Some day in the future, a swarm of cellphone-size robots could swim through the water beneath the kilometres-thick icy shell of Jupiter’s moon Europa or Saturn’s moon Enceladus, looking for alien life. These robots could be packed within narrow ice-melting probes that would tunnel through the frozen crust to release the tiny robots underwater, which can then swim far and deep to learn about the new worlds. Or at least, that is the vision of Ethan Schaler, a robotics mechanical engineer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Southern California. Schaler’s Sensing With Independent Micro-Swimmers (SWIM) concept was recently awarded $600,000 in Phase II funding from the NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) program. Schaler and his team will use the funding to make and test 3D-printed prototypes over the next two years. SWIM’s early-stage concept envisions wedge-shaped robots, each about 12 centimetres long and 60 to 75 cubic centimetres in volume. They are designed so that about four dozen of them could fit in a cryobot (ice-penetrating probe) 25 centimetres in diameter, taking up just 15 per cent of the science payload volume. This would leave more room for more powerful but less mobile science instruments that could gather data through stationary measurements of the ocean. Each robot would have its own propulsion system, onboard computer, and ultrasound communications system, along with sensors for temperature, salinity, acidity and pressure. Phase II of the study will also add chemical sensors to monitor for biomarkers. NASA’s Europa Clipper mission, planned for a 2024 launch, will do multiple flybys of Jupiter’s moon to gather detailed data with a large suite of instruments when it arrives there in 2030. Cryobot concepts to investigate such ocean worlds are being developed through NASA’s Scientific Exploration Subsurface Access Mechanism for Europa (SESAME) program, as well as through other NASA technology development programs.
The cryobot that deploys the swimming robots would be connected to the surface-based lander through a communication tether. The surface-based lander, in turn, would be the point of contact with mission controllers on Earth. This tethered approach means that the cryobot would probably be unable to venture much beyond the point where ice meets the ocean. “What if, after all those years it took to get into an ocean, you come through the ice shell in the wrong place? What if there’s signs of life over there but not where you entered the ocean?By bringing these swarms of robots with us, we’d be able to look ‘over there’ to explore much more of our environment than a single cryobot would allow,” said SWIM team scientist Samuel Howell of JPL, in a press statement.Howell compares the swimming robots to NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter, the Perseverance rover’s airborne companion on Mars. The helicopter extends the reach of the rover and sends images back, helping the rover understand how to explore its environment. In this case, the multiple swimming robots can be thought of as multiple helicopters exploring areas around the cryobot to send back data. Source: The Indian Express
Electric vehicle company Tesla has confirmed that its vehicles can now scan for rough roads, like potholes, to help avoid them damaging the vehicles by adjusting the suspension. In a new 2022.20 software update, the automaker wrote about a new feature of the “Tesla Adaptive Suspension” system, reports the auto-tech website Electrek. “Tesla Adaptive Suspension will now adjust ride height for an upcoming rough road section. This adjustment may occur at various locations, subject to availability, as the vehicle downloads rough road map data generated by Tesla vehicles,” the company was quoted as saying. This is the first confirmation of the Tesla vehicle fleet scanning the roads to evaluate its conditions. For now, it is not about Autopilot, or Full Self-Driving (FSD) Beta, navigating around those “rough road sections”, but Tesla adapting the suspension for those conditions, the report said. This feature is only going to be available in Tesla vehicles with adaptive suspension, like the new Model S and Model X Back in 2020, CEO Elon Musk said that Tesla Autopilot is eventually going to detect potholes and make mini-maps to remember them and avoid them. However, currently, Tesla Autopilot is not quite there yet, but it can be now seen as the first confirmation that Tesla’s fleet of vehicles is looking for them or more “rough road sections” in general.
Borodyanka (TIP): ValentynaKlymenko tries to return home as late as possible to avoid the darkness of her war-damaged home outside Ukraine’s capital. She visits friends, goes to the well for water or looks for a place to charge her phone. The 70-year-old Klymenko then returns alone to an apartment that used to be noisy and full of life. She is now greeted by dim, damp rooms instead of the voices of her great-grandchildren. Klymenko rarely cooks. She drinks fruit compote and eats canned tomatoes, which she prepared last year, so she doesn’t waste the gas in her portable stove. She goes to bed quickly, but can’t fall asleep for a long time. Her thoughts revolve around one question: “What will happen to my home?”
Russian troops retreated from the area around Kyiv in late March. But they left behind 16,000 damaged residential buildings in the Bucha region, where Borodyanka is located, according to the head of the Kyiv regional administration, OleksiyKuleba.
The most affected street in Borodyanka, a town with a population of more than 12,000, was Tsentralna, which was still called Lenin Street less than a decade ago. One of the homes on this street belongs to Klymenko. The shockwave from a Russian airstrike that witnesses say struck the building across the street with two bombs caused a fire in Klymenko’s five-story apartment building.
The apartments on the upper floors of Klymenko’s building burned. Four months later, there is no electricity, water, or gas. Some residents lost everything and ended up on the street without any means to find a new home. “I had a sofa here and armchairs here. But now there are just the springs,” said TetianaSolohub, pointing to the blackened walls of her home. Nothing is left but a couple of small enamel cups and the suffocating smell of ashes.
Solohub’s scorched apartment is located a few floors above Klymenko’s. They moved into the building at the same time 36 years ago, when it had just been built.
“And now, at 64, I am forced to be homeless,” Solohub said. Unlike Klymenko, she even doesn’t have a damaged apartment to live in. Hers is completely gone.
Solohub now lives in a camp for displaced people made of shipping containers. It was established in Borodyanka with the support of the Polish and Ukrainian governments. There are other camps like this in the Kyiv and Lviv regions. It has become a popular way to offer a home to people who can’t return to their own abodes. There are 257 people — 35 per cent of them older residents — living in Borodyanka’s camp. KostyantynMorozko, a representative of the military administration in the Bucha region and coordinator of the shipping container camp, said that he expects two containers for 160 people to be added this month. (AP)
KYiv (TIP): A staggering 71 million more people around the world are experiencing poverty as a result of soaring food and energy prices that climbed in the weeks following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the United Nations Development Programme said in a report July 7. The UNDP estimates that 51.6 million more people fell into poverty in the first three months after the war, living off $1.90 a day or less.
This pushed the total number globally at this threshold to 9% of the world’s population. An additional 20 million people slipped to the poverty line of $3.20 a day. In low-income countries, families spend 42% of their household incomes on food but as Western nations moved to sanction Russia, the price of fuel and staple food items like wheat, sugar and cooking oil soared. Ukraine’s blocked ports and its inability to export grains to low-income countries further drove up prices, pushing tens of millions quickly into poverty.
“The cost of living impact is almost without precedent in a generation… and that is why it is so serious,” UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner said at the launch of the report.
The speed at which this many people experienced poverty outpaced the economic pain felt at the peak of the pandemic. The UNDP noted that 125 million people experienced poverty over about 18 months during the pandemic’s lockdowns and closures, compared with more than 71 million in just three months after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in late February. “The speed of this is very quick,” said George Molina, UNDP chief economist and author of the report. Some of the countries hardest hit by inflation include Haiti, Argentina, Egypt, Iraq, Turkey, the Philippines, Rwanda, Sudan, Kenya, Sri Lanka and Uzbekistan.
In countries like Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Mali, Nigeria and Yemen, the impacts of inflation are even harder for those already at the lowest poverty line. The total number of people living in poverty, or are vulnerable to poverty, stands at over 5 billion, or just under 70% of the world’s population.
Another UN report released Wednesday said world hunger rose last year with 2.3 billion people facing moderate or severe difficulty obtaining enough to eat — and that was before the war in Ukraine.
There is a need for the global economy to step up, Steiner said, adding that there is enough wealth in the world to manage the crisis, “but our ability to act in unison and rapidly is a constraint”.
The UNDP recommends that rather than spending billions on blanket energy subsidies, governments instead target expenditure to reach the most impacted people through targeted cash transfers that can prevent a further 52.6 million people from falling into poverty at $5.50 a day.
For cash-strapped and debt-laden developing countries to achieve this, the UNDP called for an extension of debt payments that had been in place during the pandemic among the world’s richest nations. (AP)
Brussels (TIP): The 30 NATO allies signed off on the accession protocols for Sweden and Finland on July 5, sending the membership bids of the two nations to the alliance capitals for legislative approvals. The move increases Russia’s strategic isolation in the wake of its invasion of neighbouring Ukraine in February and military struggles. “This is truly a historic moment for Finland, for Sweden and for NATO,” said alliance Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. Despite the agreement in the alliance, parliamentary approval in member state Turkey could still pose problems for their final inclusion as members.
Tokyo (TIP): Japan’s former prime ministerShinzo Abe was shot during a campaign speech on July 8 in western Japan and was airlifted to a hospital but he was not breathing and his heart had stopped, officials said. Local fire department official Makoto Morimoto said Abe was in cardio and pulmonary arrest after being shot and was taken to a prefectural hospital. Chief Cabinet Secretary HirokazuMatsuno told reporters that police arrested an alleged male attacker at the scene. “A barbaric act like this is absolutely unforgivable, no matter what the reasons are, and we condemn it strongly,” Matsuno said.
NHK public broadcaster aired footage showing Abe collapsed on the street, with several security guards running towards him, He was reportedly shot minutes after he started talking outside of a main train station in western Nara. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who belongs to the same political party as Abe, is on his way to Tokyo on a helicopter from his own campaign destination of Yamagata, in northern Japan. Matsuno said all cabinet ministers are to return to Tokyo from their campaign trips.
In another footage, campaign officials were surrounding him to treat the popular former leader who is still influential in the governing Liberal Democratic Party and heads its largest faction Seiwakai. Elections for Japan’s upper house, the less powerful chamber of its parliament, are scheduled for Sunday.
Abe was giving a speech when people heard gunshots. He was holding his chest when he collapsed, his shirt smeared with blood, but was able to speak before he fell unconscious. The attack was a shock in a country that’s one of the world’s safest and with some of the strictest gun control laws anywhere.
Abe stepped down in 2020 because he said a chronic health problem had resurfaced. Abe has had ulcerative colitis since he was a teenager and has said the condition was controlled with treatment. He told reporters at the time that it was “gut wrenching” to leave many of his goals unfinished. He spoke of his failure to resolve the issue of Japanese abducted years ago by North Korea, a territorial dispute with Russia and a revision of Japan’s war-renouncing constitution. That last goal was a big reason he was such a divisive figure. His ultra-nationalism riled the Koreas and China, and his push to normalise Japan’s defence posture angered many Japanese. Abe failed to achieve his cherished goal of formally rewriting the US-drafted pacifist constitution because of poor public support. Supporters of Abe said his legacy was a stronger US-Japan relationship that was meant to bolster Japan’s defence capability. But Abe made enemies too by forcing his defence goals and other contentious issues through parliament, despite strong public opposition. Abe is a political blue blood who was groomed to follow in the footsteps of his grandfather, former prime ministerNobusukeKishi. His political rhetoric often focused on making Japan a “normal” and “beautiful” nation with a stronger military and bigger role in international affairs.(AP)
Abuja (TIP): At least 600 inmates escaped in a jailbreak in Nigeria’s capital city, officials said July 6, blaming the attack on Islamic extremist rebels. About 300 have been recaptured, authorities said. The “very determined” rebels attacked the Kuje maximum prison in Abuja on Tuesday night with “very high-grade explosives,” killing one guard on duty, according to ShuaibBelgore, permanent secretary of Nigeria’s Ministry of Interior. Explosions and gunfire were heard at about 10 p.m. in the Kuje area of Abuja when the attackers arrived and forced their way into the prison through a hole created by the explosives.
The Islamic extremist rebels who attacked the prison have waged an insurgency in the country’s northeast for over a decade. Their attack on the detention facility freed many of their members who are inmates, prison officials said.
“We understand they are Boko Haram. They came specifically for their co-conspirators,” said Belgore.
“Right now, we have retrieved about 300 out of about 600 that got out of the jail.” Nigeria’s jihadi rebels have carried out several jailbreaks in the country’s northeast in recent years, but this is the first in the capital city.
Nigeria’s extremist insurgency, carried out by Boko Haram and an offshoot known as the Islamic State Central African Province, is blamed for violence that has caused the deaths of more than 35,000 people and displaced more than 2 million people, according to the UN. The prolonged instability, hunger and lack of health services caused by the insurgency have indirectly caused the deaths of more than 300,000 additional people, says the UN. The extremists’ violence is the most serious security challenge in Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country with 206 million people, which also is battling violence in the northwest area by rebellious herdsmen and a separatist movement in the country’s south. AP
Colombo (TIP): With no fuel for transportation, Sri Lanka on Sunday declared a week-long holiday for schools from July 5. The Education Ministry decided that all government and government-approved private schools would be given holidays from July 4 to 8. The decision was reached after a discussion among ministry officials, provincial education secretaries, and other officials, and after considering the poor attendance of principals, teachers and students over the last two weeks, mainly due to lack of transport with non-availability of fuel for public transport and personal vehicles. Sending home people who were queued up for days and weeks on last Monday, the government-run Ceylon Petroleum Corporation stopped issuing fuel to vehicles other than those involved in essential services such as health, public transportation, law and order and food distribution among others.
People were asked to work from home and urban schools were closed while others requested to teach online. All private vehicles had to depend on Indian Oil Company-run fuel stations around the country, which issued limited fuel to different vehicles. — IANS
Karachi (TIP): Pakistani security agencies on July 5 claimed to have arrested the mastermind of the Karachi University suicide attack in which a burqa-clad Baloch woman bomber killed three Chinese nationals and their local driver in April. The suspect, who was arrested by the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) with technical assistance from other law enforcement agencies on Monday, was produced before an anti-terrorism court on Tuesday, Geo TV reported. The CTD informed the court that the suspect is a commander of separatist organisationsBalochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and Balochistan Liberation Federation-Karachi (BLF) and the mastermind of the attack on Chinese teachers outside KU’s Confucius Institute on April 26, according to the channel. The suspect was also involved in facilitating attacks on other Chinese citizens in Karachi, it said.
Later, the court remanded the suspect in police custody till July 16. Sharing details, Sindh Information Minister SharjeelInamMemon said suspect Dad Bakhsh alias Shoaib was arrested from Mauripur Road, Hawkesbay, the Dawn newspaper reported. The Karachi University (KU) suicide bombing was a joint plan by the banned Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and the Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF), in which a “neighbouring country” had played a role, the minister claimed, without naming the country. Memon said that the suspect, who he termed a terrorist, had revealed that the KU attack was the joint work of the BLF and the BLA. The banned BLA linked Majeed Brigade had claimed responsibility for the attack on the Chinese teachers that took place near China-built Confucius Institute – a non-profit institute teaching Chinese language to local pupils – in the KU. A spokesperson of the BLA, the separatist outfit which is banned in Pakistan, the UK and the US, said that the attack was carried out by Shari Baloch alias Bramsh – the “first female suicide bomber of the brigade”. The attack marks “a new chapter in the history of Baloch resistance,” he had said.
After that, the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) collected CCTV footage, conducted geo-fencing and DNA sampling which led to the arrest of the BLF commander in Karachi, the minister said.
“During the investigation process, the suspect made important revelations,” he said, adding that the suspect also said that he had been conducting recce of different BLA targets on the orders of his organisation’s commander, Khalil Baloch alias Musa. He went on to say that the suspect met with the husband of the female suicide bomber, DrHaibastan Bashir, and another “important terrorist” named “Zeb” in Karachi, and helped to carry out the KU attack.
Memon claimed that the suspect had revealed that Zeb was the the KU attack mastermind, who entered Pakistan from a “neighbouring country” and had been staying in Karachi with Baloch and her husband. He said that while being interrogated, the suspect confessed to conducting reconnaissance in Gulbai along with his accomplice as well as firing at the vehicle two Chinese engineers in July 2021 which had left one injured. Responding to a question, Memon said that the terrorists involved in the attack had foreign assistance but it would not be apt to name at country involved at this stage as the investigation was still ongoing. (PTI)
Bagan (TIP): In a move of interest to India, the Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met counterparts from five countries in the central Myanmar city of Bagan. In a way, the meeting flouts the unwritten consensus of keeping Myanmar’s leaders at an arm’s length after its military junta failed to implement the peace proposals outlined by ASEAN. Wang met his counterparts from Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam in a meeting of the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation group. Most of the countries at the meeting, like India, would prefer to engage the Myanmar junta having accepted it as an existential reality in that country’s power structure. India has security concerns with respect to Myanmar, directly from the border across where Naga rebels are believed to have regrouped and via Bangladesh which hosts 12 lakh refugees driven out by a military operation five years back. Most of these Rohingya refugees were victims of army operations in Rakhine state, where India is building a waterway-cum-road to Mizoram, which will be the landlocked state’s first outlet to the sea. New Delhi believes China can play a major role in persuading Myanmar to take back the refugees as well as usher peace in Rakhine state. (PTI)
The Who’s Who of Manhattan celebrated the success in the Tribeca Film Festival 2022 of Naman Gupta’s LGBTQ+ short film ‘COMING OUT WITH THE HELP OF A TIME MACHINE’ at a rooftop party hosted by celebrity chef and filmmaker Vikas Khanna in Manhattan.
The film had its New York City premiere at the prestigious Tribeca Festival, as part of the closing night block of queer films on June 19. Guests of honor at Khanna’s private soiree included Bollywood actor and philanthropist Vivek Oberoi, Delhi fashion designer Mayyur Girotra, Jewelry designer Amrita Singh, Sufi Wines founder Sam Bhatia, New York City’s top realtor Jaswant Lalwani, the film’s producers Nav and Neetu Gupta and James and Teddy Orfanos and lead actors Karan Soni and Sangeeta Agrawal, to name a few. “I’ve always been on the forefront of supporting South Asian culture from the very beginning. My heart, my doors are always open to promote anything to do with South Asian food, arts, entertainment, fashion and culture,” said Khanna, who hosted the party on the rooftop of his Manhattan residence.
‘COMING OUT…….’ was one of 10 films with a Desi connection programmed at Tribeca, the most ever in the festival’s history. “It really feels like our time has come! There are a lot of people from the South Asian community who have pioneered and paved the way for us to stand where we are today, and with Tribeca giving so many of us the platform that we have, it’s truly a momentous year for the South Asian diaspora,” said Agrawal, who plays Soni’s homophobic mother in the film.
At the event, the director made the BIG announcement that the short film is being converted into an episodic television series: “The series is going to be a one-hour drama, and it’s not something that just the LGBTQ crowd or the South Asian crowd or the sci-fi crowd will enjoy. It’s a very international, mainstream, sci-fi, immigrant family drama inter-twined with a LGBTQ romance and rivalry, so I’m super excited about that,” said Gupta. The series is currently in development, and the core team is looking for additional producers and distributors to helm the project.
“I think it’s really interesting, given the timing of the film right now, especially during PRIDE Month. There are issues, especially within the Desi community, in terms of how parents or children are equipped to deal with coming out, and it is a difficult process for both. But you watch something like this, and it may just make you respond more sensitively…more with the heart rather than the perception of what will my community think of me, what will the world think of me…so less judgment and more love because at the end of the day, that’s what family is for,” said Oberoi, who was at the event to support long-time friends, producers Nav and Neetu Gupta.
For more information about the journey of the film and the development of the series, visit comingoutfilm.com.
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TRIBECA’S CLOSING NIGHT LGBTQ+ SHORTS
By Mabel Pais
DIRECTOR/WRITER NAMAN GUPTA’S “COMING OUT….” WINS FURTHER SUCCESS
WRITER SAILESH NAIDU’S “DOGFRIEND” MAKES MARK
The Tribeca Festival 2022 presented a slate of Pride programming. Pride is an integral part of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer (LGBTQ+) community. Continuing its tradition of celebrating activism through media, Tribeca Festival 2022 presented a slate of programming curated to inform, entertain and celebrate LGBTQ+ culture.The Closing Night event was preceded by the Special Screening of LGBTQ+ Shorts: SEE ME, FEEL ME
LGBTQ+ Shorts: 88 Minutes l English Closed Captions
These seven short films span the queer experience with humor, heart and hope, showing characters navigating emotionally intense terrain in their search for connection and compassion.
PROGRAM:
COMING OUT WITH THE HELP OF A TIME MACHINE
Dir/Writ: Naman Gupta l USA l Eng l Eng Subs l Short l 15m l
New York Premiere l Comedy, Drama, LGBTQIA, Science Fiction
Father-Son in “Coming Out….”. (Photo: Naman Gupta)Naman Gupta, Director – “Coming Out….”. (Photo: Naman Gupta)
When coming out to his traditional Indian parents, Sid uses his time machine to reset the day in an attempt to make sure everything goes perfectly.
‘Coming Out With The Help Of A Time Machine’ is a story of family dynamics and acceptance, with strong LGBTQ+ and heartfelt sci-fi themes. Sid plans to come out to his conservative, community-oriented parents at a local diner. If anything goes wrong, Sid could lose the support of the people who matter to him most. Luckily, he has the power of time travel on his side-and he will do anything in his power to emerge from this encounter unscathed.
DOGFRIEND (Hundefreund)
Premiered at the BFI (British Film Institute) Flare Film
Festival in March 2022.
Prod/Writ: Sailesh Naidu l Dir: Maissa Lihedheb l Germany | German w/English subs l Short | 18m l Comedy, Drama, LGBTQIA, Romance, Thriller
Maissa with Lamin Leroy. (Photo : Malcolm Louis Reiss)
The co-producers of the film Maissa Lihedheb, Lamin Leroy Gibba, and Sailesh Naidu developed the idea together for the film ‘DogFriend,’ wanting to tell a complex and nuanced story, centering a perspective almost never seen on screen. While working with an almost entirely queer and trans BIPOC filmcrew. DogFriend (Hundefreund) explores themes of love, race, and mental health–while subtly (and at times loudly) suggesting that those are intrinsically connected. In the wake of the global Black Lives Matter movement, during which race and systemic oppression are discussed more than ever, conversations about nuanced lived experiences and interpersonal connections are often decentered.
MY DEAR BOY
Dir/Co-Prod/Writ/Edit/: Leaf Lieber l USA l Eng l Short l 5m l
Experimental, LGBTQIA, Romance
Within the first few seconds of meeting each other, two men experience the rise and collapse of their destined relationship through a surreal journey.
WORK
Dir/Writ: April Maxey l USA l Eng l Short l 13m l Women, Drama, LGBTQIA, Romance
Unable to move on from a breakup, Gabriela impulsively drops into an old job, where she unexpectedly runs into a friend from her past.
VALENTINE
Dir: Beck Kitsis & Chris McNabb l USA l Eng l Short | 10m l New York, Women, Drama, LGBTQIA, Romance
With gender and identity in flux, Corey and Mia struggle to redefine their relationship.
INNER WOUND REAL
International Premiere
Dir: Carrie Hawks l USA l Eng l Eng Subs l Short l 15m l Animation, Experimental, Women, Documentary, LGBTQIA, Black & African American Diaspora Stories ‘Inner Wound Real’ relays the story of three BIPOC folks who self-injure, then find new ways to cope.
F^¢K ‘€M R!GHT B@¢K
New York Premiere
DIR/Co-Writ/Co-Prod: Harris Doran l USA l Short l Eng l 12m l Comedy, LGBTQIA, Music
To avoid being fired after having accidentally taken drugs, a queer Black rapper must outwit his boss at his day job.
(Mabel Pais writes on Social Issues, Health & Wellness, The Arts and Entertainment, Cuisine and Spirituality)
Rafael Nadal set the ball rolling early. In the press conference after his win in the fourth round, the Spaniard was asked what he thought about his loss to Taylor Fritz at Indian Wells. His answer, “What I learned about the match against Fritz was zero because I had a stress fracture on my rib… and the pain was terrible.” It showed he would be out set the record straight.
As things turned out, another injury had a huge role to play in the Wimbledon quarterfinal on Wednesday that had a strange vibe to it. However, at the end of the match which was a five-set rollercoaster, we were once again saluting the sheer heart that drives Nadal. Knee, foot, abdomen–the list of injuries seems endless but through it all, he endures; he makes us root for him and he shows us the value of fighting even when the chips seem irreversibly down. The depth of Nadal’s resilience is almost unfathomable and if you needed a reminder of that, the 3-6, 7-5, 3-6, 7-5, 7-6 (4) win was ample evidence.
Now, Fritz is a good player but the question at the start of the match was whether he would be able to handle a charged up Rafa? And for the first 14 minutes of the match, it looked like he couldn’t. The American playing his first match on Centre Court and his first Grand Slam quarterfinal, was broken in the first game and Nadal’s shots were eliciting ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ from the crowd. Fritz slowly found his composure and then in the sixth game of the match, he drew level. Some heavy hitting earned the American three breakpoints but Nadal made it deuce before the 24-year-old closed it out. And then once again, the depth of Fritz’s returns earned him two breakpoints and he needed just one as Nadal committed a double fault. Fritz had not lost a set in the tournament and he was just starting to show why. An ace helped Fritz win the first set 6-3. He had won five games in a row and Nadal was left looking a little shell-shocked. That can sometimes be a mere invitation for the Spaniard to take things up a gear.
Guru Purnima is a special day for Hindus. A full moon day occurs when the moon is fully visible at night. This day also known as Vyas Purnima, is the birthday of Ved Vyas. There is a law of worship of Guru on this day. The religious gurus of Hinduism are worshiped by their followers. Guru Purnima comes at the beginning of the rainy season. On this day all saints take bath in the Ganges river together. It is celebrated by Hindus, Jains and Buddhists as a festival in India, Nepal, and Bhutan. This festival is traditionally celebrated by Hindus, Buddhists and Jains to honor and express their gratitude to their chosen spiritual teachers Dharma Guru. This day is also the birthday of Krishna Dwaipayan Vyas, the author of Mahabharata. He was a Sanskrit scholar and also composed the four Vedas. For this reason, he is also named Ved Vyas. He is called Adiguru and Guru Purnima is also known as Vyasa Purnima in his honor. It is the day when Ved Vyas was born in the Mahabharata period by Sage Parashar, the daughter of a fisherman, Satyavati. Bhaktikal’s saint Gheesadas was also born on this day, he was a disciple of Kabirdas.
What is the Guru? It is told by a verse. Which is as follows: –
In a verse for equality between the Guru and the deity, it has been said that the need of devotion is for the deity as it is for the guru as well. Rather it is possible to interview God with the grace of Sadhguru. Nothing is possible in the absence of the Guru’s grace.
Guru Brahma, Guru Vishnu, Guru Devo Maheshwara |
Guru Sakshat Param Brahma, Tasmai Shri Gurave Namah Guru is Brahma ||
Guru is Vishnu, Guru is Lord Maheshwara. Guru is verily the supreme reality. Sublime prostrations to Him.
Significance of Guru Purnima
Guru Purnima, otherwise called Vyasa Purnima, is celebrating the birth anniversary of Veda Vyasa, the legendary author of Mahabharata. Full moon day in the month of June-July is the witness of celebrating Guru Purnima. Hindus, Buddhists and Jains are celebrating this day in various forms. As part of our culture, Hindus are honouring Veda Vyasa on that day. Disciples are expressing their love, gratitude and devotion to their teachers. Among Buddhists, disciples are worshipping and honouring Lord Buddha during Guru Purnima day. As per the part of Jain religious custom, people are celebrating Guru Purnima as Treenok Guha Purnima in the name of Ganadhara becoming Treenok Guha. As in the terms of the basics of oldest Hindu mythology, Lord Shiva is denoted as first Guru and he had two disciples Shani and Parashurama. He introduced civilization and religion on earth. That is the story behind the name of Adidev and Adiguru to Lord Shiva. He provided seven people with Shani and Parasurama and after that, they began to be known as Saptarishis and they distributed knowledge of Shiva to the whole world. Purnima ritual is started by waking up in the early morning and taking a bath. Wearing white or yellow clothes is necessary. After that, praying to Lord Vishnu, Lord Shiva, Guru Brihaspati, Saint Ved Vyas along with our own Guru. On that occasion, students are worshipping the picture of these Gods by setting on a white cloth. Yet, people are using flowers, lamps, naivedya, sandalwood etc to honour Guru. Washing the feet of Guru by chanting the mantra and offering flowers to show their respect. Guru Purnima is considered as auspicious for the person who wants to become saints and give their life to Guru can join Ashram.
The traditional perspective of Guru Purnima is entirely different from the modern view. As per the traditional Hindu mythology, disciples are worshipping their Guru based on rituals and customs. But today, all the academic institutions’ students are celebrating Guru Purnima as Teachers day by thanking their teachers. Devotees are remembering saint Vyasa through some facts. First of all, Vyasa is known as the author of Mahabharata and Bhagavad Gita. He was the legend who wrote eighteen Puranas. Vyasa is represented as the guru of Dattatreya. Yet, he was known as the guru of all gurus.
History of Guru Purnima
Legends say that Ved Vyas structured the four Vedas, composed the epic of the Mahabharata, created the foundation for the many Puranas and the day of Guru Purnima is to honor him.
Some also say that Guru Purnima represents the date on which Lord Shiva as the Adi Guru taught the seven rishis who were the seers of the Vedas.
In some parts, Buddhists celebrate this day as Buddha Purnima too as it is believed that Lord Buddha was said to have delivered his first sermon on this day at Sarnath, reflecting the power of this sacred time.
How to celebrate Guru Purnima
– On this day people worship the gods who are our ultimate teachers in life.
– It has also been seen that people associate importance of Vishnu pooja with Guru Purnima.
– The thousand names of Lord Vishnu also known as Vishnu Sahatranam should be recited on this day.
– The day is celebrated with full vigor and auspiciousness of thanking the lords and the Gurus.
Fasting and food traditions on Guru Purnima
– Many people fast on this occasion. They refrain from eating salt, rice, heavy foods such as non-vegetarian dishes and other meals made of cereals.
– They only eat yogurt and fruit mostly.
– People break their fast after performing puja and other rituals in the evening.
– In most houses a feast of delicious Indian delicacies like poori, choley, halwa and other exuberant sweets are prepared and enjoyed.
One has just returned after a close encounter with nature at Karripode village in Kerala State. Karripode is a 30 minute drive away from Palakkad, on the fringes of the “Neliampathy Hills”. One passes the historical village of Chitoor along the way. We are welcomed by a group of cattle egrets flying in formation ,as soon as we enter Palakkad. We start our jungle safari in an open jeep and soon find ourselves in the middle of thick evergreen forests with no habitation in sight as far as eye can see. After thirty minutes of driving through the jungle, one sees a large water body in the distance. We are informed by our guide that the water body is not a lake but a fresh water spring surrounded by rocks. The water is crystal clear and transparent and surrounded on all four sides by small rocky hills.
We come to the edges of this giant lake to find hundreds of birds. It is a pleasure to watch a multitude of colourful birds at close quarters, as they flock to the edge of the water. The water is shallow and swampy and boating is not possible, so one has to be content watching the birds from a distance. However, the deep blue sky, reflected in the crystal clearness of the waters is a joy to behold. Watching the crimson sunset over the Parakund (Malayalam for Rocky lake) is memorable.
After a brief stop to watch the birds, one goes deeper into the jungle to spot the Giant Malabar Squirrel. After an hour of driving through the jungle one can see a glimpse of this magnificentcreature. Giant Malabar Squirrels are black incolour but have two large elliptical brown spots one on each side of their body which makes them look incredibly attractive to behold. Giant Malabar Squirrels are shy creatures and disappear atat great speed on hearing the sound of approaching humans. Hence the ideal strategy to spot these gentle and shy friends, is to alight from the tree a kilometer away and stealthily trek towards them in a non menacing way and shoot with the zoom lens as I did. Giant Malabar Squirrels live on the peepal trees and use their sharp teeth to eat mangoes, papayas and jackfruits. Karripode, situated on the border with Tamil Nadu is a sanctuary for the Giant Malabar Squirrel and several other colourful birds. This extraordinary area gets partly inundated by about 2 feet of water in the monsoon months (July-September). Once below sea level, this area was raised by earth movements which cut it off from the Eastern Ghats. It was broken up by later earth movements into flat farmlands (where people can be seen growing rice) and higher grounds with sandy, salt-free soil. The Giant Malabar Squirrel depends on the thorny scrub of the higher ground area for its feed. The other wildlife atKarripode includes blue bull, wolves, hyenas, desert foxes, jackals, wild-cats, and caracals.
How to get there?
Karripoide is 15 km. away from Palakkad Town. The non-stop drive from Palakkad to Karripode should not exceed thirty minutes.
By road:
Visitors traveling by road have to drive from Palakkad to Karripode which is approximately15 km.
By air:
The nearest airport to reach Pallaad is at Coimbatore. Coimbatore is connected by direct flights from most Indian cities.Karripode is a 45 km. drive from Coimbatore airport which takes approximately 60 to 90 minutes.
By train:
PalakadRailway Station is the nearest railhead to reach Karripode. From Palakkadprivate buses ply to Karripode.
All trains going to Kochi and Thiruvanthapuram via Coimbatore stop at Palakkad.
Where to stay?
Homestays are the only option for tourists who want to visit Parakund. A family of four can avail a homestay at Rs. 500/- per night, exclusive of food. Breakfast, lunch and dinner which includes traditional Kerala delicacies like idlis, dosas, injipuli (ginger with tamarind) , rice and elisseri (pumpkin) can be home delivered from the small eateries at Karripode.
Where to eat?
Lots of small restaurants serving Malayalee vegetarian cuisine dot Palakkad. Freshly steamed vegetables with spices, cooked in coconut milk, with hot freshly steamed idlis are available at most roadside dhabas. The food at the high profile hotels is only for the gastronomically adventurous who like greasy food. Vegans can opt for fresh tropical fruits including water-melons, papayas, tender coconuts, pineapples which are available at the local market. (Murli Menon, is a travel writer, stress management consultant and author-based at Ahmedabad, India. He is the author of “ZeNLP-Learning through stories” published by The Written Word Publications, “ZeNLP-the power to succeed” published by Sage publications and “ZeNLP-the power to relax” by New Dawn Press. He can be reached at zenlp@rediffmail.com)
London (TIP)- The euro sank to a two-decade low versus the dollar on Tuesday as another surge in natural gas prices reignited worries about the health of the euro zone economy and data showed euro zone business growth slowed sharply in June. The euro tumbled 0.9% against the dollar to $1.0325, its weakest since December 2002. Versus the Swiss franc, it dropped 0.7%to 0.9941 francs, its lowest since 2015.
“It will continue to be very difficult for the euro to rally in any meaningful way with the energy picture worsening and risks to economic growth increasing notably,” said Derek Halpenny, an analyst at MUFG.
Survey data showed business growth across the euro zone slowed further last month and forward-looking indicators suggested the region could slip into decline this quarter as the cost of living crisis keeps consumers wary. The dollar index gained 0.8% to 105.98, a new two-decade high for the currency.
Australia’s central bank became the latest to extend its interest rate tightening cycle, hiking by a second straight 50 basis points, although the Aussie dollar fell 0.8% as investors interpreted the bank’s accompanying messaging to be more dovish than expected.
Offering brief respite to nervous markets was a report that U.S. President Joe Biden was leaning towards a decision on easing tariffs on goods from China as well as news Chinese Vice Premier Liu He had spoken to U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen. A survey showing China’s services activity grew at the fastest pace in almost a year also helped sentiment. But as European trading picked up, the Euro STOXX reversed course and was last down 0.43% while Germany’s DAX fell 0.6%. The FTSE 100 dropped 1.05%. In Asia, MSCI’s gauge of Asia Pacific stocks outside Japan rose 0.17%.
New Delhi (TIP)- Indian airline company SpiceJet is going through a highly turbulent phase in recent times on account of several glitches and a non-adherence to mandated guidelines in regards to the training of some pilots. The share price of the airline slumped around 42-43 per cent so far in 2022. On Wednesday, July 6, it closed at Rs 39, as against Rs 68 at the start of the year 2022. Following is a sequence of events which attracted negative press for the airline. It all started in April 2022 when the aviation watchdog the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had restrained 90 pilots of the airline from operating Boeing 737 Max aircraft, after finding they were not properly trained. Those pilots were trained on a faulty simulator, and the aviation regulator asked the airline to retrain the pilots, besides slapping a fine of Rs 10 lakh. In early May, 11 passengers on board its flight from Mumbai to Durgapur in West Bengal were injured in severe turbulence and were hospitalised. Two of them were put into intensive care units (ICU). The airline had then maintained that the seat belt sign was on when the aircraft encountered turbulence and several announcements for the same were also made. Post the incident, the DGCA immediately ordered a probe and a team was formed to investigate and submit a report at the earliest. A preliminary report by the regulator DGCA said the pilots were in “autopilot mode” when the aircraft faced turbulence.
In the later part of May, SpiceJet systems had faced an attempted ransomware attack that impacted and slowed down morning flight departures, while several passengers had complained about the poor services.
On May 28, the pilots on a SpiceJet flight from Mumbai to Gorakhpur decided to fly back to Mumbai after a windshield crack was observed mid-air. The incident which grabbed much of the eyeballs was when a Delhi-bound SpiceJet aircraft made an emergency landing at Patna airport on June 19, after there were reports of a technical glitch which ignited fire on the plane.
On the same day itself, a Jabalpur-bound SpiceJet flight landed back at the Delhi Airport after it failed to regain the cabin pressure differential even after attaining a height of 6,000 feet. When the going gets tough, the tough get going. Again on July 2, a Jabalpur-bound SpiceJet flight returned to the Delhi airport after passengers detected smoke in the plane.
On Tuesday i.e. July 5, a Dubai-bound SpiceJet flight from Delhi with more than 150 passengers was diverted to Karachi in Pakistan as the fuel indicator started malfunctioning. Upon having noted so many incidents revolving the airline, DGCA has issued a show cause notice to SpiceJet over failure to establish safe, efficient and reliable air services. “The reported incidents on aircraft operated by Spicejet Ltd. from April 1, 2022, till date have been reviewed and it has been observed that on a number of occasions, the aircraft either turned back to its originating station or continued landing to the destination with degraded safety margins,” DGCA’s show cause notice reads. Union Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Wednesday showed his concerns over recent incidents related to SpiceJet and said, “Passenger safety is paramount. Even the smallest error hindering safety will be thoroughly investigated and course-corrected.”
Facing the showcause notice, SpiceJet Chairman and Managing Director Ajay Singh said that they are running “a safe airline for the past 15 years” and that “one or two incidents being highlighted in media doesn’t mean any airline is unsafe”.
Singh told ANI that the kind of incidents being talked about are “trivial and happen on a daily basis in airlines”. On an average, he said, 30 such incidents happen in airlines every day.
Sri Lanka is desperate for help with weathering its worst crisis in recent memory. Its schools are closed for lack of fuel to get kids and teachers to classrooms. Its effort to arrange a bailout from the International Monetary Fund has been hindered by the severity of its financial crisis, its prime minister says. But it’s not the only economy that’s in serious trouble as prices of food, fuel and other staples have soared with the war in Ukraine. Alarm bells are ringing for many economies around the world, from Laos and Pakistan to Venezuela and Guinea. Some 1.6 billion people in 94 countries face at least one dimension of the crisis in food, energy and financial systems, and about 1.2 billion of them live in “perfect-storm” countries, severely vulnerable to a cost-of-living crisis plus other longer-term strains, according to a report last month by the Global Crisis Response Group of the United Nations Secretary-General. The exact causes for their woes vary, but all share rising risks from surging costs for food and fuel, driven higher by Russia’s war on Ukraine, which hit just as disruptions to tourism and other business activity from the coronavirus pandemic were fading. As a result, the World Bank estimates that per capita incomes in developing economies will be 5% below pre-pandemic levels this year.
Virgin Galactic announced Wednesday that it is partnering with a Boeing subsidiary to manufacture the next generation of the twin-fuselage aircraft used to carry aloft the space tourism company’s rocket ship. Aurora Flight Sciences will build two of the special carrier planes at its facilities in Mississippi and West Virginia. Final assembly still will take place at Virgin Galactic’s facility in Mojave, California, with the first mothership produced under the contract expected to enter service in 2025. Each of the aircraft will be designed to fly up to 200 launches per year. Virgin Galactic officials said that outsourcing the work will provide access to labor, minimize supply chain disruptions and lead to faster production times. The company has repeatedly pushed back the timeline for launching paying customers, with commercial service now expected in 2023.
Virgin Galactic CEO Michael Colglazier said the next-generation motherships will be integral to scaling up the company’s operations. “They will be faster to produce, easier to maintain and will allow us to fly substantially more missions each year,” he said in a statement. “Supported by the scale and strength of Boeing, Aurora is the ideal manufacturing partner for us.”
Actor Lindsay Lohan is celebrating her 36th birthday on Saturday as a married woman. The Freaky Friday star said she was the luckiest woman in the world in an Instagram post Friday that pictured her with financier Bader Shammas, who had been her fiance. “I am stunned that you are my husband,” Lohan said in the post, adding that every woman should feel like this every day.
The couple had announced their engagement last November. People magazine and Entertainment Tonight confirmed there had been a wedding, but no details were offered. While still single a few years ago, Lohan told Entertainment Tonight that she was looking for a smart businessman and someone who doesn’t like the spotlight. Shammas’ Instagram account is private. The Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen actress and sometimes singer has worked through some sobriety issues in recent years and has recently filmed a romantic comedy that is due to be released on Netflix later this year.
Natalie Portman is returning to the Thor franchise in Thor: Love and Thunder as the Mighty Thor, a transformed version of the character, astrophysicist Jane Foster, whom she played in past Thor films. Unlike many of Portman’s former roles, this part involved the actress making serious gains in preparation to portray the comic book character. “On Black Swan, I was asked to get as small as possible,” Portman told Variety in a recent interview. “Here, I was asked to get as big as possible. That’s an amazing challenge — and also a state of mind as a woman,” she said. In order to get into superhero shape, Portman worked with certified Pilates instructor, personal trainer, and triathlete Naomi Pendergast, director at Real Performance Exercise (RPX). “It wasn’t just about having big muscles,” Pendergast tells Shape. “Her role involved learning various stunts that required her to have a strong core and an agile ability to land well. I was definitely surprised at how intense the physical side of the role was,” she adds.
Hollywood star Chris Evans has joined Emily Blunt in Pain Hustlers, a criminal-conspiracy film to be directed by David Yates. Yates, known for directing four films in the Harry Potter series and the first three films of its prequel series Fantastic Beasts, will helm the new movie, which has a script by writer Wells Tower. According to Variety, streaming service Netflix has bagged the movie, which is said to be in the same vein as Adam McKay’s The Big Short, David O Russell’s American Hustle and Martin Scorsese-directed The Wolf of Wall Street. It is described as a hilarious, dramatic and wild journey to the corrupt heart of the American dream. “Dreaming of a better life for her and her young daughter, Liza Drake (Blunt), a high-school dropout, lands a job with a failing pharmaceutical start-up in a yellowing strip mall in Central Florida. Liza’s charm, guts and drive catapult the company and her into the high life, where she soon finds herself at the centre of a criminal conspiracy with deadly consequences,” the official plotline read. The film, which will start production in August, is produced by Lawrence Grey through his Grey Matter Productions banner and Wychwood Pictures. Evans is currently awaiting the release of his Netflix action movie The Gray Man, directed by Anthony and Joe Russo. Also starring Ryan Gosling and Ana de Armas, the film will drop on the streaming platform on July 22.
‘Squid Game’ star Lee Jung-jae said that his directorial debut ‘Hunt’ is a mix of his decades-long experience as an actor and his dream of making a new type of spy movie.Hunt is a story about two rival intelligence agents in South Korea, Park Pyong-ho (Lee) and Lee Jung-do (Jung Woo-sung), who separately chase after a North Korean spy leaking top secret information that could jeopardise national security. The two end up discovering a plot to assassinate the South Korean president, Yonhap news agency reported.It premiered as part of the non-competition Midnight Screening section at this year’s Cannes Film Festival held in May. It is Lee’s first film where he works behind the camera in his 30-year acting career, during which he has starred in about 40 films and TV series. He also wrote the script of his maiden film.”Although I’ve been in this world for a long time, I thought writing and directing are different from acting. So I hesitated a lot,” Lee said in a press conference.”But I decided to take charge of this project and dived into it.”For his directorial debut, he said that he spent most of preproduction, which lasted for four years, in writing the script.
Actress Sanya Malhotra, who will be seen playing the role of a forensic lady in the upcoming film ‘Hit: The First Case’, has talked about the challenging scenes she dealt with in the film, which also stars Rajkummar Rao. Talking about the difficulties during the shoot, Sanya shared: To be honest, when you’re working with actors like Rajkummar Rao, it becomes more collaborative. You just have to follow their lead and react to what they’re doing beautifully.”
“So, I never felt anything was too challenging or difficult for me and also the credit has to go to Rajkummar Rao because he is not only a good actor but a brilliant co-actor too. So, it never felt like I’m in a scene reciting my dialogues or anything and it never felt that way because it all felt so natural and all felt conversational to me as an actor. “Gulshan Kumar and T-Series present in association with Dil Raju Productions ‘Hit: The First Case’.Directed by Dr. Sailesh Kolanu, the film is produced by Bhushan Kumar, Dil Raju, Krishan Kumar, and Kuldeep Rathore. It will hit the theatres on July 15, 2022.
Disney+ Hotstar greenlights the new season of Aarya. Sushmita Sen took to social media to announce the same. The Sherni is all set to sharpen her claws in Aarya 3. Filmmaker Ram Madhvani has started the scripting of the new season of the Emmy-nominated series. Aarya traces the journey of a mother who can go to any extent to protect her family from the world of crime after entering the vicious network after her husband’s death. Sushmita tweeted, “Sherni begins a new journey. #HotstarSpecials #AaryaS3 development begins.” Speaking about the new season, Sushmita said, “It is a new dawn for Aarya Sareen, and she is fierce. In Season 3, she is going places and starting her own story free from the obstacles of her past. Reprising the role of Aarya is like slipping into old jeans but for a brand-new journey. It feels great to be back with Ram Madhvani and the Disney+ Hotstar team, can’t wait to return the love viewers have showered on Aarya.”
Kangana Ranaut is among the biggest stars in India. With films like Queen, Manikarnika, Thalaivii and more – she has proved that she’s here to stay for long. However, her journey has been full of controversies. One of the controversies was around her film Simran with Hansal Mehta. Reports had it that Kangana Ranaut took over the direction of the film and Hansal Mehta was not happy with it. He has spoken about it time and again after Simran flopped at the box office. Once again, Hansal Mehta has called Simran a ‘massive mistake’. In an interview with Mashable India, Hansal Mehta once again revisited Simran and revealed that he did not gel with the actress on the sets. When asked if she took over the editing of film, he stated that there was nothing to take over as all the footage was shot by her. He was quoted saying, “Edit nahi takeover kia the usne, to be fair to her, but edit take over karne ke liye kuch tha nahi kyunki material hi vahi tha jo usne shoot karvaya tha (She did not take over the edit, to be fair to her, but there was nothing to take over in the edit. We only had the material that she had shot).” He, however, did praise the actress and called her talented. But he feels that Kangana Ranaut has limited to herself. He gave the example of She’s on fire song from Dhakaad and mentioned that she was talking about herself. He was further quoted saying, “Abhi kuch gaana aaya uska… (She had a song recently…) she is a woman on fire… you are basically talking about yourself. You know these are things you aspire for yourself, you put it there. It’s not even my place to criticise what choices she makes. She’s a big star, even today and she is a very good actor, I maintain that and working with her, we didn’t gel. Working with her was a massive mistake.”
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