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Magician inspired by Houdini feared drowned after being lowered into river in chains
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/wor ... 475652001/
An Indian magician who went missing after being lowered into a river tied up in chains and ropes in a Houdini-inspired stunt is feared drowned, police said June 17. (Photo: AFP/Getty Images)
An Indian magician inspired by Harry Houdini is feared dead after he failed to reappear when he was tied with ropes, locked in chains and dropped into a river.
Chanchal Lahiri, whose stage name is Jadugar Mandrake, has not been seen since Sunday afternoon, when he was lowered into the Hooghly River, which branches off the Ganges, river traffic police officer Syed Waquar Raza told Agence France-Presse.
"We fear he drowned in the river," Raza told the news agency.
Raza also told the Times of India that police had given Lahiri permission to perform a stunt but that the magician said it would be performed on a boat and did not mention water.
"However, he did vaguely mention an 'extra act,' which he did not clarify," Raza said.
According to the BBC, Lahiri, in his 40s, was shackled with six locks and lowered into the river from a boat in Kolkata.
Before he attempted the trick, Lahiri, dressed in a yellow and red costume, turned to a crowd that had gathered to watch his performance.
“If I can open it up, then it will be magic, but if I can’t, it will be tragic,” he said, according to the Guardian.
Famed illusionist Harry Houidini performed a version of the trick more than 100 years ago when he escaped from a box tossed into New York's East River.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-48663289
A Pakistani politician's live-streamed press conference descended into farce when a cat filter was switched on by mistake.
Shaukat Yousafzai was briefing journalists last Friday when the setting was accidentally turned on.
Facebook users watching the video live commented on the gaffe, but Mr Yousafzai carried on unaware of his feline features.
He later said it was a "mistake" that should not be taken "so seriously".
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As Mr Yousafzai spoke, the comical filter superimposed pink ears and whiskers on his face, and that of other officials sitting beside him.
"I wasn't the only one - two officials sitting along me were also hit by the cat filter," Mr Yousafzai told AFP news agency.
A Facebook live stream of Shaukat YousafzaiImage copyrightAFP
Image caption
Pakistani children point at a computer screen showing a screen grab of the press conference
The video, posted to the official Facebook page of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, was deleted minutes after the press conference.
The blunder was blamed on "human error" by the party, which runs the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in north-west Pakistan.
"All necessary actions have been taken to avoid such incidents in future," it said.
Unfortunately for Mr Yousafzai, the cat was already out of the bag.
