Pakistan-made eyeliner suspected of causing lead poisoning
Canberra, July 24 : Three children in Australia are suspected to have fallen ill from using Pakistan-made Hashmi brand eyeliner contaminated with lead, authorities said.
The New South Wales state government issued a public health alert over the products, the BBC reported.
The kohl cosmetics were found to contain 84 per cent lead, as well as other dangerous metals. The products were legally imported but contained dangerously misleading packaging, the government said.
The Hashmi Kohl Aswad and Hashmi Surmi Special cosmetics were sold in specialty shops that stock Indian and Pakistani goods in Sydney, authorities said.
"Some of the product packaging even specifically states that no lead is present, which is a total disgrace," said Matt Kean, the state minister overseeing regulation.
Doctors had raised concerns when they found lead in the blood of the children, all of whom were related.
"An investigation indicated the health concerns were likely to have been caused by one of the Hashmi brand eyeliners," Kean said. Australians have been advised to stop applying the products. The matter will be further examined by the Australian Border Force.
Other nations have previously issued health warnings about Hashmi brand eyeliners. The products are banned for sale in the US, the BBC said.
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Indian startup's 'Drishti' satellite launched aboard SpaceX rocket
New Delhi (PTI): Bengaluru-based space start-up GalaxEye's Mission Drishti satellite was launched on Sunday aboard SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket from California.
Mission Drishti is the world's first OptoSAR satellite, integrating electro-optical (EO) and synthetic aperture radar (SAR) sensors into a single operational platform, according to the company.
While EO sensors capture high-resolution images during sunlight and clear skies, SAR sensors provide all-weather and all-time images, using radar pulses.
In a statement, Suyash Singh, founder and CEO of GalaxEye, said, "With the satellite (Mission Drishti) now successfully in orbit, our immediate focus is on completing its commissioning. As we move through this phase, we are already witnessing strong global interest in the differentiated datasets enabled by our OptoSAR payload."
The satellite will help address long-standing limitations of conventional systems and enable more reliable and consistent data acquisition across diverse environmental conditions, the company said.
As a dual-use Earth observation satellite, the mission will support use cases across defence, agriculture, disaster management, maritime monitoring, and infrastructure planning.
The satellite is also expected to complement India's broader initiatives, including the 29 active Earth Observation satellites outlined in ISRO's recent annual report.
The launch came after five years of indigenous research and development, and extensive environmental testing and performance validation of the Mission Drishti.
In a statement, Lt Gen AK Bhatt (Retd), director general of Indian Space Association (ISpA), said, "GalaxEye has achieved what only a few global players have, which is seamlessly combining optical and SAR capabilities on a single platform to enable persistent, all-weather intelligence."
What stands out is not just the technology, but its broader impact on how downstream applications will increasingly define value in the space economy, particularly in Earth observation, where timely, decision-grade insights are critical," he added.
ISpA is the premier industry association of space and satellite companies in the country.
Union Minister Jitendra Singh also took note of the Mission Drishti launch, saying the development marked a significant milestone in India's space journey.
In a post on X, the minister said, "The successful launch of the world's first OptoSAR satellite, and the largest privately-built satellite in the country, reflects the immense potential of our young innovators driving nation-building."
GalaxEye aims to scale up Mission Drishti to a constellation of 10 satellites by 2030, developing a robust and sovereign Earth observation infrastructure for India.
