Global Covid-19 caseload tops 249 mn

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Global Covid-19 caseload tops 249 mn

The global coronavirus caseload has topped 249 million, while the deaths have surged to more than 5.03 million and vaccinations soared to over 7.18 billion, according to the Johns Hopkins University.

In its latest update on Saturday morning, the University’s Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) revealed that the current global caseload, death toll and the total number number of vaccine doses administered stood at 249,087,384, 5,037,731 and 7,189,437,027, respectively.

The US continues to be the worst-hit country with the world’s highest number of cases and deaths at 46,435,555 and 753,900, according to the CSSE.

In terms of infections, India follows in the second place with 34,333,754 cases and Brazil third with 21,862,458 infections.

The other worst countries with over 3 million cases are the UK (9,286,618), Russia (8,573,323), Turkey (8,178,871), France (7,301,303), Iran (5,973,457), Argentina (5,295,260), Spain (5,025,639), Colombia (5,010,982), Italy (4,795,465), Germany (4,733,730), Indonesia (4,247,320), Mexico (3,818,216), Ukraine (3,174,223) and Poland (3,076,518), the CSSE figures showed.

Nations with a death toll of over 100,000 are Brazil (609,060), India (459,873), Mexico (289,131), Russia (239,943), Peru (200,350), Indonesia (143,519), the UK (142,019), Italy (132,334), Colombia (127,456), Iran (127,053), France (118,830) and Argentina (116,083).

Award-winning Mohanlal movie set for OTT release after talks with theatres fail

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Award-winning Mohanlal movie set for OTT release after talks with theatres fail

The 2020 National Award-winning Malayalam movie, “Marakkar: Arabikadalinte Simham (Marakkar: Lion of the Arabian Sea)”, starring superstar Mohanlal and directed by the much-acclaimed Priyadarshan, will be released on an OTT platform. This was announced by the movie’s producer, Antony Perumbavur, here on Friday.

The Kerala Film Chamber and Producers Association had been conducting a series of discussions with the producer for a theatrical release of the movie. The discussions, however, did not result in any forward movement.

Speaking to media persons, Perumbavur said, “I have tried my best and conducted several rounds of negotiations. Nothing has resulted from them and I have no choice other than to release the movie on an OTT platform.” The film bagged three National Awards for 2020 — Best Feature Film, Best Special Effects and Best Costume.

The movie, it is reliably learnt, will premiere on Prime Video around Christmas. Perumbavur added that Mohanlal’s five upcoming movies produced by him will also be released on OTT platforms.

The Film Exhibitors United Organisation of Kerala (FEUOK) office-bearers, however, had a different version to offer. FEOUK President Anchal Vijayakumar said: “We had guaranteed 500 screens and Rs 15 crore as the minimum guarantee. When the producer still backs out, it means he has entered into some sort of a deal with certain OTT platforms.”

Perumbavur countered this version of the story by pointing out that only 89 theatres had agreed to the demands put forth by him. He also denied that he had taken Rs 40 crore as advance from theatre owners.

The Rs 100 crore movie, the most expensive Malayalam film ever produced, features Mohanlal in the title role and its star cast includes Suniel Shetty, Arjun Serja, Manju Warrier, Keerthi Suresh, Kalyani Priyadarshan, Pranav Mohanlal, Innocent, Siddik, the late Nedumudi Venu, and several other prominent names of the South Indian film industry.

The historical film is set in the 16th century and recounts the adventures of Kunjali Marakkar IV, naval commander of the then ruler of Kozhikode (Calicut), known to the world as the Zamorin. Marakkar and his men defended the Malabar coast against Portuguese forces who had followed in the wake of Vasco Da Gama.

Shooting for the film started in December 2018 and was completed in March 2019. It was mostly shot in the Ramoji Film Studios, Hyderabad.

T20 World Cup: New Zealand thrash Namibia by 52 runs, inch closer to semis

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T20 World Cup: New Zealand thrash Namibia by 52 runs, inch closer to semis

New Zealand consolidated their spot in the semi-final race after thrashing Namibia by 52 runs in a Super 12 match of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium, here on Friday.

With this win, New Zealand climbed to the second spot in the Group 2 points table of the mega-event.

Riding on late fireworks from Glenn Phillips (39 off 21) and James Neesham (35 off 23), New Zealand posted 163-4 in 20 overs.

Apart from Phillips and Neesham, skipper Kane Williamson also played a vital knock (28 off 25) and provided stability to the New Zealand innings.

In reply, Namibia kept losing wickets at regular intervals and could only score 111/7 in 20 overs, losing by huge margin.

Brief scores:

New Zealand 163-4 in 20 overs (Glenn Phillips 39, James Neesham 35; Bernard Scholtz 3/15) beat Namibia 111/7 in 20 overs ( Michael 25, Zane Green 23 ; Tim Southee 2/15)

Alia Bhatt and Ranbir Kapoor make their relationship official

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Alia Bhatt and Ranbir Kapoor make their relationship official

While the world was absorbed in the festivities and lights of Diwali, Ali Bhatt and Ranbir Kapoor gave their fans a spellbinding surprise as they went official with their relationship.

The two earlier have been rumoured to be dating with Alia also being a part of many gatherings of the Kapoor family but, it has either been under the wraps or hasn’t been stated explicitly. But, Alia’s post on Diwali put all rumours to rest.

The actress took to her Instagram as she shared a few pictures on the occasion of Diwali. She captioned the first set of pictures as, “Some light…Happy Diwali”.

However, it was the next picture that the fans left pleasantly surprised. The actress put up a picture of herself hugging Ranbir with both of them smiling ear-to-ear. Taking the thread from her last caption, she wrote, “& some love .. Happy Diwali”.

Both Ranbir and Alia chose to don the shades of blue on the festive occasion. Many film personalities like Jacqueline Fernandez, Zoya Akhtar and Anaita Shroff Adajania put up love reactions under the couple’s picture.

With the actors going official about their relationship, it won’t be too long before the wedding bells start ringing for them.

Alexa allows to move music among Echo devices with your voice

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Alexa allows to move music among Echo devices with your voice

Amazon’s Alexa is adding the ability to move your music between different Echo devices using your voice.

If you want to do so between different speakers in your home, say “Alexa, pause” to the one currently playing music, and then say “Alexa, resume music here” to the device where you want to move your tunes to, Engadget reported.

The feature also works with Echo Buds and Echo Auto, allowing you to take your music on the go.

If you are a football fan with an Echo Show, another new feature allows you to ask Alexa to play the Two-Minute drill, an NFL pregame show that will offer expert analysis on the next match your favourite team is about to play.

Amazon will release new episodes two days before a game.

The company has also pushes a slate of other updates to its Alexa-enabled devices.

Fire TV device owners now have access to TikTok. You can say “Alexa, play TikTok” to open the app.

Lastly, Amazon has added a new automotive hub within the Alexa app that will detail how you can use the digital assistant in your car.

Available in the US, the interface allows you to see if your car can work with Alexa. Additionally, it will point you to automotive skills. All told, they are minor additions individually but should make Alexa more helpful to those who use the digital assistant every day.

T20 World Cup: India win toss, elect to bowl first against Scotland

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T20 World Cup: India win toss, elect to bowl first against Scotland

India captain Virat Kohli won the toss and elected to bowl first against Scotland in a Group 2 match of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup at the Dubai International Stadium here on Friday.

Kohli won his first toss of the tournament on his birthday. He said that Varun Chakravarthy replaces Shardul Thakur in the playing eleven. “Dew is going to be a big factor. Try and restrict them and chase it down. Winning my first toss on my birthday, probably we should have played the first game on my birthday (smiles). The intensity from ball one is important. For us, it’s just about keeping that intensity on for 20 overs. That’s something we expect from people.”

Scotland skipper Kyle Coetzer said his playing eleven was unchanged from their 16-run loss to New Zealand. “Looks a good deck. First of all great occasion for Scottish cricket and the associates. We want to go and enjoy the day.”

Playing XIs:

India:

Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli (c), Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, Varun Chakravarthy, Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah.

Scotland:

George Munsey, Kyle Coetzer (c), Matthew Cross (wk), Richie Berrington, Calum MacLeod, Michael Leask, Chris Greaves, Mark Watt, Safyaan Sharif, Alasdair Evans and Bradley Wheal

Himachal also reduces VAT on petrol, diesel

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Himachal also reduces VAT on petrol, diesel

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on Friday said the state has decided to further reduce VAT on petrol and diesel.

He said petrol would be cheaper by Rs 12 per litre and diesel would be cheaper by Rs 17 per litre in the state.

Thakur thanked the Union government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for reducing the excise duty on petrol by Rs 5 per litre and on diesel by Rs 10 per litre.

Suriya: Puneeth’s smile will be eternal in our hearts

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Suriya: Puneeth’s smile will be eternal in our hearts

Tamil star Suriya paid his respects at the ‘samadhi’ of late Kannada actor Puneeth Rajkumar in Bengaluru on Friday, and said that Puneeth’s smile will be “eternal” in his heart.

‘Jai Bhim’ star Suriya who came down to the city to pay respects to the Kannada star, was in tears at his ‘samadhi’ in the premises of Kanteerava Studio where he was laid to rest.

“My mother told me when I was a four-month-old baby, Puneeth was seven months old. We can’t come to terms with his untimely demise. His father Dr Rajkumar was a model for all of us. I don’t know what to tell Kannadigas. May God give them strength and may his soul rest in peace,” Suriya said.

Suriya also visited his residence and spoke to Puneeth’s family members.

Kannada star Puneeth Rajkumar passed away on October 29 due to cardiac arrest.

Telugu actor Rajendra Prasad paid visit to Puneeth’s residence and consoled Puneeth’s wife Ashwini. “Puneeth was like my younger brother. We all are shocked in Hyderabad with the untimely death of Puneeth. He was a great human being,” he stated.

The fact that more than 20 lakh people came to pay their homage itself testified to his popularity. “I met him at Kanteerava Studio last and he had invited me by giving a wedding invitation of his brother’s son,” he stated.

Union Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Rajiv Chandrashekar also paid a visit to Puneeth’s residence and met his family members.

“Puneeth was a son of Karnataka. I have come here to give my condolences to his family. Puneeth had involved himself in programmes of skill development. He gave succour to the helpless in society. His philanthropic activities should continue. We will always be there with his family,” he stated.

Twitter makes it easier to search tweets from specific accounts

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Twitter makes it easier to search tweets from specific accounts

Micro-blogging site Twitter has added a new search button on profile pages that makes it easier to search through tweets from a specific user.

According to The Verge, a social media consultant noted that the button had started appearing for a small number of users last month, but now XDA Developers said that the feature has rolled out widely in the service’s iOS app.

Being able to limit a search to a single user’s tweets is not a new Twitter feature, the report said.

You can achieve the same result by using the format “from:(Twitter handle) (search term)” in the regular Twitter search box.

The new button makes life just a bit easier. It could be helpful if, for example, you want to find an article you vaguely remember someone tweeting about months ago but cannot remember the specifics of.

The new search button is a small example of the flurry of new features Twitter has been adding to its service in recent months.

Just last week the platform rolled out the ability for iOS users globally to Super Follow Twitter accounts, meaning they are now able to pay for access to bonus content from creators on the platform.

TDP seeks protection for its candidates in local body polls

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TDP seeks protection for its candidates in local body polls

Telugu Desam Party (TDP) national president N. Chandrababu Naidu on Friday demanded the State Election Commissioner (SEC) to provide security to its candidates filing nominations for local body polls after a TDP candidate was attacked in Kuppam.

The former chief minister alleged that TDP candidate V. Venkatesh was attacked when he was filing nomination for polls to Kuppam municipality.

In a letter to SEC Neelam Sawhney, Naidu said it came to his notice that the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) goons attacked V. Venkatesh, who is the TDP candidate for the 14th ward in Kuppam municipality.

Kuppam in Chittoor district is the Assembly constituency represented by Chandrababu Naidu.

The TDP chief said YSRCP leader Muniswamy and his henchmen attacked Venkatesh to prevent him from filing nomination.

Naidu told the SEC that over 25 to 30 goondas waylaid and assulted Venkatesh when he approached the nomination centre set up at MFC Junior College in Kuppam. The goons rained blows on Venkatesh and snatched away his nomination papers, tore them and then destroyed them. They also took away his cell phone.

Naidu said the attack was serious and an injured Venkatesh was thrown on the roadside, outside the nomination centre. When some of the followers of Dr Venkatesh tried to intervene, the miscreants tried to attack them. Finally, the attackers fled the scene leaving him in an unconscious state.

The TDP chief attached two photographs of Venkatesh with bleeding injury on his elbow.

Naidu demanded the SEC to provide security to candidates aspiring to contest in the present elections as directed recently by the Election Commission. He urged the poll panel to take immediate action against the culprits and also provide immediate protection to all the candidates intending to file nominations.

He also sought deployment of additional police force to ensure smooth, free and fair conduct of elections.

The SEC on Monday announced elections to local bodies, where polls were not conducted earlier for various reasons, including the death of contesting candidates.

The elections will be conducted for panchayats on November 14, municipalities on November 15 and ZPTC and MPTCs on November 16.

The elections are being held for 69 sarpanches and 533 ward members in 498 Gram Panchayats, 12 municipalities and the Nellore Municipal Corporation.

The municipalities that are going to polls include Akiveedu, Jaggayyapet, Kondapalli, Dachepalli, Gurazala, Darsi, Buchireddypalem, Kuppam, Bethamcherla, Kamalapuram, Rajampet and Penukonda.

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