US President Donald Trump has expressed surprise upon learning that NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, who endured an extended nine-month stint aboard the International Space Station (ISS), hadn’t received overtime pay.

Addressing reporters at a White House briefing, Trump even floated the idea of covering the costs himself, after the reporter highlighted that the duo were owed $1,430—$5 daily for 286 days.

“Nobody told me about this. If it comes to it, I’ll pay it from my own pocket, alright? I’ll sort it for them,” Trump declared, visibly taken aback. “Is that it? That’s peanuts for what they’ve been through,” he added, marvelling at the modest sum given their ordeal.

The astronauts, including Williams and Wilmore, alongside Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, returned to Earth on Wednesday via SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft, splashing down off Tallahassee, Florida.

Trump showered praise on SpaceX chief Elon Musk for the rescue. “Thank heavens for Elon. Without him, who knows how long they’d have been stuck up there?” he remarked, crediting Musk’s ingenuity for their safe return.

For Williams and Wilmore, seasoned test pilots for Boeing’s Starliner capsule, what began as an eight-day mission ballooned into over nine months due to technical snags—helium leaks and thruster glitches—that rendered their craft unfit for the journey back.

The Starliner returned empty in September 2024, leaving them reliant on SpaceX. Trump underscored the physical toll of prolonged space stays. “After nine or ten months, the body starts breaking down—bones, blood, the works. It gets grim beyond 14 months. Without Elon, they’d be in a fix,” he said.

In a tangent, Trump drew parallels between Musk’s challenges and his own, claiming Tesla faced vandalism akin to the 6 January 2021 riots. “Elon’s had his share of trouble too,” he noted, blending admiration with a touch of defiance.

A major fire at an electrical substation in Hayes, located in the Hillingdon borough of London, triggered widespread chaos on Friday, resulting in the shutdown of Heathrow airport, one of the busiest in the world. The incident has led to the cancellation or diversion of at least 1,351 flights, including multiple Air India services.

Among the affected Air India flights were AI129 from Mumbai and AI161 from Delhi. While the former was ordered to return mid-air, the latter was diverted to Frankfurt, Germany. The airline also confirmed the cancellation of all remaining flights to and from Heathrow for March 21, including AI111 from Delhi. However, it clarified that flights operating through Gatwick airport will continue as scheduled.

The power outage, caused by the blaze at the substation, left more than 16,000 homes in the UK capital without electricity. The Scottish and Southern Electricity Network, which provides power to over 3.8 million households, confirmed the disruption.

At the time of the shutdown, around 120 flights were airborne over Heathrow, either en route to land or having just departed. The airport, which is central to London’s air traffic network, warned of ongoing “significant disruptions” in the coming days due to the extent of the damage.

Other global carriers were also hit by the incident. British Airways issued an advisory asking passengers to avoid travelling to Heathrow until further notice. Cathay Pacific cancelled all six of its scheduled flights between Hong Kong and London, including CX257 which was recalled after departure. Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport reported that half of its 30 scheduled flights to and from Heathrow had also been cancelled.

Emergency response teams, including 70 firefighters and 10 fire engines from the London Fire Brigade, were deployed to contain the fire. Dramatic visuals of the incident showing thick smoke and bright flames lighting up the night sky were widely circulated on social media.

The timeline for restoration of services at Heathrow remains unclear, as authorities continue to assess the damage and work on restoring power.

Hamas launched rockets at Tel Aviv on Thursday, marking its first military response to Israel’s resumption of air and ground operations in Gaza, which has resulted in a rising civilian death toll. The armed wing of Hamas, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, stated that the rocket attack was in retaliation for Israel’s “massacres” of civilians in Gaza.

The Israeli military confirmed intercepting one projectile, while two others landed in uninhabited areas. Meanwhile, Israel announced the closure of Gaza’s main north-south route, Salaheddin Road, as it expanded its ground operations. Army spokesman Avichay Adraee stated that the move was part of efforts to “expand the security zone” between northern and southern Gaza.

The renewed violence has shattered the relative calm that had prevailed since a ceasefire took effect on January 19, 2025. Gaza’s civil defence agency reported that 504 people, including more than 190 children, have been killed since Israel resumed its offensive earlier this week.

At the Indonesian Hospital in northern Gaza, grieving families mourned their loved ones, with some appealing for an end to the violence. “We want a ceasefire! We are defenceless Palestinian people,” said Mohammed Hussein, a bereaved family member, in an emotional plea to the international community.

The Israeli army has banned traffic on Salaheddin Road, urging residents to use the Al-Rashid coastal road for travel between northern and southern Gaza. However, it remains unclear whether movement from south to north is permitted. An official from Gaza’s Hamas-run interior ministry reported that Israeli tanks had deployed at Netzarim Junction, a key crossing point on Salaheddin Road, following the withdrawal of American private security contractors earlier this week.

The ceasefire, which had been brokered in January, expired earlier this month amid deadlock over its extension. Israel had demanded the return of all remaining hostages before discussing a lasting ceasefire, a condition rejected by Hamas as an attempt to renegotiate the original agreement.

Philippe Lazzarini, head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), condemned the ongoing violence, describing it as “an endless unleashing of the most inhumane ordeals” on Gaza’s population. “Under our daily watch, people in Gaza are again & again going through their worst nightmare,” he wrote on X.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei also weighed in, calling Israel’s strikes a “catastrophic crime” and holding the United States partly responsible.

The conflict, which began with Hamas’s 2023 attack on Israel, has resulted in significant casualties on both sides. According to Israeli figures, the initial Hamas attack killed 1,218 people, mostly civilians. In Gaza, the health ministry reported an overall death toll of over 48,570 as of Monday, before the latest round of intense strikes resumed.