Nichola Marie spotlights the faces that dominated the headlines this past month…
A New Reign Begins
“A tide of change is sweeping the country. Sunlight is pouring over the entire world. And America has the chance to seize this opportunity like never before,” the 47th President of the United States, Donald Trump, announced. His early days as President have seen Trump bring a whirlwind of executive orders, surprising policies, and bold international declarations. These include sweeping tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China; arresting and detaining undocumented immigrants in the United States; cutting off future funding to South Africa; redirecting the Federal government towards an even deeper embrace of fossil fuels; recognising only two “immutable” genders, male and female; withdrawing the US from the World Health Organisation, and halting all development aid to foreign countries for at least 90 days; among other changes. The world waits and watches as the President goes flat out living up to his claim: “Nothing will stand in our way because we are Americans.”
Taking The Lead
The name Liang Wenfeng soared to attention across the globe, as the founder of the little-known Chinese DeepSeek app that has overtaken rivals including ChatGPT to become the most downloaded free app in the United States. Wenfeng has sent tremors through the global tech world with his release of an artificial intelligence (AI) model which has capabilities that rival Google and OpenAI’s creations – and at a fraction of the cost. He is celebrated as a hero in China, seen as a digital David fighting America’s Big Tech Goliath, with a modest cluster of artificial intelligence chips and a small crack team of engineers. For the residents of Mililing, a small community in the southern province of Guangdong where the 40-year-old billionaire grew up, he represents a hard-working student from a farming community who made it big via his groundbreaking work in AI, putting their small town on the map.
Silver Streak
Sabyasachi, a byword for luxury, maximalism, elegance, and a reverence for India’s rich cultural heritage, marked 25 years with a fashion show that stunned. Featuring Deepika Padukone and ‘90s supermodel Christy Turlington, it focused on exquisite collections against a vintage Calcutta backdrop. Over 150 looks were presented, including pants and skirts embroidered with gold threads, frilled headgear, stacked jewellery and tops with slogans. In an interview with ‘Harper’s Bazaar’, Sabyasachi shared, “25 years ago, I started Sabyasachi with ₹20,000 borrowed from my family and a small team of three employees. …Today, we work with over 3,000 artists and employees across the country. … Together, we are creating India’s first global luxury brand.”
Rock On!
The Chris Martin-helmed British band Coldplay has officially dethroned Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour as the most-attended concert tour in history. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, Coldplay’s Music of the Spheres World Tour has now surpassed 10.3 million attendees, edging past Swift’s 10.1 million milestone. The band’s achievement follows a series of sold-out shows in New Zealand, marking a historic moment for the band. Known for their immersive live performances and sustainability-driven tours, Coldplay has combined high-capacity stadiums with an extensive tour schedule to set this new benchmark. In a historic concert at Ahmedabad, the band sold over 10.3 million tickets, captivating over 250,000 fans.
Into The Beyond
Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla is set to become the first Indian astronaut to visit the International Space Station (ISS) this year, as part of a joint NASA-ISRO mission. Travelling to the ISS on a SpaceX Dragon, ISRO astronaut Shukla will serve as a pilot for Axiom Space’s fourth private astronaut mission to the ISS, which will launch from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The mission will last up to 14 days, during which the crew will conduct scientific experiments, outreach programmes, and commercial activities in microgravity as part of a collaborative mission between NASA and ISRO. Shukla, who was born on October 10, 1985 in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, trained at the National Defence Academy and joined the Air Force in 2006. A fighter combat leader and test pilot, he has 2000 hours of experience in flying various aircraft. His journey to become an astronaut began in 2018-19, when he was selected for the Gaganyaan mission. During the Covid-19 pandemic, he spent the entire time training in Russia.
