Data of 235mn Instagram, YouTube, TikTok users exposed: Report

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Data of 235mn Instagram, YouTube, TikTok users exposed: Report

At least 235 million users of Facebook-owned Instagram, China-based TikTok, and Google-owned YouTube have been hit by a massive data leak and their personal profiles were up for grabs on the Dark Web.

According to security researchers from the pro-consumer website Comparitech, an unsecured database was behind this data breach.

“The data was spread across several datasets and the most significant being two coming in at just under 100 million each and containing profile records apparently scraped from Instagram,” reports Forbes, quoting the security researchers.

The third-largest was a dataset of some 42 million TikTok users, followed by nearly 4 million YouTube user profiles.

One in five records contained either a telephone number or email address of the users, along with profile name, full real name, profile photo, account description and a number of followers and likes, etc.

“The information would probably be most valuable to spammers and cybercriminals running phishing campaigns,” said Paul Bischoff, editor at Comparitech.

“Even though the data is publicly accessible, the fact that it was leaked in aggregate as a well-structured database makes it much more valuable than each profile would be in isolation,” Bischoff said in the report on Thursday.

According to the researchers, the leaked data points to a company called Deep Social banned by both Facebook and Instagram in 2018 after scraping user profile data.

“Scraping people’s information from Instagram is a clear violation of our policies. We revoked Deep Social’s access to our platform in June 2018 and sent a legal notice prohibiting any further data collection,” a Facebook spokesperson was quoted as saying.

According to Comparitech, data marketing company, Social Data later shut the unsecured database after it was reported to them.

“Social Data has denied any connection between itself and Deep Social,” according to the Comparitech report.

Earlier this month, a hacker group known as ShinyHunters flooded a hacker forum with 386 million user records stolen from 18 companies.

According to BleepingComputer, ShinyHunters began uploading the databases to a forum where anyone can download them free of charge. Of the databases released since July 21, nine of them were already disclosed in some manner in the past.

Australia name women’s squad for T20I, ODI series against NZ

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Australia name women’s squad for T20I, ODI series against NZ

Cricket Australia on Friday announced the 18-player women’s squad for the T20I and ODI series against New Zealand slated to be played in September.

The two sides will play three ODIs and three T20Is, with the coveted Rose Bowl Trophy up for grabs during the ODI series. Australia is the current holder of the Rose Bowl having defeated the White Ferns 3-0 in their last encounter in 2019.

Speedster Tayla Vlaeminck was unavailable for selection while Ellyse Perry has been named subject to fitness.

National Selector Shawn Flegler said: “We’ve selected a slightly larger squad than usual because of a number of COVID-related considerations and, with no matches leading in, players have been picked on performances both for Australia and Australia A over the last 12-to-24 months.”

“Tayla has had a slight setback in her return from the foot injury she suffered ahead of the T20 World Cup which means she’ll miss this series as well as this season’s rebel WBBL tournament.

“Our initial plans were to get her back for the 50-over World Cup in New Zealand but now that’s been postponed we’ll take a conservative approach with her and give her as much time as she needs to get her body right without the pressure of a timeframe.

“Ellyse is progressing well from a significant hamstring injury and we want to give her every chance to be available for selection, so we’ll continue to monitor her progress over the coming weeks.

“The door has really opened for players like Maitlan (Brown), who joins the squad for the first time, and fellow fast-bowler Belinda (Vakarewa) who has previously represented Australia.

“Belinda only just missed out on T20 World Cup selection while Maitlan has impressed through her time in the national performance squad and Australia A.

“New Zealand always presents a great challenge and this series will be no different. While nothing is guaranteed in the current climate it’s pleasing to be able to prepare for a series like this and thanks must go to all the people working behind the scenes to make it possible,” Flegler added.

The schedule for the series has matches in both New South Wales and Queensland but given the current COVID-19 situation changes may be required, said Cricket Australia.

Squad: Meg Lanning (c), Rachael Haynes, Maitlan Brown, Erin Burns, Nicola Carey, Ashleigh Gardner, Alyssa Healy, Jess Jonassen, Delissa Kimmince, Tahlia McGrath, Sophie Molineux, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry (subject to fitness), Megan Schutt, Molly Strano, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Wareham, Belinda Vakarewa.

Ex-Trump adviser charged with fraud over Mexico wall funds

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Ex-Trump adviser charged with fraud over Mexico wall funds

Steve Bannon, US President Donald Trump’s former campaign adviser, was charged with defrauding donors of hundreds of thousands of dollars over a fundraising campaign to build a wall on the country’s border with Mexico.

On Thursday, Bannon and three others, Brian Kolfage, Andrew Badolato, and Timothy Shea, were indicted for their roles in connection with the online crowdfunding campaign known as “We Build the Wall”, which raised more than $25 million, according to a statement from the US Attorney’s office in the Southern District of New York.

Bannon received more than $1 million, at least some of which he used to cover personal expenses, it alleged.

“As alleged, the defendants defrauded hundreds of thousands of donors, capitalizing on their interest in funding a border wall to raise millions of dollars, under the false pretense that all of that money would be spent on construction,” Xinhua news agency quoted US Attorney for the Southern District of New York Audrey Strauss as saying in the statement.

Bannon was arrested on Thursday morning on a 150-foot yacht called the Lady May in Connecticut by agents from the US Postal Inspection Service, which investigates fraud cases.

The yacht is owned by Chinese billionaire Guo Wengui, according to US media reports.

The other three defendants were also arrested on Thursday morning.

Later in a New York court, Bannon entered a not guilty plea.

Responding to his arrest, President Trump said he felt “very badly” about it, the BBC reported.

He also said he had had no involvement with “We Build the Wall”.

“I said, ‘This is for government; this isn’t for private people’ – and it sounded to me like showboating and I think I let my opinion be very strongly stated at the time,” he said.

Bannon, who has been released on bail, was a key architect of Trump’s 2016 presidential election victory.

His right-wing anti-immigration ideology fuelled Trump’s “America First” campaign.

Bannon is the sixth former senior aide to Trump to face criminal charges after former campaign chairman Paul Manafort, veteran political operator Roger Stone, former lawyer Michael Cohen, former deputy campaign manager Rick Gates, and former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn.

Michael Pena opens up about his love for horror

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Michael Pena opens up about his love for horror

Actor Michael Pena says horror films are like roller coaster rides, adding that he is a big fan of the genre.

Pena recalled falling in love with horror flicks as a child. “When I was a kid and I was younger, my mom used to take us to a theatre where we would pay two dollars and then be able to see multiple movies. We’d watch (legendary Mexican comedian) Cantinflas and then immediately afterward it would be followed by an American movie. There would be a complete 180 of what we expected to see. I watched all these horror movies — ‘Nightmare on Elm Street’, ‘Rosemary’s Baby’, ‘The Shining’, ‘The Exorcist’, they were so scary,” he said.

“But it was safe to me like you wanted to be scared, you wanted to feel that same scare. It was like riding a roller coaster because for all intents and purposes, roller coasters are really safe and so when you are on a roller coaster, you know you are going to go really fast, but at the same time it’s locked down and it gives you that extra safety net to experience something like this,” he added.

It is a reason Pena enjoyed working in the horror film, “Fantasy Island”.

“When I read the initial draft, it had a bunch of different storylines, so from the get-go, I knew that it was going to have multiple fantasies. I think it also gives you a break when you are diving into someone else’s fantasy. It gives you a little time to breathe,” he said.

“As for the film, I mean I really liked what he did to be honest; I saw that on ‘Truth or Dare’. You kind of want a little bit of everything, a bit of humor, even if it’s dark, so that you can pace it up a bit and have breaks, or else it’s kind of unrelenting,” Pena added about the film, which airs in India on August 30 on &flix and Zee Cafe.

Mohammad Nabi appointed member of Afghanistan Cricket Board

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Mohammad Nabi appointed member of Afghanistan Cricket Board

Afghanistan all-rounder Mohammad Nabi has been appointed as a member of the country’s cricket board. Nabi is still an active international cricketer and is currently playing in the ongoing edition of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL).

The 35-year-old is among four new members who have replaced the outgoing members of Afghanistan Cricket Board’s nine-member panel.

“Following recommendations by ACB chairman Farhan Yusefzai, and subsequently approved by Patron in-chief, Mohammad Ashraf Ghani, four new board members were introduced today to the Afghanistan Cricket Board replacing four former members,” ACB said in a statement on Thursday.

The other three board members are Hasina Safi, Rohullah Khanzada, and Haroon Mir.

“The members who were replaced include Minister for Urban Development and Land Mohammad Jawad Paikar; former Deputy Minister of Industries and Commerce Kamela Siddiqui, former Minister for Transport Hamid Tahmasi and former Afghan Ambassador to Islamabad Shukrullah Atif Mashal,” ACB statement added.

Nabi, after playing three Tests for Afghanistan, retired from the longest format of the game in September last year after the one-off Test against Bangladesh. He has also played 124 ODIs and 78 T20Is.

In the Indian Premier League (IPL), he plays for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH).

Hockey player Surender Kumar readmitted to hospital due to VT

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Hockey player Surender Kumar readmitted to hospital due to VT

Indian men’s hockey team defender Surender Kumar, who along with five other hockey players had tested positive for COVID-19 earlier this month, has been readmitted to the hospital due to Venous Thrombosis (VT).

Surender along with five other India players — skipper Manpreet Singh, Jaskaran Singh, Varun Kumar, goalkeeper Krishan Bahadur Pathak, and striker Mandeep Singh — were discharged on Monday from SS Sparsh Multispeciality hospital in Bengaluru after recovering from COVID-19.

However, Surender was readmitted to the hospital on Thursday evening after a blood clot was formed in his arm, Sports Authority of India (SAI) said in a statement.

“Due to VT, he has formed a blood clot in the right upper limb and has thus been admitted to hospital for the period of two to three days during which treatment and medication would be given for recovery from VT,” SAI said.

“SAI officials had a conference call with the treating doctor who has informed that the condition of Surender Kumar is stable and there is no cause for concern at present,” it added.

The other five players, who had also tested positive for COVID-19 and are currently in quarantine, have been advised not to take up strenuous activities while in recovery.

VT is seen in several cases of COVID-19 as complications while they are in the recovery phase. The possibility of VT will increase with an increase in strenuous physical exercise during the recovery period.

The remaining players of the Indian hockey teams, both men and women, have resumed sporting activities from Wednesday.

Google testing new licensing tools with news publishers

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Google testing new licensing tools with news publishers

Google that recently announced a new licensing programme to pay publishers for high-quality content is currently working closely with 10 different news outlets from Germany and Brazil on an early access programme.

In late June, the tech giant launched a licensing programme to pay for quality content from publishers for an upcoming news experience.

Google said before it expands licensing to more publishers in more countries, it is currently working alongside its publisher partners in select countries.

“Publishers taking part in this early access program include international brands as well as local household staples. These partners are helping us test features and gather feedback ahead of a full launch later this year,” Brad Bender, VP Product Management, News, said in a statement on Thursday.

Participating publishers are testing publisher tools, evaluating technical integrations, and ensuring different templates enhance the ways they bring stories to their readers.

“We’re also discussing paywall integrations, where Google would pay for free access to allow readers to read articles on a publisher’s site. This will help paywalled publishers grow their audience and deepen their relationship with readers,” Bender said.

Google said it is sending users to news sites 24 billion times every month, providing an opportunity for publishers to grow their audiences and show Google users ads or offers for subscriptions.

The new licensing programme will help participating publishers monetize their content through an enhanced storytelling experience that lets people go deeper into more complex stories, stay informed, and be exposed to a world of different issues and interests.

To date, the Google News Initiative (GNI) has provided $39.5 million in funding to more than 5,600 publishers in 115 countries who are facing financial hardship as a result of the economic and advertising downturn in the pandemic.

It has also launched a free training program for small-to-medium sized news publishers that would be available first in Europe and will roll out to more regions in the coming months.

US FDA halts approval for plasma therapy to treat Covid: Report

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US FDA halts approval for plasma therapy to treat Covid: Report

Blood plasma therapy that is being touted as the final resort to treat Covid-19 has not convinced the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as it has put the emergency use authorization for blood plasma to treat the deadly respiratory disease on hold, the media reported.

According to a report in The New York Times on Thursday, the FDA approval for plasma therapy is on hold and “more data is under review and the approval could still be issued in the near future, according to H. Clifford Lane, the clinical director at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases”.

According to the report, senior federal health officials said data supporting the plasma therapy was too weak.

Plasma donated by people who’ve survived Covid-19 has high levels of antibodies and is considered safe.

The proposed emergency approval was based on the history of plasma’s use in treating other diseases, animal research, and a number of plasma studies, “including a federal government-financed Mayo Clinic research that’s tested plasma in more than 66,000 COVID-19 patients and is the largest such study in the US”.

However, top health officials including Dr. Anthony Fauci, the government’s top infectious disease expert have cautioned that available data wasn’t strong enough to support emergency approval.
The US FDA was yet to comment on the report.

Plasma is the pale liquid that remains after red and white cells are removed from the blood.

The convalescent plasma therapy has gained much traction in several countries including in India, where several lives have been saved with the therapy.

In an ongoing study of more than 300 Covid-19 patients treated with convalescent plasma therapy in the US, researchers suggest that the treatment is safe and effective.

The study, published in the American Journal of Pathology, tracked 350 severely ill Covid-19 patients admitted to the Houston Methodist’s system of eight hospitals from March 28 through July 6.

“Our studies to date show the treatment is safe and, in a promising number of patients, effective,” said study author James M Musser from the Houston Methodist in the US.

“While convalescent plasma therapy remains experimental and we have more research to do and data to collect, we now have more evidence than ever that this century-old plasma therapy has merit, is safe and can help reduce the death rate from this virus,” Musser added.

Top news publishers join fight against ‘Apple tax’

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Top news publishers join fight against ‘Apple tax’

Top media trade body Digital Content Next that includes newspapers like The New York Times and The Washington Post has joined the fight against Apple for its unfair and allegedly anti-competitive App Store policies.

News publishers have joined the companies and app developers like Fortnite game owner Epic Games that has filed a lawsuit against Apple, alleging that the tech giant is threatening to terminate its developer account by August 28 which would cut the company off from iOS and macOS development tools.

The letter, first spotted by The Wall Street Journal, asks Apple CEO Tim Cook what would be necessary to negotiate a deal similar to the one it granted Amazon in 2016 for its Prime video app.

“We would like to know what conditions our members — high-quality digital content companies — would need to meet in order to qualify for the arrangement Amazon is receiving for its Amazon Prime Video app in the Apple App Store,” read the letter by Jason Kint, CEO of Digital Content Next that includes newspapers and several magazines, broadcasters and websites.

The deal “granted Amazon a more generous 85-15 percent revenue share with Apple for in-app subscriptions of Prime Video,” reports The Verge.

Apple generally charges a 30 percent cut of all in-app purchases. The “Apple tax,” as it’s called, is also the focus of a European Union antitrust investigation.

“Nearly all of DCN’s members offer apps in the Apple App Store and, as noted above, many offer subscription-based access to a wide variety of content. The terms of Apple’s unique marketplace greatly impact the ability to continue to invest in high-quality, trusted news and entertainment particularly in competition with other larger firms,” the letter further read.

According to Epic Games, Apple has sent the notice about the account termination after the antitrust feud between the two companies exploded.

“Apple removed Fortnite from the App Store and has informed Epic that on Friday, August 28 Apple will terminate all our developer accounts and cut Epic off from iOS and Mac development tools. We are asking the court to stop this retaliation,” the company tweeted earlier this week.

According to Apple, Epic Games has grown into a multi-billion dollar business that reached millions of iOS customers around the world.

“Upon further review of the activity associated with your Apple Developer Program membership, we have identified several violations of the Apple Developer Program License Agreement. Therefore, your Apple Developer Program account will be terminated if the violations set forth below are not cured within 14 days,” Apple said in a letter to Epic, which is also included in the court filing.

Kamala Harris creates buzz on social media with ‘chithi’ reference

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Kamala Harris creates buzz on social media with ‘chithi’ reference

Democratic Vice Presidential candidate Kamala Harris’ speech at the party’s National Convention has created a buzz on social media, mainly among the Indian-American and Tamilian community as she used the word ‘chithi’ which means aunty in Tamil while stressing on the importance of a family.

Harris made the remark on Wednesday night during her Vice Presidential acceptance speech, while she spoke about the importance of family support in shaping an individual.

“She raised us to be proud, strong Black women. And she raised us to know and be proud of our Indian heritage. She taught us to put family first. The family you are born into and the family you choose,” Harris said while talking about her mother Shyamala Gopalan Harris.

“Family is my uncles, my aunts, and my chithis,” she said while explaining what family meant to her.

“That I am here tonight is a testament to the dedication of generations before me,” said Harris, who made history by becoming the first Black and South Asian woman to be nominated to any important party’s presidential ticket.

Her speech soon went viral on social media, taking the Indian netizens by surprise. Many people also referred to Google to find the meaning of “chithi”.

Let’s have a look at some of the reactions of netizens.

“I literally have tears in my eyes. @KamalaHarris just said ‘chithis’ which means auntie. My heart is so full right now,” said Chennai-born American author and model Padma Lakshmi.

“Millions of Americans are googling ‘chithi,’ so next time someone @ me that Kamala Harris isn’t proud of her Indian heritage,” a twitterati posted.

Another said: “Kamala Harris used chithi in her DNCC speech, Tamilians RISE UP!!!!!!”

“Brb crying when @KamalaHarris just said ‘Chithi’,” wrote another user.

Global Covid-19 cases top 22.5mn: Johns Hopkins

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Global Covid-19 cases top 22.5mn: Johns Hopkins

The overall number of global coronavirus cases has topped 22.5 million, while the deaths have increased to over 792,000, according to the Johns Hopkins University.

As of Friday morning, the total number of cases stood at 22,593,363 and the fatalities rose to 792,396, the University’s Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) revealed in its latest update.

The US accounted for the world’s highest number of cases and deaths at 5,573,501 and 173,114, respectively, according to the CSSE.

Brazil came in second place with 3,501,975 infections and 112,304 deaths.

In terms of cases, India ranks third (2,836,925), and is followed by Russia (939,833), South Africa (599,940), Peru (558,420), Mexico (543,806), Colombia (502,178), Chile (391,849), Spain (377,906), Iran (352,558), the UK (324,196), Argentina (320,884), Saudi Arabia (303,973), Pakistan (290,958), Bangladesh (287,959), France (256,534), Italy (256,118), Turkey (254,520), Germany (231,292), Iraq (192,797), Philippines (178,022), Indonesia (147,211), Canada (125,625), Qatar (116,224), Ecuador (105,508), Bolivia (105,050), Kazakhstan (103,815) and Ukraine (100,810), the CSSE figures showed.

The other countries with over 10,000 deaths are the Mexico (59,106), India (53,866), UK (41,489), Italy (35,418), France (30,434), Spain (28,797), Peru (26,834), Iran (20,264), Russia (16,058), Colombia (15,979), South Africa (12,618) and Chile (10,671).

Most Japanese companies want Olympics cancelled or postponed again: Survey

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Most Japanese companies want Olympics cancelled or postponed again: Survey

A recent poll shows that more than half of Japanese companies want the Tokyo Olympic Games to be canceled or postponed again.

Japan’s Kyodo news agency said on Thursday that in the online survey by Tokyo Shoko Research covering 12,857 companies, 27.8 percent want the Tokyo Games to be canceled while 25.8 percent said the sporting event should be postponed again.

That means a combined 53.6 percent of the responding firms are against holding the games from July 23 to August 8, 2021, writes Xinhua news agency.

The survey, which was conducted between July 28 and August 11, shows that 46.2 percent want the games to go ahead in some way — 22.5 percent are in favor of holding the Olympics as planned, 18.4 percent want it to be held but with fewer spectators and 5.3 percent without any spectators.

Japan is suffering a second wave of COVID-19 infections, with new confirmed cases increased by 1178 in the country and 339 in Tokyo.

Tokyo Governor Koike Yuriko is urging residents to take thorough precautions in every aspect of daily life.

Tokyo 2020 organizing committee president Yoshiro Mori has said that the delayed Tokyo Olympics, originally scheduled from July 24 to August 9 this year, could not be held next year if COVID-19 pandemic continues as it is. He also said that the games will have to be canceled if it could not be held next year.

The organizers will start discussing concrete countermeasures against COVID-19 this autumn onwards with the Japanese government and Tokyo Metropolitan government.

Colombia approves football restart post COVID-19 hiatus

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Colombia approves football restart post COVID-19 hiatus

Colombia’s professional football competitions have been authorized to restart after more than five months of inactivity because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Health Minister Fernando Ruiz confirmed the decision in a tweet late Thursday, without specifying a date for the return of the national men’s and women’s leagues, reports Xinhua news agency.

“I have just signed the administrative act that authorizes the start of … training and football competition with the signatures of the interior and sports ministers,” Ruiz said.

Clubs have been allowed to train in small groups under strict biosafety protocols since July but officials have until now been loath to discuss the restart of competitions amid surging COVID-19 cases.

Colombia has the world’s eighth-highest number of coronavirus infections, with more than 513,000 confirmed cases. Over 16,000 people have died from the virus in the country, according to health ministry figures.

Biden accepts Democratic Party’s presidential nomination

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Biden accepts Democratic Party’s presidential nomination

Former US Vice President Joe Biden has formally accepted the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination to take on incumbent President Donald Trump in the November 3 election.

His acceptance came during a speech on the last day of the Democratic National Convention on Thursday, which also marked 33 years since he made his first bid for the White House, reports ABC News.

“It’s with great honor and humility, I accept this nomination for president of the United States of America,” he said.

Kailash Kher: Rs 72 lakh could educate children instead of buying fake followers

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Kailash Kher: Rs 72 lakh could educate children instead of buying fake followers

Rapper Badshah drew widespread criticism after it emerged that he spent Rs 72 lakh to buy 75 million fake views on social media for his recent song, Paagal. Singer Kailash Kher feels a true artiste would rather have used such a big amount for a cause like educating underprivileged children.

“We are living in a society where such disparity exists. On the one hand, people have money to buy fake popularity while on the other hand there are children on the road, without food and education. Any artiste with real knowledge would have used the popularity, money, and celebrity status for the betterment of society. The 72 lakh rupees could have been used for the education of underprivileged children,” Kher told IANS.

“I, too, get suggestions from the so-called business-minded people to market myself and engage in paid PR. For me, when I go to live shows and I see how people sing along with me, is bigger than anything else. We all know how a section of musicians is constantly selling music with ugly, double meaning lyrics and videos. They are popular among the youth. Unfortunately, they are influencing the youth in the wrong direction,” added the singer, who recently recorded a new version of “Vande Mataram”.

Kher recalled recording the song with a hundred artistes. “It is our way to contribute to the idea of Atmanirbhar Bharat. Until a few years ago, speaking in Hindi was considered ‘un-cool’ for the youth of the nation, because we were losing the vision of India. Now that we have a great visionary, we artistes gathered and recreated ‘Vande Mataram”, composed by Aashish Rego. Hopefully, we will bring our youth back to the roots, back in the right direction,” he concluded.

Luminaries India’s entertainment world lost during lockdown

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Luminaries India’s entertainment world lost during lockdown

From COVID-induced pandemic to natural calamities to the severe economic crunch, 2020 has been the worst year of this century so far. The year seems to be jinxed for the entertainment industry, too.

Closure of cinemas has affected business. More importantly, the year has already seen the demise of many luminaries in quick succession, much to the shock and sorrow of fans.

Here are a few Indian celebrities we have lost amid the COVID lockdown:

NISHIKANT KAMAT, August 17

The filmmaker passed away in a Hyderabad hospital. He was 50 and battling liver cirrhosis for the past two years. Kamat was known for directing Bollywood films like the Ajay Devgn-Tabu starrer “Drishyam”, Irrfan Khan-starrer “Madaari” and the John Abraham films “Force” and “Rocky Handsome” among others. His Marathi films, “Dombivali Fast” and “Lai Bhaari” won critical and commercial success cutting language barriers. Beyond direction, Kamat also acted in several films including “Rocky Handsome”, “Bhavesh Joshi” and Julie 2″ and the Marathi film “Fugay”.

PANDIT JASRAJ, August 17

Legendary classical vocalist and Padma Vibhushan recipient Pandit Jasraj passed away in the US at the age of 90. The news about his death was confirmed by his daughter Durga Jasraj. Born in 1930 in Haryana, the celebrated classical singer presented the Mewati Gharana to the global music connoisseur. With a career spanning 80 years, Pandit Jasraj’s oeuvre ranged from the world stage to Indian film music.

JAGDEEP, July 8

Best known for his role of Soorma Bhopali in Ramesh Sippy’s blockbuster “Sholay”, veteran Bollywood comedian Jagdeep passed away owing to age-related health problems at 81.

Jagdeep started his career as a child artiste in BR Chopra’s 1951 release, “Afsana”, starring Ashok Kumar, Veena, and Pran. Later, he made a mark with roles in films such as “Bhabhi” and “Barkha”. His golden run began with GP Sippy’s 1968 film “Brahmachari”, starring Shammi Kapoor. His comic role in the film was widely appreciated. His last-released film is “Masti Nahi Sasti” in 2017.

SAROJ KHAN, July 3

The veteran Bollywood choreographer passed away following a massive heart attack at the age of 71. Khan was fondly called Masterji in Bollywood, and she had choreographed over 2000 songs spanning over three and a half decades. Her most famous collaborations were with Madhuri Dixit (“Dhak karne laga”) and Sridevi (“Hawa Hawai”) among many other hits. Her recent work includes “Tabaah ho Gaye” from the 2019 film “Kalank”, picturized on Madhuri.

SUSHANT SINGH RAJPUT, June 14

The most controversial Indian celebrity death in years, the reason for Sushant’s demise is yet to be ascertained. What is known so far is that the 34-year-old actor was found dead at his residence in Mumbai. Initial reports stated it was a suicide, and that his body was found hanging, but these theories have now been questioned. While Mumbai Police had concluded the case to be a suicide, a CBI probe has been ordered into the death on Wednesday by the Supreme Court.

The case has taken several turns already. While initially it was thought Sushant took his life owing to depression because he was a victim of Bollywood nepotism, fingers have subsequently been pointed at his girlfriend, actress Rhea Chakraborty, her family, and her associates. A political angle in death is also not being ruled out.

Sushant rose to fame as Manav Deshmukh in the TV series, “Pavitra Rishta”. In 2013, he made a transition to the big screen with “Kai Po Che!” and was then seen in a string of films such as “Shuddh Desi Romance”, “M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story”, “Detective Byomkesh Bakshy!”, “Drive”, “Kedarnath”, “Chhichhore” and “Dil Bechara”.

BASU CHATTERJEE, June 4

The legendary filmmaker passed away at 93 owing to age-related ailments. Chatterjee is considered among the pioneers of middle-of-the-road cinema from the seventies to the nineties. He is among the filmmakers who made the common man a hero of Hindi commercial cinema, shedding his larger-than-life aura.

The nonagenarian is best known for films like “Rajnigandha”, “Chitchor”, “Khatta Meetha”, “Priyatama”, “Shaukeen” and “Chameli Ki Shaadi”. His last directorial was the 1997 film, “Gudgudee”.

WAJID KHAN, June 1

Bollywood composer-singer Wajid Khan of the popular sibling composer duo Sajid-Wajid passed away on June 1. On June 5, his family informed that Wajid had died due to cardiac arrest.

Sajid-Wajid, best known for their songs in the “Dabangg” films, recently composed a couple of songs for Bollywood superstar Salman Khan during the ongoing lockdown. The first, “Pyaar karuna” was a pop anthem encouraging all to fight the coronavirus. The song released in April was sung by Salman and also featured the actor in the video. The other song, “Bhai Bhai” released on Eid.

RISHI KAPOOR, April 30

In 2018, the veteran actor was diagnosed with cancer for the first time, following which he was in New York for nearly a year to undergo treatment. He returned to India in September 2019.

Post return to India, his health has frequently been in focus. The actor was admitted to the hospital in quick succession in February. Amid speculations about his health, he had been hospitalized in New Delhi in early February, while on a visit to the city.

Rishi Kapoor shot to fame playing a teen icon in his debut film “Bobby” and went on to carve his niche as a romantic icon in numerous hits of the seventies, eighties, and the nineties. Over the past decade, he also impressed with negative roles in “Agneepath” and “D-Day”.

IRRFAN KHAN, April 29

Acclaimed actor Irrfan Khan passed away a day before Rishi Kapoor. Irrfan was admitted to Mumbai’s Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani hospital with a colon infection. He was only 54. The actor had been battling neuroendocrine tumor for several years and had been under medical attention.

Irrfan carved an alternative route to success, defying traditional mainstream diktats in Bollywood. He was equally at ease in commercial entertainers as “Hindi Medium”, “Angrezi Medium” and “Life In A Metro”, as he did with more profound fare as “Maqbool”, “Paan Singh Tomar” and “Qissa”.

NIMMI, March 25

Yesteryears actress Nimmi passed away at her residence in the city in March. She was 88. Lately, Nimmi was suffering from breathing problems and had been in and out of the hospital.

Nimmi, whose name was Nawab Banoo, made her Bollywood debut in Raj Kapoor’s 1949 release, “Barsaat”, which was the Showman’s first major hit. The film co-starred Nargis. Through the fifties and the sixties, the actress worked in films with most top actors, notably the Bollywood Triumvirate of the era — Raj Kapoor, Dilip Kumar, and Dev Anand. One of her earliest releases was Fali Mistry’s “Sazaa” starring Dev Anand in 1951. The same year, she worked with Dilip Kumar and Ashok Kumar in Nitin Bose’s “Deedar”.

She would go on to work with Dilip Kumar again in films like Mehboob Khan’s ambitious “Aan” and Amiya Chakravarty’s “Daag” the next year. By the time she reunited with Dev Anand in Chetan Anand’s 1952 release “Aandhiyan”, Nimmi was already a popular Bollywood name. Her other notable films include “Uran Khatola”, with Dilip Kumar, the Ashok Kumar-Kishore Kumar starrer “Bhai-Bhai”, Sohrab Modi’s “Kundan”, and the Rajendra Kumar-starrer “Mere Mehboob”. Among her memorable works also are Mehboob Khan’s “Amar” starring Dilip Kumar and Madhubala, and Raja Nawathe’s “Basant Bahar” co-starring Bharat Bhushan.

Nimmi’s last release was K. Asif’s much-delayed “Love And God”, a retelling of the Laila-Majnu story. Asif started the project in 1963, and the film released long after his death in 1986, after several changes in the cast and crew. The released film had Sanjeev Kumar and Nimmi in the lead roles.

Bollywood fans also lost yesteryears’ actress Kum Kum, TV actor Sachin Kumar, actor Mohit Baghel, filmmakers Rajat Mukerjee and Harish Shah, and lyricists Rahat Indori, Yogesh and Anwar Sagar this year.

B’desh blogger murder: Chargesheet filed against 9 militants

TB Team
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B’desh blogger murder: Chargesheet filed against 9 militants

The Counter-Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit of Dhaka Metropolitan Police has filed a charge sheet against 9 militants of banned outfit Ansar-al-Islam including Syed Ziaul Haque, a sacked army officer, chief of Ansar al-Islam’s military wing in a case related to the killing of a secular online activist and blogger Nazimuddin Samad.

Samad, an activist and law student at Jagannath University, was killed on April 6, 2016, at Ekrampur intersection in Laxmibazar here while he was on his way back to the hostel after class.

Five militants had hacked Nazim to death with choppers, they confessed before the court, police told IANS.

After killing him, the militants fled on two motorcycles. A case was filed at Sutrapur police station over the incident.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Deputy Commissioner (DC) of CTTC Saiful Islam confirmed the information to IANS on Thursday evening.

Ansar al-Islam, a banned Militant outfit, and pro-Al-Qaeda militant group has killed nine people in Bangladesh, including science-fiction writer and philosopher Abhijit Roy, Ahmed Rashid Tutul, the publisher and childhood friend of Avijit, owner of a publishing company ‘Shuddhaswar’.

On April 25, 2016, the militants of the banned group also killed USAID official and rights activist Julhaj Mannan, and his friend Mahbub Rabbi Tony.

“We submitted the charge sheet in the case before a Dhaka court on Tuesday,” Saiful Islam told IANS on Thursday.

The fugitives are Rashid Un Nabi, Mozammel Hossain Simon, Arafat Rahman, and Md. Sheikh Abdullah among them, Mozammel Hossain Simon and Arafat Rahman are also accused in the murder of Abhijit Roy.

The five fugitives are Syed Mohammad Ziaul Haque alias Major Zia (sacked), Md. Wali Ullah alias Oli, Sabbirul Haque Chowdhury alias Konik, Maulana Junaid Ahmed alias Junaid and Akram Hossain.

Of the accused, four members of the banned outfit have so far been arrested, while five others including sacked army officer Zia are on the run, according to the charge sheet.

The four arrested accused are — Rashidun Nabi Bhuiyan, Mozammel Hossain Saimin, Arafat Rahman, and Sheikh Abdullah.

9 trapped in Telangana power station fire mishap

TB Team
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9 trapped in Telangana power station fire mishap

Rescue efforts are on to rescue nine persons trapped in a fire mishap at TS Genco’s hydel power station at Srisailam left bank canal in Nagarkurnool district of Telangana.

The incident is reported to have taken place late on Thursday. Initial reports indicate that a short circuit led to the fire and thick smoke engulfing the spot.

Of the 17 persons reported to be present at the spot, 8 persons escaped to safety through a tunnel. Those trapped include six TS Genco employees and three private company employees.

Firefighters were rushed to the spot and trying to rescue the trapped including a deputy engineer and assistant engineers. Officials said thick smoke is hampering rescue operations.

Telangana minister Jagadish Reddy and TS Genco CMD Prabhakar Rao reached the spot and are overseeing rescue efforts.

Reddy said that the mishap occurred in the first unit of the power station and four panels were damaged. He said that rescue personnel was unable to enter the tunnel due to thick smoke.

Rescue personnel is being brought in from the Singareni collieries to support the rescue operations.

Power generation operations at the power station have been suspended following the incident.

The Srisailam dam is located across the Krishna river which serves as the border between Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.

Chandrayaan-2 completes a year of orbiting the moon

TB Team
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Chandrayaan-2 completes a year of orbiting the moon

It is one year since India’s second moon spacecraft Chandrayaan-2 was inserted into the lunar orbit, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said on Thursday.

The Indian space agency said Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft/orbiter was launched on July 22, 2019, and inserted into lunar orbit on August 20, 2019.

Though the soft-landing attempt of the lander Vikram was not successful, the orbiter, which was equipped with eight scientific instruments, was successfully placed in lunar orbit.

The orbiter completed more than 4,400 orbits around the moon and all the instruments are currently performing well, the ISRO said.

The spacecraft is healthy and the performance of subsystems is normal. The orbiter is being maintained in 100 +/- 25 km polar orbit with periodic orbit maintenance (OM) maneuvers.

So far, 17 OMs have been carried out since achieving a 100 km lunar orbit on September 24, 2019.

There is adequate onboard fuel to remain operational for about seven years, ISRO said.

The Indian space agency said the first moon mission Chandrayaan-1 established the extensive presence of surface water and the indication for subsurface polar water-ice deposits, arguing for more focused studies on the extent of water on the surface, below the surface and in the tenuous lunar exosphere, to address the true origin and availability of water on the moon.

10 Interesting Facts About Sai Pallavi One Does Not Know!

Team TeluguBullet
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10 Interesting Facts About Sai Pallavi One Does Not Know!

Sai Pallavi attained fame as an actress at a very early age. Sai Pallavi facts about her life are very interesting. Sai Pallavi age is not much but she has achieved a lot.

Sai Pallavi happens to be one of the most natural and talented actresses of recent times. She is popular for her simplicity and brilliant screen presence. She has in fact recently finished medicine in Georgia and is also an actress, dancer as well as a doctor. What is it that has made her so popular with her fans and also very charming? Millions of fans across South India simply adore her and her performances as an actress. Sai Pallavi father meant a lot to her.

Here are some interesting Sai Pallavi facts about the popular actress that a person may not have known:

• It is worth knowing that one got to see the actress in stunning performance in a dance sequence in Premam. She has actually never been trained in any form of dance and in an interview she has in fact watched Aishwarya Rai and Madhuri Dixit’s videos to learn how to dance.

• She in fact used to love celebrating Onam during her school days and thought she is not from Kerala. She used to love decorating her residence with a rangoli with flowers (Pookolam) during her favorite festival.

• Sai hs learnt dance on her own as well. She is partially self- taught. She watched dance performances and learnt from them

• Were you stunned when you saw her breaking into a dance sequence in Premam? She has actually never been trained in any form of dance and in an interview she said she used to watch Aishwarya Rai and Madhuri Dixit’s videos to learn how to dance.

• She wants to be a cardiologist and she is trained for it. She studied late and has the required schooling for it.

• She was initially quite insecure about her looks but others assured hr about being attractive.

• Sai Pallavi age is around 26 and she has attained much fame by such a tender age.

• Her film career began in 2005.

• She used to love celebrating Onam during her school days thought she’s not from Kerala. She used to practice making a rangoli with flowers (Pookolam) during her favorite festival.

• Prior to her fame with Premam, she did make headlines with a rocking performance in a reality show ‘Dhee 4’

Reports do highlight that when Alphonse approached her for Premam, she thought he was a stalker!

When she heard the song Malare which later of course became a popular song, she did not know it was meant to highlight her. When she came to know about it she was thrilled with joy She said her co-star Nivin Pauly did help her with her expressions for this song.

• When she travelled to the Middle East, she rather shocked that she had fans there and was surrounded by them at the Doha airport!

Sai Pallavi is well known in Telugu film industry. Sai Pallavi age is not much but has attiane much fame. She in fact may go beyond her film career as she is well qualified and might to like to pursue her medical profession. No doubt she has had a good time in the film industry even if she decides to leave it due to lack of sufficient time. In truth there’s nothing to really say that she will not continue to act and dance as much as she wants to but given her chosen field in medicine which he wants to pursue she may not have the required time for other passions.

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