Watch: Astronaut Sunita Williams Reunites With Her Dogs Upon Returning Home

It's been nearly two weeks since NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Willmore returned to Earth after what turned out to be a marathon mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS). And now Ms Williams has shared a heartfelt video of her long-awaited reunion with her dogs at home.

While everyone was wishing for 'Suni' to return safely from space, her two labradors, Gunner and Gorby, were the most excited to see her after months away.

On X, Ms Williams wrote, "Best homecoming ever!" and posted the clip.

Best homecoming ever! pic.twitter.com/h1ogPh5WMR

— Sunita Williams (@Astro_Suni) April 1, 2025

The video shows Ms Williams opening the door and being enthusiastically welcomed by Gorby and Gunner in her front yard. The two dogs were seen excitedly wagging their tails and bouncing around her. Ms Williams was equally ecstatic, stroking her pets and smiling.

"Who is here? Gunner, get over here. Here's my good boy," she said and embraced Gorby as Gunner eagerly rushed towards her with a stick in his mouth.

"What are you doing? Are you showing off, boys?" Ms Williams asked as Gunner fled again. "Gunner, are you giving me the cold shoulder?" she asked.

"And you too? You copycat?" Ms Williams quipped when the second dog also ran away. When she called Gunner again, "Come here," he did not appear to want to comply.

The video instantly went viral, with Space X CEO Elon Musk responding with a heart emoji.

❤️

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 1, 2025

Several X users expressed joy in the comments section.

One wrote, "What a lovely video ! Wishing you long life and good health."

What a lovely video ! Wishing you long life and good health

— Siddarth Pai (@siddarthpaim) April 2, 2025

A user added, "Technically space is dogs happy place. An infinite land full of tiny balls of light."

Technically space is dogs happy https://t.co/LbCPSAA1wD infinite land full of tiny balls of light.????????????

— ????ROCKET????️???? (@MayeuxShea) April 1, 2025

Another added, "This is the most heartwarming thing to watch out for. They are adorable."

This is the most heartwarming thing to watch out for. They are adorable ❤️????????????

— Sougat Chakraborty (@sougat18) April 2, 2025

Next, Sunita Williams plans to visit India and meet with the ISRO team.

During NASA's SpaceX Crew-9 Post-Flight News Conference, Ms Williams said she found India "amazing"  each time her spacecraft passed by the Himalayas during her extended stay in space.

"I hope and I think for sure I'm going to be going back to my father's home country and visiting with people and getting excited about the Indian astronaut who's going up on the Axiom mission coming up," she said.

Sunita Williams' mother, Ursuline Bonnie Pandya (nee Zalokar), is of Slovenian-American descent, while her father, Deepak Pandya, is from Gujarat.

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Influencer's "Fake Scars For Sick Leave" Video Is Viral, Sparks Debate

A Pune-based makeup artist's viral video, demonstrating how to fake accident scars for work excuses, has ignited a heated online debate, with viewers accusing her of promoting unethical behaviour.

Pritam Juzar Kothawala, a makeup artist, shared videos on her Instagram account, describing them as harmless skits meant for entertainment. In the first video, she demonstrated how to create realistic-looking scars to fake an accident, captioning it, "IT managers are advised not to watch this video." She emphasized that the content was purely for fun and not to be taken seriously.

"This video is especially for IT professionals who struggle to get leaves," Kothawala said, encouraging viewers to share it with friends while advising them to keep it hidden from their bosses.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Pritam Juzar Kothawala (@faridas_makeup_studio)

After the video went viral, viewers asked how to maintain the illusion when returning to work after the fake injury. In a follow-up video, Kothawala demonstrated how to refresh the artificial scars to make them look convincing. "Here's my jugaad for when your leave is over," she explained, showing how to reapply the makeup.

Despite being intended as humorous content, the videos sparked criticism online. Many social media users accused Kothawala of promoting workplace dishonesty.

The backlash was swift, with users calling the videos irresponsible. A user wrote, "Sorry but not funny. This is so cheap and unethical."

Another user wrote, "This is not funny. It sets a dangerous precedent, encouraging dishonesty in the workplace."

"This is a disgraceful attempt to undermine trust between employees and employers," the third user commented. 

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"Rs 27 Crore Ka...": Pant Disappoints For LSG And Internet Is Unforgiving

Rishabh Pant has failed to score big again at the IPL 2025. After 0 (vs Delhi Capitals) and 15 (against SunRisers Hyderabad), Pant was dismissed for just 2 against Punjab Kings. Pant was picked by Sanjeev Goenka-owned Lucknow Super Giants for Rs 27 crore, making him the costliest player in IPL history. However, the initial returns have not been great from Pant. And that has has made him the target of troll on social media. 

27 crore ka pahalwaan Rishabh Pant in every IPL match #LSGvsPBKS pic.twitter.com/uXu040YcCD

— maithun (@Being_Humor) April 1, 2025

Requesting BCCI to drop Rishabh Pant from Central Contract. He is not even the Top 10 wicketkeeper in India right now. @GautamGambhir @imAagarkar pic.twitter.com/VY7yVbIIVJ

— Anurag™ (@Samsoncentral) April 1, 2025

His baniya buddhi is already calculating the per ball cost of buying Rishabh Pant pic.twitter.com/ubQpw8TQHP

— Sagar (@sagarcasm) April 1, 2025

Sanjiv Goenka watching Rishabh Pant pic.twitter.com/7TCKghlIAs

— ICT Fan (@Delphy06) April 1, 2025

Earlier, Pant's shot selection was criticised by former CSK and MI star Ambati Rayudu, after he got out for a duck against Delhi Capitals.

"We all talked about his shot selection against spin, he is going for that six option rather than playing a four or you know to build an innings play gaps so that batsmanship quality needs to be improved in his game, especially in the middle overs if he wants to bat in the middle overs so i think i all has started from there. Once a captain gets out, you have Ayush Badoni, whose strike rate against spin is not great. It's not a great batting lineup against slow bowling that LSG has." Ambati Rayudu said as per a video by ESPNCricinfo.

Matthew Hayden also criticized Pant's, pointing out that he wasted six balls in a crucial situation after the previous over went for 28 runs against Delhi Capitals. Hayden emphasized the importance of getting off strike and keeping things simple, suggesting that Pant is capable of doing so.

"He wasted six balls as well, you know. That's batsmanship you're talking about; it might out, especially when the previous over went for 28 runs. So the reality is just try to understand you've maybe got one or two balls, but then you gotta get off strike. And he's surely good enough to do that. Just keep it simple." Matthew Hayden said as per a video by ESPNCricinfo.

Piyush Chawla spoke on Pant's defensive approach, saying he was trying to defend the ball straight, which is not ideal in T20 and ODI cricket. Chawla suggested that Pant should angle his shots slightly to get a single, as fielders are already positioned on the line, allowing his partner to face the next ball.

"When he came into bat so when he was defending the ball also he was just trying to defend the ball straight and in T20 and in one day cricket nowadays even the bowler is happy to give you one so if you just have to angle it a bit and you'll get a one and fielder is already on the line so if you just get off the strike it become better for your partner." Piyush Chawla said as per a video by ESPNCricinfo.

With ANI inputs 

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Trump's Tariffs To Be Effective Immediately After Announcement: White House

US President Donald Trump's raft of "Liberation Day" tariffs will take effect immediately after he unveils them on Wednesday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said.

"My understanding is that the tariff announcement will come tomorrow, they will be effective immediately," Leavitt told reporters on Tuesday, adding she had just spoken to Trump about the issue.

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

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How Did MI Find Ashwani Kumar? Hardik Pandya Gives Credit Where It's Due

Skipper Hardik Pandya on Monday credited Mumbai Indians' scouting team for unearthing fresh talent after debutant left-arm pacer Ashwani Kumar starred for the side in its eight-wicket win over Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL in Mumbai. Opting to bowl, MI rode on Kumar's brilliant display with the ball to bundle out KKR for 116 before they chased down the target in 12.5 overs. Left-arm pacer Kumar became the first Indian to take four wickets on IPL debut and help restrict KKR, who were bowled out in 16.2 overs.

"Very satisfying to win, especially at home. The way we did it, as a group, everyone chipped in - can't be happier. It's always a challenge of picking one guy here and there. With our team it's pretty sorted with the players who we are backing.

"This wicket just offered a bit more and we thought Ashwani can come in and bowl the way he bowled. First of all, it's all because of the scouts. All MI scouts have gone all the places and picked these young kids," Pandya said after the team's first win of the season.

"We played a practice game and it looked like he had that zip and late swing, had a different action and plus he is a leftie. The way he took that wicket of (Andre) Russell was a very crucial wicket. And especially, how he started with that catch of Quinton. Was great to see a fast bowler jumping that high." KKR skipper Ajinkya Rahane said it was collective batting failure from his team "Collective batting failure, it was a good wicket to bat on. 180-190 would have been a good total on this pitch. We expect that (here), it has good bounce. When you are fighting against the bounce, that is what we did, you have to use it sometimes - we have to learn really fast.

"Bowlers were trying their best but not much runs on the board," he said. 

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ISRO Satellite Images Show Damage After Earthquake Rattled Myanmar

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has released satellite images of the widespread damages caused by the 7.7 magnitude earthquake that struck Myanmar and rattled neighbouring countries on Friday. 

Using its most sophisticated Earth imaging satellite, the Cartosat-3, which can help with images at a resolution of less than 50 centimetres, the ISRO has managed to capture photos from a 500 kilometre altitude above the earth. The images show how a huge bridge over the Irrawaddy River collapsed. The damages to the Mandalay University and collapse of the Ananda Pagoda are also highlighted.

According to the space agency, Cartosat-3, which was launched in 2019, is a third generation agile advanced earth imaging satellite. ISRO rarely releases images from this highly sophisticated satellite.

The National Remote Sensing Centre, a part of ISRO, said the post-disaster Cartosat-3 imagery was acquired on Saturday, over the cities of Mandalay and Sagaing in Myanmar. Additionally, Cartosat-3 data acquired on March 18, covering the same area, was referred for change analysis and assessment of damage. Significant damage to infrastructure in Mandalay city was observed. 

The damaged caused to Mandalay city and Ava bridge.

An earthquake of magnitude 7.7 struck Myanmar on Friday, followed by a strong aftershock of magnitude 6.4. The epicentre was located at a depth of 10km near Sagaing-Mandalay border. Mandalay, Myanmar's second-largest city, registered severe damage. 

The earthquake also rattled the Myanmar capital Naypyidaw and other regions, resulting in the collapse of infrastructure, roads and residential buildings. The tremors were felt not only in Myanmar but also in neighbouring countries and as far as Chiang Mai and northern parts of Thailand, where some places reported damages. 

The images showed significant damage to infrastructure in Mandalay city, with major landmarks such as Sky Villa, Phayani Pagoda, Mahamuni Pagoda and Ananda Pagoda, University of Mandalay and several others suffering either complete or partial damage. 

In Sagaing city, the Ma Shi Khana Pagoda and several monasteries and other buildings were damaged. 

The damage caused to Mandalay city.

As seen from the imagery, the earthquake led to the collapse of the historic Ava (InnWa) Bridge on the Irrawaddy River, near Inn Wa City. Cracks in flood plains of the Irrawaddy river with associated liquefaction were also observed. 

In its damage assessment summary, ISRO said Myanmar is located near the convergent boundary of the Indian and Eurasian plates, where the Indian Plate is moving northward toward the Eurasian Plate at a rate of about 5 cm per year. 

Besides, Myanmar also sits near several smaller fault zones, such as the Sagaing Fault, which runs through central Myanmar. The Sagaing fault is a significant active strike-slip fault that accommodates lateral motion between the blocks of the Indian and Eurasian plates. Friday's earthquake was likely associated with the release of accumulated stress along the Sagaing fault or its accessory faults in the region.

India was one of the first countries to fly in rescue teams and provide assistance to Myanmar. 

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'Will You Return To Space On Boeing Starliner?' What NASA Astronauts Said

NASA Crew-9 astronauts Sunita Williams, Butch Wilmore and Nick Hague spoke to the press today about the future of NASA's human space flight programme, after their recent return from the International Space Station (ISS).

Mr Wilmore said they will carefully study and rectify all the issues they have faced before going to space in another Boeing Starliner spacecraft.

To a reporter's question to Mr Wilmore on whom he would place the blame for the mission that did not go as planned, he said, "There were some issues that happened with Starliner. There were some issues which of course prevented us from returning... If I were to start pointing fingers, I'd blame myself. I will start with myself."

"Blame, I don't like this term... We are all responsible, NASA and Boeing too. Trust is very important. We are not going to look back and say 'this person or that entity is to be blamed'. We are going to look forward and say 'how do we use the lessons we learned from this whole process and make sure we are successful in future," Mr Wilmore said.

On whether they would go on the Starliner again, he said, "Yes, because we are going to rectify, fix, make it work. Boeing is completely committed. NASA is completely committed."

Ms Williams agreed, pointing at the strengths of the Starliner, which is a complex spacecraft.

"The spacecraft [Starliner] is very capable, but there are things that need to be fixed as Butch mentioned. Folks are actively working on that. It's a great spacecraft with many features that other spacecraft don't have. It's an honour to be a part of this," Ms Williams said.

The NASA Crew-9 astronauts along with Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov splashed down on Earth on Elon Musk's SpaceX's Dragon capsule on March 18.

The White House had highlighted President Donald Trump's role in prioritising their rescue. President Trump alleged his predecessor Joe Biden abandoned the astronauts in space. On March 7, he announced he gave permission to Mr Musk to bring back the two American astronauts.

Ms Wlliams and Mr Wilmore stayed on for nine months in the ISS after their Boeing Starliner spacecraft malfunctioned, turning a mission that was supposed to be short into a long one.

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