Peya Bipasha, Amin Khan A new pair in small screen

Amin Khan is a successful hero of many commercial movies but he is not regular in acting now. He acted in the leading role in these movies. He has also tries to work in small screen. 
On Banglavision at 9:30pm every Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday serial Akash-e Megh Nei, directed and scripted by Rashed Raha, is being aired where Amin Khan and Peya Bipasha will be seen as a pair. They have already taken part in shooting in this serial. 
Amin Khan acted in duet role - Anup and Ananta- in the serial while Peya Bipasha played in role of Suzana.
While talking about making the serial casting Amin Khan and Peya Bipasha director Rashed Raha told this correspondent, “In this serial, viewers will watch Amin Bhai in an exceptional role. So I am getting positive response from the serial. Peya Bipasha also acted well against him. Peya’s elder sister Azmeri Asha also acted against Amin Bhai in the serial. Two siblings worked together in this serial. It is a contemporary story based serial.”
Amin Khan said, “As a director, Rashed Raha is really genius. I got similarity between his words and works so I agreed to work in this serial. It was my first work with Peya Bipasha. She is also promising actress.”
Peya Bipasha shared her feelings by this way, “In the meantime I was absent from acting for some days. I only acted in a faction play and Rashed Bhai’s serial. As a director, his unit is very much organized. I am very much satisfied under his direction. Amin Bhai is one of the legendary actors in our film industry. To work with him, was really a new experience for me. He is very much co-operative to his co-actors.”

Box Office Top 20: New ‘Mission: Impossible’ hits No. 1

“Mission: Impossible — Fallout” fired on all cylinders at the box office this weekend and not only came out on the top of the charts but also scored a franchise-best opening.

The sixth film in the series grossed $61.2 million in its first weekend in theaters, which is also one of star Tom Cruise’s best launches.

The jukebox musical “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again” came in second place with $15.1 million, while “The Equalizer 2" took the third spot with $14 million. Both films were in their second weekend.

Next was “Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation” with $12.3 million in its third week in theaters. The weekend’s other opener, the animated “Teen Titans Go! To the Movies,” opened in fifth with $10.4 million. The Warner Bros. film cost $10.5 million to make.

The top 20 movies at U.S. and Canadian theaters Friday through Sunday, followed by distribution studio, gross, number of theater locations, average receipts per location, total gross and number of weeks in release, as compiled Monday by comScore:

1. “Mission: Impossible — Fallout,” Paramount, $61,236,534, 4,386 locations, $13,962 average, $61,236,534, 1 week.

2. “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again,” Universal, $15,100,095, 3,514 locations, $4,297 average, $70,524,620, 2 weeks.

3. “The Equalizer 2,” Sony, $14,020,017, 3,388 locations, $4,138 average, $64,251,362, 2 weeks.

4. “Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation,” Sony, $12,253,640, 4,005 locations, $3,060 average, $119,177,141, 3 weeks.

5. “Teen Titans Go! To the Movies,” Warner Bros., $10,411,189, 3,188 locations, $3,266 average, $10,411,189, 1 week.

6. “Ant-Man and The Wasp,” Disney, $8,766,100, 3,013 locations, $2,909 average, $183,490,227, 4 weeks.

7. “Incredibles 2,” Disney, $7,257,113, 2,616 locations, $2,774 average, $572,880,761, 7 weeks.

8. “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom,” Universal, $6,729,735, 2,685 locations, $2,506 average, $397,508,235, 6 weeks.

9. “Skyscraper,” Universal, $5,341,455, 2,773 locations, $1,926 average, $59,091,215, 3 weeks.

10. “The First Purge,” Universal, $2,215,400, 1,400 locations, $1,582 average, $65,469,275, 4 weeks.

11. “Unfriended: Dark Web,” OTL Releasing, $1,470,910, 1,547 locations, $951 average, $7,364,340, 2 weeks.

12. “Sorry To Bother You,” Annapurna Pictures, $1,373,791, 802 locations, $1,713 average, $13,275,212, 4 weeks.

13. “Blindspotting,” Lionsgate, $1,281,548, 523 locations, $2,450 average, $1,750,532, 2 weeks.

14. “Eighth Grade,” A24, $1,269,046, 158 locations, $8,032 average, $2,917,883, 3 weeks.

15. “Three Identical Strangers,” Neon Rated, $1,196,412, 433 locations, $2,763 average, $6,696,733, 5 weeks.

16. “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?,” Focus Features, $704,445, 464 locations, $1,518 average, $20,048,382, 8 weeks.

17. “Sicario: Day of The Soldado,” Sony, $675,691, 574 locations, $1,177 average, $48,726,565, 5 weeks.

18. “Ocean’s 8,” Warner Bros., $635,839, 518 locations, $1,227 average, $137,293,754, 8 weeks.

19. “Uncle Drew,” Lionsgate, $483,789, 532 locations, $909 average, $41,375,460, 5 weeks.

20. “Leave No Trace,” Bleecker Street, $470,622, 291 locations, $1,617 average, $4,647,620, 5 weeks.

'Feroza Begum Memorial Gold Medal 2018' awarded to Runa Laila

Born into an aristocratic family, Feroza Begum was the daughter of Mohammad Ismail and Begum Kowkabunnesa, who took a liking to music quite early on.  Being a prolific singer, she covered a wide range of genres including Islamic songs, Ghazals, Bhajans, contemporary and Nazrul Sangeet.  As an apprentice of Kazi Nazrul Islam, she later focused exclusively on the legendary maestro's music and garnered appreciation from her mentor as well as listeners. Feroza Begum conveyed the works of the great poet with integrity, for which she received various prestigious awards in Bangladesh and beyond, including the Swadhinata Padak.

The third chapter of the 'Feroza Begum Memorial Gold Medal' was held yesterday at Nabab Nawab Ali Chowdhury Senate Bhaban auditorium at the Dhaka University premises. Based on her eminence, Dhaka University introduced the 'Feroza Begum Memorial Gold Medal' in 2016 to pay homage to the life and work of the artiste. A jury board selects a nationally recognised music artiste every year to be awarded with a gold medal and a remuneration of Tk1 lakh. In addition, a student of BA Honors from the Music Department of DU with the highest CGPA is also selected for a gold medal. Yesterday, Vice-Chancellor of Dhaka University Professor Dr Md Akhtaruzzaman, who was also the chief guest, handed over the 'Feroza Begum Memorial Gold Medal 2018'and a cheque to the internationally renowned artiste Runa Laila at the event. Urmi Ghosh received a bouquet as the best student from the Music Department.  The VC thanked M Anis Ud Dowla, Chairman of the ACI Foundation for supporting the Feroza Begum Memorial Trust Fund and hoped that the next generation of music artistes would be inspired by this endeavor.

“Awards are always inspiring, but this one in particular, is rather prestigious to me because of the name 'Feroza Begum' attached to it. I am highly honoured to have received this award,” Runa Laila told the audience.

Shusmita Anis, who is a singer, a member of the ACI Foundation and the Managing Director of ACI Formulations Ltd told The Daily Star, “Our initiative is to revive the dedication amongst the artistes with which Feroza Begum adorned Nazrul Sangeet. So, we honour those who are worthy of acknowledgement.”

Professor Dr Abu Md Delwar Hossain, Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Treasurer, Professor Dr Md Kamal Uddin, University of Dhaka, were present as special guests at the occasion, along with teachers, students, cultural activists, singers, poets and writers.

Japan human trial tests iPS cell treatment for Parkinson’s

Japanese researchers on Monday announced the first human trial using a kind of stem cell to treat Parkinson’s disease, building on earlier animal trials.

The research team at Kyoto University plans to inject five million induced Pluripotent Stem (iPS) cells — which have the potential to develop into any cell in the body — into patient brains, the university said in a press release.

The iPS cells from healthy donors will be developed into dopamine- producing brain cells, which are no longer present in people with Parkinson’s disease.

Parkinson’s disease is a chronic, degenerative neurological disorder that affects the body’s motor system, often causing shaking and other difficulties in movement.

Worldwide, about 10 million people have the illness, according to the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation.

Currently available therapies “improve symptoms without slowing or halting the disease progression,” the foundation says. But the new research aims to actively reverse the disease.

The clinical test with seven participants aged between 50 and 69 will begin on Wednesday.

The university will monitor the conditions of the patients for two years after the operation.

The human trial comes after an earlier trial involving monkeys.

Researchers announced last year that primates with Parkinson’s symptoms regained significant mobility after iPS cells were inserted into their brains.

They also confirmed that the iPS cells had not transformed into tumors during the two years after the implant.

iPS cells are created by stimulating mature, already specialised, cells back into a juvenile state — basically cloning without the need for an embryo.

These can be derived from the patient, making them less likely to be rejected, while also sidestepping ethical qualms about taking cells from embryos.

The cells can be transformed into a range of different types of cells, and their use is a key sector of medical research.

In 2014, Riken, a Japanese government-backed research institution, carried out the world’s first surgery to implant iPS cells to treat a patient with age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a common medical condition that can lead to blindness in older people.

Osaka University is also planning a clinical test to treat heart failure by using a heart muscle cell sheet created from iPS cells.

In the US, scientists from Duke University said in January they had managed for the first time to grow functioning human muscle from iPS cells in the lab.

Kristen Stewart to star in new, female-directed 'Charlie's Angels'

"Charlie's Angels" are returning to the big screen next year for a third outing, this time with a female director and a multi-racial trio of women led by Kristen Stewart. "Twilight" star Stewart, along with rising British actresses Naomi Scott and Ella Balinska, will play the lead roles in the latest movie reboot of the 1970s crime caper, to be directed by Elizabeth Banks, Sony Pictures said on Thursday.

“‘Charlie’s Angels,’ for me, is one of the original brands to celebrate the empowered woman since its debut in the ‘70s. This film honours the legacy of Charles Townsend and his agency while introducing a new era of modern and global Angels,” Banks said in a statement.

Banks, who also directed “Pitch Perfect 2,” is also a co-producer and co-writer and she will play the role of the avuncular Bosley, which was played by a man on both the original television series and in two movie versions.

The new “Charlie’s Angels” marks a trend in Hollywood to entrust more women with directing big budget fare, and towards ethnic diversity. Scott is of Indian descent, while Balinska is mixed race.

“Charlie’s Angels” first appeared on US television in 1976, starring Farrah Fawcett, Kate Jackson, and Jaclyn Smith as sexy private detectives sent on missions by their unseen boss, Charlie Townsend.

The series spawned a 2000 movie adaptation starring Lucy Liu, Cameron Diaz and Drew Barrymore, who returned for a 2003 sequel “Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle.”

The new movie is expected to be released in September 2019 but the title and plot details were not announced.

What Tamannaah Bhatia has to say about `Marriage Rumours`

The South industry is abuzz with the news that Tamannaah Bhatia will soon be tying the knot. Going by the rumours, the supposed groom is said to be a US-based doctor and it is reportedly a love-and-arranged marriage. It has also been speculated that Tamannaah's mother feels her to-be fiance is very fond of her just like her father, Santosh. She was earlier rumoured to be in a relationship with India cricketer Virat Kohli in 2012 and was also linked to former Pakistani cricketer Abdul Razzaq in 2017. Tamannaah Bhatia who’s phone hasn’t stopped ringing incessantly since the rumours broke out states, “One day it’s an actor, another day it’s a cricketer, and now it’s a doctor. These rumours make it sound like I’m on a husband shopping spree. While I love the idea of being in love, I definitely don’t appreciate baseless news when it comes to my personal life. I am happily single at the moment and my parents aren’t groom hunting. The only thing I’m romancing right now is my cinematic endeavours.”

Ejaj Munna brings three popular faces in one frame

Popular TV artistes Mishu Sabbir, Urmila Srabonti Kar and Farhan Ahmed Jovan have shared screen together for an upcoming Eid drama serial titled ‘Ami Emon Tumi Kemon’. The seven-episode drama is scripted and directed by Ejaj Munna.

DhakaLive has news that the director, with utmost care, completed the shooting of the drama serial in Uttara of the capital recently. Total run time of the entire drama serial is 140 minutes which means the length of each episode is 20 minutes.

Urmila said about working in the drama, “I worked under the direction of Ejaj Munna before. He writes the story of his own dramas and directs the projects himself. Hence, he makes his drama with lots of care and dedication. Consequently, I get more responses from the viewers for his dramas. Ejaj Munna produced this drama serial with lots of care also. I am very hopeful about it”.

Mishu Sabbir said, “The story of the drama is beautiful. The stories of many Eid dramas got stretched without any reason which audience actually do not like. But Ejaj Munna’s drama serial will not be like this. I believe that the audiences would watch it enthusiastically.”

Working with Ejaj Munna for the first time, Jovan said, “I haven’t had any chance to work with Ejaj Munna before. This is my first time working under his direction. I always wanted to work under his direction, and finally, my wish came true with working in this drama serial. Ejaj Munna is really a talented director and I am very happy to be part of his Eid project.”

The seven-episode drama serial ‘Ami Emon Tumi Kemon’ will be aired on NTV starting on the day of Eid-ul-Azha, director Ejaj Munna informed DhakaLive.

Airport Road crash: Writ seeks compensation for victims

A Supreme Court lawyer today filed a writ petition with the High Court seeking a directive on the owner of Jabal-e-Noor Paribahan to give Tk 2 crore as compensation to the family of two students who were killed in yesterday's road accident in Dhaka's Airport Road.  

Abdul Karim alias Rajib Uddin Rajib, 18, a student of class-XII, and Dia Khanam Mim, 17, an 11th grader of Shaheed Ramiz Uddin Cantonment College  were killed as the bus of the Jabal-e-Noor Paribahan ran over the two students on the Airport Road flyover adjacent to the Armed Forces Medical College in Dhaka’s Kurmitola area yesterday.

Barrister Ruhul Quddus Kazal submitted the writ petition to the High Court as a public interest litigation.

In the petition, he prayed to the HC to issue a rule upon the respondent to explain why they should not be directed to ensure safety and security on the passengers at large using public transports by controlling reckless driving to strict enforcement of traffic rules.

Home Secretary, Road Transport and Bridge Secretary, Inspector General of Police (IGP), Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) commissioner, additional commissioner (traffic) of DMP, Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) and Jabal-e-Noor Paribahan have been made respondent in the required rule.

The HC may hold hearing on the writ petition later in the day.

Some people, including at least 15 students, were waiting to board a bus to go home while two buses for passengers raced against each other on the flyover and one of the drivers slammed on the brakes near the ramp of the Airport Road.

E-cigarettes, tobacco linked to higher risk of oral cancer

Turns out, Tobacco use remains a leading cause of oral cancer but the tobacco landscape is evolving with increasing use of non-cigarette tobacco products and dual-use of multiple product types.

Benjamin Chaffee and co-author Neal Benowitz, University of California, evaluated exposure to known carcinogens (a substance capable of causing cancer in living tissue) according to recent use of different tobacco product types, alone or in combination.

Participants were categorized according to use of combustible, which includes cigarettes, cigars, water pipe, pipes, blunts (marijuana-containing cigars), smokeless, which includes moist snuff, chewing tobacco and snus, e-cigarettes and nicotine replacement products.

For each product, the recent use was defined as within the prior three-days and non-use defined as none within 30-days.

All tobacco use categories demonstrated elevated nicotine and tobacco-specific nitrosamines (TSNAs) concentrations relative to non-users. TSNA exposures were highest among smokeless tobacco users, whether used or together with other product types.

Most e-cigarette users concurrently used combustible tobacco resulting in TSNA exposure similar to exclusive cigarette smokers.

The analysis shows that the vast majority of non-cigarette tobacco users are exposed to carcinogen levels comparable to or exceeding exposure among exclusive cigarette smokers, levels that are likely to place users at substantial risk.

The full findings are present in the journal- Journal of Dental Research

Samsung Display says unbreakable, flexible screen passes US safety test

Samsung Display, a subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co Ltd, on Friday said its recently developed unbreakable, bendable screen has passed safety testing in the United States, a step that will help the South Korean firm market the product.

Samsung Display, an Apple Inc supplier, said the screen can be used in devices such as smartphones, tablet computers, portable gaming machines and consoles in automobiles.

The firm and rivals such as compatriot LG Display Co Ltd have long been developing flexible screens as they compete to make more innovative devices.

Samsung Display’s new screen is protected by plastic rather than glass, increasing flexibility and making it practically unbreakable, the firm said on its website.

Importantly, the screen has improved transparency, almost akin to glass, allowing it to be installed on devices used close-up, such as smartphones, a Samsung Display official said.

The screen has been certified by Underwriters Laboratories Inc, a testing firm for the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration, after tests which involved being dropped 26 times from a height of 1.2 meters, Samsung Display said.

After testing, the screen continued to function normally, with no damage to its front, sides or edges, the firm said.

US certification bestows such credibility that marketing can begin worldwide, not just in the United States, the Samsung Display official said.

Samsung Electronics has been widely expected to introduce a device with foldable screen since its mobile chief in September said such device was being developed and needed to overcome technological hurdles before possible release in 2018.

Such a device is likely to help ease concerns that Samsung Electronics, the world’s largest smartphone manufacturer, is running out of ideas to support sales of its premium Galaxy handsets as its smartphone sales growth slows.

Shares in Samsung Electronics closed unchanged on Friday, versus a 0.3 percent rise in the broader market.

Vidya learns to play the harmonium for the NTR biopic.

We had earlier reported that Vidya Balan will play Telugu actor-turned-politician Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao's (NTR) wife, Basavatarakam, in his biopic being directed by Krish.
And now, a report in a leading daily claims that the actress has learnt to play the harmonium for her role in the film. Composer Nitin Shankar, who trained Vidya to master the instrument spoke to the leading daily regarding the same. He said, "Her character plays the harmonium in two songs in the film and Vidya wanted to make it look convincing onscreen. I have known her family for a while now as they are all interested in music, so they reached out to me."
The four training sessions were conducted in mid-july and Vidya, was already playing in scale in the last session. Nitin further added that Vidya is planning to continue learning music even after the shoot is wrapped up. He added saying, " She plans to buy a harmonium. She also sings well. When I asked about her favourite song, she picked "Beeti Na Bitai Raina" from Parichay which reflects her knowledge of music."

Salman vowed to never work with Priyanka

Much to everyone's surprise, Priyanka Chopra has walked out of Ali Abbas Zafar's Bharat, which stars Salman Khan in the lead. The reason: Her engagement with Nick Jonas.

According to the news reports doing the rounds, the lovebirds plan to get married in October. Even though there has been no official confirmation from Priyanka, Zafar tweeted, "Yes Priyanka Chopra is no more part of @Bharat_TheFilm & and the reason is very very special , she told us in the Nick of time about her decision and we are very happy for her Team Bharat wishes @priyankachopra loads of love & happiness for life."

While Zafar seems happy for her, if reports are to be believed, all is not well with the rest of the Bharat team. An insider relayed information to an entertainment portal that Salman was rather miffed with PeeCee, as the two had just about mended their strained relationship.

"This is highly unprofessional on the part of Priyanka Chopra. Everyone is highly upset with her as she has walked out last minute. The sets of the film had been erected and she was supposed to shoot for a Holi song soon. Now everyone is in a lurch."

The insider added, "She had just now mended her relationship with Salman but now, after this, Salman has vowed to never work with her again."

Salman and Priyanka's relationship apparently soured after they worked together in Mujhse Shaadi Karoge. Salman had taken several jibes at Priyanka a couple of years ago, and even said that Kareena Kapoor Khan was the "original desi girl." PeeCee refused to make any comment on the matter.

Priyanka and Nick became the talk of the town, when they arrived at last year's Met Gala together, both dressed in Ralph Lauren creations. The actress had explained on Jimmy Kimmel's show, "We were both wearing Ralph Lauren and we decided to go together. It was fun."

It was Priyanka's Quantico co-star Graham Rogers who introduced them, Nick revealed. "We met up like in New York the first time and the same day I think we found out that we are both going to the Met Gala with Ralph Lauren. And as strange as it sounds but we couldn't have planned it. We just had a great time. She's a lovely person," he had said in an interview last year.INDIA TODAY.

‘Winning a series isn’t everything’

Bangladesh skipper Mashrafe Bin Mortaza said that there was a lot to improve upon despite admitting that the 2-1 ODI series win away from home against the West Indies was a good achievement.

Bangladesh managed to make a comeback after their Test series debacle by clinching the ODI series and Mashrafe said that a win like that was necessary. ODIs remain Tigers’ favourite format and the win can catapult them to future success and also boost confidence.

“If you look at the last 3-4 months, obviously a win like this was needed. It will do us good before the Asia Cup. We will have to improve a lot which I have said before as well. Winning a series isn’t everything. There is a lot of room for improvement which we are missing,” Mashrafe said.

Bangladesh had lost the T20 series at Dehradun to Afghanistan 3-0 and then lost the Test series to West Indies 2-0. Mashrafe reiterated that Tigers were showing improvements in certain areas.

“If you look at today’s match, Rubel [Hossain] did exactly what the team needed. We are improving in certain facets like this but now we have to ensure that we do it consistently,” he said.

The team needed pacer Rubel Hossain to get a breakthrough and he did just that. Chris Gayle had been in ominous form early on in the Windies innings and he was almost single handedly taking the game away from the Tigers with his big hitting after Mashrafe had removed Gayle’s opening partner Evin Lewis to put some pressure on the West Indies batters. Gayle fell to Rubel, trying to hit the fast bowler over long on in the 22nd over.

“We have to talk about Rubel. He gave the breakthrough which gave an advantage to the other bowlers,” he said about Rubel, who also bowled a decent seventh over, giving away just six runs.

“Overall, I think the fielding has to improve. At the same time there were things to improve in the batting and bowling departments as well,” the skipper concluded.

Diabetes drugs help immune cells in controlling inflammation

Diabetes drugs act as a powerful curb for immune cells in controlling inflammation, a new study has found.

When tissues are damaged, one of the body's first inflammatory immune-system responders are macrophages, cells which are commonly thought of as 'construction workers' that clear away damaged tissue debris and initiate repair.

However, prolonged inflammation promotes the progression of many diseases, including obesity.

Now, a common class of drugs used to treat diabetes has been found to exert a powerful check on macrophages by controlling the metabolic fuel they use to generate energy.

Keeping macrophages from going overboard on the job may inhibit the onset of obesity and diabetes following tissue inflammation.

The study led by Mitchell Lazar, MD, Ph.D., director of the Institute for Diabetes, Obesity, mentioned Overnutrition, an excess intake of calories which can lead to obesity, causes a buildup of fat that can significantly damage tissues.

"When this happens, macrophages infiltrate the affected tissues, sequester free fatty acids, and help repair damaged tissue, essentially acting as a protector of the body during times of metabolic stress," said Lazar.

However, extended stress on these tissues activates inflammatory characteristics in macrophages that contribute to several systemic effects of obesity including diabetes, atherosclerosis, and cardiovascular disease.

Diabetes drugs called thiazolidinediones (TZDs) control gene expression by targeting a factor called PPAR gamma.

Lazar's team found that the TZDs, working through PPAR gamma, promote the metabolism of an amino acid called glutamine, a protein building block necessary for macrophage activation.

The team found that macrophages lacking PPAR gamma are unable to use glutamine as an energy source and therefore are more susceptible to inflammatory stimulation.

"These findings are highly relevant to treatment strategies that use TZDs for diabetes and enhance the justification for using TZDs to treat systemic inflammation that accompanies many types of disease, including obesity and diabetes," said Lazar.

The full findings are present in the journal- Genes & Development.

Blood Moon dazzles star gazers in longest lunar eclipse of 21st century

A blood-red moon dazzled star gazers across much of the world on Friday when it moved into Earth's shadow for the longest lunar eclipse of the 21st Century.

From the Cape of Good Hope to the Middle East, and from the Kremlin to Sydney Harbour, thousands of people turned their eyes to the stars to watch the moon, which turned dark before shining orange, brown and crimson in the shadow.

The total eclipse lasted 1 hour, 42 minutes and 57 seconds, though a partial eclipse preceded and follows, meaning the moon will spend a total of nearly 4 hours in the Earth's umbral shadow, according to NASA.

The fullest eclipse was visible from Europe, Russia, Africa, the Middle East, and much of Asia and Australia though clouds blocked out the moon in some places.

The eclipse will not be visible from North America or most of the Pacific.

Reuters charted the eclipse from across the world, capturing a shimmering orange and red moon above Cairo, the Temple of Poseidon in Cape Sounion, near Athens, the Bavarian village of Raisting in Germany, Rio beach in Brazil and Johannesburg.

In Nairobi, Kenyans watched as the moon darkened.

"This is what life is all about: Magical moments like this," said Teddy Muthusi as he watched from Uhuru Park in Nairobi. "It's just beautiful. It's well worth it."

On the banks of India's Ganges, temples were closed ahead of the eclipse. Enthusiasts watched through telescopes at the Marina South Pier in Singapore and at the Al Sadeem Observatory in Al Wathba near Abu Dhabi.

Hundreds of people in Australia paid to watch the eclipse from the Sydney Observatory before sunrise.

When the moon moved into the conical shadow of the earth, it went from being illuminated by the sun to being dark. Some light, though, still reaches it because it is bent by the Earth's atmosphere.

"It's called a blood moon because the light from the sun goes through the Earth's atmosphere on its way to the moon, and the Earth's atmosphere turns it red in the same way that when the sun goes down it goes red," Andrew Fabian, professor of astronomy at the University of Cambridge, told Reuters.

At the same time, Mars is traveling closer to Earth than it has done since 2003, so some observers may see what looks like an orange-red star - and is in fact the red planet.

"It is a very unusual coincidence to have a total lunar eclipse and Mars at opposition on the same night," said Robert Massey, deputy executive director of the Royal Astronomical Society, who watched the eclipse from the Mediterranean Sea.

For thousands of years, man has looked to the heavens for omens of doom, victory and joy. The Bible contains references to the moon turning into blood and some ultra-Orthodox Jews consider lunar eclipses ominous and a cause for moral contemplation.

According to some Hindu beliefs, celestial bodies such as the sun and moon emit negative energy during an eclipse and so some temples in India were closed to minimize any disturbance.

Astronomers, though, said there was no cause for worry.

"There is no reason to believe that blood moons foretell doom," said Massey. "This does not herald the apocalypse: seeing a lunar eclipse and Mars in the sky is something people should enjoy rather than worry about."

The next lunar eclipse of such a length is due in 2123.

Nipun, Riaz, Nadia`s Eid sequel telefilm

After getting huge appreciation for the Eid telefilm titled Ektushkhani Prem three popular actors - National Film Award-winning actors Riaz and Nipun and popular model and TV actress Nadia Ahmed have shared screen once gain for its sequel titled Aaharey Ektushkhani Prem.
Scripted and directed by SA Haque Alik, the telefilm is being produced and scheduled to be aired on Banglavision during the upcoming Eid-ul-Azha. The shooting of the telefilm has already taken place in different locations in the city’s Uttara area. 
While talking about making the sequel of the telefilm its director SA Haque Alik told this correspondent, “The telefilm is based on the genre of seriocomedy, a comedy with serious elements. The absurd elements of the society are portrayed in the telefilm from a comedy perspective. The audience would find out the reality of life while watching the telefilm.” 
While talking about the telefilm Riaz said, “We got huge responses for our previous telefilm Ektushkhani Prem. So, we are expecting that we will get more responses for Aaharey Ektushkhani Prem than before. Alik always directs any project with a lot of care. Even in this telefilm, he has done the same. Both Nipun and Nadia are established actresses and I have really enjoyed working with them.” 
Nipun shared her feelings by this way, “Due to work pressure, I am unable to manage time for acting now. I am currently busy with my business venture. However, if the story is quite good, then I try to work on any project. I found the story, written by SA Haque Alik, was realistic for which I have acted in this telefilm with lot of enthusiasm.” Nadia said, “Without a doubt, Alik is a talented director. He always works with a lot of care, and he also did the same for this telefilm. I believe Aaharey Ektushkhani Prem would be appreciated by the audiences.”

Google Doodle celebrates singer Feroza Begum’s 88th birthday

Search engine giant Google has created a new Doodle on its homepage, marking Bangladeshi iconic singer Feroza Begum's 88th birth anniversary.

Feroza's voice and ability to convey deep emotion played an important role in popularising Nazrul Sangeet throughout the country.

Feroza Begum (28 July 1930 - 9 September 2014) was a Nazrul Sangeet singer. She was honoured with the Independence Day Award in 1979 by the government of Bangladesh.

Feroza Begum was born in Gopalganj district on July 28, 1930 and started her career in the 1940s.

Feroza Begum first sang in All India Radio while studying in the sixth grade. She met National Poet Kazi Nazrul Islam at the age of 10 and became his student.

In 1942, she recorded her first Islamic song by gramophone record company HMV in 78 rpm disk format. Since then, 12 LP, 4 EP, 6 CD and more than 20 audio cassette records have been released. She lived in Kolkata from 1954 until she moved to Dhaka in 1967.

In 1956, Feroza Begum married Kamal Dasgupta (who converted to Islam before the marriage and took the name Kamal Uddin Ahmed), a singer, composer, and lyricist.

Two of their three sons, Hamin Ahmed and Shafin Ahmed are musicians.

Feroza Begum died on September 9, 2014 in Apollo Hospital, Dhaka due to heart and kidney problems.

Today's Doodle, painted on watercolor paper with colored inks by Doodler Olivia Huynh, depicts Feroza Begum sharing her voice with her audience, surrounded by gold patterning commonly found on her album covers. unb