Iran claims it does not want to escalate regional tensions, but must ‘punish’ Israel
Iran claimed that while it does not want to escalate regional tensions, it must punish Israel for a recent drone attack on an Iranian-linked base in Syria. An Iranian military adviser said the attack will not be left unanswered as Israel must be punished for its “evil acts.” However, he said Iran doesn’t want the […]
Iran said to dismiss US, Arab calls for restraint — even if it sparks war
The article discusses tensions between Iran and the US/Arab states over recent Iranian military exercises and missile tests. The US and Arab countries like Saudi Arabia and the UAE have called on Iran to show restraint to avoid further escalation. However, Iranian officials are reported to have dismissed these calls and said they will continue […]
Berkshire halves Apple stake, boosts cash to $277 billion as it gets ‘defensive’
Berkshire Hathaway’s cash pile grew to a record $277 billion as of the end of June 2022, up from $189 billion in Q1. Berkshire sold about half its stake in Apple during Q1 and Q2, totaling about 505 million shares. Apple remained Berkshire’s largest single stock holding. The substantial cash holdings and Apple stock sales […]
Scientists have spotted unexpected X- and C-shaped structures in the atmosphere. They are struggling to explain them
Scientists using NASA’s GOLD satellite have detected unexpected X-shaped and C-shaped structures forming in Earth’s ionosphere. The ionosphere is the upper layer of the atmosphere that helps radio signals travel long distances. It usually forms crests along magnetic field lines. Previously, X-shapes were only seen during solar storms or volcanic/weather events. But GOLD spotted them […]
These inventive ideas could help Artemis astronauts make drinking water on the moon
NASA’s Artemis missions plan to land astronauts around the moon’s south pole where there is abundant water ice that can be used as drinking water and to produce oxygen. The Aqualunar Challenge is a competition between UK and Canadian teams to propose inventive ideas for astronauts to extract and purify water from lunar ice on […]
DNA analysis sheds light on how Neanderthals disappeared
New DNA analysis provides insights into when and how Neanderthals interacted with early modern humans. It suggests the relationship was more complex than previously thought. The study found evidence of three waves of interbreeding between Neanderthals and modern humans over the past 250,000 years. The first was 200,000-250,000 years ago, another around 100,000 years ago, […]
Iran says a short-range projectile killed Hamas’ Haniyeh, reiterates vows of retaliation
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said a short-range projectile killed Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on Wednesday. They blamed Israel for carrying out the attack, saying a rocket with a 15-pound warhead was used to target Haniyeh’s residence. The Guard accused the U.S. of supporting the attack. Israel has not confirmed or denied involvement, but […]
Hamas leader’s death prompts celebratory posts from Iran’s Persian critics
– Ismail Haniyeh, the political chief of Hamas, was assassinated in Tehran on Wednesday in a reported Israeli airstrike. – Many Iranian critics of the country’s regime expressed celebration on social media over Haniyeh’s death. They posted mocking hashtags in Persian and supported Israel on Instagram. – These critics often oppose Iran’s funding of groups […]
SpaceX Preparing to Launch Billionaire Adventurer for First Ever Private Spacewalk
SpaceX is preparing to launch billionaire Jared Isaacman aboard a Falcon 9 rocket in the next few weeks for the first ever private spacewalk mission called Polaris Dawn. The launch date has been rescheduled several times, most recently to no earlier than August 19 due to another SpaceX rocket explosion in July and traffic at […]
NASA images unlock complex history of two near-Earth asteroids
NASA’s DART spacecraft took high-resolution images of the asteroids Dimorphos and Didymos moments before impacting Dimorphos in September 2022. Analysis of these images has provided insights into the formation and history of these two near-Earth asteroids. Didymos is estimated to have formed around 12.5 million years ago, while Dimorphos likely formed more recently around 300,000 […]