Mamata dodges query on PK’s comments on BJP

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Mamata dodges query on PK’s comments on BJP

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee refused to respond to a question related to her political strategist Prashant Kishor’s recent comments in which he had said that BJP is going to be at the centre of India’s polity for the next few decades.

“It is better, why don’t you ask this question to him? He is a very efficient man. You can ask him the question. You are putting his question to my mouth,” Banerjee told reporters on Friday when asked to respond to Kishor’s comment.

Banerjee is in Goa, where her party is readying to contest the 2022 state assembly polls.

Kishor, while speaking at an interaction at an art gallery late on Wednesday had also said that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was perhaps wrong to assume that it was only a matter of time before the ruling BJP would be voted out by the country’s voters.

“The BJP is going to be at the centre of Indian polity whether they win, whether they lose like it was for the first 40 years for the Congress. BJP is going nowhere. Once you secure 30 plus per cent votes at all India level you are not going away in a hurry. So do not ever get into this trap that people are getting angry and they will throw away Modi. Maybe they will throw away Modi but BJP is not going anywhere, you have to fight it out for next many decades,” Kishor had said.

“That is where the problem lies with Rahul Gandhi probably, he thinks that it is just a matter of time when people will throw him away. That’s not happening… Unless you examine, understand and take cognizance of his (Modi’s) strength, you will never be able to put a counter to defeat him. The problem, I see, is most people are not spending enough time to understand his strengths, to understand what is making him popular. Only if you know then you can find a counter,” he had also said.

NASA’s Juno probe finds depth of Jupiter’s Great Red Spot

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NASA’s Juno probe finds depth of Jupiter’s Great Red Spot

NASA’s Juno probe orbiting Jupiter has found the planet’s Great Red Spot is deeper than scientists had previously thought.

The probe determined that the depth of the Great Red Spot is about 500 km below the cloud tops. The findings are detailed in the journal Science and the Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets.

Juno spacecraft entered Jupiter’s orbit in 2016. During each of the it’s 37 passes of the planet to date, a specialised suite of instruments has peered below its turbulent cloud deck.

The latest flyby in July 2019 has provided a fuller picture of how the planet’s distinctive and colourful atmospheric features offer clues about the unseen processes below its clouds.

“These new observations from Juno open up a treasure chest of new information about Jupitera¿s enigmatic observable features,” said Lori Glaze, director of NASA’s Planetary Science Division at the agency’s headquarters in Washington.

Using Juno’s microwave radiometer (MWR) mission scientists peered beneath Jupiter’s cloud tops and probed the structure of its numerous vortex storms.

The most famous of these storms is the iconic anticyclone known as the Great Red Spot. Wider than Earth, this crimson vortex has intrigued scientists since its discovery almost two centuries ago.

The new results show that the cyclones are warmer on top, with lower atmospheric densities, while they are colder at the bottom, with higher densities. Anticyclones, which rotate in the opposite direction, are colder at the top but warmer at the bottom.

The findings also indicate these storms are far taller than expected, with some extending 100 km below the cloud tops and others, including the Great Red Spot, extending over 350 km. This surprise discovery demonstrates that the vortices cover regions beyond those where water condenses and clouds form, below the depth where sunlight warms the atmosphere, NASA said.

The height and size of the Great Red Spot means the concentration of atmospheric mass within the storm potentially could be detectable by instruments studying Jupiter’s gravity field.

With Juno traveling low over Jupiter’s cloud deck at about 209,000 kph Juno scientists were able to measure velocity changes as small 0.01 millimeter per second using NASA’s Deep Space Network tracking antenna, from a distance of more than 650 million kilometres. This enabled the team to constrain the depth of the Great Red Spot to about 500 km below the cloud tops.

“The precision required to get the Great Red Spot’s gravity during the July 2019 flyby is staggering,” said Marzia Parisi, a Juno scientist from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California and lead author of a paper in the Journal Science on gravity overflights of the Great Red Spot.

“Being able to complement MWR’s findings on the depth gives us great confidence that future gravity experiments at Jupiter will yield equally intriguing results,” Parisi added.

OTT release of Mohanlal’s ‘Marakkar’ runs into rough weather

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OTT release of Mohanlal’s ‘Marakkar’ runs into rough weather

The OTT release of Malayalam superstar Mohanlal’s blockbuster film ‘Marakkar: Lion of the Arabian Sea’, directed by ace filmmaker Priyadarshan, has hit a roadblock as Kerala Minister for Films Saji Cherian insisted that films should be released in theatres.

Cherian said that the OTT aspect was thought of when the movie halls were closed and the government is of the firm view that films should first be released in theatres and he expects the same with ‘Marakkar’.

On Wednesday movie halls in Kerala finally started screening films after a gap of six months and with stringent Covid guidelines allowing only 50 per cent of the total seating capacity, which is a dampener for producers and theatre owners.

‘Marakkar’ producer Antony Perumbavoor first broke the news that the makers are exploring all options including a possible OTT release and they have now practically closed the deal for releasing it on Prime Video.

This decision has irked the theatre owners in the state who are passing through bad times and they fear if a blockbuster film like ‘Marakkar’ goes on OTT, then they will be in trouble.

According to a source, Perumbavoor wanted a minimum guarantee from theatre owners but the amount that Perumbavoor is asking is very high.

This film has cost Perumbavoor a staggering Rs 85 crore and hence he is unwilling to come down and with now Cherian also batting for a theatrical release, it remains to be seen, what’s in store.

At the recent National Film Awards, ‘Marakkar’ was selected as the Best Feature Film for 2019.

The film tells the tale of Kunhali Marakkar, the famous naval chief of the Zamorin of Calicut, often known for organising the first naval defence of the Indian coast.

Mohanlal, known for his flexibility and adaptability to any character, plays the key role of Marakkar.

The star cast includes thespian Madhu, Manju Warrier, actors from south India and Bollywood besides four British actors and one Chinese actor.

A top producer said there are 90 Malayalam films and an additional 50 English, Tamil and Hindi films all waiting for release and with a few films that were released through the OTT platforms during the Covid period fetching reasonable profits, all eyes are on how the government is going to tackle the issue as many families are dependent on movie halls for their livelihood.

Rajinikanth undergoes surgical procedure, to be discharged in a few days

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Rajinikanth undergoes surgical procedure, to be discharged in a few days

Megastar Rajinikanth successfully underwent a surgical procedure called Carotid Artery Revascularisation at a hospital here on Friday.

The actor is recovering well and is likely to be discharged in a few days, said a top official of the Kauvery Hospital.

Rajinikanth was admitted to Kauvery Hospital here on Thursday following an episode of giddiness.

“He was thoroughly evaluated by the expert panel of doctors and was advised to undergo Carotid Artery Revascularisation, said Dr Aravindan Selvaraj, co-founder and Executive Director, in a statement.

“The procedure was performed successfully today (October 29) and he is recovering well. He is likely to be discharged from the hospital after a few days,” Dr Selvaraj added.

Rajinikanth, who was awarded the Dadasaheb Phalke Award on Thursday, had tweeted that he had watched his yet-to-be released movie ‘Annatthe’ with his grandson on Wednesday.

Last year, Rajinikanth decided against taking a much-awaited political plunge citing his health condition.

At that time, Rajinikanth said the doctors had advised him that fluctuating blood pressure would affect his transplanted kidney.

Varudu Kaavalenu Movie Public Talk | Naga Shaurya

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Varudu Kaavalenu Movie Public Talk | Naga Shaurya

Akash Romantic Movie Public Talk

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Akash Romantic Movie Public Talk

Facebook directed to pay $257 per victim over personal data breach

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Facebook directed to pay $257 per victim over personal data breach

The South Korean state watchdog on personal information protection on Friday recommended the operator of Facebook to pay 300,000 won ($256.70) in compensation to each of 181 users demanding damages for the provision of their personal information to third parties without consent.

The recommendation to Meta Platforms was made by the Personal Information Protection Commission (PIPC)’s dispute mediation panel in charge of settling a dispute between the operator and Korean users of Facebook over the platform’s breach of users’ personal data.

The state watchdog in November concluded that Facebook passed personal data of at least 3.3 million of its total 18 million Korean users to third parties without the users’ consent between May 2012 and June 2018.

The leaked data included the lists of the users’ Facebook friends.

The global platform giant was fined 6.7 billion won for the privacy law violations at that time, reports Yonhap news agency.

In response, a group of local Facebook users collectively filed for a damage relief process with the PIPC in April, seeking financial compensation and the disclosure of information on which personal data were leaked and to whom, from the operator of Facebook.

Proposing an arbitration deal, PIPC recommended Meta pay the 300,000 won in financial compensation to each of the 181 users who joined the collection action and give them access to the information they requested.

The dispute mediation panel said that over 10,000 third-party app developers gained access to personal information of local Facebook users, with the users not being informed or having given consent.

Director Amit Kasaria on Adhyayan Suman-starrer ‘Bekhudi’

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Director Amit Kasaria on Adhyayan Suman-starrer ‘Bekhudi’

Bollywood actor Adhyayan Suman-starrer ‘Bekhudi’ released Friday. The movie is directed by Amit Kasaria. This is his second movie after ‘I Don’t Luv U’.

Amit talks about the idea behind this romantic thriller, saying: “‘Bekhudi’ came to me when I was trying to make sense of why romantic films follow a set pattern. Hero meets the heroine, falls in love, breaks up and then they get back together. There is so much scope of going creative with this.”

He goes on explaining that it is an interactive movie which is different from the other romantic films: “I wanted to bring a man’s perspective into the narrative. One night he hears all about her past and understands her from his own context. There are no familial quarrels. A film of this nature has never been attempted. It’s an interactive film and there is a crucial element of thrill. There is a good mixture of entertainment and thrill. It wasn’t an easy film to plan because there’s no reference point. I did a lot of research and homework to shoot it in a planned and viable way,” he adds.

Amit started working on the movie in 2018 but release was delayed due to the pandemic. He says: “We cracked the idea by the end of 2018 and we started filming in 2019. We were done with the film by end of the year. The pandemic really played spoilsport for the release. It took 10 months to finish the film but releasing a film in pandemic times is dependent on multiple factors.”

‘Bekhudi’ stars Adhyayan Suman, Angel and Anurag Sharma. While opening up about the cast and music of this movie, he says the music is the most important factor for him and he got some best singers on board.

“When you are making a film of this nature, it’s important to have producers like mine. They understood my vision and allowed me my creative space. I have to mention that music had a special part in the film. I was very choosy about the songs because the tracks needed to share the film’s soul. Rahul gave a brilliant soundtrack. We got the best singers from Sonu Nigam to Dev Negi to Jubin Nautiyal who came on board. We did a special number with Avni Joshi who delivered a crackling number.

The whole film was shot across Delhi and NCR, with key sequences being filmed in Noida and Gurgaon. The second half of the film was shot in Nainital.

The director recalls: “The film was shot in two schedules, over 45 days. I am glad I had a team that supported my vision and we worked seamlessly together. In two months, we’d gone from planning to shooting to finishing the film. Adhyayan Suman was my stronghold through shooting. We used to have a blast on set together. I remember we used to make light of him a lot. During this action scene, he roughed up his co-star Anurag because he was so consumed by his character. This one time, one of our female actors broke down on set after a scene. We had to play some light music to cheer her up.”

Bombay HC grants bail to Aryan Khan on Rs 1 lakh bond, conditions

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Bombay HC grants bail to Aryan Khan on Rs 1 lakh bond, conditions

The Bombay High Court has allowed a bail to Aryan Khan, the son of Bollywood megastar Shah Rukh Khan, at a Rs 1 lakh bond, as per the orders issued on Friday.

Justice N. W. Sambre, who granted bail to Khan, Arbaaz Merchant and Munmun Dhamecha on Thursday, has asked them to furnish one or more surety and not leave Mumbai or India without the permission of the Narcotics Control Bureau investigating officer.

They have been asked not to indulge in similar activities, not make any public statements about the case, attend the NCB office every Friday between 11 a.m.-2 p.m. and also go there as and when called.

The court has also directed them not to indulge in influencing witnesses in any manner, attempt to delay the trial and attend court on all dates in the order, which will pave the way for the release of the trio later on Friday.

IJustice Sambre had on Thursday evening granted bail to the three youngsters nabbed in the NCB swoop on a cruise ship party on October 2, and the detailed orders were set for Friday.

RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das’s term extended

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RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das’s term extended

The Centre has extended the tenure of Reserve Bank of India Governor Shaktikanta Das by another three years.

Accordingly, the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet, approved Das’s reappointment.

In an order, it said: “The ‘Appointments Committee of the Cabinet’ has approved the reappointment of Shri Shaktikanta Das, lAS Retd. as Governor, Reserve Bank of India for a period of three years beyond December 10, 2021 or until further orders, whichever is earlier.”

Notably, Das had been credited with steering India’s monetary policy response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Besides, industry observers credit him with swiftly rolling out policy measures to ease the economic impact of the pandemic.

The former senior bureaucrat assumed charge as the 25th Governor of the Reserve Bank from December 12, 2018.

Holding key governance portfolios, Das also acted as the Member of the 15th Finance Commission and as the G20 Sherpa of India.

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