Odisha CM launches Early Warning Dissemination System

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October 29, 2018

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik launched India’s first automatic Early Warning Dissemination System (EDWS) on Monday.

The inauguration coincided with Odisha Government observing Disaster Preparedness Day. On this day, 19 years ago, the state was left devastated by “Super Cyclone” in 1999.

In total 122 alert towers have been set up under the National Cyclone Risk Mitigation Project (NCRMP) along the coastal line of Odisha to give early warning on the risk in impending natural calamities like tsunami, cyclone and flood.

During the launch, Patnaik also announced the programme for preparations of Village Disaster Management Plans (VDMPs) in 7000 villages in the first phase to build resilient community and to undertake a study on the vulnerability of landslides in Gajapati district of Odisha for taking preventive measures against loss of lives and property due to disasters in future.

Other than EDWS, NCRMP also includes satellite-based mobile data voice by terminals (SBMDVT), digital mobile radio (DMR), a mass messaging system to be operated from the state emergency operation centre and a universal communication interface to allow interoperability among different communication technologies.

While addressing the mass gathering at the launch, CM appreciated the work done by response forces, government officials, non-government organizations and volunteers in rescue operations during Cyclone Titli and subsequent floods.

Divij Sharan is new No. 1 doubles players of India

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Afternoon Voice

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October 29, 2018

Divij Sharan on Monday became India’s new number one doubles player, overtaking veteran Rohan Bopanna by moving to 38 in the latest ATP rankings.

The left-handed Sharan, who has been one of the most consistent players on the doubles circuit with partner Artem Sitak, has held the numero uno position in the country for the first time in his career.

Bopanna dropped nine places to 39 while Leander Paes gained two places to be 60 in the world now.

Another consistent player Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan touched a career-high rank of 72 with a jump of three places.

“It feels pretty amazing to have become the highest ranked player in India today. It’s not easy by any means with Mahesh, Leander, and Rohan having dominated the doubles circuit for the last couple of decades but they have carved the path and set the trend for the rest of us,” the 32-year-old Sharan said.

“We have had as many as seven players from India ranked in the top 100 this year which is impressive. Personally, it’s been another positive year for me where I was able to achieve my best ranking of 36 and win a gold medal for India at the Asian Games,” he said.

Sharan said that he will cherish the moment and strive to get better.

“I am really happy that all the work I have put in is paying off and the milestone of being the highest ranked player in the country is something I can cherish with my family and the people who have helped me with my career. I am still looking to work hard on my game and achieve even more next year,” he said.

Sharan has won only one Challenger this season but reaching the Wimbledon quarterfinals was the highlight of the 2018 season for him. He also reached semifinal stage of various ATP 250 tournaments this year.

New man in Jenna Dewan’s life?

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Afternoon Voice

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October 29, 2018

Looks like Hollywood actor Jenna Dewan, who recently filed for divorce from Channing Tatum, has found a special someone for herself.

According to US Weekly, Jenna was seen sharing an intimate moment with her rumoured beau at Casamigos Halloween party in Beverly Hills.

The ‘Step Up’ star, dressed as a fairy, even danced with the man, who donned the costume of Marvel Superhero character ‘Wolverine’.

While the couple’s appearance at the party is raising eyebrows, Tatum, on the other hand, is reported to be dating British singer Jessie J.

Jenna filed for divorce on Friday in Los Angeles, citing irreconcilable differences. According to her lawyer Samantha Spector, the 37-year-old is reportedly asking for joint legal and physical custody of their five-year-old daughter.

The ‘Kingsman: The Golden Circle’ star filed a response in which he also requested joint physical and legal custody of their child.

Dewan and Tatum had announced their separation in April, almost after nine years of being married. The two had been together since 2006 when they met on the sets of ‘Step Up’.

Here is why Gwyneth Paltrow’s lifestyle brand is in trouble

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Afternoon Voice

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October 29, 2018

Gwyneth Paltrow’s lifestyle brand Goop has, in a statement, clarified that there are no safety concerns in consuming the Mother Load vitamin supplements being sold by them.

The lifestyle brand made headlines in the United Kingdom on Sunday, for allegedly selling a potentially hazardous product called ‘The Mother Load’ to expectant mothers.

Following the allegations, Paltrow’s brand issued a clarification. “When used as recommended, Goop’s The Mother Load supplements are safe during pregnancy. The Mother Load contains a very moderate 450 mcg (1500 IU) of vitamin A (preformed vitamin A as retinyl palmitate), which is less than the recommended daily intake of 600 mcg per day,” US Weekly quoted the spokesperson as saying.

The spokesperson further said, “The 4000 IU beta-carotene included in Mother Load is only converted in the body to vitamin A as needed, and there is no safety concern for eating this, as there would be no safety concern for eating a large number of carrots containing beta-carotene. The ‘Mother Load’ package contains a warning that pregnant women should not consume more than 10,000 IU vitamin A daily due to the risk of birth defects.”

According to a report in The Times, the ‘Iron Man’ actor’s brand was reported to British regulators by a charity called Good Thinking Society. The charity has accused the company of issuing “potentially dangerous” advice related to “unproven” health products, the report further stated.

Gwyneth shares two children, daughter Apple (14), and son Moses (12), with ex-husband and Coldplay frontman Chris Martin.

Earlier this month, Paltrow tied the knot with producer Brad Falchuk in a private wedding ceremony in the Hamptons.

Court won’t do anything in Ram temple matter: Shiv Sena

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Afternoon Voice

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October 29, 2018

Courts won’t do anything in the Ram temple matter, BJP’s sparring ally Shiv Sena said on Monday.

This assertion by Sena leader Sanjay Raut followed the Supreme Court fixing the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid land dispute cases for January before an appropriate bench, which will decide the schedule of hearing.

“We are not paying attention to what the Supreme Court verdict (on Ram temple issue) is and what date it gives (for the verdict). We don’t want to pay attention. The court won’t do anything in the Ram temple matter,” Raut told reporters in Mumbai.

“We did not ask the court before demolishing the Babri structure 25 years ago,” he said.

A three-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, said Monday the appropriate bench will decide the future course of hearing in January next year on the appeals filed against the Allahabad High Court verdict in the Ayodhya land dispute case.

Raut said that Sena president Uddhav Thackeray will reach Ayodhya on November 25. He will have a ‘darshan’ of Ram Lalla. He has 4 or 5 important programmes in Ayodhya, he said.

“Our hundreds and thousands of ‘kar sevaks’ did not become shaheed (martyr) after seeking court permission. We have not started any movement on Ayodhya after seeking the court nod,” Raut said.

“We feel that there should be a Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. We are not demanding a Ram temple in Pakistan but in Prabhu Shri Ram’s Ayodhya. Uddhav Thackeray will go to Ayodhya and put forth his views on the Ram Mandir before people of the country,” he said.

Joe Jonas dresses as Sophie Turner’s Sansa Stark for Halloween

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Afternoon Voice

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October 29, 2018

Joe Jonas dressed up as fiancee Sophie Turner’s ‘Game of Thrones’ character, Sansa Stark, for a Halloween party.

The ‘It’s Party Time’ singer took to his Instagram account to post some fun picture from the party, dressed as Eddard Stark’s eldest daughter. Joe can be seen donning a flowing velvet turquoise robe with gold embroidery and a red wig, parted down the middle and pinned back at the sides, just how Sana likes to wear them.

Meanwhile, the ‘GOT’ actor attended the party dressed as an elephant. She even uploaded a picture of herself in the costume as her Instagram story.

Jonas reportedly started dating Turner in November 2016 and got engaged in October last year. Sophie confirmed the news with an Instagram post, flaunting her engagement ring. “I said yes,” she wrote as the caption.

Feminism is about fairness feels Meghan Markle

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Afternoon Voice

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October 29, 2018

Meghan Markle shared her feminist side with the world in a powerful speech about women’s right to vote, and said feminism is about fairness.

For the last leg of their 16-day tour, Meghan and Prince Harry touched down in New Zealand on Sunday. The royal couple joined Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern at Government House in Wellington to celebrate New Zealand’s 125th anniversary of women’s suffrage.

In her speech, Meghan said, “We are proud to be able to join you tonight in celebrating the 125th anniversary of women’s suffrage in your country. The achievements of the women of New Zealand who campaigned for their right to vote, and were the first in the world to achieve it, are universally admired.”

Speaking about feminism as a value, Meghan said, “I’m looking forward to this very special occasion, I reflected on the importance of this achievement, but also the larger impact of what this symbolises. Because yes, women’s suffrage is about feminism, but feminism is about fairness.”

“Suffrage is not simply about the right to vote but also about what that represents: the basic and fundamental human right of all people, including those members of society who have been marginalised whether for reasons of race, gender, ethnicity or orientation, to be able to participate in the choices for their future and their community,” she added.

Congratulating New Zealand for completing 125 years of women’s suffrage, the Duchess of Sussex said, “So bravo, New Zealand, for championing this right 125 years ago, for the women who well deserve to have an active voice and acknowledged vote, and for all of the people that this effort has paved the way for globally,”

Meghan concluded her powerful speech by quoting Kate Sheppard, a prominent figure in the women’s suffrage movement in New Zealand. “In the words of your suffragette, Kate Sheppard, ‘All that separates, whether of race, class, creed or sex, is inhuman and must be overcome,” Meghan said.

The couple is currently on their first royal tour of Australia and South Pacific that began on October 16. The tour will end on October 31 with their visit to New Zealand.

Meghan and Harry are also expecting their first child in 2019.

Shashank Khaitan’s next with Varun Dhwan an action film

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Afternoon Voice

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October 29, 2018

Filmmaker Shashank Khaitan has confirmed that he is currently scripting his next with Varun Dhawan in the lead, which is going to be an action-entertainer with terrorism as the backdrop.

Earlier, the director was supposed to helm “Ranbhoomi” with Varun after it did not take off, he started working on the action film.

“It (the story) has been with me since 2014. It has been one of the subjects I knew which would require experience on my part and faith on the part of my actors and producers so that they know I’ve graduated to that level to make a film of that stature,” Khaitan told agencies.

While Varun is on board for the film, there were reports that Khaitan is keen to cast Jahnvi Kapoor in the film.

“I want to approach her but nothing is finalised yet. Let my script get locked first, and then we shall see,” he says.

Khaitan was speaking on the sidelines of 20th JIO MAMI Mumbai Film Festival. He was part of a panel discussion about ‘Film Schools: Education vs Reality’ moderated by Rahul Puri.

Khaitan, who has directed films like “Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania”, “Badrinath Ki Dulhania” and the recent “Dhadak”, says his experience of being in the industry for nearly five years has helped shape the project.

“When you spend enough time directing movies, working in the industry, you get more accustomed to taking these challenges, more actors and technicians trust you. It is extremely important,” he says.

There were reports that the film will be on the lines of Tom Cruise’s “Mission Impossible” and Khaitan says the team will try doing it’s best to bring out world class action.

“We will try doing things in the available budget. We can’t aim to make Avatar in 200 cr, but we can have the screenplay bigger. How much we can achieve in the action and CGI, that’s a question of economics.

Ayushmann is the ‘king of all things cool’

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Afternoon Voice

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October 29, 2018

Ayushmann Khurrana is currently enjoying the sweet smell of success with his recent releases earning accolades from all corners.

The 34-year-old has turned cover boy for the November edition of Filmfare magazine. The ‘king of all things cool’ looks suave in a black coat, shimmery pants and black boots.

The official Instagram account of the publication shared the image with the caption, “Man of the moment! Presenting the king of all things cool, @ayushmannk on our latest cover.”

Ayushmann had two back-to-back hits, Sriram Raghavan’s thriller ‘AndhaDhun’, and Amit Sharma’s family comedy ‘Badhaai Ho’.

‘Badhaai Ho’, which focuses on the issue of an unplanned pregnancy in older women, currently stands at Rs. 84.25 crore, as tweeted by Taran Adarsh.

On the other hand, the ‘Bareilly Ki Barfi’ star played the role of a visually impaired pianist in ‘Andhadhun’. The film, which hit the big screens on October 5, has raked in Rs. 62.91 crore, according to Box Office India.

Letters to the Editor: Oct 29, 2018

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Afternoon Voice

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October 29, 2018

1) Unfair treatment to women

The Catholic Church is the only place of worship where not only women but people of all faiths and religions can enter. When God made women in his own image, why are women being discriminated from entering temples? Isn’t it unfair and disgusting that women are treated inferior by some people of the Hindu community? When will men learn and treat women on par with them? Women are not sex objects and men should realise this.

– Jubel D’Cruz

2) Uplift common man’s lifestyle

This is very disappointing that despite average personal wealth per adult in India has risen by nearly 300 per cent since 2000, but everyone could not reap the benefits of economic prosperity. It is a matter of great concern that inequality in income is growing day by day in India. A new report released by the World Inequality Lab last December reflects that income inequality in India had reached historically high levels in India since the 1980s when economic and trade liberalisation began in the country as the top 10 per cent of the Indian population had 56 per cent share in the national income in 2014. By mid-2018, there were 3,43,000 millionaires in India, a rise of 7,300 during the 12 months. 3,400 have wealth over fifty million dollars while 1,500 of them have wealth over a hundred million dollars. It makes amply clear that the government’s policies are flouted to empower common people and only wealthy people are benefitting from the government’s schemes. It is high time for the government to take a measure and reduce this inequality. Otherwise, India cannot develop by producing more millionaires rather than uplifting common people’s income and their lifestyle.

– Ismail Ansari

3) Need an efficient bureaucracy system

Amid all the mordacious news about declining Indian economy, this news gave me immense solace whether for the time being, that India has been ranked as the 58th most competitive economy among 140 nations (rose by five places from 2017) on the World Economic Forum’s global competitiveness index for 2018 with a score of 62.0, which was the largest gain among G20 economies. India’s great competitive advantages were its market size, innovation, and business dynamism, while the areas that the country needs to improve include health, labour market particularly work rights, product market, education, and skills. Hope the government will take a lesson from this report and instead of solely gaining brownie points, it will work for the cause of national interests. If the government wants to develop the economy and sooth the market it will have to make a more efficient bureaucracy system for business creation and insolvency.

– Ibne Qasim

4) Need of hour

Considering a large-scale wastage of food-items in the marriage-celebrations, some legislation like that of Guest Control Order 1960 should be there. The Union government should also study models of other countries like Pakistan where only soft drinks and beverages are allowed to be served in such functions. Even Afghanistan took measures to curb such mega-expenses on marriage-celebrations.

Apart from preventing huge wastage of food, such steps will automatically check ugly show of status through money in marriages which in the present era is becoming the root cause of aborting female foeticide because of money required to be spent in marriages of daughters.

– Madhu Agrawal

5) Appreciations to the Apex Court

I extend my appreciations to the Apex Court to come forward setting a deadline of two-week for the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) to complete its inquiry against CBI Director Alok Verma under the supervision of a retired judge. Once again the Supreme Court handled the matter and stepped up to repay the premier agency of the country, Central Bureau of Investigation, (CBI) its credibility and autonomy. I expect hopefully that after the verdict of Supreme Court, everything will return to the normal. I request the Supreme Court to put some strict measures in place for the government so that it could not interfere in independent agencies of the country.

– Mohd Usmani

(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)