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Bollywood superstar singer SP Balasubrahmanyam has died of coronavirus

The famous Indian singer SP Balasubrahmanyam who is a Guinness World Record holder for his more than 40,000 songs has died of coronavirus.The famous Indian singer SP Balasubrahmanyam who is a Guinness World Record holder for his more than 40,000 songs has died of coronavirus. The singer recorded for more than 50 years with a catalogue ranging from romantic numbers to dance tracks. SP Balasubrahmanyam, 74, also sang some of Indian cinema's best-known numbers, spanning 16 languages.He died today after spending days in intensive care following a covid-19 diagnosis and tributes have been pouring in from celebrities and fans.

Balasubrahmanyam was first admitted to hospital in Chennai (formerly Madras) in early August when he tested positive for Covid-19. He then tested negative in early September but continued to receive life support treatment. The hospital where he was treated said that the singer died of cardio-respiratory arrest. The singer, popularly known as SPB, was born in 1946 into a middle class family from Nellore in Andhra Pradesh. He moved to Chennai as a young man where he formed a band with friends including Ilaiyaraaja, who went onto become an acclaimed composer.

Originally studying engineering Balasubrahmanyam dropped out of college to take up singing after he was talent spotted at a music competition. He said: 'I planned to be an engineer. Then music turned the course of my life. I realised not to plan and let things play out for me.Balasubrahmanyam's first major breakthrough in southern films came when he sang for Tamil superstar MG Ramachandran in a 1969 film Adimai Penn. 'Singing for a superstar like him changed how the Tamil film world looked at me,' he told an interviewer once. He began his career in Tamil and Telgu cinema in southern India.

He went onto become the first singer to crossover into Bollywood and achieve fame there too. Balasubrahmanyam was kept busy working in the Indian film industry from the 1970s up to the present day. He was also the highest paid singer in southern India and at times he recorded three songs a day. At the height of his powers the performer spent 17 hours in a single day recording songs for different composers.
His first big Bollywood hit was in 1981 when he sang for the film Ek Duuje Ke Liye (We Are Made For Each Other). 

Then in the same year he set a record by recording 21 new songs in the Kannada language from morning until night for a film composer. He would fly to Mumbai and record Hindi songs for films when Bollywood demanded it before flying back to Chennai. Among his back catalogue are some memorable romantic numbers for the Oscar winning composer AR Rahman for the blockbuster hit, Roja.Many times Balasubrahmanyam's voice was pre-recorded for use in films where the actors would then lip-sync to his songs.

At the height of his fame fans would write to him using their own blood for ink. He also smoked and drank iced drinks unlike many Indian singers who think they ruin their voices. The singer was given two of India's top civilian honours, Padma Shri in 2001 and Padma Bhushan in 2011. Critic VAK Ranga Rao once said: 'Balasubrahmanyam is a phenomenon. 'He has a fine voice which always sings true. He has a deep awareness and a basic feel for aesthetics of film music.
'Adding to all this is a raging enthusiasm; a respect for the art, which is his profession, and an open mind.' 'I want to stop singing the day I feel cannot.' 

Reference: Daily Mail: Ian Noble For Mailonline 3 days ago: 25/09/2020

Simon Cowell is on the mend after breaking his back: 'He's taken some steps'

Simon Cowell has "taken some steps" as he continues to recover from breaking his back.Simon Cowell has "taken some steps" as he continues to recover from breaking his back.

The 60-year-old entertainment mogul was almost paralysed when he fell off his electric bike last month and broke his back, requiring him to undergo surgery and pull out of working on both 'Britain's Got Talent' and its US counterpart, 'America's Got Talent'.

And now, his close friend Sinitta has confirmed he's on the mend, as he's already begun to take his first steps since his accident.

She told Entertainment Daily: "It was a serious accident. So for people who love him, like me, it was very, very scary.

"He's taken some steps, so he has reassured himself that he's not paralysed.

"But he's got to take his time and get well."

Meanwhile, it was recently reported the 'X Factor' creator - who has six-year-old son Eric with his partner Lauren Silverman - has turned to healing crystals to help him recover from his injuries.

An insider said: "Two of his friends had searched out and delivered some powerful healing energy crystals which he has with him.

"Most people wouldn't put Simon down as having crystals but he and Lauren have them around their home.

"He's in good spirits and his back is well on the mend."

And Simon is thought to be ditching the brand new e-bike, at the request of his 43-year-old partner.

One source claimed: "Lauren doesn't want him to ride one of those bikes again, so he's agreed with his friends and family to get rid of them as soon as he's out of hospital.

"The power of the bike was unbelievable when he changed the setting up to the second one. The bike just flew into the air.

"Thankfully he let go of the bike as he fell backwards and it didn't land on him."

Reference: Bang Showbiz 3 days ago: 25/09/2020

Woman becomes allergic to all food and has to be fed through her heart

A woman has become allergic to all foods and even certain smells can cause her to suffer a potentially life-threatening allergic reaction.A woman has become allergic to all foods and even certain smells can cause her to suffer a potentially life-threatening allergic reaction. Lauren Wittering, 20, from Kettering, Northamptonshire, suffers from a condition known as mast cell activation syndrome, or MCAS, where a person’s mast cells (which are responsible for allergic reactions) are overly triggered by unusual substances, resulting in allergic reactions and anaphylaxis (a severe, potentially life-threatening allergic reaction).

“I loved food so much and now I can’t even be near it - just the smell of food will send me into anaphylaxis,” she explains. “If I come into contact with something I am allergic to, hives will quickly appear and cover my entire body. “My breathing will deteriorate, I will fall unconscious, my stats will start to drop, my heart rate will go really high and I can have full on anaphylaxis where I need adrenaline.” 

People are being urged to stop buying dairy and gluten-free foods unless they need them. Wittering was diagnosed with MCAS four years ago, after she started coming out in hives, feeling faint or developing a racing heart when she ate soy or dairy. Virtually overnight, her reactions intensified and now she is allergic to all foods, as well as alcohol, smoke and perfume. She has to wear a mask whenever she goes out of the house, to prevent her smelling anything.

Doctors had to fit a feeding tube into Wittering’s stomach, but she even became allergic to that, so she is now fed through a tube that goes straight into her heart. Watch: Air purifier from Amazon saves user from severe allergic reactions.As a result of her condition Wittering hasn’t been able to consume food in over a year and has lost five stone in the past two years.

She now weighs just six and a half stone. Wittering started to show symptoms of MCAS during her A-levels when her skin came out in hives after coming into contact with alcohol based solutions in school chemistry lessons.Despite frequent visits to the nurse and fainting in exams, Wittering achieved three A*s in her first year before she was forced to leave school due to her health.

She was admitted into hospital for six months, while there she was finally diagnosed with MCAS.
“The first food things were anything with soy in it and then we started to realise dairy affected me too and then I lost more and more foods,” Wittering explains. “For about a year, I had five foods I could eat - chicken, rice, potato, carrots and broccoli. “I just rotated those foods round and round with no reactions but then pretty much overnight, I became anaphylactic to all those foods so I couldn't eat anything.” Read more: Mum issues warning after toddler has an allergic reaction to ketchup,

Following the realisation she was now reacting to all foods, Wittering was admitted into hospital for two months, where she was fitted with a feeding tube that went into her intestines. Despite it being the most hypoallergenic feeding tube available, Wittering has now become allergic to that, so she survives on an intravenous central line, where all of the nutrients she requires to live go directly into the main vessel of her heart. She also has a special allergy mask that filters out allergens to allow her to go out in public, but still experiences issues if a smell is particularly strong.

 “Just before lockdown, my mum and I went to an outdoor shopping village,” she recalls.“I’d had a great day, but then in the last shop, a woman opened a hand sanitiser next to me and I immediately went into anaphylaxis.” Despite not being able to predict what will happen or how people will react, Wittering doesn’t want her condition to prevent her going out and living her life.

As well as MCAS, Wittering also suffers from a connective tissue disorder called Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, as well as Postural tachycardia syndrome (an abnormal increase in heart rate that occurs after sitting up or standing). She is now awaiting a trial of a drug from America, which she hopes may one day help her be able to enjoy food again. “You don't realise how much food is part of your social life until you can’t eat,” she says. Read more: Mum-of-two falls into three-day coma after drinking Diet Coke due to severe allergy.

Despite everything she has been through, Wittering has maintained a positive attitude and hopes to return to education with dreams of becoming a dietitian after being inspired by those who have helped her. “Since I've been unwell, I've become really interested in diatetics,” she explains. “I find it so amazing that you can be fed through your veins and that can keep you alive.” She now hopes she will one day be able to help others going through something similar.  
“Like my mum said, if I was able to do it, I’d have the empathy for other people as well as I've been through it myself,” she adds.

Reference: yahoo News: Marie Claire Dorking 5 hrs ago:28/09/2020 

Norwegian King Harald V taken to hospital

Norway’s 83-year-old King Harald V has been admitted to the main hospital in Oslo with breathing difficulties, the Norwegian palace has said.Norway’s 83-year-old King Harald V has been admitted to the main hospital in Oslo with breathing difficulties, the Norwegian palace has said.

It added he has tested negative for coronavirus.

The palace said his son, Crown Prince Haakon, has stepped in and taken over his father’s duties, including a scheduled meeting with the Norwegian government.

The palace said in a later statement: “The king is now being examined. Covid-19 is already excluded.”

King Harald ascended the throne upon the death of his father, King Olav, on January 17 1991.

The country’s first native-born king since the 14th century, he married a commoner as a prince and won hearts by leading the mourning in 2011 for the victims of mass killer Anders Behring Breivik.

In 2016, a speech by King Harald in support of gay rights and diversity attracted widespread international attention.

“Norwegians are girls who love girls, boys who love boys, and girls and boys who love each other,” he said.

The speech was shared tens of thousands of times on social media.

Earlier this year, Harald was briefly admitted to Rikshospitalet, the capital’s university hospital, after experiencing dizziness.

No serious illness was found but the monarch was on sick leave for two weeks. 

Reference: By Associated Press Reporter 2 days ago: 25/09/2020