Iran Launches 100+ Missiles At Israel, Hitting Tel Aviv, Haifa; Mass Casualty Reported
CCTV footage has captured the exact moment Air India Flight 171 crashed just seconds after takeoff from Ahmedabad Airport on June 12, 2025. The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, bound for London Gatwick, veered off course and slammed into the BJ Medical College hostel building near the airport. The dramatic footage shows a massive fireball and thick smoke as the aircraft hit the structure. Onboard were 242 passengers—169 Indians, 53 British nationals, one Canadian, and seven Portuguese. Rescue and relief operations are ongoing at the crash site, with emergency teams working around the clock to locate survivors and support affected families.#airindiacrash #cctv #cctvfootage #gujarat #amitshah #pmmodi #vijayrupani #ahmedabadplanecrash #flightai171 #boeing7878dreamliner #meghaninagar #dharpursmoke #dgcainvestigation #amitshah #gujaratcm #airindia787crash #ahmedabadairportincident #londonflightcrash #airindiaemergency #planecrashjune12 #airindiaaccident #dreamlinercrash #ahmedabadrescue #airindianews #nationalconcern #aviationdisaster #indiansky #tragicevent #airindiaupdate #crashinvestigation #toi #toibharat
82.5K views | 2 days ago
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
13 hours ago
- Indian Express
A British etiquette coach shares 5 fine dining tips you probably didn't know
When it comes to dining etiquette, most of us know the basics: chew with your mouth closed, don't talk with food in your mouth, and place your napkin on your lap. But true elegance at the table is in the details; the subtle, considerate habits that demonstrate respect and grace. As William Hanson, British etiquette coach and Executive Director of The English Manner, explains in a YouTube video: 'This is advice that is applicable in any situation — from the grandest of gala dinners to the most simple kitchen supper with the family… manners in any setting [are] about other people, not you.' With that wisdom in mind, here are five dining etiquette tips you probably didn't know about, peppered with Hanson's timeless advice. We're all hungry, but patience is polite. As William says, 'Good manners are selfless, not selfish… so we wait for everyone at the table to have a plate of food in front of them before we start eating.' This includes refraining from nibbling on bread or sipping soup if others haven't received their plates yet. If you see something tempting on the table, water, wine, salad, don't just dive in. 'If you want to help yourself to anything… make sure the people either side of you have it first before you help yourself.' Being aware of others' needs before your own shows refined hospitality. Need to pause mid-meal to answer a question or take a sip? Don't lay your used utensils on the table. 'We never place dirty cutlery back on the table… Instead, we place the cutlery in what we call the resting position.' Visualise a clock: place your knife at 3 o'clock and your fork crossing over it toward 8 o'clock (a 3:40 position). It subtly signals that you're not done yet. Phones have no place at the table, no matter how casual the meal. 'The dining table is always a phone-free zone… I don't care what you call it, I don't care what time of day — mobiles away.' Being fully present is a hallmark of great manners. When you've finished eating, show it. Silently. 'Just like the resting position, there's a way to place your knife and fork… they go together on the plate like so.' In Britain, cutlery is typically placed vertically at the 6:00 position. In some parts of the world, a slight angle is customary. Either way, it should clearly indicate you're finished. Whether you're enjoying a fancy restaurant meal or a simple family dinner, these small but powerful etiquette habits elevate the experience for everyone.
The Hindu
14 hours ago
- The Hindu
Explore Chennai's Victoria Public Hall, which once hosted ballroom dances and film screenings
Back in 2022, when Victoria Public Hall, an imposing town hall structure standing alongside some of the city's other great monuments like the Ripon buildings and the Central station, was still in disuse, a group of engineers from the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) gathered to undertake a study of the premises. Conservation architects and restoration experts who were roped in, said that entering meant danger. Once the ideal location for ballroom dancing in the late 19th and early 20th Century, a heavy step on the floorboard meant that your legs would go through the base of the structure, as the wood was ready to give way from years of having been locked away. Three years hence, the smell of paint and fresh varnish wafts through the air of this iconic red-brick building which is now nearly ready to welcome visitors. Considered to be built somewhere between 1883 and 1890 in Indo-Saracenic style (although historian V Sriram in a recent The Hindu article argues that it is far more Roman in nature with its Travencore caps) by Robert Chisholm, the British architect who conjured up Chennai's most beautiful Colonial-era buildings, the project, under the Singara Chennai 2.0 initiative, cost ₹32.62 crore to restore. A S Murugan, Superintending Engineer, Special Projects Department, Greater Chennai Corporation, wants Chennai-residents to use the town hall as it was initially intended — a public space for residents and travellers. 'You have a train to catch and need a place to wait? Spend some time at Victoria Public Hall where a museum on the history of the hall's conservation is going to be built,' he says. A time of generosity Victoria Public hall was originally conceived to honour Queen Victoria on her Golden Jubilee in 1887. An article in Madras Musings states that Sir AT Arundel, President of the Corporation at the time, raised funds to build the structure as 'an affirmation of loyalty to the Crown'. The opening however, would not have been possible if Rajah Sir Ananda Gajapati, the Maharajah of Vijayanagaram, did not set aside three and a half acres from People's Park to a Board of Trustees on a 99-year lease at eight annas (half a rupee) a ground per year. He is remembered in a tablet, embellished with all his titles, preserved at the entrance, for having laid the foundation stone. Chisholm designed the hall with Gothic arcades and tiled sloping roofs and verandahs. A tall four-sided tower that rises to a height of 150 feet continues to exist till date with a claustrophobic winding path, just perfect to take one to the top to the top. Another article from The Hindu's archives states that Chilsom made small rounded balconies, some of them with canopies to make baldacchinos, all along the length of the tower. A memorial to a former Governor of Madras, Sir Charles Trevelyan, stands in the form of a fountain at the front yard of the Hall. It is said that Trevelyan not just improved Madras' water supply and drainage supply systems but also opened the governor's house to tea parties and tiffins, a concept unheard of at the time. The Victoria Public Hall's purpose was to further the city's cultural and intellectual pursuits. It is why the place hosted several talks, screened films, held ballroom dances, saw performances of plays and discourse on challenging political, spiritual and nationalistic concepts. Chennai owes its cinematic roots to Victoria Public Hall. An article in The Hindu states that the premiere of the first ever film screening in the city was by T Stevenson in December 1896, the proprietor of the Madras Photographic Store. At Victoria Public Hall, he screened ten short films and many magic lantern slides, depicting views of Madras such as the Guindy horse races and a Mowbray's Road street scene. However, the first few shows were quite the bust. The Madras Mail from December 8, 1896 says that only 'a few adventurous ones went forth to see his show' as rain played quite the spoil sport. The reviews for the show were also, frankly, scathing as the Mail stated that the photographs were 'not distinct enough and in some cases seemed too rapidly worked.' Besides the tryst with cinema, several plays, particularly those political by nature, were hosted by the Suguna Vilasa Sabha. It is also stated that the Justice Party had its first meeting at the Victoria Public Hall in 1916. The hall has also played host to several eminent speakers. An article from The Hindu's 1897 edition speaks of Swami Vivekananda's visit. Mahatma Gandhi has also addressed a gathering here. Chennapuri Andhra Maha Sabha also functioned out of the premises in 1914 with the aim to promote Telugu culture and literature for 30 odd years. Several sports: table tennis, billiards, and chess found patronage here at the ground floor of the venue. Despite having played such a central role in Chennai's pursuit, the hall was often found in dire straits. Although exhibitions were held at the hall intermittently since the 1980s, no consistent use was planned for the location. Heralding change With the latest restoration in place, Victoria Public Hall is expected to return to its glory days. Galleries have been installed on the premises for travelling exhibits and a permanent one on the reconstruction of the heritage building. The GCC plans to open the space for talks and occasional performances. There is also a plan to replicate the heritage walk model currently in place at the Ripon Buildings. Abha Narain Lambah, the country's preferred conservation architect, who was roped in for the restoration project says that work primarily went into structural strengthening. 'A lot of archival research, assessment of documents and mapping the structure was undertaken one and a half years ago. We looked at fabric and structural assessment of buildings in the 19th and 20th Century for reference but also needed to conserve it in such a way that it could be in active use. The aim was to ensure that it does not fall back into dilapidation. We also looked into the acoustics of the hall because it was primarily a performance venue,' she says. Raj Cherubal, Executive Director, Chennai Smart City and Christy Lemma, Communication Cell In-Charge, GCC, say that much of the original pillars of the building were maintained. Earthquake proofing was done and an attempt to conceal the use of modern embellishments like air conditioners and lighting were done in a manner so as to not appear garish. 'For the inauguration, we plan on hosting an exhibition on Chennai, its roots, the recent discoveries of the Tamil civilization and many more. There will also be a fete with cultural performances and a food festival,' says Christy. Of contributions Victoria Public Hall is about 90% ready to invite visitors as of today but a date is yet to be set on the inauguration. As workers put the final touches on the historic staircase of the building and the front yard, I ask a labourer what he thinks of working on the building and his thoughts on the recent sanitary workers' protest that was held close to the entrance of the hall. The labourer insists on a state of impermanence. He says that nobody will acknowledge his effort of having painted the building, the effort of daily wage labourers, or even the function of the government. 'Nothing is permanent but this building. That is where the beauty lies.'
_625x300_1530004220349.jpg%3Fim%3DFeatureCrop%2Calgorithm%3Ddnn%2Cwidth%3D1200%2Cheight%3D738&w=3840&q=100)
NDTV
a day ago
- NDTV
Hong Kong Scientist Puts Up Nest Boxes To Save Endangered Cockatoos
China: Above the teeming shopping streets of Hong Kong's Causeway Bay district, a fight to save one of the world's most endangered species is unfolding high in the branches of a decades-old cotton tree. Nestled among its sprawling boughs is a nest box designed for the yellow-crested cockatoo, of which only 1,200 to 2,000 remain in the world. Although the birds are native to East Timor and Indonesia, one-tenth of those left are found in Hong Kong -- one of the "largest cohesive remaining wild populations" globally, according to Astrid Andersson, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Hong Kong. Their future now hangs in the balance, due to habitat loss and, some suspect, a black market for the rare birds. The cockatoos' numbers have stagnated, with far fewer juveniles than when Andersson began monitoring almost 10 years ago. The birds don't make their own nests but depend on natural cavities in trees -- about 80 percent of which have vanished in recent years, because of typhoon damage and government pruning. The nest boxes set up by Andersson are an attempt to rectify this, designed to resemble the hollows sought out by the birds. She plans to place about 50 around the city. "Without the nest boxes, I believe that the cockatoos will have fewer and fewer opportunities to increase or replace individuals that die in their population," she said. The boxes will also allow observation of their reproductive behaviour, which has never been comprehensively studied. Human-wildlife coexistence The cockatoos' existence in Hong Kong has been "a very positive story about human-wildlife coexistence", said Andersson. The population in Hong Kong is an introduced one, with one urban legend recounting they originated from an aviary set free by the British governor of Hong Kong before surrendering to the Japanese in 1941. There is no evidence to support that story, however -- the modern flock's ancestors are in fact believed to be escaped pets. Hong Kong's urban parks, full of mature trees bearing fruit, nuts and other food, became a "sanctuary" for them, Andersson said. The cockatoos are now part of the city's fabric, their loud squawks echoing through the sky at nightfall. Perched on streetlights, they sit calmly observing the humming traffic along city flyovers. Many people don't realise they are looking at an endangered species in their neighbourhood. "We genuinely thought they were just like an average parakeet," resident Erfan, who lives near a flyover, told AFP. Yellow-crested cockatoos are often mistaken for sulphur-crested cockatoos, commonly found in Australia rummaging through bins. The two are genetically distinct though, and the Australian species is not endangered. Black market? Merchants at Hong Kong's bird market certainly know the difference. When AFP visited, sulphur-crested cockatoos were openly displayed, while yellow-crested ones were only shown upon request. A one-year-old bird was being sold for a whopping HK$56,000 ($7,000), while a two-month-old chick could sell for HK$14,000. It has been illegal since 2005 to trade wild-caught yellow-crested cockatoos. Selling ones bred in captivity is allowed, but the breeders must have valid licences under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). There are no such registered breeders in Hong Kong. Sharon Kwok Pong, founder of Hong Kong Parrot Rescue, believes there may be a "black market". "There have been people that find out where these birds are, they raid them," she told AFP. Captive-bred cockatoos should have a ring on their leg and documentation proving their origin, but these can be falsified. "I think we need a crackdown," Kwok said. "If you want to protect a species, so unique in this environment, I think a lot of things need to fall into place." 'A backup population' Andersson has developed a forensic test that analyses a cockatoo's diet to determine whether it was recently taken from the wild. She hopes this will help enforce the ban on illegal sales. In their native habitats, poaching, rapid habitat loss and climate change have devastated the cockatoos' numbers. The financial hub's birds may one day be able to help revive them. "Hong Kong's population could have genetic lineages that are now gone," she said. It could function "as a backup population for the wild Indonesian counterparts".
