Author: News Desk

Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had approved last weekend’s attack on two key Saudi Arabia oil facilities, a news report claimed on Thursday, even as tensions spiked in the Persian Gulf with Tehran warning that any attack on its territory would result in ‘all-out war’. A US official said Khamenei approved the Saturday morning attack only on the condition that it be carried out in a way to deny Iranian involvement. The news report comes a day after US Secretary of State Mike Pompe, flying to Saudi Arabia, called the drone strikes which knocked out half of the Saudi…

The United States will return around USD 100 million which was sanctioned for an Afghan energy project to the Treasury and withhold another USD 60 million in aid after concluding that Kabul is mismanaging resources, as per the US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo. “Due to identified Afghan Government corruption and financial mismanagement, the US Government is returning approximately $100 million to the US Treasury that was intended for a large energy infrastructure project,” Pompeo said on Thursday, Sputnik reported. Pompeo also expressed great concern over a “lack of transparency” in the Afghan National Procurement Authority’s decisions, and said the…

The recently completed Orion spacecraft for Artemis I will head to Ohio for the final stretch of major testing before integration with the Space Launch System rocket for launch. Slated to begin this fall, a team of engineers and technicians stand ready to test the spacecraft, consisting of the crew and service modules, under simulated extreme in-space conditions in the world’s premier space environments test facility at NASA’s Plum Brook Station in Sandusky, Ohio. “The tests will confirm the spacecraft’s systems perform as designed while ensuring safe operation for the crew during future Artemis missions – both on the ground and inflight,” said Nicole…

US President Donald Trump has held out the possibility of making a significant announcement when he addresses the “Howdy Modi” rally with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday in Houston. When a reporter traveling with him on Air Force One asked him on Wednesday night if he had an announcement to make with Modi in Houston, Trump replied, “Could be. “Trump said that Modi had asked him to come to the rally and he agreed. According to a transcript of his encounter with reporters, while flying back from California to Washington, he said Modi has “got a big crowd coming…

In a jibe without naming ally Shiv Sena, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the Supreme Court is hearing the Ram Mandir case and asked “some loudmouths” to refrain from making statements on the issue. In a jibe without naming ally Shiv Sena, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said the Supreme Court is hearing the Ram Mandir case and asked “some loudmouths” to refrain from making statements on the issue. “I am amazed at the ‘bayan bahadurs and badbole’ (loudmouths) on the Ram Mandir issue. Everyone in the country respects the Supreme Court. The apex court is hearing the case. I…

The government of Thursday appointed Air Vice Chief Air Marshal RKS Bhadauria the next Chief of Air Staff after the superannuation of incumbent BS Dhanoa. “Government has decided to appoint Air Marshal RKS Bhadauria, PVSM, AVSM, VM, ADC presently Vice Chief of Air Staff as the next Chief of the Air Staff,” Defence Ministry’s Principal Spokesperson, said on Twitter. Bhaduria will take over the post of chief of Air staff after his predecessor Dhanoa retires on September 30. However, it is worth noting that Bhadauria was also due to retire on the same day as Dhanoa, but now that he…

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Thursday announced that the Chandrayaan 2 orbiter is performing satisfactorily well in its orbit around the Moon and continues to perform the scheduled science experiments as planned. However, the space agency does give a broader hint indirectly by saying that chances of re-establishing a connection with the Vikram lander are near impossible. Informing about the orbiter, ISRO took to Twitter and said: “#Chandrayaan2 Orbiter continues to perform scheduled science experiments to complete satisfaction.” However, speaking about the Vikram lander, the space organization just said that a ‘national-level committee’ is examining why the communication…

Former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Alka Lamba was on Thursday disqualified from the Delhi Assembly on grounds of defection. Lamba was an elected member of the Delhi Assembly from Chandni Chowk. She was disqualified by Speaker Ram Niwas Goel following a petition by AAP legislator Saurabh Bharadwaj. The step has been taken after Lamba re-joined the Congress on September 6. Consequently, the Chandni Chowk Assembly constituency has fallen vacant, said an order. Earlier, four other MLAs were disqualified on similar grounds. Lamba had rejoined the Congress after almost six years. She had quit the Congress in 2013 to join…

Diamantaire Nirav Modi was on Thursday remanded to London’s Wandsworth prison for another 28 days until October 17 by the Westminster Magistrates Court, which will hold a trial for his extradition to India next May. Nirav Modi, 48, who is wanted in India in connection with major financial offenses related to a Mumbai branch of the Punjab National Bank, appeared through a video-link from the west London jail. Under UK law, the jail remand needs to be renewed every 28 days. Magistrate David Robinson said the extradition trial would likely be held over five days from May 11 to 16…

Boko Haram fighters are fleeing to neighboring countries following military bombardments of their strongholds in the northeast, the Army announced on Thursday. Its spokesman, Col Sagir Musa said in a statement that with the concerted efforts of troops of Operation Lafiya Dole and the Multinational Joint Task Force, MNJTF, scores of Boko Haram fighters have been killed and their remnants are in a mass exodus to the border towns outside Nigeria. Col Musa said :”The Nigerian Army wishes to inform the public that due to the combined onslaught on the identified hideouts of elements of the criminal elements of bandits…