We believe that Russia has a lot to offer for a mission to Mars, because we have some nuclear technologies that I think could be applicable," he added, saying Russia regarded cooperation with Musk, whom Dmitriev hailed as a "great visionary", as important.
Yuri Borisov, the then head of Russia's Roscosmos space agency, said last year that Russia and China were considering putting a nuclear power plant on the moon from 2033-35, something he said could one day allow lunar settlements to be built.
Russia said in 2022 it would start work on its own Mars mission after the European Space Agency (ESA) suspended a joint project after the start of the war.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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