Current Affairs in Short: 2 November 2020

MS Dhoni confirms he will be back in next IPL edition

•Mahendra Singh Dhoni confirmed that he will be back in the IPL next year. The former World Cup-winning captain confirmed it himself that during the toss of Chennai Super Kings' final game in this year’s IPL edition. 
•Among speculations of his retirement from the franchise, Dhoni assured that he will be back next season. MSD had recently announced his retirement from international cricket. 
•This year was the worst season for CSK, as for the first time in IPL’s history, the team failed to make it into the play-offs. The three-time IPL champions have been known for their winning consistency over the years. 

Iran begins annual air force drill with jets

•Iran has begun its annual air force drill with drones and jets, as per the state television media. Iran began its drill with its aging fleet of US and Russian-made jet fighters. 
•The fighters took part in the drill alongside locally made drones and other aircraft. Overall, the drill will see forces from eight air bases take part over next two days in exercises that include missile firing and mid-air refueling.
•This latest drill is the second one that Iran has held since a decade-long UN arms embargo, which barred it from purchasing foreign weapons like tanks and fighter jets, which expired earlier in October.

UK takes back direct control, management of atomic weapons from Lockheed Martin-led group

•UK’s defence ministry has decided to take back direct control and management of the country's nuclear weapon warheads from a Lockheed Martin-led group. The day-to-day operations of the nuclear weapons were till now being handled by a consortium run by Lockheed Martin, Serco and Jacobs Engineering in June 2021.
•The three companies together had managed an entity called AWE Management that had controlled UK’s Atomic Weapons Establishment since 2000. Lockheed Martin had held 51% stake in the entity, while Serco and Jacobs held 24.5% each.
•However, UK’s Ministry of Defence informed the companies on October 30, 2020 that the control and management of the Atomic Weapons Establishment will be transferred back to the UK government from June 30, 2021. 

Prince William contracted Covid-19 in April, similar time as his father

•Prince William reportedly contracted Covid-19 in April at a similar time to his father Prince Charles, as per palace sources. However, he kept his diagnosis quite because he did not want to cause public alarm. 
•The Duke of Cambridge was reportedly treated by palace doctors and followed government guidelines by isolating at the family home Anmer Hall, in Norfolk.
•Despite his illness, he managed all his video call engagements in April. He reportedly faced breathing difficulties. 
•The Kensington Palace has, however, declined to comment on the same but did not deny the claim at the same time. 

Kabul University Terror Attack: 25 dead and more wounded

•Gunmen stormed into Kabul University on November 2, 2020 while it was a book fair attended by the Iranian ambassador to Afghanistan. In the ensuing gun battling, at least 25 people were killed and more were wounded. 
•The exact of number of casualties is still not clear. The Afghan Ministry spokesperson Arian confirmed that there casualties, unfortunately. He further stated that there were three attackers, all of whom were killed in the gun fight. 
•The Taliban issued a statement denying their role in the assault. The attack comes in the wake of continuing peace talks with the US-backed government. These negotiations aim to help the United States finally withdraw from its longest war.