Former CIA Analyst, Larry Johnson, said on Friday that US President Donald Trump asked US chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, Dan Caine, if they could use the nuclear weapons, but the latter denied.
The big question is whether Trump is any longer in command of the situation. For all practical purposes, the war seems set to cascade as the US is preparing for a potential ground operation in Iran and threatens to destroy 'bridges next, then electric power plants', points out Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
Israel wishes to continue its bombing campaign until Iran's military and industrial infrastructure are degraded to a point where it ceases to pose a threat to Israel. Iran, for its part, has learnt from its experience in the 12-day war of last June. Any ceasefire, it believes, will only be a prelude to another attack on itself. It is determined to convey that any attack on Iran will impose heavy costs on Israel, the US, America's allies in the Gulf -- and on the world at large, points out T T Ram Mohan.
Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma's explosive batting performances propelled India to a record-breaking total against New Zealand in the T20 World Cup final
Animal companions are often excellent publicity vehicles for politicians and leaders.
Artist Ciaran Gallagher painted a mural depicting Britain's Conservative leadership candidates Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss in the Belfast city centre.
The particular jersey worn by Jordan in the semi-final round against Lithuania was included in an auction featuring signed jerseys from all 12 members of the team.
India's voting pattern in the United Nations with regard to the Israel-Palestine conflict is lately marked by a calibrated distancing from Israel, observes Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
Leonard, who also won the award in 2014 while playing for the San Antonio Spurs, joins basketball greats Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and LeBron James as the only players in NBA history to win Finals MVP with two different franchises.
Glimpses from Liz's truncated reign as prime minister.
Miami Heat forward LeBron James was named on Saturday as the National Basketball Association's Most Valuable Player for the 2011-12 season.
Tennis: Felix Auger-Aliassime toppled in Morocco
Rediff.com has compiled a few photographs to show you the kind of selfies our world leaders have taken a fancy to. Different strokes for different folks, eh?
In addition to Pichai and Nadella, IBM's Arvind Krishna, Micron's Sanjay Mehrotra, Ajay Banga from Mastercard and Ann Mukherjee from Pernod are among the six Indian-Americans among over 200 corporate honchos who will advise the President and offer recommendations on how to revive the American economy.
India's latest golfing sensation Shubhankar Sharma, a special invitee to the Masters, is already attracting a lot of attention and he is loving it.
'Under the more strident Modi version of Hindutva, Nehru has almost become a contemporary political figure.' 'The ruling party knows that without total erasure and distortion of Nehru, their fantasies will always be wobbly.'
A summary of sports events and sports persons, who made news on Friday
LeBron James may be the self-proclaimed "King" but after delivering an NBA title to long-suffering Cleveland on Sunday.
The start of Indian lobbying in the US can be traced back to Pakistan's anti-India lobbying. Policy wonk Ashok Sharma documents this journey and its catalytic role in transforming the US-India relationship.
Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant lit up the National Basketball Association with a work ethic.
The tri-series in Australia, India's final ODI engagement before the World Cup, gets underway on January 16, says Chandresh Narayanan, casting a fascinating look at the survivors from earlier World Cups.
Rajneesh Gupta salutes Tamim Iqbal's courage in the Asia Cup's opening game on Saturday and lists instances where cricketers braved injuries to battle it out for their teams.
Bikash Mohapatra salutes boxing legend Muhammad Ali.
