‘Window Seat’ teaser gets the audience staring

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Bengaluru, June 4 The teaser and trailer promo of the Kannada romantic-suspense thriller ‘Window Seat’ is getting appreciation from the audience.

Nirup Bhandari-starrer ‘Window Seat’ is written and directed by Sheetal Shetty.

Sanjana Anand and Amrutha Iyengar are playing lead characters opposite Nirup Bhandari. Arjun Janya has scored music for the movie. The teaser of the movie has garnered more than 1 million views.

The audience loved the presentation in the teaser and promo. The comments are heart-warming and the film team is upbeat about the movie. The promo will be launched on June 6. The film’s songs have also impressed the audience.

 

Esha Gupta visits Kashi Vishwanath temple to seek blessings for ‘Aashram 3’

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Mumbai, June 4 Bollywood actress Esha Gupta, who is a part of the third season of the streaming show ‘Aashram’, recently visited the Kashi Vishwanath temple in Varanasi to seek blessings for its success, ahead of the upcoming season’s release.

Esha, who is a regular visitor of the temple every year, visited the place of worship after a gap of two years as the temple was shut owing to construction work. It has recently opened back up for the public and Esha didn’t want to miss the opportunity to pay her visit.

Speaking about her visit to Kashi Vishwanath temple, Esha Gupta said, “I truly believe in the power of Kashi Vishwanath temple. Seeking blessings here before the release of my show Aashram’s third season is sacrosanct. I always feel a serene sense of peace after visiting the temple.”

For the third season of the show, Esha joined the ensemble cast including Bobby Deol, Aaditi Pohankar, Vikram Kochhar, Chandan Roy Sanyal, Darshan Kumaar, Anupria Goenka, Adhyayan Suman, Tridha Choudhury, Sachin Shroff, and Tushar Pandey.

Even ‘Dr Strange 2’ made nearly 3 times more money than ‘Samrat Prithviraj’ on first day

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Mumbai, June 4 The much-hyped Akshay Kumar-starrer, ‘Samrat Prithviraj’, had an unimpressive opening day, its box-office collections adding up to Rs 10.6 crore.

The Yash Raj Films production ranks No. 7 among this year’s big Hindi releases, below another Akshay Kumar film, ‘Bachchan Pandey’, and barely above Alia Bhatt’s woman-centric virtuoso act, ‘Gangubai Kathiawadi’.

This year so far has clearly belonged to films dubbed in Hindi, the chart-toppers being ‘KGF: Chapter 2’ (Rs 53.95 crore), followed by Marvel’s ‘Dr Strange in Multiverse of Madness’ (Rs 28.35 crore) — the figures tell us that even Benedict Cumberbatch has a greater drawing power — and ‘RRR’ (Rs 20.07 crore).

Even the second edition of the old Akshay Kumar hit supernatural comedy, ‘Bhool Bhulaiya’, with Kartik Aaryan playing the lead character, is two notches above ‘Samrat Prithviraj’, at Rs 14.11 crore.

In the words of the trade website, www.bollywoodmoviereviewz.com, considering the subject, ‘Samrat Prithviraj’ had a “very weak trailer” and “lacks the grandeur needed for historical movies”, which is seen in Bhansali productions, or in ‘RRR’.

“It has opened purely on Akshay Kumar’s star power and will depend on the audience’s word of mouth for growth,” the website added. The film has been released on 3,750 screens across India in Hindi and 200 screens in Tamil and Telugu and 1,200 screens in overseas territories.

Worldwide, these numbers add up to 4,950 screens, according to the website, which makes it a humongus opening. ‘Samrat Prithviraj’ was produced at a cost of Rs 300 crore.

‘Samrat Prithviraj’, notes www.bollywoodmoviereviewz.com, has been sold to Amazon Prime Video as a part of a Rs 250-crore four-film deal with Yash Raj Films. To quote the website, “Two of the four films — ‘Jayeshbhai Jordaar’ and ‘Bunty Aur Babli 2’ — have flopped, leaving the streamer to handle the loss.”

 

Rana Daggubati fires back at troll over ‘Virata Parvam’ poster

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Rana Daggubati proved he is one of the coolest actors as he gracefully shut down a troll who made an offensive remark about his presence in the upcoming movie ‘Virata Parvam’.

Quoting an insensitive remark on the recently released poster of ‘Virata Parvam’, an online user wrote, “What, these people can’t even keep a standard in their own banner’s movies? Rana’s face is chopped off highlighting Sai Pallavi’s. Trying to sell a film by showing a heroine is perhaps Rana’s style”.

Because Rana’s family-run production house was also dragged into the situation, the Twitter user’s comment is not only irrelevant but also insensitive.

Rana handled the situation calmly and effectively, effectively shutting down the troll.

“It is considered a privilege when you choose to be humble and allow the film to gain deserved attention thanks to the heroine’s well-written role. Because it is my own banner, I am able to attempt such great things,” wrote Rana.

‘Virata Parvam’ hits theatres on June 17, while the theatrical trailer for the movie will be out on June 5. Sai Pallavi and Rana will appear in titular roles in Venu Udugula’s much-anticipated directorial.

 

Historical drama ‘Nayika Devi’ granted tax-free status in Gujarat

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Mumbai, June 4 The Gujarati historical drama film ‘Nayika Devi: The Warrior Queen’ has been declared tax-free in Gujarat.

The CMO Gujarat officially tweeted that since the film keeps up with the cultural heritage of the state and illustrates the heroism of Patan’s Rajmata Nayika Devi and her bravery in defeating Muhammad Ghori, it has been granted tax exemption by Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel.

Speaking of which, the producer of the film, Umesh Sharma, said, “The film is made for people’s knowledge and to introduce them to who Nayika Devi was and what her contribution is towards the country. And therefore, this film merited being tax-free so that more and more people could watch it.”

“We are grateful to Gujarat’s government and CM Shri Bhupendra Rajnikant Patel for taking all our requests into consideration and making Nayika Devi: The Warrior Queen free of tax. We can’t thank you enough,” he added.

The film stars Khushi Shah as Queen Nayika Devi and Bollywood actor Chunky Panday as Muhammad Ghori. The film, helmed by Nitin G, features music by Parth Thakkar with Chirag Tripathi penning the lyrics.

The film has been produced by Umesh Sharma, under the banner of A Tree Entertainment.

‘Radhe Shyam’ releases in Hindi on OTT

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Mumbai, June 4 Prabhas’ fans can now watch ‘Radhe Shyam’ in Hindi on OTT with ZEE5 announcing the movie’s Hindi premiere on Saturday.

The romantic period drama which showcased the ‘Baahubali’ star ‘Radhe Shyam’, was helmed by Director Radha Krishna Kumar. One of the big-budget movies, the movie had a theatrical release in March this year.

Produced by UV Creations and T-Series, ‘Radhe Shyam’ stars Prabhas and Pooja Hegde in the lead roles and also has actors Bhagyashree and Krishnam Raju in prominent roles.

Prabhas essays the role of Vikramaditya, a palmist while Pooja Hegde plays Prerana, his love interest in the film.

‘Radhe Shyam’ is a story of two individuals who have different beliefs. Vikramaditya (Prabhas) believes in the stars and not in love while Prerana (Pooja) believes in destiny. After meeting Dr Prerana, will Vikramaditya finally fall in love?

With the digital release on ZEE5, the film will be accessible to audiences across more than 190 countries in Hindi.

 

Get ready for a ‘paw’-erful experience in ‘777 Charlie’: Rakshith Shetty

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Bengaluru, June 4 ‘777 Charlie’, which has generated a lot of curiosity all over the country, is all set for a big release on June 10 in Kannada, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, and Malayalam.

Rakshith Shetty, the Kannada star and producer who is playing the lead role in the movie, while talking to IANS stated that the audience will have a surreal experience in the movie.

“This is a different genre than ‘Bahubali’ and ‘KGF’ series movies. They were larger-than-life movies. Even ‘Pushpa’ is a commercial movie. ‘777 Charlie’ is closer to life. This is a movie which one can relate to in real life,” Rakshith says.

“I had doubts on how it is going to work out at the national level. However, I know there are dog lovers throughout the country. We shot for 167 days and spent 3 years on the film. It is a very difficult job to do a dog movie. Even our same team cannot do it again.”

Rakshith explains the risks involving experimenting with larger canvas in different genres of movies, he says he has this risk-taking attitude. If 100 percent effort is made by the team as well as the producer, the film is destined to be a successful venture, he says.

People who are liking the trailer are going to love the movie. The lead character ‘Dharma’ (played by Rakshith Shetty) has been inspired by the ‘Dharmayara’ character of the Mahabharata where Dharmaraya reaches heaven alone and a dog follows him. He ensures the dog goes to heaven. Likewise, in the movie, the dog takes Dharma to heaven, he says.

Rakshith says the Indian entertainment industry has got the market of the world at its disposal. It is not that every film has to be pan-India, if the script and content are rooted in soil, it can be projected to the whole world.

Talking about Charlie, the dog, he says, she (dog) has come into my life at the right time. The character of Dharma is introverted, which has similarities with my personal character.

“I am a quiet person, I don’t socialize. Through the journey of ‘777 Charlie’ self-exploration has begun within me. Charlie, the dog has come as a divine entity. Innocence is as good as God himself. The audience will feel that she is a divine entity,” he explains.

Sharing about the good response to songs of the movie, Rakshith Shetty explained that music director Nobin Paul had given three years for the movie. The background score is rich, which can be experienced in theatres.

Advising young talent, Rakshith says this is the time when no one will give a break. This is the time when one has to give a break to himself or herself. “There is talent. Get together as a team. With a minimum budget make an attempt and upload it on Youtube. I am there, hundreds of producers will come forward to back the project if they are impressed,” he says.

“Dream big, do not dream for small things,” he underlines.

Get ready for a 'paw'-erful experience in '777 Charlie': Rakshith Shetty Get ready for a 'paw'-erful experience in '777 Charlie': Rakshith Shetty Get ready for a 'paw'-erful experience in '777 Charlie': Rakshith Shetty

KASHISH MIQFF 2022 opens up with glitz & glamour!

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New Delhi, June 4 The remarkable Opening Night of the KASHISH Mumbai International Queer Film Festival 2022 opened at the picturesque premises of Mumbai`s Liberty Cinema. Out and proud contributors of the network shimmered on the Red Carpet in all finery!

The hosts for the night had been actor Paras Tomar & TV speak display host Renil Abraham who struck a chord with the audience! The esteemed ladies’ duo of the Advisory Board such as Dolly Thakore & Arunaraje Patil had been our ‘chaar chaands’ of the night.

“It is such a joy to be back in the theater with KASHISH 2022, and share this evening with a full house of almost 1000 people! And we are truly happy to be kickstarting the June Pride Month on June 1st and the festival will continue in its hybrid edition till June 12th. We are celebrating cinema in all its diversity, with a number of films from countries where LGBTQ+ communities are still marginalized. And we are super delighted to bring 30 Indian LGBTQ+ films in the next four days,” said Sridhar Rangayan, festival director.

The stage, full of entertainment and top-notch performances, featured dancer choreographer Sandip Soparrkar and actress Babna Pani, and comedian Navin Nologna!

The opening night of the 13th edition of KASHISH was attended by senior officials who continue to be partners of the festival every year. Morgan Stanley’s Sandeep Kapoor said this year, “We are working to create a comprehensive culture where employees can feel fully committed to their work,” he said.

The winners of KASHISH Rainbow Voices were transgender actress Negha Sabapathy, The Fame Game’s Rajshri Deshpande, director and producer duo Faraz Ansari & Marijke de Souza, and the gorgeous protagonist Divya Dutta & Swara, who starred in KASHISH’s opening movie Antharam. Sheer Qorma’s Bhasker premiered at KASHISH this Saturday!

Expressing immense happiness, Divya Dutta said, “This festival which truly embraces and celebrates the LGBTQ+ diversity, has been a very special event in Mumbai, bringing together the LGBTQ+ community and their allies every year to celebrate the best queer cinema. This year in its physical avatar once again, it will be a great joy to celebrate our film Sheer Qorma with the audiences.”

The highlight was the heartfelt thanks from community members and volunteers.

Hyderabad boy loses Rs 36 lakh playing mobile games

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Hyderabad, June 4 16-year-old boy lost a whopping Rs 36 lakh by playing online games on his mobile phone.

The boy, a resident of the Amberpet area in Hyderabad, used the bank accounts of his mother to make the payments for the online games.

According to the cyber crime wing of Hyderabad Police, the boy downloaded a free-fire gaming app on his grandfather’s mobile phone. He initially used Rs 1,500 and later Rs 10,000 from her mother’s bank account to play the game. As he became addicted to the games, he started spending huge amounts without the knowledge of his family members.

The class 11 student, the son of a deceased police official, kept making payments ranging from Rs 1.45 lakh to Rs 2 lakh. When his mother went to the State Bank of India (SBI) to withdraw the money, she was shocked to learn that there is no money left in the account. A total of Rs 27 lakh was spent from the account. She then checked her account with HDFC bank and found that Rs 9 lakh had disappeared.

The woman approached the cyber crime police station. She told police that it was her late husband’s hard-earned money. The monetary benefit received by the family following the officer’s death was also credited to the two bank accounts.

K’taka man kills mother for not buying a mobile, arrested

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Bengaluru, June 4 Police in Karnataka on Saturday arrested a 26-year-man on charges of killing his mother for not buying him a mobile phone.

The arrested person has been identified as Deepak, a resident of Lucas Layout in Mylasandra.

According to the police, Deepak allegedly strangled his mother Fathima Mary (50) to death on June 1.

The accused’s sister Joyce Mary had lodged a complaint regarding her mother’s disappearance.

Fathima Mary sold greens and eked out a living for the family. She had gone to the farm to collect greens for selling as usual on a fateful day. Joyce Mary had asked her brother to get her mother back from the farm.

Deepak had called his father Arogyaswamy and told him that his mother had collapsed on the roadside. However, Deepak had accepted that he had killed his mother during the interrogation.

Police said that Deepak after meeting his mother had demanded she buy him a mobile phone. The victim said that she didn’t have money to buy him one. The accused in a fit of rage strangled her with her saree.

After killing her, the accused had taken Rs 700 from her and had escaped from the spot.

Prabhas pens an emotional note on ‘Salaar’ director Prashanth Neel’s birthday

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Hyderabad, June 4 Prabhas, who became a national hero after his performance in ‘Baahubali’, will be seen next in ‘Salaar’. The ‘Varsham’ actor has written a sweet note on the occasion of his director Prashanth Neel’s birthday.

Prabhas posted a picture of himself with Prashanth Neel on Instagram.

Taking to his caption, the star composed: “Here’s wishing a very Happy Birthday to you @prashanthneel! To happiness and success, always. See you soon! #Salaar.”

In the pic, Prabhas and Prashanth Neel can be seen having a happy moment.

Prashanth Neel and Prabhas are currently filming ‘Salaar’, one of the most anticipated pan-Indian films of the year. Prashanth Neel’s ‘KGF’ franchise has made him a household name across the country, and his collaboration with a well-known actor like Prabhas has piqued widespread interest.

While Prabhas will next be seen in the mythological magnum opus, ‘Adipurush’, one of the most expensive films to be made in India, he will also appear in Nag Ashwin’s sci-fi ‘Project K’.

The high-octane action-thriller ‘Salaar’, Sandeep Vanga’s ‘Spirit’, and a comedy entertainer with Maruthi are the upcoming movies Prabhas will be a part of.

Prashanth Neel, on the other hand, will direct Jr NTR for another action movie, after his completion of ‘Salaar’.

Seventeen’s ‘Face the Sun’ album sets record, sells 2 mn copies in a week

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Seoul, June 4 K-pop boy group Seventeen’s fourth full-length album has sold more than 2 million copies in the first week of its release, a record for all albums released this year, the group’s agency said on Friday.

‘Face the Sun’ has sold 2,067,769 units since it hit music stores a week ago, Pledis Entertainment said, citing data from Hanteo Chart, a local album sales tracker. It was the most first-week sales of all albums released this year to date, reports Yonhap News Agency, quoting Pledis.

The album had widely been expected to become a big hit, as it sold 1.75 million copies on the day of its release, well over the group’s personal first-week sales record set with its ninth EP, ‘Attacca’.

‘Face the Sun’ has become the band’s sixth album to have sold more than 1 million copies with its third full-length album, ‘An Ode’, being the first one upon its release in September 2019.

“BTS and Seventeen are the only artists in K-pop history to have scored more than 1 million copies on the first day of releasing an album and more than 2 million copies in a week,” Pledis said in a release.

‘Face the Sun’, which portrays the band’s hope to become an existing presence as essential as the sun in the world, consists of nine group songs without solo or unit numbers.

Debuting in May 2015, Seventeen has become one of the top K-pop groups with hit songs such as ‘Very Nice’, ‘Pretty U’, ‘Oh My!’ and ‘To You’. The 13-piece group is set to hold its third world tour starting on June 25-26 in Seoul.

Scientists identify a new coronavirus commonly found in rodents

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London, June 4 Swedish scientists have identified a new coronavirus commonly found in red-backed voles — small, stocky rodents similar to field mice.

The study of approximately 260 bank voles caught around Grimso, in Orebro County in Sweden shows that the virus is well established in the red-backed voles, said the team from the Zoonosis Science Center at Uppsala University.

Their finding has been published in the journal Viruses.

“Between 2015 and 2017, we consistently found what we have called the ‘Grimso Virus’ in 3.4 percent of these voles, which would suggest that the virus is widespread and common in Sweden’s bank voles,” said Ake Lundkvist, Professor in virology and head of the Centre.

The team mapped zoonotic viruses to increase the understanding of the interaction between viruses and host animals.

Unlike the SARS-CoV and MERS coronaviruses that originate in bats, seasonal coronaviruses, such as HCoV-OC43 and HCoV-HKU1, appear to have spread to humans from rodents like rats, mice, and voles.

Using an RNA sequencing method, the team identified a new coronavirus known as the aGrimso Virus’ belonging to the betacoronavirus family that also includes SARS-CoV, MERS, and SARS-CoV-2.

Rodents already carry several zoonotic microorganisms, such as Hantaviruses and Tularemia, meaning they play a key role in how infectious diseases are spread.

In recent years, there has been a dramatic increase in infectious diseases that can be linked to small mammals, like rodents, and research around the ecology of these host animals is an essential component in the work to prevent future outbreaks.

The bank vole (Myodes glareolus) is one of Europe’s most common rodents.

Previous studies have found several coronaviruses circulating amongst animals in countries like the UK, Poland, France, and Germany.

“We still do not know what potential threats the Grimso Virus may pose to public health. However, based on our observations and previous coronaviruses identified among bank voles, there is good reason to continue monitoring the coronavirus amongst wild rodents,” said Lundkvist.

‘9 Hours’: Taraka Ratna headlines bank heist thriller set in the ’80s

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Hyderabad, June 4 The series titled ‘9 Hours’, which is now streaming on Disney+ Hotstar, is based on a fictional story written by Malladi Venkata Krishna Murthy in the 1980s.

The series’ story is also set in the ’80s.

The story begins with the introduction of a jail breakout. Three inmates of Hyderabad’s Central Jail not only break out from the jail but also try to rob a large sum of money from a bank branch.

When targeted by the police, with no other option, the robbers try to take advantage of the situation by threatening to kill the bank’s hostages if the police engage in action. The cops (led by Taraka Ratna’s character) are on edge as a result of this.

Taraka Ratna’s character, an irritable cop, enters the scene and attempts to control the situation. The basic plot of the show revolves around how he will save everyone.

Coming to roles and performances in ‘9 Hours’, everyone appears to be very involved. The series has no particular hero, heroine, or antagonist.

Thanks to showrunner Krish Jagarlamudi, the casting proves to be capable. The series spans a wide range of performances, from expected (Taraka Ratna, Vinod Kumar, and Banerjee as cops) to unexpected (Ajay and Madhu Shalini have compelling character arcs), from supporting (Preethi Asrani, Ankith Koyya, Sameer, and Raj Madiraju) to cliched (Ravi Varma, Jwala Koti).

The setting, production design, star cast, and visuals are all very realistic and add to the show’s overall appeal.

Overall, ‘9 Hours’ is a suspenseful hostage drama with a few tense moments. The viewing experience for viewers improves as well-known actors play key roles. This web series ends as a passable watch this weekend if you ignore the lengthy runtime.

 

England and CSK star Moeen Ali gets OBE; says open to come out of Test retirement

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London, June 4 England cricketer and Indian Premier League (IPL) side Chennai Super Kings’ star all-rounder Moeen Ali has been honoured with ‘Order’ of the British Empire’ (OBE) at the Queen’s Birthday Honours for his services to the game.

“It is obviously an honour and the more you think about it, the more you realise how nice it is and how rewarding it is,” Moeen, who retired from Test cricket late last year to prolong his white-ball career, has been quoted as saying by The Guardian and PA Media.

“More than anything, I know it makes my parents happy and that’s the most important thing — one of the main reasons for accepting. It’s amazing and my family are really proud and happy. I think it’s more about the journey I’ve been on, my background, my upbringing and all that,” he added.

Moeen, who has indicated he is not averse to coming out Test retirement if new England red-ball coach Brendon McCullum requires his services, added that from the moment he started playing cricket, people labelled him as being a “potential role model”.

“Maybe the way I played a little bit and the way I go about my cricket, maybe that’s what people have liked or whatever. From the word go, as soon as I played for England, people labelled me as being a potential role model. It is a big responsibility because you don’t want to let people down. But then as time has gone on, you kind of accept it and deal with it a lot better. You kind of do inspire a lot of people, especially from the inner city.”

On his reported inclination to return to Test cricket after retiring last year, Moeen said, he had played with England Test coach McCullum in the IPL and really enjoyed his style of working. McCullum recently quit his head coach’s job with IPL side Kolkata Knight Riders to take up the England assignment.

“Baz (McCullum) messaged me asking if I was ‘in’. I have played with him in the Indian Premier League and really enjoyed the way he works. We spoke and he mentioned potentially, in the future, if there is a tour — or whenever, really — would I be available? I said ‘call me at the time’. We’ll see,” Moeen said.

The 34-year-old Moeen has represented England in 225 internationals across all three formats, amassing 5,428 runs in addition to picking up 315 wickets.

South African cricketer, assaulted in England, out of coma

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London, June 4 Mondli Khumalo, the 20-year-old South African cricketer who was assaulted outside a pub in Somerset in the early hours on June 29 (Sunday morning), is out of the coma, a report in mirror.co.uk said on Saturday.

Khumalo, who plays as an overseas professional for North Petherton Cricket Club in Somerset, remained in a medically-induced coma for six days and underwent three surgeries at Southmead Hospital.

Khumalo had also represented South Africa at the 2020 Under-19 World Cup. The report added that “Khumalo has been taken out of a medically-induced coma and is making great progress.”

The cricketer, who is contracted to Kwa-Zulu Natal Inland back home, was assaulted while he was celebrating North Petherton Cricket Club’s win near the Dragon Rise Pub in Bridgwater.

He suffered a fractured skull and had to undergo three surgeries, the last one to remove a blood clot.

Khumalo’s North Petherton teammate Lloyd Irish was quoted as saying in The Cricketer that the player’s condition is stable.

“Mondli was doing great yesterday (Friday) and they took him out of a coma. He has shown great strength. He is asking for his mum, watching some of the England v New Zealand Test, and even wants to know when his next game is! We’ve seen great progress in the past 24 hours. It’s been a rollercoaster of emotions; however we seem to be heading in the right direction now,” Irish said.

A 27-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm.

June 5 pre-release event to herald Sai, Rana-starrer ‘Virata Parvam’ rollout

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Hyderabad, June 4 ‘Virata Parvam’, starring Sai Pallavi and Rana Daggubati, is set to hit theatres. The filmmakers are now working hard to promote the film ahead of its release.

The most recent information received from the film team is that a pre-release event will be held in Kurnool on June 5, with some notable guests.

Sai Pallavi and Rana Daggubati play a fascinating love couple caught in the midst of a revolution.

‘Virata Parvam’, directed by Venu Udugula, will be released on the 17 of this month. The release of a few promotional posters and a couple of songs from the film has piqued Telugu fans’ interest.

Priyamani, Nandita Das, Nivetha Pethuraj, Priyamani, Eshwari Rao, Ravi Anand, Naveen Chandra, Zareena Wahab, and others have played pivotal roles in this film.

Produced by Suresh Babu and Sudhakar Cherukuri under Suresh Productions and Sri Lakshmi Venkateswara Cinemas banners, the movie has Suresh Bobbili’s music.

ICC head paints grim picture of Test cricket, says they’ll get fewer in years to come

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Melbourne, June 4 Head of the International Cricket Council (ICC) Greg Barclay on Saturday painted a grim picture of Test cricket, saying there will be fewer five-day games played annually, and that he doesn’t foresee women’s Tests to “be part of the landscape moving forward”.

The New Zealander added that there’s precious little the cricket’s global governing body can do as ICC’s events and T20 leagues across the world crowd the calendar.

Barclay, who assumed charge of the ICC in 2020, admitted that with domestic tournaments, such as the Indian Premier League (IPL) set to dominate the international calendar, bilateral cricket will get “squeezed” as a consequence, cricket.com.au quoted the BBC as saying.

“The single biggest issue that we’ve got in front of us now is we’re creating the cycle for the next eight years (and) just fitting everything that we’ve got into that into that calendar,” Barclay told BBC during the ongoing Test between England and New Zealand.

“And I think there’ll be some unfortunate consequences from a playing experience point of view and in a revenue generation perspective for some of these countries who just won’t get the amount of cricket that they will hope to have,” said Barclay.

The New Zealander also indicated that arranging series with the top-three cricket-playing nations — India, England and Australia — will get increasingly difficult with time.

“And they (cricket-playing countries outside the top-3) won’t get exposure against, particularly, India and to a lesser extent Australia and England,” he opined.

Barclay said that while he appreciated Test cricket’s legacy and history, he added that the longest format of the game was costing nations money.

“We’re fortunate in some respects that we’ve got other forms of the game that can help us sustain, particularly financially, Test cricket because, with the exception maybe of one or two series, it is effectively loss making for member boards,” Barclay said.

“It may well be that there’s less Test cricket, and some countries will just have to make room and play less Test cricket. Maybe some of those countries will have totally different long-form and short-form squads, and we can see that happening already.

“But I think also some of the smaller full members will have to accept that from a resourcing point of view that they’re just not going to be able to play the amount of Test cricket that they wanted to. So I think we’ll see a lessening of that, four or five Tests a year maybe. Whereas England, Australia, India, I think they’ll be playing Test cricket like they are now. It’s only one man’s opinion but I think that that’s how will it play out,” he was quoted as saying.

 

2 TN hospitals under scanner over the selling of minor girl’s embryo

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Chennai, June 4 Two private hospitals in Tamil Nadu’s Erode is under the scanner after police arrested three persons on a complaint by a minor girl that she was forced into the illegal trade of her embryo in fertility centers.

The 16-year-old girl lodged a complaint with the police that her mother’s lover sexually exploited her since she was 12 years of age and used to sell her embryo in private fertility clinics with the connivance of local hospitals.

Unable to bear the trauma, she had run away from her home and reached a relative’s place and lodged a complaint with the police, she said.

In her complaint, the girl stated that she had sold her embryo eight times and her mother used to get Rs 20,000 for each sale. The girl also said that a woman, Malathi was the agent between her mother and the hospitals. She said that Malathi was given Rs 5,000 as her commission.

Erode police on Friday arrested the girl’s mother, her lover, and agent Malathi. Another person John who had tampered with evidence was also arrested. Police said that all four were charged under the Prevention of Children Against Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

Tamil Nadu Health Minister Ma Subramanian, while speaking to IANS, pointed out: “It’s brought into my notice and have directed the state health secretary to take immediate action against the erring hospitals. The district health authorities have already served notices to the hospitals and stringent action will be taken against these hospitals.”

Dr Suchitra Menon, Gynecologist and senior professor at a private medical college in Chennai while speaking to IANS said: “This is shocking. The hospitals and their management have to be given strong punishment for exploiting the helplessness of a minor girl. If the hospitals had reported to the authorities on this such a thing would not have continued.”

The health department, according to sources, is also planning a state-wide crackdown on hospitals to find out whether such illegal practices are being carried out in other hospitals as well.

India reports 3,962 fresh Covid cases, 26 deaths

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New Delhi, June 4 India on Saturday reported a marginal decline of 3,962 fresh Covid cases in the last 24 hours, against the 4,041 infections registered the previous day, the Union Health Ministry said.

In the same period, the country reported 26 new Covid fatalities, taking the nationwide death toll to 5,24,677.

The active caseload of the country also increased to 22,416 cases, accounting for 0.05 percent of the country’s total positive cases.

The recovery of 2,697 patients in the last 24 hours took the cumulative tally to 4,26,25,454. Consequently, India’s recovery rate stands at 98.73 percent.

While the daily positivity rate slightly dropped to 0.89 percent, the weekly positivity rate stood at 0.77 percent.

Also in the same period, a total of 4,45,814 tests were conducted across the country, increasing the overall tally to over 85.22 crores.

As of Saturday morning, India’s Covid-19 vaccination coverage exceeded 193.96 crores, achieved via 2,47,05,065 sessions.

Over 3.43 crore adolescents have been administered a first dose of Covid-19 jab since the beginning of the vaccination drive for this age bracket.