Latest news with #Banerji
Indian Express
2 days ago
- Health
- Indian Express
At Deonar dumping site, toxicology indicators four times safety limit: Study
Even as the Deonar dumping ground, in Mumbai's eastern suburbs, is among the areas earmarked for relocation of Dharavi residents, a waste characterisation study commissioned by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) shows that the level of toxicology indicators at the landfill is up to four times the permissible limits prescribed by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). The study analysed the levels of Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD), Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), and Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) — all crucial indicators of environmental toxicology, with higher levels indicating increased toxins — in the waste and leachate (liquid leaching out of the waste piles) at Deonar. According to the study, the average BOD in the leachate was 390 milligram per litre (mg/l) — the permissible limit is 100 mg/l (land) and 30 mg/l (water). Similarly, the average COD was 1,002 mg/l, while the permissible limit is 250 mg/l (water); the average TDS level was 6,550 mg/l, while the permissible limit is 2,100 mg/l (see box). BOD indicates the amount of dissolved oxygen required by microorganisms to break down organic matter present in a water sample; COD refers to the amount of oxygen required to chemically oxidise organic matter; TDS refers to total concentration of all dissolved substances, including inorganic salts, minerals, and organic matter. While the study was commissioned by the BMC in 2023, as a first step towards reclaiming the landfill, the report was made public last month after the civic body floated a Rs 2,368 crore tender to clean up the site by a process of bioremediation within three years. The study was carried out by NETEL India Limited, in a joint venture with NM Consultants-SKW Soil and Surveys. According to the study, 'inert waste', which includes construction debris and non bio-degradable material, comprises 30-50% of the waste. 'This type of waste poses challenges for disposal and management due to its… low degradation rate,' the report says. Speaking to The Indian Express on the significance of the findings, Dr Tuhin Banerji, a PhD research scholar at IIT Bombay and former scientist at the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), said the high BOD, COD and TDS levels indicate that the entire area is severely contaminated. 'The leachate contaminates the soil and water severely. The high BOD, COD and TDS levels indicate that the whole area is contaminated, (making it unsuitable) for human habitation, at present. Any living organism, be it micro-organisms, animals or plants will not survive in such conditions, since the process of nutrient uptake will affect organisms across the food chain in a similar manner,' he said. Saying that the level of contamination could be controlled by increasing the green cover around the dumping ground, Banerji said: 'The High Court had recommended implementation of a green belt across the periphery… to control pollution levels. The green belt uses specific trees to absorb pollutants from soil, creating a barrier and preventing the pollutants from entering other areas.' 'The process of bioremediation needs to be done in a proper way to make it habitable for humans. No shortcuts should be taken,' he said. Saying that the average time for completing the bioremediation was a 'minimum of five years', he said the three-year target set by the authorities was 'less, if seen under a scientific lens'. When contacted, Kiran Dighavkar, Deputy Municipal Commissioner, solid waste management, said: 'In the tender document that was floated for clearing the waste pile from the dumpsite last month, it has been clearly mentioned that the methodology of ideally processing the legacy waste, including the leachate, should be ideated by the contractor who will be awarded the contract. After the contractor submits the proposal, we (BMC) will analyse it and, if required, a peer review process will be carried out through a reputed agency. After we approve the methodology, work will start on the ground.' Dighavkar said the contractor for this work would be finalised by June 23, following which the work order would be issued. 'Before the monsoon season ends, the selected contractor will have to finalise the methodology and mobilise manpower, so that the work of bio-remediation can immediately begin after monsoon gets over,' he said. 'The primary challenge is in the manner of logistics. The leachate particles, along with every component of solid waste, will be treated scientifically, following which a residue will be extracted. Usually, these residues are used by cement factories. However, there is no cement factory available near Mumbai; the nearest factory is at least 500 km away. So the process of transporting the residue or deciding what to do with it is going to be a challenge,' said a civic official. 'Secondly, the maximum component of waste present there is either inert or non-recyclable, which is also a challenge. But we will have to achieve the process with bio-remediation, since this is the certified methodology of landfill reclamation as prescribed by the Government of India,' the official said. Bioremediation involves treating garbage with microorganisms that flourish in air and sunlight. In October 2024, the state government had allocated 124 acres of the 311-acre Deonar landfill for the Dharavi Redevelopment Project (DRP), which is being carried out by the Navbharat Mega Developers Private Limited (NMDPL) — a special purpose vehicle set up through a joint venture between the Adani Group (80%) and the state housing department's Slum Rehabilitation Authority (20%). At present, the Deonar dumping ground houses 1.85 crore metric tonnes (MT) of legacy waste piled up in 40-metre-high mountains. On April 11, The Indian Express had reported that around 6,200 kg of methane is generated from the landfill every hour, making Deonar one of the top 22 methane hotspots in the country, according to a CPCB report.
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Netflix Showcases Deep Asian Movie Lineup in Tokyo
After a raft of project announcements earlier this year, Netflix has offered a closer look at its 2025 film lineup from the Asia Pacific region at a special content showcase in Tokyo. Netflix's recent big-budget Hollywood film output has had its detractors, but the streamer's Asian film production has been on something of a critical and cultural hot streak in the last few years, with the likes of Unlocked (Korea), The Call (Korea), Kill Boksoon (Korea), The Shadow Strays (Indonesia), Hunger (Thailand) and the just released Bullet Train Explosion (Japan) all breaking out of their home markets and finding a global audience, with one or two even topping the streamer's worldwide charts. More from The Hollywood Reporter Jackie Chan to Receive Locarno Film Festival Lifetime Honor Mamoru Hosoda's Anime Princess Film 'Scarlet' Lands December 2025 Release Emmys: Netflix's 'The Perfect Couple' Will Compete in Drama Categories, Not Limited/Anthology (Exclusive) Presented by Netflix's top APAC executives from Japan, India, South Korea and Southeast Asia, the showcase proved to be an opportunity for the streamer to flex its regional muscle and show off a diverse slate of genre movies, comedies, anime and drama features. The event was kicked off by Minyoung Kim, Netflix's vice president, content Asia (ex-India), who revealed in her opening remarks that 'the average Netflix member watches seven movies every month' on the platform, and that this fact was a key driver behind the company's commitment to original feature production. Kim added that in 2024, APAC films appeared in Netflix's non-English film weekly Top 10 'more than films from any other region' and that APAC subscribers' film viewing grew by nearly 20 percent last year. The first of the regional slate deep dives was provided by Malobika Banerji, Netflix's senior director of content for Southeast Asia. Banerji talked up the success of The Shadow Strays and Hunger, the latter of which hit No. 1 worldwide, but also was keen to stress the company's firsts for the region, notably producing Outside, the first Filipino zombie movie that was released in 2024. And it's more zombies from SEA in 2025 for Netflix, as Banerji as gave glimpses of the streamer's big bets for 2025 — the Indonesian zombie drama The Elixir and Ziam from Thailand. Directed by Kimo Stamboel — one half of The Mo Brothers collective, with the other being The Shadow Strays filmmaker Timo Tjahjanto — The Elixir is both Indonesia's first zombie movie and also one of the country's largest film productions ever. Netflix showed off the first trailer of the film, which centers on an industrialist who makes herbal elixirs and how he and his dysfunctional family come under attack from the undead. Netflix also showed off a short teaser of Kulp 'Tent' Kaljareuk's Ziam, which appeared to be a more conventional zombie action movie, featuring a Muay Thai fighter as the central protagonist. Then followed the slate presentation by Netflix Japan's director of live action content Shinichi Takahashi. Much of the Japanese portion, understandably, was dominated by Shinji Higuchi's Bullet Train Explosion, which was set for release just days after the showcase. Takahashi was at pains to stress that the film, a sequel to the 1975 disaster classic The Bullet Train, was made in cooperation with the East Japan Railway Company, heightening the verisimilitude of the film with real Shinkansen trains, stations and uniforms. The filmmakers and VFX artists behind Bullet Train Explosion were also on hand to explain how they created some of the thrilling action setpieces. Outside of Bullet Train Explosion, Takahashi also discussed the recent success of Japanese original feature Demon City (released in February), which he said had ranked in Netflix's global top 10 for four weeks in a row. And he revealed a trailer for the ballroom dance drama 10Dance. Based on Satoh Inoue's popular manga series, the film features two competitive male dancers (played by Ryoma Takeuchi and Keita Machida) who work together to win a competition, but begin to have feelings for each other. After Japan, Korea followed, with Netflix's Korea director of content Vincent Taewon Kim presenting the most diverse slate of films of all the APAC regions. Kim said the streamer would release seven original Korean films in 2025, including features from Yeon Sang-ho (Hellbound and Parasyte: The Grey) and Byun Sung-hyun (Kill Boksoon) as well as films from Netflix newcomers Han Ji-won and Namkoong Sun. Kim opened the showcase talking up Yeon's Revelations, a film he said topped 'the Netflix top 10 non-English film chart for two weeks and was also among the top 10 titles in 65 countries.' He then introduced Netflix Korea's first animated feature project, Han Ji-won's Lost in Starlight, a coming-of-age love story that has echoes of Makoto Shinkai's Your Name and Suzume. Lost in Starlight tells the story of an astronaut named Nan-young and a musician named Jay, who embark on the longest-ever long-distance relationship. Then followed a trailer for an intriguing psychological drama Wall to Wall, director Kim Tae-joon follow up to his debut feature Unlocked. The film tells the story of a man living in an apartment who is driven mad by mysterious noises from neighboring floors. There was also a first look at Love Untangled, Namkoong Sun's period high school-set romcom about a girl with frizzy hair who is trying to attract the attention of her crush, and Lee Tae-sung's Mantis, the action spinoff of assassin movie hit Kill Boksoon. The Korea slate was wrapped up with trailers for Byun Sung-hyun's period plane hijack drama Good News and a clip of Kim Byung-woo's disaster movie The Great Flood; both movies debut at the end of the year. The APAC film showcase ended with India. Ruchikaa Kapoor Sheikh, Netflix's director of original films for India, introduced the streamer's slate for the country and stressed the importance of movies for the company in India. Sheikh revealed that for Netflix In India, 'nearly half of the viewing is from film, which is one of the highest globally.' Sheikh added that, 'in the past year alone, an Indian film was featured in Netflix's Global Top 10 (Non-English) list every single week.' Sheikh said 2025 would see Netflix's most diverse slate of Indian films, with original features coming in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu. A first look trailer for Vivek Soni's romcom Aap Jaisa Koi (loosely translated as Someone Like You) was shown, which tells the story of a 40-something everyman who's had no luck with women his whole life, who becomes discombobulated when he meets a beautiful woman during a speed dating event who is actually interested in him. Netflix India also showed off a teaser of Chinmay Mandleka's Inspector Zende, a 1980s-set drama about the police manhunt for the notorious international criminal Carl Bhojraj, also known as the 'Snake.' The film appeared to have echoes to the Charles Sobhraj case, even down to the nickname of the antagonist. Finally, Sheikh showed off a trailer for Vivek Daschaudharys' Toaster, the black comedy starring Rajkummar Rao, in what will be his fifth project with the streamer. The actor, who was introduced as the 'Rajkummar of Netflix' by Sheikh, was present at the showcase to discuss more about the film and also revealed that the feature was the first project from Kampa Films, the production banner he launched with his actor-producer wife Patralekha. Best of The Hollywood Reporter "A Nutless Monkey Could Do Your Job": From Abusive to Angst-Ridden, 16 Memorable Studio Exec Portrayals in Film and TV The 10 Best Baseball Movies of All Time, Ranked 20 Times the Oscars Got It Wrong
Yahoo
21-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Zombie Horror Unleashed: Netflix Southeast Asia Unveils ‘The Elixir' and ‘Ziam'
Netflix is doubling down on Southeast Asian genre content with two zombie horror films that promise to reinvent the subgenre with distinctive local flavors, the company revealed during the ongoing APAC film showcase in Tokyo. Malobika Banerji, senior director of content for Southeast Asia at Netflix, unveiled first looks at 'The Elixir' from Indonesia and 'Ziam' from Thailand, both slated for 2025 releases. More from Variety Netflix's Asia Pacific Film Slate Drives 20% Viewership Surge in Booming Market WWE Gives First-Ever Look Into Writers' Room and 'Calculated' Process in Netflix Doc: 'We're Gonna Lift the Curtain' (EXCLUSIVE) 'Squid Game' Success Stems From Netflix's Local-First Strategy, Says Asia Content VP Minyoung Kim: 'We Always Aspire to Make Big, Bold Swings' 'The Elixir,' directed by acclaimed Indonesian horror auteur Kimo Stamboel, centers on a fractured family fighting to escape a zombie outbreak triggered by a traditional Javanese herbal elixir. The film stars Mikha Tambayong, Eva Celia, and Donny Damara, with Stamboel bringing his signature immaculate visual style and penchant for gore to the project. Stamboel comes with horror credentials, including his work as part of The Mo Brothers directing duo and his recent box office success 'Dancing Village: The Curse Begins,' which attracted over four million theatrical viewers. For 'Ziam,' Netflix has partnered with Thai director Kulp 'Tent' Kaljareuk, whose series 'Master of the House' recently became the first Thai series to hit #1 on Netflix's Global Top 10 TV Non-English list. 'Ziam' is set in a near-future Thailand ravaged by environmental collapse and features a former Muay Thai fighter battling zombies to save his girlfriend. The production marks Netflix's first use of 3D In-Camera VFX technology for Southeast Asian content, allowing cast and crew to interact with the post-apocalyptic world in real-time rather than against green screens. 'Horror is a proven audience favourite in Thailand and Indonesia. But when it comes to zombie horror, demand has been met by Korean, English, and foreign-language titles,' Banerji noted during the presentation. 'With these two films, we wanted to take the thrill of zombies and fuse it with local storytelling, culture, and authenticity.' These zombie projects follow Netflix's recent Southeast Asian successes, including Indonesia's female-led action film 'The Shadow Strays,' Thailand's 'Hunger' which topped global charts, and the Philippines' post-apocalyptic drama 'Outside.' 'Our local zombie stories feel authentic, immersive, and uniquely ours,' Banerji said. 'And we can't wait for audiences to experience them.' Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week What's Coming to Disney+ in April 2025 The Best Celebrity Memoirs to Read This Year: From Chelsea Handler to Anthony Hopkins
CBC
15-02-2025
- Health
- CBC
Iodine in table salt: how a public health victory is becoming a victim of its own success
This story is part of CBC Health's Second Opinion, a weekly analysis of health and medical science news emailed to subscribers on Saturday mornings. If you haven't subscribed yet, you can do that by clicking here. Whether it's kosher, Himalayan pink or sea salt, Canadians have a wide range of choices when it comes to salts. But what many of these don't have — or don't have much of — is iodine. The mineral is essential for the body to make thyroid hormones, but can be rare in many parts of the world. And researchers say it's time for Canadians to pay attention to how much iodine they're getting. Table salt is one major source of iodine in Canada. In 1949, the government made it a mandatory additive. While Canadians can also get their iodine in by eating seafood (seawater is an abundant source of iodine) and dairy (farmers often use iodine-based antiseptics on udders), much of the soil in Canada is iodine-deficient — which means the crops and fruits that grow from our soils often are, too. Not having enough iodine could lead to a variety of health conditions, like goitres — a large, usually benign swelling of the thyroid gland — which used to be quite common in parts of Canada. It's still commonly seen in inland countries in Asia and Africa that don't add iodine to the food. Another, more serious, irreversible condition commonly caused by iodine deficiency is congenital iodine deficiency syndrome, also known as cretinism. It happens when a fetus doesn't get enough iodine while in the womb, and can cause stunted physical and mental growth. It's become very rare in North America and the developed world. But Dr. Anna Banerji, a pediatrician at Unity Health Toronto, and chair of the North American Refugee Health Conference, says she recently saw a case of a 17-year-old who had moved to Canada from an iodine-poor country. "She was about this tall," said Banerji, gesturing around three feet, "had the classical face of cretinism and was intellectually delayed — severe, severe intellectual deficits." She says it's easy for Canadians to forget the importance of iodine because serious deficiencies like this are so rare, thanks to public health measures — like having iodine added to table salt. It's still in our salt, but Canadian dietary patterns have changed, she says, raising concerns of a comeback. "We eliminated iodine deficiency, cretinism, goitre, and all that in general in many parts of the world, and we don't see it anymore, it's off the radar," she said. "I think it's a [victim] of its own success," Banerji said. In Canada, she says, the problem could be coming back, as dietary habits have changed No iodine in most processed foods Iodine deficiency appears to be on the rise across North America, say researchers. A 2022 study out of McMaster University in Hamilton found 11.9 per cent of the Canadians they monitored had a moderate to severe deficiency. The authors, who looked at iodine levels collected from 800 participants in four clinical sites across Canada, say recent public health policies that call for people to reduce their sodium and dairy intake may also have inadvertently reduced iodine intake. Canadians are also eating less seafood than you might think — almost two kilograms fewer than Americans per capita in 2021, according to data from the United Nations. "We now have a resurgence, at least of mild to moderate deficiency," says Philip Britz-McKibbin, a chemistry professor at McMaster University and one of the authors of the study. Mild to moderate iodine deficiency might not cause visible symptoms — like a goitre — but it still has an impact on health, says Britz-McKibbin. "There's historical evidence of how iodine deficiency can have consequences in terms of cognition and development," he said. Those development delays are most crucial for young children, as well as expecting mothers, said Britz-McKibbin. Fancy salts might be helping bring back a decades-old health issue 16 hours ago Duration 2:05 Some analysis suggests an IQ increase of about 15 points in the general population, as reflected in standard military aptitude tests in parts of the U.S. that were most profoundly iodine-deficient, years after the element started being added to table salt, says Dr. Elizabeth Pearce, an endocrinologist at Boston Medical Center. That's quite a substantial difference, says Pearce. For comparison, one study estimates a mean loss of 14 IQ points after a minor traumatic brain injury in a car accident. "What we're ... concerned about, really, would be sort of a subtle decrease in IQ across the population." Pearce says while most North Americans ingest more salt than would be good for their heart, they're not getting the iodine they need. "Most of that salt is in these commercially processed foods and prepared foods, [and] that salt is typically not iodized," she said. In Canada, about 75 per cent of the food supply is packaged or processed. "So it's really only the salt that could be added, you know, at the table or added in the kitchen while cooking that is a potential source of iodine." Concern for women of reproductive age Iodine deficiency among pregnant women is particularly concerning, because of how important the mineral is during fetal development. But some expecting mothers in Canada aren't getting enough of it, say Quebec researchers. A new study, which looked at 500 pregnant women in that province, found the problem was particularly concerning in early pregnancy, when the median intake level of iodine fell below the recommended level in the first trimester: 136 micrograms per litre. The recommended range for pregnant women is between 150 to 249 micrograms per litre. Many prenatal vitamins contain iodine, and most of the women in the study took them. But two-thirds of them had started taking them before getting pregnant, while one-third of the women only started them after. That appears to have made a difference. Iodine intake levels became normal in the second and third trimesters, researchers found in the study. Pearce says in Canada, women of reproductive age should generally be paying special attention, even if they don't plan on having a baby anytime soon, because that's the population most likely not to be getting enough iodine. "Women of reproductive age is the population group that's least likely to add salt to their food at the table, so it may not be the best way today of reaching that population," she said. "We are seeing maybe a re-emergence of mild iodine deficiency across the board in women of reproductive age." It's already happened in the U.S., says Pearce, among pregnant women. "That group in the U.S., in the past 15 years has slid into what [the World Health Organization] would regard as mild iodine deficiency," she said. And it remains important to keep an eye on intake levels at a population level, she says. Vegans and vegetarians Other groups that need to watch their iodine: Those with certain dietary restrictions "Say, vegetarians, perhaps they might be more concerned to ensure they have adequate iodine in their diet, especially if they refrain from milk or seafood, which are natural sources of iodine," said Britz-McKibbin. It's also important to keep in mind factors that reduce the amount of iodine your body can process and use. Smoking cigarettes, for example, reduces iodine uptake, he said. Ultimately, this is a problem with an easy fix, say researchers. People just need to be reminded that the issue exists in the first place.
