Washington:

Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris launched a $50 million advertising blitz on Tuesday, capitalizing on the momentum of a fledgling campaign against Republican rival Donald Trump with a one-minute spot titled “Fearless.”

It was Harris’ first big ad buy since consolidating support for the Democratic nomination after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race on July 21 and endorsed her.

In addition to garnering the backing of big-money donors, Harris has sparked newfound energy among groups such as young voters that Biden had been struggling to win over.

Public opinion polls in the last week have shown Harris, 59, closing the gap with 78-year-old Trump, who still leads in some national surveys.

The ads will be rolled out on television as well as streaming and social channels across election battleground states in the weeks before the Democratic National Convention that starts on Aug. 19.

The first ad in the campaign begins with images of Harris as a little girl and follows her progression to a prosecutor, attorney general and U.S. vice president. “The one thing Kamala Harris has always been: fearless,” the ad says.

Since stepping into her new role, Harris has focused on Trump’s felony convictions in a hush-money trial involving a porn star and the other criminal charges he faces, and portrayed him as responsible for a wave of anti-abortion measures in Republican-led states around the country.

The Harris campaign’s ad buy dwarfed the $10 million advertising buy announced by Trump’s campaign on Monday, to be launched in six battleground states this week as it tries to counter a surge of voter enthusiasm and donations for Harris.

That was Trump’s biggest ad buy since January.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Mumbai:

Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT Bombay) have uncovered how animals find their way back home without getting lost or being late by using a robot that mimics their movements.

This robot is designed to move on its own, much like an animal finding food and then to use light as a guide to return home (homing), the IIT Bombay said in a statement on Tuesday.

In a new study, researchers from the department of physics have used this robot to study the underlying principles of homing by animals.

“The primary goal of our research group was to understand the physics of active and living systems. We achieve this by performing experiments on centimetres-sized self-propelled programmable robots. In simple words, we model these robots to mimic the dynamics of living organisms, both at the individual and collective levels,” Dr Nitin Kumar, an assistant professor at the department of physics, IIT Bombay, said.

For their study, the researchers wanted to determine the time it took for the robot to return home, with increasing amounts of deviations from its homing path.

It was observed that the reorientation rate, the frequency at which the robot (or an animal) should adjust its direction for successful homing, originated from the degree of randomness in its path.

The researchers discovered an ‘optimal reorientation rate’ for a particular value of randomness beyond which the adverse effects of increased randomness are negated by more frequent reorientations, ultimately ensuring successful homing.

This suggested animals might have evolved to reorient themselves at an optimal rate to efficiently find their way home, regardless of the noise or unpredictability in their environment.

“The observation of a finite upper limit on return times indicates that the homing motion is inherently efficient. Our results demonstrated that if animals are always aware of the direction of their home and always correct their course whenever they deviate from the intended direction, they will surely get home within a finite time,” Kumar added.

Apart from physical experiments, the researchers also ran computer simulations where the robot’s movement mimicked animals.

This virtual robot combines active Brownian motion (the random motion of particles in a liquid or gas, caused by collisions with fast-moving atoms or molecules in the fluid) with occasional resets to its orientation to correct its course back towards home.

These simulations matched the experimental results, reinforcing the idea that randomness and reorientation work hand-in-hand to optimise homing.

“When we applied this model to the trajectories of a real biological system of a flock of homing pigeons, it showed a good agreement with our theory, validating our hypothesis of enhanced efficiency due to frequent course corrections,” Mr Kumar said.

He said in real and more complex systems, the homing cues might be more complicated than a simple uniform gradient towards home, as modelled in this experiment.

“In our future research, we aim to model these scenarios in our experiment by using a combination of spatiotemporal variations in light intensity and physical obstacles,” the assistant professor added.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Kurchatov, Russia:

UN nuclear watchdog head Rafael Grossi kicked off a visit Tuesday to “independently assess” conditions at Russia’s Kursk nuclear plant following Ukraine’s unprecedented cross-border offensive into the Russian region.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has repeatedly warned of the dangers of fighting around nuclear plants following Russia’s full-scale military offensive into Ukraine in February 2022.

A spokesperson for Russia’s nuclear agency, Rosatom, told AFP that Grossi had arrived at the power plant as he personally leads a mission to assess the situation there, which he has warned is “serious”.

In the first days of the conflict, Russian forces seized the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in southern Ukraine, and also briefly held the decommissioned Chernobyl plant in the north.

Ukraine launched its surprise incursion into Kursk on August 6 and has said it is making advances, even as Russian forces move deeper into eastern Ukraine.

Russian President Vladimir Putin last week accused Ukraine of trying to attack the Kursk nuclear power plant, which is less than 50 kilometres (30 miles) from fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces.

The IAEA confirmed that it had been told by Russian authorities that drone fragments were found last Thursday roughly 100 metres from the Kursk plant’s spent nuclear fuel storage facility.

Serious situation

Grossi said Monday he would “independently assess what is happening” at the plant, “given the serious situation”.

“The safety and security of all nuclear power plants is of central and fundamental concern to the IAEA,” Grossi said in a statement.

The plant lies some 60 kilometres from the Russia-Ukraine border, next to the Seym river, and less than 50 kilometres away from Kursk city, the region’s capital with a population of around 440,000.

The plant has four reactor units though only two are operational and two more reactors are under construction.

All four reactors are the same type as Ukraine’s Chernobyl nuclear power plant, without a protecting dome around them.

In 1986, a reactor at Chernobyl exploded during a botched safety test, resulting in the world’s worst nuclear accident that sent clouds of radiation across much of Europe and forced tens of thousands of people to evacuate.

Tariq Rauf, a former IAEA official, said these types of reactors have since undergone “significant safety upgrades”.

Robert Kelley, a former IAEA director of inspections, said: “The possibility of a Chernobyl-type incident with the reactor blowing up and burning for days is zero.”

But he added that an errant bomb or large artillery strike on spent fuel storage ponds could damage the fuel and release radioactive gases and particles.

Maximum restraint

Russia has repeatedly sounded the alarm over a possible hit since Ukrainian troops and tanks charged into Kursk.

The IAEA urged both Russia and Ukraine to exercise “maximum restraint” to “avoid a nuclear accident with the potential for serious radiological consequences”.

On Sunday, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukrainian forces had taken control of two more Russian settlements in Kursk region, adding to dozens already captured.

More than 130,000 people have been displaced so far.

Kyiv has said the offensive aims to prevent cross-border strikes from Russia into its Sumy region and to force Russia to the negotiating table “on our own terms”.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Paris:

After an escalation of hostilities Sunday amid over 10 months of cross-border clashes between Israel and Lebanon’s powerful Hezbollah movement, here are the major eruptions of violence since their 2006 war.

The devastating month-long war in the summer of 2006 cost Lebanon more than 1,200 lives, mostly civilians, while some 160 Israelis were killed, mostly soldiers.

The following years saw sporadic attacks, which surged following the October 7 attack by Hezbollah’s Palestinian ally Hamas on Israel.

2007-2013: rocket fire and incursion

On June 17, 2007, two rockets were fired into northern Israel from Lebanon hitting an industrial zone in the border town of Kiryat Shmona without causing casualties. Hezbollah denies responsibility.

In early August 2010, a move by Israeli troops to uproot trees in a disputed border area at Adaysseh sparks a deadly border battle in which two Lebanese soldiers and a journalist are killed along with a senior Israeli officer.

On August 7, 2013, four Israeli soldiers on patrol were wounded in a blast claimed by Hezbollah 400 metres (yards) inside Lebanese territory.

2014-2015: Israeli strikes

On February 26, 2014, Hezbollah says Israeli warplanes had carried out an air raid on one of its positions at Lebanon’s border with Syria.

On October 7, Israel strikes two Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon in response to its bomb attack against Israeli troops on the ceasefire line on the Shebaa hills between the two countries that wounded two soldiers.

On January 28, 2015, two Israeli soldiers are killed in a Hezbollah ambush in the Shebaa hills.

The attack is carried out in retaliation for a raid blamed on Israel 10 days earlier on the Syrian-controlled side of the Golan Heights, which killed at least six members of Hezbollah and an Iranian general.

In retaliation, Israeli tanks and artillery bombarded several villages in southern Lebanon.

2019: drones and missiles strikes

On August 25, 2019, two explosive-laden drones hit the southern Beirut suburbs, causing material damage according to Hezbollah, which blames the attack on Israel.

The day before, an Israeli air strike in Syria had killed two Hezbollah members.

On September 1, the Israeli army and Hezbollah traded missile fire along the border.

2021: uptick in clashes

On August 4, 2021, three rockets were fired from Lebanon, of which two fell in Israel. The Israeli army responds with air strikes on southern Lebanon.

On August 6, Hezbollah fires more than 10 rockets at Israel, which responds with artillery fire.

2023-2024: October 7 attacks aftermath

Hezbollah has traded almost daily cross-border fire with Israel since Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on southern Israel which triggered the war in the Gaza Strip.

In southern Lebanon, a Reuters video journalist was killed on October 13, and six other journalists from AFP, Reuters and Al Jazeera were wounded in a strike by an Israeli tank.

On January 2, 2024, Hamas deputy leader Saleh al-Aruri was killed in Beirut’s southern suburbs in a strike blamed on Israel.

On February 26, Israeli strikes Hezbollah targets in the Bekaa Valley in the first such raid on Lebanon’s east since fighting erupted in October.

July, August 2024: Hezbollah, Fatah chiefs killed

On July 27, a rocket strike killed 12 children aged 10-16 in the Druze Arab town of Majdal Shams in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights.

Israel blames the strike on Hezbollah, which denies the claim.

The Israeli army responds by striking Beirut’s southern suburbs on July 30, killing Hezbollah’s top commander in the south, Fuad Shukr.

In an August 21 strike, the Israeli military kills Khalil Maqdah, described by the Palestinian Fatah movement as “one of the leaders” of its armed wing in Lebanon.

August 2024: hostilities surge

On August 25, Hezbollah says it launched a barrage of hundreds of rockets and drones on Israel in response to the killing of Shukr. It says its operation “was completed and accomplished”.

But Israel says it has thwarted the attack, launching air strikes into Lebanon that the military says destroyed “thousands” of Hezbollah rocket launchers.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Manila:

The Philippines has confirmed two more mpox virus infections of the milder clade 2 variety, its health ministry said Monday, bringing the number of active cases to three.

“We continue to see local transmission of mpox clade II here in the Philippines, in Metro Manila in particular,” Health Minister Teodoro Herbosa said in a statement.

The newly confirmed cases were a 37-year-old male in Metro Manila who had rash on his body last week and was brought to a government hospital, and a 32-year-old male from the capital who had skin lesions on his body.

The Philippines announced last week it had detected a case of the mpox virus’ milder variant in a 33-year-old male who had no travel history outside the Philippines.

The three cases this year means the Philippines has had 12 laboratory-confirmed case since July 2022.

The World Health Organization earlier this month declared mpox a global public health emergency, its highest form of alert, for the second time in two years, because of an outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo that had spread to neighbouring countries.

A new form of the virus has triggered global concern as it seems to spread easily though routine close contact.

The disease, caused by the monkeypox virus, leads to flu-like symptoms and pus-filled lesions. It is usually mild but can kill, with children, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems, such as those with HIV, all at higher risk of complications.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

In June 2024, when the Boeing Starliner spacecraft carried NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore to space, it was going to be a short eight-day mission. However, it’s been 80 days since the launch and the two astronauts are yet to return.

Launched on June 5, the test flight landed on the International Space Station (ISS) on June 6. Ms Williams and Mr Wilmore are still stuck in space, while the date of their return journey remains undecided. Some technical problems with the Boeing Starliner have left NASA unable to move on with their plans.

What is the mission?

The purpose of the Boeing Starliner mission was to demonstrate the spacecraft’s capability to safely carry people to and from the ISS. As part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, Boeing, the aerospace company, views this trip as critical to its goal of joining Elon Musk’s SpaceX in offering regular crew transportation services to the space agency.

Why is the Boeing Starliner still stuck in space?

Helium leaks: The spacecraft’s service module reported several tiny helium leaks making it unsafe for travel. Helium is essential to preserving the spacecraft’s structural integrity and manoeuvrability.

Thruster problems: The propulsion system of the spaceship experienced malfunctions with five of its thrusters. These components are essential for space travel and docking.

Valve issues: Multiple issues with a valve responsible for regulating the flow of oxidizers were detected. The valve is essential for propulsion.

What is NASA doing? 

NASA and Boeing engineers are attempting to resolve the issues with the spacecraft. They are examining data from the spacecraft’s propulsion system and are testing the spacecraft thrusters. Several scenarios are being explored using simulators stationed on the ground to find and address the problems.

NASA will hold a press conference later on Saturday to update the world on when the two astronauts may return to Earth. 

Independent presidential candidate Robert F Kennedy Jr said on Friday he would suspend his campaign, and endorsed Republican Donald Trump. Robert, the nephew of former President John F Kennedy and the son of Senior Robert F Kennedy, projected himself as an alternative to Donald Trump for the Republican Party in the US. And despite his persistently poor polling numbers, Mr Kennedy was regularly featured in the news cycle, often for bizarre reasons.

Before suspending his White House bid and endorsing the former US President, Ms Kennedy ran a campaign filled with what many have described as outrageous moments.

Brain worm

In May, The New York Times reported that Mr Kennedy believed he had a brain tumor, which was actually the work of a hungry parasite. In a 2012 deposition during divorce proceedings from his second wife, he said that a physician thought an anomaly in his brain scans “was caused by a worm that got into my brain and ate a portion of it and then died.” He indicated that he had been suffering from extreme mental haze and memory loss, which had reduced his earning potential.

Kennedy’s response to sexual assault allegations

In July, a Vanity Fair piece claimed that Mr Kennedy sexually assaulted a former babysitter for the family. Mr Kennedy’s response to the accusations can hardly be considered an apology. During his appearance on the podcast Breaking Point, he said, “The [Vanity Fair] article is a lot of garbage. Listen, I have said this from the beginning. I am not a church boy. I am not running like that.” Later, he claimed to have texted Cooney to express regret for his actions.

Eating dogs

The same article featured a photo of Mr Kennedy grinning and pretending to bite on what looked like a grilled dog carcass. In an interview with News Nation, he said that the image was actually of a goat they were going to eat. He said, “I’m a very adventurous eater, I’ll eat virtually anything. There are two things I wouldn’t eat — well, three. I wouldn’t eat a human, I wouldn’t eat a monkey, and I wouldn’t eat a dog. I think I’d eat something else.”

Kennedy said he “won’t take sides on 9/11”

Mr Kennedy declared that should he be elected president, he “wouldn’t take sides on 9/11” and would be transparent on social media. He claimed his statement was inspired by a “60 Minutes” report on a theory that the Saudi government knew about the plot in advance. He continued, saying, “It’s hard to tell what is a conspiracy theory and what isn’t.” He has previously floated other conspiracy theories about vaccinations, AIDS, and the murder of his uncle.

My take on 9/11: It’s hard to tell what is a conspiracy theory and what isn’t. But conspiracy theories flourish when the government routinely lies to the public. As President I won’t take sides on 9/11 or any of the other debates. But I can promise is that I will open the files…

— Robert F. Kennedy Jr (@RobertKennedyJr) July 5, 2024

The bear cub

In August, The New Yorker magazine got hold of a story about Mr Kennedy’s adventures with a dead bear cub, 10 years ago. To get ahead of the New Yorker’s scoop, Mr Kennedy shared the story on Twitter. The tale revealed that Kennedy had discovered a dead bear cub by the side of the road, he then loaded it into the back of his car, snapped a picture with the body, went to do some falconry and had dinner of steak. However, before leaving for the airport, he used the bear’s body to stage a death resembling a bicycle hit-and-run incident in NYC’s Central Park.

Israel:

Top US diplomat Antony Blinken was due to travel to Egypt on Tuesday for talks on a Gaza ceasefire after saying Israel had accepted a US “bridging proposal” for a deal and urging Hamas to do the same.

Blinken, on his ninth visit to the Middle East since the Palestinian operative group’s October 7 attack triggered the war with Israel, was scheduled to fly from Tel Aviv to El Alamein, the Mediterranean city famous for a World War II battle in 1942, to speak to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi at his summer palace.

Afterwards, he will head to a meeting with Qatar’s emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, in Doha, the scene of ceasefire talks last week.

Both Egypt and Qatar are working alongside the United States to broker a truce in the 10-month Gaza conflict.

Washington put forward the latest proposal last week after the talks in Doha.

Blinken said Monday he had “a very constructive meeting” with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who “confirmed to me that Israel accepts the bridging proposal”.

Ahead of those talks, Hamas called on the mediators to implement the framework set out by US President Joe Biden in late May, rather than hold more negotiations.

The movement said on Sunday that the current US proposal “responds to Netanyahu’s conditions” and leaves him “fully responsible for thwarting the efforts of the mediators”.

Earlier on Monday, the US secretary of state had said: “This is a decisive moment — probably the best, maybe the last, opportunity to get the hostages home, to get a ceasefire and to put everyone on a better path to enduring peace and security”.

Months of on-off negotiations with US, Qatari and Egyptian mediators have failed to produce an agreement.

Israel and Hamas have blamed each other for delays in reaching an accord that diplomats say would help avert a wider conflagration in the Middle East that could draw in Iran and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

“There is, I think, a real sense of urgency here, across the region, on the need to get this over the finish line and to do it as soon as possible,” Blinken said.

The Biden administration is under domestic pressure over Gaza, with pro-Palestinian protests taking place outside the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Monday.

Biden said in his farewell speech to the convention that the protesters “have a point”, adding that “a lot of innocent people are being killed, on both sides”.

Permanent ceasefire

Israel and Hamas have traded blame for delays in reaching a truce deal.

Hamas insisted on “a permanent ceasefire and a comprehensive (Israeli) withdrawal from the Gaza Strip”, saying Netanyahu wanted to keep Israeli forces at several strategic locations within the territory.

Western ally Jordan, hostage supporters who protested in Tel Aviv during Blinken’s visit, and Hamas itself have called for pressure on Netanyahu in order for an agreement to be reached.

Far-right members crucial to the prime minister’s governing coalition oppose any truce.

The October 7 attack on southern Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,198 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.

Israel’s retaliatory offensive in Gaza has killed at least 40,139 people, according to the territory’s health ministry, which does not give details of civilian and operative deaths.

Out of 251 hostages seized during Hamas’s attack, 111 are still held in Gaza, including 39 the military says are dead.

The Biden framework would freeze fighting for an initial six weeks while Israeli hostages are exchanged for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails and humanitarian aid enters Gaza.

Netanyahu said on Monday that negotiators were aiming to “release a maximum number of living hostages” in the first phase of any ceasefire.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

The ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ campaign was launched under the banner of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav in 2022. It encouraged people to take the national flag home and raise it in honour of India’s Independence. This year, the campaign is scheduled from August 9 to August 15.

You, too, can participate in the ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ campaign by raising the national flag atop your home and posting a selfie on harghartiranga.com. People can also take the pledge and upload a selfie to the website to be part of the campaign.

How to download the Har Ghar Tiranga certificate?

1. Visit harghartiranga.com, where the homepage features a “click to participate” tab.
2. You can enter your name, phone number, state, and country by clicking on the tab.
3. After filling in the details, read the pledge carefully: “I swear that I will hoist the Tricolour, respect the spirit of our freedom fighters and brave sons, and dedicate myself to the development and progress of India.”
4. After completing this step, click “take pledge” to be taken to a new page where you can upload photos of yourself with the tri-color.
5. When the portal requests your consent to use the picture on the website, click submit.
6. Once you’ve done that, you can verify your involvement in the campaign by clicking on “generate certificate”.
7. Use the download option to save the certificate, or use the share icon to post it online.

In addition to the selfie uploads and pledges, the ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ campaign features a variety of different events and activities such as the Tiranga Yatras, rallies, marathons, concerts, canvas, tribute, melas and more.

IMF delegates participate in a news conference on the IMF release of the World Economic Outlook Update, at IMF headquarters in Washington, DC, on July 25, 2023.
| Photo Credit: AFP

Names of 5 crore MGNREGS workers deleted in 2022-23, Minister informs Lok Sabha

Rural Development Minister Giriraj Singh, in a written reply to the Lok Sabha, on July 25 informed that names of over five crore workers have been deleted under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) in the financial year 2022-23. There has been a hike of 247% in deletions during 2022-23 as compared to 2021-22.

IMF projects Indian economy to grow at 6.1% in 2023

The IMF on July 25 projected a growth rate of 6.1% for India in 2023, which is a 0.2 percentage point upward revision compared with the April projection.

Manipur government partially eases Internet curbs; no access on mobiles

After an 83-day Internet shutdown in Manipur, the State government marginally eased the restrictions on July 25, albeit under strict conditions.

INDIA alliance likely to submit no-confidence motion notice against government in Lok Sabha on Wednesday 

The alliance has already drawn up a draft of the notice and is in the process of getting the necessary 50 signatures of MPs. The group has to submit the notice before 10 am for it to be read out by the speaker in the House on Wednesday.

Gyanvapi mosque management moves Allahabad HC over ASI survey, hearing begins

The Allahabad High Court on Tuesday heard a plea against a district court order directing the Archaeological Survey of India to conduct a survey to determine if the Gyanvapi mosque in Varanasi was built upon a temple. After hearing arguments in the matter, Chief Justice Pritinker Diwaker posted it for further hearing on Wednesday.

President Murmu reaches Odisha on three-day tour

The President will travel to Cuttack on Wednesday, during which she will offer prayers at the Chandi Temple and visit the residence of ‘Utkal Gourab’ Madhusudan Das and pay floral tribute to his statue.

NHRC to host national conference on mental healthcare in Vigyan Bhawan, release a new book

The conference by the National Human Rights Commission on ‘Moving Mental Health Beyond Institutions’ will be held at Vigyan Bhawan, and Union Minister of State for Health Bharati Praveen Pawar will be the chief guest, officials said on Tuesday.

ISRO’s Chandrayaan-3 successfully performs fifth orbit-raising manoeuvre

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Tuesday (July 25) successfully completed the fifth and final orbit-raising manoeuvre (Earth-bound perigee firing) of the Chandrayaan-3 mission. It was performed successfully from ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC) in Bengaluru.

Taliban bans beauty salons in Afghanistan despite U.N. concern and rare public protest

The Taliban announced on July 25 that all beauty salons in Afghanistan must now close as a one-month deadline ended, despite rare public opposition to the edict.

Peace-themed torch unveiled for Paris 2024 Olympics

The design of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic torch was unveiled on Tuesday, imitating the reflection of the Eiffel Tower on the ruffled surface of the Seine river and conveying a peaceful energy, its designer said.