China has placed two more astronauts into orbit aboard an indigenous spacecraft, reports the Washington Post. The astronauts are scheduled to orbit the Earth for five days. China in 2003 entered the exclusive club—Russia and the US—that have sent astronauts into orbit. Beijing plans to develop an orbiting manned lab and land a vehicle on the moon by the end of the decade.
The U.S. military is maintaining a beefed-up presence in the Middle East, including fighters and air defense assets, following the U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities June 22 and subsequent retaliation by the Iranians against Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.
