Los Angeles, July 31 (IANS) Hollywood star and environment activist Leonardo DiCaprio has applauded the efforts in searching for lost species in a natural park in Madagascar in eastern Africa.

DiCaprio took to his Instagram, where he shared a reel video about how in 2023, a team set out to Makira, Madagascar and is tagged as “a first of its kind expedition to find 30 lost species.”

Lauding the efforts on finding 21 species, the ‘Titanic’ star wrote: “The #SearchforLostSpecies in Madagascar’s Makira Natural Park successfully rediscovered 21 species that were lost to science, including flowering ant-like beetles, three small iridescent fish, five jumping spiders, and a giant millipede that had not been documented since 1897.”

He said that this was in “addition to the surprising discoveries of species entirely new to science.”

“Makira is the largest and most intact forest in Madagascar—and many of the species here can’t be found anywhere else. The expedition team included @rewild Lost Species Officer Christina Biggs, as well as scientists from Madagascar, international scientists and local guides.”

Heaping praise on surveying the long-lost gems in the forest, he added: “Together, they surveyed rivers for lost fish, used light traps to attract and survey insects and searched the forest and rocky river beds for the recently rediscovered Dusky Tetraka.”

“The Search for Lost Species’ expedition to Makira was supported by the @ridgesfoundation,” he added.

“Forests across Madagascar are being destroyed for agriculture, logging and charcoal – conservationists fear that under-explored areas such as Makira could experience wildlife declines before scientists are able to describe, study, and protect the species that live in them,” DiCaprio concluded.

–IANS

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Mumbai, July 31 (IANS) Actress Shilpa Shirodkar on Wednesday played the ‘get to know me’ game on social media, revealing some of her favourite things.

Shilpa, who is the younger sister of actress Namrata Shirodkar, took to Instagram Stories and shared a snippet of the game.

The snap reads as: “Get to know me… name: Shilpa Shirodkar Ranjit, birthday: 20/11/1973, favourite food: Varan Bhaat, favourite animal: dog, favourite TV show: Kavyanjali, Zodiac sign: Scorpio, hair color: dark brown, eye color: dark brown, favourite artist: Amitabh Bachchan.”

She gave the tune of ‘Papa Kahte Hain’ to her post.

Shilpa had made her debut in 1989 with Ramesh Sippy’s film ‘Bhrashtachar’. The film starred Mithun Chakraborty and Rekha.

She has also featured opposite Anil Kapoor in the hit 1990 film ‘Kishen Kanhaiya’.

Shilpa has been a part of successful films like — ‘Trinetra’, ‘Hum’, ‘Khuda Gawah’, ‘Aankhen’, ‘Pehchaan’, ‘Gopi Kishan’, ‘Bewafa Sanam’, and ‘Mrityudand’. She has also starred in ‘Gaja Gamini’ directed by M. F. Husain. The film stars Madhuri Dixit as the lead, alongside Shahrukh Khan (cameo role) and Naseeruddin Shah.

The 50-year-old actress has also been a part of TV show ‘Ek Mutthi Aasmaan’, which aired on Zee TV.

She was seen in ‘Silsila Pyaar Ka’, and ‘Savitri Devi College & Hospital’.

On the personal front, she married UK-based banker Aparesh Ranjit in 2000. The couple have a daughter.

–IANS

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Los Angeles, July 31 (IANS) Actress Elizabeth Banks has recalled how she faced her “first choking incident” while she was alone in her vanity van during the break from shooting of her movie ‘Skincare’.

She shared that the “scary” ordeal happened when she was enjoying lunch and a “little green pea” got lodged in her throat.

“I threw the door open – couldn’t make any noise, was so afraid. It was terrifying,” Banks told Good Morning America.

She was spotted by a crew member who came over and asked “Are you choking?” before she was able to croak “Yes” – prompting him to “very calmly” give her the Heimlich manoeuvre also known as abdominal thrusts, a first-aid method for choking involving thrusting into the abdominal area, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

Banks added: “He had to do it twice. His name is Julius. He is my guardian angel. Julius, I love you.”

She said that after he “saved (her) life” she wanted to use her platform to encourage people to learn how to do the Heimlich.

She went on: “Make sure you know how to do it. Talk to your friends and family about it.”

The first aid technique consists of an individual applying pressure against the abdomen of the choking victim to force out the object blocking their airway.

The actress added that the world is full of misconceptions about the method, including worries it could crack people’s ribs.

She said: “They’re dying, so crack a rib if you have to. I would’ve been fine with a cracked rib. I literally couldn’t breathe, and it was super scary.”

–IANS

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Mumbai, July 31 (IANS) Celebrity chef Andy Allen, the winner of ‘MasterChef Australia 4’, who serves as a judge on the cooking-based reality show, has spoken about his love for India.

Andy Allen, who won the ‘MasterChef Australia’ trophy in 2012, has had an inspirational journey on the show from a passionate contestant to a judge.

While revisiting his travels in India, Andy shared: “I think for me, India was always a place that I’ve wanted to visit. And it’s so crazy that even when I was a contestant in 2012, I was introduced to how big the show was in India, the amount of support that I received during and after the show, being a contestant was crazy.”

He shared that nothing really lined up until late last year when he came over for the first time. He continued: “I love India, I love the hustle and bustle. I love how beautiful and chaotic it can be all at the same time. And I love the people and the food.”

For him, the last trip was really special because he was able to represent Australia and what Australian food is to the people of India.

“So crazy that I didn’t go over there for 12 years! Now I’ve been over there three times in the space of six months. So I hope that this continues on and just snowballs. Because every time I go back, I just fall in love with it, even more and more,” he added.

‘MasterChef Australia’ season 16 streams on Disney+ Hotstar.

–IANS

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Mumbai, July 31 (IANS) Adaa Khan loves dolling up. And the television actress is a fan of actress Kiara Advani’s makeup as she finds it “natural and flawless.”

“I do my own makeup at times for shoots, events, and parties. It usually takes me about 30 minutes,” Adaa told IANS.

The actress stressed that she keeps her makeup minimal.

“I ensure my makeup is natural, not too cakey or loud,” said the actress, who is known for her work in shows such as ‘Behenein’, ‘Amrit Manthan’ and ‘Naagin’.

The 35-year-old star also shared some “key tips” about how she aces her flawless look.

“Key tips include starting with a clean, moisturised face, using a primer, blending well, and highlighting the cheekbones and brow bones for a radiant touch. Avoid overloading on products and always blend foundation down the neck. Setting makeup with a translucent powder or setting spray helps it last longer,” she added.

Is there a favourite in Hindi cinema whose makeup skills catch Adaa’s eyes?

“In Bollywood, I admire Kiara Advani’s makeup sense for its natural and flawless look,” said the actress.

Talking about Adaa’s journey in showbiz, she started her career in 2009 with the show ‘Palampur Express’. She was then seen in ‘Behenein’, which revolved around sisters, and helped Adaa to gain stardom.

She has also done episodic roles in shows such as ‘Yeh Hai Aashiqui’, ‘Crime Patrol’ and ‘Welcome-Baazi Mehmaan Nawazi Ki’. However, it was in 2015 when her stardom shot to the sky with her work in the supernatural show ‘Naagin’, where she played a shape-shifting serpent.

Adaa’s latest screen work includes ‘Wagle Ki Duniya – Nayi Peedhi Naye Kissey’.

–IANS

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