With 1,993 more COVID-19 cases reported in the last 24 hours, India's tally of coronavirus cases stands at 35,043 on Friday, said the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The total tally is inclusive of 25,007 active cases, 8,888 patients cured/discharged and one patient migrated. With 73 more deaths in the last 24 hours, the total number of deaths due to the coronavirus rises 1,147.

According to the ministry, Maharashtra has the most COVID-19 cases with 10498 cases including 1773 patients cured/discharged and 459 patients dead. Gujarat is second on the list with 4,395 cases that include 613 patients cured and 214 patients succumbing to the deadly virus. Delhi's tally of positive coronavirus cases stands at 3,515 cases of which 1,094 patients have been cured while the death toll stands at 59.

Goa (seven cases), Tripura (two cases), Arunachal Pradesh (one case) and Manipur (two cases), all patients who were infected by the virus in these states have been cured and no new case has been reported.

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The current doubling rate for COVID-19 cases has improved to 11 days as against 3.4 days before the lockdown was imposed, while the case fatality has been recorded at 3.2 per cent, the health ministry said. Addressing a press briefing, health ministry Joint Secretary, Lav Agarwal said the doubling rate of COVID-19 cases was found to be between 11-20 days in Delhi, UP, Jammu and Kashmir, Orissa, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and Punjab.

Doubling rate between 20-40 days has been seen in Karnataka, Ladakh, Haryana, Uttarakhand and Kerala, he added. In the last 24 hours, 1,718 new cases of COVID-19 were reported, taking the total number to 33,050 in India, he said.

Agarwal further said that the current case fatality rate is 3.2 per cent for COVID-19 in the country, with 65 per cent of it males and 35 per cent females.

No way to withdraw the lockdown: Tripura CM

Dilip Ghosh, Bengal BJP chief

'I was dumbstruck on hearing the CM say that she was not involved in the formation of the death audit committee. The CM says she even doesn't know who all are in the panel. Then who is running the govt? It must be a ghost. Otherwise, she wouldn't have made such a remark'

Biplab Kumar Deb, Tripura chief minister

'We do not find any way to withdraw the lockdown as it is the only viable means to break the chain of the Coronavirus outbreak. It seems we have to continue with the lockdown andwe have to withdraw some restrictions in a phased manner'

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With 2,293 new cases in the last 24 hours, the highest number of cases in a single day, India's COVID-19 tally reached 37,336 on Saturday, including 1,218 deaths, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. As many as 71 deaths were reported in the last 24 hours. Out of the total number, 9,951 people have been cured/discharged/migrated.

In the state of Maharashtra, the number of coronavirus positive cases has crossed the 10,000-mark with at least 485 deaths. The positive cases in Maharashtra has reached 11,506, including 1,879 discharged cases. After Maharashtra, Gujarat has the most number of COVID-19 cases (4,721). The state has reported 236 deaths, while 735 people have been discharged.

The Centre on Friday extended the ongoing nationwide lockdown for two more weeks with effect from May 4 till May 17 while allowing different sets of relaxations in red, orange and green zones.

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With 2,644 more COVID-19 cases and 83 deaths in the last 24 hours, the number of people infected from coronavirus in the country has reached 39,980 including 1,301 deaths, said the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Sunday.

Currently, there are 28,046 active cases while 10,633 COVID-19 positive patients have been cured/discharged. The coronavirus cases in Maharashtra have reached 12,296, including 2,000 discharged cases and 521 deaths.Gujarat is in second place with 5054 coronavirus cases. The state has reported 262 deaths, while 896 people have been discharged.Delhi's count stands at 4,122 of which 1,256 patients have recovered, while 64 patients have lost their lives.

While Tamil Nadu's COVID-19 figure stands at 2,757 with 1,341 patients recovered and 29 fatalities, Rajasthan has reported 2,770 cases of which 1,121 has recovered and 65 patients are dead.Madhya Pradesh has reported 2,846 positive cases so far of which 624 patients have recovered and 151 patients have lost their lives due to the virus. In Uttar Pradesh, as many as 2,487 people have confirmed COVID-19, of which 689 recovered and 43 people succumbed to it.

In Kerala, which reported the country's first COVID-19 case, 499 people have been detected positive for coronavirus.

The Centre on Friday extended the ongoing nationwide lockdown till May 17, while allowing different sets of relaxations in red, orange and green zones.

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Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan on Sunday said that India's COVID-19 mortality rate of 3.2 per cent is the lowest in the world and over 10,000 coronavirus patients have been discharged from hospitals after recovering from the disease so far.

Today more than 10,000 COVID19 patients have been discharged. Those still admitted at hospitals are on the road to recovery. If in last 14 days doubling rate was 10.5 days, then today it's around 12 days.Our mortality rate of 3.2% is the lowest in the world: Union Health Minister pic.twitter.com/YnQpnJ9IeJ

— ANI (@ANI) May 3, 2020

"Today more than 10,000 COVID-19 patients have been discharged. Those still admitted at hospitals are on the road to recovery. If in last 14 days doubling rate was 10.5 days, then today it is around 12 days," the Minister told ANI after visiting Lady Hardinge Hospital.

"Our mortality rate of 3.2 per cent is the lowest in the world," he said. With 2,644 more COVID-19 cases and 83 deaths in the last 24 hours, the number of people infected from coronavirus in the country has reached 39,980 including 1,301 deaths, said the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Sunday.

Currently, there are 28,046 active cases while 10,633 COVID-19 positive patients have been cured/discharged.

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India's count of COVID-19 cases has reached 42,533, including 1,373 deaths, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Monday.

2,553 more coronavirus cases were reported and 72 people succumbed to the infection in the last 24 hours.

Currently, there are 29,453 active cases while 11,706 COVID-19 positive patients have been cured/discharged and one migrated.

Maharashtra has the highest number of cases with 12,974, followed by Gujarat with 5,428 cases and Delhi with 4,549 cases.

The country is under lockdown till May 17 to curb COVID-19 cases.

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Indian Navy joined the entire nation to express gratitude and salute the Corona Warriors on Sunday May 3rd, 2020. Expressing gratitude and appreciation of the entire nation - while representing the Indian Armed Forces - towards the determination and committed efforts of our Corona Warriors - the medical professionals, health workers, policemen, government staff and media, for their relentless efforts against COVID-19 through a number of activities on ground, in air and on water.

On Land

Station Commanders & Senior Naval Officers across the three Commands (Western, Southern and Eastern Naval Commands) and in Andaman and Nicobar Command met the Health Care professionals, policemen, sanitation workers and other frontline Corona Warriors to convey the appreciation on behalf of the Indian Navy and applauded their efforts in successfully treating the COVID 19 patients and also thanked for their relentless efforts.

Human Word Chain: 1500 Indian Navy personnel at INS Hansa, Goa expressed their appreciation by forming a Human Word Chain and thank the Corona Warriors.

Naval Band: Earlier in the day, the SNC band played some famous numbers on a warship berthed opposite the Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) and near the Vikrant-Venduruthy Bridge, epochal landmarks of Kochi. Naval Bands also performed onboard Ex-Viraat in Mumbai and in Visakhapatnam Harbour.

Air

Kochi: As part of the Thanksgiving gesture, Chetak helicopter of the Navy showered flower petals on the District Hospital in Kochi. Subsequently, 07 aircraft flypast consisting of 02 Dornier aircraft, 01 SeaKing helicopter, 02 Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) and 02 Chetak helicopters of Indian Navy was conducted over the city's renowned landmark, Marine Drive which was immediately followed by steampast by 07 Fast Interceptor Crafts of the Navy, in the channel, displaying a banner thanking the Corona Warriors.

Vizag: A Chetak helicopter from INS Dega showered flower petals over Andhra Medical College, Govt Hospital for Chest and Communicable Diseases (GHCCD) and GITAM Institute of Medical Sciences and Research (GIMSR).

Mumbai: Indian Navy Chetak helicopter carried out flypast with showering of petals over Kasturba Gandhi hospital and Asvini Naval hospital in Mumbai.

Goa: Indian Navy Chetak helicopter carried out flypast with showering of petals over Goa Medical College and E.S.I Hospital (along with ICG Helps).

Andaman & Nicobar Islands: Indian Naval aviation assets carried out fly past along with the Air Force and Coast Guard across various parts of Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

At Sea

Eastern Naval Command. INS Jalashwa and INS Savitri on their Mission Based Deployments saluted the Corona Warriors for their relentless fight against the COVID pandemic while at sea Western Naval Command.

Indian Navy personnel in Arabian Sea onboard Mission Deployed ships expressed their appreciation and thanked the Corona Warriors for their unwavering commitment in the fight against corona.

Indian Navy personnel onboard INS Vikramaditya off Karwar expressed their appreciation by forming a Human Word Chain in thanking the Corona Warriors.

Southern Naval Command. Steampast by 07 Fast Interceptor Crafts of the Navy, in the channel, in Kochi displaying a banner thanking the Corona Warriors.

Illumination of Ships at Anchorage

The day's events culminated with 25 Indian Naval warships across nine port cities including those in Andaman & Nicobar Islands carryied out illumination along with firing of flares and sounding of sirens from 7:30 PM onwards.

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The total number of COVID-19 cases in the country climbed to 46,433 on Tuesday morning, the Union Health Ministry said.

Of the total cases, 32,138 are active, 12,726 people have recovered, and 1,568 have succumbed to the disease.

Maharashtra remained the worst-hit state with the total number of cases rising to 14,541 and 583 deaths, though 2,465 people have recovered from the deadly virus.

Gujarat has reported 5,804 cases so far followed by Delhi with 4,898 cases, according to the Health Ministry data.

The other states which have seen a sharp rise in cases are Madhya Pradesh (2,942), Rajasthan (3,061), Tamil Nadu (3,550) and Uttar Pradesh (2,766).

Maharashtra has the highest number of fatalities, among all the states, followed by Gujarat with 319 deaths, Madhya Pradesh 165, Rajasthan 77 and Delhi 64.

Among other major states, Andhra Pradesh has reported 1,650 cases and 36 deaths so far, Bihar 528 cases and four deaths, Haryana 517 and six deaths, Jammu and Kashmir 726 cases and eight deaths, Karnataka 651 and 27 deaths and Kerala 500 cases with four deaths.

The states which have reported less than 10 cases are Tripura, Mizoram, Puducherry, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh.

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India, which was not manufacturing even a single personal protective equipment (PPE) kit, has now achieved an almost unrealistic goal of producing 2.06 lakh PPE kits daily within two months after the coronavirus outbreak. The highest single-day production of PPE kits, around 2.06 lakh kits, was recorded on May 2. However, on average, domestic production is about 1.5 lakh per day.

A PPE kit consists of mask, eye shield, shoe cover, gown and gloves, which doctors and healthcare workers wear during the treatment of COVID-19 patients. "It is very comforting to us that our in-house PPE kit production is increasing fast. On May 2, the country recorded maximum production of protective gears of about 2.06 lakh manufactured in a single day," a senior Health Ministry official told ANI.

"Earlier, there was no domestic manufacturing of PPE kit in the country and almost all of them were imported. Within a short span of time, India has been able to increase the daily production of PPE kits to about 1.5 lakh," he said. "In January, there were only 2.75 lakh PPE kits (imported ones) available in the country. As of today, we have about 15.96 lakh PPE kits in the centre-state buffer stock," added the official.

The government has identified at least 110 domestic manufacturers of PPE kits in the country. However, only 52 companies are manufacturing PPE kits right now. Companies like Alok Industries, JCT Phagwara, Gokaldas Exports, Aditya Birla, etc., are some of the domestic PPE kits manufacturers. The Union Health Ministry official added: "As of now, the Central government has distributed about 21.32 lakh PPE kits to the Centre and state-run hospitals. At least 15.96 lakh PPE kits are in the Centre State buffer stock."

Recently, the Empowered Group-3 of the Central government had informed that the total projected demand of PPE kits till June 2020 would be 2.01 crore. Orders for 2.22 crore PPE kits have already been placed, of which orders to the tune of 1.42 crore have been placed with the domestic manufacturers and 80 lakh PPE kits are being imported.

Some government institutes like South India Textile Research Association (SITRA), Defence Research & Development Organization (DRDO) and Ordnance Factory Board are at the forefront of developing new technologies, materials, and testing facilities. DRDO has also developed new PU coated nylon/polyester for supply to domestic manufacturers/

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The total number of novel coronavirus cases in India mounted to 46,711, the Union Health Ministry said on Tuesday. In an evening update, the Health Ministry said of the total cases, 31,967 are active cases, and 1,583 have succumbed to the disease. However 13,160 people have recovered so far.

Total number of #COVID19 positive cases in India rises to 46,711 including 31,967 active cases, 1,583 deaths, 13,160 cured/discharged and 1 migrated: Ministry of Health and Family Welfare pic.twitter.com/xbeWihMr6H

— ANI (@ANI) May 5, 2020

The total number of deaths suddenly saw a spike in West Bengal. The Ministry said the total toll reported from West Bengal was 133. It was 61 on Monday. Earlier at a presser, Joint Health Secretary Lav Aagarwal had said that states should report on time about the number of cases and fatalities in order to ensure better management of cases.

Maharashtra continued to top the chart with a total 14,541 cases followed by Gujarat with 5,804 cases and Delhi with 4,898 cases. Other states which saw a surge in cases are Madhya Pradesh (3,046), Tamil Nadu (3,550), Rajasthan (3,061), Rajasthan (3,061) and Uttar Pradesh (2,859). States which reported over a thousand cases are Andhra Pradesh (1,717), Punjab (1,233), Telangana (1,085) and West Bengal (1,259).

States which saw a significant number of cases are Bihar (529), Haryana (517), Jammu and Kashmir (726), Karnataka (659), Kerala (500), Odisha (170), Chandigarh (102) and Jharkhand (115).

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The number of COVID-19 cases in the country reached 49,391, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Wednesday morning. This includes 33,514 active cases, and 1,694 deaths due to the infection so far.

However, 14,182 persons have been cured and discharged so far, according to the Health Ministry. One patient has migrated. Maharashtra with 15,525 cases is the worst-affected state, while Gujarat with 6,245 cases is second on the list.

Delhi with 5,104 COVID-19 cases is the third most-affected by the infection.

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Reliance Industries' Chairman Mukesh Ambani has been ranked 17th in the latest world billionaires list by Forbes with a net worth of $44.3 billion – once again leading the tally from India's perspective.

Mukesh Ambani chairs and runs $88 billion (revenue) oil and gas giant Reliance Industries, among India's most valuable companies. Reliance Jio has signed on more than 340 million customers by offering free domestic voice calls, dirt-cheap data services, and virtually free smartphones, said the report.

The next Indian on the 34th annual list -- veteran Mumbai investor Radhakishan Damani who is touted as India's retail king after the March 2017 IPO of his supermarket chain DMart – is at a distant 65th position with a net worth of $16.6 billion.

Damani got into retailing in 2002 with one store in suburban Mumbai and has been unstoppable since. His property portfolio includes the 156-room Radisson Blu Resort in Alibag and a popular beach-front getaway close to Mumbai, according to the report.

At 114th position, HCL Technologies Founder Shiv Nadar is worth $12.4 billion. One of India's leading philanthropists, Nadar has donated $662 million to his Shiv Nadar Foundation.

While Hinduja brothers are at 116th position with $12.2 billion net worth. Srichand and Gopichand live in London and Prakash resides in Monaco while the youngest sibling Ashok oversees their Indian interests from Mumbai. At 138th position, Uday Kotak is worth $10.7 billion. His Kotak Mahindra Bank is now among India's top four banks in the private sector, boosted by its 2014 acquisition of ING Bank's Indian operations.

In January this year, the bank reached an agreement with the Reserve Bank of India over the issue of reducing Kotak's stake in the bank to 26 per cent. Telecom tycoon Sunil Mittal is at 154th position with $9.5 billion net worth. Bharti Airtel today is among India's largest mobile phone operators with more than 418 million customers.

Others in the latest list are Cyrus Poonawalla who is founder of Serum Institute of India (at 161th position with $9.2 billion net worth), Gautam Adani at 162th position with $9.2 billion net worth and steel tycoon Lakshmi Mittal with $8.9 billion net worth at 170th spot, among others.

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The total number of COVID-19 cases in the country mounted to 52,952 on Thursday evening, with 3,561 new cases and 89 deaths in the last 24 hours, the Union Health Ministry stated. Of the total cases, 35902 are the active cases, 15266 people have recovered, and 1,783 people have succumbed to the disease.

Maharashtra remained the worst hit state with a total number of cases rising to 16,758, followed by Gujarat which reported 6,625 cases and Delhi with 5,532 cases, according to the Health Ministry data.

Maharashtra has also recorded 651 deaths, the highest number of casualties among all the states.

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The Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) kits developed by the Indian Navy has obtained clearance certification for mass production, a top naval officer said on Thursday.

The PPE kits designed and produced by the Indian Navy were tested by the Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences based in Delhi, a DRDO organisation tasked with testing and certification of PPE. They have now been certified to be mass produced and used in clinical Covid-19 situations.

Personal Protective Equipment designed&produced by Indian Navy has been tested by Institute of Nuclear Medicine &Allied Sciences Delhi, a DRDO organization tasked with testing&certification of PPE. It is now certified to be mass-produced&used in clinical #COVID19 situations: Navy pic.twitter.com/7TbD0AkvoT

— ANI (@ANI) May 7, 2020

Shortage of PPE kits during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic is of serious concern as it imperils the well-being and availability of the healthcare workforce, apart from adversely impacting their security and morale.

The PPE is required to meet stringent criteria on testing and the benchmarks of the same are set by the ICMR and the Union Health Ministry.

A team formed by the Innovation Cell, Institute of Naval Medicine, Mumbai, and the Naval Dockyard, Mumbai, collaborated to design and produce the PPE kits.

"The PPE passed with 6/6 synthetic blood penetration resistance test pressure (GoI mandates minimum 3/6 and above level as per ISO 16603 standard). It is thus certified to be mass produced and used in clinical Covid-19 situations," the force said in a statement.

The force also said that the cost for this PPE is significantly lower than the commercially available ones.

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India's fatality rate of COVID-19 patients is 3.3 per cent and recovery rate 28.83 per cent but the number of cases rose by a steep 3561 taking the total count beyond the 50,000 mark to 52,952. Of the total number of cases, 35,902 are active cases, 15,266 cured or discharged and 1,783 persons have died. While 3561 new confirmed cases have been added since yesterday, 1084 patients have been cured.

Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Thursday held a meeting today with Health Ministers of Uttar Pradesh and Odisha, and senior officials from both Centre and the states to review the situation, actions being taken and preparedness for management of COVID-19.

He said that as on May 7, a total of 52,952 cases have been reported from the country. He noted that in comparison to other countries, India is in a better condition as the fatality rate is 3.3 per cent and recovery rate is 28.83 per cent.

The minister said that 4.8 per cent patients in ICU, 1.1 per cent on ventilators and 3.3 per cent on oxygen support of the active cases. The testing capacity has increased in the country and it is 95,000 tests per day. Cumulatively, 13,57,442 tests have been done so far for COVID 19. There are 180 districts with no new cases in less than 7 days, 180 districts with no new cases in 7-13 days, 164 districts which have not had any new case in 14- 20 days and 136 districts with no new cases since the last 21-28 days.

In view of the increase in the number of migrant labour expected to reach their native states in the days to come, Harsh Vardhan noted that robust strategy and mechanism need to be drawn up for their testing, quarantine, and treatment of the positive cases.

States were also informed that helpline number 104 in addition to 1075 can be used for grievance redress for non-COVID essential services. They were advised to take adequate measures for prevention of vector diseases. AIIMS-Delhi Director Dr Randeep Guleria said that as per the modeling data and the way India's COVID-19 cases are increasing, it is likely that peak can come in June and July. Maharashtra continues to have the highest number of cases in the country at 16,758 followed by Gujarat (6,625) and Delhi (5,532)

No new case of COVID-19 has been reported in Kerala on Thursday and the total number of active cases stands at 25. The Union Health Minister and Minister of State for AYUSH Shripad Yesso Naik jointly launched clinical research studies on Ayurveda interventions as an add-on to standard care to COVID 19 situation and AyushSanjivani application.

Vice President and Chairman Rajya Sabha M. Venkaiah Naidu held a meeting with Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and discussed the situation regarding COVID19 disease in the country and role being played by members of Parliament. Naidu and Birla also discussed the issue of feasibility of various committees of Parliament holding their meetings at the earliest in the prevailing situation. They felt that if the situation does not allow regular conventional meetings of the committees in the near future, alternative means of enabling such meetings may be explored.

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Late on Thursday evening, nearly 350 Keralites from Abu Dhabi and Dubai arrived at Kochi and Calicut International Airport, in the first batch of repatriated stranded Indians in UAE.

Three special Air India Express flights left for Abu Dhabi and Dubai to bring them back. "As per the state health department directives, all passengers will be screened and have to undergo compulsory quarantine / isolation for 14 days, a regular check up and a swab test. If someone has COVID-19 and shows symptoms within the first seven days, they will be shifted to the district (Ernakulam) Medical College for treatment. Those who show negative results will be allowed to go home, but must complete remaining seven days of quarantine at home and health officials will contact them regularly to check on symptoms," explained a senior health officer from State Health Ministry.

Hari Krishna Namboothiri, CEO, Department of Non-Resident Keralites Affairs, (NORKA) informed mid-day, "We are anticipating around 3,000 Indians to return to Kerala. Early Friday morning we are expecting another Air India Express flight to get around similar number of (177) passengers excluding crew to arrive from Riyadh to Calicut."

When asked about the three warships which have headed to the Maldives and Dubai, Hari Krishna said, "The Naval warship will leave from the Maldives by Friday and we are expecting them to reach Kochi within two days. We haven't got the entire list of passengers coming by ship, so far we have 500 peoples' names, and the number might go further up, which will be clear by Friday. Passengers repatriated through both the air and water ways mode of transport, will be quarantined and so far we have got around 4.50 lakh requests registered on our portal.

Dr Prasanna Kumari, Superintendent Aluva Government Hospital said, "We are a 227-bedded hospital but not a COVID-19 designated hospital. We have made arrangements for suspected cases, for which nine single bed isolation rooms are ready, also in case any of the suspects require hospital support, we will shift them to Ernakulam Medical College, which is a COVID-19 designated hospital in the district."

" We can easily arrange for 350 beds, and have 30 to 40 isolation rooms for suspected cases, and a similar number of beds in the ICU, with nearly 30 ventilator support facilities. Only those passengers who show COVID-19 symptoms will be transferred to our medical college for further line of treatment," said Dr Peter Vazhyail, medical superintendent at Ernakulam Medical College.

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With a surge of 3,390 new cases and 103 new fatalities, the total tally of novel Coronavirus cases in India stood at 56,342 on Friday, the Union Health Ministry said. Of the total cases, 37,916 are active while 1,886 people have lost their lives. A total of 16,593 though have recovered as India undergoes the third-phase of the nation-wide lockdown. The total tally also includes 111 foreign nationals and one migrated patient, said the Health Ministry.

Maharashtra continues at the top of the tally with 17,974 cases and 694 fatalities, while 3,301 people were cured in the state. It is followed by Gujarat with 7,012 cases and 425 deaths and 1,709 recovered. There are at least 5,980 cases in the national capital with 1,931 recoveries and 66 deaths. Other states which saw an increased number of cases are Tamil Nadu (5,409), Rajasthan (3,427), Madhya Pradesh (3,252) and Uttar Pradesh (3,071).

States which have reported more than thousand cases are Andhra Pradesh (1,847), Punjab (1,644), West Bengal (1,548) and Telangana (1,123).

While Goa conyinues to be Corona-free, in the Northeast it is Tripura that surpassed Assam and now has 65 cases as Assam reported 54 cases. Other NE states that have reported COVID-19 cases are Meghalaya (12) Manipur (2), Mizoram (1) and Arunachal Pradesh (1).

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Total number of Covid-19 cases in the country mounted to 59,662 on Saturday, with 3,320 cases and 95 deaths reported in the last 24 hours, the Union Health Ministry said. Of the total, 39,834 are active cases, 17,846 people have recovered, and 1,981 people have succumbed to the disease. Maharashtra remained the worst hit state with a total number of cases rising to 19,063, followed by Gujarat which has reported 7,402 cases. Delhi has reported 6,318 cases and Tamil Nadu 6,009 cases, according to the Health Ministry data.

Maharashtra has also recorded 731 deaths so far, the highest number of casualties among all the states. Other states which have jumped the 3,000 mark are Madhya Pradesh (3,341), Rajasthan (3,579), Tamil Nadu (6,009) and Uttar Pradesh (3,214). Among other major cities, Andhra Pradesh has reported 1,887 and 41 deaths, Bihar stood at 571 cases and five deaths, Haryana at 647 and eight deaths, Jammu and Kashmir at 823 cases and nine deaths, Karnataka at 753 and 30 deaths and Kerala was docked at 503 and four deaths.

States which have reported less than 10 cases are -- Tripura, Mizoram, Puducherry, Manipur, Goa and Arunanchal Pradesh.

On the global front, the total number of cases are about to touch four million mark and over two lakh people have died due to coronavirus till now.

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Comedian-actor Tim Brooke-Taylor has died after contracting coronavirus, his agent said. He was 79 years old. Brooke-Taylor was a regular panellist on BBC Radio 4's "I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue" for over 40 years and became popular with "The Goodies" on TV in the 1970s.

Brooke-Taylor began his acting career at Cambridge University. He was even part of the TV show "At Last The 1948 Show", where he starred alongside John Cleese and Graham Chapman.

"It has come as devastating news to hear that Tim has succumbed to this dreadful virus a" especially when we all thought he was recovering. Tim was a delightful man and never anything but great company," said comedian Jack Dee, who hosts "I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue", reports thesun.co.uk.

"It has always been one of the great joys of my career to work with someone who was part of the comedy landscape of my childhood. "I can't bear the thought of introducing 'I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue' without being able to say 'And on my right, Tim Brooke-Taylor'. Tim brought a unique quality to Clue. He was a proper team player, very generous as a performer, never egotistical and always more than delighted to set himself up as the b**t of the joke. For me, his great comedy gift was playing the injured innocent and he did it with brilliance and a characteristic lightness of touch."

RIP the delightful and brilliant Tim Brooke-Taylor. x pic.twitter.com/TjSzPJIXeK

— Jack Dee (@TheRealJackDee) April 12, 2020

"It's always heartbreaking to lose a loved one, but these times have created the cruellest of circumstances for that to happen in and my thoughts are with his wife Christine and all his family," Dee said.

Comedy writer Simon Blackwell tweeted: "Heartbreaking news about Tim Brooke-Taylor. Filled so many people's childhoods with massive laughs, and then kept doing so for decades afterwards. Condolences to his family and friends."

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Filmmaker James Gunn recently revealed that neither of his upcoming movie -- 'Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol 3 nor 'The Suicide Squad' will be affected by delays due to the coronavirus crisis.

One of the director's fans in a question-answer session on the Twitter asked about the possibilities of pushing ahead 'Guardians of the Galaxy' vol 3, to which Gunn on Sunday replied: "Right now the plans with Vol 3 are also exactly the same as they were before coronavirus."

In another reply, the 53-year-old said: "Right now there's no reason for #TheSuicideSquad release date to move. We are on or ahead of schedule. We were extremely fortunate to wrap shooting & set up editing from our homes (due to a post-production team & studio with foresight) before quarantine."

The upcoming movie is a sequel to the original 2016 released 'Suicide Squad.'

Actors Margot Robbie, Joel Kinnaman, and Viola Davis will reprise their roles in the film alongside new cast members Taika Waititi, Peter Capaldi, Idris Elba, John Cena, Storm Reid, Pete Davidson, David Dastmalchian and Daniela Melchior.

The original 'Suicide Squad' was a box office success, grossing USD 746.8 million worldwide. The upcoming fantasy-action is expected to hit theatres on August 6, 2021.

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We're asked to first wait at the Breakout Room, before being led to the Vetting Room (have spelt that right). After quite a few minutes, finally, allowed in to the Interview Suite. Felt like going past check-in, through security, into immigration.

Except, this passage to the Hollywood home of Australian-born superstar Chris Hemsworth — globally, best-known as the superhero Thor — with various check-points in place, is happening over Zoom, the video-conferencing app. There's a posse of international press logging in at their designated time-slots, from respective homes, across the world. All of them, like Hemsworth at his place, it appears, are living under lockdown, due to COVID-19 spread/scare.

"If you think about it, what we're doing is unbelievable," says Sam Hargrave, referring to the unusual manner of this junket. This is before formal conversations begin, with a moderator rotating questions, as per a pre-decided order. Everyone but the specific questioner's microphone is on mute. No doubt, these are extraordinary times.

Chris Hemsworth and Sam Hargrave (encircled) during the interview  

Hargrave, placed in the window to my right, is the director of the Netflix film Extraction, starring Hemsworth, that drops on April 24. If it wasn't for the pandemic, they'd both have been in Mumbai promoting this film. Which is where I am. And where, along with Ahmedabad, mostly, Extraction was shot.

What was that like? Hemsworth offers the common adjectives — life, energy, people, positivity —that the uninitiated usually refer to mean an overwhelming experience, which India, without a national curfew, can certainly be. He recalls, "The [crowds] couldn't have been more accommodating, supportive — thousands of people standing in buildings and bridges, watching and applauding. The shoot felt like being in a coliseum, or live theatre!"

For Hargrave though, besides sanity, there was also the question of maintaining safety: "We were doing intricate action sequences, with cars flying over locked-up streets, at 50 miles per hour. [At any point in time], you'd have 300 people for security personnel alone, to make sure no one got hurt."

A working still of Extraction

Hargrave is one of Hollywood's top stunt-coordinators, with films from the Marvel Cinematic Universe under his belt, including the Avengers blockbusters directed-produced by (Anthony and Joe) Russo Brothers.

Extraction however is Hargrave's first film as director, and evidently furthest from his comfort zone, given its setting to start with: "Joe Russo, who wrote the script, actually set the film in Dhaka [Bangladesh] and India. Because western audiences haven't seen much of that side of the world. It offered lots of opportunities, visually."

Directing, as a job, is challenging enough. Double whammy for the debutant was, as he puts it, "Directing actors in two different languages — Hindi and Bengali. Neither of which I speak! We had an interpreter with us. But because of the prep we'd put in during rehearsals, while I couldn't understand what they were saying [in the dialogue], I could tell the intention.

Randeep Hooda

"I knew when we'd nailed a take. And if something was off, I knew if we'd missed a line. With cinema, you can tell the scenario. Especially with action — once you've set up the hero and the villain, and they're at odds — the film speaks for itself."

One of the major Indian actors Hargrave directed for Extraction was Randeep Hooda, who comes up rather often in this conversation, as Hemsworth specifically refers to the "major [fight scene], involving hand-to-hand combat. It was so exhausting for both [Randeep and I]. Yet, when you've got an actor who's putting in a 110 per cent, neither of you is willing to quit, it's the best."

Which gives you fair sense of the film's genre — sort of a pure, street-style actioner in the old-world, Western mould. Hemsworth elaborates, "[It's] everything they used to do in the '80s and prior, [without] relying on special effects and green screen, because you couldn't. It was refreshing and rewarding to shoot like that."

Hargrave recalls, "When Randeep and I met, we spoke about the characters, relating them to the classic Westerns — Once Upon a Time in the West, The Good the Bad the Ugly..." Randeep has come again — maybe we could go further on that route (him and I went to the same school).

Or talk more about other Indian actors Hemsworth was referring to hanging out a lot with, while he was here. Or, perhaps mildly pick his brains on his last huge release, Avengers: Endgame — hugest one in the history of films!

Oh, I'm on mute. Chatting on a screen through a moderator is at best interviewing an interpreter, with a dysfunctional hearing aid. Feels rather distant. Upside? Could casually roll out of bed in boxers in Bombay, find myself seated opposite Thor for a few minutes, and then back to bed again. Done. Hoping it's not the new 'normal' though.

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Actress Cameron Diaz feels parenthood is the best thing that has ever happened to her. In an interaction with Who What Wear CEO Katherine Power, Cameron, who welcomed daughter Raddix with husband Benji Madden, spoke about how her life has changed after becoming a mother, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

"I love being a mother. It's the best, best, best part of my life. "I'm so grateful and so happy and it's the best thing ever and I'm so lucky to do it with Benj and we're having the best time. I'm thrilled. I can't believe it," the actress said. Cameron also shared how she is dealing with life under quarantine.

"I've kinda been living a quarantine life anyhow because I have a three-month-old, three-and-a-half-month. So my life has been completely quiet and still for the last few months. But I was able to have my friends over all the time. And now I just don't see anybody. But it's nice, and I love a bubble and being in the womb of my home with my husband and cooking.But at the same time it's crazy that you can't go out to the world right now," she said.

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Actor Chris Hemsworth found shooting in India "overwhelming" because of the positivity and enthusiasm that he experienced while filming the upcoming Netflix film "Extraction" in the country.

"I loved shooting in India. The people were incredible. I didn't realise how popular the Marvel films were in India. So that was, at times, overwhelming," Hemsworth told IANS during a special video call before the release of his Netflix movie.

"There was such positivity and enthusiasm for all of us and our crew… During shooting, we had hundreds and thousands of people on certain days lining up on the streets and up on top of bridges and in buildings, you know, after every takes, cheering and applauding. I've never experienced anything like it. And as I said, I have such fond memories of India and the people there," he added while recounting his time in India.

Hemsworth shot for the Netflix film in India in 2018. He shot in Ahmedabad and Mumbai. The "Thor" star was scheduled to be in Mumbai on March 16 to promote the film that has been shot in India. The promotional tour was called off due to the global coronavirus outbreak.

Earlier in an interview to IANS, Hemsworth, whose daughter is named India, revealed the reason behind naming his daughter after the country.

"My wife (Elsa Pataky) spent a lot of time in India and that was where the name originally came from," Hemsworth said in that interview, adding: "I love the place and the people. It was sort of intimidating as it was exciting because there were so many people… We felt like rock stars in a stadium. But the warmth and support we got while shooting there, no matter how disruptive we were to their daily lives, it was so good. "

Originally titled "Dhaka", the film also stars Indian actors Randeep Hooda, Pankaj Tripathi, Priyanshu Painyulli, and Rudraksh Jaiswal. It revolves around Tyler Rake (essayed by Hemsworth), a fearless, black market mercenary, who embarks on the most deadly extraction of his career when he is enlisted to rescue the kidnapped son of an imprisoned international crime lord. The film, directed by Sam Hargrave, will release on Netflix on April 24.

Talking about working for a streaming platform for the first time, Hemsworth said: "It's my first time working on a streaming platform. I was excited to do it, strangely enough, you know, it's probably the best place to be at this point.

"We put in, you know, the same amount of commitment and passion and enthusiasm as we would with anything else, whether it was a cinema release or a streaming space. I am beyond proud of the film. From the very beginning, I loved the script. I love the story that we were able to tell and the opportunity to shoot action, unlike anything I'd certainly been a part of before."

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Actor Matthew Perry, best known as Chandler Bing in the popular sitcom "Friends", has been spending some time in kitchen amid the coronavirus lockdown. Taking to social media, Matthew posted a picture of cookies that he baked himself. More than the tempting cookies, it's his caption that grabbed attention of his fans.

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

I made these by the way. Also I’m not wearing any pants. #gettingreadyforsomeseriousnudeeating

A post shared by Matthew Perry (@mattyperry4) onApr 20, 2020 at 6:07pm PDT

Revealing a bit of the trademark Chandler Bing wry humour, Perry wrote: "I made these by the way. Also, I am not wearing any pants. Getting Ready for some serious nude eating," he wrote.

On the work front, Matthew and his other "Friends" co-stars -- Courteney Cox, Jennifer Aniston, Lisa Kudrow, David Schwimmer and Matt LeBlanc -- will be soon seen in a "Friends" reunion special.

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Hollywood star Russell Crowe has revealed that his character, General Maximus Decimus Meridius wasn't initially going to be killed in the 2000 acclaimed hit "Gladiator". Directed by Ridley Scott, the epic historical action drama was co-written by David Franzoni, John Logan, and William Nicholson. Crowe, 56, explained that the script underwent major rewrites weeks before production began as the character surviving in the climax of the film didn't make sense of his story arc.

"That 'My name is Maximus...' speech is basically a suicide note," the actor told Empire magazine. "I remember Ridley coming up to me on set saying, 'Look, the way this is shaping up, I don't see how you live. This character is about one act of pure vengeance for his wife and child, and, once he's accomplished that, what does he do?' "And my joke used to be, 'Yeah, what does Maximus do? Does he end up running a f***king pizzeria by the Colosseum?'" he recalled.

Crowe, who won the best actor Oscar for his performance, said even he was in favour of Maximus dying in the end. "He has a singular purpose, which is to meet his wife in the afterlife and apologise for not being there for her. And that's it," he added. A major draw at the box office, "Gladiator" won four more Oscars at the 73rd Academy Awards in 2001 -- best picture, best costume design, best sound and best visual effects.

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Remember when you used to sit in front of the television with your family to watch your favourite shows? Fighting for the remote and almost crying when you miss the first 5 minutes because of that? Quarantine comes with a lot of free time in our hands. While ongoing shows going on hiatus indefinitely, bring back memories with these shows from the past to keep you company.
Here are 6 on-air shows that will surely bring back all the delightful memories:

Two and a Half Men:

Two and a Half Men follows the life of a hedonistic jingle writer, Charlie Harper, his uptight brother, Alan and Alan's growing son, Jake. Charlie's free-wheeling life is complicated when his brother gets divorced and moves, along with his son, into Charlie's beach-front Malibu house. Aptly named, the series is humorous and entertaining to the T. Watch this eccentric family get through their lives only on Colors Infinity at 7 pm from Monday to Friday.

FRIENDS:

Who doesn't know about this bunch of unconventional friends break all norms to relate the best bond ever? We've all dreamed of having such friends, haven't we? The story follows the life of 6 friends struggling yet having fun as they cope with adulting. Prepare yourself to fall in love with every single one of them only on Comedy Central, Monday to Friday at 7 pm.

The Walking Dead:

Escaping grave danger and trying to stay alive under near-constant threat of attacks from the mindless zombies, colloquially known as "walkers", a group of survivors led by police officer Rick Grimes travel in search of a safe and secure home. Follow their difficult and tedious journey through the trials only on Starworld.

Mike and Molly:

Michael Biggs, an overweight police officer, meets Molly Flynn, a school teacher, at a Chicago Overeater's Anonymous group. Attempting to lose weight, both find themselves developing feelings for the other. Catch their sweet romance and hilarious moments only on Comedy Central, Monday to Friday at 10 pm.

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Spider-Man" actor Tom Holland says his time during the COVID-19 lockdown has been "a little bit productive". Holland, who is in London, opened about how he is being productive when he appeared on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" through video-chat, reports hollywoodreporter.com.

When Kimmel asked how Holland is getting along with his family amid lockdown, the actor joked that there has been a lot of "getting drunk", adding that actor Ryan Reynolds recently sent him a case of "spider-gin".

He then went on to say that he is lucky to be "doing fine" and living in a place that has a nice outdoor space.

Holland then shared that he has been "a little bit productive" and has been writing a screenplay with his brother Harry -- which they have already sent out to producers. He joked that sending the script to people has been nerve-wrecking because they might find out that he's "stupid" or "can't spell anything".

Talking about the disruption to his projects, Holland said that he was in Berlin filming "Unchartered" when the coronavirus pandemic hit. Now, the film will be rescheduled. He will also be shooting the next "Spider-Man" installment in the near future, but he is unsure when.

Amid the ongoing health crisis, Holland is working with The Brothers Trust, a charity set up by his family to raise funds for various causes.

He is also keeping up with his co-stars, and recently Facetimed "Ironman" star Robert Downey Jr.

"Jimmy Kimmel Live!" is aired in India on Star World.

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Veteran actress Julie Andrews says she wants a third part of "The Princess Diaries" franchise to happen soon as she is "getting awfully old". It's been 16 years since the second film in "The Princess Diaries" film opened. The series also stars Anne Hathaway.

During her appearance on "The Talk", the 84-year-old actress opened up about the prospect of a third movie, reports dailymail.co.uk. "It's long been talked about but nothing sort of been on my desk or anything like that. I think I would (do it). I'm getting awfully old and crotchety," she said.

Andrews played Queen Clarisse Renaldi, the ruler of Genovia in "The Princess Diaries", with Hathaway playing her granddaughter, Princess Mia Thermopolis.

The first movie followed the Queen as she groomed the princess to rule the land of Genovia. The movie made on a $26 million budget was a surprise hit. In 2004, Andrews and Hathaway reunited for the sequel "The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement", about Mia preparing for marriage and finding love.

Talking about the franchise, Andrews said: "'I'm not sure if it's the right timing, but I think to work with Annie (Hathaway) would be lovely again. And yeah, sure I would be up for it. I think we should wait if the script comes in just wait for that."

Filmmaker Garry Marshall, who passed away in 2016, directed both movies, with Gina Wendkos writing the first movie and Shonda Rhimes writing the sequel.

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US Ambassador to India, Ken Juster has condoled the demise of Bollywood actor Irrfan Khan who passed away on Wednesday.

"Our heartfelt condolences and prayers go to the family and friends of Irrfan Khan, renowned and respected Indian film actor. He was a true talent in the cinema industry, and his loss will be deeply felt," Juster said in a tweet.

Our heartfelt condolences and prayers go to the family and friends of Irrfan Khan, renowned and respected Indian film actor. He was a true talent in the cinema industry, and his loss will be deeply felt. #RIPIrrfanKhan. pic.twitter.com/OqF4BV2JKf

— Ken Juster (@USAmbIndia) April 29, 2020

The internationally renowned actor passed away at Mumbai's Kokilaben Hospital on Wednesday while battling rare cancer. He was 53. Irrfan was last seen on screen in 'Angrezi Medium'. He was not a part of the film's promotions owing to his ill health.

With critically acclaimed films like 'The Lunchbox' and 'Paan Singh Tomar' to his credit, Irrfan was regarded as one of the finest actors in Hindi cinema.

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Amid the lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic, pop star Selena Gomez has set up a small studio at her home, and is working on new music. The singer took to Instagram to share a picture of her home recording studio, reports dailymail.co.uk.

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

Makeshift studio so I can work from home 🎧🎼🎤

A post shared by Selena Gomez (@selenagomez) onMay 2, 2020 at 12:53pm PDT

In the picture, the 27-year-old is seen sitting on the floor next to her furry slippers in front of a studio, with a professional microphone, mic stand, and insulated walls. She is wearing a grey tee with a pair of dark blue pants, she also has a book with a sketch on one side and another book with notes kept in front of her.

"Makeshift studio so I can work from home" she captioned the image. Recently, during a conversation with Apple Music's Zane Lowe, Gomez revealed her plan to build a home studio.

"Currently I'm actually building this little studio situation and I'm doing it with the people that have been in my house," she said.

"So I'm creating a little station where I'm going to be able to FaceTime with my engineer and some of my producer friends and we're going to try to make some music, which I'm so excited about," she added.

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Oscar-winning actor Russell Crowe on Tuesday took a look back at the movie 'Gladiator' which was released twenty years ago today. The widely lauded movie was released in the US on May 5, 2000, whereas in India the flick hit the theatres on September 1, 2000.

Today we celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the US release of Gladiator. Congrats to Russell Crowe and the entire cast and crew. We can't wait to bring Russell back to the big screen later this year in @UnhingedMovie #WeLoveMovies #SolsticeStudios #UnhingedMovie pic.twitter.com/n5THGq4e9u

— Solstice Studios (@SolsticeStudios) May 5, 2020

The 56-year-old actor took to Twitter and wrote: "20 years ago today Gladiator was released in cinemas in the United States ... Strength and Honour ..."

Helmed by director Ridley Scott, the action drama won the Best Picture and Best Actor award at the Oscars and went on to make USD 460 million at the box office worldwide. 'Gladiator', which released in 2000, featured Russell Crowe as Maximus, a General in the Roman army, who is betrayed by the Emperor and left for dead while his family is brutally murdered.

He is eventually forced to become a gladiator after being captured by slave traders, who lead him back to Rome to fight as a gladiator while he plots his revenge against the Emperor who betrayed him. Crowe has proved his calibre as an actor in movies like 'The Insider, and 'A Beautiful Mind', but the portrayal of Maximus remains one of his finest performances.

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Over petty issues of attending lectures and mass bunking, Pune-based college students got into a fight, which degenerated into a Marathi and non-Marathi issue. On Friday, a 20-year-old engineering student, Anurag Deepchand Kumar, who hails from Bihar, was asked not to attend a lecture by another local student at Bharati Vidyapeeth College of Engineering.

According to senior inspector Vishnu Pawar, "The boy threatened Anurag not to attend the lecture as non-attendance by the whole class would lead to no class." After the initial altercation, Kumar was allegedly beaten up by a gang of five on Saturday within the college premises. Kumar approached the Bharati Vidhyapeeth police station and registered a criminal case. The police have booked a case of assault. After the attack, Kumar was rushed to Bharati Hospital & Research Centre, where he was treated for injuries on his head, hand, leg and toes.

While police claim it was a petty fight and had no connection to any regional bias, students, especially from North India, tell a different story. A friend of Kumar's, on condition of anonymity, said, "The fight was petty, but the local student raised the issue of Maharashtrian and non-Maharashtrians. This is not just about one incident. As North Indians, we face this bias on a day-to-day basis, as few local students abuse us regularly."

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Pune: Weeks after getting Indian citizenship, around 25 Sindhis, who migrated from Pakistan years ago and made Pimpri-Chinchwad their home, had another reason to celebrate when they got an opportunity Monday to cast their votes for the first time. One of them, Rajendra Thakur, migrated to India from Pakistan 37 years ago.

Today, Thakur looked a happy man after voting for the first time in India. The 52-year-old is among nearly around 25 Sindhis from the Pimpri-Chinchwad area, that falls under the Maval Lok Sabha constituency, who voted for the first time. Those who exercised their franchise for the first are among the 45 Sindhis from the city who got permanent citizenship of India early last month.

"It has been over 37 years that I have been living in Pimpri-Chinchwad. All those years, except discussing politics, I could not take part in any democratic process such as election and could not cast my vote. "But today, for the first time, I voted," said an elated Thakur, who is into the business of supplying electrical items. He said several Sindhis have migrated to India from Pakistan over the years for a better future and all of them, including himself, had been living on long-term visas (LTVs) till they became Indian citizens after a prolonged wait.

These visas needed to be renewed after every two years and the process was very lengthy and tedious, he said. Thakur thanked Balasaheb Runwal of 'Mere Apne' Foundation and Pune district collector Naval Kishore Ram for helping in getting citizenship.

"It was Balasaheb Runwal of Mere Apne Foundation, who all those years fought for our cause. Credit also goes to Pune collector Naval Kishore Ram who expedited the process to issue citizenship certificates in March," said Thakur.

"I came to India in 1982 along with my sister when I was 15 as the situation back in Karachi was not good. "When we got the Indian citizenship certificates in March, we felt like winning a long-fought war and I can not express my happiness in words after casting my vote," he added.

Dr Vijay Bulani has a similar story to tell as he, too, was among the voters. "I am very happy that we got a chance to participate in the democratic process of our country," he said. Talking to PTI, district collector Ram said the applications of all these people were pending before him.

"I decided to look into the long-pending issue and expedited the entire process of issuing permanent citizenship certificates by bringing all authorities concerned together. "And in one go, all these people were issued their citizenship certificates," the bureaucrat said. He said while issuing the certificates, the district administration also got them to fill their voter registration forms and it is good that out of 45, 25 people could vote.

Runwal said these people had faced many hardships as they used to run from pillar to post to get their LTVs renewed. "So I decided to take up the issue through my organisation and followed it up with several authorities, including the Union home ministry. In all this process, BJP's Pune MP Anil Shirole helped me," he said.

Runwal said the district collector expedited the entire process to issue the certificates. "Now after these 45 people, there are more 200 applications from the city are in the pipeline and we are sure that all these people will get their permanent citizenship certificates soon," he added.

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Spanish drama Money Heist aka Le Casa De Papel on Netflix has quickly become of the most-watched shows on the streaming giant. From El Profesor to Tokio, fans absolutely love the characters. Bollywood Hungama recently shared the dream cast if Bollywood adapted it as a film.

During a recent interaction with Behindwoods, Money Heist director Alex Rodrigo was asked who would he select from the list of the Indian actors for the Indian version. Alex chose South superstar Thalapathy Vijay for the role of El Profesor whereas he said Shah Rukh Khan would be best suited for Berlin's role. He further said Ajith Kumar could play Bogota, Ranveer Singh as Denver. He wanted Mahesh Babu and Suriya to take on the roles Tamayo and Suarez. Thalapathy Vijay's fans trended 'Money Heist' in India on Thursday night on Twitter.

Created by Álex Pina, Money Heist aka Le Casa De Papel stars Álvaro Morte as The Professor, Itziar Ituño as Raquel, Úrsula Corberó as Tokyo, Miguel Herrán as Rio, Jaime Lorente Lopez as Denver, Alba Flores as Nairobi, Darko Peric as Helsinki, Esther Acebo as Monica, Hovik Keuchkerian, Rodrigo de la Serna, and Pedro Alonso as Berlin.

ALSO READ: From Shah Rukh Khan to Alia Bhatt, here’s the dream cast of Money Heist if remade in Bollywood

Amongst all the tears that are being shed over the deaths of Irrfan Khan and Rishi Kapoor, one presence has been sorely missed. Dimple Kapadia, Rishi’s first heroine in Bobby and his very very close friend has kept out of the tearful tamasha. According to a very close friend of the actress, Dimple has no words to describe her loss. “Chintu was not just her first co-star, they grew up together,” says a close friend of the actress, adding that she is still in a state of denial.

Says the friend, “Dimple has seen a lot of people close to her die. Her own sister Simple Kapadia died painfully of cancer. But this one has hit her really hard. Chintu (Rishi Kapoor) and she remained close over the years. She knew she could lean on him for any problem. He was just a phone call away.”

Interestingly, Dimple also has an ‘Irrfan’ connection. She played his love interest in one of Irrfan’s first films Drishti. Irrfan had told me once how nervous he was when he had to get intimate on screen with a big star like Dimple Kapadia. To this Dimple gave a classic reply, “Sab jhooth. I didn’t notice any nervousness.” Ironically, Dimple was also a part of his last film Angrezi Medium.

Also Read: When Rishi Kapoor, Kamal Haasan and Ramesh Sippy crushed on Dimple Kapadia

Kal Penn who played Irrfan’s son in The Namesake can’t get over the loss. “Irrfan was such an incredible artist. What a loss. It was magical. He was so gracious and giving as an artist and a person.”

Not many know about Irrfan’s wicked sense of humour. Says Kal, “He could be so funny! He had a wonderful sense of humor and I remember his approach to the craft being particularly warm.”

Kal recalls Irrfan as an actor sheared of vanity. “He was friendly. Friendly and down to earth. There was never any attitude with Irrfan, he was so comfortable in his own skin and so fully and truly embodied his character when the cameras were rolling.”

But what according to Kal really made Irrfan special was the way he embraced silences. “I've never worked with an artist who communicates so beautifully without needing to speak. When we would shoot scenes for The Namesake, so often, Irrfan would play beat after story beat with intimacy and in silence that made me immediately at ease and in the moment.”

Kal Penn learnt a lot from watching Irrfan not only while they worked together but also when they didn’t work together. “I learned a lot from working with Irrfan but also from watching him work across different mediums, different languages, and different continents. I will always admire his work more broadly, and to have had that kind of range is so remarkable.”

Kal will remember Irran as an actor who at once no one and everyone. “He was such a commensurate artist whose performances are simultaneously intimate and reflect the humanity in each of us.”

Also Read: 5 Years Of Piku: Deepika Padukone bids farewell to Irrfan Khan with an unseen picture

John Abraham is known for his fitness, his love for bikes and action movies. During the lockdown, the actor has been working out at home regularly. The actor said that the quarantine period is not difficult for him as he has never been the person who goes out.

Talking to a daily, John Abraham said that for him life in quarantine and without is the same. Barring motorcycles and shooting, the actor has never been the person who goes out. He said that he is someone who is not wholly dependent on social media and neither looking at social media to influence his actions. He said that he does not need to validate what he is doing and feels a sense of liberation there.

John Abraham said that creating new content has been on his mind throughout the lockdown. He has been reading a lot and has been in touch with his team constantly in the process of creating good content.

Meanwhile, John Abraham had completed 50 % of the shooting of his upcoming film Attack. He said that he is working with people from South Africa and England and are at the mercy of the international flights and their dates to when they can resume. Mumbai Saga has 3-4 days left, while Satyameva Jayate 2 is to begin.

ALSO READ: John Abraham reveals he will not be comfortable acting in an adult comedy

Indian football team striker Jeje Lalpekhlua has come to the rescue of people in dire need of blood when it is not readily available in Mizoram due to the extraordinary situation arising out of the COVID-19 pandemic. India is under a lockdown enforced to contain the Coronavirus.

"Due to the lockdown blood units are not readily available nowadays. So the hospital connected with the Young Mizo Association is seeking help. The news reached me and I knew immediately what I needed to do," he stated. "You cannot keep quiet and sit idle during such circumstances." He immediately rushed to the Synod Hospital in Durtlang, Mizoram to donate blood.

"Upon receiving the information, we chalked out our plan. We headed to the hospital from the Durtlang branch of YMA. Out of 33 who had reported, 27 were deemed fit to donate," Jeje informed. "It's not about me or someone else, it's about the human race that needs to fight together now, more than ever." The Young Mizo Association (YMA) is the largest non-governmental voluntary organisation which operates primarily in Mizoram and some parts of the other north-eastern states as well.

"It is so satisfying that I have been able to play a minor role. I thank the Almighty for giving me the strength." This is not the first time that Jeje has been involved in philanthropic activities. He has time and again rose to the cause in Mizoram whenever the situation has demanded. "Someone had to stand by them. If a hospital is falling short of blood units, we need to help. We all need to play our part during the crisis. The most difficult part, I understand is to stay at home. But it's very necessary. The longer we stay at home, the faster will India heal," added Jeje.

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The virtual war between WAGs Rebekah Vardy, 38, and Coleen Rooney, 34, is far from over. It is learnt that Rebekah, wife of Leicester City footballer Jamie Vardy, wants a public apology from Coleen, the wife of former England captain Wayne Rooney, for accusing her in October of leaking fake stories to the press via social media.

While both ladies are currently locked in a legal battle, it is learnt that they will have an arbitration meeting on Zoom this week in a bid to avoid a costly court case, reported British tabloid, The Sun.

"Becky [Rebekah] is adamant she's done nothing wrong and has told her team she wants a public apology," an insider told the newspaper. "She was hurt that Coleen went straight on social media to lay the blame at her door, rather than speaking to her privately. She has maintained her innocence throughout and doesn't want this to be brushed under the carpet without Coleen publicly apologising," added the source.

The two used to be good friends before Coleen claimed in October that Rebekah's Instagram account had been leaking false stories to the press. Subsequently, Rebekah endured a lot of abuse on social media.

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Tennis star Sania Mirza on Thursday became the first Indian player to be nominated for the Fed Cup Asia/Oceania Group I Heart Award. Former world number one and multiple Grand Slam winner, Sania, returned to Fed Cup competition for the first time since 2016 and guided Team India with her stunning performance, recording three doubles wins in the Asia/Oceania Group I tournament earlier this year in March. Her performance, along with another senior compatriot Ankita Raina, proved decisive in India's historic qualification to the Fed Cup Play-offs.

Reflecting on her nomination, Sania said the Fed Cup result at the Asia/Oceania tournament is one of the greatest achievements of her playing career. "Stepping on to the court for the first time in India colours was a moment of pride for me, back in 2003. It has been an eighteen-year long journey since then and I feel extremely proud and privileged to have contributed to the success of Indian tennis. The Fed Cup result at the Asia/Oceania tournament last month is one of the greatest achievements of my playing career. These are the moments an athlete plays for and I am grateful to the Fed Cup Heart Awards selection panel for this recognition" Sania said in a statement.

The Fed Cup Heart Award is an International Tennis Federation (ITF) initiative that was established in 2009 to recognize Fed Cup players. This year, six players have been nominated for the three regional Group I Fed Cup Heart Awards. In Fed Cup Heart Award's 11th edition this year, Priska Madelyn Nugroho of Indonesia is the second player nominated from the Asia/Oceania region. They are joined by Anett Kontaveit (Estonia) and Eleonora Molinaro (Luxembourg) from Europe/Africa; Fernanda Contreras Gomez of Mexico and Paraguay's Veronica Cepede Royg from the Americas, as the remaining four regional Group I nominations.

The winners of the Heart Awards will be determined by online voting by fans which will go live on 1st May and will go on until 8th May.

In 2019, Zarina Diyas from Kazakhstan emerged victorious from Asia/Oceania Group I.

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World No. 2 tennis star Rafael Nadal's wife Maria Francisca Perello has revealed that the media often misreport her name and date of birth.

Mrs Nadal indicated that Mery is her real name. Also, her birthday is not on July 7.

Mery has always stayed away from the media glare, but remains in the news for being Rafael's better half.

In a recent interview to Spanish daily La Vanguardia, she said: "Well, nobody around me calls me Xisca. And my birthday is soon, I will surely spend it in confinement. But it is not in July. There is still a little time left…" she was quoted as saying by essentiallysports.com website.

When asked about her interest in sports, she replied: "I exercise a lot, but always just for myself. Never seriously. I have played volleyball, done gymnastics, fitness and lately running. On vacation, I sometimes play paddle tennis with Rafael."

Mery, who is in self-isolation with Rafael in Mallorca, added: "We are confined like everyone else. We were very clear from Day One to train at home. We do rubber bands, push-ups, circuit…at least one hour a day in my case."

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Indonesia is hoping for an "exponential" increase in tourist inflow from India and has set its visitor arrival target at seven lakh from the country in 2018, a senior official from the island nation has said. The country received 485,314 Indian visitors in 2017, which is nearly a 30 per cent rise from the year before, he noted.

With several low-cost airlines providing affordable deals between India and Indonesia, the island country is hoping to make the most of the opportunity, Pupung Thariq Fadhillah, the deputy director in the Ministry of Tourism, Indonesia, said during his recent visit to the city. "The exotic Bali island remains one of the most-favoured destinations for Indian tourists, over 50 per cent of whom enter the country through Denpasar airport in the island," senior tourism official DAL Janapriati said.

Seeking to offer 'Greater Bali' to the travellers, Fadhillah, who led a delegation from Indonesia to promote the country's tourism sector, said the country would also love to introduce ten more destinations to the Indians in the near future. Lake Toba, Tanjung Kelayang, Tanjung Lesung, Seribu Islands, the Borbodur, Bromo-Tengger-Semeru cluster are among the new hotspots in the Indonesian province, Janapriati said. "If we achieve the target of seven lakh tourist footfall from India, the country will rise to the fifth position in Indonesia's tourist footfall ranking, with Japan now at the top," she added.

Taiwan

Those caught up in the hustle bustle of a city life -- and craving for someplace pristine, calm and relaxed -- will fall in love with Taiwan. But along with its tranquillity and peace, there is also the effervescence of a place celebrating its culture and language with aplomb.

This small island nation in the South China Sea is truly the heart of Asia - and it is fast catching the attention of Indian travellers, offering as it does a perfect combo of fabulous food, superb night life, bustling markets, hot springs, culture, history, architecture and stunning natural beauty - from gentle mountains to lovely coastal landscapes.

It was around the Taiwan Lantern Festival 2018 that we landed at Taichung International Airport here to be greeted by our tour guide, the friendly and ever-smiling Charles Tung. And he wanted all of us - a group of travelling journalists - smiling as well. "Say cheese," he said as he got us to pose for a group photo before we embarked on our journey of exploration. And there is much to explore.

"Taiwan has a truly unique natural beauty. There are beautiful places like Sun Moon lake, Yangmingshan National Park, Black Dwarf Cave... to name just a few. These places provide an escape from the chaos of urban living," Noel Saxena, Country Head, Taiwan Tourism Bureau India Office, told IANS. Saxena said Taiwan is also very rich when it comes to art.

"Be it dance, music or even folk art, the Taiwanese have earned critical acclaim with an exceptional display of talent. Taiwanese hand puppetry and Taiwanese opera are two foremost examples of art forms that are authentically Taiwanese, in that they use the Taiwanese language, not Mandarin," he informed.

The Taiwanese love for music and art was evident at Ten Drum Ciatou Creative Park, located in Kaohsiung. Once a sugar processing plant, it is now the hub of a percussion group -- the Ten Drum Percussion Group that has won accolades globally, including a Grammy in the Best World Album category.

While taking a walk around the former factory, we had to take a path made up of the branches of trees... Quite literally, we were walking on trees without fear of falling down -- a unique experience.

Other stops included the Formosan Aboriginal Culture Village, a comprehensive recreational area featuring Taiwanese indigenous people's cultural relics as well as amusement park facilities; and the Sun Moon Lake, situated near Yuchi township, was truly mesmerising. One of the most beautiful alpine lakes in Taiwan, it is shaped like a crescent moon; hence the name.

The Buddha Memorial Centre at Fo Guang Shan is a landmark in the country. Touching 108 metres in height, the Buddha is made up of 1,872 metric tonnes of copper and iron and is currently the world's tallest bronze seated Buddha.

"Taiwan is blessed with natural beauty, scenic areas, great food, astonishing history and culture -- and Taipei 101. This makes it a great destination. It is a destination for all age groups," said Saxena.

The country is home to only about 20 million people and is a technology powerhouse. This was quite evident even at the traditional Lantern Festival - held earlier this month -- where all the work displayed was high-tech.

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Representational picture

New Delhi: With travel bug catching up in India, European countries are a preferred destination for Indians this summer, according to a survey.

Searches were conducted by travel search engine KAYAK.co.in between October 1, 2017 to March 23, 2018 for travel dates between May 5, 2017 and August 31, 2018.

As per the search, Moscow and Istanbul are taking the lead with year-on-year increase in flight searches by 269 and 252 per cent respectively.

Other trendy destinations this summer show that Indians are interested in travelling not only to the well-known European destinations like Spain, Germany and Greece but also to some less conventional ones like Norway, Hungary and even Iceland.

Europeans on the other hand are travelling to Palma Mallorca in Spain the most, followed by London and Lisbon.

Considering the budget, several European locales are emerging as good options for travel from India without burning a big hole in the pocket.

Istanbul, which is also the second top-trending destination, is seeing a price drop as high as 95 per cent compared to the average trip cost.

This is followed by Milan, Italy, with a 37 per cent drop in the average trip cost. With warm weather in Europe, this represents a good opportunity to travel to these European destinations for a summer adventure at a reduced price.

Abhijit Mishra, Director of India and Middle East, KAYAK, said in a statement: "With the summer holiday period quickly approaching, travel planning is on the rise and it was interesting to see how European countries have emerged as the preferred destination for Indians this year."

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The recently-released Emma Stone film, Battle of the Sexes, takes a relook at the debate on gender equality. Four Indian women, all in a minority in their professions, share mantras to come up trumps at the workplace

Go beyond misogyny
Priyanka Kochhar, Model and professional racer
Motorcycling remains a male-centric field. I model for a living so that makes it even stranger for men to see me on a bike. Luckily, I am my own boss but for every motorcycle I ride or event I participate in, I'm usually the lone woman. It used to be intimidating at first because I knew I wasn't as well-read about the technicalities of motorcycles.

But now, after two years of BikeWithGirl [her Instagram account], many male riders have begun to see me as they see their colleagues. I'm happy to note that motorcycle brands treat me the same way they treat male bikers. Maybe my hunger to do this is what they see and not my gender. The way I've tackled misogyny is by going beyond it. It used to rile me up at one point.

But work still has to get done, so I figured there was no point mulling over it. It has been hard, there's no denying it. And yes, there are still some critics but I've received a lot of support as well.

Be proactive at work
Archana Savleram Hadawale, Code-maker and software engineer
I am the only woman in a team of 11 men. I love to accept challenges, and coding offers a new challenge every day, which is why I picked the profession. You press an enter key, and the world changes. I come from a simple family where no one is a post graduate.

It wasn't easy to pick software engineering. My parents weren't supportive at first; they wanted me to get a nine-to-five job and pay attention to household work too. They also didn't want me to stress too much due to a health condition. There is a solution for everything. I meditate to deal with the stress that comes with the job.

If someone says you can't do it, tell him or her, 'Maybe I can't, but I will sit with you to get it done.' Don't wait to get work, ask for it. Whenever I work late, I see to it that there is someone whom I can trust around. Having a good senior helps. Since I don't come from the same social background as my colleagues, my manager provides me guidance to tackle hurdles. In the end, your work will do the talking.

Women must support women
Devita Saraf, Technology entrepreneur
Technology is challenging, engaging and futuristic; it's why I chose this field. I have two challenges, one that I am a woman, and two, I am a leader; people don't take this combination seriously. Whenever I am meet somebody or am at a meeting with a retailer, I show that I am in charge.

Your confidence should be high and your words must carry weight. This helps people take you seriously. It gets difficult in towns and cities outside metros where the older generation might show disregard. But you need to react graciously as they may not have dealt with women in business.

The number of women in technology is increasing; I interact with several female technology graduates but many suffer from parental pressure to choose marriage over career. I push for women in my company; women must support other women. Several department heads in my company, be it corporate sales or R&D, are women. Technology is a good industry for women as you are known for your IQ, and if you walk the talk, men respect you.

Set up pro-women systems
Seethalakshmy Narayanan, Investment banker
The female:male ratio in my company is 10 women to 65 men. However, the men are supportive. It is important for workplaces to set systems in place to help women produce a solid output.

An action as simple as having a peon stay back for the safety of a woman when she is working late makes a big difference. Give your 100 per cent, no one will hold you back.

Steve Vai at 2015 Rock in Rio concert. Pic/Getty images

You visited India 23 years ago. What are your memories?
I came to India as a spiritual soldier. Most people know me as a musician, but perhaps my most focused attention throughout my life has been on spirituality. There was a period I went through when I was researching various eastern philosophies and this brought me to India on several occasions. It was a tremendously rewarding experience.

How did you manage to keep your personal style of music intact?
When I was a kid, I wanted to be a composer and so, I started studying music. But when I was an early teenager in the '70s, I discovered rock music by the likes of Led Zeppelin, Queen, Jethro Tull and Deep Purple. I've always loved the energy of rock music. When the opportunity came to join those bands in the '80s, I felt that a part of my musical sensibilities would work well with them. So, a particular style of my music was used during that time. But when I started doing my solo music more, my innate musical style emerged more powerfully. All the artistes I've worked with in the past have shaped what I do.

How would you describe the journey of your music?
I was very emerged in Zappa and his music while I was working with him from the age of 18 to 23. During that time, I was also writing my own music and, to some degree, it was highly influenced by Frank (Zappa). When I started working on the music of Modern Primitive, it was directly after my Zappa years and there was still much residual leftover Zappa influence in it.

Tell us about your life as a 20-something rock star in the '80s...
Well, it was certainly a good time to be a rock star. We could wear the oddest clothes, had a gigantic stage to run around on and were playing our a***s off! To be honest, I enjoyed it very much. I took great advantage of all the situations, but never lost myself in them. I knew they were all fleeting moments. Dave Roth threw the best parties, though. They were notorious. I saw and discovered things that could fill volumes of books and which you would not believe even if they were written and truthful. Imagine having at your disposal an abundance of fame, drugs, sex, money, etc. But as mentioned, I never got lost in any of it… except perhaps the fame, ha!

Will the heydays of rock ever return?
I don't know what young artistes do backstage anymore, but any time I've been there, they were nothing like what I remember in the '80s. For some, the heyday is now. There is still enough fame, drugs, sex and money to go around that could spin the head of any young artiste. But then again, there seem to be 'rock stars' in every field.

Any Indian musicians you admire…
I was fortunate to do some work with violinist L Shankar in the '80s. He's a phenomenon. I also enjoy the work of Ravi Shankar, Zakir Hussain, U Srinivas, Ali Akbar Khan, Anoushka Shankar and others.

Who are your all-time favourite guitarists and why?
Jimmy Page was my first real guitar discovery and is, in my books, the best arranger, writer and producer of rock music. Allan Holdsworth has an inner ear unlike that of anyone.
Jimi Hendrix. Well, because he's Hendrix. When I heard Al Di Meola play as a teenager, I became aware of the extremes that a human being can achieve in terms of tone and chops.
Brian May has the most identifiable tone and touch. Joe Satriani, he speaks through his guitar in a way that is deeply moving and creative. He is the master of inspired instrumental guitar melody. I could go on and on.

What have you planned for your performance here?
I was happy to discover Mohini Dey, an extraordinarily talented Indian bass player. She played on a track on Modern Primitive called Bop. She's truly a marvel and if everything works out, she will be joining us at the show for a jam. Also, I have a backing video screen that has some of my friends appearing on it, who I will jam with from the stage. They include Joe Satriani, Brian May, John Petrucci, Tommy Emmanuel and Frank Zappa. I want to be connected to the evolutionary impulse of the universe when I play, thus, bringing an experience to the people that is captivating and even shocking.

Steve Vai performs at the Meghalaya (October 28) and Pune (December, date to be announced) edition of Bacardi NH7 Weekender 2017
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An article he had read a little over two years ago changed Rohit Ingle's life forever. It espoused the cause of veganism so persuasively that Ingle says he was convinced overnight to give up eating meat. "I can't remember where I read the article," he confesses. "But it had a very simple line - if you are an animal lover, you can't eat them. If you love someone, how can you be the cause of their misery?" he adds.

Rohit Ingle while flagging off his journey from Ahimsa Fest this week. Pics/Sneha Kharabe

That message is what he now hopes to spread across the country, riding a cycle. Ingle embarked on his epic journey - and it can only be described as that - from Bandra on Thursday, a week ahead of World Vegan Day on November 1. The plan is to cover 19,000 km over one year, stopping not just at different state capitals, but especially in the hinterland. "Hardly anyone in India knows about veganism," he says, adding, "I'll pitch my tent at places like highway dhabas. There, I can interact with the customers and tell them more about what I am doing, hopefully inspiring some of them [to take up veganism] in the process."

Does he feel any apprehension? "Yes, I am nervous, I won't lie about that. But I am motivated by my cause. There are also people who will be there to welcome me at Ahmedabad and Surat initially, and that will hopefully give me further encouragement. So, as the journey goes by, I am sure this feeling will go away."

But, Ingle adds, he's not quite sure about how he will sustain himself financially to get through an entire year. "I have raised `60,000 [of his `3.5-lakh target] through crowdfunding. I have also received money from The Pollination Project, an organisation based in the US that has sponsored me for $1,000. So, I have around `1.3 lakh and can easily start my journey for at least three to four months."

After that, he hopes to keep going till November 2018, inspiring as many people as possible along the way. "See, the message is very simple - if you want to eat meat or wear animal products, an animal that doesn't want to die is definitely going to be killed. So, you have to keep that in mind."

Ahead of her first trip to India, biker Leslie Porterfield, the world's fastest woman on two wheels, relives her record, worst crash and the growing number of Indian women on the riding circuit

At 16, Texas-based Leslie Porterfield bought a Yamaha Virago 1000, her first motorcycle, as an inexpensive mode of transport. It arrived in a box, and most people told her she wouldn't be able to get it running. However, she bought a manual, sought the advice of local mechanics, and put it together.

Leslie Porterfield

In fact, Porterfield loved riding it so much that just a year later, she went on to buy a sports bike (Honda CBR600). This was in the early '90s. "That's when my interest in racing began," recalls the 41-year-old mother of twins. She holds the Guinness World Record for being the fastest woman in the world on a motorcycle, which she set in 2008 with a speed of 232.522mph at Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, USA.

On November 24 and 25, Porterfield will be in Goa for the fifth edition of India Bike Week, a fest that will witness a gathering of over 20,000 bikers to celebrate all things riding. Here, she will host a motorcycle stand and present awards for various achievements. Excerpts from an email interview:

Tell us about your most interesting motorcycle journeys.
Motorcycles gave me a sense of freedom and connection with nature while riding. One of my favourite trips was to the Baja 1000 (off-road race in Mexico's Baja California Peninsula) in 2005. I was on a dirt bike for the first time, and realised how difficult the race is. I went through 20 miles of deep sand whoops and fell 20 times. I have never been so sore. Another one is from the time I was 17, when I rode for 1,500 miles from Dallas to Los Angeles. On my way back, I was tired. I was riding at about 120mph. Unfortunately, I passed a police car and didn't see it. They set up a roadblock on the highway. When I stopped, I realised there were four police cars behind me. They were mad after chasing me for so long. I was lucky; the officer let me go without a citation. This prompted me to hit the racetrack.

What challenges have you faced in your racing career?
During my first year [2007] in Land Speed Racing [at Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah], the salt was in poor condition - wet, sludgy and hard to get traction. My bike got into a speed wobble at over 200mph. I tried to save it, but ended up coming off the bike at over 100mph. It was the worst wreck I've been in. I was unconscious, with seven broken ribs and a punctured lung. Fortunately, I recovered and made a point of testing different set-ups for the bike. I didn't push myself to make runs when conditions were bad. Racing comes with risks, which I try to minimise.

How did you crack the world record in Utah in 2008?
I had to make an effort to not think about what could go wrong, and put the accident out of my mind. I focused solely on what I needed to do to achieve my record. To set a land speed record, you have to make two runs — one in each direction - holding your top speed for a mile. My bike's engine was hot and as I entered the measured mile at full throttle, it started to sound rough. By the end, I had set the record but blown my engine, and there was oil everywhere!

What's your take on Indian motorcycle culture?
It's fascinating. The selection of motorcycles is vast, and I love that more women in India are riding motorcycles now. When I started in the '90s, men dominated the speed and racing scene; it was difficult for women to break into it.

Is Mumbai part of your itinerary?
I hope to see it during my visit. It is such a diverse city with much history. I've wanted to visit India for some time. I can't wait to experience its architecture, art, culture and beauty. I love Indian food, but have tried it only in America.

What kind of bikes do you ride now?
I have a Honda CBR1000, and several classic bikes from the '60s. I enjoy restoring old bikes. They aren't very fast, but they are a lot of fun.

Tips
>> Invest in proper motorcycle gear.
>> Never quit learning. Take up rider courses. Even if you have no desire to race, a day on the track with guidance will make you a better and safer rider.

Matt Preston likes to dress and stand out in the crowd, and over the nine seasons of food reality show MasterChef Australia, we've seen his dapper style evolve. A flamboyant dresser, he exuded elegance this season with his well-cut suits and tasteful cravats. The 55-year-old journalist and food writer juggles writing and television with equal élan, calling the former his "happy place". "I love nothing more than sharing my adventures in food, whether from my own kitchen or around the world, in recipes and stories. I worked that out with my newspaper and magazine columns plus five cookbooks, last year I wrote my 2,000,000th word about food! Three million here I come!"

The balance, he says, is simple as there is so much waiting when making a TV show, that it gives him the time to write while filming. "Then I travel for five months when we aren't filming," he tells us in an email interview. Edited excerpts:

Matt Preston

Your connection with India is strong. Which Indian chefs do you admire? Any particular dish that makes your mouth water?
So much of the great food I've enjoyed around India is from street stalls and holes in the wall, where the chef doesn't have a PR team, a cookbook or his/her own line of branded chutneys! Largely, I enjoy these simpler places better than the fancy ones. I do, however, try and enjoy the company of Manu Chandra whenever I'm
in India.

Where does Indian cooking stand on the global platform?
Indian cuisine in undoubtedly one of the world's great cuisines and stands proudly alongside the likes of French or Italian in that ranking. The way India is embracing unique, indigenous and wild ingredients — like the gongura I enjoyed in Hyderabad or the kachampuli vinegar I fell in love with in the south west — it's bang on trend. Indian cuisine is also receiving new global prominence, thanks to the explosion of interest in vegan and vegetarian food around the world. With this in mind, Gary [Mehigan, fellow judge] came back from his most recent trip to India raving about fresh green chickpeas and green sorghum; something we seldom see here but which could easily find a place in my kitchen.

Tell us about the creative process of setting the challenges on the show.
A crew of over 200, including a department of challenge producers, is responsible for this. We look for challenges that seem impossible but are achievable, so when accomplished, the excitement, pride and pleasure of the contestants is palpable. This means that a pressure-test dish might be cooked a dozen times to ascertain how long the contestant should be given to achieve it.

What are some of the funny off-the-camera incidents that occurred this season?
Our trip to Japan was a lot of fun. As was spending the week with [Israeli-British chef] Yotam Ottolenghi. Most of the anecdotes are scurrilous, so you'll have to wait for my autobiography!

How did you get into food writing?
A friend gave me a restaurant review column as she knew I was a good cook and had written a column back [about life, music, the arts and politics] in the UK.

How different was food writing back then?
Very much. In many ways, I was once like you are now, I was young but I was happy. I'm still happy but much older and wiser!

What was your first job?
I made tea at the offices of the UK's biggest tea importer. I had a rickety trolley and in a radical move, introduced coffee for the first time.

The show airs Monday to Friday at 9 pm on Star World.

Sharan Parekh with his rug inside Massimiliano Locatelli's 3D-printed house at the Milan Design Week

When Italian architect Massimiliano Locatelli of CLS Architetti called rug company ILO's Sharan Parekh and said he wanted one of their rugs, Parekh thought it would be for a party at his home.

"But he said he would using it inside his 3D-printed house, which was going to be showcased at the Milan Design Week, that too, in the bathroom!" he said. Parekh, also the managing director of ILO's parent company, Splendour (a known name in furnishings), tells us he had been meeting Locatelli many times as part of the Milan social scene. "We have worked with CLS for many ventures. We have designed carpets for the Belagio in Las Vegas, for the Miss Sixty and Philip Klein stores. It all started off socially. Also, we have been given space at Nilufar, known as the world's best design gallery, and that's how we have inroads in Milan," says the 30-year-old.

ILO, which means Joy in Finnish, is a Mumbai-based company, working in sustainably produced rugs, which are hand-tufted and hand-knotted by Tibetan artisans working in Nepal and North India. The aim is to combine traditional techniques with an edgy, contemporary design aesthetic. Not just is this ILO'S first outing, exhibiting on an international platform, but also the first Indian company showcasing at Fuorisalone (2018 Milan Furniture Fair).

The 3D-printed house is Locatelli's way of showcasing creativity, sustainability, flexibility, affordability and rapidity, at Piazza Cesare Beccaria, which is a square in the middle of Milan. It's also an experiment in low-cost housing, but with a slight difference. "The house is extremely low cost, but inside, everything is super expensive." There are lights by Italian architect, Gio Ponti, which are vintage, solid brass chairs, furniture by Nilufar, and the rug by ILO. "This is what the rug looks like — it's oval with an oval cutout in the middle. It's made of bamboo silk, silk and pashmina. It's almost like standing on a cloud. When Locatelli saw it, he said he couldn't have done better himself. He wanted the juxtaposition of low-cost housing which is super luxurious from within," explains Parekh.

Now, that they are back, they are focusing on many more such collaborations, and are now fielding offers from royal families from the Middle East. But, as Parekh says, the main thrill is in knowing that an Indian company, working with traditional craft, can understand the European aesthetic and be accepted there. "At the end of the day, it's about showcasing India."

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