Israel seizes Beaufort Castle in Lebanon

Israel has vowed to push deeper into Lebanon after its military took over the medieval castle of Beaufort, calling it a "dramatic shift" in the campaign against Hezbollah. The Iran-backed militant group said it targeted Israeli army positions and infrastructure in Shlomi and Nahariya in northern Israel, while air raid sirens blared in the Acre area.

Meanwhile, the US continues to be in a stalemate on the Iranian front.

Tailpiece.

Got up at 5, sent the messages, opened up the house for the day, lit up the puja room lamp and switched on the hymns on the home theatre.

Morning cuppa with Lekha.

Walked on the road in front of the house, recited my prayers and carried out my exercise regimen. 

Work of giving protection to the rubber trees that are being tapped, within the compound of Raj Nivas, was completed today.

A quiet Monday.

A case for virtual autopsy.

"Doctor, is it possible to avoid performing a post-mortem on my child?" It was a heart-wrenching question that a forensic surgeon in Kerala had encountered recently when an eight-year-old, who had drowned in a swimming pool during a family outing, was brought for post-mortem examination. For grieving families, the anguish is often compounded by the thought of a surgical blade  cutting into the body of a loved one, the distress of seeing it stitched up after examination or religious beliefs surrounding death and dignity.

To address such concerns, forensic experts in Kerala have proposed a modern method - "virtual autopsy" (VA) or 'virtopsy'. A detailed project report for establishing a VA centre in the public sector is pending with the state government.

The technique makes it possible to determine the cause of death without cutting open the body. While VA may not be applicable in all cases, it could significantly reduce the need for conventional open-body autopsies.

Core equipment proposed

* 16/32-slice CT scanner for whole-body scans, particularly bone injuries and internal trauma

* 1.5T/3T MRI scanner for detailed soft tissue, brain and cardiac evaluation

* 3D image reconstruction workstations for forensic visualisation and virtual dissection

* Forensic radiology software with medico-legal modules such as Amira, Mimics and OsiriX MD

* Picture archiving and communication system (PACS) with secure cloud back up

My take

A step in the right direction; it would be using technology to our advantage.

Tailpiece.

Got up at 5, sent the messages, opened up the house for the day, lit up the puja room lamp and switched on the hymns on the home theatre.

It's Lekha's birthday by the English calendar. Wished her first thing in the morning!

Morning cuppa with Lekha.

Walked on the road in front of The Quarterdeck, recited my prayers and carried out my exercise regimen.

A quiet Sunday! 

At Thrissur.

Got up at 5, sent the messages, opened up the house for the day, lit up the puja room lamp and switchrd on the hymns on the home theatre.

Morning cuppa with Lekha.

Walked halfway down the road in front of The Quarterdeck as there was shade above from the harsh sun, recited my prayers and carried out my exercise regimen.

Worked on my laptop.

Lunch, a spot of siesta.

Off to Thrissur to attend the Foundation's meeting to discuss the district-level co-ordination of the Vaayana Maasam activities. Badaruddin accompanied me.

A quiet evening thereafter.

A hectic Friday!

Got up at a 10' to 5 to see off Rema and Sathyabhama, who had their reservations in the Guruvayur-Madurai Fast Passenger. Opened up the house for the day, lit up the puja room lamp and switched on the hymns on the home theatre.

Morning cuppa with Lekha.

Walked on the road in front of The Quarterdeck, recited my prayers and carried out my exercise regimen.

Selvam had come for pressing the clothes and Ramesan and his understudy came for the monthly clean up. Lekha gave them puri-bhaaji for breakfast and the sight of them having food was too good.

Bath and breakfast.

Worked on the laptop.

Lunch; watched Crime Patrol followed by siesta.

The evening chores.

Kuttu, Vani, Naina and Sidharth along with Suma Kunjamma dropped by around 8 and left by a half past 10.

A late evening!

Eid Mubarak ho!

Wished Afroze Ahmed, Aboosala, Badaruddin and their families a happy Eid. Got up at 5, sent the messages, opened up the house for the day, lit up the puja room lamp and switched on the hymns on the home theatre.

Morning cuppa with Lekha.

Walked on the courtyard, recited my prayers and carried out my exercise regimen.

Bath and breakfast of upma, banana.

Worked on my laptop.

Lunch.

Siesta but woken up at a half past 3, by Venu's Electronic shop at Chavakkad to say that our induction cooker was ready after guarantee repairs. Called up Sukesan, dashed across and got the item back as I know that Lekha was finding it difficult to manage things in the kitchen without it for the past fortnight.

A quiet evening, thereafter, after Rema and Sathyabhama had returned from the "Mahaabhaagavatham Samarpanam". 

Hit the sack at our usual time.

A fast - happening day!

Got up at 5, sent all the messages, opened up the house for the day, lit up the puja room lamp and switched on the hymns on the home theatre. Rema and Sathyabhama went for their 'Mahaabhaagavatham samarpanam" as of the last three days. Sukesan had come and picked them up in his autorickshaw at a quarter to 6. 

Morning cuppa with Lekha.

Rema, had returned around 11, after she'd finished her recital for the day. She and Lekha had gone across to the market for urgent purchases and she'd returned after lunch.

Unni, of the Sarathy Autocars, Kottarakkara had connected me to a local Maruthi servicing guy at Choondal. Vineesh had come in by 12 and we proceeded to the place, forthwith.

Got the car washed and Joby drove back the gleaming Victoris by 5, in the evening. Phew, that was an achievement!

Must pick up the RC of the car from Jimmy, tomorrow. Had recharged the FASTag last night.

All actions regarding the car have, thus, been completed.

Tailpiece.

There was a whole lot of tamasha in respect of Pinarayi Vijayan. The Enforcement Directorate had raided 12 places all across the state, connected with him and the CPM had gone on a rampage, damaging two cars of the ED Officials. The DYFI/SFI ruffians, then, took shelter in the party's area committee office.

The party, then, posed a challenge to the police by asking them to prove the identities of the guilty so that they could hand them over later, at the police station.

Here's what I liked of the stance of the DCP. Increasing the forces' strength around the area committee office of the CPM, he insisted having the culprits handed over to the police forthwith which, evetually, the local party leaders did. He'd handed over the identities of 12 ruffians and managed to get 7!

The Kopra reservoir.

Kopra reservoir, Chhattisgarh's first designated Ramsar site in Bilaspur district, has emerged as an inspiring model for embodying the core spirit of the International Day for Biological Diversity 2026 - "Logical Action, Global Impact".

Active public involvement key to transformation

Regular cleanliness drives, massive tree plantation initiatives and the implementation of bio-fencing are being carried out consistently through community mobilisation. This active public involvement has also fostered a deep sense of shared responsibility.

The reservoir has established itself as a critical sanctuary for thousands of migratory birds that traverse international borders. The rich aquatic ecosystem offers an abundant supply of food and a peaceful resting ground for these avian visitors.

Tailpiece.

Got up at 5, sent the messages, opened up the house for the day, lit up the puja room lamp and switched on the hymns on the home theatre.

Morning cuppa with Lekha and Padmakumar.

Sajish gives me my monthly haircut and massage.

A quiet day.