 "FirstUp: Jagannath Rath Yatra begins in Puri and other headlines of the day")
A number of important events are lined up for today.
The seaside town of Puri in Odisha, which has been heavily secured, will host the annual Rath Yatra festival for Lord Jagannath.
After being shut for over a decade due to major repair work, the Tende road tunnel linking France and Italy is set to reopen today.
‘Squid Game’ is back with its third and final season, where players take on even more dangerous challenges.
Vance Boelter, who is accused of killing a senior Democratic assemblywoman and her husband, Mark, as well as shooting State Senator John Hoffman and his wife in Minnesota, will appear in a federal court for a hearing today.
Let’s take a look at the events:
Jagannath Rath Yatra 2025 begins
The sacred town of Puri in Odisha will see the start of the annual Rath Yatra (Chariot Procession) of Lord Jagannath today.
This is one of the oldest Hindu festivals, where Lord Jagannath, along with his brother Lord Balabhadra and sister Devi Subhadra, is taken out in a grand chariot procession from the Jagannath Temple to the Gundicha Temple.
With the spiritual mood running high, the whole town has been brought under tight security to make sure the large gathering goes off safely. The festival draws lakhs of devotees from different parts of the world.
Police said more than 250 Artificial Intelligence-enabled cameras have been set up across the town for monitoring.
The Rath Yatra starts today and will end on July 8, when the deities return to the main temple.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsTende tunnel between France and Italy reopens
After being shut for twelve years for major repair work, the Tende road tunnel connecting France and Italy will reopen today.
A ceremony to celebrate the reopening will be held today, but the tunnel will actually open for traffic on Saturday morning (June 28).
When it first opened in 1882, the Tende tunnel was the longest road tunnel in the world and was then part of Italy. This changed after the 1947 Treaty of Paris, when the area was handed over to France.
The tunnel is located in the village of Tende, in the mountainous north of the Alpes-Maritimes region. It had been closed since 2013 due to the work on a second road passage.
‘Squid Game’ Season 3 to release
The popular Netflix series Squid Game, known for its dark survival story, returns for its third and final season today.
Hwang Dong-hyuk, who became the first Asian to win the Outstanding Directing award at the 74th Primetime Emmys, is back as the director, writer, and producer for the final chapter of the series.
Viewers in the US will be able to start watching from 3 am ET. In India, the show will be available between 12 pm and 12:30 pm IST on June 27.
The new season will see the return of Lee Jung-jae, Wi Ha-joon, Lee Byung-hun, and others, including Park Sung-hoon, Kang Ae-shim, Yang Dong-guen, Yim Si-wan, and Jo Yu-ri.
Hearing in Minnesota lawmaker shooting case
Vance Boelter , who is accused of killing senior Democratic assemblywoman Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark, and shooting State Senator John Hoffman and his wife, will appear in a federal court in Minnesota today.
Federal prosecutors have said Boelter has not yet entered a plea. They also said the case could possibly lead to the death penalty. That decision will be taken in Washington, DC by US Attorney General Pam Bondi.
Bondi is responsible for deciding whether the death penalty will be pursued in all federal cases where it applies, and this includes murder charges.
In 2019, Boelter, who is 57, was chosen by Tim Walz for a four-year role on the Governor’s Workforce Development Board. He had earlier served on the same board in 2016 when Mark Dayton was governor.
Want to see a meteor shower?
The Bootid meteor shower has returned, with its annual show of shooting stars expected to peak today.
The best time to watch the Bootids is either just before sunrise or after sunset today. According to In-The-Sky.org, the peak will happen at about 07:00 EDT (4:30 PM IST), so the best views may come early on June 27, before daybreak.
As night falls on June 27, the shower may offer some of its most striking sights.
This meteor shower is caused by dust and small debris left behind by comet 7P/Pons-Winnecke, a short-period comet that circles the sun every six years.
With inputs from agencies
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