Yashwi Thakur

[ad_1] China's Tianwen-2 mission will mark the country's first attempt to survey and sample an asteroid and put it in league with the US, Russia and Japan. Tianwen-2 will investigate a nearby asteroid called Kamo'oalewa, which orbits the sun at a distance relatively close to Earth.The entire mission could last a decade. If it successfully retrieves and returns samples from the asteroid, it will continue to explore the solar system with a second trip to the main asteroid belt.When will Tianwen-2 launch?Tianwen-2 will launch at the end of May 2025 on a Long March 3B rocket from the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre in Sichuan province, according to a statement published by the China National Space Administration (CNSA). CNSA has yet to confirm an exact launch date.Where is Tianwen-2 going?The first target for Tianwen-2 will be the asteroid Kamo'oalewa. If successful, […]

[ad_1] Police investigating the fatal shooting of Israeli embassy staffers in Washington Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday described the fatal shooting of two Israeli embassy staffers in Washington DC as "terrible price of anti-Semitism.""We are witnessing the terrible price of anti-Semitism and wild incitement against the State of Israel. The blood libels against the Jewish state are rising in blood – and they must be fought to the bitter end.My heart breaks for the families of the beloved young man and woman, who were brutally murdered by a despicable anti-Semitic terrorist," Netanyahu posted on X.The Israeli premier further stated he was briefed by Israel's ambassador to the United States about the "shocking anti-Semitic murder" of the two embassy employees. He added that he also spoke with US attorney general Pam Bondi, who shared with him all the details […]

[ad_1] LONDON: A British court blocked the U.K. from transferring sovereignty over the Chagos Islands, to Mauritius, hours before the agreement was due to be signed on Thursday. The U.K. has agreed to hand sovereignty to Mauritius of the Indian Ocean archipelago, which is home to a strategically important naval and bomber base on the largest of the islands, Diego Garcia. The U.K. would then lease back the base for at least 99 years. U.S. President Donald Trump's administration, which was consulted on the deal, gave its approval, but finalizing the agreement was delayed by last-minute negotiations over costs. The agreement was due to be signed Thursday morning at a virtual ceremony. But a High Court judge granted an injunction in the early hours of Thursday putting a hold on the agreement. It came in response to a claim by […]

[ad_1] Screengrab from video posted on X by @_anthonypeltier Two staff members from the Israeli embassy in Washington were shot and killed on Wednesday near the Jewish Museum. The shooter, Elias Rodriguez, from Chicago, opened fire on a group of four people.Israeli ambassador to the US, Yechiel Leiter, said the victims were a young couple who were about to get engaged.The man had bought a ring earlier this week and planned to propose in Jerusalem next week.Who is Elias Rodriguez?Elias Rodriguez, 30, is a resident of Chicago with no immediate known ties to Washington, DC. Prior to opening fire, he was seen pacing outside the Jewish Museum, suggesting a possible premeditated attack.Following the shooting, Rodriguez entered the museum but was quickly taken into custody by police. Authorities reported that he was chanting “Free, free Palestine” at the time of his […]

[ad_1] A powerful 6.1-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of the Greek island of Crete at 8.49 AM (local time) on Thursday, news agency ANI reported.According to the US Geological Survey (USGS), the quake struck 82 kilometres (51 miles) northeast of Crete’s capital, Heraklion, at a depth of 68 kilometres beneath the seabed.So far, there have been no confirmed reports of injuries or structural damage, though assessments are still underway.This tremor follows a similar 6.1-magnitude earthquake that struck just a week ago near the island of Kasos, off Greece’s southern coast. That quake also rattled parts of the eastern Mediterranean but caused no immediate reports of damage.Due to the increase in number of earthquakes in recent months, schools on Santorini and neighboring islands were temporarily closed as a precautionary measure.Greece lies in one of the most seismically active regions of […]

[ad_1] Under global pressure, Israel allows first UN aid convoy into Gaza since March (Image: AP) The UN sent about 90 aid trucks into Gaza on Wednesday — the first delivery since early March. The move comes as global pressure mounts on Israel to ease its blockade and halt the continuous attacks.The first aid delivery came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was open to a ‘temporary ceasefire’. However, he also said the military would continue its efforts to take full control of Gaza.Three days after Israel announced that it would allow limited aid to Gaza, the United Nations had "collected around 90 truckloads of goods from the Kerem Shalom crossing and dispatched them into Gaza", said Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN chief Antonio Guterres.This development came hours after Israeli troops fired near a group of foreign diplomats […]

[ad_1] SINGAPORE: Singapore's economy rose faster than expected in the first quarter year-on-year, official data showed Thursday, pushed by stronger global demand as businesses rushed to beat the imposition of higher US tariffs.The government, however, warned that downside risks remained as a full-blown trade war between the United States and China could still reignite after the end of a 90-day pause.Singapore's trade-oriented economy expanded by 3.9 percent in the three months to March from the same period a year before, surpassing an advance government estimate of 3.8 percent.It was, however, weaker than the five percent expansion in the December quarter.And on a quarter-on-quarter basis, the economy contracted by 0.6 percent, signalling the risks ahead.The year-on-year growth in the first quarter was driven by the manufacturing and wholesale trade sectors due to "front-loading activities ahead of anticipated US tariff hikes", the […]

[ad_1] North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (AP Image) Calling "Serious accident" occurred at the shipyard a "criminal act," North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un indicated that those responsible for these "irresponsible errors" would face consequences at an upcoming plenary meeting of the Party Central Committee next month. North Korea said that the accident occurred the previous day at a shipyard in the eastern port city of Chongjin during a ceremony to launch a newly built 5,000-ton destroyer, KCNA reported. Citing "inexperience command and operational carelessness" in the course of the launch, North Korea said there was a mishap which left "some sections of the warship's bottom crushed". Kim, who witnessed the entire event, labelled it a "criminal act caused by absolute carelessness" and stated it was unacceptable.He indicated that those responsible for these "irresponsible errors" would face consequences at an […]

[ad_1] US President Donald Trump on Wednesday took another fresh swipe at veteran rock star Bruce Springsteen, taking their public feud to a new level.The MAGA supremo shared a doctored video on social media showing himself hitting Springsteen with a golf ball.The video was posted on both Trump’s Truth Social, begins with footage of Trump swinging a golf club and hitting a ball. It then cuts to a clip of Springsteen tripping and rolling onto the stage during one of his concerts. In the edited version, a golf ball is added to the scene, making it look as if Trump’s shot caused Springsteen’s fall.The video follows a series of harsh exchanges between the two, which began after Springsteen’s recent critical remarks about the Trump administration during the opening show of his European tour.“The America I love, the America I’ve written […]