The American Center in Chennai is gearing up to host a full-day family-friendly Halloween celebration on Saturday, October 28.

Halloween, known as a quintessential American holiday, comes alive with communities across the United States decorating their homes with carved pumpkins, quirky haunted setups, and an abundance of sweets to welcome trick-or-treating families. Yet, it’s not just about spookiness; Halloween embodies a sense of unity, fostering creativity in both children and parents.

The event, which is open to all, will be held at Chennai’s US Consulate General between from 9:30 am to 5:00 pm.

Scott Hartmann, Public Engagement and Cultural Affairs Officer at the US Consulate General Chennai, says “Halloween is often seen as a celebration of all things spooky, but it holds a special place in the hearts of kids, families, and communities in the USA. It’s a time for us to come together, unleash our creativity, and create an enjoyable experience for our children.”

The American Center is bringing this joyous occasion to life with a myriad of exciting activities. Attendees are encouraged to don costumes inspired by their favorite storybook characters and engage in various Halloween-themed adventures.

The day’s schedule includes a DIY session (do it yourself) for crafting trick-or-treat bags, a thrilling Escape Room experience, a screening of a Halloween-themed movie and captivating storytelling for children aged 3 to 9.

Throughout the day, visitors can explore the world of 3D printing to create Halloween-themed wonders and indulge in delightful treats after browsing the American Center’s library.

India has sent 38 tonnes of food and critical medical equipment to the Gaza Strip, reeling under Israel’s blistering retaliatory bombings, Ambassador R Ravindra, the Deputy Permanent Representative (DPR) to the United Nations said while representing India at the UN Security Council’s open debate on the “situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question”.

“India sent 38 tonnes of humanitarian goods, including medicines and equipment, to the people of Palestine. We also urge the parties to work towards creating conditions necessary for peace and for restarting direct negotiations, including through de-escalation and issuing violence,” Mr Ravindra said.

“The escalation of our utilities in the region has only exacerbated the dire humanitarian situation,” he said, adding, “It has once again underscored the fragile nature of the ceasefire.”

“In these challenging times, India will continue to send humanitarian assistance to the people of Palestine,” he said.

Gaza has reported massive casualties as Israel continues to bomb the coastal enclave from where Hamas launched the October 7 Sabbath attack, firing a barrage of over 5,000 rockets at Israel.

Noting that India has condemned the terror attack unequivocally, the deputy permanent envoy to the UN said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was one of the first global leaders to convey his condolences over the loss of lives and “prayers for the innocent victims and their families”.

“We stood in solidarity with Israel at their moment of crisis when they were facing these terror attacks,” he added.

“We have also expressed deep shock at the tragic loss of lives at the Al Hali hospital in Gaza, where several hundreds of civilian casualties have occurred and thousands injured. Our heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims and prayers for the speedy recovery of the injured,” he said.

Outlining that PM Modi said that those involved in the attack “must be held responsible”, R Ravindra said India is deeply concerned about the deteriorating security situation and the massive loss of civilian lives in the ongoing war. “The mounting humanitarian crisis is equally alarming.”

Welcoming the resumption of the movement of aid into Gaza, R Ravindra said, “The unfolding humanitarian crisis needs to be addressed. We welcome the efforts of the international community for de-escalation and delivery of humanitarian goods to the people of Gaza.”

The deputy envoy reaffirmed India’s support for a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine issue and said this could lead to the establishment of a sovereign, independent, and viable state of Palestine, living within secure and recognized borders, side by side in peace with Israel, taking into account the legitimate security concerns of Israel.

“We reiterate the need for an early resumption of direct peace negotiations. We also continue to support the Palestinian people through our bilateral development partnership, which covers a wide range of sectors including health, education, women’s empowerment, entrepreneurship, and information technology,” R Ravindra said.

He said the current escalation of the conflict has underscored the need for immediate resumption of credible and direct negotiations between Israel and Palestine.

“Every effort must be made to create conducive conditions for the resumption of these talks. We welcome all efforts of regional and global players aimed towards restoring normalcy,” he said.

(With input from ANI)

Last month, a NASA capsule landed in the desert in the US state of Utah, carrying to Earth the largest asteroid samples ever collected. On October 11, NASA gave the world its first look at the asteroid Bennu sample, something scientists hope will yield clues about the earliest days of our solar system and perhaps the origins of life itself.  So far, the team has removed and collected 2.48 ounces (70.3 grams) of rocks and dust from the sampler hardware. According to NASA, the samples exceed the mission’s goal of collecting 60 grams of debris from the asteroid. 

There are more samples to collect, however, the teams at NASA’s Johnson Space Center (JSC) are now struggling to open the canister.

In the last week, the team for the OSIRIS-REx mission has had a hard time opening the TAGSAM head, which contained the bulk of the rocks and dust collected by the spacecraft in 2020.

”After multiple attempts at removal, the team discovered two of the 35 fasteners on the TAGSAM head could not be removed with the current tools approved for use in the OSIRIS-REx glovebox. The team has been working to develop and implement new approaches to extract the material inside the head while continuing to keep the sample safe and pristine,” NASA wrote in a blog post.

The team will now spend the next few weeks developing and practicing a new procedure to remove the remaining asteroid sample from the TAGSAM sampler head while simultaneously processing the material that was collected this week.

”All curation work on the sample – and the TAGSAM head – is performed in a specialized glovebox under a flow of nitrogen to keep it from being exposed to Earth’s atmosphere, preserving the sample’s pristine state for subsequent scientific analysis. The tools for any proposed solution to extract the remaining material from the head must be able to fit inside the glovebox and not compromise the scientific integrity of the collection, and any procedures must be consistent with the clean room’s standards,” NASA added. 

OSIRIS-REx wasn’t the first mission to rendezvous with an asteroid and bring back samples for study — Japan succeeded in the feat twice, returning bits of space pebbles in 2010 and 2020.

Notably, NASA chose to sample Bennu because it is believed to be rich in organic compounds. Scientists think similar asteroids could have delivered organic building blocks to Earth along with water through collisions billions of years ago.

While it has no chance of hitting Earth through the mid 2100s, the chances rise to around 1 in 1750 between then and the year 2300, NASA said.