Day: May 4, 2025

Missile and Mistrust: Pakistan’s Abdali Test Raises Regional Tensions Amid Escalating India-Pakistan Standoff

Manish Kumar

Pak Claims Ballistic Missile Test Amid Growing Tensions In a move widely seen as a show of aggression under the guise of routine drills, Pakistan claimed on Saturday to have successfully tested a surface-to-surface ballistic missile with a 450-km range. The missile, dubbed the Abdali Weapon System, was tested during ‘Exercise INDUS’, a military drill conducted by the Army Strategic Forces Command (ASFC)—the wing that oversees Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal. The test took place at Sonmiani Ranges and was personally overseen by senior officials including Lt. Gen. Muhammad Shahbaz Khan, Commander of the ASFC, and…

NEET Scam Busted: Odisha Police Crack Down on Medical Admission Racket Ahead of National Exam

Manish Kumar

A Pre-Exam Crackdown: Commissionerate Police Bust NEET Admission Racket In a decisive operation just a day before the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET), the Commissionerate Police in Bhubaneswar busted an interstate racket engaged in the illegal sale of MBBS seats. Four individuals—two from Odisha and one each from Bihar and Jharkhand—were arrested in connection with the scam. Authorities seized cheques amounting to Rs 90 lakh, indicating a well-planned scheme to manipulate the highly competitive medical entrance system. At a press briefing, Police Commissioner S. Dev Datta Singh disclosed that the accused were soliciting large sums…

Trump Targets NASA Moon Program in Budget Overhaul, Pivots Focus to Mars and Private Sector

Manish Kumar

A Lunar Vision in Peril: Trump’s 2026 Budget Proposes Major NASA Cuts The Trump administration’s 2026 budget outline proposes a $6 billion cut to NASA’s funding, aiming to phase out key components of the Artemis moon program in favor of commercially-driven space ventures and a renewed focus on Mars exploration. The move represents a dramatic policy reversal from Trump’s first term, during which the Artemis initiative was fast-tracked to re-establish American presence on the Moon before Chinese astronauts could land there. Under the proposed plan, the Space Launch System (SLS) — NASA’s massive, long-delayed…