Watch: Man eats banana artwork he purchased for Rs 52 crore in auction
Hong Kong: Chinese-born cryptocurrency entrepreneur Justin Sun, who made headlines earlier for purchasing a banana taped to a wall — an artwork he bought for $6.2 million (Rs 52.4 crore), has now eaten the fruit.
Standing in front of journalists and influencers gathered at a luxury Hong Kong hotel on Friday, Sun devoured the pricey banana as he called the piece “iconic” and drew parallels between art and cryptocurrency.
“It's much better than other bananas. It's really quite good," Sun said after eating the fruit. Interestingly, each attendee at the event was given a banana and a roll of duct tape as a souvenir.
Sun outbid six competitors during a recent Sotheby’s auction to claim the piece. “This is not just an artwork,” he said earlier. “It represents a cultural phenomenon that bridges the worlds of art, memes, and cryptocurrency community."
While Sun gulped down millions of dollars in a few seconds, the vendor who sold the banana for the auction expressed disappointment over not receiving a substantial amount from the viral artwork. According to a report in The New York Times, the banana was originally sold by Shah Alam, a 74-year-old fruit seller, to the artist.
Although the banana art was intended as satire, Alam remains baffled by how it fetched such an exorbitant price. “Those who bought it, what kind of people are they? Do they not know what a banana is?” he questioned.
许多朋友问我这根香蕉的味道如何。老实说，对于一根有如此故事的香蕉，味道自然和普通香蕉不一样。我品尝出了一种100年前大麦克香蕉的味道。🍌 pic.twitter.com/ddo8pEjatx
— H.E. Justin Sun 🍌 (@justinsuntron) November 29, 2024
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Statewide ban on IV Ringer Lactate usage: Dinesh Gundu Rao
Bengaluru: In response to the deaths of postnatal women at Ballari District Hospital, the Karnataka government has temporarily suspended the use of IV Ringer Lactate solution across the state as a precautionary measure, Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao announced on Saturday.
Speaking to the media in Bengaluru, the minister explained that doubts about the quality of the IV solution had arisen, prompting the decision. He clarified that Ringer Lactate, along with glucose solutions, has been routinely used in hospitals for years. However, out of the 192 batches supplied by the Karnataka State Drugs Logistics and Warehousing Society, concerns were raised regarding two specific batches.
"In light of these concerns, we stopped the use of all 192 batches as a precaution. Following this, the supplying company obtained a High Court order for testing, and the Central Drugs Laboratory (CDL) conducted an analysis. The CDL report confirmed the usability of the solution, allowing the state to form a technical committee to review and permit the use of certain batches that met quality standards. Despite this, doubts have surfaced specifically at Ballari District Hospital," the minister stated.
To address these concerns, the batches supplied to Ballari Hospital have been sent for anaerobic testing to determine whether the IV solution contributed to the deaths. The test results are expected within a week, after which a final decision on the use of IV Ringer Lactate will be made.
"Until then, we have issued directives to hospitals statewide to suspend the use of IV Ringer Lactate. Every life is important to us, and precautionary measures are essential when suspicions arise," Gundu Rao emphasised.
