Internet star Grumpy Cat dies at age of seven

Agencies
May 18, 2019

Los Angeles, May 18: She died just as she had lived, in a blizzard of memes, tweets and news reports celebrating her feline frown and distinctly unamused expression.

On Friday, the world learned that Grumpy Cat, the internet sensation whose scowl launched a thousand memes -- earning her 1.5 million Twitter followers and 8.3 million Facebook fans -- had died at the age of seven.

Grumpy Cat, whose pre-celebrity name was Tardar Sauce, burst to fame in 2012 when her owner's brother posted a picture of her mirthless mug on social media. Within 48 hours, her image had been viewed more than a million times.

A real-life Garfield on social media obsessed with cat pics: a star had been born.

Six months later, as her fame spread around the world, Grumpy Cat appeared at the South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas, where thousands lined up to have their photo taken with the celebrated sourpuss.

She was invited to star-studded movie premieres, had a cameo role in Sesame Street, took part in the Hollywood Christmas parade and had her own animatronic wax likeness at Madame Tussaud's -- which of course she was invited to be photographed with as it was unveiled.

The Lifetime Channel made a movie featuring the miserable-looking moggie called "Grumpy Cat's Worst Christmas Ever," and a New York Times bestselling book was written about her. Friskies catfood became an official sponsor and she had her own "meme manager."

Fans could buy Grumpy Cat socks, or an endless choice of tee-shirts emblazoned with ennui-filled slogans such as "Your face....I hate it" or "I don't care what you think, I'm napping."

The branded merchandising, which included pillows, pens, mugs and bags, as well as the sponsorship and media deals were estimated to have made her owner, Tabatha Bundesen of Arizona, a wealthy woman. It allowed her to quit her job as a waitress at Red Lobster within days of her cat's internet debut, US media reported.

Bundesen denied reports that she had made as much as $100 million from the cat's fame, but has declined to say how much her pet earned.

The cat's image was hot property: last year, a California jury awarded Bundesen's company, Grumpy Cat Limited, damages of $710,001 in a lawsuit against a beverage company that had created an unauthorized line of "Grumpy Cat Roasted Coffee" and which was selling Grumppuccino tee-shirts without sharing profits.

Financially, Grumpy was a fat cat. But she was not bad-tempered in real life, according to her owner who attributed her scowly expression to the fact that she had feline dwarfism and a marked underbite.

Her death at the age of seven was due to a urinary tract infection, her Twitter account said, with the announcement, "Some days are grumpier than others."

"We are unimaginably heartbroken to announce the loss of our beloved Grumpy Cat," Bundesen wrote. "Besides being our baby and a cherished member of the family, Grumpy Cat has helped millions of people smile all around the world - even when times were tough," she said.

"Her spirit will continue to live on through her fans everywhere," she said.

Described by CNN as a "furry titan of the internet," Grumpy's obituary appeared in The Washington Post, Der Spiegel in Germany, Le Monde and even the Russian business magazine Kommersant.

And, of course, her demise was the top trending story Friday on Twitter, where fans posted thousands of messages of condolence and mourning.

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News Network
April 26,2020

Seoul, Apr 26: A train presumed to belong to North Korean's Kim Jong-un has been spotted at a station in the state's eastern coastal town of Wonsan amid speculation about the leader's health, a US monitor said on Sunday, citing commercial satellite imagery on the region, Yonhap news agency reported.

According to 38 North-- a website devoted to analysis about North Korea, the imagery showed a train "probably belonging to Kim Jong Un parked at the Leadership Railway Station servicing his Wonsan compound since at least April 21."

"The approximately 250-metre long train, although partially covered by the station's roof, can be seen at a railway station reserved for use by the Kim family. It was not present on April 15 but was present on both April 21 and 23," it said.

"The train's presence does not prove the whereabouts of the North Korean leader or indicate anything about his health, but it does lend weight to reports that Kim is staying at an elite area on the country's eastern coast," it added.

The report came as rumours about his health have spread as Kim apparently skipped an important annual visit to the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun on the occasion of the April 15 birthday of late state founder and his grandfather, Kim Il-sung.

CNN intensified the speculation by reporting earlier last week that the United States is looking into intelligence that Kim is "in grave danger" after surgery.

Seoul officials have disputed recent media reports about Kim, saying there have been no unusual signs from the North. Some said that Kim is presumed to be staying in Wonsan for unspecified reasons.

Washington has also dismissed the reports, with US President Donald Trump calling such reports "incorrect" in a press briefing late last week.

On Saturday, other media reports stated that China has dispatched a team of medical doctors and officials to North Korea "to advise on" Kim, citing multiple unnamed people familiar with the situation.

North Korea's state media, however, has not made any mention of Kim's public activity for two weeks since he was last seen in April 11 presiding over a major party meeting, though it has reported on his handling of routine state affairs, such as sending diplomatic letters.
But not all speculation has proven to be false.

When he was absent from public for about a month in 2014, speculation arose about his health and a political crisis in the secretive state. He later reemerged with a cane and a limp reportedly after having a cyst removed from his ankle.

The 36-year-old leader is known to have various health problems apparently caused by obesity and heavy smoking. He took office as leader of the communist state after his father, Kim Jong-il, died of a heart attack in late 2011.

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News Network
May 27,2020

Mumbai, May 27: The Maharashtra government on Tuesday ordered re investigation by the CID into the suicide of a 53-year-old interior designer and his mother, allegedly over non-payment of dues by TV journalist Arnab Goswami and two others.

State Home Minister Anil Deshmukh said he ordered re investigation after Adnya Naik, daughter of interior designer Anvay Naik, claimed that Alibag Police in neighbouring Raigad district did not probe the non-payment of dues which had driven her father and grandmother to suicide.

"Adnya Naik had complained to me that #AlibaugPolice had not investigated non-payment of dues from #ArnabGoswami's @republic which drove her entrepreneur father & grandmom to suicide in May 2018," Deshmukh tweeted.

"I've ordered a CID re-investigation of the case," the minister, an NCP leader, added.

He also used the hashtag "Maharashtra government cares" while sharing the tweet. Earlier this month, the police registered an abetment of suicide case against Republic TV editor-in-chief Goswami and two others.

The suicide note purportedly written by Anvay Naik, managing director of Concorde Designs Private Limited, said he was forced to take his life as he was not paid dues of Rs 5.40 crore by the three accused.

Republic TV denied the allegation and said that certain vested interest groups were running "a false and malicious campaign and making false statements and innuendos against the company by exploiting the tragic event".

Mumbai Police are also conducting a probe against Goswami over his statements about the Palghar lynching case of April this year.

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News Network
May 22,2020

Mumbai, May 22: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Friday reduced repo rate by 40 basis points to 4 per cent in an effort to further boost liquidity in the economy which has been reeling under the impact of COVID-19 induced countrywide lockdown.

As a result, the reverse repo rate stands at 3.35 per cent, said RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das. The six-member monetary policy committee (MPC) voted 5:1 in favour of the decision.

Repo rate is the rate at which a country's central bank lends money to commercial banks, and the reverse repo rate is the rate at which it borrows from them. 

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