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Hurricane Harvey: Indian Student Dies In US
Hurricane Harvey, which has wreaked havoc in the US state of Texas, tragically claimed the life of an Indian student.
As per police reports, a 24-year-old Indian student, Nikhil Bhatia, a student at the Texas A&M University, has died after he nearly drowned in a swollen lake in Texas. He was rescued from the Lake Bryan, where he had gone swimming along with an Indian girl Shalini Singh, on Saturday. The duo were were brought to the local hospital in a critical condition. While the girl is still battling for her life, Bhatia succumbed to his injuries on Wednesday.
According to Bhatia’s friends, the two were swimming in the lake when a sudden current of water pushed them deeper. Bryan Police officers rescued them and shifted to nearby hospital. Police said that the duo shouldn’t have gone for swimming during such wretched weather.
At least 200 Indian students who were stranded at the University of Houston due to the torrential rains were evacuated to safer places. The students were being provided food and other supplies by the Consulate as well as the Indian-American community in the area.
According to local community leaders, around 100,000 of Indian-Americans, who live in and around Houston, have been badly hit by the hurricane. Around 13 million people in Texas were affected by the catastrophic flooding that turned streets into raging rivers.
KCR’s Appointment to Udaya Bhanu Surprises All
Taking many by surprise, Television anchor and actress Udaya Bhanu has met Telangana Chief Minister KCR at his official residence, Pragathi Bhavan. Accompanying Udaya Bhanu was her husband Vijay. What surprised everyone is the short notice at which she got an appointment to meet the CM.
Apparently, Udaya Bhanu has requested CM to attend the first birthday ceremony of her twin daughters Bhumi Aradhya and Yuvi Aradhya that is going to be held in a grand way at Park Hyatt on September 3. KCR said to have responded positively and conveyed his blessings, best wishes to her kids.
Also, Udaya Bhanu reportedly expressed her willingness to campaign for the government’s developmental and welfare programmes through TV and documentaries. KCR apparently welcomed her initiation towards serving the society.
Cine and TV glamour has always proved to be conducive for political parties. Buzz in political circles is that KCR, who has been planning to rope in some noted TV and film personalities to campaign for his party, obliged when a celeb as popular as Udaya Bhanu voluntarily offered to serve for his party.
Udaya Bhanu is not new to politics. Her father Moinuddin was a noted Communist leader then and he had worked as Sarpanch for three terms in Karimnagar district. In fact, Udaya Bhanu had got feelers from TRS and BJP before 2014 polls. However, the anchor had gently turned down the offer to contest direct elections.
Yet Bhanu has been socially active during Telangana movement and has always raised the concerns of women, girls facing in the society. Not many know that Bhanu aides many girls who were abused and helping them to grow normally in society.
Exit Polls: Another Clean Shave To YCP?
After winning Nandyal by-election with a grand majority of over 27,000 votes, the exit polls indicate that TDP is going to win in Kakinada Municipal elections as well. The election was conducted in 48 wards in 40 divisions.
In 40 divisions, a total of 241 members were in fray. Out of the 48 wards, TDP-BJP (TDP – 39, BJP-9) and YSRCP have contested in all 48 while Congress contested only in 17 wards whereas Communist parties fielded its candidates in 5 divisions. 2,29,373 voters have voted in the election on August 29.
The polling percentage was recorded as over 65 per cent and the counting will be done on September 1st. Yanamala Ramakrishnudu and Nimmakayala Chinnarajappa have monitored the entire poll campaign of TDP.
According to various exit polls, TDP is expected to win 31-34 wards out of 39 wards whereas BJP is likely to win 2-3 wards in the 9 wards it contested while YSR Congress party is expected to win just 12-14 wards out of 48 wards and others could bag 3 to 4 wards.
The exit poll results indicate a clear mandate for TDP-BJP combine and yet another major set back for YSR Congress.
Will Bigg Boss Help Jai Lava Kusa?
In Bollywood, big stars like Salman Khan and Shahrukh Khan leave no single opportunity to promote their films and get the maximum hype before the release. From Karan Johar’s talk show to Jhalak Dhiklaja and other TV shows, they don’t leave any chance that could help them fetch attention. And Tollywood is also growing in that direction these days, as every hero and director are focussing on hefty publicity.
Everyone is now looking at Jr NTR who has won attention through Bigg Boss Telugu version that’s being aired on Star MAA now. He has already got enough attention for his hosting stints and now will he promote Jai Lava Kusa, the Dasara releasing flick, in his own show? Generally, Salman Khan brings his cast and crew to Big Boss and promotes his movies extensively. Now if NTR also wants to repeat the similar feat, it’s not a big deal.
Bringing his heroines and director to the 2-hour show will bring more hype for the film for sure. Later when Jr NTR himself speaks about the movie for at least one week on the show, it will also give a roaring promotional edge. As the budgets of the film are said to have touched around 80 crores, there is a need for fantastic promotions that could easily bail out distributors to shores of profit. For that reason, even some big distributors involved with the movie’s release are said to be requesting Jr NTR to use Big Boss platform effectively. We have to see what he will do.
Directed by KS Ravindra (Bobby), Jai Lava Kusa features Jr NTR in a triple role while Rashi Khanna and Nivetha Thomas are the leadings ladies. Bankrolled by Kalyan Ram, the film has Devi Sri Prasad scoring music.
Pakistan Suspends Talks With US After Trump’s Foreign Policy Speech
Pakistan has suspended talks with the U.S. administration and deferred official bilateral visits in protest against U.S. President Donald Trump’s policy review speech, in which he alleged Taliban sanctuaries in Pakistan.
Two leading English dailies, Dawn and Express Tribune, quoted sources from an in-camera session of the Senate on Monday in which Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif informed the members about the suspension.
Last week, Mr. Asif deferred his planned U.S. visit after Mr. Trump’s speech. Pakistan’s Foreign Office also asked the U.S. administration to reschedule the visit of Assistant Secretary of State Alice Wells and another delegation led by advisor to White House on South Asian affairs Lisa Curtis till a mutually convenient time.
The Pakistani government is expected to convene a special session of the Parliament later this week or early next week to formulate a joint strategy to cope with the situation arising out of Trump’s speech.
Hurricane Harvey Continues Rampage In Texas, 20 Dead
Tropical storm Harvey continued to batter Texas on Wednesday with rain and floods leaving atleast 20 people dead and submerging homes and turning streets, highways into lakes.
Thousands of emergency rescue rescue teams officials remained in their toes, helping people affected by the deluge.
Weather official said parts of state are expected to receive rainfall again.
The remnants of deadly Hurricane Harvey menaced Texas and Louisiana, while a reservoir west of downtown Houston spilled over due to record-shattering rainfall.
Even as officials struggled to determine the storm’s true impact, its scope appears to be staggering.
Officials said that as much as 30 percent of Harris county’s 1,777 square miles of area was underwater on Tuesday.
Officials in Houston were unable to determine the extent of the tragedy caused by the one of the most destructive storms in US history, authorities said it had hit close to home as the first responders are facing seemingly endless flooding.
Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo on Tuesady said that a 60-year-old police officer drowned on Sunday while on duty in the flooded area.
Authorities recovered his body shortly after 8 am on Tuesday, an emotional Acevedo told a news conference.
Police officers in the city have rescued more than 3,500 people so far amid Harvey’s flooding.
The storm’s full impact remains unclear, as Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said officials are “still trying to assess” the number of missing people.
Essential items
At least 20 people have died in storm-related incidents, officials said while warning that the toll could go could rise as they are pursuing reports of people lost in the torrential downpours unleashed since Friday, officials said.
Of the confirmed deaths on Tuesday, at least eight were in Harris County, which includes Houston.
Houston continued to reel under catastrophic flooding coupled with heavy rainfall, even as people stocked up essentials or trudged through water in search of shelter.
The National Weather Service reported that Houston has already received more than 42 inches of rain due to Harvey.
Some parts of Louisiana have also seen more than a foot of rain, and the flash flood warnings were in effect for much of the Lake Charles region as the rainfall is expected to continue.
New Orleans is under a tornado and flash flood watch until tomorrow.
In Texas, one of the two massive storm water reservoirs to the west of downtown Houston began spilling over, despite the US Army Corps of Engineers efforts to release the water as the level in the reservoirs swelled.
The Army Corps of Engineers said that water was spilling out from around the dam gates of the Addicks Reservoir, and officials also said they expect the Barker Reservoir, to the south of Addicks, to also begin overflowing some time today.
Near the Barker dam, helicopters were attempting to rescue families, while some people spent their morning hopping onto jet skis and into boats to help as well.
Officials in Brazoria County, south of Houston, also warned that a levee there had breached its danger level.
The tropical storm continued grinding towards the northeast, with its center expected to be just off the upper Texas coast through last night, the National Hurricane Center said.
The storm is likely to move inland on the northwestern Gulf Coast today.
Governor Greg Abbott said Harvey is one of the largest disasters America has ever faced and warned against expecting anything resembling recovery any time soon, or a return to the way things were.
“We need to recognise it will be a new normal, a new and different normal for this entire region,” he said.
Forecasters said more than a foot of additional rain is still expected to fall through Friday over parts of the Texas coast, and Louisiana. The National Weather Service warned of potential flooding in southern Mississippi as well as southeastern Louisiana.
President Donald Trump along with First Lady Melania Trump arrived in Corpus Christi last morning as he hailed the people of Texas for their efforts.
During a news briefing in Corpus Christi, he said,” This is historic, it’s epic what happened, but you know what, it happened in Texas and Texas can handle anything.”
The president is scheduled to visit the state capital of Austin.
His spokeswoman told reporters on Air Force One that Trump will visit “a different part of the state” on Saturday, while he has also discussed visiting Louisiana on the same day.
The Department of Labor on Tuesday announced that it had approved an initial USD 10 million grant to help with the cleanup efforts in Texas.
Trump on Monday declared “emergency conditions” in Louisiana, and not long before that, federal authorities had warned Harvey could force more than 30,000 people from their homes by the time skies are expected to clear later this week.
Life across Texas is severely affected due to Harvey with hundred of schools shutting down and thousands of people piling into shelters in Houston and other places.
The George R. Brown Convention Center in downtown Houston had taken in 9,200 people as of last morning, Charles Maltbie, a regional disaster officer for the Red Cross, said.
He said the number is nearly double the center’s capacity of 5,000.
The convention center is the evacuation site for all air evacuations and bus evacuations are being diverted to other shelters around the city, he said.
Mayor Turner said that city officials have identified other “mega shelter locations” that will be set up to house people, though he did not name these facilities.
Brazos Fort Bend County Judge John Hebert warned on Monday night that more than a hundred square miles along the river could flood as the river has swollen to unprecedented heights.
“They can guarantee we’ll have a record flood in for Fort Bend County,” he said.
The Fortbend county is home to thousands of Indian-Americans, majority of whom had to leave their homes for safe shelters or be with their friends or community members in safer areas.
The Brazos River, which runs through the county, home to more than 7,16,000 people, has been swelling as the runoff from the storm collects in its banks.
Record rise
The National Weather Service models showed the river rising to 59 feet by Tuesday, topping its previous record of 54.7 feet.
Authorities issued mandatory and voluntary evacuation orders for parts of that area and warned that anyone who ignores mandatory evacuation orders will not be aided by first responders when the waters rise.
But with virtually all the main thoroughfares already closed because of high water, many of the affected residents saw no way out.
Around 6,200 people are currently staying in shelters, having been evacuated from their homes as floods devastated the area and it is thought that a further 30,000 people could need to be given emergency accommodation.
Rescue shelters are reportedly overflowing and officials are desperately seeking alternative venues to house people who have been displaced.
The region received 30 inches of rain in just two days and had a year’s worth of precipitation dumped on it in the space of one week.
Harvey is the most powerful storm to hit Texas in the past 50 years.
Meanwhile, flights “are limited to humanitarian flights and first responder support for Hurricane recovery,” authorities of the two airports in Houston said.
United Airlines, Southwest Airlines, Spirit Airlines and American Airlines each said that they’ve airlifted supplies into or out of the city since Hurricane Harvey hit on Friday.
With those limited exceptions, Houston’s two airports — George Bush Intercontinental Airport and William P. Hobby Airport remained closed for passenger travel.
The Federal Aviation Administration issued flight restrictions over the greater Houston area.
These restrictions cover 1,200 square nautical miles over the city and are intended to keep airspace clear for search and rescue flights, the FAA said.
Upcoming Small Films Hitting Jackpots
Tollywood had a fantastic 2017 so far and many films have been critically acclaimed and they ended up as massive money spinners. Films like Fidaa and Arjun Reddy need not be mentioned specially. The movie left the buyers in hefty profits and they over-performed across the circles of USA.
After the results of these movies, many buyers are in plans to take risk and buy small films that have been carrying interesting stuff. One such movie which is now in production is Mahanati which is based on the life story of legendary actress Savitri. Now the overseas rights of Mahanati have been sold out for a whopping amount of Rs 4.5 crores.
Nirvana Cinemas who recently distributed Anando Brahma and Arjun Reddy recently acquired the rights of Mahanati for such a whopping price. The movie is being made in Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam and is directed by Nag Ashwin. Keerthy Suresh is the lead actress in the movie.
Moto G5s, G5s Plus confirmed to get Android Oreo; when will they get Google mobile OS v8.0 update?
Lenovo-owned Motorola launched two mid-range phones — Moto G5s and G5s Plus — in India on August 29.
The new smartphones, which come with Android 7.1.1 Nougat OS out-of-the-box are eligible to get Google’s latest Android Oreo, Motorola India confirmed on its official Twitter handle.
When actually will Android Oreo come to Moto G5s series?
Though there is no official word on when actually the Android Oreo update will be released to the Moto G5s series, if previous release pattern is taken as any indication, Motorola will first give priority to its current flagship Moto Z2 series and later schedule the software release for Moto G series.
However, Motorola, unlike rivals, doesn’t add any custom interface to the Google’s software source code for its devices. So, the company will waste no time in optimisation of the firmware; it just invites registered users for soak test and once convinced, there no glitches, it will release the Android Oreo to Moto Z2 series models as early as October.
As far as the Moto G5s series is concerned, Motorola is expected to release Android Oreo update before the end of December 2017.
What to expect in Android Oreo update?
Android Oreo brings numerous improvements over the Android Nougat software, such as faster booting time, extended battery life, more fluid experiences to phones, latest security patches via Google Play Protect that automatically checks malware inside all the applications installed on the mobile phone.
Moto G5s, G5s Plus confirmed to get Android Oreo; when will they get Google mobile OS v8.0 update?Motorola India (@motorolaindia) via Twitter
A notable attribute of the Android Oreo is the Rescue Party feature, which helps the device to recover from constant bootloops.
Android Oreo also comes with several new features such as picture-in-picture, which allows users to do two tasks simultaneously, like checking the calendar while planning a party on a Duo video call. And Smart Text Selection improves copy and paste. With the help of machine learning to recognise entities on the screen—like a complete address—users will be able to easily select text they want with a double tap, and even bring up an app like Maps to help during navigation.
Its Unreachable for Baahubali 2!!
When Baahubali 2 decimated every possible box office record and emerged as the highest grosser of India in May this year, fans as well as trade analysts predicted that the records of that epic Telugu film will last for a long time. The release of Aamir Khan’s Dangal however shocked everyone as it snatched the highest grosser title from Baahubali 2 in just about a month.
The collections of Dangal from China alone were higher than the cumulative gross of the film from across the world including India. Since Baahubali 2 hasn’t yet been released in China, fans of the epic costume drama were hopeful of it grabbing back the title from Dangal. Well, going by how remarkably Dangal is performing now in Hong Kong, it seems Baahubali 2 will never be able to touch the Aamir khan starrer.
After creating euphoria at China box office, Dangal was released in Hong Kong last Friday, and it has already minted over HK$ 6 million (5 Cr gross approx.). The number of screens are now being added for Dangal as the film is registering record footfalls. It wouldn’t be a surprise if the film creates history in Hong Kong just like it did in China.
The film was recently released in Turkey, where it earned decent sum. Huge demand is there for the film’s release in Korea and Japan, which is expected to happen in a few months. With Dangal conquering every territory across the world and taking its worldwide gross well past 2 billion dollar, it looks impossible for Baahubali 2 to overpower that sports drama.
Reddy Brings TAC To Fight Against KCR
Professor and Telangana JAC leader M Kodandaram has taken another bold decision in his fight against CM KCR’s ‘dictatorial’ rule in the state.
Spearheaded by him, Kodandaram Reddy constituted a forum calling it Telangana Against Corruption (TAC). The forum will highlight anti people policies adopted by Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao’s government. It will also fight on corruption and sensitize people about the realities of the happenings in the state.
The other members of the forum include advocate and activist of 1969’s Telangana movement K Chandrasekhar, Social activist and senior journalist Zaheer Uddin Ali Khan, former IRS officer, Advocate and activist Vidyadhar Reddy, journalist and author Kingshuk Nag.
This non- political group will also fight against KCR and his family members -son KT Rama Rao, daughter Kalvakuntla Kavitha and nephew T Harish Rao’s dictatorial and their alleged feudalistic rule.
Hero Nikhil’s Wedding With Tejaswini Cancelled!
Hero Nikhil’s wedding has been cancelled. Nikhil was supposed to engaged to girl Tejaswini on August 24, however, the proposal has been mutually dropped after the astrology of bride-to-be and groom-to-be didn’t match. With this, both the families have mutually agreed to cancel it.
Originally, reports had it that Nikhil would engage to Tejaswini on August 24 and would tie the knot in October first week. Apparently, the families had not done proper Astro check then and after realising this, both the families have gently dropped the proposal.
Tejaswini is daughter of well-known businessman Anjaneyulu Yadav who also owns educational institutions. Apparently, Tejaswini happens to be Nikhil’s distant relative.
