Pet Parents Use Drone To Search For Missing Dog, Find Him Playing With Bears

A recent drone search for a missing husky in Kamchatka, Russia, took a surprising turn when the pet was found not alone, but playfully interacting with a group of wild brown bears.

The undated footage, now going viral on social media, shows the husky trailing the bears and even circling them excitedly. While one bear attempts to nudge the dog away when it gets too close, the overall interaction appears non-threatening.

Watch the viral video here:

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The video has amassed more than 20 million views on Instagram and a range of hilarious comments. 

A user joked, "Mama Bear to Papa Bear: I know we said Junior needed a friend, but this kid needs to go home."

Another user commented, "For me, it's the fact that a husky can even annoy bears. Humans don't stand a chance," another user wrote. 

"That dog is going to have so many stories that his dog friends will never believe," the third user commented.

"These are Kamchatka Russian bears. Not grizzlies. Though they are in the same family of Brown Bear. Kamchatka Bears are much bigger than Grizzlies. That's why they look so plump to the North Americans. They are almost as big as the biggest of all bears: the Kodiak," the fourth user wrote. 

"Mama bear was far too tired to argue with the cubs about getting a new family member. She's questioning her decision now," the fifth user wrote. 

The outcome of the encounter remains unclear. It's unknown if the husky eventually returned home or ventured off with its newfound companions.

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Watch: Sachin Pilot Ties 51-Metre Turban At Rally. 15 Men Hold It Aloft

While campaigning for Congress in Rajasthan today, Sachin Pilot was presented with a rather special gift by the crowd at the election meeting - a 51 metre long turban. Known for donning turbans as his signature look, Sachin Pilot tied the turban, trailing through the crowd, on the stage. 

Sachin Pilot, an expert in tying turbans (safa), could be seen struggling a bit while tying the 51 m long cloth piece around his head. While he was tying it, around 15 people in the crowd held the traditional red turban adorned with a lehariya print aloft. 

Finally, as Sachin Pilot managed to tie the long turban, he placed it on Congress' Lok Sabha candidate Murari Lal Meena, for whom he was campaigning at Dausa constituency in Rajasthan.

Sachin Pilot, who is not contesting the Lok Sabha polls this time, expressed confidence in his party today. "I have been to many states and I saw that the people are fed up with this government. From what feedback I have received, it looks hopeful that the Congress performance will be much better this time," he said. 

Sachin Pilot has been given the charge of Chhattisgarh in the upcoming polls and has said that the role is an important one. 
 

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Total Solar Eclipses: A Look At Myths About Radiation, Pregnancy, More

Get ready for one of the year's most anticipated celestial events - the upcoming total solar eclipse. This event is set to occur on April 8 and will be visible from North America, passing over Mexico, the United States, and Canada. Unfortunately, it will not be visible from India or other parts of Asia. But you can still catch the action through live streams provided by NASA and the McDonald Observatory. 

Solar eclipses have fascinated people throughout history, sparking countless myths and legends.

Here are some myths and misconceptions associated with the Solar eclipse, according to NASA.

1. Myth: Total solar eclipses produce harmful rays that can cause blindness.

Reality: During a total solar eclipse, the sun's corona emits only electromagnetic radiation, which is harmless. However, looking at the sun directly before totality can cause retinal damage.

2. Myth: Pregnant women should not watch an eclipse because it can harm the baby.

Reality: Electromagnetic radiation from the eclipse is safe, and there is no evidence to suggest it poses a risk to unborn babies.

3. Myth: A total solar eclipse will disrupt power supply.

Reality: With modern electricity grids and the rise of renewable energy, experts assure that the brief and predictable nature of eclipses poses no threat to power systems. Power grids can easily handle temporary reductions in solar generation during eclipses without any impact on reliability.

4. Myth: Flowers planted during an eclipse will have bright colours.

Reality: There is no scientific evidence to support this claim. Plants respond to eclipses much like other natural phenomena, such as changes in temperature and light. Any observed changes in plant behaviour are likely due to these factors rather than the eclipse itself.

5. Myth: Regular sunglasses can be used to view a total solar eclipse.

Reality: Regular sunglasses do not provide sufficient eye protection during a total solar eclipse as they do not block enough sunlight to prevent eye damage. Eclipse glasses, which block 99.9999% of sunlight, are recommended for safe viewing. Welder's glasses with a No. 14 shade are also suitable for eclipse viewing, as suggested by NASA.

6. Myth: Eclipses will poison food prepared during the event.

Reality: This is superstition. There is no radiation produced during an eclipse that would harm food. 

7. Myth: Eclipses are considered as bad omens.

Reality: Confirmation bias often leads people to associate eclipses with negative events, but there is no scientific basis for this belief.

8. Myth: Total solar eclipses do not occur at Earth's poles.

Reality: Total solar eclipses can and do occur at both the North and South Poles, just like any other location on Earth.

9. Myth: The moon turns completely black during a total solar eclipse.

Reality: The moon's surface is dimly illuminated by the light of the earth during a total solar eclipse, giving it a pale glow.

10. Myth: The corona of the sun has always been observed during a total solar eclipse.

Reality: Historical records show that descriptions of the sun's corona during eclipses were not always documented, which could mean variability over time.

11. Myth: Solar eclipses foretell major life changes.

Reality: There is no scientific evidence linking solar eclipses to future events in people's lives.

12. Myth: Solar eclipses are signs of exceptional celestial events.

Reality: Solar eclipses are predictable events that occur due to the regular movement of celestial bodies.

13. Myth: Solar eclipses on or after your birthday signify impending bad health.

Reality: This belief lacks scientific evidence and is based on superstition rather than science.

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Akhilesh Yadav Party's Gorakhpur Candidate Kajal Nishad Hospitalised

The Samajwadi Party candidate from Gorakhpur Lok Sabha constituency Kajal Nishad was rushed to a private hospital in Lucknow after her health deteriorated on Sunday.

"She was experiencing some issues with her blood pressure and heart. We are taking her to Lucknow," Kajal's husband Sanjay Nishad told reporters here.

Kajal Nishad (41) is in the fray against actor and sitting BJP MP Ravi Kishan Shukla from the high-profile Gorakhpur seat.

Kajal Nishad is a popular TV actress and has worked in various daily soaps, including Lapataganj.

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

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BBC India Restructures Business After Centre Tweaks FDI Rules

The BBC has handed over its newsroom publishing licence in India to a private limited company, Collective Newsroom - a first for the public service broadcaster's global operations anywhere in the world. The move comes a year after searches at its offices by the Income Tax department.

Collective Newsroom, founded by four former BBC employees, will commence its operations from April 10. A wholly India-based company, it will produce content for the BBC's digital services in English, Hindi, Gujarati, Marathi, Punjabi, Tamil, and Telugu. 

As per the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA), Collective Newsroom Private Limited was incorporated on October 27 last year.

"It's unprecedented for the BBC to grant their licence to publish to another entity...We will not compromise our journalism and the BBC is solidly behind us," Rupa Jha, Chief Executive Officer of the Collective Newsroom, told The Indian Express.

The restructuring was prompted by the new Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) rules, which were introduced in 2020, that imposed a 26% FDI limit in India's digital media sector.

Companies exceeding the 26% FDI limit were required to reduce their foreign investment to comply with this regulation by October 2021.

99.99% of BBC World Service India's shares are owned by its UK-based public broadcaster.

The BBC has sought a 26% stake in its recently established Collective Newsroom company, a source told NDTV. 

"There were a number of options before us. Considering that the BBC didn't want to lose its presence in India or cut jobs, and they didn't want it to become financially unviable, this forced us to think out of the box. Based on the legal advice the BBC was receiving, everyone was veering towards this as the viable option (of setting up the Collective)," Ms Jha was quoted saying by The Indian Express. 

Tax searches were carried out at the BBC's Delhi and Mumbai offices in February last year after it aired a controversial two-part series titled 'India: The Modi Question' that featured the 2002 Gujarat riots.

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2 Planes Graze Each Other At UK's Heathrow Airport

The wingtip of an empty Virgin Atlantic jet collided with a stationary British Airways airliner while being towed from a stand at London's Heathrow Airport on Saturday, the airlines said.

Heathrow, Britain's busiest airport, said no passenger injuries had been reported and it did not anticipate any ongoing impact to the airport's operations.

Accident at #heathrow involving a #virginatlantic #boeing787 and a #britishairways #A350 #bigjettv @BigJetTVLIVE pic.twitter.com/Hm5Vh6ehrc

— specialise cyclists (@slaytor_roger) April 6, 2024

"Our aircraft is being assessed by our engineering teams and we have provided an alternative aircraft to limit the impact on our customers," British Airways said in a statement.

Virgin Atlantic said its empty Boeing 787-9 had just completed a flight and was being towed to another part of the airfield when the incident happened at Terminal 3.

A Virgin Atlantic spokesperson said: "We've commenced a full and thorough investigation and our engineering teams are performing maintenance checks on the aircraft, which for now has been taken out of service."

The airline said there would be no disruption to its flying programme on Saturday.

Heathrow said it was working with emergency services and the two airlines in response to the incident.

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

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Once-In-A-Lifetime Star Explosion To Appear In Sky After 80 Years

Sometime between now and September, a massive explosion 3,000 light years from Earth will flare up in the night sky, giving amateur astronomers a once-in-a-lifetime chance to witness this space oddity.
The binary star system in the constellation Corona Borealis -- "northern crown" -- is normally too dim to see with the naked eye.

But every 80 years or so, exchanges between its two stars, which are locked in a deadly embrace, spark a runaway nuclear explosion.

The light from the blast travels through the cosmos and makes it appear as if a new star -- as bright as the North Star, according to NASA -- has suddenly just popped up in our night sky for a few days.

It will be at least the third time that humans have witnessed this event, which was first discovered by Irish polymath John Birmingham in 1866, then reappeared in 1946.

The appropriately named Sumner Starrfield, an astronomer at Arizona State University, told AFP he was very excited to see the nova's "outburst".

After all, he has worked on T Coronae Borealis -- also known as the "Blaze Star" -- on and off since the 1960s.

Starrfield is currently rushing to finish a scientific paper predicting what astronomers will find out about the recurring nova whenever it shows up in the next five months.

"I could be today... but I hope it's not," he said with a laugh.

The white dwarf and red giant

There are only around 10 recurring novas in the Milky Way and surrounding galaxies, Starrfield explained.

Normal novas explode "maybe every 100,000 years," he said. But recurrent novas repeat their outbursts on a human timeline because of a peculiar relationship between their two stars.

One is a cool dying star called a red giant, which has burnt through its hydrogen and has hugely expanded -- a fate that is awaiting our own Sun in around five billion years.

The other is a white dwarf, a later stage in the death of a star, after all the atmosphere has blown away and only the incredibly dense core remains.

Their size disparity is so huge that it takes T Coronae Borealis's white dwarf 227 days to orbit its red giant, Starrfield said.

The two are so close that matter being ejected by the red giant collects near the surface of the white dwarf.

Once the mass roughly of Earth has built up on the white dwarf -- which takes around 80 years -- it heats up enough to kickstart a runaway thermonuclear reaction, Starrfield said.

This ends up in a "big explosion and within a few seconds the temperature goes up 100-200 million degrees" Celsius, said Joachim Krautter, a retired German astronomer who has studied the nova.

The James Webb space telescope will be just one of the many eyes that turn towards the outburst of T Coronae Borealis once it begins, Krautter told AFP.

But you do not need such advanced technology to witness this rare event -- whenever it may happen.

"You simply have to go out and look in the direction of the Corona Borealis," Krautter said.

Some lucky sky gazers are already preparing for the year's biggest astronomic event on Monday, when a rare total solar eclipse will occur across a strip of the United States.

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

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