Month: July 2022

Bollywood actor Sonakshi Sinha, on Wednesday, shared her late-night cardio experience through a funny video.

Taking to Instagram, the ‘Dabangg’ actor shared a boomerang video on her Instagram story, in which she can be seen walking on a treadmill with a funny crying filter applied to her face.

The ‘Noor’ actor captioned the video, “Late night cardio got me like…” followed by an angry avatar.

Earlier, the actor had faced a lot of backlash on social media due to her weight, every time she stood strong and gave it back to the trollers for mocking her.

The ‘Rowdy Rathore’ actor recently stepped into the business world with her new nail brand ‘Soezi’.

Veteran actor Shatrughan Sinha’s daughter, actor Sonakshi Sinha made her Bollywood debut alongside Salman Khan in ‘Dabangg’.

Meanwhile, the ‘Akira’ actor will be soon marking her OTT debut with Amazon prime video’s upcoming series ‘Fallen’ in which she plays the role of a cop for the first time in her career. The series will stream later this year.

Apart from this she also has ‘Double XL’ alongside Huma Qureshi and her rumoured boyfriend Zaheer Iqbal. The official release date of the film is still awaited. A horror comedy film ‘Kakuda’ along with Riteish Deshmukh and Saqib Saleem. (ANI)

American comedian and ‘Bad Boys’ actor Martin Lawrence has weighed in on the future of the franchise in the wake of co-star Will Smith’s slap of Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars.

According to Deadline, in a recent interview with Ebony, the actor dismissed the notion that the slap has put an end to plans for the fourth Bad Boys film, first announced in 2020. “We got one more at least,” he claimed.
His comments were in line with those of Sony chairman and CEO Tom Rothman, who in a recent interview with Deadline said that the idea the brakes have been pumped on the sequel is “inaccurate.”

“That movie’s been in development and still is. There weren’t any brakes to pump because the car wasn’t moving. That was a very unfortunate thing that happened, and I don’t think it’s really my place to comment, except to say that I’ve known Will Smith for many years, and I know him to be a good person,” said Rothman.

Directed by Michael Bay, the original Bad Boys introduced viewers to Marcus Burnett (Lawrence) and Mike Lowrey (Smith), two hip detectives who look to protect a witness to a murder, while investigating a case of stolen heroin from the evidence storage room of their police precinct.

The buddy cop pic debuted in April of 1995 and grossed over USD 141 million, spurring sequels ‘Bad Boys II’ (2003) and ‘Bad Boys for Life’ (2020), as per Deadline. (ANI)

Revealing a grim picture of the state of women in Pakistan, a report by the World Economic Forum (WEF) has ranked Pakistan as the second-worst country in terms of gender parity, a media report said.

In the Global Gender Gap Report which was released by WEF on Wednesday, Pakistan is placed in the 145th spot in a survey of 146 countries, Dawn reported.
As per the statistics, Pakistan has 107 million women and the country closed at 56.4 per cent in the report’s gender gap index. The report observed, “this is the highest overall level of parity Pakistan has posted” since the launch of the global gender gap report by WEF in 2006.

Pakistan was among five countries with a gender gap greater than five per cent. The others were Qatar, Azerbaijan, China and India. Moreover, women’s participation in the workforce has declined by 1.9 per cent points.

Pakistan’s ranking in other parameters also exposes the country’s sorry state of affairs. The country ranked 145th in terms of economic participation and opportunity; 135th in educational attainment; 143rd in health and survival; and 95th in political empowerment.

The country was ranked as the second-worst country in South Asia, too. According to the report, Bangladesh is the best country in the region for women. On the other hand, the share of women in professional and technical roles fell in Pakistan and the Maldives.

The best country in respect of gender parity is Iceland followed by Finland, Norway, New Zealand, and Sweden, in that order. Although no country has yet achieved full gender parity, the top ten economies have closed at least 80 per cent of their gaps, with Iceland (90.8 per cent) leading the way.

The worst performers are the Democratic Republic of Congo, Iran and Chad.

Additionally, Pakistan reported the maximum number of cases of kidnapping of women, rape, and violence against women in the month of May this year, The News International reported citing a research report by Sustainable Social Development Organisation (SSDO) and the Centre for Research, Development, and Communication (CRDC).

As per the report data, the maximum number of cases amongst all the indicators of women and child abuse were reported from Punjab province, followed by Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Regarding the data, the Executive Director of SSDO, Syed Kausar Abbas said, “The aim of regularly publishing this data is to bring attention to the rapid increase in violence against women and children. Just this month, over 300 different cases of this nature occurred. We hope that with increased media attention and reporting, the government, police, and judiciary dedicate their attention to speedy processing, resolution, and punishment.”

As per the report, out of the total 131 reported cases of kidnapping in the country, 96 were from Punjab province. Sindh reported 23 cases, followed by 11 cases from KP and one from Islamabad, while no cases of kidnapping were reported from Balochistan.

Rape cases were the second most reported in the media. Out of the total of 57 cases, Punjab reported the highest of 38 cases, while Sindh reported 13 cases followed by 3 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and 2 cases from Islamabad. Only one case was reported from Balochistan, The News International reported citing the report.

Similarly, 49 cases of violence against women were reported. Punjab again reported the maximum number of 38 cases and 9 cases were reported from Sindh. KP reported 2 cases while no cases were reported in Balochistan and Islamabad.

Pakistan reported 23 cases of domestic violence where Punjab province reported 15 cases, 6 cases were reported in Sindh, while KP and Islamabad reported 1 case respectively. (ANI)

Expecting a footfall of more than 5 crore pilgrims during the holy month of Shravan, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Thursday assured that all arrangements for a safe Kanwar Yatra have been made by the state administration.

“We have made all the arrangements regarding the smooth conduct and safety during the Kanwar Yatra. We appeal to them to follow the rules made by the administration,” Dhami said.
“This time, we expect more than 5 crore in Kanwar Yatra. No matter how many Lord Shiva devotees come, everyone is welcome.”

Uttarakhand administration on Wednesday announced that pilgrims with swords, tridents and other such harmful objects will not be allowed during the Kanwar Yatra.

The administration also gave instructions to the police station and outposts in-charges to seize these materials at the district border.

“There will be a ban on bringing swords, tridents, and sticks in the Kanwar Yatra starting from tomorrow. All the station and outpost in-charges have been instructed to seize them at the district borders,” Janmejay Khanduri, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Dehradun said.

The ‘Kanwar Yatra’ is an annual pilgrimage of Lord Shiva’s devotees that started Thursday. The Kanwariyas (pilgrims) visit places like Haridwar, Gaumukh and Gangotri in Uttarakhand and Sultanganj in Bihar to fetch the holy water of River Ganga. They then worship God with the same water.

In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, the Kanwar Yatra in 2021 was cancelled in Uttarakhand and entry at ‘Har ki Pauri’ was also restricted.

Thursday also marks the onset of the holy month of ‘Sawan’ (Shravan), which is considered to be the most auspicious month of the year.

The month holds great significance for devotees of Lord Shiva, who considered the Supreme Lord, the creator, protector, and destroyer of the universe, according to Hindu religious beliefs.

During the month of Shravan, the devotees observe fasts on Mondays which are considered to be particularly auspicious days of the month. Lord Shiva is worshipped on Mondays throughout the year and the Mondays of this month are especially significant with the whole month being dedicated to the lord. The festival is celebrated predominantly in north India.

This year Sawan started on July 14 and will end on August 12. Four Mondays fall during this period- July 18, July 25, August 1, and August 8. (ANI)

I2U2 group countries have agreed to increase joint investment in six important areas of water, energy, transport, space, health and food security, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday and noted that the agenda of the group is progressive and practical.

He said from this very first summit, I2U2 has established a positive agenda and the four countries have identified joint projects in various sectors and prepared a roadmap to go ahead.
“Our cooperative framework is also a good model for practical cooperation in the face of increasing global uncertainties. Under the I2U2 framework, we’ve agreed on increasing the joint investment in six important areas of water, energy, transport, space, health and food security,” PM Modi said in his opening remarks at the first I2U2 Leaders Meeting in a virtual mode.

“By mobilising our mutual strength, capital, expertise and markets, we can speed up our agenda and make important contributions to the global economy,” he said.

PM Modi expressed confidence that the I2U2 grouping will “make a significant contribution toward energy security, food security and economic growth globally.”

“From this very first summit, I2U2 has established a positive agenda. We have identified joint projects in various sectors and prepared a roadmap to go ahead,” he said.

The summit of India, Israel, UAE, and the USA – I2U2- is being seen as Quad for West Asia.

The I2U2 grouping was conceptualized during the meeting of the foreign ministers of the four countries held on October 18 last year. Each country also has Sherpa-level interactions regularly to discuss the possible areas of cooperation.

It intends to mobilize private sector capital and expertise to help modernize infrastructure, low carbon development pathways for industries, improve public health, and promote the development of critical emerging and green technologies.

The Leaders will discuss the possible joint projects within the framework of I2U2 as well as the other common areas of mutual interest to strengthen the economic partnership in trade and investment in the respective regions and beyond. (ANI)

After making the popular Indian snack of Pani Puri two days ago, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday showcased her culinary skills by preparing the Tibetan snack Momos in Darjeeling.

In the video shared by Trinamool Youth Congress member Dipankar Kumar Das, the party supremo can be seen sitting in a small kitchen of a local momo seller.
In the short video, the West Bengal Chief Minister makes the savoury dumplings from scratch. She flattens the soft dough and adds fillings to it and then seals it.

While making the delectable snacks, the Chief Minister can be seen interacting with the woman.

This is not the first time Banerjee was seen trying her hands at making the local snacks.

Shortly after attending the swearing-in ceremony of newly elected members of Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA), Banerjee was seen serving the ‘Pani Puri’ also known as ‘Phuchka’ to children and tourists.

While in the year 2019, just before returning to Kolkata from the seaside town of Digha, she had stopped at a tea stall, made fresh, steaming cups of tea, and served them to locals.

Banerjee, who is on a three-day visit to Darjeeling attended the oath-taking ceremony of 45 newly elected members of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA). (ANI)

The new Maharashtra government on Thursday announced a reduction in fuel prices slashing prices of petrol by Rs.5 per litre and diesel by Rs.3 per litre.

The announcement was made by chief minister Eknath Shinde after a Cabinet meeting which saw participation by Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis along with several officials as attendees.
The newly sworn in chief minister had earlier said that the government’s plans to reduce VAT soon.

“A decision to reduce VAT on fuel will be taken soon to provide relief to the people of the state,” tweeted Shinde on July 4.

Along with slashing the fuel prices the cabinet also decided to implement “Swachh Maharashtra Abhiyan (Citizen) 2.0 Abhiyan” in the state.

“Centrally sponsored Amrit Abhiyan 2.0 (Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation to be implemented in the state”, tweeted Maharashtra DGIPR.

Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis called the decision a big relief on a micro-blogging site.

“Great relief to Maharashtrian and Marathi Manus! Happy to announce that the new Government under CM Eknathrao Shinde has decided to reduce Petrol and Diesel prices by Rs5/litre & Rs3/litre respectively,” tweeted Fanavis.

Highlighting that the decision will benefit the general masses, Fadnavis added, “This is our step towards the appeal made by Hon PM for the benefits to common citizens. The state will carry a burden of Rs. 6000 crore for this decision.”

Earlier Kerala, Rajasthan, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh had reduced the value added tax on petrol and diesel for the benefit of the common man and now Maharashtra’s added to the list.

The move comes nearly two months after the Central government decided to cut excise duty on petrol by Rs 8 per litre and on diesel by Rs 6 per litre. (ANI)

The Patiala House Court on Thursday granted one-day transit remand of Lawrence Bishnoi gang shooters Ankit Sersa and Sachin Chaudhary to Punjab police in connection with the murder case of singer Sidhu Moose Wala.

Moose Wala was shot dead by the Lawrence Bishnoi gang in Mansa, Punjab on May 29.
Chief metropolitan magistrate Snigdha Sarvaria granted the transit remand of Ankit Sersa and Sachin Chaudhary to the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Mansa Police for investigating the murder. They will be produced before Mansa court on Friday.

They were produced before the Court after the custody of the Delhi Police ended. They were arrested by Delhi Police in an Arms Act case.

Punjab police, while seeking permission to arrest the accused persons, submitted that these two accused directly participated in the murder of Moose Wala. Their arrest warrant has been issued by Mansa Court and custody is required for its further investigation.

On the other hand, advocate Vishal Chopra raised the issue of the safety and security of the accused persons.

Meanwhile, the Punjab Police submitted that it has taken appropriate measures for the security of the accused persons during transit remand. The Police team comprising 36 armed police personnel and six vehicles for transit are heading from Delhi to Mansa. The transit shall be video-graphed.

After hearing the submission, the court granted permission to arrest the accused in court and thereafter granted one-day transit remand in the case.

Delhi court had granted the custody of Lawrence Bishnoi and Jagdeep Bhagwanpuria. Another court has allowed Punjab police to arrest Priyvrat, Kashish, Keshav and Deepak alias Teenu in connection with the case of the alleged murder of Sidhu Moose wala. (ANI)

Fact-checking website Alt News co-founder Mohammad Zubair approached the Supreme Court seeking to quash all six FIRs registered against him in Uttar Pradesh and also challenged the constitution of SIT. He also sought clubbing of all the FIRs registered against him.

Zubair in his plea challenged the FIRs registered at Sitapur, Lakhimpur Kheri, Muzaffarnagar, Ghaziabad and two at Hathras.
The plea also challenged the constitution of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) by the Uttar Pradesh government.

Uttar Pradesh government had this week formed the SIT to investigate the six cases registered against Zubair in various districts of the State.

On July 12, the Supreme Court extended till September 7 the interim bail granted to Zubair in the case registered against him by Uttar Pradesh Police in Sitapur. Earlier, the apex court had granted him interim bail for five days in the case.

The apex court had clarified that its interim bail order is with respect to the FIR lodged in Sitapur only and has nothing to do with a separate case registered against him in Delhi.

Zubair had challenged the Allahabad High Court order refusing to quash an FIR registered against him by Uttar Pradesh police in Sitapur for a tweet in which he allegedly called three Hindu seers as ‘hate mongers’.

Sitapur court had sent him to judicial custody and declined his bail plea.

Hathras court on Thursday sent Zubair to 14-day judicial custody after two cases were registered against him in the district on July 4. The case was registered by Deepak Sharma for Zubair’s remarks on Hindu Gods and Goddesses in a tweet in 2018.

On Monday, the Lakhimpur court sent Zubair to 14-day judicial custody.

Delhi court had also sent him to judicial custody in the case registered against him. The Delhi police had arrested him on June 27 for allegedly hurting religious sentiments through one of his tweets. (ANI)

Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who reached the Maldivian Capital Male following raging protests in Sri Lanka, departed for Singapore today.

Rajapaksa left the Maldives and is on his way to Singapore on a private jet, the Daily Mirror reported citing a source.
Earlier, a private jet landed in Male for Rajapaksa’s departure from the island country for Singapore, the Daily Mirror said.

Rajapaksa, his wife Ioma Rajapaksa, and two security officials were scheduled to board a Singapore Airlines flight last night from Male to Singapore but did not go ahead as scheduled due to security concerns, according to the Daily Mirror.

73-year-old Gotabaya Rajapaksa had gone into hiding after crowds of protesters stormed his residence on July 9 and he had announced that he will hand over his resignation letter on Wednesday.

Later, Rajapaksa along with his wife escaped to the Maldives. Subsequently, he appointed Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe as the interim President of Sri Lanka.

Meanwhile, in Sri Lanka, the curfew is imposed from 12 pm today till 5 am tomorrow within the Colombo District, the government information department announced.

Earlier in the day, “GotaGoGama” protesters announced that they will peacefully hand over government-occupied buildings including President’s house, Presidential Secretariat, and Prime Minister’s office, aiming to restore peace in the country.

The country is facing a severe shortage of fuel and other essential supplies and is in the throes of its worst economic crisis with soaring inflation. The oil supply shortage has forced schools and government offices to close until further notice.

Reduced domestic agricultural production, a lack of foreign exchange reserves, and local currency depreciation have fuelled the shortages.

The economic crisis will push families into hunger and poverty – some for the first time – adding to the half a million people who the World Bank estimates have fallen below the poverty line because of the pandemic. (ANI)