Morning news brief: NASA hits an asteroid, Cuba legalises same-sex marriage & more

Creating history, NASA took a giant precautionary leap in preparation of a future armageddon event by smashing theDouble Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) into a160-meter asteroid named Dimorphos. In other news,Cuba declared same-sex marriages as legal after citizens approved a new family law that boosts the rights of minorities.

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In an extraordinary rehearsal for the day when a rock threatens Earth, a NASA spacecraft crashed into an asteroid at breakneck speed on Monday (Sept 27). The spacecraft, named DART, slammed into an innocuous asteroid at 22,500 kph, causing a gigantic slam to occur at 9.6 million kilometres away.

Japan is all set to bid farewell to former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe with a state funeral that has caused a massive controversy around the country. Abe was assassinated during a campaign rally on July 8 and his death has revealed a deep connection between the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and the Unification Church – a issue that has led to widespread protests in Japan.

The National Electoral Council of Cuba declared same-sex marriages as legal after citizens approved a new family law that boosts the rights of minorities. As per the electoral, 74.1 per cent of people turned out to vote in Sunday's referendum.

Canada on Monday announced sanctions against Iranian officials over the Islamic republic's lethal crackdown on protests driven by the death of a young woman after her arrest by the morality police.