Month: June 2022

It’s a busy Sunday for actress Kangana Ranaut! The ‘Manikarnika’ actress who is busy prepping for her upcoming directorial ‘Emergency’, has shared a few snippets from the sets of the film.

Kangana took to her Instagram to share a couple of photos where she is seen discussing something with her team. The photos were originally shared by the Instagram account of her production house ‘Manikarnika Films’, which the actor reposted on her stories. Check them out:

A day ago, Kangana announced that the leading music composer-turned-actor GV Prakash Kumar is now a part of the film. She wrote, “Welcome to the team Emergency, feel most fortunate to have you on board (lovestruck and folded hands emoticons)”. Whether GV will work as a composer or in the capacity of an actor in the film, isn’t clear yet.

Kangana keeps sharing ‘behind the scenes’ photos of preparations for the upcoming film. She earlier shared photos from her recce and mentioned she is most comfortable being a filmmaker.

‘Emergency’ is based on the life of late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Apart from it, Kangana is also coming up with ‘Tiku Weds Sheru’, which stars Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Avneet Kaur in the lead roles.

‘Emergency’ will see the actress donning the Director’s hat for the second time. Kangana first tried her hand at directing with the film ‘Manikarnika’. (ANI)

As ‘Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2’ continues its successful run in theatres and on the OTT platform Netflix, Kartik Aaryan has shared a hilarious ‘behind the scenes’ picture from the sets of the film.

Kartik shared a funny photo where he could be seen smiling behind a mask and his co-star Tabu can be seen chuckling in her ‘Manjulika’ avatar, behind a face shield!
Kartik wrote a funny caption for the photo “Besties Rooh Baba And Manju feeling on Top of the World #BhoolBhulaiyaa2.”

Tabu was quick to react to the photo and added a funny comment. She wrote, “Darna mana hai!”

Their co-star Kiara Advani also had a funny message to share in the comment section. Promoting her new film ‘Jug Jugg Jeeyo’, Kiara made a reference to her character in ‘Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2’ and wrote, “Reet ke taraf se aap dono ko #JugJuggJeeyo”. Reet is the name of the character Kiara plays in the film ‘Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2’.

‘Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2’ continues to enthral the audience with its stellar performances and comic timings. The film hit the OTT platform Netflix last Friday and despite that, it is having a steady run in the cinema halls. Since its release on the OTT platform, it has been number one on the charts, beating blockbusters like RRR and Spider-Man: No Way Home.

‘Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2’ hit the screens on May 20 and surpassed everyone’s expectations as far as the numbers were concerned. The film is expected to enter the 200-crore club in India very soon. Globally, the film has already crossed the magic figure.

Riding high on the success of the film, Kartik was recently gifted a luxury supercar by the producer of the film Bhushan Kumar. Ecstatic by the success of the film, T-Series owner Bhushan Kumar gifted the luxury car ‘McLaren GT’ to Kartik. The car is worth approximately Rs 3.73 crore.

Kartik took to his Instagram handle and shared this exciting news with fans and followers.

Sharing a couple of pictures of his brand new car, in the caption, he wrote, “Chinese khaane ke liye nayi table gift mil gayi. Mehnat ka phal meetha hota hai suna tha.Itna bada hoga nahi pata tha. India’s 1st McLaren Gt. Agla gift Private jet sir #Gratitude.”

On the work front, Kartik will next be seen in ‘Shehzada’ opposite Kriti Sanon. The film is said to be a remake of Allu Arjun’s hit movie ‘Ala Vaikuntapurramuloo’ and has been produced by Bhushan Kumar, Aman Gill, and Allu Aravind. (ANI)

United Nations has allocated USD 10 million from the UN Central Emergency Response Funds (UNCERF) on Sunday to support the people of Afghanistan affected by the earthquake that struck this week in the eastern part of the country.

Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths stated that the UN has released USD 10 million from UNCERF for the affected people of Afghanistan to help with the immediate response, The Khaama Press newspaper reported.
“Hundreds of people killed. Many more injured. Homes destroyed. Children buried in the rubble. The #AfghanistanEarthquake is the latest tragedy to befall the country. I released $10 million from @UNCERF to help with the immediate response,” Griffiths said in a tweet.

UN’s assistance comes as several organisations from all over the world have been supporting the people badly affected by the earthquake by providing large sums of money.

On Wednesday, a 5.9-magnitude earthquake jolted parts of Afghanistan including the capital city Kabul. At present, over 1000 people are estimated to have been killed across Barmal and Giyan districts in Paktika province, and Spera district in Khost province. In addition, at least 1,455 people have been injured across three of the six most affected districts of Barmal, Giyan, and Spera – many of them seriously. Over 10,000 houses have been destroyed.

In wake of this, India handed over the second batch of humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan on Friday in the presence of Taliban officials.

The relief assistance handed over by the Ministry of External Affairs Joint Secretary (PAI), JP Singh consisted of essential items including family ridge tents, sleeping bags, blankets, sleeping mats, etc to support the people of Afghanistan in quake-affected regions.

The first consignment from India was handed over on Thursday. India also deployed a team to the Embassy in Kabul to coordinate the efforts of stakeholders for the delivery of humanitarian aid. The Taliban welcomed India’s decision to return its technical team to continue humanitarian assistance in Afghanistan.

Earlier, the European Commission also announced 1 million euros in humanitarian funding for an estimated 270,000 people living in the affected areas requiring emergency assistance.

Immediate humanitarian assistance was dispatched to affected areas on June 22, including 10 tons of medical supplies sufficient for 5,400 surgeries and medical treatments covering 36,000 people for three months by WHO. (ANI)

China has sent 29 warplanes into Taiwan’s air defence zone, according to media reports, marking the third-largest fly-by in the country this year.

The warplanes, which include 17 fighter jets, six bombers and other supporting aircraft, have entered the island’s air defence identification zone on Tuesday from the southwest, The Star newspaper reported citing the island’s defence ministry.
“In response, the air force scrambled jets, issued radio warnings and deployed air defence missile systems to monitor their activities,” the ministry said in a statement.

Earlier on Friday, a US Navy P-8A Poseidon reconnaissance plane flew over the Taiwan Strait.

The flyover of surveillance plane over the Taiwan Strait was a demonstration of the US “commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific,” amid recurrent Chinese incursion in Taiwan’s ADIZ, US Indo-Pacific Command said in a statement.

The issue of Taiwan has been at the forefront of US-China relations in recent months.

Tensions between Washington, which is committed to supporting the island’s self-defence, and Beijing over Taiwan were in the open earlier this month when their respective defense chiefs met at the Shangri-La Dialogue defense conference in Singapore.

Taiwan and mainland China have been governed separately since the defeated Nationalists retreated to the island at the end of the Chinese civil war more than 70 years ago.

But China’s ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) views the self-ruled island as part of its territory — despite having never controlled it.

Beijing has not ruled out military force to take Taiwan and has kept pressure on the democratic island over the past few years with frequent warplane flights into the island’s ADIZ.

An ADIZ is unilaterally imposed and distinct from sovereign airspace, which is defined under international law as extending 12 nautical miles from a territory’s shoreline. (ANI)

After tying the knot, newly wedded couple Nayanthara and Vignesh Shiven have been giving their fans a glimpse of their dreamy honeymoon in Thailand.

The couple that is currently soaking in the sun in the tropical country, has been sharing mushy photos on Instagram. The latest picture that made their fans go ‘aww’ over the couple, was shared by Vignesh.

Twinning in white outfits, Nayanthara and Vignesh look fresh and vibrant. Nayanthara opted for the classic white top- blue jeans outfit while paired his white shirt with beige pants.

Earlier, Vignesh shared a lot of photos of the actor and wrote, “Me clickin her wen she’s clickin me”.

The couple has been sharing each other’s photos on Instagram. On Monday, Vignesh shared some romantic photos of them. In the pictures, both Nayanthara and Vignesh look cosy and relaxed. Nayanthara is seen wearing a yellow summer dress while Vignesh kept it casual in a basic t-shirt and pants.

Nayanthara and Vignesh tied the knot in an intimate ceremony at a private resort in Mahabalipuram. The ceremony was attended by close friends and family. Only a few celebrities were invited. Rajnikanth, Shah Rukh Khan, and Director Atlee were some of the few celebrities spotted at the wedding.

On the work front, Nayanthara is reportedly set to make her Bollywood debut opposite Shah Rukh Khan in the upcoming film ‘Jawan’. The film will be directed by Atlee. Produced by Gauri Khan, ‘Jawan’ will be Shah Rukh Khan’s first Pan-India film, which will be released on June 2, 2023, across five languages – Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, and Kannada. (ANI)

Just after the Bharatiya Janata Party on Sunday won the Rampur Parliamentary bypoll, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath expressed gratitude to the people of the state by saying that the by-election result puts a seal of public’s faith in the double engine BJP government.

“The victory of Rampur Lok Sabha seat in the by-election is a seal of public’s faith in the double engine BJP government on public welfare policies under the successful leadership of respected Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” tweeted Adityanath today.
The tweet further read, “This victory is the result of the successful leadership of the BJP, the tireless hard work of dedicated workers and the good governance established by the double engine BJP government. Thanks to the people of Rampur from the bottom of my heart!”

In a major political development in Uttar Pradesh, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Ghanshyam Singh Lodhi on Sunday won the Lok Sabha bypoll in Rampur under the leadership of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanatah, the bastion of Samajwadi Party (SP) big shot Azam Khan. In Rampur, BJP had fielded Ghanshyam Singh Lodhi who recently joined the party. Whereas, SP candidate Asim Raja was handpicked by Azam Khan. Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) did not contest from Rampur.

“Lodhi has won by over 42,000 votes,” Rampur District Magistrate Ravindra Kumar told reporters after giving the winning certificate to Lodhi.

The fate of many bigwigs including Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha was sealed today as the counting of votes took place for three Lok Sabha and seven assembly seats spread across five states.

Counting began at 8 am under heavy security arrangements. The postal ballots were counted first and then EVMs were opened. The three Lok Sabha seats which witnessed bypolls include Azamgarh and Rampur in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab’s Sangrur, while assembly by-elections were held in Tripura, Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh and Delhi.

As per the current trends, Simranjit Singh Mann of SAD (Amritsar) has won from Punjab’s Sangrur Lok Sabha seat. Sangrur Lok Sabha seat was vacated by Bhagwant Mann who came to power as the state chief minister after the Aam Aadmi Party secured a landslide victory in the recently-held assembly polls in Punjab. (ANI)

In a major political development in Uttar Pradesh, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Ghanshyam Singh Lodhi on Sunday won the Lok Sabha bypoll in Rampur under the leadership of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanatah, the bastion of Samajwadi Party (SP) big shot Azam Khan.

In Rampur, BJP had fielded Ghanshyam Singh Lodhi who recently joined the party. Whereas, SP candidate Asim Raja was handpicked by Azam Khan. Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) did not contest from Rampur.
“I dedicate my victory to the workers of the party. They have been working continuously day and night. I want to thank the people of Rampur. BJP has always been working for the development of the public,” BJP’s winning candidate Lodhi said.

“History being made. BJP wins Rampur LS by-election by 37,797 votes. Azamgarh is also about to win. The death knell to communal, divisive, minority appeasement politics. The mandate for Politics of Vikas practised by PM Narendra Modi ably assisted by CM Yogi Adityanath,” said BJP national general secretary BL Santhosh.

“We have won in Rampur. We’re also ahead of others in Azamgarh. I’d like to thank the voters who’re handing us this victory based on PM Modi’s numerous welfare schemes and the performance of the CM,” said Brajesh Pathak, Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister.

“People are sick and tired of the Samajwadi Party. People don’t want any more riots. They want peace. They want development,” he added.

Rampur Lok Sabha seat went vacant by the resignation of veteran SP leader Azam Khan after he was elected to the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly in the recently held state election.

Khan was elected MP from Rampur seat in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

Meanwhile, in Azamgarh, BJP candidate Dinesh Lala Yadav Nirhua, a Bhojpuri actor-singer is leading with votes. SP fielded Dharmendra Yadav and BSP fielded Shah Alam, popularly known as Guddu Jamali in the Azamgarh seat.

The vacancy in the Lok Sabha seat have been created by the resignation of former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav after he was elected an MLA in recently held state Assembly polls. (ANI)

India reported 11,739 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said on Sunday. The cumulative COVID-19 cases stand at 4,33,89,973.

Active cases now constitute 0.21 per cent of the country’s total positive cases.
An increase of 797 cases has been recorded in the active COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours.

Active COVID-19 cases in the country rise to 92,576.

The daily positivity rate stands at 2.59 per cent.

As many as 25 people died of the virus in the last 24 hours, the Ministry bulletin stated.

The recovery rate is currently at 98.60 per cent while the total COVID recoveries now stand at 4,27,72,398.

India’s cumulative vaccination coverage crossed the 197-crore milestone on Saturday, according to Press Information Bureau. More than 11 lakh vaccine doses were administered on Saturday till 7 pm. (ANI)

Pakistan’s Finance Ministry on Sunday said that their deal with International Monetary Funds (IMF) will be sealed by tomorrow as the organization plan to hand over the economic and financial policy for the renewed deal providing economic relief package to Islamabad.

Pakistan Finance Minister Miftah Ismail in the National Assembly said that although the country is common with the negative comments made by the financial quarters it looks very likely that the restoration of the IMF programme is in the offing, ARY News reported.
Moreover, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had asserted that the terms with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) had been finalised and the deal will close soon, barring any other conditions set by the global lender.

Earlier on Friday, the Shehbaz Sharif government increased the tax rates for the salaried class to fulfil the demand of the IMF. It had withdrawn the tax relief to the salaried class announced on June 10 and the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR’s) collection target was increased to Rs 7,470 billion, reported Geo News.

On Personal Income Tax (PIT), the government raised a tax amount of Rs 80 billion as first, the government abolished tax relief of Rs 47 billion and then raised a tax amount of Rs 35 billion, so the FBR was going to collect Rs 235 billion from salaried class in the next budget against a collection of Rs 200 billion in the outgoing fiscal year.

The Ministry of Finance high-ups disclosed to The News that all IMF’s demands on the fiscal front were almost fulfilled and now it was expected that the Fund staff would share a draft of the Memorandum of Financial and Economic Policies (MEFP) next week on Monday.

The IMF and the Ministry of Finance as well as the State Bank of Pakistan are holding parleys continuously. Finance Minister Miftah Ismail also chaired a meeting related to the government’s strategy for hiking power tariffs, reported Geo News.

The government slapped a 10 per cent super tax on 13 big industries including cement, sugar, steel, oil and gas, RLNG Terminal, textiles, banking, auto industry, tobacco, fertilizer, aviation, chemicals and beverages.

The Fund has objected to the government’s estimates of allocating Rs 225 billion for Price Differential Claims (PDCs) for the next budget as the IMF assessed that it might escalate to over Rs 350 to Rs 450 billion.

The government has proposed a tax on jewellery shops as on-premises of shops, it has been fixed at Rs 40,000 per shop of jewellery. There are nearly 30,000 jewellery shops and only a few shops are registered. The Withholding Tax on the sale of gold by consumers was cut to 1 per cent from 4 per cent, reported Geo News.

The Imran Khan-led PTI government had made a commitment with the IMF for raising the tax amount of Rs 335 billion through an increased rate of slabs for the salaried class but the PDM-led coalition government convinced the IMF for collecting Rs100 billion less than agreed by the previous PTI-led government with the IMF. (ANI)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised Olympic gold medalist Neeraj Chopra for his recent performances in the javelin throw.

While addressing the nation during the latest episode of Mann ki Baat, PM Modi said, “Our Olympic Gold Medalist Neeraj Chopra won Silver at Paavo Nurmi Games in Finland. He also broke his own Javelin Throw record. Neeraj Chopra once again made the country proud by winning gold in Kuortane Games as well.”
After capturing the gold medal in Tokyo Olympics last year, the star javelin thrower showcased his dominating ways in his recent outings in the sport.

On June 14, Chopra set a new national record and finished with a silver medal with a throw of 89.30 metres at the Paavo Nurmi Games in Finland, bettering his own previous national record of 88.07 meters which he had set in Patiala in March last year.

This was Chopra’s first outing in an International competition since his historic Gold medal-winning throw of 87.58 meters at the Tokyo Olympics on August 7, 2021.

The 89.30 meters throw saw him finish second on the podium at the Paavo Nurmi Games behind the Finnish favourite Oliver Helander, who achieved a personal best of 89.93 meters. Meanwhile, Grenada’s world champion Anderson Peters finished third with a throw of 86.60 meters.

On June 18, the Tokyo Olympic gold medallist gave another sterling performance as he clinched gold in the 2022 Kuortane Games in Finland.

Neeraj threw 86.69 m to clinch the top prize in tricky and wet conditions. In rainy conditions, Chopra started well but there was foul in his second throw.

The Indian javelin thrower hit the spot on his very first try at the tournament, had a foul on his second try, and bore a nasty slip in his third attempt, following which he chose to skip the remaining two attempts.

Keshorn Walcott of Trinidad settled for silver with a throw of 86.64m while Anderson Peters claimed bronze with a throw of 84.75m.

The Golden Boy of India will next take part in the Stockholm leg of the Diamond League on June 30. (ANI)