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<keyword id="23188764" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="World-Tourism-Day-2024" source="Orion">World Tourism Day 2024</keyword> is celebrated every year on September 27 to show how important tourism is for the world. It focuses on how tourism helps bring people together, supports the economy, and shares cultures.<br />This year <keyword id="22517201" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="World-Tourism-Day" source="keywords">World Tourism Day</keyword> is focusing on the connection between tourism and world peace. The United Nations is highlighting the importance of understanding different cultures and promoting sustainable tourism.<br /><br /><h2>History of World Tourism Day</h2>World Tourism Day has been celebrated on September 27 since 1980. This date marks the anniversary of when the Statutes of the UN's tourism organisation were adopted in 1970, an important step for global tourism. The timing of the day is perfect as it falls at the end of the busy travel season in the northern hemisphere and the start of the season in the southern hemisphere.<br /><br />In October 1997, the <keyword id="19949373" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="UNWTO" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="UNWTO" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="UNWTO">UNWTO</keyword> decided to have a different host country each year to partner in celebrating World Tourism Day. This day is important for raising awareness of how tourism affects social, cultural, political, and economic values around the world.<br /><br /><h2>Host country for this year</h2>In 2024, Georgia, a country known for its rich history, culture, and beautiful landscapes, will host World Tourism Day. Located between Eastern Europe and Western Asia, Georgia offers a unique mix of cultures. It is famous for its ancient churches, wine regions, and stunning mountains.<br /><br />Tourism in Georgia has been growing quickly, drawing millions of visitors from around the world. With its scenic beauty, Georgia is the ideal place to showcase how tourism promotes peace and cultural exchange.<br /><br /><h2>Theme for this year</h2>The theme for World Tourism Day 2024 is "<keyword id="23301034" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Tourism-and-Peace" source="keywords">Tourism and Peace</keyword>." Tourism plays an important role in promoting peace by bringing people from different cultures together and helping the economies of host countries. As people travel and experience new cultures, it leads to more understanding and tolerance.<br /><br />Tourism can break down barriers and build strong connections between nations. It also helps local communities by creating jobs and encouraging sustainable practices, which supports peace and prosperity in the long run.<br /><br /><h2>Indian Government initiatives to promote tourism</h2>The Indian government is working to improve tourism with several initiatives and schemes. Some key efforts include:<br /><br /><strong>E-Visa Facility: </strong>Nationals from 167 countries can now apply for e-visas online under seven categories, like e-Tourist and e-Business visas. The fees have been lowered to make travel more affordable.<br /><br /><strong>Swadesh Darshan Scheme: </strong>Started in 2014-15, this scheme creates theme-based tourist circuits across India. By 2023-24, 73 projects have been completed, with a total investment of ₹5,294.11 crore.<br /><br /><strong>Swadesh Darshan 2.0:</strong> This updated scheme focuses on developing 57 destinations across 32 states and Union Territories for integrated tourism development.<br /><br /><strong>PRASHAD Scheme:</strong> Aimed at improving infrastructure at pilgrimage sites, 46 projects have been approved so far, with ₹1,621.13 crore set aside for their development.<br /><br /><strong>SEE ALSO:</strong><br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/travel/international/webstories/world-tourism-day-2024-exploring-the-10-most-peaceful-countries-on-earth/slidelist/113590691.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink" target="_blank">World Tourism Day 2024: Exploring the 10 most peaceful countries on Earth</a><br />

World Tourism Day 2024: All about the theme, host country, and tourism-boosting initiatives

New Delhi: Shares of <keyword id="20599931" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="NTPC-Green-Energy" source="keywords">NTPC Green Energy</keyword> Ltd, the <keyword id="19895602" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="renewable-energy" source="keywords">renewable energy</keyword> arm of <keyword id="19903558" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="NTPC" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="NTPC" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="NTPC">NTPC</keyword>, listed with a premium of over 3 per cent against the issue price of Rs 108 on Wednesday. The stock made its debut at Rs 111.60, up 3.33 per cent from the issue price on the BSE. Later, it climbed 12.40 per cent to Rs 121.40. <br /><br />At the NSE, it listed at Rs 111.50, up 3.24 per cent. <br /><br />The company's market valuation stood at Rs 1,02,211.38 crore during the morning trade. <br /><br />Shares of NTPC climbed nearly 2 per cent to Rs 368.80 on the BSE. <br /><br />The <keyword id="19913114" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="initial-public-offering" source="keywords">initial public offering</keyword> of NTPC Green Energy Ltd got subscribed 2.40 times on the closing day of the share sale on Friday. <br /><br />The Rs 10,000-crore share sale had a price band of Rs 102-108 per share. <br /><br />Proceeds from the <keyword id="19898327" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="IPO" source="keywords">IPO</keyword>, about Rs 7,500 crore at the upper band, will be used to repay or prepay part or all of its subsidiary NTPC Renewable Energy Ltd's (NREL) outstanding loans, and a portion will be utilised for general corporate purposes. <br /><br />NTPC Green Energy is a 'Maharatna' central public sector enterprise with a renewable energy portfolio, including solar and wind power assets.

NTPC Green Energy shares debut with over 3% premium

In a major move to enhance the <keyword id="23342045" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="tourism-experience" source="keywords">tourism experience</keyword> across India, the <keyword id="20246604" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ministry-of-Tourism" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Ministry of Tourism" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Ministry of Tourism">Ministry of Tourism</keyword> has launched an ambitious initiative titled '<keyword id="23342044" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Paryatan-Mitra" source="keywords">Paryatan Mitra</keyword>' and 'Paryatan Didi' on the occasion of World Tourism Day. The initiative is designed to foster responsible tourism and create local ambassadors who will serve as guides and hosts, enriching the travel experience for visitors while promoting <keyword id="20467200" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="sustainable-tourism" source="keywords">sustainable tourism</keyword> practices.<br /><br />The program, which was launched as part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s broader vision of using tourism for social inclusion, employment generation, and economic progress, is aimed at empowering locals in some of India’s most visited destinations. The Ministry of Tourism is seeking to build a network of <keyword id="22391259" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="tourism-ambassadors" source="keywords">tourism ambassadors</keyword>, rooted within <keyword id="21350228" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="local-communities" source="keywords">local communities</keyword>, to act as proud custodians of their regions.<br /><br />Initially piloted in six diverse tourist hotspots — Orchha (Madhya Pradesh), Gandikota (Andhra Pradesh), Bodh Gaya (Bihar), Aizawl (Mizoram), Jodhpur (Rajasthan), and Sri Vijaya Puram (Andaman &amp; Nicobar Islands) — the program has already begun training locals in these areas. By August 15, over 3,000 individuals had undergone training, becoming official Paryatan Mitras, dedicated to offering tourists a more informed, friendly, and memorable experience.<br /><h2>Enhancing hospitality and local storytelling</h2>The key objective of this initiative is to make tourism a vehicle for local pride and storytelling. By offering specialised training to those who frequently interact with tourists — such as cab drivers, hotel staff, restaurant workers, tour guides, street vendors, and even police personnel — the Ministry hopes to elevate the tourist experience to new heights. The training program emphasises the importance of cleanliness, safety, sustainability, and top-quality hospitality, all aligned with India’s age-old philosophy of 'Athithi Devo Bhava', meaning “The guest is equivalent to God.”<br /><br />This initiative goes beyond mere hospitality training. Each participant is also educated about their destination's hidden gems, historical significance, and <keyword id="19911712" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="cultural-heritage" source="keywords">cultural heritage</keyword>, turning every local into a knowledgeable storyteller. This not only improves the quality of the tourist experience but also helps locals take pride in their heritage and contribute meaningfully to the country’s tourism ecosystem.<br /><h2><keyword id="20646064" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="empowering-women" source="keywords">Empowering women</keyword> and youth</h2>One of the most remarkable aspects of the Paryatan Mitra and Paryatan Didi programs is their focus on empowering women and young people. By training them to offer new tourism experiences such as heritage walks, food tours, craft experiences, and nature treks, the initiative opens up exciting employment opportunities. Many of these individuals are also trained to become homestay operators, tour guides, and food and culture experience providers, allowing them to monetize their skills and knowledge in tourism-driven local economies.<br /><br />In a nod to modern technology, the initiative also incorporates <keyword id="20055241" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="digital-literacy" source="keywords">digital literacy</keyword> training, equipping locals with the tools to make their tourism offerings more discoverable to both national and international visitors. By leveraging digital platforms, trained individuals can now market their homestays, tours, and cultural experiences online, allowing for a broader reach and better economic opportunities.<br /><br />At its core, this program reflects the Ministry of Tourism’s commitment to creating a collaborative tourism experience that benefits both visitors and locals. The initiative is not just about training individuals to work in tourism but is also about fostering a sense of community and ownership over the tourism experience, which in turn helps preserve cultural and natural heritage. As more individuals join the program, tourism in India could see a shift toward more sustainable practices, with local communities playing a crucial role in shaping how tourists experience their destinations.<br /><br />By connecting visitors to trained locals with a passion for their culture and environment, the Ministry of Tourism is taking a major step toward creating memorable, responsible, and sustainable tourism across the country.<br /><br /><em>(With inputs from ANI)</em><br />

To promote healthy tourism, new govt initiative will connect tourists to trained locals to improve their travel experience in India

Jaipur (Rajasthan) [India], July 19 (ANI): The <keyword id="6375844" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="ministry-of-micro" source="Orion">Ministry of Micro</keyword>, <keyword id="6375845" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="small-and-medium-enterprises" source="Orion">Small and Medium Enterprises</keyword> launched a new initiative called the 'Yashaswini' initiative under the '<keyword id="22467687" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Empower-Her-Udan" source="Orion">Empower Her Udan</keyword>' campaign on Thursday, July 18, to encourage and support women entrepreneurs across the country.<br /><br />Under this campaign, the first phase is set to start on Friday, July 19, in Jaipur.<br /><br />According to the Director of <keyword id="6358354" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="MSME" source="Orion">MSME</keyword>, <keyword id="657556" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ankita-Pandey" source="Orion">Ankita Pandey</keyword>, around 600 women entrepreneurs in the state will be participating in the event, which will start at the <keyword id="14599491" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Rajasthan-International-Centre" source="Orion">Rajasthan International Centre</keyword> today.<br /><br />Pandey said that the initiative is being introduced to provide a formal education for women operating commercial enterprises, along with creating awareness among them of all the <keyword id="7776964" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="MSME-schemes" source="Orion">MSME schemes</keyword> they can utilise.<br /><br />"The initiative is to introduce formal education for the women who operate commercial enterprises, along with creating awareness among them to utilise all the MSME schemes,' she said.<br /><br />Pandey further mentioned that women can register at different stalls at the centre based on the skills they require to develop to run an enterprise, including training, capacity building, how to make full use of their capital, how to get market access, how to develop their product, and also how to do digital marketing.<br /><br />She also mentioned that this will not be a one-day event and that workshops will be organised at local MSMEs for further development.<br /><br />"This is not a one-day event; it will be a continuous process and training workshops will also be organised at local MSME organisations for further development in this matter," she said.<br /><br /><keyword id="22467688" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Union-Minister-for-MSME" source="Orion">Union Minister for MSME</keyword> Jitan Ram Manjhi, Union Minister of State for MSME Sobha Karandlaje, Chief Minister of Rajasthan Bhajan Lal Sharma and State Cabinet Minister Colonel Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore will be participating at the event today. <br />

MSME launches Yashaswini Initiative to support women entrepreneurs; First phase to start on July 19 in Jaipur

<em><u>Sydney, Aug 15 (The Conversation):</u></em> The <keyword id="19896311" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="World-Health-Organization" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="World Health Organization" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="World Health Organization">World Health Organization</keyword> (<keyword id="19895006" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="WHO" source="keywords">WHO</keyword>) has declared <keyword id="20965747" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="mpox" source="keywords">mpox</keyword> a public health emergency of international concern, after rising cases in the <keyword id="22796094" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Democratic-Republic-of-the-Congo" source="keywords">Democratic Republic of the Congo</keyword> and the potential for further spread. <br /><br /> This now triggers a coordinated international response to an extraordinary event and the mobilisation of resources, such as vaccines and diagnostic testing, to curb the spread of this infectious disease. <br /><br /> But WHO has not declared mpox a <keyword id="19913581" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="pandemic" source="keywords">pandemic</keyword>. Rather, the measures it has triggered are designed to prevent it from becoming one. <br /><h2>What triggered this latest alert?</h2> Mpox, once known as monkeypox, is a viral infection closely related to <keyword id="22362924" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="smallpox" source="keywords">smallpox</keyword>. Initial symptoms include a fever, headache, swelling of the lymph nodes and muscle ache. A typical rash follows, mainly on the face, hands and feet. <br /><br /> The spread of mpox through certain African countries led the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention to declare earlier this week mpox a public health emergency of continental security. This is the first time the organisation has issued such an alert since it was established in 2017. <br /><br /> The situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in central Africa has been particularly worrying for more than a year. <br /><br /> There are two types or clades of mpox. Clade II, which originates in west Africa, is less severe. It has a fatality rate of up to 1 per cent (in other words, roughly one in 100 are expected to die from it). But clade I, from central Africa, has a fatality rate of up to 10 per cent (up to one in ten die). <br /><br /> This compares to a 0.7 per cent fatality rate for the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID. The Democratic Republic of the Congo is seeing large epidemics of the more deadly clade I mpox. <br /><br /> Mpox is endemic in some parts of central and west Africa, where the virus exists in animals and can spread to humans. Outbreaks have been increasing, with more human-to-human spread, since 2017. <br /><br /> This is partly due to very low levels of immunity to the mpox virus, which is related to the virus that causes smallpox. Mass vaccination against smallpox ceased more than 40 years ago globally, resulting in minimal immunity in populations today against mpox. <br /><br /> The WHO designation announced this week relates to the clade I. Not only does this have a higher fatality rate, it has new mutations that enhance spread between people. These changes, and the global lack of immunity to mpox, makes the world's population vulnerable to the virus. <br /><h2>There are two different epidemics</h2> In 2022, an epidemic of mpox swept through non-endemic countries, including beyond Africa. This was a variant of clade II originating from Nigeria, called clade IIb. This was sexually transmitted, predominantly affecting men who have sex with men, and had a low fatality rate. <br /><br /> That epidemic peaked in 2022, with vaccines made available to people at risk in high-income countries, but there has been an uptick in 2024. <br /><br /> At the same time, large clade I epidemics were occurring in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, but with far less attention. <br /><br /> Vaccines were not available there, even in 2023, when there were 14,626 cases and 654 deaths. Mortality was 4.5 per cent, and higher in children. <br /><br /> In fact, most cases and deaths in the Democratic Republic of the Congo have been children. This means most transmission there is non-sexual and is likely to have occurred through close contact or respiratory aerosols. <br /><br /> However, in 2023 an <keyword id="20877025" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="outbreak" source="keywords">outbreak</keyword> in a non-endemic part of the country, South Kivu in the east, appeared to be by sexual transmission, indicating more than one epidemic and different transmission modes in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. <br /><br /> By mid-2024, there were already more cases in the country than all of 2023 - more than 15,600 cases and 537 deaths. <br /><br /> Testing capacity is low in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, most cases are not confirmed by lab testing, and the data we have are from a small sample of genomic sequences from the Kamituga region of South Kivu. <br /><br /> This show mutations to the clade I virus around September 2023, to a variant termed clade Ib, which is more readily transmissible between people. We do not have much data to compare these viruses with the viruses causing cases in the rest of the country. <br /><h2>Mpox is spreading internationally</h2> In the past month, the virus has spread to countries that share a border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo - Rwanda and Burundi. It has also spread to other east African countries, such as Kenya and Uganda. None of these countries have had mpox cases previously. <br /><br /> In an interconnected, mobile world, cases may spread to other continents, as mpox did in 2018 from Nigeria to the United Kingdom and other countries. <br /><br /> A few travel-related cases between 2018 and 2019 may have led to the large multi-country 2022 clade IIb epidemic. <br /><h2>We have vaccines, but not where they are needed</h2> As the mpox virus and smallpox viruses are related (they are both orthopoxviruses), smallpox vaccines offer protection against mpox. These vaccines were used to control the 2022 clade IIb epidemic. <br /><br /> However, most of the world has never been vaccinated, and has no immunity to mpox. <br /><br /> The newer <keyword id="19959412" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="vaccine" source="keywords">vaccine</keyword> (called Jynneos in some countries and Imvamune or Imvanex in others) is effective. However, supplies are limited, and vaccine is scarce in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. <br /><br /> WHO's declaration of mpox as a public health emergency of international concern will help mobilise vaccines to where they are needed. The Africa Centres for Disease Control had already begun negotiations to secure 2,00,000 doses of vaccine, which is a fraction of what is required to control the epidemic in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. <br /><h2>What happens now?</h2> Ultimately, a serious epidemic anywhere in the world is a concern for all of us, as it can spread globally through travel, as we saw with the COVID pandemic. <br /><br /> Controlling it at the source is the best measure, and WHO's latest declaration will help mobilise the required resources. <br /><br /> Surveillance for spread of this more serious version of mpox is also essential, bearing in mind that many countries do not have the capacity for widespread testing. So we'll have to rely on "suspected cases", based on a clinical definition, to keep track of the epidemic. <br /><br /> Open-source epidemic intelligence - such as using AI to monitor trends in rash and fever illness - can also be used as an early warning system in countries with weak health systems or delayed reporting of cases. <br /><br /> A further complication is that 20-30 per cent of people with mpox may simultaneously have chickenpox, an unrelated infection that also causes a rash. So an initial diagnosis of chickenpox (which is easier to test for) does not rule out mpox. <br /><br /> Effective communication and tackling push-back against public health measures and disinformation is also key. We saw how important this was during the COVID pandemic. <br /><br /> Now, WHO will coordinate the global mpox response, focusing on equity in disease prevention and access to diagnostics and vaccines. It is up to individual countries to do their best to comply with the International Health Regulations, and the protocols for how such a global emergency are managed.

WHO has declared mpox a global health emergency. What happens next?

X (formerly Twitter) is experiencing its largest user exodus since <keyword id="6355315" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="elon-musk" source="Orion">Elon Musk</keyword> took over in 2022. The tipping point is a perfect storm of political controversy, privacy fears, and discontent with the platform’s new policies, culminating in a dramatic shift of users to alternative platforms like <keyword id="412371" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="bluesky" source="Orion">Bluesky</keyword> and <keyword id="1163500" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="threads" source="Orion">Threads</keyword>.<br /><br />Here’s a breakdown of the recent changes and why they’ve left users saying goodbye to X.<br /><h2>Political backlash</h2>The day after the U.S. presidential election on November 6, X saw over 115,000 account deactivations — the most since Musk's acquisition. Many users were disillusioned by Musk's perceived alignment with newly elected President Donald Trump. Musk's vocal support for Trump during his campaign, coupled with his attendance at Republican rallies, alienated users who once trusted X as a politically neutral platform.<br /><br />One user, Kara Wurtz, said the election was the “final straw.” After eight years on the platform, the finance director from St. Louis decided that X was no longer delivering the content she valued. “Every time I opened it, it would throw things at me that put me in a bad mood,” she said.<br /><br />The political fallout didn’t just affect individuals. Prominent organisations and brands, including <em>The Guardian</em> and former CNN anchor Don Lemon, have also bid farewell to the platform.<br /><h2>New terms of service spark outrage</h2>On November 15, X's updated terms of service came into effect, granting the platform a sweeping global licence to use user-generated content. This includes using posts, photos, and creative works to train artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) models.<br /><br />The backlash was immediate:<br /><br /><ul><li>Privacy Concerns: By continuing to use X, users implicitly agree to have their data — personal photos, creative work, and more — used for AI training. Artists and creators fear their intellectual property could be exploited to develop AI tools that might one day replace human creativity.</li><li>Legal Implications: Disputes over the new terms will be handled in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, home to Judge Reed O'Connor, a Tesla investor. This has raised questions about potential bias in legal proceedings related to the platform.</li></ul>Alex Fink, CEO of the AI-powered platform Otherweb, criticised X’s lack of transparency, stating, “Unlike other platforms with vague licensing terms, X removes any ambiguity about its intentions.”<br /><br /><h2>Changes to blocking and safety settings</h2>Safety concerns have also escalated due to alterations in X’s block feature. Users now allegedly receive notifications that even those they block can still view their posts — though they can’t interact.<br /><br />This tweak is particularly alarming for users who have faced harassment on the platform. Many feel their safety is compromised, prompting them to seek refuge in safer alternatives like Bluesky, which saw a surge of 500,000 new users in just one day following the policy updates.<br /><br />Initially developed by former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, Bluesky offers customizable feeds and decentralised control, which many find refreshing. With over 16 million users (and counting), it’s quickly becoming the top choice for X refugees. Threads, Instagram’s text-based app, also surpassed 275 million monthly active users by November, with 15 million new sign-ups last month alone. For many, these platforms represent a chance to escape X’s chaos while reclaiming control over their online experience.<br /><h2>Is Fediverse the future?</h2>Experts believe the exodus from X could mark the beginning of a new era of decentralised social networks. Bluesky, built on a protocol that enables interconnected platforms, is part of the "Fediverse," which could allow users to interact seamlessly across different apps. This shift reflects growing dissatisfaction with centralised platforms that control user data, content visibility, and privacy settings.<br /><br />While Musk touts record-breaking engagement on X, the cracks in the platform’s foundation are evident. Critics warn that X could become a training ground for Musk’s xAI venture, leveraging user interactions to fuel lucrative AI models. Whether X can weather this storm remains uncertain, but one thing is clear: the days of Twitter’s broad appeal as a space for open, inclusive dialogue seem to be fading fast.<br />

Mass X-odus: What are the controversial changes on X that are driving users away?

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Al Pacino said Paramount once offered him $1 million to star in "The Godfather Part II."</li><li>In his memoir, "Sonny Boy," Pacino said he initially turned it down because the script was incomplete.</li></ul><p><a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/al-pacino-best-worst-movies-according-to-critics-2024-10">Al Pacino</a> said that Paramount was so keen to make "The Godfather Part II" that they offered him $1 million to star in the film. But he turned it down until the script was complete.</p><p>Production studios often raise salaries for cast members and directors when making sequels to persuade them to return.</p><p>In his new memoir, "<a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/al-pacino-sonny-boy-wealth-money-scarface-hollywood-broke-sandler-2024-10">Sonny Boy</a>," Pacino wrote that Paramount, the studio behind "The Godfather," did the same when they realized it was a hit.</p><p>"<a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/al-pacino-the-godfather-worst-picture-ever-made-coppola-2024-10">The Godfather</a>" was the first modern blockbuster, making over $250 million at the box office and winning three Oscars.</p><p>Pacino wrote that <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trivia-about-filming-the-godfather-2020-8">Mario Puzo</a>, the film series' co-screenwriter, first approached him about reprising his role as Michael Corleone, and gave him the script's first draft.</p><div type="image" title="A still of &quot;The Godfather Part II&quot; where Al Pacino is wearing a suit and sitting in a chair in front of a large window." height="1080" width="1920" msid="114507540" hostid="261" sizebytes="75654"></div><p>Per the memoir, Puzo told him: "'It's crap,' he said, 'I don't think the script is very good. But they gave it to me to give to you. I just want to tell you.'"</p><p>After reading the script, Pacino agreed with Puzo and thought he couldn't star in the film. Then <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/diane-keaton-nobody-wanted-al-pacino-cast-in-the-godfather-2022-8">Paramount</a> approached him to raise his salary.</p><p>"They kept coming to me with prices, and the prices kept going higher. First $100,000. Then $200,000. Then they got it to up to $600,000. That was real money at the time," he wrote.</p><p>Later, a producer called Pacino to his office to convince him.</p><p>"And then he reached into his desk, and he pulled out a tin box. He said to me: 'Al, what if I told you there's one million dollars in cash in that box?'" Pacino wrote. "It could have been a million bucks or packets of sugar, or it could have been empty. It was all out of my league. It was an abstraction. And it did not make one bit of difference."</p><p>What Pacino made from the first film is not publicly known, but he wrote that he was broke and owed money after starring in "<a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/look-inside-the-godfather-lake-house-for-sale-2020-4">The Godfather</a>."</p><h2 id="b0b5b635-9d79-4e03-8ea4-f6630b642d84">Pacino signed on to "The Godfather Part II" after he helped write a new draft</h2><p>Pacino wrote that <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/francis-ford-coppola-funded-megalopolis-100-million-wine-business-2024-9">Francis Ford Coppola</a>, who directed the first film, joined the sequel and made Paramount send him a new script.</p><p>"He must have told them straight out, 'Stop raising his salary. He doesn't want money. He just wants a script. He'll do it,'" Pacino wrote.</p><div type="image" title="An older man with gray hair and a gray bears in a cream shirt and brown jacket." height="3280" width="4928" msid="114507533" hostid="261" sizebytes="251822"></div><p>Pacino still didn't sign on to the film, writing in the memoir that he wanted a "better script" because the current one was "unfinished."</p><p>Per the memoir, Pacino agreed to appear in the film after working on a new draft in a hotel with Charlie Laughton, a mentor and friend, and Coppola for "six days and six nights."</p><p>Pacino wrote: "We'd talk to Francis, Francis would write, bring it back, we'd talk again, write, bring it back. I had no idea how to write a script. I just knew that the furniture was already there, but you need moving men to carry it into the house.</p><p>"When we left the hotel at the end of the week, Charlie looked up at the room number, 617. 'I think we all made history here, Al.'"</p><p>There are various accounts of how much "The Godfather Part II" made, but all agree that it was not as big a box office hit as the prequel. However, the film won six Oscars, including best screenplay, and is widely regarded as one of the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://variety.com/lists/best-movies-of-all-time/alien-1979-2/">greatest movies of all time</a>.</p>

Al Pacino said he initially rejected $1 million to star in 'The Godfather Part II' because the script was 'unfinished.' The screenwriter called the first draft 'crap.'

As the global urgency to combat <keyword id="19907392" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="climate-change" source="keywords">climate change</keyword> intensifies, all eyes are on India's <keyword id="19955368" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="Budget-2024" source="keywords">Budget 2024</keyword>, as there’s no better way to walk the talk than allocating funds. Speculation is rife about the potential measures the government may introduce to accelerate the transition to a sustainable energy future — a move that is supremely necessary after the slew of deadly climate catastrophes that we saw last year.<br /><br />India’s Union Budget 2024 will be presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in a couple of days, and is expected to reflect the nation’s commitment to achieving <keyword id="21280854" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="net-zero-carbon-emissions" source="keywords">net-zero carbon emissions</keyword> by 2070. Here are some of the key initiatives from the interim budget that was presented in February earlier this year, along with their anticipated impacts!<br /><h2>Rooftop Solarisation</h2>One of the most talked-about initiatives is the ambitious rooftop solar programme, which aims to provide free electricity up to 300 units per month to one crore households. If implemented, this move will help in not only cutting down energy bills — a godsend for the middle- and lower-income folks — but will also give households a chance to generate and even sell their surplus power.<br /><h2>Electric Vehicle (EV) Ecosystem</h2>Charging up the electric vehicle movement, the interim budget included measures to expand EV manufacturing and infrastructure in the country. The move aimed to accelerate the adoption of <keyword id="19895203" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="electric-vehicles" source="keywords">electric vehicles</keyword>, reducing emissions from the transport sector and making your commute cleaner and greener. Additionally, the government seemed keen on encouraging the adoption of electric buses to make urban travel more eco-friendly.<br /><div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="111855546" title="Budget 2024: How will budget affect India’s position in the global space race?" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div><br /><h2><keyword id="20495045" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="offshore-wind-energy" source="keywords">Offshore Wind Energy</keyword></h2>Riding the winds of change, the interim budget introduced a viability gap funding for 1 GW of offshore wind energy. As per the Finance Ministry, this initiative aims to harness the power of India’s vast coastline, pushing the envelope on <keyword id="19895602" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="renewable-energy" source="keywords">renewable energy</keyword> and reducing our fossil fuel dependency.<br /><h2><keyword id="22499996" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="national-green-hydrogen" source="keywords">National Green Hydrogen</keyword> Mission</h2>The interim budget also supercharged the National Green Hydrogen Mission with a massive boost to Rs 600 crore from last year’s Rs 297 crore. The government has continually insisted that Green Hydrogen is set to become the fuel of the future, and this announcement supports its development and adoption, paving the way for cleaner industrial processes.<br /><h2>Coal Gasification and Liquefaction</h2>Switching up the coal game, the interim budget plans to set up coal gasification and liquefaction projects that will be able to process 100 metric tonnes by 2030. These projects aim to make the most out of coal in a cleaner way, especially by reducing our reliance on imported natural gas and slashing emissions.<br /><div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="111827903" title="Union Budget 2024 for Railways: Expectations focused on improving passenger safety, experience, infrastructure" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div><br /><h2>Bioenergy and Biomass Aggregation</h2>Turning waste into wealth, the interim budget has also promised additional financial assistance for biomass aggregation. This, they explain, will help in creating a sustainable model for managing agricultural waste, promoting bioenergy production and giving farmers a new revenue stream.<br /><h2>Research and Development (R&amp;D)</h2>In a nod to innovation, the interim budget allocated a whopping Rs 1 lakh crore for interest-free financing in “sunrise” R&amp;D for emerging <keyword id="19931192" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="green-technologies" source="keywords">green technologies</keyword>. If the government follows through on this promise, the funding could catapult a wave of innovation, supporting the transition to a sustainable energy future.<br /><br />By focusing on renewable energy, reducing carbon emissions, and supporting green technologies, India’s initial budget allocations seem to be taking significant strides towards its net-zero goal. Whether this will ultimately pan out to become a greener and more resilient future for its citizens remains to be seen.<br />

Budget 2024: Key sustainability and energy initiatives that Indian government plans to implement this year

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iPhone 15 Pro available at lowest ever price on Flipkart, here is all about the deal

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Paden Gayle secured a Google software engineering role after multiple rejections.</li><li>Gayle emphasized mastering coding fundamentals and practicing with platforms like LeetCode.</li></ul><p>When Paden Gayle went into his first real round of tech interviews in 2020, he "failed horribly."</p><p>"I thought I'd just have to know how to code, like, 'Hello World,' and I'll get the job," he said. "I kind of went in there blind, and then I realized, oh, I don't know anything."</p><p>Gayle interviewed for full-time software engineering roles for X, formerly Twitter, and Bloomberg, as well as an apprenticeship program for Google. He was rejected by all of them.</p><p>The following year, he interviewed again for seven companies. This time, he received six offers — but Google once again rejected him for an entry-level position. Gayle said since he had scheduled his interview with Google to ensure the most prep time, it was likely a combination of fatigue and nervousness that led to the failed result.</p><p>He then accepted the entry-level software engineering role at Bloomberg, where he remained for three years.</p><p>This year, though, Gayle finally got his Google redemption and received an offer for an L4 software engineering role.</p><p>Here's some of his biggest advice for landing a coding gig at a tech giant like Google.</p><h2 id="2dd44e62-47a1-4665-b7fc-35ecccc3ae56">Study the fundamentals</h2><div type="image" title="Google entrance" height="4757" width="7132" msid="112502710" hostid="261" sizebytes="613168"></div><p>Before you learn calculus, you have to understand addition and subtraction. Gayle said that coding needs the same mastery of the basics in order to succeed in more complicated interview questions.</p><p>After his failed first attempt at tech interviews in 2020, Gayle said he went back to "really crack down on the fundamentals of the problems."</p><p>"So if an interviewer did ask me a question that I wasn't familiar with, I would still have the background knowledge to work my way up to a solution," he said. "So that was really my strategy in 2021: to make sure I would be able to land an offer. And thankfully, I landed six."</p><p>Gayle recommended practicing problems using coding interview prep websites like HackerRank or <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/leetcode-coding-test-apple-amazon-google-technical-interview-prep-job-2021-11">LeetCode</a>, a popular platform among software developers.</p><p>However, he said the biggest mistake people make in their preparation is focusing on the number of problems they will solve instead of understanding the reasoning behind them.</p><p>"If someone asks you to solve a question using Algorithm A, make sure you understand why you're using Algorithm A, and be able to explain what are the tradeoffs of it," he said. "Why are you choosing this one over a different algorithm?"</p><p>With LeetCode becoming so ubiquitous among developers, tech companies are also beginning to catch on. Gayle said the chances of seeing a problem from these sites are becoming increasingly low, which causes some people to panic.</p><p>For his Google interview, Gayle said that when he first received his questions, he had no idea where to start. Instead, he asked for a minute to look through the problem and dissect what skills would be needed and why.</p><p>"I took that 30 seconds, and I'm like, 'Okay, this looks like I need to do a binary search here, or I need to do DFS here,'" he said.</p><p>Gayle recommends doing mock interviews and LeetCode competitions, where developers are given problems that are generally new to the site, in order to get comfortable with questions you've never seen before.</p><p>"Because at the end of the day, with these tech interviews, half of it is technical, but then also that other half is the communication part," he said. "That's also something that I find a lot of people, even when I was doing interviews at Bloomberg, did fall apart in."</p><h2 id="8fba803a-4572-4cf4-b798-8a2268029449">Start early</h2><p id="8fba803a-4572-4cf4-b798-8a2268029449">"I like to tell people, interviewing, job hunting, all of it — it's not a sprint," Gayle said. "It's really just a marathon, and that's also in your preparation."</p><p id="8fba803a-4572-4cf4-b798-8a2268029449">Remember that it's OK to feel out opportunities while still employed. But it's also important to be realistic about the current job climate. Gayle said that while job-hunting, he made sure to reign in his expectations about getting an offer.</p><p id="8fba803a-4572-4cf4-b798-8a2268029449">"I feel like a lot of people have this assumption that 2021 tech is how it should have been. It's like everyone was getting an offer, and if you didn't get one, it was weird," he said. "So when I was interviewing this year, I told myself, don't have that expectation."</p><p id="8fba803a-4572-4cf4-b798-8a2268029449">He added, "It really eased the stress to, oh, let me just see what's out there and if something happens. And that's how Google turned up."</p><p id="8fba803a-4572-4cf4-b798-8a2268029449">In 2023, Gayle connected with a Google recruiter a couple of months before having to stop the process due to a hiring freeze.</p><p id="8fba803a-4572-4cf4-b798-8a2268029449">Lockdowns on hirings and sweeping layoffs have run <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/layoffs-sweeping-us-these-are-companies-making-cuts-2024">rampant across several companies</a> over the past year, leaving many workers feeling discouraged from finding opportunities. Aside from the worst of the COVID-19 lockdown, US employers are extending job offers at the lowest amount since 2014, Business Insider <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/why-hard-to-find-job-us-though-unemployment-low-2024-2">previously reported</a>.</p><p id="8fba803a-4572-4cf4-b798-8a2268029449">However, Gayle and his recruiter continued to stay in touch until he was invited to interview a year later. Despite the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/jobs-report-labor-market-hiring-layoffs-quits-recession-sahm-rule-2024-8">slumping job market</a>, he said you should still continuously prepare for interviews so that you're not "starting from zero" when jobs begin to open up again.</p><p id="8fba803a-4572-4cf4-b798-8a2268029449">"If you're not prepping for tomorrow, prep for a year from now," he said. "So when companies do start hiring, you're ready, versus the person saying, 'Oh, this market's bad, so I'm not going to prep now.'"</p><p id="8fba803a-4572-4cf4-b798-8a2268029449">Rather than condensing a high volume of studying into a short time span, Gayle recommends a gradual re-introduction of skills and practice — like doing one LeetCode problem a day for several months.</p><p id="8fba803a-4572-4cf4-b798-8a2268029449">"That small repetition can help build your tolerance to LeetCode and not burn you out while also maintaining the knowledge," he said.</p><h2 id="e9c8e632-1599-4ee3-80c4-3341fbf7f8da">Make and keep 'real' connections</h2><p>When Gayle announced via <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7213569451386900481/">a LinkedIn post</a> about joining Google, which garnered over 8,000 interactions, he received several messages, most of which directly asked for a referral.</p><p>He said only around 30% mentioned his previous work or introduced other connections — and those were the messages he tried to respond to.</p><p>"This person at least put in more than 10 seconds of effort to look at my profile and understand what I was doing previously," he said. "So I'll give them the respect to reach back out to them."</p><p>Gayle said that ultimately, "people are people" — including recruiters. So, trying to make more human connections will likely help you stand out and stay in touch.</p><p>"My recruiter, Karen, on our first conversation, we hit it off talking about music — something very simple," he said. "So anytime we connected, we made a little comment or joke about that."</p><p>Gayle said he would primarily reach out to people through LinkedIn, but also at in-person networking conferences. He said to seek out conferences within specific communities you identify with, like NSBE or AfroTech if you're Black,<strong> </strong>the Grace Hopper Program for women, and Out In Tech for the LGBTQ+ community.</p><p>"Find a Discord server, find a subreddit, find a group in LinkedIn where you kind of resonate with what they talk about," he said. "Because there's a lot of people looking for a connection, especially in tech, since it can be kind of isolating."</p>

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