Akshita Kapoor

[ad_1] Screengrab from viral video (Courtesy: Instagram) In a video which has gone viral on social media, Pakistani actor Hina Bayat highlighted the issue of lack water at Pakistan's busiest Jinnah International Airport, in the country's largest city, Karachi. In the video, Bayat said, "Today is Youm-e-Takbir. I am standing here at Karachi International Airport, and on a day when we should be celebrating Pakistan’s achievements, I see that there is no water in any of the washrooms here. People want to perform prayers, parents are taking their children to the restroom — but there is no water."Pakistan celebrates Youm-e-Takbir (the day of greatness) as a national day to commemorate the nuclear tests it conducted on May 28 and 30, 1998.PollDo you believe that international attention (like the viral video) can lead to real change?While Bayat emphasized that her country […]

[ad_1] NEW DELHI: A day after India said that three Indian citizens who have been reported missing after travelling to Iran, the Iranian Embassy in India has strongly advised Indians not to be deceived by travel agents.The Indian embassy in Iran on Wednesday informed that they have strongly take up the issue of reportedly missing persons, urging an immediate and thorough investigation into their whereabouts. Responding to the post, the Iranian embassy said that consular affairs department of the foreign affairs ministry of Iran are following the case. PollWhich measure do you think is most effective to prevent travel problems abroad?"The case concerning the disappearance of three Indian nationals is being followed up by the Consular Affairs Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran in coordination with the relevant judicial authorities," the embassy said […]

[ad_1] NEW DELHI: Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh on Thursday issued a strong call for accountability and urgency within India’s defence procurement and manufacturing ecosystem, citing constant delays in project timelines.Speaking at an event in Delhi, Air Chief expressed deep concern over the consistent failure of defence projects to meet delivery deadlines. "Many times, we know while signing contracts that those systems will never come. Not a single project that I can think of has been completed on time," he said, questioning why unrealistic timelines are promised at the time of contract signing. "Why should we promise something which cannot be achieved?" he said.Act East, Act Fast: PM Modi's MEGA PUSH For Development in Sikkim, launches multiple infra projectsHe highlighted the detrimental effects such practices have on capacity-building and the broader strategic posture of the armed forces. "The process […]

[ad_1] A dense cluster of defunct satellites and fragmented metal orbits Earth. (AI-generated image) BENGALURU: Globally, 2024 continued to see a significant number of space launches, with 261 attempts and 254 successes, resulting in 2,578 operational satellites and a total of 2,963 objects placed in orbit, although the total objects placed in orbit is slightly lower than the 3,135 objects from 212 launches in 2023.Revealing these details, the Indian Space Situational Assessment Report (ISSAR) for 2024, also said that renewed interest in lunar missions was evident, with five lunar missions launched during the year. However, 2024 also witnessed three significant on-orbit fragmentation events, including the breakup of a Chinese Long March rocket stage (CZ-6A), which alone added approximately 650 catalogued objects to space debris. These events contributed to a net addition of 702 fragmented objects by year's end. In total, […]

[ad_1] A recent NASA-led study, highlighted by New Scientist, reveals that this accelerated re-entry is caused by increased solar activity during the solar maximum—a period of intense solar storms and radiation. These storms heat and expand Earth’s upper atmosphere, increasing atmospheric drag on satellites and hastening their descent. This shift poses new challenges for satellite operators, especially those managing large constellations, as space weather increasingly influences satellite lifespans and orbital dynamics.The Sun also has an about 11-year cycle characterised by varying degrees of activity. At its peak, known as the solar maximum, solar storms intensify and become more intense. The last solar maximum was achieved in late 2024 when the Sun was most active in more than a decade. The Sun releases powerful outbursts of charged particles and electromagnetic radiation during this time, causing geomagnetic storms on Earth. These storms […]

[ad_1] NEW DELHI: The stage is set for a high-stakes showdown as Punjab Kings (PBKS) take on Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the first playoff match at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur.Both teams have scripted a remarkable journey to reach this point.PBKS sealed their spot in Qualifier 1 with a convincing 7-wicket win over Mumbai Indians, while RCB earned their place by defeating Lucknow Super Giants by 6 wickets. With a place in the IPL 2025 final on the line, both teams will be eager to seize the moment.Weather Update:As per the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), Mullanpur is expected to see partly cloudy skies with the possibility of one or two brief spells of rain or thundershowers in some areas. Daytime temperatures may soar to 46°C before dropping to around 28°C in the evening. Locals are […]

[ad_1] Microsoft's chief product officer is pushing back against claims that coding careers are obsolete, even as the tech giant eliminated 6,000 positions last week with software engineers bearing the brunt of the cuts.Aparna Chennapragada, Microsoft's CPO of experiences and devices, said she "fundamentally disagrees" with the notion that people shouldn't study computer science, comments that take on new significance following the company's second-largest layoff in its history."I have one other additional bonus thing, which is a lot of folks think about, 'Oh, don't bother studying computer science or the coding is dead,' and I just fundamentally disagree," Chennapragada said on a recent podcast appearance.The layoffs, announced earlier this month, disproportionately affected coding professionals, with over 40% of the approximately 2,000 Washington state positions eliminated belonging to software engineers, according to Bloomberg analysis. Project management roles accounted for nearly 30% […]

[ad_1] India and the United States are set to finalise the initial phase of the anticipated Bilateral Trade Agreement prior to July. (AI image) US President Donald Trump’s tariffs being struck down by a US trade court should make India tread with caution on a potential trade deal, says the Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI). The GTRI has advised India to exercise prudence in its current Free Trade Agreement (FTA) discussions with the United States.On May 28, a federal court in Manhattan deemed invalid Trump's initiative to levy reciprocal tariffs on US trading partners, establishing that such tariff impositions require Congressional approval rather than presidential emergency powers.Markets Cheer As Federal Court Strikes Down Trump’s Global Tariffs In Unanimous RulingThe court's verdict explicitly stated that tariffs, including those enacted under emergency economic authority, were not legally valid.According to an ANI report, […]