Latest news with #Maira
Time of India
41 minutes ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai: Abhira brings Maira home as Armaan confronts Geetanjali over custody
In the latest episode of Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai, Dadi Sa and Vidya return to their old home, where they are confronted with long-buried truths. Vidya questions Dadi Sa for concealing the truth about Maira's identity and allowing Abhira (Samridhii Shukla) to endure years of silence. Kaveri eventually reveals the real reason Armaan (Rohit Purohit) never disclosed the truth to Abhira. She admits that she had emotionally pressured Armaan, giving him an ultimatum that if he revealed the truth, he would have to take her life in return. Vidya is left in shock, realizing the internal conflict Armaan faced. Abhira and Maira (Pookie) arrive soon after. Abhira informs Vidya that she and her daughter will be living there, asserting that it is also their home. Dadi Sa and Vidya express relief at seeing Abhira take on her role as a mother. Later, Abhira prepares a tent-style bed for Maira, trying to make her feel comfortable, but notices that her daughter remains unsettled and misses Armaan and Geetanjali , the only parental figures she has known. Vidya advises Abhira to give Maira time to adjust. In the middle of the night, Maira wakes up crying and asks to speak with Armaan. Abhira video calls him, and Maira pleads with Armaan to tell her a bedtime story. She confides that she is not happy in the new house. Before the conversation can continue, Geetanjali takes the phone and urges Maira to return home. This leads to a confrontation between Armaan and Geetanjali, with Armaan stating that no one can interfere in the bond between Abhira and her daughter. He reminds Geetanjali that Abhira has waited seven years to reunite with Maira and that the child now rightfully belongs with her mother.
Time of India
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai: Armaan feels incredible pain as Maira makes a request
Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai is going through an emotional rollercoaster. It is keeping the audience at the edge of their seats and making them increasingly curious as to what happens next. In the latest episode, it is seen that Abhira is totally broken as she learns that Maira is her real daughter and that Armaan hid the truth from her for seven years. In the episode to come, the show continues to give its viewers unexpected emotional revelations and jaw-dropping drama. As Abhira is informed that Maira is her Pookie, she rushes to Mount Abu to get her daughter back and asks her to come with her. Further, since Maira has been emotionally more connected to Armaan and Geetanjali all these years, she finds it difficult to leave them behind. She is still trying to build the now-found relation with Abhira. Maira is left in a state of complete confusion as she tries to figure out what to do. She is stuck between wanting to grow her relationship with Abhira while also still not wanting to leave Armaan and Geetanjali as she shares a deeper connect with them. Abhira will also get doubtful of whether Maira will come with her. As Armaan packs Maira's bag, she pleads with him to let her stay. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 5 Books Warren Buffett Wants You to Read In 2025 Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo She tries all she can do to convince him. She also promises him that she will do her homework and not eat ice-cream if he agrees to let her stay. Armaan does not get convinced and has chosen to send her with Abhira. This will result in a very emotional moment for the father and daughter as well as the viewers. While still being emotionally torn down, Armaan and Geetanjali send Maira with Abhira. On the other hand, the family members welcome Maira back. With another turn of events, Armaan will join Abhira and Maira, causing yet another big change. In the next episode, it will be seen how Armaan desperately searches for Maira. Geetanjali is still in pain of being separated from her while Abhira and Anshuman set foot in beautiful Mount Abu.
Scottish Sun
21-06-2025
- Science
- Scottish Sun
Inside dystopian town blitzed by 450 nukes plagued by suicides & cancer-riddled families issued ‘radiation passports'
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) GROWING up in the most nuked place on Earth, Maira Abenova has helplessly watched as cancer spread through her family. After years of living near the Semipalatinsk Test Site, she told The Sun how the devastating impact of the radiation "did not spare any family". Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 14 The Semipalatinsk Test Site is the most nuked place on earth Credit: Getty - Contributor 14 The Semipalatinsk region in eastern Kazakhstan was a nuclear test site for the Soviet Union Credit: AFP - Getty 14 The Cold War relic sits near the border with modern day Russia Credit: Corbis Historical - Getty 14 Lake Shagan, also called the 'Atomic Lake', highlighted, is an offshoot of the Shagan River Credit: Wikipedia 14 Known as the Polygon, the 7,000 square mile nuclear testing site in north east Kazakhstan was nuked by hellish bombs from 1949 to 1989. Having been hit by a quarter of all nuclear explosions in history, Semipalatinsk Test Site was an atomic playground for Soviet scientists which was kept secret for decades. Its infamous 'Atomic Lake' was blasted into existence 60 years ago by a bomb ten times more powerful than the one dropped on Hiroshima. And one of the site's most destructive detonations reportedly caused four times as many instances of severe radiation poisoning as the Chernobyl disaster. Following 40 years of nuclear explosions which wreaked havoc on nearby communities, the consequences are still felt today. Kazakh authorities dished out eerie "radiation passports" to help and identify victims of the fallout - but these have failed to fully cover the tragic repercussions. Local resident Maira Abenova told The Sun: "After more than 30 years have passed, we can now say that for 40 years, an atomic war was waged on our beautiful land." Now a mum and grandma, Maira was raised in the neighbouring high-risk town of Semipalatinsk, which is by the Russian border and is today known as Semey. She is also the founder an advocacy group for victims of the tests called Committee Polygon 21. Maira detailed the tragic consequences of Semipalatinsk Test Site which have scarred her own life. Inside 'world's most dangerous town' Wittenoom where just breathing could kill you "In 1971, before turning 60, my mother died of esophageal cancer," she said. "At that time, we could not know the cause of this disease." After losing her mum, her sister passed away in 2013, nearly 25 years after the last recorded nuclear test. "In 2013, literally a month after surgery, my older sister passed away from breast cancer," Maira explained. Her husband was the next loved one to die as a result of the radioactive fallout. She said: "My husband was diagnosed with stomach cancer - he lived in agony for only a year and a half before he passed away." Maira continued: "Just a few months after my husband's funeral, my brother was diagnosed with lung cancer. "He survived only three months." The devastating consequences of Semipalatinsk Test Site then caught up with Maira herself. "Last autumn, I was diagnosed with the same disease," she said. "I had an operation, but I don't know how much time I have left. "Our medical system offers little hope - not because we lack good doctors, but because the healthcare system, especially in our region, is in a deeply deplorable state." 14 Maira Abenova told The Sun what it was like growing up in Semipalatinsk 14 Image of the Chagan nuclear test, which created the 'Atomic Lake' on January 15, 1965 Credit: Wikipedia 14 It features a notorious 'Atomic Lake' Credit: WIKIMEDIA 14 She added: "The worst thing is when doctors diagnose cancer. It's like a death sentence. "A sentence of a painful death. Without proper help and treatment." Maira also noted that her local cancer clinic was "always overcrowded". Kazakhstan authorities estimate 1.5 million people have been exposed to the test site's residual fallout. Nearby populations suffered elevated rates of cancer, heart disease and infertility which were all linked to the tests. More babies were born with defects, missing limbs, Down syndrome and other disabilities - while the number of suicide rates among young people also rose. A local city hall official even made the shocking claim that "people in the villages got used to suicides", according to a UN report. And grandma-of-two Maira confirmed this epidemic, saying that after the closure of the site, the higher rates of suicide were known as "Kainarsky syndrome". Despite the first ever bomb going off on August 29, 1949, four years after the end of World War II, radiation levels are still elevated, and children continue to be born with genetic mutations. Maira said: "This evil did not spare any family." Reflecting on these haunting health impacts, she described the aspect that continues to trouble her most. "As for the photos showing the aftermath of the tests, I'd say the most frightening consequences aren't the physical deformities or developmental anomalies," she said. "But rather the lingering fear — the fear of dying from an illness that might not be visible on the outside. "The fear of a young woman giving birth to a child with disabilities, and so on." 14 A total of 456 nuclear tests were conducted at the site Credit: AFP - Getty 14 Maira's very own 'radiation passport' 14 Statue of Igor Kurchatov, the 'father' of the Soviet nuclear program, in the city he was named after Credit: Getty The campaigner also detailed a closed-off town called Kurchatov which was built as the headquarters for the testing site and was only accessible with an official pass. Codenamed Semipalatinsk 21, the base was full of nuclear scientists and military officers, and located on the picturesque bank of the Irtysh River. The top-secret town had 50,000 or so inhabitants who were all supplied with high quality produce sent straight from the capital. Meanwhile, locals outside the town lived in relative squalor with "empty store shelves", Maira explained. "It was built in a short time," she said of the city, which has been dubbed the Soviet version of Los Alamos. "Since the city was built by the military, it resembles a military town - strict lines and no frills." The activist added that scientists timed each blast to match the wind direction - making sure the deadly fallout always blew away from their own HQ. And typical Soviet cover-ups meant that even the locals were unaware of the nearby tests for years. "We didn't know about it until the late 1980s, when information about the terrible tests conducted near us began to leak out to the public," she recalled. Semipalatinsk's role in the Cold War by Harvey Geh Semipalatinsk Test Site, also known as the Polygon, played a central role in the Soviet Union's push to win the nuclear arms race during the Cold War. On August 29, 1949, the USSR detonated its first-ever atomic bomb at Semipalatinsk, just four years after the U.S. bombed Hiroshima and Nagasaki. That explosion - codenamed RDS-1 or "First Lightning" - ended America's nuclear monopoly and officially launched the Cold War arms race. It was a near-copy of the US-made 'Fat Man' plutonium bomb, which America dropped on Nagasaki, Japan in August 1945. Following the landmark explosion, Semipalatinsk became the main site for testing each nuclear development the Soviet Union made, including hydrogen bombs and experimental warheads. This allowed the USSR to gain data on blast yields and radiation fallout. From its inception in 1949 to its closure in 1989 with the fall of the Berlin Wall, 116 bombs were detonated in the atmosphere, while 240 exploded underground. A law created in 1992 meant victims could apply for a "radiation passport", which confirmed their exposure to the fallout and qualified them for certain benefits. Each person who had their application approved was given a little beige book with a big blue mushroom cloud on its front cover. Those holding their own document could then receive things like monthly compensation cash and longer holidays. This system was said to have worked in its initial phases. But these days, the scheme is ineffective, according to Maira. She is now part of a renewed push to improve compensation and bring real justice to the lives of many who have been impacted. Maira said: "The law that was passed in 1992 is effectively defunct today, and its current provisions are discriminatory." 14 Observation tower ruins at the former Semipalatinsk nuclear test site in Kazakhstan Credit: Getty 14 The nuclear scientists were based in Kurchatov, named after renowned Soviet nuclear physicist Igor Kurchatov Credit: Getty The passport grants holders £30 per month in benefits - barely enough to cover current medical costs - and those who move to live in a different region are disqualified from getting the money. Many locals have reportedly found it challenging to get official recognition for their children to also obtain the document. Emphasising the importance of petitioning for better support, Maira explained: "The hardest thing for us is that we feel doomed and unprotected." Maira also heads the human rights organisation DOM, which has also played an important role forming initiatives aimed at protecting the rights of victims of nuclear tests. She says on social media that for the last three years, the organisation has been working "to shape new ways of addressing victims, to achieve significant change, and to expand dialogue with the state and the international community." Maira has won awards for her work supporting victims of the tests and participated in UN meetings calling for the ban of nuclear weapons. She left Committee Polygon 21 earlier this month but continues to work with victims of nuclear fallout through her leading role at DOM. It is believed that more than one million people resided in and around Semipalatinsk - but today, only a few thousand people remain. The International Day against Nuclear Tests occurs every year on August 29, the day the first bomb went off in Semipalatinsk Test Site. Despite neighbouring locals living through the nuclear fallout of the site, it remains unclear exactly how dangerous living in the region is today. Scavengers have excavated the site in hopes of selling off scrap metal, while locals are known to use the "Atomic Lake" as a fishing spot. Maira said she was aware locals like to go fishing there as they "have come to believe that it is safe". But since the landscape has been marred by nearly half a century of nuclear bombing, she said the area had partly lost its beauty. "It is more reminiscent of the surface of the moon," she said. "A steppe and granite hills that have crumbled over time... scattered across by the atomic explosions."
The Irish Sun
21-06-2025
- General
- The Irish Sun
Inside dystopian town blitzed by 450 nukes plagued by suicides & cancer-riddled families issued ‘radiation passports'
GROWING up in the most nuked place on Earth, Maira Abenova has helplessly watched as cancer spread through her family. After years of living near the Semipalatinsk Test Site, she told The Sun how the devastating impact of the family ". Advertisement 14 The Semipalatinsk Test Site is the most nuked place on earth Credit: Getty - Contributor 14 The Semipalatinsk region in eastern Kazakhstan was a nuclear test site for the Soviet Union Credit: AFP - Getty 14 The Cold War relic sits near the border with modern day Russia Credit: Corbis Historical - Getty 14 Lake Shagan, also called the 'Atomic Lake', highlighted, is an offshoot of the Shagan River Credit: Wikipedia 14 Known as the Polygon, the 7,000 square mile nuclear testing site in north east Kazakhstan was nuked by hellish bombs from 1949 to 1989. Having been hit by a quarter of all Its infamous 'Atomic Lake' was blasted into existence 60 years ago by a bomb ten times more powerful than the one dropped on Hiroshima. And one of the site's most destructive detonations reportedly caused four times as many instances of severe radiation poisoning as the Chernobyl disaster. Advertisement Following 40 years of nuclear explosions which wreaked havoc on nearby communities, the consequences are still felt today. Kazakh authorities dished out eerie "radiation passports" to help and identify victims of the fallout - but these have failed to fully cover the tragic repercussions. Local resident Maira Abenova told The Sun: "After more than 30 years have passed, we can now say that for 40 years, an atomic war was waged on our beautiful land." Now a mum and grandma, Maira was raised in the neighbouring high-risk town of Semipalatinsk, which is by the Russian border and is today known as Semey. Advertisement Most read in The US Sun She is also the founder an advocacy group for victims of the tests called Committee Polygon 21. Maira detailed the tragic consequences of Semipalatinsk Test Site which have scarred her own life. Inside 'world's most dangerous town' Wittenoom where just breathing could kill you "In 1971, before turning 60, my mother died of esophageal cancer," she said. "At that time, we could not know the cause of this disease." Advertisement After losing her mum, her sister passed away in 2013, nearly 25 years after the last recorded nuclear test. "In 2013, literally a month after surgery, my older sister passed away from breast cancer," Maira explained. Her husband was the next loved one to die as a result of the She said: "My husband was diagnosed with stomach cancer - he lived in agony for only a year and a half before he passed away." Advertisement Maira continued: "Just a few months after my husband's funeral, my brother was diagnosed with lung cancer. "He survived only three months." The devastating consequences of Semipalatinsk Test Site then caught up with Maira herself. "Last autumn, I was diagnosed with the same disease," she said. Advertisement "I had an operation, but I don't know how much time I have left. "Our medical system offers little hope - not because we lack good doctors, but because the healthcare system, especially in our region, is in a deeply deplorable state." 14 Maira Abenova told The Sun what it was like growing up in Semipalatinsk 14 Image of the Chagan nuclear test, which created the 'Atomic Lake' on January 15, 1965 Credit: Wikipedia Advertisement 14 It features a notorious 'Atomic Lake' Credit: WIKIMEDIA 14 She added: "The worst thing is when doctors diagnose cancer. It's like a death sentence. "A sentence of a painful death. Without proper help and treatment." Advertisement Maira also noted that her local cancer clinic was "always overcrowded". Kazakhstan authorities estimate 1.5 million people have been exposed to the test site's residual fallout. Nearby populations suffered elevated rates of cancer, heart disease and infertility which were all linked to the tests. More babies were born with defects, missing limbs, Down syndrome and other disabilities - while the number of suicide rates among young people also rose. Advertisement A local city hall official even made the shocking claim that "people in the villages got used to suicides", according to a And grandma-of-two Maira confirmed this epidemic, saying that after the closure of the site, the higher rates of suicide were known as "Kainarsky syndrome". Despite the first ever bomb going off on August 29, 1949, four years after the end of World War II, radiation levels are still elevated, and children continue to be born with genetic mutations. Maira said: "This evil did not spare any family." Advertisement Reflecting on these haunting health impacts, she described the aspect that continues to trouble her most. "As for the photos showing the aftermath of the tests, I'd say the most frightening consequences aren't the physical deformities or developmental anomalies," she said. "But rather the lingering fear — the fear of dying from an illness that might not be visible on the outside. "The fear of a young woman giving birth to a child with disabilities, and so on." Advertisement 14 A total of 456 nuclear tests were conducted at the site Credit: AFP - Getty 14 Maira's very own 'radiation passport' 14 Statue of Igor Kurchatov, the 'father' of the Soviet nuclear program, in the city he was named after Credit: Getty The campaigner also detailed a closed-off town called Kurchatov which was built as the headquarters for the testing site and was only accessible with an official pass. Advertisement Codenamed Semipalatinsk 21, the base was full of nuclear scientists and military officers, and located on the picturesque bank of the Irtysh River. The top-secret town had 50,000 or so inhabitants who were all supplied with high quality produce sent straight from the capital. Meanwhile, locals outside the town lived in relative squalor with "empty store shelves", Maira explained. "It was built in a short time," she said of the city, which has been dubbed the Soviet version of Los Alamos. Advertisement "Since the city was built by the military, it resembles a military town - strict lines and no frills." The activist added that scientists timed each blast to match the wind direction - making sure the deadly fallout always blew away from their own HQ. And typical Soviet cover-ups meant that even the locals were unaware of the nearby tests for years. "We didn't know about it until the late 1980s, when information about the terrible tests conducted near us began to leak out to the public," she recalled. Advertisement Semipalatinsk's role in the Cold War by Harvey Geh Semipalatinsk Test Site, also known as the Polygon, played a central role in the Soviet Union's push to win the nuclear arms race during the Cold War. On August 29, 1949, the USSR detonated its first-ever atomic bomb at Semipalatinsk, just four years after the U.S. bombed Hiroshima and Nagasaki. That explosion - codenamed RDS-1 or "First Lightning" - ended America's nuclear monopoly and officially launched the Cold War arms race. It was a near-copy of the US-made 'Fat Man' plutonium bomb, which America dropped on Nagasaki, Japan in August 1945. Following the landmark explosion, Semipalatinsk became the main site for testing each nuclear development the Soviet Union made, including hydrogen bombs and experimental warheads. This allowed the USSR to gain data on blast yields and radiation fallout. From its inception in 1949 to its closure in 1989 with the fall of the Berlin Wall, 116 bombs were detonated in the atmosphere, while 240 exploded underground. A law created in 1992 meant victims could apply for a "radiation passport", which confirmed their exposure to the fallout and qualified them for certain benefits . Each person who had their application approved was given a little beige book with a big blue mushroom cloud on its front cover. Those holding their own document could then receive things like monthly compensation cash and longer holidays . This system was said to have worked in its initial phases. Advertisement But these days, the scheme is ineffective, according to Maira. She is now part of a renewed push to improve compensation and bring real justice to the lives of many who have been impacted. Maira said: "The law that was passed in 1992 is effectively defunct today, and its current provisions are discriminatory." 14 Observation tower ruins at the former Semipalatinsk nuclear test site in Kazakhstan Credit: Getty Advertisement 14 The nuclear scientists were based in Kurchatov, named after renowned Soviet nuclear physicist Igor Kurchatov Credit: Getty The passport grants holders £30 per month in benefits - barely enough to cover current medical costs - and those who move to live in a different region are disqualified from getting the money . Many locals have reportedly found it challenging to get official recognition for their children to also obtain the document. Emphasising the importance of petitioning for better support, Maira explained: "The hardest thing for us is that we feel doomed and unprotected." Advertisement Maira also heads the human rights organisation DOM, which has also played an important role forming initiatives aimed at protecting the rights of victims of nuclear tests. She says on social media that for the last three years, the organisation has been working "to shape new ways of addressing victims, to achieve significant change, and to expand dialogue with the state and the international community." Maira has won awards for her work supporting victims of the tests and participated in UN meetings calling for the ban of nuclear weapons. She left Committee Polygon 21 earlier this month but continues to work with victims of nuclear fallout through her leading role at DOM. Advertisement It is believed that more than one million people resided in and around Semipalatinsk - but today, only a few thousand people remain. The International Day against Nuclear Tests occurs every year on August 29, the day the first bomb went off in Semipalatinsk Test Site. Despite neighbouring locals living through the nuclear fallout of the site, it remains unclear exactly how dangerous living in the region is today. Scavengers have excavated the site in hopes of selling off scrap metal, while locals are known to use the "Atomic Lake" as a fishing spot. Advertisement Maira said she was aware locals like to go fishing there as they "have come to believe that it is safe". But since the landscape has been marred by nearly half a century of nuclear bombing, she said the area had partly lost its beauty. Read more on the Irish Sun "It is more reminiscent of the surface of the moon," she said. "A steppe and granite hills that have crumbled over time... scattered across by the atomic explosions." Advertisement
Pink Villa
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Pink Villa
Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai June 13, 2025 Episode Written Update: Armaan in tears after seeing Abhira with Maira
Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai June 13, 2025 Episode Written Update: Maira tells Abhira that she will need her costume and ghungroo for the performance. Abhira requests Vidya to stitch a new dress for Maira. Vidya agrees. As Maira needs ghungroos, Abhira opens Pookie's 5th birthday gift, which has ghungroos and gives it to Maira. Abhira gets emotional but still chooses to give Pookie's gift to Maira. Geetanjali requests Armaan to pray for Maira at the temple. Armaan and Geetanjali pray at the temple as they are worried about Maira. They decide to go to the temple later. Armaan sees Maira in the temple. Soon, he sees Abhira with her and gets emotional. Armaan breaks down in tears seeing Maira with her mother. Armaan recalls losing Pookie 7 years ago because of Abhira. Armaan walks towards Abhira and Maira. Abhira is shaken to see Armaan. Maira calls Armaan 'papa' and leaves Abhira shocked. She asks Maira if Armaan is her father and the latter confirms. Abhira tells Maira that she is her mother. Abhira gets emotional. Armaan tries to take Maira away from Abhira. However, Abhira doesn't allow Armaan to take Maira away from her. Armaan's dream breaks. He observes Abhira and Maira from a distance. Armaan then sees Vidya and Kaveri and gets emotional. Geetanjali shouts Maira's name, but Armaan takes her away. Vidya's phone turns on. Geetanjali questions Armaan for not going to meet Maira. Armaan requests Geetanjali to go alone and get Maira. She asks Armaan several questions about not going to meet Maira. However, he explains that he doesn't have answers. Abhira prays for Maira's performance. She expresses her anger over god. Maira tries to clear Abhira's anger toward god and prays for her business. Abhira gets emotional as Maira will soon go back to her father. Maira promises Abhira that she will come to her house with her father. Geetanjali questions Armaan for hiding from Abhira. Armaan begs Geetanjali to go alone and get Maira. As Geetanjali goes to get Maira, she again disappears. At the fare, Maira gives a sweet peck on Vidya, Abhira and Kaveri's cheeks. Kaveri prays for Maira's competition. Kaveri and Vidya get happy as many customers are visiting their stall. Armaan and Geetanjali reach the fare to find Maira. Maira questions Abhira about Pookie. Abhira gets emotional. Abhira's friend informs her that all her sarees at the stall were sold. Abhira gets happy. The episode ends.
