Monthly Archives: April 2018

Cyclone Fakir to hit AP, Odisha coast today, Heavy rains to wreak Havoc

Posted on by
Reply

On April 24, NASA’s Aqua satellite captured a visible image of Tropical Cyclone Fakir, southeast of La Reunion Island. The image showed vertical wind shear was pushing the bulk of clouds southeast of the center of circulation.Credits: NASA/NRL

Tropical Cyclone Fakir tracked by NASA’s Aqua satellite, Heavy rains, tsunami-like waves likely on Indian coast of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha on Wednesday.

NASA’s Aqua satellite captured a visible image of Tropical Cyclone Fakir, southeast of La Reunion Island, that showed vertical wind shear affecting it in the Southern Indian Ocean.

The Joint Typhoon Warning Center or JTWC noted on Tuesday, April 24 at 11 a.m. EDT that Fakir’s center was located near 23.3 degrees south latitude and 57.5 degrees east longitude.

From the image taken at the location is approximately 162 nautical miles south of Port Louis, Mauritius, cyclone Fakir was seen moving to the south-southeast at 18 knots (20.7 mph/33.3 kph). Maximum sustained surface winds were estimated at 60 knots (69 mph /111 kph).

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer or MODIS instrument aboard NASA’s Aqua satellite has captured a visible image of Fakir that showed a rapidly disintegrated system.

The image showed the cyclone elongated as the bulk of clouds and thunderstorms were being pushed to the southeast of the center, in an area of high vertical wind shear between 40 and 50 knots (46 to 57 mph/74 to 92 kph).

JTWC warned that “[Fakir] is forecast to continue deteriorating due to the severe vertical wind shear associated with the trough (elongated area of low pressure) approaching from the west and cooling sea surface temperatures along its forecast track to the southeast. The unfavorable environment will lead to dissipation by Thursday, April 26.”

The southwest Indian Ocean cyclone season that started on November 15, 2017 will last until April 30, 2018 and the major cyclone Fakir formed on Monday, April 23 near northeastern Madagascar as captured by the Global Precipitation Measurement mission or GPM core satellite looked at the storm’s rainfall rates.

On April 22, GPM showed that bands of extremely heavy rainfall were spiraling into the tropical low’s southeastern side. GPM’s radar (DPR Ku Band) showed that precipitation was falling at a rate of over 219 mm (8.6 inches) per hour in some of the strong convective storms that were moving toward Madagascar. GPM’s radar indicated that a few of the tallest intense convective storms were reaching heights of almost 16 km (9.9 miles).
Credits: NASA/JAXA, Hal Pierce

Fakir is expected to intensify as it moves toward the southeast and could be a significant tropical cyclone on Wednesday. Fakir will add woes to an already battered Madagascar by tropical cyclones Ava, Dumazile, and Eliakim.

The GPM core observatory satellite flew above the forming cyclone near northeastern Madagascar on April 22, 2018 and its Microwave Imager (GMI) and Dual Frequency Precipitation Radar (DPR) instruments revealed the locations of heavy rainfall linked with the forming Fakir cyclone.

GPM showed that bands of extremely heavy rainfall were spiraling into the southeastern side, precipitation was falling at a rate of over 219 mm (8.6 inches) per hour in some of the strong convective storms, seen moving toward Madagascar.

A 3-D view of precipitation in forming tropical cyclone Fakirwas simulated 3-D cross section generated at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland to show the heights of cloud tops and radar reflectivity values within the forming tropical cyclone.

GPM’s radar indicated some convective storms were reaching heights of almost 16 km (9.9 miles). On April 23, 2018 at 11 a.m. EDT, Fakir had maximum sustained winds near 40 knots (46 mph/74 kph). Fakir was centered near 6.5 degrees south latitude and 53.2 east longitude, about 313 nautical miles north-northwest of St Denis, la Reunion and seen moving southeastward to hit the Indian coast. The system is expected to peak in strength in one day, April 24.

 

 

 

NASA gears up for May 5 Launch of InSight to touch down Mars

Posted on by
2

In the early morning hours of May 5, the historic first interplanetary launch of NASA’s 189-foot-tall United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket will liftoff from California, destined for the Elysium Planitia region located in Mars’ northern hemisphere.

The May 5 launch window for the InSight mission opens at 4:05 am PDT (7:05 EDT, 11:05 UTC) and remains open for two hours.

“If you live in Southern California and the weather is right, you’ll probably have a better view of the launch than I will,” said Tom Hoffman, project manager for NASA’s InSight mission from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. “I’ll be stuck inside a control room looking at monitors — which is not the best way to enjoy an Atlas 5 on its way to Mars.”

NASA’s InSight to Mars will be the first interplanetary launch from America’s West Coast and residents in some of California’s coastal communities could get a front row seat when the mission launches from Vandenberg Air Force Base.

Here’s when and where to see for launch:

Live televised coverage of the launch will be available at:https://www.nasa.gov/live.

In clear skies, the InSight launch should be viewable up and down a wide swath of the California coast. Residents from as far north as Bakersfield to perhaps as far south as Rosarito, Mexico, may see the Atlas rocket rising in the predawn sky and then heading south, parallel to the coastline.

The United Launch Alliance two-stage Atlas V 401 launch vehicle will produce 860,200 pounds (3.8 million newtons) of thrust as it climbs away from its launch pad at Vandenberg Air Force Base, near Lompoc, California. During the first 17 seconds of powered flight, the Atlas V will climb vertically above its launch pad. Then it will begin a pitch and yaw maneuver that will place it on a trajectory towards Earth’s south pole.

“After lift-off from Vandenberg’s Space Launch Complex 3, the Atlas V begins a southerly trajectory and climbs out over the Channel Islands off Oxnard,” said Tim Dunn, launch director for the Launch Services Program at the John F. Kennedy Space Center in Florida. “If you live on the California Central Coast or south to L.A. and San Diego, be sure to get up early on May 5th, because Atlas V is the gold standard in launch vehicles and it can put on a great show.”

Mach One occurs 1 minute and 18 seconds into the Atlas V’s powered flight. At that time the vehicle will be about 30,000 feet (9 kilometers) in altitude and 1 mile (1.75 kilometers) down range.

Two minutes and 36 seconds later, the Atlas first stage will shut down at an altitude of about 66 miles (106 kilometers) and 184 miles (296 kilometers) down range.

The Centaur second stage (carrying InSight inside a 40-foot-long payload fairing) separates from the now-dead first stage six seconds later. Ten seconds later, the Centaur’s engine kicks in with its 22,890 pounds (101,820 newtons) of thrust, which will carry it and InSight into its 115-mile-high (185-kilometer) parking orbit 13 minutes and 16 seconds after launch.

This parking orbit will last 59 to 66 minutes, depending on the date and time of the launch. The Centaur will then re-ignite for one last burn at one hour and 19 minutes after launch, placing InSight into a Mars-bound interplanetary trajectory.

Spacecraft separation from the Centaur will occur about 93 minutes after liftoff for the first May 5 launch opportunity as the spacecraft is approximately over the Alaska-Yukon region.

InSight’s launch period is May 5 through June 8, 2018, with multiple launch opportunities over windows of approximately two hours each date. Launch opportunities are set five minutes apart during each date’s window.

Whichever date the launch occurs, InSight’s landing on Mars is planned for Nov. 26, 2018, around noon PST (3 p.m. EST / 20:00 UTC).

NASA’s Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport (InSight) lander will study the deep interior of Mars to learn how all rocky planets formed, including Earth and its moon. The lander’s instruments include a seismometer to detect marsquakes and a probe that will monitor the flow of heat in the planet’s subsurface.

NASA’ s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, manages InSight for NASA.

Mars cracks show water dried up 3.5 billion years ago on Red Planet

Posted on by
3

The recent discovery of cracks on the surface of Mars by NASA’s Curiosity rover last year have been analyzed by scientists to realize that these lakes could have dried up 3.5 billion years ago.

In early 2017, the desiccation cracks were found in Gale Crater, which was believed to have been filled by lakes 3.5 billion years ago. “We are now confident that these are mudcracks,” declared lead author Nathaniel Stein, a geologist at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, US.

These cracks form when wet sediment is exposed to air, their position closer to the centre of the lake bed rather than the edge suggests that lake levels went up and down over time.

“The mudcracks show that the lakes in Gale Crater had gone through the same type of cycles that we see on Earth,” Stein said. Traces of water once on Mars was not a new finding but the fact that the mudcracks are found, it may further lead to “to our understanding of this ancient lacustrine system”, said Stein, whose paper was published in the journal Geology.

“This research is just a chapter in a story that Curiosity has been building since the beginning of its mission,” he said.

For the study, the team examined a table-sized slab of rock nicknamed “Old Soaker”, which is a crisscrossing with polygons similar to desiccation features found on Earth.

The scientists found that the polygons are confined to a single layer of rock and with sediment filling the cracks between them, which is usually formed from exposure to air, and not due to hydraulic fracturing.

Breastfeeding saved infants in Ice Age, led to bigger breast size in humans: Study

Posted on by
1

Breast feeding might have played a criticial role in infant survival during the last ice age, and it might have led to a common genetic mutation in East Asians and Native Americans, which could have affected the shape of their teeth, says a new study.

The genetic mutation, which probably occurred 20,000 years ago, in turn led to more density of mammary ducts in the breasts, potentially providing more fat and vitamin D to infants living in the far north where the scarcity of ultraviolet radiation makes it difficult to produce vitamin D in the skin, said researchers.

If this genetic mutation is due to selection for increased mammary ductal branching, then this would be the first evidence of natural selection among the humans. "This highlights the importance of the mother-infant relationship and how essential it has been for human survival," said Leslea Hlusko, an associate professor at the University of California, Berkeley.

The gene controlling mammary duct growth also affected the shape of human incisors. The genetic mutation affected the ancestral population living in the far north during the last Ice Age, hence resulting in shovel-shaped incisors among Native Americans and northeastern Asian populations. This trait is rare in others.

The finding helps in understanding the origins of dense breasts among humans, which is a major factor behind the breast cancer.

For the study, Hlusko and her team examined the occurrence of shovel-shaped incisors in archeological populations to estimate the time and place of evolutionary selection for the trait. They found that nearly 100 percent of Native Americans prior to European colonization had shoveled incisors, and about 40 percent of East Asians today have this trait.

"When you have shared genetic effects across the body, selection for one trait will result in everything else going along for the ride," Hlusko said.

The vitamin D connection

Getting enough vitamin D is a big problem in northern latitudes because the sun is low on the horizon all year long. Sun doesn’t shine above the Arctic Circle at all for part of the year. Lack of vitamin D forced Siberians and Inuit to hunt for animal fat but babies were at a loss, thus causing the natural selection in the increased mammary duct.

Previous genetic analysis of living humans concluded that the mutation arose in northern China due to selection for more sweat glands or sebaceous glands during the last ice age but Hlusko said that it is not a satisfying explanation.

The Beringian standstill

The so-called Beringian standstill coincided with the height of the Last Glacial Maximum between 18,000 and 28,000 years ago as the climate became drier and cooler. People who had been living in Siberia moved into Beringia, where they were isolated and the species with locally adaptive traits arose.

Hlusko and her colleagues outlined many threads of evidence in their paper published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.


​

Photograph of human upper incisors with significant "shoveling," anatomical variation influenced by the EDAR V370A allele alongside an increase in mammary duct branching.(Christy G. Turner, II, courtesy G. Richard Scott)

‘102 Not Out’ to release on May 4 in Russia, Why?

Posted on by
Reply

Bringing back the old ties with Russia when Rishi Kapoor’s father Raj Kapoor had many fans there, the latest Kapoor film ‘102 Not Out’ starring Amitabh Bachchan in the lead role will hit the theatres in Russia, at a time when all Bollywood films get queued first in American theatres.

Director Umesh Shukla’s forthcoming film "102 Not Out" will also release in Russia on the same day as it will hit the screens in India on May 4.

Rishi Kapoor and Amitabh Bachchan will be seen together after two decades, and the film is expected to bring many erstwhile fans of the two big heroes to theatres once again. Rishi Kapoor, who was on a self-imposed Twitter break for over few monthsm, has returned to the social media platform on Tuesday to announce the film’s international release.

"Our film releases in Russia on May 4, 2018 also. Enjoy!" Rishi tweeted. Earlier on Sunday, he tweeted his return to Twitter after his last one on March 29, saying, "Hello all. Just to let you know I am back on Twitter after 23 days. Missed you, the fun and fights."

The actor was criticised for posting a lewd tweet on politician Hillary Clinton, faced flak for posting an indecent video involving a child, and for his tweet on Sourav Ganguly’s shirtless act while cheering for the Indian women’s cricket team.

"We worked in this film after 27 years but from the time we went on the set, we started rehearsing. We did not feel the gap between these years. I feel proud to say that I have been working with him for the last 44 years. Our first film was ‘Kabhi Kabhie’ (1976) and the last time we worked together was in ‘Ajooba’ (1991)."

Their hit films together include "Naseeb", "Kabhi Kabhie", "Amar Akbar Anthony" and "Coolie".

Amitabh Bachchan said, "I believe if you are appreciating my performance, it is due to my co-artistes. If they don’t perform well enough for your reaction, then your reaction would go wrong."

Since the focus is on senior citizens, Amitabh, 75, said, "Senior citizens are very respectable people of our society. If they are not there, we are not there. Whenever we try to make a film on them, we treat them with dignity. I hope that through this film, we will be able to convey the message to our audience."

Quickly, Rishi added, "He did films like ‘Piku’ and ‘Pink’. Yes, there are not many films made on senior citizens but there are not many Bachchans around, right?"

Umesh Shukla’s "102 Not Out" revolves around an unusual father-and-son love story, based on a Gujarati stage production by playwright Saumya Joshi. Produced by Sony Pictures Entertainment Films India, Treetop Entertainment and Shukla’s Benchmark Pictures, the film is slated to release worldwide on May 4.

The storyline is about a centenarian who wants to break the world record of being the oldest man alive, which is held by a 118-year-old Chinese man. How he plans to ditch his own son for this feat is the interesting angle in the film.

Karnataka Elections 2018: EC extends polling time till 6 PM on May 12

Posted on by
Reply

The Election Commission has extended the hours of poll in the Karnataka elections citing the sub-section (2) of section 15 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951.

The polling time earlier mentioned under Section 56 of the said Act notified hours of poll to begin from 7.00 am and to complete by 5.00 pm as the hours of poll during which the poll shall be taken in all the assembly constituencies of the state.

Keeping in view the changed prospects for BJP and Congress owing to the emergence of a third player JD(S), the political parties with cadre strength will benefit from the extension of one hour in the evening.

Under the new notification, elections to Karnataka Legislative assembly will be held on May 12 from 7.00 A.M. in the morning to 6.00 P.M. in the evening.

"The Commission considers that in view of the extreme heat in the State of Karnataka at present and also due to the introduction of VVPAT, it is necessary to extend the hours of poll to facilitate all the voters to cast their votes even in the late hours," said a statement issued by EC.

Going beyond administrative reasons, the extension of one hour of polling time usually benefits the major parties which have huge number of cadre members who engage in electioneering and facilitating the polling for their party till 5 PM. After the poll, most of them have either no time or forget to vote.

Since the poll is on Saturday, usually a weekend holiday, it should not make much difference for the ordinary voter. It remains to be seen whether this step helps BJP or Congress.

Former foreign Secretary Jaishankar joins Tata Group as PM relaxes ‘Cooling Off Period’

Posted on by
Reply

Former Indian foreign secretary S. Jaishankar, the former ambassador known for his coveted roles in Japan, singapore and China, besides the US, has been allowed to take over a new post as President of Global Corporate Affairs of Tata group and he will report to N Chandrasekaran, executive chairman of Tata Sons.

Since senior bureaucrats are bound by one-year cooling off period before accepting any private sector positions, Jaishankar had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a waiver of the "cooling-off period" and reportedly got a positive reply.

In his new role, Dr. Jaishankar will oversee the Tata group’s global corporate affairs and international strategy, which includes all Tata Sons’ international offices, said a statement. "I am delighted to welcome Dr Jaishankar to the Tata Group. His extensive experience and knowledge on international affairs will be very valuable to the group as we work to reinforce our brand and leadership globally," said Chandrasekaran, Tata Sons executive chairman.

"The Tata Group is an iconic institution known for its value-based leadership as well as India’s most respected brand globally. I look forward to being part of the Tata group and working with key stakeholders to make an impact," said Jaishankar.

Jaishankar, who served as the Indian foreign secretary from January 2015 to January 2018, was an Indian Foreign Service officer of 1977 batch who played a key role in India’s relations with Japan, China, Singapore and the United states, especially in negotiating the Indo-US civilian nuclear agreement.

He had served both Manmohan singh and Narendra Modi, who had trusted his skills as an ambassador with utmost negotiating skills. He was also credited with a peaceful end to the stand-off between Indian and Chinese troops at Doklam last year. He retired on Jan. 28, 2018 from the government service.

A graduate of St Stephen’s College at the University of Delhi, he has an MA in Political Science, MPhil and Ph.D. in International Relations from Jawaharlal Nehru University.


​

Trichomonosis disease discovered among myna birds in Pakistan: Report

Posted on by
Reply

A strain of the disease responsible for killing off nearly two thirds of the UK’s greenfinches has been discovered in myna bird populations in Pakistan.

Mynas are native to the Indian subcontinent and are one of the world’s most invasive species. Although the disease is not generally fatal to them, experts from the University of East Anglia studying the birds say there is a risk they might pass it on to other species.

Avian trichomonosis, more commonly called canker or frounce, is carried by a parasite that primarily infects pigeons in the UK and the larger birds of prey which feed on them.

But in 2005 scientists found the disease had jumped into Britain’s garden songbird populations, predominantly affecting greenfinches and chaffinches.

Since then, the greenfinch population in the UK has fallen from around 4.3 million breeding pairs to fewer than 1.5 million in 2016.

In 2011, the disease was discovered to have reached European finch populations. Now researchers at the University of East Anglia (UEA) have found it in an entirely separate songbird species – the common myna.

Working in partnership with the University of Agriculture in Pakistan, researchers captured and screened 167 myna birds from eight different sites around the Faisalabad region of Pakistan. They discovered that around 20 per cent of the birds were infected with the disease and that there were infected birds at all of the sites surveyed.

The study, published in the journal Parasitology, also identified that the disease affecting the mynas was a different strain from the one found in the UK songbirds. Few of the infected birds had signs of poor health, suggesting that they can carry the disease without it being fatal.

Because myna birds are so invasive, however, there is a significant risk that they can spread the disease to other species that might not otherwise come into contact with it.

Dr Kevin Tyler, from UEA and a senior author of the study, said: “Mynas are able to roost almost anywhere in warm climates, which is one reason they are so successful, but it could also mean they are likely to spread the disease further.

“Mynas have already been implicated in the spread of bird flu through contact with poultry, so this could be of concern to poultry farmers. However, further research and testing is needed to see whether the disease has yet spread from mynas to other species.”

He added: “In the UK, pigeons carry this disease without serious symptoms and it looks like myna birds are able to do the same. This could be due to a natural resilience to the disease, or it could be that this is a less virulent strain – again, we need to carry out further research to investigate.”

Although mynas are thought to be native to the Indian subcontinent, populations of the birds have spread around the world, so the team is also keen to test for the disease in other countries.

#MeToo knocks the door of Indore as 2 men try to pull skirt of model on scooter

Posted on by
Reply

Last week the #MeToo movement reached its peak in Hyderabad when an actress bared her top in protest against ‘Casting Couch’ in the Telugu Film Industry. Almost everybody familiar with the Telugu films were shocked to know the dark side of the film industry.

While many parents are swearing not ever send their children to act as models or actors in the film industry, an Indore incident has further gripped the pulse of the nation. The model was wearing a skirt and riding a scooter when two men on a two-wheeler tried to pull her skirt.

She fell down trying to stop them from doing that. "It happened on one of the busiest roads of Indore, and nobody tried to stop them," she wrote in her blog soon after the incident.

Now, an Indore-based model has come out with a narrated an incident of sexual harassment, wherein two men allegedly tried to pull her skirt while she was driving a two-wheeler.

She took to social media Monday to delineate the incident that took place on a busy road in Indore.

"This happened today. Two guys tried to pull my skirt while I was on my activa and said, ‘dikhao Iske niche Kya hai?’ I tried to stop them and lost control and met with an accident. It happened on one of the busiest roads of indore, and nobody tried to stop them."

She could not see the number of the duo’s vehicle. A passer-by helped her to get up but not without saying, "It’s because you’re wearing a skirt!", which left her more offended. "What I want to wear is my f**king choice. Those guys don’t have any right to harass me because WEARING A SKIRT DOESN’T GIVE YOU A RIGHT TO BEHAVE LIKE THAT," she wrote in a blog on Instagram.

She returned to the place of incident but found no CCTV cameras to cover the spot. "I’m registering a police complaint tomorrow. I don’t know if they will be able to find those guys, but if I don’t do it right now, it defeats my purpose," she concluded.

If this is in India, in Hollywood the #MeToo movement is gaining supporters and hecklers alike. Last week, Karl Lagerfeld, the creative director behind great brands such as Chanel and Fendi, disparaged the #MeToo movement asking models not to get in the profession if they "don’t want" their "pants pulled about".

He is no different from the uncle in Indore who said that the incident happened because the model was wearing a skirt. Perhaps, the mindset of the whole world, especially of the elderly men, should change.

Why Kate’s 3rd child is special to Queen Elizabeth?

Posted on by
Reply

As Prince William’s wife Kate was admitted to St. Mary’s Hospital in west London on Monday morning to give birth to the royal couple’s third child, Queen Elizabeth may receive a happy news on her 92nd Birthday.

If Kate gives birth to the child on Monday, then there will be a double whammy in the UK royalty on every April 23rd to celebrate two royal birthdays. If it is a baby girl, the joy will more for the Queen.

Kate or the Duchess of Cambridge showed the early signs of labour on Monday morning and was driven in a car to the private Lindo Wing of St Mary’s where their two children, George and Charlotte, were born.

"The Duchess travelled by car from Kensington Palace to the Lindo Wing at St. Mary’s Hospital with The Duke of Cambridge," Prince William’s office said.

Interestingly, Kate’s sister Pippa Middleton is also reportedly expecting her first child with husband James Matthews, this year, said the Sun. The Middleton family has more celebrations scheduled ahead this year.


​

Kate Middleton rushed to St Mary’s; People throng hospital to welcome third royal child

Posted on by
Reply

Prince William’s wife Kate was admitted to a hospital in London on Monday morning to give birth to the couple’s third child.

Kate, officially known as the Duchess of Cambridge, started the early signs of labour in the morning and she was rushed to the private Lindo Wing of St Mary’s Hospital in west London where their two children, George and Charlotte, were born.

"The Duchess travelled by car from Kensington Palace to the Lindo Wing at St. Mary’s Hospital with The Duke of Cambridge," Prince William’s office said in a statement.

Soon after the news was announced, several people have started assembling in front of the st. Mary’s Hospital in London as it happened in the last two births in the British royal family.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge last appeared on March 22 at a public function in London that was a run up to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) scheduled this month. The royals attended the SportsAid event and met young British sportsmen and women ahead of the Commonwealth games.

Interestingly, Kate’s sister Pippa is also reportedly expecting her first child with husband James Matthews, said the Sun. The Middleton family has a long list of events galore spanning throughout the year 2018.

Fakenews finder NewsGuard opens hotline, encrypted service now

Posted on by
Reply

NewsGuard, which has been scanning thousands of news websites to identify fake and irresponsible news, has started a new hotline service.

Planning to employ trained journalists to check and rate thousands of news conetent daily, the hotline service will be supported by a secure and encrypted digital infrastructure, said the company in a statement.

The telephone hotline will be useful for the political candidates and members of the public to report suspected fake news sites.

Steven Brill, co-CEO of NewsGuard said, “We’ve already seen one case of a candidate citing an endorsement from a bogus site that was created by supporters of that candidate. This is a particularly insidious variety of fake news, because it is aimed directly at unsuspecting voters.”

He said a SWAT team of NewsGuard analysts will work 24/7 to monitor fake news and identify suddenly trending news sites that NewsGuard has not yet rated. It will now check those website and warn the users about them in real time.

The company has also sought Internet users to contact Newsguard and send information in a secure, fully encrypted messages on WhatsApp number +1-740-480-1850 or SMS to: +1-740-480-1850 in the US. Those who wish to send an email can get in touch with Newsguard at tips. or they can call and leave a digital voice message at: +1-740-480-1850, said the company in its statement.

Bharat Ane Nenu enters second day $2 million club in US market, after Bahubali 2

Posted on by
Reply

Mahesh Babu-starrer ‘Bharat Ane Nenu’ has become the fastest Telugu movie to enter the $2 million club in just two days, close on the heels of similar feat by Prabhas’s ‘Bahubali 2’.

Mahesh Babu’s film has entered USA All-time Telugu Top 10 on Day 1 and has crossed the $2million mark on the second day of its release, while Ram Charan’s ‘Rangasthalam’ had managed to earn $1,828,755 in two days.

 

Mahesh Babu’s last blockbuster ‘Srimanthudu’ in 2015 directed by Koratala Siva also made it to $2 million club in the US market. With this, Prabhas, Mahesh Babu will be the two Telugu heroes to have two fillms each in the top 10 $2 million club in the USA box office.

Chiranjeevi, Pawan Kalyan, NTR, Ram Charan and Varun Tej have so far made one fillm each to enter the $2 million club in this huge Telugu movie-goers market. The actual earnings of “Bharat Ane Nenu” will be known after the weekend collections pour in.

According to Taran Adarsh, “Bharat Ane Nenu” has taken a roaring start in USA and debuts at No.8 at the USA Box Office, with $1.397,657 (Rs.9.26 crore) as of Thursday previews and Friday collections.

Trade analyst Taran Adarsh has also tweeted saying the film has entered the TPO 5 charts in Australia too with A$ 284,211 (Rs.1.44 crore).

 

‘Bharat Ane Nenu’ Opening Day Collections at Rs.55 cr; Fail to cross Pawan Kalyan record

Posted on by
Reply

Mahesh Babu’s latest film “Bharat Ane Nenu” was able to gross Rs.55 crore worldwide and apparently failed to surpass the record non-Bahubali Telugu film’s opening collections set by Pawan Kalyan’s “Agnyathavasi” at Rs.60 crore on its opening day.

Bharat Ane Nenu, revolving around politics with Mahesh Babu donning the role of chief minister, was sold for theatrical release at a whopping Rs.100 crore and released on Friday in 2,000 screens.

Andhra boxoffice.co has reported that the film has collected Rs 31.9 crore in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, the Telugu speaking states and this is the highest opening day box office collections for any Mahesh Babu-starrer so far. His last film ‘Spyder’ in Telugu and Tamil  grossed a poor Rs.64 lakh on its opening day though it went on to cross Rs.100 crore.

According to Trade analyst Ramesh Bala tweeted, “#Superstar @urstrulyMahesh’s #BharatAneNenu has grossed an approximate Rs. 55 Crs at the WW Box Office on Day 1.. (Premieres + Day 1) Outstanding Opening.”

Trade analyst Taran Adarsh said the film’s Australia collections are remarkable. “Telugu biggie #BharatAneNenu sets Australia BO on (fire). WHAT.A.START… Mahesh Babu proves his stamina and star pull, while #BharatAneNenu proves its mettle at the ticket window… Fri A$ 168,194 [Rs. 85.45 lakhs] / 35 locations.Well begun is half done… #BAN.”

The individual earnings from the US market are still awaited but Mahesh Babu has massive following there. Adarsh had predicted that a “Tsunami is about to unleash at USA BO tomorrow… Mahesh Babu’s keenly-anticipated Telugu film #BharatAneNenu is expected to fetch a MIND-BOGGLING START from its premiere screenings in USA… Countdown has begun… Will it set new benchmarks?”

However, the film failed to match or surpass the past non-Bahubali record set by Pawan Kalyan’s film “Agnyathavasi” with a record collections at Rs.60,20 crore on its opening day.

Otherwise, “Bharat Ane Nenu” revolves around politics though it moves slightly away from the typical political films. The lead character in the film becomes the chief minister of his state after returning from abroad but fails to curtail corruption and disruptive political maneouvres. He decides to make every citizen follow rules and become accountabile.

The female lead role was played by Kiara Advani, who played in Hindi film “M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story” and this is her debut film in South India. Prakash Raj played the role of the antagonist. Produced by DVV Danayya, the film was directed by Siva Koratala. This is second film by Mahesh Babu with Koratala after the success of “Srimanthudu” last year.

 

<

Sunil Grover upbeat being part of Salman Khan-starrer ‘Bharat’

Posted on by
Reply

Comedian-actor Sunil Grover is upbeat after he bagged a role in superstar Salman Khan starrer “Bharat”, being directed by Ali Abbas Zafar. Priyanka Chopra will play the female lead.

“Welcome Sunil Grover to ‘Bharat’,” Zafar tweeted. Soon, Sunil replied: “Thank you sir for giving me the visa. I am so proud of being part of this project.”

“Bharat” is scheduled to release on Eid 2019. It is an official adaptation of 2014 South Korean film “Ode to My Father”.

It is produced by Salman’s brother-in-law Atul Agnihotri’s Reel Life Production and Bhushan Kumar’s T-Series.

The story revolves around an ordinary man’s family separated during the war and his efforts to work in mines. He marries a nurse and returns to the imported store where his father said he would come and meet.

Finally at the end of his life, he had to sell the store under pressure when he was convinced that his father may not return ever.

The Korean film was the third highest-grossing film in the history of Korean cinema, with 14.2 million tickets sold.

Nandamuri Kalyan Ram-Tamannah’s ‘Naa Nuvve’ gets ready

Posted on by
Reply

Nandamuri Kalyan Ram and Tamannah are playing the lead roles in the romantic thriller “”Naa Nuvve”, that has been directed by ad film maker Jayendra. The movie’s post production work has been completed and it is gearing up for a release in the last week of May. 

The promo of the first song from the film, titled “Chiniki Chiniki”, was released on Wednesday, 18th April. This song is expected to be a special highlight of the film, according to the makers. 

 “Naa Nuvve is a very fresh, sensible and lovable film. We are very excited about the “Chiniki Chiniki” song in the movie. It has top notch cinematography from P.C.Sreeram, soul touching music from Sharreth and terrific choreography from Brundha master. This song will be a visual delight. The combination of Kalyan Ram and Tamannah promises to be a special highlight “, said Kiran Muppavarapu, who is one of the producers.

“Naa Nuvve” is being produced by Kiran Muppavarapu and Vijay Vattikuti on Cool Breeze Cinemas banner while Mahesh S Koneru is presenting the film on East Coast Productions banner. 

“Kalyan Ram has undergone a complete transformation for this movie. We are going with a top notch technical team and the film will offer a unique experience for movie lovers. “Chiniki Chiniki” is a song which we all love and we are very excited about it “, said Mahesh S Koneru, who is presenting the movie.  

Kalyan Ram, Tamannah, Tanikella Bharani, Posani Krishna Murali, Vennela Kishore, Praveen, Bitthiri Satti, Priya and Surekha Vani are some of the important actors in the film. 

Music : Sharreth

Cinematography : P.C. Sreeram

Editing : T.S. Suresh

Lyrics : Ramajogayya Sastry, Anantha Sriram

Choreography : Brinda

Fights : Real Sateesh

Art : Selva Kumar

Presented by : Mahesh S Koneru 

Producers : Kiran Muvvavarapu and Vijay Vattikuti

Dialogues : Jayendra and Meeraq

Story – Screenplay –   Jayendra and Subha

Direction – Jayendra

Sri Reddy row: MAA heeds Pawan Kalyan, turns ire on TV channels

Posted on by
Reply

The Telugu film industry’s own version of #MeToo movement has taken an ugly political turn when actor-cum-aspiring politician Pawan Kalayan was dragged in to it unwittingly.

The month-old saga of Sri Reddy set the Telugu film industry in a state of shock when she stripped herself on Hyderabad roads on April 7, exactly two weeks ago. Soon, she revealed the top producers, directors and individuals involved in the so-called ‘casting couch’ tirade unleashed on women aspirants in to the film field.

The real drama began when she appealed to Pawan Kalyan, who is at cudgils with the estranged ruling TDP and the AP chief minister Chandrababu Naidu. In his response, he asked her to approach the police.

Intrigued at his response, Sri Reddy called him names and used abusive language and apologized for calling him a brother. She took out her own sandal and slapped her own cheek i disgust, claiming police complaint would be a hogwash in such cases. Another Telugu film director Ram Gopal Verma, who was waiting in the wings, claimed that it was he who played the “Sutradhari” and apologized to Pawan Kalyan.

Even Sri Reddy apologized but Pawan Kalyan has unleashed his anger this time and forced AP CM and his son, AP9 TV channel owner, host of others into the row for bringing him disrepute on TV channels repeatedly telecasting the public rant of Sri Reddy against him.

On Friday, the building of the apex body Telugu Film Chamber of Commerce, in Hyderabad’s Film Nagar, took the centre-stage with the entire Chiranjeevi’s family and fans attending and the meeting where Pawan Kalyan discussed the next course of action. He questioned why the Movie Artists Association (MAA) did not initiate any action against what he called ‘erring’ TV channels.

Notwithstanding, Ram Gopal Verma has given out his version to answer Pawan Kalyan. Today, the chamber is meeting to discuss and release its statement against the TV channels which have been airing the news of Sri Reddy and giving her undue publicity.

Already Telugu TV news channels, including TV9, TV5 and Mahaa News have taken exception to Pawan Kalyan’s tweets alleging aspersion on them. “When Pawan Kalyan is doing Pada Yatra, he needs us to cover but not when we cover victims of ‘casting coach’ in the Telugu film industry. He cannot tell us what to cover and what not to cover,” said Allam Narayana of TV5.

The the Movie Artists Association is meeting on saturday in Hyderabad to issue a statement supporting Pawan Kalyan and initiating legal notices to all the TV channels which have broadcast the rant by Sri Reddy.

As politics entered the Telugu film industry’s #MeToo movement, the desired dilution has happened and the attention is wholly on a bigger name Pawan Kalyan, not Sri Reddy now.

Mahesh Babu-starrer ‘Bharat Ane Nenu’ set for huge Box-office Collections

Posted on by
Reply

Mahesh Babu-starrer ‘Bharat Ane nenu’ is going packed on 2,000 screens hoping to surpass the non-Bahubali record of Rs.60 crore in box office collections, set by Pawan Kalayan’s ‘Agnyathavasi’ on its opening day.

The first take on the film since morning on Friday was that the film will be a big hit like ‘Srimanthudu’ by the same Mahesh-Koratala combination in the past. But for Mahesh Babu, his filmography has been constistently up and down with every film. After the failure of ‘Spyder’, ‘Bharat ane Nenu’ should be a success. But going by the second trait in his career, every second film with the old director was a failure.

Here is a glance at Mahesh Babu’s filmography since the success of ‘Pokiri’ in 2006:

Year—-Film

Unnecessary pill-popping leads to dementia, finds new study

Posted on by
Reply

A new study by University of Sydney has found that excessive use of medication increases dementia, particularly unnecessary or inappropriate medications. Nearly 2,500 people were examined for the study conducted in collaboration with Yale University and University of Kentucky.

The number of people living with dementia around the world is 50 million. In Australia alone, it is currently 425,000, which means dementia costs the country more than $15 billion per year and it is currently the second leading cause of death in Australia.

"Our study found that following a diagnosis of dementia in older people, medication use increased by 11 per cent in a year and the use of potentially inappropriate medications increased by 17 per cent," said lead author Dr Danijela Gnjidic, from the Faculty of Pharmacy and Charles Perkins Centre at University of Sydney.

The researchers listed inappropriate or unnecessary medications such as sleeping tablets, pain drugs, depression drugs and acid reflux drugs (proton pump inhibitors). "These medications are typically recommended for short term use but are commonly used for long term by people with dementia," she said.

Among the reasons for this include inadequate guidelines, lack of time during physician patient encounters, diminished decision-making capacity, difficulties with comprehension and communication, and difficulties in establishing goals of care.

"The key is to communicate closely with general practitioners, pharmacists and other health professionals to make informed decisions and to practice good medicine management techniques to minimise the risk of side effects.Deprescribing unnecessary medications may improve an individual’s quality of life and can reduce unnecessary healthcare cost," said researchers.

The study has been published Journals of Gerontology: Medical Sciences.

Ye! Awards Egypt given away to young entrepreneurs

Posted on by
Reply

Nine of Egypt’s most promising young entrepreneurs were showcased at the Ye! Awards Egypt at the Marriott Cairo Hotel on April 15, 2018. More than 120 guests from across the country attended the event, organized by the SANAD Fund for MSME’s Technical Assistance Facility (TAF) and Child & Youth Finance International (CYFI) in collaboration NilePreneurs, the Central Bank of Egypt, and Nile University.

The Ye! Awards Egypt served to raise awareness of the unique needs of young entrepreneurs in Egypt and recognize the most outstanding new businesses in the country. Awards were presented for three categories:

• Ye! Superstar – For a registered enterprise with annual turnover of more than 50,000 USD. The winner of the Ye! Superstar Award was Amira El Gharib of Orcas. Orcas offers a safe and secure mobile application that connects parents to verified tutors and babysitters and in turn connects Egyptian youth to valuable employment opportunities.
• Ye! Rising Star – For a registered enterprise with annual turnover of less than USD 50,000. The winner of the Ye! Rising Star Award was Abdallah Hanbak of Freeziana. Freeziana is an e-commerce platform connecting rural artisans who specialize in providing handmade products to consumers around the globe.
• Ye! Stars to Watch – For a pre-revenue or unregistered enterprise with a strong business plan. The winner of the Ye! Stars to Watch Award was Tarek Mandour of Mazboot App. Mazboot is an easy-to-use mobile health application that allows diabetic patients and doctors to connect, share data, and monitor exercise and medications to stay on top of the disease.

In addition to the awards, two entrepreneurs received special recognition: Rania Ayman of Entreprenelle was named top female entrepreneur, and Ahmed El Rawy of ASKOVA Wind Energy was recognized for his entrepreneurship in green energy.

Ines Ebrecht, Chair of the SANAD TAF Committee, explained: “Access to finance is not an isolated constraint to the growth of small enterprises and the economy. We are therefore happy to have partnered with CYFI and the NilePreneurs program on making an important contribution to entrepreneurs’ ability to grow their business and network with one another through the Ye! Platform.”

Speaking to an audience of high-level representatives from the governmental, banking and private sectors, as well as entrepreneurship hubs who are active in the local ecosystem, Nermine El Tahri, Assistant Sub Governor, Banking Reform Sector at the Central Bank of Egypt, stressed the importance of supporting young entrepreneurs, stating: “Our participation in this significant event comes within the strategy of our continuous efforts to support and empower youth and entrepreneurs.”

Addresses were also given by Heba Labib from Nile University and Abel Aziz Nossier from the Egyptian Banking Institute.

Prior to the ceremony, the Ye! community had opened applications for the Ye! Awards Egypt through its online platform. The applications were then evaluated based on their levels of innovation, potential for growth, and social impact. All entrepreneurs were under the age of 30.

Prizes include sponsored travel to the Child and Youth Finance Summit in South Africa; incubation and ongoing support through the NilePreneur program; immediate shortlisting to the MINT Incubator competition; and placement with the Global Leasing Company where the winners will receive first-hand training on finance and financial analysis.

In her closing remarks, Ye! Director Lubna Shaban stated that there was still a lot of work to be done in providing additional institutional support to young entrepreneurs. “The Ye! Community aims to act as an awareness builder and convener, bringing together government and the private sector to encourage dialogue to impact change in the Egyptian ecosystem.”

The Ye! awards are part of a global series of international awards given via the Global Inclusion Awards. Last year, these were held in Berlin as an official part of the German G-20 presidency’s agenda.