Month: April 2026
NASA’s new nuclear battery could run for 433 years
Spacecraft operating far from the Sun cannot rely on solar panels. For decades, NASA has used radioisotope power systems (RPS) powered by plutonium-238, which has a half-life of about 88 years. Now, researchers are testing americium-241 an isotope with a half-life of nearly 433 years as a potential fuel for the next generation of nuclear
Iran won’t ease Hormuz chokehold anytime soon
Recent US intelligence reports warn that Iran is unlikely to open the Strait of Hormuz any time soon because its grip on the world’s most vital oil artery provides the only real leverage it has over the United States. The reports also provide the latest indication that the war, intended to eradicate Iran’s military strength,
Meta’s superintelligence division is building a dedicated hardware team
Meta is already known for the smart glasses and virtual reality headsets made by its Reality Labs division. This newer effort is part of Meta Superintelligence Labs (MSL), the high-profile AI division announced last year, which hints that Meta is mulling other types of AI devices. The effort, which has not yet been reported, has
Iran Strucks Mina Al-Ahmadi plantMina Al-Ahmadi plant
An oil refinery in Kuwait where jet fuel bound for the UK is produced has been struck by Iranian drones. The Mina Al-Ahmadi plant was targeted by a “malicious drone attack” overnight, causing fires at “several operational units”, Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) confirmed on Friday, as the Iran war goes on. Kuwait is the UK’s
US searches for airman in Iran
The US continued search-and-rescue operations for a crew member from an F-15E fighter jet shot down by Iran on Friday, as Tehran kept up attacks on Gulf Arab states and Israel.Second US combat plane reportedly crashed in the Persian Gulf the same day. The incidents mark a significant blow for Washington as the war enters
The cyberattack on the European Commission
The recent cyberattack on the European Commission (EC) may have been a lot worse than initially thought, as we now know it affected almost 30 different European Union (EU) entities.The attack saw TeamPCP, a relatively unknown threat actor, manage to get a malicious version of Trivy into the update stream that users trust. Trivy is
India commissions nuclear ballistic missile submarine
India on Friday commissioned its new indigenously-built nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine INS Aridaman into service, further strengthening the naval component of nuclear triad.While India has proven air and land-launched nuclear capabilities, it is now focusing on boosting its underwater nuclear prowess. INS Arihant is India’s first home-made nuclear submarine. It was launched in July 2009
The Kharg Island of Iran
Kharg Island’s value is almost absurdly concentrated. Approximately 90% of Iran’s crude oil exports pass through its terminal, which has a loading capacity of around 7 million barrels per day and can service 10 supertankers simultaneously. Pipelines connect it to offshore fields, including Faridun, Darius, Cyrus, and Ardashir, as well as to mainland fields in
Bitcoin lingers near lower bound of trading range amid conflict
Bitcoin traded near the lower bound of its more-than-a-month-long trading range amid continued uncertainty about the fallout from the conflict in the Middle East. Cryptocurrencies were lower across the board. Bitcoin the largest by market value dropped as much as 3.6% to $65,709 before paring the decline during New York trading. Ether fell as much
Iran still has 50% of its missile launchers and thousands of drones
Iran still has half its missile launchers intact and an arsenal of thousands of drones.The regime remains capable of ‘wreaking absolute havoc’ in the Middle East, they warned, despite weeks of US-Israeli bombardment against its assets. A large proportion of its coastal defence cruise missiles, the weapons that allow Iran to threaten traffic in the