9-year-old Indian box office flop becomes 1st film in the world to cross 1 billion views on YouTube

NEW DELHI, June 30: An Indian film recently broke records by becoming the first in the world to generate 1 billion views on YouTube. While PSY’s music video for Gangnam Style is the first video to cross that mark, this 9-year-old box office flop achieved the same recently when it comes to movies. The director also expressed happiness about it while confirming the news.

The Hindi-dubbed version of the Telugu film Jaya Janaki Nayaka, titled Khoonkar, which was posted by Pen Movies, has garnered over 1 billion views on YouTube. While the film was released in 2017, the channel posted the dubbed version online 7 years ago, in February 2019. Starring Bellamkonda Sai Sreenivas and Rakul Preet Singh, the film is directed by Boyapati Srinu.

Reacting to the news, Srinu wrote on his social media, “1 Billion Views. 1000 Million Hearts. 100 Crore Emotions. 1 Film. The first movie in the world to achieve this incredible milestone. Thank you for making Jaya Janaki Nayaka (Khoonkhar) a timeless celebration. This milestone belongs to every one of you. Thank you for your endless love and support.” Those who watched the film commented on the post with one-liners from it.

Allu Arjun's Sarrainodu would've become the first film to break this record, but the Hindi-dubbed video that generated millions of views was deleted and reuploaded.

Jaya Janaki Nayaka is a romantic action drama film directed by Boyapati Srinu and produced by Miryala Ravinder Reddy under the banner of Dwaraka Creations. The film’s synopsis on YouTube reads: “Gagan and Sweety fall in love but are forced to break up because her father disapproves of him. While defending a family from thugs one day, Gagan unknowingly saves Sweety and vows to protect her.” Jagapathi Babu, Tarun Arora, Pragya Jaiswal, Sarath Kumar, Nandu, Suman, Jayaprakash and Vani Viswanath also starred in it.

The film was panned upon its release. Made on a budget of ₹40 crore, it collected only around ₹20 crore worldwide during its run, resulting in a reported loss of over ₹8 crore to distributors. However, much like some other Telugu-dubbed films, it seems to have found a new audience on YouTube. Allu Arjun, Ram Pothineni, Srinivas, and the audience have had films that have found a second lease of life on YouTube in dubbed versions before.

Srinu last directed Akhanda 2: Thaandavam with Balakrishna in the lead role. Rakul last starred in Pati Patni Aur Woh Do with Ayushmann Khurrana, Wamiqa Gabbi and Sara Ali Khan this year. Srinu last starred in Kishkindhapuri with Anupama Parameswaran.

New York couple buys 2-storey home for Rs 12.2 lakh in Italy

ROME, June 30: An American couple has grabbed attention after they quit the fast-paced life in New York City for a quiet town in Italy. Cassandra Tresl and her husband, Alex Ninman, both US-born citizens, moved to Europe in 2019 in search of a slower lifestyle. After spending some time in the Czech Republic, they eventually settled in a small town in Italy’s Abruzzo region, about three hours from Rome.

What drew attention was the couple buying a house in Italy for just Rs 12.2 lakh and now living a life of financial freedom and a healthier work-life balance. Speaking to CNBC Make It, Cassandra said she has no plans to return to the United States anytime soon.

“Today, we live in a small town in Italy’s Abruzzo region, about three hours outside Rome. We found a different way of life, and I can’t imagine moving back to the US in the coming years,” she said.

She shared that one of the biggest reasons behind the move was a shift in how the couple viewed success.

“Like many Americans, my husband and I grew up surrounded by the idea that success meant constantly upgrading larger homes, newer cars, bigger achievements, and busier schedules,” she said, adding that they eventually began questioning whether those goals were actually making them happier.

The couple also wanted to live in a place with a stronger sense of community, something they felt Italy could offer. One of the biggest advantages of relocating was the affordability of housing. Cassandra and Alex purchased a two-storey home in Abruzzo for just 11,500 euros (around $13,100 or approximately Rs 12.2 lakh). They later invested another 15,000 euros (around $17,100) in renovations.

Sharing details of the property, Cassandra said the house measures just under 1,076 square feet and includes two bedrooms, a third bedroom in the basement, and an attic.

“Living in a small town made it possible for us to buy a home in cash without taking on the kind of financial burden that often comes with homeownership in the US,” she said.

Beyond housing, the couple found everyday living significantly cheaper compared to New York City. “Food, childcare, and other expenses are more affordable here. The lower cost of living gave us breathing room and allowed us to focus less on earning more and more,” Cassandra explained.

On the professional front, Cassandra initially continued working remotely in the tech industry after relocating. However, once the couple settled into their new life, she chose to leave her higher-paying job. She now works in marketing for an Italian travel company while also creating content.

Although she earns less than before, Cassandra said the lifestyle benefits have made the decision worthwhile.

Elon Musk, World's 1st Trillionaire, Lives In 400-Square-Foot House In Texas

STARBASE, June 14: Elon Musk has reached a historic milestone after SpaceX became a publicly traded company, making him the first person in history to become a trillionaire. But despite his enormous wealth, Musk's personal living situation remains surprisingly simple.

SpaceX raised $75 billion in its IPO on Thursday after selling more than 555 million shares at $135 each, giving the rocket and satellite company a valuation of $1.77 trillion. The company's stock jumped nearly 20 per cent on Friday, reaching $162 per share and pushing Musk's net worth past the trillion-dollar mark when his SpaceX holdings and Tesla shares were taken into account.

Yet, while Musk's fortune has reached unimaginable levels, his everyday home is a small prefabricated house in Texas, according to Fortune magazine.

After moving to Texas in 2020 and shifting his companies there, Musk sold most of his luxury properties in California. He did buy several properties near Austin worth around $35 million, but he has said his main residence is a much smaller place near SpaceX's Starbase facility in Boca Chica, Texas.

Musk revealed in 2021 that he lives in a house worth around $50,000, which he rents from SpaceX.

"My primary home is literally a approximate $50k house in Boca Chica/Starbase that I rent from SpaceX. It's kinda awesome though," he wrote on X.

The compact home was built by housing startup Boxabl and measures just 20 feet by 20 feet. According to Chron, a news website based in Texas, it includes a living area, bedroom space, kitchen and a bathroom with a tub-shower.

The simple setup stands in contrast to the larger homes connected to Musk's companies. Sources told the Wall Street Journal that companies linked to him own at least three houses in Austin's wealthy West Lake Hills area, each ranging from 6,000 to 9,000 square feet and featuring swimming pools.

Musk's small home reflects his long-standing habit of staying close to his businesses. In 2023, his biographer Walter Isaacson shared a picture of the interior and described it as a "spartan two-bedroom" home where Musk would "sit at this wood table and make phone calls".

Musk's mother, Maye Musk, also described the modest conditions during a visit earlier this year.

"There is no food in the fridge. The garage where I slept is on the right. The shower only has one towel, so I left it for Elon. That was okay with me. When I was a child, I'd spend three weeks in the Kalahari Desert without showering. Many times. There was no water. I think my parents prepared me for this luxury," she wrote in a post on X.

Known for his intense work schedule, Musk has often chosen convenience over comfort. During Tesla's Model 3 production struggles, he reportedly slept at the company's California factory.

Elon Musk Becomes World's 1st Trillionaire After SpaceX Shares Surge On Debut

NEW YORK, June 12: The world's richest person, Elon Musk, became the world's first trillionaire on Friday after shares of his rocket company SpaceX surged 11 per cent to $150 on their first day of trading on the stock market and later climbed to around $172, giving the company a market value of $2.18 trillion.

Musk became a trillionaire after the initial public offering price of SpaceX shares jumped from $135 to $150. His current net worth comprises his stocks in SpaceX and clean energy company Tesla. He also has ownership stakes in other ventures, including Neuralink, the neurotechnology company co-founded by Musk and a tunnel firm he founded, The Boring Company.

Musk became the richest person in the world after surpassing Amazon founder Jeff Bezos in January 2021 when his net worth jumped past $185 billion after Tesla shares surged.

The Tesla chief said SpaceX is going public because it needs money for its ambitions to put satellites and data centres in space and to eventually establish a colony of people on Mars.

He reiterated his lofty goals "to make life multi-planetary".

"Not just a few astronauts, I mean literally you", Musk said. "Whoever you are watching this, SpaceX wants to be able to take you to the moon, take you to Mars and ultimately beyond."

In addition to establishing a one-million person Martian colony, the company has promised to save humanity by establishing other outposts in space, launch data centers the size of football fields into orbit and outdo rivals Anthropic and OpenAI in the race to make money from artificial intelligence.

To reach its goals, SpaceX needs billions more than it currently takes in from its rocket and satellite business. Between the start of 2025 and March 31, 2026, the company lost $8.7 billion.

Last year, Musk said that currency will become "irrelevant" and jobs will be "optional".

Musk said that artificial intelligence and humanoid robots will be so productive that money will eventually become irrelevant, most jobs will turn into optional hobbies, and poverty will be eliminated.

'Raped By 600-700 Men': UK MP Shares 'Pak Grooming Gang' Testimonies

LONDON, June 2: British MP Rupert Lowe's recent speech has reignited discussion around the horrific "grooming gangs" in the United Kingdom that have indulged in "gang-based child sexual exploitation" across several states in the country.

The UK government's investigation into these gangs has found that perpetrators of organised child sex abuse are mostly "taxi drivers and market traders of Pakistani heritage".

Lowe, in his recent speech in the UK Parliament, read graphic testimonies of survivors, describing accounts of extreme sexual abuse, child pregnancies, intimidation, alleged police misconduct, and institutional failures. The testimonies, according to Loew, were collected during his independent inquiry into group-based child sexual exploitation.

"I sincerely urge this Parliament to listen to the testimonies from these brave survivors and to act, to finally act," the British MP said, reading out statements from survivors who said they were targeted as children by organised grooming gangs.

Among the testimonies cited by Lowe were accounts of extreme violence and sexual abuse. According to the independent MP, one survivor said a perpetrator "forced" a liquor bottle "up inside me".

"He broke the glass while he was there. At that point, I was about 12, nearly 13," she said.

One woman said that, over the course of the abuse, she was allegedly raped by multiple police officers in different parts of the country. Another recalled that her abuse started when she was 13 years old. "I was raped by probably about 600 or 700 different men over three years," she said.

"I was bleeding from both my vagina and my back passage and was so swollen I could not sit down. I told hospital staff my drink had been spiked, and I did not know what had happened because I was too afraid to tell the truth. They did not ask any questions. They gave me tablets and discharged me. I was 15 years old," said another survivor.

Some survivors said the abuse escalated to bestiality, with victims themselves being treated like animals.

"I remember a man opening the back of a van, and I saw 15 to 20 girls locked in dog cages," one woman said.

Another recalled that dogs were brought in and she "had nowhere to move."

"I think that was the scariest thing was not having any concept of it. There were men around me, not horrified, not disgusted, not helping, but filming and laughing, making bets on whether the dog could actually rape me or not. Yes, I was raped by a dog," she said.

"The man just held my face, stared me down straight in the eyes, and he wanted to see me break, and he did," she added.

Another survivor recalled, "I was held down by the men as they each took turns to orally and vaginally rape me, taking it in turns to pin down my arms and my legs. When the assault ended, the men hit me repeatedly, threatened to find me, kill me and harm my loved ones if I ever told anybody what had happened."

A third survivor recalled that their perpetrators constantly made remarks "suggesting the white girls, the Christian girls, were viewed as having fewer morals or lower values, whereas Muslim girls were described by some of the men as having dignity and higher moral standing."

"Race did play a part and motivated the selection or demographic of the victims. Throughout my exploitation, the other girls I encountered or who were abused alongside me were almost exclusively white," recalled another woman.

According to testimonies, gang members used racial comparisons to justify the way they "treated and controlled" women. A survivor recalled that she was impregnated by one of the men whose father was an 'Imam'-- a Muslim cleric.

"His dad knew, and he got his son married and said that he wasn't allowed to see the child. They look after their own community," she said.

A woman recalled that the gang members "would toot the horn of the car and then a child would be taken to the front door by a staff member of the children's home."

"Things would escalate around Eid and holidays. Parties got bigger, got worse, got more violent. People, more people involved, more girls involved. The parties were just bigger," said another woman.

Last year, Lowe led a private investigation that identified "gang-based child sexual exploitation" in at least 85 areas across the UK. According to a statement issued by Lowe in August last year, the probe found that "rape gangs", predominantly comprising men of Pakistani heritage, have been active for decades and "far more widespread than thought".

"Patterns of predominantly Pakistani males, combined with gross negligence from public bodies, are identifiable," the statement said. It also accused authorities of failing to act on the targeted abuse.

The scandal came to public attention more than a decade ago in Rotherham, the rundown Yorkshire city, where authorities were notified about systematic grooming and sex abuse of young white girls around 2001, according to the American publication The Free Press.

However, the convictions in the case came almost a decade later in 2010, when five men of Pakistani origin were jailed for multiple offences against girls as young as 12 years of age. This pattern was found to be repeated in as many as 50 cities across the UK, including Rochdale, Oxford, Telford and Bristol.

According to a 2014 report by Professor Alexis Jay, in Rotherham alone, more than 1,400 children were sexually abused over 16 years between 1997 and 2013. Many of the victims were abducted, raped, trafficked, and subjected to unimaginable violence, often with little to no intervention from authorities due to fears of being labelled racist.

In its last report, the Child Sexual Exploitation Taskforce found that over 1.15 lakh cases of sexual offences against children were reported in the UK in 2023. Of them, 4,228 (3.7 per cent) were found to be group-based crimes. The task force was set up in April 2023 by then-Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to address grooming gangs. It arrested over 550 suspects in its first year of operation.

The report showed that 26 per cent of these crimes took place within families, while in 17 per cent of cases, groups including grooming gangs were involved. As many as nine per cent of the group-based crimes were reported to have taken place in schools, religious places, community centres, and other such institutions.

In 2024, an independent review commissioned by Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham found widespread organised sexual exploitation of children within Rochdale from 2004 to 2012. It highlighted that people who were at Rochdale Council during the period 2004 to 2013 did not recognise or acknowledge the very serious failures that affected the lives of children. Following Operation Span in 2012, nine perpetrators were convicted, of whom eight were British-Pakistani men. Since then, there have been hundreds more arrests, charges, and convictions.