Ayushmann Khurrana

Ayushmann Poses With Dua Lipa, Dev Patel At TIME100 Gala

Representing India at the TIME100 Gala in New York, Ayushmann Khurrana looked dapper as he posed with global icons Dua Lipa, actor Dev Patel, actor Uma Thurman, and pop star Kylie Minogue.

Taking to Instagram, Ayushmann treated fans with series of pictures from Time’s 100 Gala.

Ayushmann dressed in an all-black ensemble happily posed with Dua Lipa, Dev Patel, Uma Thurman and Kylie Minogue.

He also posted a video of him interacting and having conversation with Dua Lipa.

Sharing the pictures, he wrote, “It is the @time of the disruptors! Honoured to be a part of the #TIME100 Gala this year and having met the most brilliant minds and artistes of our generation.”

As soon as the post was shared, fans and industry members chimed in the comment section.

Tahira Kashyap commented, “Amazingg.”

Ali Fazal wrote, “Wow congrats bhai. Super super achievement!!”

Ektaa R Kapoor dropped a comment, which read, “Gorgeous man inside out.”

One of the users wrote, “So so proud of you. This is Ayushmann Khurrana world domination.”

Ayushmann has been honoured twice by TIME Magazine. In 2023, he was honoured with the TIME100 Impact Award. He was the only Indian to be chosen for the award. In 2020, he was chosen as one of the magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World.

Talking about Ayushmann Khurrana’s work front, he has established himself as a successful actor with his debut film, ‘Vicky Donor’. Apart from acting, he has also earned a lot of fame in the music world and has given several hits, including ‘Pani Da Rang’, and ‘Saadi Gali Aaja’, among others. Now, the ace artist is taking his music to a global audience.

The ‘Dream Girl’ actor has recently signed a global record deal with Warner Music India.

‘Akh Da Taara’ marks his first collaboration with Warner Music India.

Khurrana was last seen in ‘Dream Girl 2,’ alongside Ananya Panday, Annu Kapoor, and Abhishek Banerjee, a film that resonated well with audiences. (ANI)

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Kiara Advani Sidharth Malhotra

Kiara, Sidharth Twinning And Winning In Blue

Actors Kiara Advani and Sidharth Malhotra are one of the most gorgeous-looking couples in Bollywood. Whenever they step out, they also serve fashion goals.

On Friday, the duo caught attention at the Mumbai airport as they opted to twin in blue denim outfits.

In the visuals captured by the paps, Kiara can be seen donning a denim top that she paired with blue wide jeans. Sidharth wore cargo pants that he paired with a white T-shirt and denim shirt, striking a cool look.

Both even happily posed for the shutterbugs.

Kiara and Sidharth got married in Rajasthan in February 2023. They first met during the wrap of Lust Stories. They began dating on the sets of the 2021 film Shershaah, their first film together.

Meanwhile, on the work front, Sidharth was recently seen in ‘Yodha’.The film has been produced by Hiroo Yash Johar, Karan Johar, Apoorva Mehta and Shashank Khaitan. Disha Patani and Raashii Khanna are also part of the action movie.

Kiara will be seen sharing screen space with Ram Charan in ‘Game Changer’. The film has already built some excitement as Ram Charan plays the role of an IAS Officer who rises to become Chief Minister.

She also has Farhan Akhtar’s ‘Don 3’ opposite Ranveer Singh in the kitty. (ANI)

Mallikarjun Kharge

Buddha Is Considered Vishnu’s Avatar: Kharge Stirs Fresh Row

Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge launched a fresh attack against Prime Minister Narendra Modi questioning his stance on Buddhism during an interview with News 24 on Friday.

In the interview, Kharge, who is a follower of Buddhism, delved into the inauguration ceremony of Buddha Vihar in Karnataka’s Gulbarga in 2009, which was established by the Siddharth Vihar Trust of which he is the founder-chairman.

He said that the inauguration was attended by then President Prathiba Patil while drawing parallels with the inauguration of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya on January 22 this year which drew criticism for allegedly not inviting President Droupadi Murmu.

“What did you do, whom did you invite for the Pran Pratishtha? Did you give invitations to the leaders of every opposition party? You are doing everything as per your wish, and yet that temple is not even one-third complete. Now there has been some improvement as far as the construction is concerned. Who should have inaugurated it? As per the Hindu customs, who should have carried out the Pran Pratishtha?” Kharge questioned PM Modi for doing Pran Prathistha of Ram Temple.

“For example, I established Buddha Vihar in Gulbarga, then who was called for it? Buddha is considered the 9th incarnation of Lord Vishnu but they (BJP) don’t come near Buddha. You know in Uttarakhand it has been imposed that if someone wants to adopt Buddhism they should approach the District Magistrate. That is a religion of this country, that was established in this country, which has been accepted all over the world, but you (PM Modi) do not believe in it. Now they are attacking us. But what did I do at that time, I witnessed it from a distance while the ‘pratishtha’ was done by Dalai Lama and then president of India Prathibha Patil was also present there,” he added.

He further alleged that Lord Ram’s name was used by the Bharatiya Janata Party to “garner votes”.

“Everyone has different faith, but you (PM Modi) repeatedly say that we are against Ram. What is the purpose of being against Ram? What will we achieve? In the name of Lord Ram, they are garnering votes and not propagating Lord Ram. Always saying the wrong things. And will say it a thousand times so that all lies look like truth. And Modi ji is the expert in it,” Kharge said during the interview. (ANI)

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Congress-NC alliance

Munger Suffered The Most During Laalten Rule: Modi

Hitting out at the Rashtriya Janata Dal in Bihar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday that Muger has suffered the most during the “dark era” of “Jungle Raj” in Bihar under the RJD’s rule.

He added that the Congress and RJD want to “loot” the wealth of the people and give it to their “special vote bank.”

Addressing a public meeting in Munger, Bihar, PM Modi said, “There is an NDA model on one side and there is an INDI Alliance model on the other. INDI alliance model is appeasement (tushtikaran) and NDA’s model is satisfaction (santushtikaran). We have to ensure that no one is left behind. We gave toilets, gas, electricity connections, and water facilities to our mothers and sisters. We gave free ration and free medical treatment.”

“We never asked anyone about the religion or caste of the beneficiaries…anyone who is eligible will get the benefits. This is true secularism and true social justice,” he added.

He further said that BJP has taken the state of Bihar out of the “dark era” of Jungle Raj and it is time for the state to undergo rapid progress.

“The world also thinks that the stronger the government in India, the world will also get the same strength… India’s reputation has improved in the last 10 years, it is not because of Modi but because of the power of your one vote,” PM Modi said.

“Munger has suffered the most during the Jungle Raj that took place during the dark era of ‘Laalten’ (lantern — symbol of RJD). At that time, everyone wanted to migrate out of there. But, Nitish Kumar, JD(U) and BJP have taken Bihar out of that darkness. Now when India is progressing at a rapid pace, this is also the time for Bihar to grow strongly,” he added.

Accusing the INDIA bloc of “appeasement”, the Prime Minister said that the Congress party has set its eyes on the wealth of people and wants to conduct an x-ray, adding that it will seize more than half of the properties inherited by the people.

“The INDI alliance is using all its might for appeasement. The ‘Shehzada’ of Congress has said something which will bring a problem for everyone… He has said that a survey would be conducted for every family. The families have small properties and savings, women have some jewellery. The ‘Stree Dhan’ is considered sacred. Congress, which looted the country with corruption, has now set its eyes on your properties,” PM Modi said.

“Congress wants to impose an inheritance tax. They say they will conduct an x-ray of every family. Today, you are able to pass on your properties to your children. But, Congress is planning…the guru of Shehzada (veiled jibe at Sam Pitroda) has said that they will seize more than half of your property. Now, two out of four-room houses, five acres out of 10-acre land, you will have to give to the government. The INDI alliance has come up with this dangerous plan,” he added.

Slamming the RJD, the Prime Minister said that it also wants to “enjoy” this idea of Congress and that’s why it is walking shoulder-to-shoulder on this scheme.

“During all this discussion, the RJD is silent because they also want to be a participant in its property and enjoy it…Through the Inheritance Tax, Congress and RJD will distribute your looted wealth to their special vote bank. The whole country is worried. Every youth and old parent is worried. The country is saying, ‘Congress ki loot, Zindagi ke sath bhi, Zindagi ke baad bhi’…They will loot even after death. RJD is walking shoulder-to-shoulder with the Congress in this scheme,” PM Modi further said.

The 40 seats in Bihar are undergoing polls in all seven phases. In 2019, BJP-led NDA swept the state by winning 39 out of 40 seats, while Congress won just one seat. RJD, a formidable force in the state failed to open its account.

The Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance), the opposition coalition in Bihar, including Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Congress, and Left parties, recently announced that the RJD, its largest constituent, will contest 26 out of the state’s 40 Lok Sabha seats.

Meanwhile, as part of the NDA, BJP and JD(U) will contest on 17 and 16 seats respectively. Chirag Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) will contest on five seats, and Jitan Manjhi’s Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) and the Rashtriya Lok Morcha will contest one seat each. (ANI)

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Bharatiya Janata Party leader Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya

EC Books BJP’s Surya For Soliciting Votes On Ground Of Religion

Bharatiya Janata Party leader and Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya has been booked for violation of the election code of conduct and “seeking votes” in the name of the religion.

“Case is booked against Tejasvi Surya MP and Candidate of Bengaluru South PC on 25.04.24 at Jayanagar PS u/s 123(3) for posting a video in X handle and soliciting votes on the ground of religion,” Chief Electoral Officer, Karnataka posted on X.

The case has been filed with Jayanagar police station in Bengaluru.

Meanwhile, Vasanth Kumar, Advocate and BJP legal cell Convenor said that five complaints were lodged with the Election Commission today.

“Today 5 complaints were lodged with the Election Commission. One is canvassing and speaking to workers by CM Siddaramaiah inside a polling booth in Mysuru…another complaint is, in a polling booth in Kolar constituency, one ex-councillor Venkatesh is distributing cash to voters, another complaint is AICC Youth President Srinivas is protesting…today is polling day so he is violating Model Code of Conduct,” Vasanth Kumar said.

Earlier today, BJP candidate from Bengaluru South constituency, Tejasvi Surya, cast his vote in Bengaluru and predicted that the Congress party may not win more than 30 seats in the Lok Sabha polls.

Karnataka is voting on 14 seats today in the second phase of Lok Sabha elections.

The second phase has 88 Lok Sabha constituencies across 13 States/Union Territory, including 13 in Rajasthan, 20 in Kerala, eight in Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh, five each in Assam and Bihar, six in Madhya Pradesh, three each in Chhattisgarh and West Bengal, and one each in Tripura, Manipur, and Jammu and Kashmir.

34.8 lakh first-time voters are registered to cast their votes. Additionally, there are 3.28 crore young voters in the age group of 20-29 years. 1202 candidates (males: 1098; females: 102; third gender: 02) are in the fray. (ANI)

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Tripura

Tripura Records 68.92%, M’rashtra 43.01% Voter Turnout Till 3 PM

Tripura is leading the voter turnout charts as 68.92 per cent voting percentage was recorded in the State till 3 pm as per the data released by the Election Commission of India on Friday.

Other States where higher voter turnout has been recorded are — Manipur (68.48 per cent), Chhattisgarh (63.92 per cent), West Bengal (60.60 per cent), and Assam (60.32 per cent).

So far, Maharashtra has registered the lowest voting percentage in phase 2 of Lok Sabha polls with 43.01 per cent till 3 pm.

According to the poll body data, Bihar has registered a 44.24 per cent voter turnout, Jammu and Kashmir (57.76 per cent), Karnataka (50.93 per cent), Kerala (51.64 per cent), Madhya Pradesh (46.68 per cent), Rajasthan (50.27 per cent), Uttar Pradesh (44.13 per cent).

Voting for the second phase of the Lok Sabha elections 2024 began at 7 am on Friday across 88 Parliamentary Constituencies spread over 12 States and Union Territories.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is seeking his third consecutive term, while the opposition bloc-INDIA- a coalition of opposing parties formed to take on the BJP in the general elections, is eyeing to oust him from power.

Due to the severe heat, the polling time has been extended till 6 pm in many polling stations in Banka, Madhepura, Khagaria and Munger constituencies in Bihar to facilitate voters coming to the voting booths.

Polling for 29-Betul PC in Madhya Pradesh was rescheduled to the third phase due to the death of a candidate from the Bahujan Samaj Party.

The polling for 102 seats in phase one was completed on April 19.34.8 lakh first-time voters have registered to cast their votes.

Additionally, there are 3.28 crore young voters in the age group 20-29 years. 1,202 candidates (males: 1098; females: 102; third gender: 02) are in the fray. The elections are being held in 7 phases with the results due on June 4. (ANI)

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Antony Blinken met with China's President Xi Jinping

US Secy Antony Blinken Meets With Jinping

The United States secretary of state, Antony Blinken met with China’s President Xi Jinping on Friday, a development which the New York Times said hopes to shore up the fractious relationship between the two countries despite disputes over the economy, national security, and geopolitical frictions.

The meeting followed Blinken’s over five-hour-long meeting with China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing. The top US diplomat also met with China’s Minister of Security Wang Xiaohong, who serves as the country’s police chief.

Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson in a post on X, said, “President Xi noted that he proposed mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation to be the three overarching principles. They are both lessons learned from the past and a guide for the future.

“It is the shared desire of both the two peoples and the international community to see China and the US strengthen dialogue, manage differences and advance cooperation. The planet is big enough to accommodate the common development and respective prosperity of China and the US. China is happy to see a confident, open, prosperous, and thriving US. We hope the US can also look at China’s development in a positive light”.

He further said, “Over the past 45 years, the China-US relationship has gone through winds and rains, and it has a number of important inspirations to offer: China and the US should be partners rather than rivals; help each other succeed rather than hurt each other; seek common ground and reserve differences, rather than engage in vicious competition; and honor words with actions, rather than say one thing but do the opposite.”

Blinken took to his social media handle X to post about the “in-depth and substantive meeting” today with Wang Yi. “As part of our effort to responsibly manage competition, we discussed areas of difference, in addition to areas of shared interest — like counternarcotics — where we can build on progress to deliver benefits for both our peoples,”Blinken said.

Wang struck a somewhat more conciliatory tone than in the past, telling the top US diplomat that “the China-U.S. relationship is beginning to stabilize” and also warned that negative factors in the relationship were still “increasing and building,” as per the NYT report.

“I hope that we can make some progress on the issues that our presidents agreed we should cooperation on, but also clarify our differences, our intent, and make very clear to each other where we stand,” Blinken responded according to the US publication.

Both China and the United States have said they were hoping for progress on a few smaller, pragmatic fronts, including improving communications between their militaries and easing travel between the two countries, the NYT reported.

A US official was cited as saying that in the meeting with Blinken and his Chinese counterpart, the US Secretary aired concerns over China’s alleged support for Russia’s defence industry base amid its invasion of Ukraine and stressed the importance of maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, ahead of the inauguration of Taiwan’s next leader Lai Ching-te on May 20, according to a report in Kyodo.

“China’s legitimate development rights have been unreasonably suppressed and our core interests are facing challenges,” China’s top diplomat said at the outset of the talks, Kyodo reported.

Wang urged the United States “not to interfere in China’s internal affairs, not to hold China’s development back, and not to step on China’s red lines” concerning what he said was his country’s sovereignty, security and development interests.

“Should China and the United States keep to the right direction of moving forward with stability or return to a downward spiral? This is a major question before our two countries, and tests our sincerity and ability,” Wang told Blinken during their meeting after saying US-China ties were “beginning to stabilize,” according to CNN.

Earlier on April 24, Blinken, who is on his second visit to China this year said that he was in China “to make progress on issues that matter most to the American people, including curbing fentanyl trafficking.”

He said that the two sides will discuss work underway to fulfill commitments made by US President Joe Biden Xi Jinping in November 2023, as well as the areas where we have significant disagreements.”

The US State Department prior to Blinken’s departure for China said that during his April 24-26 visit, Blinken will meet with senior Chinese officials in Shanghai and Beijing to discuss a range of bilateral, regional, and global issues, including the crisis in the Middle East, Russia’s war against Ukraine, cross-Strait issues, and the South China Sea.

“Blinken will also discuss ongoing work to fulfill the commitments made by Presidents Biden and Xi at the Woodside Summit in November on resuming counternarcotics cooperation, military-to-military communication, artificial intelligence, and strengthening people-to-people ties, and will reiterate the importance of the United States and the PRC responsibly managing competition, even in areas where our two countries disagree,” it said.

Blinken’s visit follows a visit to China by US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen earlier this month. (ANI)

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Atishi

Mrs. Kejriwal Will Step Into Campaign Personally: Atishi

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and Delhi ministerAtishi announced on Friday that Sunita Kejriwal, wife of the Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, will step into the campaign to oppose his arrest. According to Atishi, Sunita Kejriwal will personally lead a series of roadshows across Delhi, Punjab, Gujarat, and Haryana to seek blessings for her husband and campaign for the party’s candidates.

“To oppose the arrest of Arvind Kejriwal, seek blessings for him, and campaign for AAP’s candidates, his wife Sunita Kejriwal will personally step into the campaign. She will ask for blessings for Arvind from the people of Delhi, Punjab, Gujarat, and Haryana,” said Atishi in a press conference.

The campaign’s initial focus will be on Delhi, with a roadshow in East Delhi Lok Sabha on April 27, followed by another in West Delhi Lok Sabha on April 28.

“Sunita Kejriwal’s campaign will start tomorrow, beginning in Delhi. Tomorrow, April 27, Sunita ji will hold a roadshow in East Delhi Lok Sabha and seek blessings for Arvind Kejriwal from the people of East Delhi. On April 28, Sunita Kejriwal ji will conduct a roadshow in West Delhi Lok Sabha, seeking blessings from the people of West Delhi for Arvind Kejriwal,” Atishi said.

The AAP leader attributed Arvind Kejriwal’s arrest to a political strategy by the BJP-led central government.

Atishi while speaking to ANI said, “The BJP-led central government and its political weapon, the Enforcement Directorate (ED), arrested Arvind Kejriwal after the announcement of the Lok Sabha elections to prevent him from campaigning during the Lok Sabha elections. However, their move backfired on them. The people of Delhi, Punjab, and across the country are opposing Arvind Kejriwal ji’s arrest, and they will respond to this arrest by voting for AAP.”

According to Atishi, the arrest has rallied support for Arvind Kejriwal among the people of Delhi, Punjab, and across the country.

“I want to tell BJP that the people of Delhi, Punjab, and the whole country stand with Arvind Kejriwal. They stand against his arrest, will give their blessings, and will certainly vote for AAP’s candidate,” Atishi stated.

The Chief Minister has been lodged in Tihar Jail since April 1, following his arrest in the Delhi excise policy case by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on March 21. (ANI)

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SC Dismisses All Petitions Seeking 100% Verification Of VVPAT Slips During Elections

The Supreme Court on Friday rejected petitions seeking 100 per cent verification of votes cast on Electronic Voting Machines with paper slips generated through the VVPAT method.

The apex court also rejects the prayers of petitioners to return to ballot paper voting.

The two-judge bench of Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Dipankar Datta delivered a unanimous verdict.

Supreme Court says it’s has given two directions — one direction is after the completion of symbol loading process, the Symbol Loading Unit (SLU) should be sealed and they should be stored at least for a period of 45 days.

Second direction issued by the apex court is there will be option for candidates to get the microcontroller program of EVMs to be checked by a team of engineers after the declaration of results, such a request to be made by the candidate within seven days after the declaration of results. (ANI)

Tripura Recorded

Tripura Recorded 36.42% Voter Turnout, C’garh 35.47% Till 11 AM

There has been a substantial increase in voter turnout in Tripura, as the North-Eastern state recorded a 36.42 per cent voting percentage till 11 am, as per the Election Commission of India.

Other states where there is high voter turnout are Chhattisgarh (35.47), Manipur (33.32), and West Bengal (31.25).

Maharashtra is witnessing low voter turnout, as the state has recorded 18.83 per cent.

Voting percentages for other states participating in the second phase of the Lok Sabha polls at 11 am are– Assam–27.43 per cent, Bihar–21.68 per cent, Jammu and Kashmir–26.61 per cent, Karnataka–22.34 per cent, Kerala–25.61 per cent, Madhya Pradesh–28.15 per cent, Rajasthan–26.84 per cent, and Uttar Pradesh–24.31 per cent.

Meanwhile, voting for the second phase of the Lok Sabha elections 2024 began at 7:00 am on Friday across 88 Parliamentary Constituencies spread over 12 States and Union Territories.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is seeking his third consecutive term, while the opposition bloc-INDIA- a coalition of opposing parties formed to take on the BJP in the general elections, is eyeing ousting him from power.

Due to the severe heat, the polling time has been extended till 6 PM in many polling stations in Banka, Madhepura, Khagaria and Munger constituencies in Bihar to facilitate voters coming to the voting booths.

Polling for 29-Betul PC in Madhya Pradesh was rescheduled to the third phase due to the death of a candidate from the Bahujan Samaj Party.

The polling for 102 seats in phase one was completed on April 19.

34.8 lakh first-time voters are registered to cast their votes. Additionally, there are 3.28 crore young voters in the age group 20-29 years. 1202 candidates (males: 1098; females: 102; third gender: 02) are in the fray. The elections are being held in 7 phases with the results due on June 4. (ANI)

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