Massive fire reported at fan village in Qatar near World Cup venue

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Qatari authorities said a fire broke out on November 26 at an under-construction building in a newly-built city where a World Cup match is set to be played this evening. No injuries have been reported in the fire. Associated Press quoted Qatar’s Interior Ministry as saying that the fire started in the afternoon on an island that’s part of the city of Lusail, which is hosting several games during the tournament, including a match between Argentina and Mexico, late on Saturday.

Also read: FIFA World Cup 2022: Argentina lock horns with Mexico in a do-or-die encounter

The blaze was about 3.5 kilometers (2 miles) from Lusail Stadium. It sent thick black smoke into the sky, which was visible from a marketplace in central Doha as World Cup fans milled among its shops and restaurants.

Meanwhile, resports said that energy-rich Qatar was facing fast-rising climate risks at home

At a suburban park near Doha, the capital city of Qatar, cool air from vents in the ground blasted joggers on a November day that reached almost 32 degrees Celsius (90 degrees Fahrenheit).

The small park with air-conditioned paths is an apt illustration of World Cup host Qatar’s answers, so far, to the rising temperatures its people face. The wealthy Gulf Arab nation has been able to pay for extreme adaptive measures like this thanks to the natural gas it exports to the world.

A small peninsula that juts out into the Persian Gulf, Qatar sits in a region that, outside the Arctic, is warming faster than anyplace else on earth.

“It’s already bad. And it’s getting worse,” said Jos Lelieveld, an atmospheric chemist at Germany’s Max Planck Institute. Part of the reason is the warming waters of the Persian Gulf, a shallow, narrow sea that contributes to stifling humidity in Qatar during some months.

“It’s a pretty difficult environment. It’s quite hostile,” said Karim Elgendy, an associate fellow at the London-based Chatham House think tank. Without its ability to pay for imported food, heavy air-conditioning and desalinated ocean water, he said, the contemporary country couldn’t exist.

Also read: FIFA World Cup 2022 Day 7: Day of reckoning for Argentina, Denmark and Poland

Already, Qatar has faced a significant rise in temperatures compared to pre-industrial times. Scientists and others concerned about climate change are trying to keep the Earth as a whole from warming by more than 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) on average because research shows it will be profoundly disruptive, making many people homeless, inundating coastlines and destroying ecosystems.

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Register now for IIT Bombay’s E-Cell flagship event

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Entrepreneurship is different to different people. Some see it as an adventure for self discovery, others as a path to etch their names on the flow of time. An entrepreneur needs to be an innovator, a leader, an executive and a lot more. If the last decade and its numbers are anything to go by, we can say, India is changing, and at the heart of it all are startups.

Envisioning to pioneer the pursuit of creating job creators is the Entrepreneurship Cell of IIT Bombay. Being in the 25th year since its inception, we are beckoning E-Cell’s flagship event, the E-Summit on January 28 and 29, 2023.

E-Cell is known for setting trends rather than following norms, so aspiring to set the bar even higher, this year, they have in store the Summit chapters set to be celebrated in the megacities of Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Hyderabad, Benglauru, Kolkata and Ahmedabad.

With events such as

– The Networking Arena (NA) where the founders will get the chance to meet and network with investors and mentors
– The startup expo is the unique opportunity to showcase your idea and venture to the enthusiastic audience and future customers or investors
– There are gonna be thorough workshops covering multiple dimensions of business
– The range of competitions just like what E-Summit brings to you every year
lined up, there is something in store for anyone and everyone, whether you are a college student or a budding entrepreneur who has already launched your venture.

This is the opportunity for entire India to witness what was earlier limited to the financial capital of India alone.

Register now at ecell.in/summitchapters

For any queries, email at support@ecell.in

Note*: This is a partnered post.

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Japan vs Costa Rica FIFA World Cup 2022 Preview: Head-to-head, prediction, betting odds, live stream

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Japan and Costa Rica, the two teams who experienced contrasting fortunes in their opening matches of the FIFA World Cup 2022, are set to clash at Ahmed bin Ali Stadium on Sunday.

Japan will be euphoric after they registered a come-from-behind win over European powerhouse and four-time champions Germany in their tournament opener. İlkay Gündoğan’s first-half penalty had given Germany command over Japan. But Ritsu Doan’s 75th-minute goal followed by Takuma Asano’s goal eight minutes later ensured that Japan registered a shock win over the 2014 champions.

Also Read: FIFA World Cup 2022- Race to Golden Boot

A few hours later, Costa Rica, in their first match of this World Cup, were overpowered by Spain in a one-sided affair. A brace by Ferran Torres and goals also from Dani Olmo, Marco Asensio, Gavi, Carlos Soler, and Alvaro Morata, meant that Spain fired in seven goals. A battered and bruised Costa Rica failed to breach the Spanish defense even once.

The two results left Japan in second place behind Spain in Group E while Costa Rica are reeling at the fourth spot.

Costa Rica bowed out from the 2018 FIFA World Cup after the group stage and the resounding defeat at the hands of Spain has meant that the team is again on the brink of another early exit. With Los Ticos bound to meet Germany in their final group-stage match, the fixture against Japan is crucial for their survival. But their form before the match against Japan is worrying. The team has failed to score in 5 of their last 7 FIFA World Cup matches and is on a seven-match winless streak in the competition.

Japan were the underdog against Germany but their surprise victory have now put them just a win away from a place in round-of-16. Blue Samurai are poised to meet Spain in their last Group D match. So Japan would be wanting nothing less than all 3 points against Costa Rica to avoid any last-minute jitters.

Also Read: Brazil’s Neymar and Danilo to miss rest of group stage with ankle injuries

Form Guide (last five matches)

Japan: W-L-D-W-W

Costa Rica: L-W-W-D-W

Head-to-head

Matches played: 5

Japan wins: 4

Draws: 1

Costa Rica: 0

Team News

Japan team news 

Takuma Asano had injury concerns before the match against Germany and hence was confined to the bench for the start of the match. But given his heroics, he should start against Costa Rica.

Hiroki Sakai had could not last for the entire stretch of the match and had to be subbed off. He remains a doubtful started for this match.

Costa Rica team news 

The only piece of optimistic news for Costa Rica is that there are no injury concerns in the camp.

Possible starting XIs

Japan possible starting XI

Formation (4-2-3-1)

Gonda, Nagatomo, Yoshida, Itakura, Tomiyasu, Shibasaki, Morita, Kubo, Kamada, Ito, Asano

Costa Rica possible starting XI

Formation (4-2-2-2)

Navas, Martínez, Calvo, Durate, Oviedo, Tejeda Borges, Bennette, Fuller, Contreras, Campbell

Betting odds (bet365)

Japan win: 4/9

Draw: 10/3

Costa Rica win: 7/1

Prediction

The form and the history both point in only one direction, an easy win for Japan. Score: Japan 3, Costa Rica 0

Where to watch and kick-off timing:

The match will kick off at 3:30 PM IST on Sunday, November 27 and will be beamed live on Sports18 and Sports18 HD. Fans can also stream the action online on JioCinema’s official website and Jio Cinema app.

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Eknath Shinde, Maharashtra ministers visit Guwahati to pay obeisance to Goddess Kamakhya

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and several other ministers along with their families on Saturday visited Guwahati to pay obeisance to Goddess Kamakhya.

Their short trip to the northeastern state comes five months after Shinde along with a group of Shiv Sena MLAs and Independent legislators stayed at a hotel in Guwahati for a week from June 22-29 before toppling the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in the western state.

“The Maharashtra chief minister, several ministers, MLAs and their family members landed at the Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport in separate flights, including a chartered one,” a police officer said.

“As far as we know, they are here to pay obeisance at Kamakhya temple. They will spend the night at a private hotel and return tomorrow,” he said.

It is the same hotel where the then rebel MLAs had stayed in June.

A member of the entourage told reporters at the airport that the then rebel MLAs in June had a ‘darshan’ of Goddess Kamakhya and prayed to her for success.

“The ‘devi’ heard our prayers and Shinde Ji became the chief minister,” he said.

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Shinde, in a bid to topple the Uddhav Thackeray-led MVA government in Maharashtra, had reached Guwahati, around 2,700 km from Mumbai along with dissident Shiv Sena MLAs and some Independent legislators on June 22.

They stayed at a private hotel till June 29, when they flew to Goa and went to Mumbai later.

Shinde was sworn in as the chief minister of Maharashtra in July with the support of the MLAs with whom he had spent a week in the capital of Assam, where BJP headed by Himanta Biswa Sarma is in power.

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Government to establish dietary supplements testing labs: Sports Secretary

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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To prevent “inadvertent” use of prohibited substances by the athletes, the government will establish laboratories for testing dietary supplements, sports secretary Sujata Chaturvedi said on Saturday.

Many sports persons, after failing dope tests, have claimed that they ingested prohibited substances ‘inadvertently’ through dietary supplements. Chaturvedi emphasised on having regulated testing facilities for the dietary supplements.

“We recently entered into an MoU with the National Forensic Science University, Ahmedabad and the Food Safety Standards Authority of India, for a lab to help with the dietary supplement testing,” Chaturvedi said at a function orgainsed by FICCI.

“We are now heading towards a completely revamped national anti-doping programme housed in our National Anti-doping Agency,” Chaturvedi said during the TURF2022 & India Sports Awards event.

In August, the Parliament passed the National Anti-Doping Bill which seeks to provide a statutory framework for the functioning of the National Anti-Doping Agency and the National Dope Testing Laboratory.

Chaturvedi said the country’s overall sports development has been on the right path this year and that they are working on starting women’s leagues in a big way.

“We’ve had archery, football and various other sports coming into these leagues. I can assure you it’s going to be a huge deal in the coming years because we support inclusion in sports.” Legendary long jumper Anju Bobby George underlined the unique potential of sports in empowering women.

“Women in sports defy the perception that they are weak or incapable,” she said.

“In many countries, it has been seen that sport can be a force to amplify human voice and tear down gender barriers and discrimination.” Ace table tennis player Manika Batra said, “Sports has taught me to be brave, strong, and never give up in life. Just be fearless and do whatever you want to do.”

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Gujarat Assembly Election 2022: 20 lakh jobs, Uniform Civil Code and other promises in BJP manifesto

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday released its manifesto for the upcoming polls in Gujarat. BJP President JP Nadda along with Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel presented the ‘Sankalp Patra’ or manifesto in Gandhinagar. The BJP has promised to make Gujarat a trillion-dollar economy, provide 20 lakh jobs and revamp government schools.

માનનીય રાષ્ટ્રીય અધ્યક્ષ શ્રી @JPNadda જીએ ભારતીય જનતા પાર્ટીના સંકલ્પ પત્ર 2022નું વિમોચન કર્યું.

આ પ્રસંગે પ્રદેશ અધ્યક્ષ શ્રી @CRPaatil અને મુખ્યમંત્રી શ્રી @Bhupendrapbjp વિશેષ ઉપસ્થિત રહ્યાં. #અગ્રેસર_ગુજરાતનો_સંકલ્પ pic.twitter.com/h9ZaSOfxj2

— BJP Gujarat (@BJP4Gujarat) November 26, 2022

Highlights of the manifesto

The ruling party has made various promises in its manifesto which include, providing 20 lakh employment opportunities to youth in the next five years, implementation of a Uniform Civil Code, one lakh government jobs for women, free education for all girl students, formation of an anti-radicalisation cell, Rs 10,000 crore for agriculture-marketing infra, financial assistance to EWS/OBC students, etc.

ALSO READ: Gujarat Assembly Election | Surat’s diamond merchants rally behind BJP

Under its Sankalp Patra, the BJP has also promised, redevelopment of schools, AIIMS-level medical facilities, and irrigation in South Gujarat along with Saurashtra.

Other key promises include the establishment of two seafood parks in South Gujarat and Saurashtra, the first blue economy industrial corridor with a keen focus on fishing infrastructure.

The manifesto also mentions the Mukhyamantri Free Diagnostic Scheme with a corpus of Rs 110 crores, a first-of-its-kind Parikrama Path of 3,000 km encircling the whole state, building a Devbhumi Dwarka Corridor to establish Gujarat as western India’s biggest spiritual centre and an investment of Rs 1,000 crores to renovate, expand and promote temples.

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Speaking at the release, Nadda promised to create an anti-radicalisation cell to identify and eliminate potential threats, and sleeper cells of anti-India forces and terrorists.

He also promised to make a law pertaining to damages to public property, regarding the recovery from anti-social elements who damage public property and attack private property.

“For the progress of Gujarat, we will make Gujarat’s economy equal to that of a 1 trillion economy by making the state a foreign direct investment destination,” the BJP chief promised as per Livemint report.

The BJP has been in power for the past 27 years in the state. In the previous elections in 2017, BJP won 99 seats and the Congress came close with 77 seats. However, 14 legislators from Congress joined BJP, which has 111 MLAs in the 182-seat assembly.

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Sri Lankan Tamil parties to press for autonomy in a new Constitution

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Sri Lanka’s Tamil minority parties who had an intra-party discussion following president Ranil Wickremesinghe’s invitation to talks have agreed to put forward a three-point formula, including their push for federalism, a Tamil National Alliance (TNA) source said on Saturday.

The island nation’s all Tamil political parties based in the East and the North on Friday met at the residence of 89-year-old TNA leader Rajavarothiam Sampanthan to push for federalism ahead of Wickremesinghe’s proposed all-party meeting next month to address the long-held demand for political autonomy for the minority community in the country.

The formula decided in the intra-party meeting on Friday includes the proposal to hold the stalled provincial council elections, including devolution to the Tamil regions in formulating a brand new Constitution, and put a stop to what they call the grabbing of lands belonging to the Tamils by the State.

“The parties will meet again before meeting the president,” the TNA source said on condition of anonymity.

Wickremesinghe on Wednesday invited all political parties for talks aimed at ending the Tamil ethnic issue by February 4 next year — Sri Lanka’s 75th anniversary of independence from Britain.

Wickremesinghe told Parliament that he was willing to hold the meeting after December 11.

He said it was important to build trust between the majority Sinhalese and the Tamils to resolve the long-standing conflict.

The TNA — an alliance of parties who represent Tamils from the north and east regions — responded to Wickremesinghe’s call.

However, at least one Sinhala majority hardline parliamentarian objected to the proposal.

Wickremesinghe as prime minister in 2015 had started a reconciliation process with the veteran TNA leader Sampanthan.

Many attempts since the 1950s to resolve the Tamil demand for autonomy were thwarted by the hardline Sinhala majority, leading to a violent armed campaign for separatism by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) on behalf of the Tamils.

An Indian effort in 1987, which created the system of a joint provincial council for the Tamil-dominated North and East, faltered as the minority community claimed it fell short of full autonomy.

C V Vigneswaran was elected as the first-ever Tamil chief minister for the North in 2013. The elections since 2018 have been on hold for a technicality connected to electoral reforms.

Also Read:Ousted Lanka president Rajapaksa summoned in court over presidential pardon to murder convict

India has been consistently calling upon Sri Lanka to fulfill its commitments to protect the interests of the Tamil community and preserve the island nation’s character as a multi-ethnic and multi-religious society.

Over the years, the Sri Lankan government has been aggressive against Tamilian groups following its war with the LTTE.

The LTTE ran a military campaign for a separate Tamil homeland in the northern and eastern provinces of the island nation for nearly 30 years before its collapse in 2009 after the Sri Lankan Army killed its supreme leader Velupillai Prabhakaran.

According to Sri Lankan government figures, over 20,000 people are missing due to various conflicts including the three-decade brutal war with Lankan Tamils in the north and east which claimed at least 100,000 lives.

International rights groups claim at least 40,000 ethnic Tamil civilians were killed in the final stages of the war, but the Sri Lankan government has disputed the figures.

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Vikram Gokhale, the actor who knew his craft inside out passes away at 77

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Veteran film, television and theatre actor Vikram Gokhale passed away on November 26 at the Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital in Pune after a prolonged illness. He was 77.

Gokhale was hospitalised earlier in November. His condition initially improved but he subsequently slipped into a coma. On November 23, social media was abuzz with the news of Vikram Gokhale’s death. His family later issued a statement saying the veteran actor’s condition was critical but he was alive. He had suffered a multi-organ failure and was not responding to the treatment as expected.

Gokhale family

Gokhale hails from a family of actors. He was born in 1945 to iconic Marathi film and theatre actor, Chandrakant Gokhale. Chandrakant’s mother Kamalabai Gokhale was the first woman to act on the modern Marathi stage. Kamalabai’s mother Durgabai Kamat was a path-breaker and acted in Mohini Bhasmasur, directed by Dadasaheb Phalke.

Passionate about his art

Despite coming from a family of legends, Vikram Gokhale wore his lineage lightly and carved his own niche by working passionately and building his own repertoire of work. He was known for his tenacity and passion for acting. Last month, while speaking at a book launch, Gokhale said acting was not limited to what an actor depicted on the screen. He said it was essential for an actor to have knowledge of all the arts including paintings, music, and writing as it helps an actor build or create images for the audience. He called this “the rule of theatre”.

Building his own niche

Vikram Gokhale debuted in the Bollywood film industry with Amitabh Bachchan-starrer ‘Parwana’ in 1971. He was 26 years old then.

Many remember him for one of his earliest performances in the 1977 film ‘Yehi Hai Zindagi’. Vikram Gokhale played the role of Lord Krishna in the film which tried to depict an ordinary man’s relationship with God. Movie buffs also remember him for his portrayal of the imposing Collector Jaideep Das Gupta in Amol Palekar’s ‘Thoda Sa Roomani Ho Jayein’ in 1990.

Gokhale went on to act in several Marathi and Bollywood films, including the 1999 film ‘Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam’ starring Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Salman Khan, where he played the role of an autocratic patriarch.

He is also known for his performances in ‘Agneepath, Bhool Bhulaiyaa, Bang Bang’, and ‘Mission Mangal’. Most recently, Vikram Gokhale was seen in Nikhil Mahajan’s Marathi film ‘Godavari’, which was released earlier in November. Gokhale played the role of an ageing patriarch with dementia in the movie.

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Gokhale is also a reputed actor in Marathi cinema. In 2010, he won the National Award in the Best Actor category for his performance in the movie ‘Anumati.’

The same year, he made his directorial debut with the film, ‘Aaghaat’. In June this year, Vikram Gokhale was seen in ‘Abhimanyu Dassani’ and Shilpa Shetty-starrer ‘Nikamma’.

Over a career spanning more than 40 years, Vikram Gokhale acted in more than 80 movies and 17 television serials.

On television, one of his most remarkable performances was in Kavita Chowdhury’s 1990-1991 cult series ‘Udaan’. Gokhale played the role of a rebel aristocrat who fights against corruption. He mentors his daughter to become a high-ranking police officer. Gokhale played the role of youth and the patriarch “with the felicity of an actor who knows his craft inside out,” New Indian Express reported.

A man with many dimensions

Vikram Gokhale was a man with many dimensions. Apart from being an actor and a director, he was an accomplished photographer and a social activist. His family runs a charitable foundation which provides financial support to disabled soldiers, children of lepers, and education of orphan children, India Today reported.

Friendship with AB

The two legendary actors Amitabh Bachchan and Vikram Gokhale shared both onscreen and offscreen camaraderie. The duo acted in the movies ‘Agneepath’, ‘Khuda Gawah’ and ‘Parwana’. Gokhale, who had known Bachchan for over 55 years, described the superstar as one of the finest actors of Indian cinema. He said most people have only seen his stardom, but he had seen Bachchan during his initial struggles.

“There are many people in the film industry who don’t have any idea of what acting is and they call themselves actors. It is just a show-off. If you want to experience real acting then people must watch Amitabh’s film,” ETimes quoted Gokhale as saying.

Supporting Ranaut

Last year, Vikram Gokhale supported actor Kangana Ranaut’s contention that the independence India attained in 1947 was “bheekh” (alms). She also said India got its ‘real freedom’ in 2014, referring to Narendra Modi being elected as the Prime Minister. Gokhale said that the popular slogan that India attained freedom without shedding blood was an insult to the revolutionaries who were killed or hanged while fighting for the country’s independence.

Following his comments, senior Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan said Gokhale could join a political party like BJP. Reacting to this, the veteran actor said: “My views are my views. They are not dictated by any political parties. All parties are similar,” Indian Express quoted him as saying.

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Book store in Porto now has Bob Dylan’s love letters, which it bought for $670,000

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Last week, an auction brought in over $670,000 (approximately €650,000) for Bob Dylan’s high school girlfriend’s collection of his intimate letters. The 42 letters, totaling 150 pages, were purchased by the exclusive Livraria Lello bookstore in Porto, Portugal. Auction house RR Auction stated in a statement issued on Friday that it would continue to make Dylan’s archive accessible to researchers and fans.

On Thursday, an auction of early Dylan memorabilia came to a close, with the letters serving as the highlight and top lot.

During the years 1957-1959

Letters were sent by Dylan to Barbara Hewitt in 1957 and 1959. Dylan was born in Hibbing, Minnesota. He was still going as Bob Zimmerman at the time. As so, they provide light on a time in his life about which very little is known.

Executive VP of RR Auctions Bobby Livingstone said that the letters revealed “the transition of Bob Zimmerman into the infamous Bob Dylan.”

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Dylan writes of his desire to become a household name and his desire to legally alter his name in a few of the letters. The 81-year-old winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature has sold almost 125 million books throughout the course of his career.

The posthumous discovery of Hewitt’s letters

The young artist often tells Hewitt how much he cares for her, asks her to a Holly performance, reads poetry snippets with her, and talks to her about everything from fashion to music to automobiles.

After Hewitt’s death in 2020, her daughter discovered the letters. The name Bob was often included on the handmade envelopes that accompanied each message.

Dylan’s collection of 24 poems written when he was a student at Minnesota University sold for about $250,000, while an early autographed portrait of the singer sold for over $24,000.

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