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India Today
7 days ago
- Business
- India Today
From Agra to edge of space: Arvi Bahal to fly on Bezos' Blue Origin spaceflight
India-born businessman Arvi Bahal is all set to travel to space aboard Amazon founder Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin NS-34 mission. This mission is the 14th human flight under the New Shepard programme and the 34th in its history. Indian-American Bahal will travel to space as part of the six-member far, Blue Origin has flown 70 people above the Karaman line, the internationally recognised boundary of space, offering brief moments of weightlessness and a panoramic view of the Karman Line, set at an altitude of 100 kilometres above sea level, is widely recognised as the boundary between Earth's atmosphere and outer space. The live webcast on launch day will start 30 minutes before lift off, according to the US-based space technology Bahal on the flight are Turkish businessman Gkhan Erdem, meteorologist Deborah Martorell, teacher Lionel Pitchford, repeat flier JD Russell, and Justin Sun – a tech entrepreneur and the original $28 million winning bidder for the first New Shepard seat in IS ARVI BAHAL?Arvi Bahal is a real estate investor born in Agra and is now a naturalised US citizen.A lifelong traveller and adventurer, Bahal has visited every country in the world, the North and South Poles, and skydived on Mount Everest and the Pyramids of Giza. He holds a private pilot's licence and also flies helicopters, according to Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp expressed enthusiasm for the company's mission, highlighting the growing momentum of its space tourism program."Looking forward to our sixth New Shepard launch this year and welcoming back our fifth astronaut to fly twice! Proud to have this international crew as we continue opening up space to people from all backgrounds," Limp said in a post on Gopichand Thotakura was the first Indian to venture into space as a tourist as part of Blue Origin's New Shepard-25 (NS-25) ACCOMPANYING ARVI BAHAL ALSO BIG LEAGUERSGkhan Erdem is a Turkish businessman and a board member of Erdem Holding, a diverse group of companies operating in the energy, telecommunications, construction, and manufacturing of his professional responsibilities, Gkhan is a passionate space enthusiast and an avid photographer. Deeply inspired by space exploration, he dreams of one day travelling to the International Space Station and possibly even beyond, Blue Origin wrote on its third crew member's name is Deborah Martorell. She is a Puerto Rican meteorologist and journalist. Her reporting on environmental and space topics has garnered eight Emmy Awards and two Awards of Excellence in Science Reporting from the American Meteorological Society, according to Blue fourth crew member is Lionel Pitchford, an Englishman who has spent the last four decades in Spain working as a teacher, translator, and tour guide as a means to travel the world. In 1992, following a plane crash with his sister and her family onboard, Lionel founded a nonprofit in Nepal dedicated to serving disadvantaged children and girls, Blue Origin fifth member is JD Russel, an entrepreneur and founder of Alpha Funds, a technology-focused venture capital company, and Alpha Aerospace, an aerospace consulting and solutions company. He founded the Victoria Russell Foundation to honour the memory of his deceased foundation is dedicated to supporting children's education and assisting the families of first responders, Bezos's Blue Origin wrote about his Sun is the Ambassador and former Permanent Representative of Grenada to the World Trade Organisation, founder of TRON - a cryptocurrency with an associated blockchain DAO ecosystem, and advisor to HTX - one of the world's largest crypto exchanges. A protege of Alibaba's Jack Ma, Sun was featured on the cover of Forbes Magazine in April 2025, where he was recognised as one of the most dynamic and outspoken figures in crypto, earning the moniker "Crypto's Billionaire Barker" for his bold approach to innovation, advocacy, and industry leadership.- EndsMust Watch
Yahoo
07-04-2025
- Yahoo
What Travelers Should Know Before Entering the US, According to Immigration Experts
Getty Images Some travelers heading to the United States in 2025 are finding themselves caught in the crosswinds of a rapidly changing political and security landscape. Under a sweeping wave of executive actions by the current administration, driven by its broader efforts to tighten immigration policies and address concerns about national security, the US border experience has transformed almost overnight. International visitors have reported more stringent passport inspections, in addition to warrantless searches and questioning at the border. Dana DiRaimondo, an immigration attorney with DiRaimondo & Schroeder LLP, says that while instances of visitors, visa holders, or green card holders being turned away or detained by US border patrol remain rare, 'Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is increasing scrutiny on all individuals entering the United States.' 'What will or will not trigger admissibility issues, possible detention, and potential removal from the United States is still a bit of a guessing game,' she says. Whether you're visiting the US for business, tourism, or to see family, here's what you need to know to be prepared right now. At the bare minimum, all travelers should ensure they possess a valid passport and, if required, an appropriate visa. Travelers from Visa Waiver Program countries who are staying in the US for less than 90 days should ensure they have a valid Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) registration. Others will need a valid B-1/B-2 visa stamp in their passport. According to immigration attorneys, some of the most common reasons travelers might be denied entry are incomplete or inaccurate visa applications, previous immigration violations (such as overstaying a visa), certain crimes (in the US or abroad), and inconsistency between what you say you will be doing and items on your person or phone that suggest you'll actually be doing something different (i.e., coming to visit a relative but there are work boots and tools in your suitcase). 'Travelers should ensure that they understand the limitations on their stay (what they can and can't do as a visitor and how long they can stay) and strictly adhere to the visa requirements they are traveling on,' says DiRaimondo. Alka Bahal, an immigration attorney at Corporate Immigration Services, adds that travelers should be prepared to explain to CBP what they plan to do while visiting the US, where exactly they will be, and any other trip details at the point of entry. 'If traveling as a business visitor, it's helpful to have letters from the US organization you'll be meeting with and an itinerary of meetings or events to confirm that you are entering for business purposes and not for work that the US would consider employment,' Bahal says. The Canadian government has recently warned its citizens to 'expect scrutiny at ports of entry, including of electronic devices' upon entering the US. According to Bahal, there have been reports amongst their clients that more detailed and thorough inspections (including questioning that may be more intensive now than in the past) have become more frequent under this administration. Esha Bhandari, deputy director of the ACLU Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project, says that CBP has broad authority to question anyone coming into the country and search luggage, phones, and laptops—even without a warrant, regardless of immigration or citizenship status. That means they can scroll through your photos, emails, texts, or apps—anything on devices is fair game. 'You can state you don't consent to a search, but this likely won't prevent Customs and Border Protection (CBP) from searching your phone,' Bhandari explains. To protect your privacy, the Bhandari says visitors may want to consider using a travel-only smartphone or laptop that doesn't contain private or sensitive information. Or, travelers can choose to encrypt their devices with a strong and unique password and turn them off before crossing the border. If an agent asks for your password, you are not legally required to provide it, although that may result in your device being held for weeks or months. For people who are not citizens or green card holders, declining to provide a password could also result in US border patrol officials denying you entry to the country. Marina Shepelsky, an immigration attorney at Shepelsky Law Group, also recommends backing up your data and minimizing sensitive information on your device before traveling. 'There is sensitivity around any texts or social media posts that may criticize the Trump administration or its policies right now,' she says. 'Border agents can scrutinize this information during searches and may use it against travelers to deny entry, expedite removal, or impose bans on future visits.' All travelers to the US are required to be inspected for admission, which often means some routine questioning and screening. However, travelers with any 'red flags' in their background (a prior immigration violation, an unusual pattern of travel to the US, or a prior issue with CBP) would make someone more susceptible to increased scrutiny, including being sent to secondary inspection for more in-depth questioning, and in some instances, could cause potentially someone to be denied entry or even detained. 'In all cases, always remain calm and polite,' Bahal says. 'You can ask for reasons why, and if you do not feel that the officer has made a correct decision, you can ask to speak with a supervisor. Whether any such request will be granted depends on the interviewing officer and the facts at hand.' Historically, for non-serious issues like a determination that a traveler did not have the proper visa, DiRaimondo says the individual was permitted to withdraw their application for admission and return to their home country via the next available flight. Recently, however, her firm has heard more frequent reports of travelers being refused entry by CBP and placed in ICE detention for several days or even weeks prior to being removed. 'While these instances are still extremely rare when compared to the number of travelers entering the US each day, it is a shift from what we'd historically see and could certainly have a chilling effect on non-essential travel to the US,' DiRaimondo says, adding, 'If you are detained, you should ask to speak to your lawyer. Because you don't have the right to a public defender in these situations, it's important to have the contact information of an immigration attorney available and on call.' At the very least, Shepelsky says to let close family or friends know your travel details in case anything unexpected happens at the border. 'If you're detained or questioned for an extended period, having someone who can reach your attorney quickly can make a big difference,' she adds. Originally Appeared on Condé Nast Traveler The Latest Travel News and Advice Want to be the first to know? 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