Month: August 2022

Tom Cruise’s fighter-jet adventure ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ has toppled ‘Titanic’ as the seventh-biggest film ever at the domestic box office, earning $662 million in ticket sales.

According to Variety, in the 110-year history of Paramount, “Top Gun: Maverick” has also surpassed “Titanic” as the studio’s most popular movie with $1.5 billion abroad and $2.2 billion worldwide.

It’s impressive that “Top Gun: Maverick” has made the same amount of money internationally as it did at home; the worldwide total for the movie is $690 million. The blockbuster sequel to 1986’s “Top Gun” has earned $1.3 billion worldwide without being seen in China or Russia.

Thanks to glowing word-of-mouth and repeat customers, “Top Gun: Maverick” is pulling in audiences in a way that would have been monumental even prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, it’s close to reaching Marvel’s epic superhero mashup “Avengers: Infinity War,” which currently stands as the sixth-highest grossing domestic release ever with $678 million.

Beyond that, “Black Panther” ($700 million), “Avatar” ($760 million), “Spider-Man: No Way Home” ($804 million), “Avengers: Endgame” ($853 million), and “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” ($936 million) make out the list of the top five domestic films ever.

“Top Gun: Maverick” has been a box office power since the movie opened in May and broke the Memorial Day weekend opening record with $160.5 million. For 10 weeks, the movie remained in the top five of the weekend rankings. It is Cruise’s first film to gross more than $100 million in a single weekend and to top $1 billion globally.

The long-delayed sequel to “Top Gun,” directed by Joseph Kosinski, follows Tom Cruise’s Pete “Maverick” Mitchell as he prepares a youthful crew of pilots for a perilous mission, decades after the events of the first film. Along with Val Kilmer, who played Iceman in the first “Top Gun,” the ensemble also stars Miles Teller, Glen Powell, Jon Hamm, Jennifer Connelly, and others. (ANI)

Several people were injured after a roadways bus carrying 39 passengers fell into a deep gorge near the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) Academy in Mussoorie on Sunday afternoon, said ITBP.

So far, no fatalities have been reported.
Personnel of ITBP Academy rushed to the spot and evacuated the injured, as per ITBP.

The bus was coming from Dehradun and was going towards Mussoorie. The bus went out of control and fell into a gorge near ITBP Academy.

As soon as the information was received, the police-administration team left for the rescue on the spot.

The injured passengers have been rescued and admitted to the Civil Hospital.

Incessant rain has also become a problem for the rescue team.

Earlier on July 30, amid the ongoing orange alert in the northern state of Uttarakhand, a part of the Badrinath National Highway-7 (NH-7) was washed away due to the rising water in the Khachda drain located at Lambagad.

Following the incident, pilgrims were stranded on both sides of the highway.

In another incident, teachers of an inter-college in Uttarkashi helped their students cross an overflowing drain after a heavy downpour. The students and teachers formed a human chain in order to cross the flowing waters.

Earlier on Friday, a landslide was reported at Nainital Bhowali road in Nainital.

“The road is completely damaged. It will take at least a week to restore it” said Dheeraj Singh Garbyal, DM, Nainital.

Warning of heavy rainfall in the region, the Dehradun Meteorological Centre flagged an orange alert for the next four days starting July 29. The areas included in the alert are Dehradun, Nainital, Tehri, Pauri, Champawat and Bageshwar. (ANI)

Adding a new dimension to the burgeoning India-US strategic partnership, US Navy Ship (USNS) Charles Drew arrived at Kattupalli shipyard in Chennai on Sunday for undertaking repairs and allied services.

According to the Ministry of Defence, this is the first ever repair of a US Navy ship in India. The US Navy had awarded a contract to L&T’s Shipyard at Kattupalli for undertaking maintenance of the ship. The event signifies the capabilities of Indian shipyards in the global ship repairing market. Indian shipyards offer wide-ranging and cost-effective ship repair and maintenance services, using advanced maritime technology platforms, said the Ministry.

Defence Secretary Ajay Kumar, Vice Chief of Naval Staff Vice Admiral SN Ghormade, Flag Officer Commanding Tamil Nadu and Puducherry Naval Area Rear Admiral S Venkat Raman and other senior officials of the Ministry of Defence visited the shipyard to welcome the vessel. Consul General of US Embassy in Chennai Judith Ravin and Defence Attache at the US Embassy at New Delhi Rear Admiral Michael Baker were also present.

Terming the event as a red-letter day for the Indian shipbuilding industry and the India-US defence relationship, Defence Secretary Ajay Kumar said, “We are indeed pleased to welcome US Naval Ship USNS Charles Drew to India, for making her voyage ready. India’s initiative also assumes special significance in furthering the strategic partnership between India and the US. It marks the beginning of a new chapter for deeper engagements.”

Kumar described the arrival of USNS Charles Drew for repairs as a sign of maturing Indian shipbuilding industry. “Today, India has six major shipyards with a turnover of nearly USD 2 billion. We are making ships not only for our own requirements. We have our own design house capable of making all kinds of state-of-the-art ships. The country’s first Indigenous Aircraft Carrier Vikrant is a shining example of the growth of the Indian shipbuilding industry,” he said.

“Under the new innovation ecosystem, vessels capable of undertaking autonomous missions have been built by Goa Shipyard Limited and some of our start-ups. The shipbuilding industry today is not just carrying out conventional things, but is also amalgamating the latest technologies with it,” he added.

The Defence Secretary also asserted that the ties between India and US have been expanding in scale and scope and are based on common values and beliefs of an open, inclusive and rule-based order in Indo-Pacific and the rest of the global common systems. He added that there has been a tremendous amount of traction in the defence industry cooperation over the last couple of years between the two countries.

“Indian defence exports have seen a massive increase in the last four-five years. Exports, which were worth about Rs 1,500 crore in 2015-16, have now grown by 800% to around Rs 13,000 crore. A major destination for Indian exports is the US,” Dr Ajay Kumar said, thanking the US partners for their cooperation and support to the Indian defence industry. He hoped that the defence exports will increase further in the times to come.

Consul General of US Embassy Ms Judith Ravin called it a new leaf in India-US strategic relationship signifying the deepening bonds between the two nations.

The USNS Charles Drew will be at the Kattupalli shipyard for a period of 11 days and undergo repairs in various areas. (ANI)

Bollywood actor Taapsee Pannu, during the promotions of her upcoming thriller film ‘Dobaaraa’, stated that her sex life is not interesting enough to be invited to ‘Koffee With Karan’.

During the promotional event, Taapsee along with the director of the film Anurag Kashyap were answering the questions from the media persons, adjacent to them director Karan Johar was promoting his chat show ‘Koffee With Karan’, which is currently streaming on Disney+ Hotstar.

Taking note of that, a mediaperson questioned the ‘Thappad’ actress that why she never gets invited on Karan’s chat show. In response to the question, the actor gave a hilarious answer and said, “My sex life is not interesting enough to be invited on Koffee with Karan.

The ‘Ae Dil Hai Mushkil’ director on every episode of his chat show discusses the sex lives of every celebrity, due to which he also faces a lot of backlash on social media.

Meanwhile, the trailer of Taapsee’s next thriller ‘Dobaaraa’ was recently unveiled and gathered a massive response from the netizens for its out-of-the-box storyline.

‘Dobaaraa’ has opened at one of the most prestigious film festivals such as the London Film Festival and Fantasia Film Festival 2022, and has been received well by the audience. Taapsee came in as a surprise element through a TV screen. The audiences are stunned and are waiting to see where Taapsee’s time-travelling story leads to.

Directed by Anurag Kashyap and produced by Ekta Kapoor, the film is all set to hit the theatres on August 19, 2022. It marks Anurag and Taapsee’s third collaboration after the 2018 hit ‘Manmarziyaan’ and biographical drama ‘Saand Ki Aankh’ (2019), on which he served as producer.

Apart from that, Taapsee will be also seen in Rajkumar Hirani’s next ‘Dunki’ alongside Shah Rukh Khan. (ANI)

With the aim to expand its political influence in other states including Gujarat where elections are slated to be held later this year, Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party national convener Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday said that if voted to power in Gujarat, he will make sure that it lasts for 5 years.

“People of BJP-Congress bring manifestoes, resolution letters which are false. But I am giving you a guarantee, not an election promise. When you buy a Television set, you get a guarantee of 2 years. But, if you chose the Kejriwal government, you get a guarantee of 5 years,” Kejriwal said.
Notably, on February 14, 2014, Kejriwal resigned as Chief Minister after failing to table the Jan Lokpal Bill in the Delhi Assembly. He recommended the dissolution of the Assembly. Later, Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party had won 67 of the 70 constituencies in the 2015 Delhi Assembly elections, leaving the BJP with three seats and the INC with none. In those elections, he was again elected from the New Delhi constituency, defeating Nupur Sharma by 31,583 votes. He took oath on February 14, 2015, as Delhi’s chief minister for a second time at Ramlila Maidan. Since then his party has passed the Jan Lokpal Bill though with some differences.

Speaking further at the rally today, Kejriwal said, “Change the politics of Gujarat. This (I Love You) ILU-ILU politics of BJP and Congress will stop. Voting for Congress means voting for BJP. Congress leaders will switch to BJP before or after elections. This election is directly between AAP and BJP.”

In July this year, Prime Minister had said, “This Rewari culture is dangerous for the development of the country. Those with Rewari culture will never build new expressways, new airports or defence corridors for you. Together we have to defeat this mentality, remove Revdi culture from the politics of the country.”

Responding to this, Kejriwal said, “These people abuse me saying that ‘Kejriwal is looting money, distributing free revri’. Kejriwal is not going to SWISS Bank with money, he is wasting public money on the public.”

In a sharp attack against its opponents, Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party national convener Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday said that Gujarat Congress will soon merge with the Gujarat BJP unit as they have “love brewing” between them.

“The election of Gujarat will be between AAP and BJP. Gujarat Congress is going to merge with Gujarat BJP. (I love you) ILU-ILU of BJP-Congress will end. On one hand, there is “27 years of misrule” of the BJP and on the other hand, there is “new politics” of AAP,” Kejriwal said while addressing a press conference today.

Keeping the upcoming Gujarat Assembly elections in mind, Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party national convener Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday made a bunch of promises ranging from providing a free electricity supply to improving the healthcare services in the state.

The Aam Aadmi Party leader claimed that about 25 lakh households in Punjab have just recently got electricity bills of zero rupees and many of the people residing in Delhi are also privileged for the same. Notably, AAP is in power both in Punjab and Delhi.

Addressing a press conference here today, Kejriwal said, “Our first promise is regarding power supply. People in Gujarat are in misery. The bills are too high. We have made power supply free in Delhi. About 25 lakh households in Punjab have just recently got zero electricity bills.”

“Soon, a total of Punjab 51 lakh households would get just zero bills. We would also ensure a round-the-clock power supply here in Gujarat. We would also waive off the bills from the previous year,” he said.

Kejriwal also assured to provide employment to the unemployed youth in Gujarat. “The youths here rue the lack of livelihoods. In just a few years, we have provided employment to 12 lakh youths in Delhi. We had also provided employment to the unemployed here. And until that happens, the unemployed would be on the dole of Rs 3,000 rupees per month,” he said.

Kejriwal further alleged that BJP has waived off loans worth Rs 10-lakh-crores of its “friends”. “It should be investigated as to why did BJP take this step and how much money did they give to BJP for charity,” he added.

“AAP’s popularity is growing in Gujarat! I asked the people whether we should provide free education, health, and electricity here. 99 per cent of the people said that there should be free education, 97 per cent of the people said that there should be free treatment in healthcare, 91 per cent said there should be free electricity,” he said.

Arvind Kejriwal is on a two-day visit to Gujarat from Saturday as part of his campaign ahead of the Assembly polls likely to be held in December this year. (ANI)

Union Minister of Jal Shakti Gajendra Singh Shekhawat on Sunday flayed Rajasthan Chief Minister for making “controversial statements to hide failures”.

The remarks came as a reaction to the CM’s statement on Friday in Delhi during the demonstration by Congress against the Central government over price rise and unemployment.
He had said that “after the Nirbhaya case, the demand to hang the accused gained momentum and after that, the law came into force. Since then, there has been an increase in the cases of murder of women after rape.”

“Due to the law on the hanging of culprits after the Nirbhaya case, the incidents of murder after rape have increased. This is a dangerous trend being seen in the country,” said Rajasthan CM.

Soon after the CM’s remarks, the BJP has been targetting the state for the unstable law and order.

He sought an apology from Gehlot and also asked for clarification from Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra stating, “On one hand, the party gives slogans like ‘I am a girl, I can fight (Ladki hu, lad Sakti hu)’ and on the other hand, their Chief Ministers give such comments on the laws taken out for the safety of the girls.”

“He (Gehlot) should justify the statements he has made for hiding the failures of their government,” he said adding that it is the demand of the Bharatiya Janata Party to receive an explanation on the matter from the party’s (Congress) end.

“A cognizance of the National Commission of Women should also be considered in the matter,” he added.

“The way Rajasthan government’s only priority is to protect the seat, it is ignorant of the atrocities that have happened in the state for last 3-3.5 years,” Shekhawat said. It is more unfortunate that the government is making such controversial remarks to cover up its failures and indolence, he added. (ANI)

Indian boxer Nitu Ghangas clinched a gold medal after defeating England’s Demie-Jade Resztan in the final of the women’s 48 kg category at the ongoing Commonwealth Games 2022 in Birmingham on Sunday.

She won on basis of points by 5-0 over her English opponent.
Ghangas was a notch above Resztan throughout the match. The English boxer was fighting well, but fell short in all three rounds as all five judges voted in favour of Ghangas.

Indian boxer Nitu Ghangas assured the nation of another medal after reaching the final of the Minimum weight (over 45 kg- 48 kg) category by defeating Priyanka Dhillion of Canada in the semifinal at the ongoing Commonwealth Games 2022 in Birmingham on Saturday.

The match lasted for only one minute and thirty seconds. Nitu’s boxing prowess was such that the match could not go beyond the second round and Ghangas won it via referee stoppage.

Ghangas was superb in these two rounds and gained approval from all judges though Dhillon competed well.

22-year-old Nitu is one of the quickest boxers in her category. Dynamic and instrumental inside the ring, the Haryana pugilist won the gold in Golden Glove Boxing tournament held in Serbia. She also finished at the pole position in the World Youth Boxing Championship in 2017.

In 2022, she won the gold medal at Strandja Memorial tournament before finishing in the quarter-finals of World Championships.

There is some more exciting action in store for boxing fans later today. Here are the matches set to take place tonight.

-07:00 PM: Nikhat Zareen vs Carly McNaul (Nothern Ireland) – Women’s 48-50 KG Gold Medal Match.

Indian boxer Nikhat Zareen made it into the final of the women’s 50kg light flyweight category at the ongoing Commonwealth Games 2022 in Birmingham on Saturday.

The Indian outclassed Savannah Stubley of England 5-0 in the semi-finals by unanimous decision.

The Commonwealth Games 2022 started in Birmingham from July 28 and will go on till August 8. (ANI)

As the festival of Rakshabandhan is approaching, a shop from Surat has some really good collections of Rakhis. Starting from thread rakhis to rakhis made up of gold, silver, platinum to Diamond-studded rakhis, people are admiring the rakhis in awe.

To add a feather to the hat, the most expensive and the centre of attraction is a rakhi worth Rs 5 lakh.
The festival of Rakshabandhan is an important festival showing the relationship between brother and sister. On the day of Rakshabandhan, a sister ties a rakhi on her brother’s wrist and takes a promise of protection from her brother, and then in return, the brother gives some gift by giving a promise. Keeping in mind the festival of Rakshabandhan, the country’s most expensive Rakhi has been prepared in Surat, Gujarat.

A jewellery shop owner Deepak Bhai Choksi told ANI, “The rakhis prepared by us can also be worn as ornaments after Rakshabandhan. We try to celebrate this holy festival in a new way every year”

You must have been shocked to hear the cost of a Rakhi, but it is true that on the festival of Rakshabandhan, only sisters used to tie Rakhi made of silk thread on the wrists of their brothers, although this trend is still not over in rural areas. But the changing times in urban areas have changed the definition of rakhis.

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A local customer, Simran Singh said, “Different types of rakhis have been made from gold, silver and platinum in a jeweller’s showroom in Surat. In this showroom, rakhis ranging from Rs 400 to Rs 5 lakh have been prepared for the festival of Rakshabandhan.” (ANI)

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman S Somanath on Sunday said that both Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV-D1) carrying Earth Observation Satellite (EOS-02) were injected but the “orbit achieved was less than expected which makes it unstable.”

“All stages performed normal. Both satellites were injected. But the orbit achieved was less than expected which makes it unstable,” ISRO chief said.
He further said that the SSLV-D1 suffered data loss at the terminal phase of the mission.

“In the terminal phase of the mission, some data loss is occurring. We are analysing the data to conclude the final outcome of the mission with respect to achieving a stable orbit,” Somanath added.

Earlier in the day, ISRO launched its first new rocket the Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV-D1) carrying Earth Observation Satellite (EOS-02) and a student-made satellite-AzaadiSAT from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) in Andhra Pradesh’s Sriharikota.

To mark the country’s celebrations of “Azaadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav”, the SSLV, co-passenger satellite called “AzaadiSAT” comprising 75 payloads built by 750 students from 75 rural government schools across India was launched.

Girls who designed Satelite also witnessed the SSLV-D1 launch.

The general public also witnessed the launch from the viewing gallery of Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) in Sriharikota.

Speaking to ANI, Shreya a student from St Francis Girls High School, Telangana said, “Three groups from our school have participated in this SSLV launch. I am very glad that we got this opportunity. We really worked hard on it and today we will witness the launch of the AzaadiSAT satellite.”

Founder and CEO, science and tech incubator Space Kidz India, Dr Srimathy Kesan said this launch is to mark the 75th year of independence and to bring the focus that girls should be encouraged.

The ground testing of the newly developed solid booster stage (SS1) for the new launch vehicle of ISRO i.e. Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) was carried out on March 14 2022 at Satish Dhawan Space Centre Sriharikota at 1205 hrs.

All the propulsion parameters during the test are found satisfactory and closely matching with the predictions.

SS1 motor is a three-segmented solid propulsion stage incorporating many new technologies and innovative processes which include a bond-free joint between the segments, high power electromechanical actuator with digital control electronics, optimized ignitor and simultaneous propellant casting of all segments, which have been successfully validated in the ground test.

The successful test of the solid booster stage has given sufficient confidence to proceed with the first developmental flight of SSLV (SSLV-D1) which is scheduled for May 2022. The remaining stages of SSLV i.e. SS2 & SS3 stages have successfully undergone necessary ground tests and are ready for integration. (ANI)

Indian ace shuttler and Olympic medalist PV Sindhu confirmed another medal for her country by defeating Singapore’s Yeo Jin Min in the semifinal of the women’s singles competition at the ongoing Commonwealth Games 2022 in Birmingham on Sunday.

Now, a silver or gold medal is confirmed for India. She won the match by 21-19, 21-17.
PV Sindhu did not have a very good start as she conceded five straight points to Yeo in the first game. Though she later improved to gain a lead of 11-9, her Singapore opponent was giving her good competition. Sindhu kept going and held her nerves to win the first game by 21-19.

The Indian Olympic medalist carried this momentum in the second game though Yeo was always pretty much in contention. Sindhu was leading the second game by 11-9 halfway into it. Sindhu kept getting points from then on and left behind her opponent in the second game by 21-17. With a win in this game, she sealed the match and reached the final of the women’s singles category.

Sindhu reached the semifinal by defeating Malaysia’s Goh Jin Wei by 19-21, 21-14, 21-18 in the quarterfinal.

The double Olympic medallist PV Sindhu defeated her opponent from Uganda, Husina Kobugabe, without much trouble as she won the match in straight games with a score of 21-10, 21-9 to book her place in the last eight of the women’s singles.

To enter the round of 16, Sindhu defeated Fathimath Nabaaha of Maldives in her round of 32 match on Thursday.

Sindhu was on fire as she swung her racquet on her way to victory within just two games. She captured the match 21-4, 21-11.

Commonwealth Games 2022 started in Birmingham from July 28 and will go on till August 8. (ANI)