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Veteran Tamil director-actor Visu passes away Meenakshisundaram Ramasamy Viswanthan, popularly known as Visu in the Tamil film industry, passed away due to kidney failure on March 22. He was 74. The actor-director was a prominent figure in Kollywood in the 80s and 90s. He began his career working as an assistant under legendary filmmaker K Balachander. Visu’s first movie was Pattina Pravesam (1977). He got his first break with hit comedy movie Thillu Mullu, which starred Rajinikanth. As a director, Visu was known for his message-driven family dramas. He has helmed several blockbusters like Samsaram Adhu Minsaaram, Penmani Aval Kanmani, Thirumathi...

Lockdowns Not Enough to Defeat Coronavirus, Says WHO’s Emergency Expert Mike Ryan Countries can’t simply lock down their societies to defeat coronavirus, the World Health Organization’s top emergency expert Mike Ryan said on Sunday, adding that there need to be public health measures to avoid a resurgence of the virus later on. “What we really need to focus on is finding those who are sick, those who have the virus, and isolate them, find their contacts and isolate them,” Mike Ryan said in an interview on the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show. “The danger right now with the lockdowns … if...

German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Quarantine After Meeting Coronavirus-Infected Doctor Berlin: German Chancellor Angela Merkel will quarantine herself at home after being treated by a doctor who has since tested positive for the novel coronavirus, a government spokesman said Sunday. “The Chancellor has decided to quarantine herself at home. She will be tested regularly in the coming days… (and) fulfil her official business from home,” Steffen Seibert said in a statement. The doctor had visited Merkel Friday to vaccinate her against the pneumococcus bacteria. It could take some time to determine whether the chancellor is herself infected as “a test would...

Coronavirus: Alibaba founder Jack Ma pledges 1.8 million masks and aid to Asia Jack Ma, Asia’s richest man, pledged 1.8 million face masks and 210,000 coronavirus test kits to some of the continent’s poorest nations, the latest step in an ongoing effort from his foundation to push back against what’s become a global pandemic. Ma joined Twitter on Monday to announce that the Jack Ma Foundation and Alibaba Foundation were shipping a donation of emergency supplies to the U.S. Having previously aided virus-fighting efforts in Japan, Iran and Italy, the Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. co-founder’s philanthropic groups also expanded to send thousands of...

Iran’s Rouhani says COVID-19 measures may be eased within weeks Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani has said he expects measures taken to combat the spread of the highly infectious coronavirus, including social distancing, to be eased within the next two to three weeks. Accusing “counter-revolutionaries” of attempting to shut down economic production, Rouhani said in a televised address on Saturday his country “has to do everything” to return economic activity back to normal.  Source: Aljazeera

Coronavirus: Rs 1,000 each to be given to over 35 lakh workers, Yogi Adityanath says LUCKNOW: Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday said that an amount of Rs 1,000 each will be given to 15 lakh daily wage labourers and 20.37 lakh construction workers across the state via direct benefit transfer. “Rs 1000 each will be given 15 lakh daily wage labourers and 20.37 lakh construction workers via direct benefit transfer to help them meet their daily needs,” Adityanath said. Source: The Times of India

Nico Hulkenberg Makes F1 Comeback With Virtual Grand Prix Series It turns out Nico Hulkenberg will compete in an F1 race this season after all. Not for the World Championship and not in an actual F1 car but in close imitation. The German driver announced that he would participate in the upcoming Virtual Grand Prix Series. Yesterday, F1 announced a new Esports event called the Virtual Grand Prix Series as a replacement for cancelled races. All the current F1 drivers are free to participate in the event but so far, the list only includes Max Verstappen. Hulkenberg joins several other motorsport stars...

Modi Ji, aapki leadership bhi kaafi..: Kevin Pietersen reacts to Indian PM’s ‘explosive batsmen’ tweet With the deadly novel coronavirus making its presence felt in India, former England skipper Kevin Pietersen who shares strong ties with Indian cricket fraternity sent a heartfelt message that too in Hindi to win many hearts on social media. Pietersen posted a special message dedicated to the citizens of India in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic that has postponed or cancelled plethora of sporting events across the globe. From the 13th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) to English Premier League (EPL), almost every...

‘Everything in my life started after I bowled Sachin Tendulkar out’: Bhuvneshwar Kumar on the game-changing event in his career From a stubborn teenager who rebelled when his parents didn’t want him to focus on cricket at the cost of his studies, Bhuvneshwar Kumar has undoubtedly come a long way. As one of India’s most reliable pace bowlers, Kumar has everything going for him today. But this wasn’t always the case as Kumar reveals in a tell-all webisode of Cricbuzz’s new show, Spicy Pitch. Kumar started his cricketing journey like any other young Indian— playing gully cricket in his hallway...

James Bond’s Daniel Craig won’t leave his fortune to children after he dies Hollywood star Daniel Craig won’t be leaving his fortune to his children, saying he plans to live life large and then leave what’s left to charity. Craig, who has an estimated $145 million fortune, won’t be giving his children hand-outs, saying his philosophy is to “get rid of it or give it away before you go”, reports aceshowbiz.com. The 52-year-old told Saga magazine: “I don’t want to leave great sums to the next generation. I think inheritance is quite distasteful.” Craig has a 28-year-old daughter from his...