BY SACNILK

Mumbai, April 15 (IANS) Bollywood actress Sara Ali Khan has shared a beautiful photograph of herself along with some profound brainstorming. She says that the hearts, minds, and souls are not in lockdown.## Sharing a stunning monochrome picture of herself on Instagram, she wrote: "Our hearts, minds and souls aren't in lockdown #stayhome #staystrong#staypositive #staysafe," she captioned the image, which has garnered over 1.5 million likes on social media. She had recently shared a throwback video of herself along with her brother Ibrahim Ali Khan telling "knock-knock" jokes".## She had also shared tips for fans to beat lockdown boredom during the ongoing COVID-19 lockdown.## On the work front, Sara was last seen in Imtiaz Ali's "Love Aaj Kal", which also starred Kartik Aaryan.## Sara will be next seen opposite Varun Dhawan in the remake of "Coolie No.1". She will also be seen sharing screen space with Akshay Kumar and Dhanush in "Atrangi Re".## Stay tuned...

BY SACNILK

Mumbai, April 15 (IANS) Three former beauty queens -- Miss World 2017 Manushi Chhillar from India, Miss World 2016 Stephanie Del Valle from Puerto Rico and Miss World 2018 Vanessa Ponce from Mexico -- have come together to raise awareness on coronavirus and discuss how to battle the stigma of infection that is on the rise.## "At a time like this, whatever each one of us can do to raise as much awareness about COVID-19 in our respective countries and communities will be key to stop the virus in its tracks. I wanted to tell people that we are in this together and what is happening in India is also happening in the rest of the world," Manushi said.## The platform will have the three former Miss Worlds, who is also vocal about social issues and work in the fields of education, menstrual hygiene, discrimination, and racism, speak about the need for the world to unite to fight the pandemic.## "The pain we are witnessing with the loss of lives, the struggles, the hardships of Indians are similar to what is happening in every country of the world and the Miss Worlds from Mexico and Puerto Rico will speak the same. We are one world and we can fight and heal collectively. That's the intent of this exercise," she added.## Manushi has already been roped in by the Haryana State Government and UNICEF India to raise awareness about COVID-19 among the people of India.## The three beauty queens will also discuss the importance of mental health at a time like this.## Stay tuned...

BY SACNILK

Paris, April 15 (IANS) The Cannes Film Festival will not take place in June due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The organizers are busy exploring different options to conduct the festival later this year.## The organizers also mention that the festival can't go ahead "in its original form" due to the coronavirus crisis, reports variety.com.## "Following the French President's statement, on Monday, April 13th, we acknowledged that the postponement of the 73rd International Cannes Film Festival, initially considered for the end of June to the beginning of July, is no longer an option," the festival said in a statement, adding: "It is clearly difficult to assume that the Festival de Cannes could be held this year in its original form."## "Nevertheless, since yesterday evening we have started many discussions with professionals, in France and abroad. They agree that the Festival de Cannes, an essential pillar for the film industry, must explore all contingencies allowing to support the year of Cinema by making Cannes 2020 real, in a way or another," added the fest.## In March, it was announced that the 2020 edition will not be held in May. They planned to move forward with a tentative plan to postpone the event until the end of June. The rise of COVID-19 cases in France and the rest of the world has made it difficult to move ahead in June or July.## Since its first edition after World War II in 1946, the Cannes Film Festival has been canceled only once in 1968 during the nationwide student riots.## For the worldwide film community, the cancellation of the fest would have a far-reaching impact. Last year's film market reported a record of 12,527 participants.## Stay tuned...

BY SACNILK

Mumbai, April 14 (IANS) Actress Tisca Chopra has dedicated her role of Dr. Mira Anand in the series "Hostages" to first responders and caregivers amid the coronavirus outbreak in the country.## Tisca took to Instagram, where she shared a photograph of herself dressed in a doctor's gear.## "#DrMiraAnand in #Hostages on @starplus... From tonight at 10:30 pm. I humbly dedicate this role to all our first responders - doctors, nurses, hospital staff, delivery and logistics workers.. doing our little bit to entertain you, with our dream team: @madhoknikhil @sameern #sudhirmishra @ronitboseroy @d_eepak_dhar @segaldeepak @castingchhabra @aashimgulati @disneyplushotstar @applausesocial @banijayasia @starplus @surya_sharma_09 @malhaar_rathod," she captioned the image.## "Hostages", a crime thriller, is directed by Sudhir Mishra. It is an official adaptation of an Israeli series of the same name. It also stars Ronit Roy, Parvin Dabas, Aashim Gulati and Mohan Kapoor.## Amid lockdown, Tisca is using her time to hone her filmmaking skills. She has been taking online classes on how to direct feature films.## Stay tuned...

BY SACNILK

Mumbai, April 14 (IANS) With shooting stopped and everybody confined to their homes amid the nationwide COVID 19 lockdown, South actors and actresses can be seen utilizing the time doing household chores. While some can be seen trying their hands at cooking, some are busy cleaning the house. However, those who have pets, are utilizing their quarantine days to try and spend maximum time with their furry friends who have now become a favorite on social media.## One such social media favorite is Pranitha Subhash's husky Blu. The dog's photos and videos where he can be seen sitting in front of a laptop wearing a pair of spects as he "works from home", trying to catch food from the actress' hands, barking from outside a glass window or playing with his favorite "corona squeeze toy" is absolutely adorable. In a recent post, Pranitha shared: "It was love at first sight" for her after meeting Blu!## Another pet winning heart on social media is actress Keerthy Suresh's dog Nyke. A picture of the dog sitting alone on the terrace and watching sunset has captured hearts of netizens who are showering it with love!## One more social media star is actress Nidhhi Agerwal's labrador Boozo, who loves to eat idli and toast and hates it when he is not given a share while the family dines together!## Actress Payal Rajput's pet dogs Bunny and Candy define the word "cute" and we bet you cannot stop staring at them! In a recently shared video, the actress can be seen trying to put Candy to sleep while the lullaby "Rock-a-bye baby" plays in the background.## Payal captioned: "Finding my inner peace. The steadiness of her breath brings peacefulness and a feeling of warmth. Watching them play with each other, relax with a chew toy, sleep soundly, or explore their surroundings on our walks provide me "ah ha" moments."## Actor Sushanth's golden retrievers Thor and Leia are a visual delight! The actor recently took to Instagram to share a photo of the two sleeping together on the floor and captioned: "Twinning during quarantine times! #Thor #Leia #goldenretriever #dogsofinstagram #retrieversofinstagram #StayHomeStaySafe". The actor also urged citizens not to abandon their pets reminding everyone that the virus doesn't spread from animals.## However, not just south stars, Bollywood celebs are also spending time with their furry friends and keep sharing their photos and videos on social media. The pets who are enjoying immense social media attention of late include Preity Zinta's pet dog Bruno, Raveena Tandon's pet cat Puma and Kriti Sanon's pet dogs Disco and Phoebe among others.## While actors are spending quality time with their furry friends, they have also taken up the responsibility to remind people time and again not to abandon their pets as the virus doesn't spread from animals.## Stay tuned...

BY SACNILK

London, April 14 (IANS) Actor Kristofer Hivju, who shot to global fame playing Tormund Giantsbane in the blockbuster series "Games Of Thrones", is "fully recovered and in good health" after battling COVID-19.## The actor took to Instagram to share the health update, saying he and his wife, Gry, who he believes was "most likely" infected too, are finally "free of all symptoms".## "Hi! We are fully recovered and in good health after I was infected by the coronavirus, and most likely my wife @grymolvaerhivju… After several weeks in quarantine, and also a couple more indoors after being free of all symptoms, we are finally safe and sound," he posted, along with an image with his wife.## The actor feels they were "lucky to only have mild symptoms of the COVID-19".## "We send our love and thoughts to all of the people where the virus has hit much harder, and to everyone who has lost their loved ones due to the coronavirus. Thank you for all of your support, and please remember to stay vigilant and keep your distance, wash your hands, and most of all; take care of each other in this strange time. Lots of love from us," he added.## Last month, he had shared that he tested positive for the novel coronavirus through a post on his Instagram account.## "Greetings from Norway! Sorry to say that I, today, have tested positive for COVID-19, coronavirus. My family and I are self-isolating at home for as long as it takes. We are in good health - I only have mild symptoms of a cold. There are people at higher risk for who this virus might be a devastating diagnosis," he said.## Stay tuned...

BY SACNILK

Mumbai, April 14 (IANS) Amid the coronavirus crisis, actor Amitabh Bachchan has penned his feelings on humans and humanity.## Big B shared a throwback image from his young days in which he was seen talking to somebody over the phone. In another image he posted alongside the old black-and-white picture, the thespian is seen signaling a phone with his hands.## "Of this, there is no doubt at all, that during this pandemic.. irrespective of caste color creed or belief.. friend, acquaintance or unknown... never before and perhaps never after has one human shown so much concern and sympathy for another... there is but one common refrain on every lip.. be safe, be protected," he captioned the image.## The image currently has 450K likes on Instagram.## On the work front, Amitabh will next be seen in films like "Chehre", Gulabo Sitabo", Brahmastra" and "Jhund".## Stay tuned...

BY SACNILK

Mumbai, April 14 (IANS) On Tuesday morning, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the nation and informed citizens that the nationwide lockdown is being extended till May 3 in an attempt to battle the deadly COVID 19 pandemic. Bollywood celebs welcomed this decision and took to social media to urge people to cooperate with the government's decision.## Veteran actress-politician Hema Malini wrote: "We have completed 3 weeks of nationwide lockdown successfully &controlled the spread of the virus to a large extent. Let us follow our PM @narendramodi Ji's behest to the nation to observe the next 3 weeks also in strict lockdown. For our own welfare & benefit, we shouldn't break rules."## In a separate tweet, she also suggested people utilize their time finding out their hidden talents rather than getting bored at home.## "Find ur hidden talents! U might have an artist within u waiting to be encouraged. A dancer who has always loved to dance but too busy to take it up. A nature lover who didn't have time to even look at our own garden. A storyteller, a writer-the list is endless. Time to discover urself!"## Actress Nimrat Kaur also shared on Twitter: "These last 21 days stay valid and effective only with patience and discipline every single day of the next 19 coming up. Each decision at every individual level matters like never before. #TogetherAtHome #StaySafeStayHome #Lockdown2 #IndiaFightsCarona."## Urging citizens to cooperate in the extended lockdown period, Rajeev Khandelwal tweeted: "Let's respect what our Prime Minister just said. It is in the interest of the entire country. Stay indoors, stay safe. #CoronaUpdatesIndia"## Lyricist and censor board chief Prasoon Joshi tweeted: "#ModiMangalMessage Time to Stay firm&united. India under the leadership of PM @narendramodi has set an example of decisiveness, self-belief, and welfare in the face of the Coronavirus crisis. Let's keep staying responsible for the sake of all and not get distracted by any negativity."## Actress-politician Kirron Kher tweeted: "In order to ensure that India's fight against #COVID19 continues and we will be victorious, Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi has decided to extend the lockdown by 3 May. Stay where you are, be safe."## Filmmaker Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri expressed: "Friends, You can achieve all this before 3rd May:## - lose weight/ be fitter## - learn about food## - learn a new skill## - throw away what you don't need/live light## - discover new ideas and be ready for #NewWorld## - discover your #CreativeConsciousness## - be successful## #Lockdown2"## Singer Adnan Sami, who became an Indian citizen a while back, tweeted: "#Lockdown2 #NoProblem #IndiaFightsCorona #IndiaFightsCoronavirus."## Stay tuned...

BY SACNILK

Beijing, April 14 (IANS) The novel coronavirus that has infected more than 1.9 million people globally is not just a physical health threat as researchers have found that more than a third of medical staff responding to the outbreak during its peak in China suffered from insomnia.## According to the study, published in the journal Frontiers in Psychiatry, the healthcare workers who experienced sleeplessness were also more likely to feel depressed, anxious and have stress-based trauma.## "Typically, stress-related insomnia is transient and persists for only a few days. But if the COVID-19 outbreak continues, insomnia may gradually become chronic insomnia in the clinical setting," said study co-author Bin Zhang, Professor at Southern Medical University in China.## The results are based on a series of self-administered questionnaires conducted online between January 29 and February 3 at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in China.## Researchers used the WeChat social media platform to gather answers from 1,563 participants in the medical field. Of that number, 564 people, or 36.1 percent, had insomnia symptoms.## The authors of the current study note that the statistic is consistent with previous research conducted on the psychological effects of the 2002 outbreak of SARS, a related coronavirus that also causes severe respiratory distress.## For example, 37 percent of nurses who worked with SARS patients experienced insomnia.## The insomnia group in the current paper experienced significantly higher levels of depression than the non-insomnia group, 87.1 percent versus 31 percent, especially in moderate (22.9 percent versus 2.8 percent) and severe (16.7 percent versus 1.8 percent) cases.## The percentages and differences between the groups were similar for anxiety and trauma as well. The team also identified certain factors that were correlated with insomnia.## "The most important factor was having very strong uncertainty regarding effective disease control among medical staff," Zhang noted.## Strong uncertainty was 3.3 times higher for those exhibiting insomnia than not, the study said.## Staff with less education were also prone to sleep disorders.## Specifically, researchers found the risk of insomnia among medical staff with a high school education or below was 2.69 times higher than those with a doctoral degree.## They speculated that less education led to more outcome-based fear.## The authors noted that healthcare workers were also under incredible stress in general.## They were in close contact with infected patients who could pass on the disease to them. They were worried about infecting their own family and friends.## "Under these dangerous conditions, medical staff become mentally and physically exhausted, and therefore experience an increased risk of insomnia due to high stress," they wrote.## Stay tuned...

BY SACNILK

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi extended the nationwide lockdown till May 3 to control the spread of the Corona Virus Pandemic. During his addressed the nation on the last day of the first 21-days lockdown (14 April), the PM thanked people for following the lockdown with calmness and discipline.## During the address to the nation, PM Modi has urged the countrymen to follow 7 rules in upcoming weeks as follow - ## 1. Taking extra care of the elders at home especially those who have pre-existing diseases. They have to be extra careful.## 2. Do not violate the Lakshman Rekha of Social Distancing and lockdown. Make compulsory use of homemade face covers or masks.## 3. In Order To Increase Immunity, Follow Guidelines Of Ayush Ministry. Drink warm water & Kadhaa.## 4. Download the Aarogya Setu App to restrict the spread of COVID 19. Motivate others to install the app.## 5. Take care of poor families around you and feed them.## 6. Show empathy towards your Co-Workers. Don't sack employees.## 7. Respect Corona Warriors like Doctors, Nurses, Cleaning Staff, Police Personnel.## In India, the coronavirus cases have crossed 10,000 marks with 339 death. Over 1000 people have recovered. While in the world, the cases have reached near 2 M with the US being most infected with 6 lakh. The death toll rises to nearly 1,20,000 while over 4,50,000 people have recovered. ## COVID-19 (Coronavirus) cases in India | State Wise | Other Details## Follow for more... Follow for more...

BY SACNILK

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi extended nationwide lockdown till May 3 considering the Corona Virus threat. On the last day of 21-days lockdown, PM Modi addressed the nation and thanked the people of India for being calm and discipline during the first 21-days of the lockdown.## However, PM Modi also indicates that any decision on easing restrictions in parts of the country would be taken after April 20, keeping in mind the difficulties faced by the country's poorest. ## "After taking into account all suggestions, we have decided to extend the lockdown till May 3. Till April 20, each district, each state will be monitored closely to see whether the lockdown is being followed. Then we can decide on relaxing the restrictions," said the Prime Minister. Till yesterday, Corona Virus cases crosses 10,000 marks with 339 death. ## "We absolutely must ensure that this virus does not spread to any further parts of the country. We should be worried every time we hear that someone in some part of the country has died of the virus. We must ensure that new hotspots do not spring up."## Talking about India's step to controlling the spread of the Virus, PM Narendra Modi said## "Today, you are well aware of the various aspects of Coronavirus Pandemic worldwide. You all have been a participant as well as a witness to the way India has taken steps to control the spread of coronavirus infection in comparison to other countries. We started screening of passengers coming from coronavirus affected countries even before when there was any case of infection in India. Even before the number of positive cases reached 100, we made it mandatory for passengers coming from abroad to stay in isolation facilities for 14 days.## When we had only 550 cases of coronavirus, India took a major decision to implement a complete lockdown of 21 days. India did not wait for the problem to become big but took major steps to tackle it even when it just started to emerge". The Prime Minister also said that India has been proactive than many of the developed countries and that helped us to be in a better position. ## "This is the sort of crisis in which it is not right to make comparisons between countries. But it is also true, that when we compare the numbers related to #coronavirus with that of other big capable countries, it shows that, India is in a far better position.## Had India not adopted a holistic and integrated approach and took immediate steps, our situation would have been different. But, our experiences over the last few days have shown that the path chosen by us is correct". ## PM Modi has again said that the lockdown may affect the economy but the lives of the people are more important at this time.## "If you look at it from an economic point of view, it would look like a huge cost. But the lives of the people of India are far more valuable. Today the world is appreciating the way India is moving forward even with the limited resources".## COVID-19 (Coronavirus) cases in India | State Wise | Other Details## Follow for more...

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Mumbai, April 13 (IANS) In keeping with the trend of re-telecasting hit old TV shows during the COVID-19 lockdown, the popular "Balika Vadhu" is in for a re-run, and actress Avika Gor, who played the central role of Anandi in the serial, is clearly on cloud nine.## Taking to Instagram Story, Avika posted a video that shows her singing the show's title track, "Choti Si Umar Mein", a Rajasthani folk.## "Balika Vadhu re-telecast... I am so overwhelmed," she captioned the video, thanking her other former co-stars.## "Balika Vadhu" was aired from 2008 to 2016. The show deals with the issue of child marriage. The cast included Surekha Sikri, Vikrant Massey, and Sidharth Shukla.## Colors channel decided to re-telecast the show in the wake of several Doordarshan repeats including "Ramayan", "Mahabharat", "Byomkesh Bakshi", "Circus", and "Shrimaan Shrimaati". Several other private channels have also already brought back many popular old shows.## For more and latest news about TV, stay tuned with us.