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Ready to risk their lives for 15 seconds of YouTube fame

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 Gone are the days when people needed pure talent and special skills to become famous. Todays generation wants instant fame and to achieve this they are ready to go to any extent by using various social medical platforms.

Such is the craze of getting noticed on social media that the youth are willing to even risk their lives not to talk about being booked by law enforcing agencies, landing behind bars or drawing the ire of the society. Experts say the sheer reach of social media is prompting youth to do something unusual, crazy or even dangerous to get instant prominence.

They pointed out that in the past, individuals used to gain fame for pure and raw talent or by developing skills in fields like music, dance, acting, art and literature but today social media has created pathways for those who do not possess any unique talent to get fame.

By making videos of a few seconds and uploading it on platforms like Facebook, YouTube and Instagram, the youth want to rise to fame quicker than making instant coffee. Many believe that various social media tools offer them an opportunity to become overnight celebrities globally.

While YouTubers and some others who have their presence on various social media platforms for the last few years continue to explore newer ways to increase their subscribers or get more likes, there are others who look to grab the fame with just one video of their daredevilry or even any unusual act.

The Telugu states of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh have recently witnessed several instances in which the youth resorted to something dramatic for instant fame.

The craze to shoot a video of him walking close to a high-speed train nearly cost the life of a 17-year-old youth in Telangana’s Hanamkonda district last month.

The 12th class student sustained grievous injuries when he was hit by the train while posing for a video. In the video, which went viral on social media but not in the way the youth wanted, he is seen perilously walking along the railway track near Kazipet railway station, heedless of the lurking danger from behind.

With his hands in pockets, the youth who was obsessed with shooting for a video, is seen walking along the track with a train approaching from behind. Within seconds the train hit him and he was thrown aside. His friend who was recording the video on a mobile phone is heard warning the youth before he was knocked down.

Chintakula Akshay Raju wanted to shoot a video with high-speed train in the background to upload the same on Instagram. This obsession, however, cost him nearly his life. He sustained injuries to his leg and hand.

In July, a video of a girl dancing inside the Hyderabad metro train went viral on social media.

Grooving to the Tamil song �Ra Ra’, the young girl filmed dance reels for Instagram.

As photography and videography is not permitted on the train or on the platform, Hyderabad Metro officials said they would take action against her for violating the rules.

The girl’s act drew mixed responses on social media. While some praised her for her guts, others called her act a nuisance and demanded action.

“Height of shamelessness… These girls behave publicly like this then what society we are living in. Stop this nonsense in public places, metro take action,” wrote a user.

In neighbouring Andhra Pradesh, five youths were arrested in July when they entered a wild boar enclosure in Visakhapatnam. Aged between 19 to 21 years, they entered the enclosure and began teasing animals to create an Instagram video. They wanted to increase their follower count.

The five accused jumped over the guard rail to enter the enclosure at the Indira Gandhi Zoological Park. The video of the incident went viral on social media. The youth teased and chased the wild boar for a few minutes.

One boar charged straight at the men and knocked one of them down. He was then seen scaling the enclosure wall to get out

The youth were arrested under the Wildlife Protection Act 1972.

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Demand for homes priced Rs 1 crore and above boosts market in India: Report

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Mumbai, April 24: The demand for homes prices Rs 1 crore and above bolstered the Indian property market in the first quarter this year, preventing overall sales of 65,250 units from hard landing, a report said on Thursday.

Residential sales in Q1 2025 (January-March) experienced only a modest decline and added up to 65,246 units. This limited drop was primarily due to robust demand in the Rs 3-5 crore and Rs 1.5-3.0 crore segments, which helped counterbalance the slowdown in relatively affordable housing, according to a JLL report.

The steady growth in higher ticket size homes indicates increasing affluence among homebuyers, changing lifestyle preferences and buyers prioritising larger and premium properties.

According to the report, housing sales in India’s top seven cities continued to be dominated by Bengaluru, Mumbai, and Pune, which collectively accounted for 66 per cent of Q1 sales.

High concentration of MNCs and startups creating significant employment opportunities and ongoing infrastructure improvements make these cities increasingly attractive places to live and work.

It is interesting to note that over the last few quarters a significant share of quarterly sales volume has been contributed by projects launched during the same quarter.

Q1 2025 was no exception, with around one-fourth of its sales being contributed by quarterly new launches. Launches by reputed developers with assurance of timely delivery and steady price appreciation, are driving the trend, the report informed.

“The residential real estate market is showing signs of a shift in buyer preferences with lowering of demand for less than Rs 1 crore housing and a growing affinity for mid to high-end properties. This as well suggests a potential upward movement in the overall market dynamics,” said Dr Samantak Das, Chief Economist and Head of Research and REIS, India, JLL.

“This upswing in the higher-priced segment demand has shielded the overall housing sales from a sharper decline,” Das added.

Developers are focusing more on mid to high-end projects to align with current demand patterns. High-end housing sector experienced a steady upswing with 107 per cent year-on-year growth in launches of properties priced at Rs 1 crore and above, driven by strong sales in this segment.

Growth in launches despite economic uncertainties signals robust developer confidence in high-end housing demand, said the report, adding that 2025 is poised for robust growth in the residential sector demand.

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GreenLine flags off LNG truck fleet for Bekaert to drive sustainable logistics

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Mumbai, April 24: GreenLine Mobility Solutions Ltd., an Essar venture and India’s only green logistics operator of LNG and electric-powered heavy commercial trucks, has partnered with Bekaert, a global leader in tire reinforcement technology, to decarbonise road logistics and support India’s vision of a gas-based economy.

The partnership was flagged off with the deployment of GreenLine’s LNG-powered trucks at Bekaert’s Ranjangaon Plant, marking the beginning of a pilot phase that aims to significantly reduce the carbon footprint of Bekaert’s logistics operations.

Each GreenLine LNG truck is expected to reduce up to 24 tonnes of CO₂ emissions annually, contributing to Bekaert’s ambition of becoming carbon net-zero by 2050 and achieving 65 per cent of sales from sustainable solutions.

Commenting on the partnership, Anand Mimani, CEO, GreenLine Mobility Solutions Ltd, said, “Our partnership with Bekaert demonstrates the growing commitment of forward-thinking corporates to drive sustainability at scale. At GreenLine, we are proud to offer not just green trucks, but an integrated ecosystem — from LNG refuelling to real-time telematics — that empowers our partners to make meaningful progress on their net-zero goals.”

Dinesh Mukhedkar, Procurement Operations Lead — South Asia and Procurement Global Shared Service Centre Lead, Bekaert, added, “As part of our purpose ‘Establishing the new possible,’ and our ambition to lead in safe, smart, and sustainable solutions, decarbonising logistics is an essential step. This directly supports our commitment to ESG principles and long-term sustainability goals.”

GreenLine’s expanding fleet of LNG-powered trucks has already clocked more than 40 million km, avoiding over 10,000 tonnes of CO₂ emissions. The company’s ongoing expansion includes plans to deploy over 10,000 LNG and EV trucks, supported by a nationwide network of 100 LNG refuelling stations, EV charging hubs, and battery swapping facilities — targeting a reduction of 1 million tonnes of carbon emissions annually.

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US tariffs pose major headwinds, need to diversify supply chains: BOK chief

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Seoul, April 24: South Korea’s top central banker has said global trade tensions sparked by the United States’ sweeping tariff policy are a major headwind for the country’s export-driven economy, and the issue will likely accelerate its efforts to diversify supply chains.

Bank of Korea (BOK) Governor Rhee Chang-yong made the assessment during an interview with CNBC in Washington, where he is attending meetings of the Group of 20 (G20) finance ministers and central bank chiefs, as well as International Monetary Fund–World Bank Group (IMF-WBG) meetings, reports Yonhap news agency.

“We are an export-oriented economy. So the trade tension, definitely, too is large headwinds. We will be affected directly by the U.S. tariffs, and also indirectly to its tariff to other countries. For example, our semiconductor production in Vietnam, car and electronics production in Mexico and our battery production in Canada will be affected,” Rhee said.

“I really hope this trade tension will dissipate, because it’s bad for everybody,” he added.

But South Korea has “some strengths” to manage the issue, as the country has been “luckily” diversifying its supply chains, particularly from China, over the last several years amid growing competition from China and some political issues between the two nations.

“This is a kind of natural movement to diversify our supply chain and also move up to the value chain. So that will continue, but at the same time, the recent trade tension will probably expedite the move,” Rhee said.

Speaking of economic growth, Rhee said it is hard to present a growth outlook due to high uncertainties surrounding the U.S. tariff policy.

“At this moment, I don’t know what kind of trade tension scenarios we have to assume as a baseline or reference scenarios,” Rhee said. “I may have a better idea after tariff talks with the U.S. tomorrow.

South Korea and the U.S. are set to hold tariff talks in Washington on Thursday (U.S. time), as the Donald Trump administration has put on hold the implementation of 25 percent reciprocal tariffs on South Korean imports for 90 days.

South Korea’s real gross domestic product (GDP) contracted 0.2 percent in the January-March period from the previous quarter, according to the BOK’s preliminary data released in the day.

The BOK earlier expected the South Korean economy to expand 1.5 percent this year, but Rhee later said the outlook seemed “too optimistic” and the central bank will come up with its adjusted figure in May.

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