Trump says Iran war's core objectives near completion
The United States will carry out aggressive strikes on Iran over the next two to three weeks and is nearing completion of its main strategic objectives in the war, President Donald Trump said in a prime-time address to the nation on Wednesday, Reuters reported.
Addressing a war-weary U.S. public, Trump said his military had delivered "swift, decisive, overwhelming victories on the battlefield," during 32 days of military strikes and that Iran was no longer a security threat.
"I can say tonight that we are on track to complete all of America's military objectives shortly, very shortly," Trump said in a nationally televised address.
Iranian president says in letter that Iran harbors no enmity towards ordinary Americans
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said in a letter addressed to the American people that his country harbors no enmity towards ordinary Americans, Press TV reported on Wednesday, Reuters reported.
He said in his letter that portraying Iran as a threat was "neither consistent with historical reality nor with present-day observable facts."
NASA launches four astronauts on world's first crewed lunar mission in half a century
Four astronauts blasted off from Florida on Wednesday on NASA's Artemis II mission, a high-stakes voyage around the moon that marks the United States' boldest step yet toward returning humans to the lunar surface later this decade in a race with China, Reuters reported.
NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, topped with its Orion crew capsule, roared to life just before sunset at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, carrying its debut crew - three U.S. astronauts and a Canadian astronaut - into Earth orbit. The 32-story-tall space vehicle thundered into clear skies trailing a towering column of thick, white vapor.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said the launch was an opening act for subsequent missions that would include construction of a moon base to support the "enduring presence we're trying to create on the surface."
World Autism Awareness Day today
Various programs are being organized today to mark World Autism Awareness Day.
The Day has been observed since the United Nations General Assembly designated April 2 as World Autism Awareness Day (WAAD) in 2007.
The 2026 World Autism Awareness Day is being held under the theme “Autism and Humanity – Every Life Has Value,” highlighting the dignity and worth of all autistic people as part of our shared human future.
By affirming that autistic lives are integral to our collective progress and the achievement of the SDGs, the observance calls for a future where difference is respected, dignity is protected, and every autistic person can thrive.
In a message on the occasion, UN Secretary-General António Guterres has said like anyone else, autistic people should be able to shape their own lives — and help to shape our shared future.
