On April 10, 2026 (U.S. time), corresponding to April 11 in India, the Artemis II mission concluded successfully with the return of the Orion crew module Integrity. Over ten days, four astronauts completed a crewed lunar flyby, traveling to the Moon and back. Beyond its technical accomplishments, the mission marks a historic inflection point, the revival of human deep-space exploration after more than five decades since the Apollo era.
When military operations commence, missiles and bombs are deployed, and alliances are scrutinized; silence can indeed be more profound than the roar of weaponry and air raid sirens. In the escalating conflict involving Iran, the most notable sound in international politics may not be the loudness of fighter jets, but rather the relative silence from two of Tehran’s purported strategic partners, namely Russia and China.
China, ostensibly neutral on Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine, took a significant step into Moscow's camp on Tuesday when a government official repeated a Russian conspiracy theory about the existence of U.S.-funded biological weapons in the country.
"A little-remembered aspect of the Korean War is an issue of great importance to those concerned with arms control and allegations of the use of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD), namely nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons.
Review by Banditarani Behera (November 29, 2024): Dr S. Jaishankar, India's current External Affairs Minister, exemplifies the rare combination of a seasoned diplomat and a thoughtful public intellectual.