Month: August 2024

Nobel laureate economist Muhammad Yunus has been sworn in as the head of Bangladesh’s interim government, three days after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was forced to quit and flee the country amid massive unrest in the country , Al Jazeera reported.

Yunus, 84, took oath at a ceremony in Dhaka on Thursday night.

The country has been marred with violence after protests, led majorly by students demanding an end to a quota system for government jobs, took the shape of anti-government protests.

The key tasks for Yunus will now be to restore peace in Bangladesh and prepare for the new elections.

Bangladesh’s figurehead President Mohammed Shahabuddin administered the oath to Yunus for his role as chief advisor, which is the equivalent to a prime minister, as per Al Jazeera.

The ceremony was held in the presence of foreign diplomats, civil society members, top businessmen and members of the former opposition party at the presidential palace in Dhaka.

However, no representatives of Sheikh Hasina’s party, Awami League were present.

Muhammad Yunus is a Bangladeshi social entrepreneur and founder of Grameen Bank, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 for his efforts to create economic and social development through microcredit.

Upon arriving in Bangladesh earlier in the day, the Nobel laureate made a heartfelt appeal to his supporters and urged the people of Bangladesh to maintain calm and end chaos, stressing that it is the “first responsibility” to ensure that no attack is carried out against anyone in the country, Daily Star reported.

He further stressed that Bangladesh has tremendous potential but the first priority is to save the country from chaos so that the country can proceed on the “path shown by students.”

“If you have faith in me and trust me, then ensure that there will be no attack anywhere in the country. This is our first responsibility,” Yunus told a crowded press briefing at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport upon his arrival on Thursday.

“What I would like to stress first is to save the country from chaos. Save the country from violence so that we can move forward on the path that the students have shown us,” he added.

Bangladesh is facing a fluid political situation with Sheikh Hasina, tendering her resignation from her post on August 5 in the wake of mounting protests. The protests, led majorly by students demanding an end to a quota system for government jobs, took the shape of anti-government protests.

Following her fleeing from the country, the situation in Bangladesh has been volatile, with reports showing Awami League offices, members and people of minority communities being targeted by extremist groups. Several cases of killings and arson have also been reported. (ANI)

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It’s been 27 years since the romantic drama ‘Pardes’ was released and to date, craze for the film is the same.

On this special occasion, filmmaker Subhash Ghai walk down memory lane and thanks the star cast, and full team for making it evergreen.

Sharing the film’s poster featuring Shah Rukh Khan, Mahima Chaudhry on his Instagram handle, Subhash Ghai wrote, “IS IT N’T REWARDING TO GET A MESSAGE FROM YOUR PROTEGEE WITH THIS PICTURE CELEBRATING 27 years of PARDES. Thank u dear MAHIMA for your sweet msg today as ” feels like yesterday “

He added, “Yes. It was a big challenge to make a film with fresh talent with an established star like SRK with his super performance you were blessed with filmfare award for your great performance n movie ran for 60 weeks.”

Ghai congratulated the team for this milestone by stating, “Congratulations to you , shahrukh apurva n full team of PARDES being an evergreen film. It still resonates. I LOVE MY INDIA.”

‘Pardes’ featured Shah Rukh Khan, Mahima Chaudhry and late Amrish Puri, Apurva Agnihotri, Alok Nath and Himani Shivpuri in pivotal roles. The film revolved around the idea of values in Indian and Western culture. Shah Rukh played the lead role in the blockbuster hit and Mahima played his love interest. Khan played the role of Arjun, a man who is settled in a foreign land but still believes in the cultural values of his country.

Apart from the plot, credit also goes to songs such as ‘Yeh Dil Deewana’ and ‘Meri Mehbooba’ for making ‘Pardes’ one of the evergreen films of Bollywood.

Ghai is a well-known director, producer and actor. His most notable works include ‘Kalicharan’, ‘Vishwanath’, ‘Karz’,’ Hero’,’ Vidhaata’,’ Meri Jung’, ‘Khal Nayak’, ‘Taal’, among others.

He started his career in Hindi cinema as an actor with small roles in films including ‘Taqdeer’ and ‘Aradhana’. (ANI)

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With a few months left for Durga puja, the artisans at Kolkata’s potters’ hub Kumartuli, known globally, are busy diligently giving the final touches to the idols of the goddess ready to be sent abroad.

Speaking to ANI, artisan Mintu Pal, who has been associated with the idol-making business for more than 35 years said, “We have received more orders of Durga idols this year as compared to last year. This year, we have got orders of 21 idols against last year’s 14, and most of the orders are from the USA, like from New Jersey, Texas, and Florida. Durga Puja is happening more in all these places this year.”

He said that many idols will also be exported to Canada, Germany, France, Britain, Singapore and New Zealand.

“Last year idols were sent to Sharjah too, this year will be sent to Dubai. After getting UNESCO approval, Durga Puja is happening in all the countries of the world.”

According to Mintu Pal, the cost of making a Maa Durga idol was equal to the cost of sending it.

He added, “If we talk about the cost, then the cost of a clay statue of this size is 40 to 50 thousand rupees and the cost of a statue made of fibreglass is higher, the fibreglass statue costs between Rs 1.5 lakh to 2 lakh and taking it abroad costs 1 to 1.5 lakh rupees separately. If we look at the total, then the budget for sending a statue is 3 to 4 lakh rupees for each statue. We have also sent a statue bigger than this to Spain. It was the biggest statue that has been sent. The height of the statue was 7 feet including the background and it was 10 feet in total. A big statue has also been sent to Texas.”

“All these are artistic works and if we talk about the materials, if we spend Rs 100 on an idol, then we have to spend Rs 200 due to compulsion. First it has to be made in clay and then it has to be made in fibreglass, which is why it costs high. Mostly the idols go abroad by ship. The orders for all these are received between December and February. We deliver all the idols from May to July because the agents take at least 3 months or about 50 days to deliver the shipment,” Pal continued.

Talking about the time it takes to make idols, he stated, “The time taken to make the idol depends. In an emergency, it takes 15 to 20 days to make a fibreglass idol. If it is made properly, it takes a month to make a fibre idol. I make 50 to 55 idols every year. I don’t get time to make more, and space is also required.”

Celebrated in Shukla Paksha of the month Ashwin in the Hindu calendar, Durga Puja is the major annual festival in West Bengal. It is also celebrated in other parts of India, especially amongst the Bengali diaspora.

The significance of Durga Puja goes beyond religion and is revered as the celebration of compassion, brotherhood, humanity, art and culture. The city of Kolkata turns into a dazzling diva with the decoration of colourful lights. (ANI)

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After Vinesh Phogat’s retirement from boxing following a disqualification from the final of women’s 50 kg boxing at the Paris Olympics, legendary actor Dharmendra expressed his sadness at the development, calling her a “brave, adventurous daughter” of the country.

Taking to Instagram, Dharmendra shared Vinesh’s photo along with a message.

The message read, “Darling daughter Vinesh, we are extremely sad to hear the news. You are a brave adventurous daughter of the soil. we love you and always pray for your health and happiness. Be happy healthy and strong for your family and your loving people.”

Phogat in the early hours of Thursday morning announced her retirement from wrestling following her disqualification in the 50 kg freestyle wrestling final at the Paris Olympics.

She shared her decision in an emotional post on X on Thursday morning.

“Maa kushti (wrestling) won against me, I lost. Forgive me, your dream and my courage have been broken. I don’t have any more strength now. Goodbye Wrestling 2001-2024. I will always be indebted to you all for forgiveness,” Phogat said in her post.

Phogat had advanced to the gold medal bout by defeating Cuba’s Yusneylis Guzman Lopez 5-0 in the semi-finals on Tuesday night.

She was set to compete against the United States’ Sarah Ann Hildebrandt for the gold medal but was disqualified on Wednesday for breaching the weight limit.

Indian Olympic Association (IOA) President PT Usha expressed her shock and disappointment over Phogat’s disqualification. She confirmed that while Phogat is physically and medically fine, she is disappointed. Usha noted that the support staff is actively working to help Phogat manage her weight.

“After hearing the news that Vinesh Phogat is disqualified, I am shocked and disappointed. I had come here to meet Vinesh; she is physically and medically okay. Mentally, she is disappointed. Our support staff is with her, trying their best to help her reduce weight,” PT Usha said.

Earlier, Dinshaw Pardiwala, Chief Medical Officer of the Indian Olympic contingent, revealed that Phogat exceeded the weight limit by 2.7 kg after her semi-final bout. He added that efforts were made to reduce her weight by restricting her food and water intake.

Phogat also appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) following her disqualification on Wednesday.

According to an IOA source, Phogat has requested the CAS to award her the silver medal.

In a fine career, Vinesh secured two World Championships bronze medals (2019 and 2022), an Asian Games gold (2018) and bronze (2014) and three Commonwealth Games gold medals (2014, 2018, 2022). She was also a gold medalist in the Asian Championships at 2021 and has won silver and bronze at the continental level too. (ANI)

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It’s official! Actors Naga Chaitanya and Sobhita Dhulipala got engaged at a private ceremony in Hyderabad in the presence of the couple’s families and friends.

A while ago, veteran star Nagarjuna Akkineni shared pictures of his son Naga Chaitanya and Sobhita Dhulipala from their engagement ceremony on his X handle.

Along with the post, he wrote, “We are delighted to announce the engagement of our son, Naga Chaitanya, to Sobhita Dhulipala, which took place this morning at 9:42 a.m.!! We are overjoyed to welcome her into our family. Congratulations to the happy couple! Wishing them a lifetime of love and happiness. God bless!” 8.8.8 A beginning of infinite love Sobhitad chayakkineni”

For the special day, Naga Chaitanya opted for a white kurta payjama and teamed with matching dupatta.

Sobhita looked beautiful in a peach-hued traditional saree. For glam, she carried a subtle makeup look and kept her hair in a bun accessorized with flowers.

Naga Chaitanya was previously married to actress Samantha Ruth Prabhu. They announced their separation on social media in a joint statement in October 2021.

In it, they asked for privacy and support during these difficult times. Samantha and Chaitanya maintained that they will always ‘hold a special bond’ between them.

“After much deliberation and thought, Sam and I have decided to part ways as husband and wife to pursue our own paths. We are fortunate to have a friendship of over a decade that was the very core of our relationship which we believe will always hold a special bond between us. We request our fans, well-wishers and the media to support us during this difficult time and give us the privacy we need to move on. Thanking you for your support,” Naga Chaitanya’s post read.

Naga Chaitanya and Sobhita Dhulipala have remained tight-lipped about their relationship.

If reports are to be believed, the newly engaged couple met a few months after Naga’s divorce with Samantha. (ANI)

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The makers of the upcoming film ‘Vettaiyan’ starring superstars Rajinikanth and Amitabh Bachchan dropped a special picture to celebrate Fahadh Faasil’s birthday.

Taking to their X account, Lyca Productions shared a behind-the-scenes picture featuring Fahadh with Indian cinema legends Rajinikanth and Amitabh Bachchan.

“Our Birthday Boy Fahadh Faasil with the two pillars of Indian cinema, Superstar @rajinikanth and Shahenshah @SrBachchan from the sets of #Vettaiyan (sic),” read the post.

Fans were quick to flood the comment section.

One user wrote, “Wat a Frame (sic).”

Another commented, “Happy Birthday FaFa (sic).”

“Three Dragons,” read another comment.

Earlier, Lyca Productions dropped the first-look picture of Fahadh from Vettaiyan with a caption that read, “Team VETTAIYAN wishes our dearest Fahadh Faasil a Happy Birthday. Your artistry and dedication bring characters to life. May this year bring even more incredible roles and success (sic).”

‘Vettaiyan’, which is Rajinikanth’s 170th film, is scheduled for a worldwide release in October this year. Earlier, the production company unveiled the title teaser of the movie on Rajinikanth’s 73rd birthday.

The film features an ensemble cast including Amitabh Bachchan, Fahadh Faasil, Rana Daggubati, Ritika Singh, Manju Warrier, and Dushara Vijayan. Anirudh Ravichander serves as the music composer for the film. (ANI)

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The Rouse Avenue court on Thursday extended the judicial custody of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in a CBI case linked to Delhi Excise policy. Kejriwal was produced before the court through video conferencing from Tihar Jail.

Special judge (CBI) Kaveri Baweja on Thursday extended the Judicial custody of Arvind Kejriwal till August 20. CBI moved an application seeking an extension of judicial custody.

CBI has already filed a charge sheet against Arvind Kejriwal on July 29. He was arrested by the CBI on June 26.

Kejriwal was granted interim bail in a money laundering case by the Supreme Court on July 12. Earlier he was granted regular bail by the trial court on June 20.

Earlier, he was arrested by the ED in the money laundering case in March. The court has already taken cognizance of the supplementary charge sheet against Kejriwal.

He was granted a bail in money laundering case by the trial court which was under challenge before the Delhi High Court.

In this, CBI has also arrested Former Deputy CM Manish Sisodia, BRS leader K Kavitha and others accused.

In the Delhi Excise Policy case, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) requested the High Court on Wednesday a short adjournment to address its plea for the cancellation of bail granted to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

The court expressed confusion about the potential consequences of canceling the bail, questioning whether such a move would result in Kejriwal’s re-arrest and saying, “I am confused. Are you going to arrest him again?”

The Delhi High Court questioned the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on whether canceling Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s bail would lead to his re-arrest. The court’s inquiry aims to clarify the implications of the ED’s plea for bail cancellation. (ANI)

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India wrestler Aman Sehrawat qualified for the semi-finals with another stunning display in the men’s 57kg quarter-finals on Thursday at the Paris Olympics.

Aman stormed into the semi-finals to have a chance of competing for the medal with a technical superiority 12-0 win over Albania’s Zelimkhan Abakanov.

Aman will compete with Japan’s Rei Higuchi later on Thursday to fight for a chance to play for India’s first gold medal at the Paris Olympics.

He got his first point in the bout due to passivity from the Albanian wrestler. He went on to complete a takedown to take a 3-0 lead in the first period.

In the second period, he outplayed Abakanov with his remarkable skillset to storm into the final four.

Earlier on Thursday, Aman defeated former European champion Vladimir Egorov by a technical superiority 10-0 win in the first round to reach the quarter-finals.

However, it wasn’t sunshine for all the wrestlers at the Paris Olympics. Vinesh Phogat was disqualified before the 50 kg freestyle wrestling final at the Paris Olympics after breaching the weight limit.

She announced her retirement from wrestling following her disqualification in the 50 kg freestyle wrestling final.

Anshu Malik, who featured in the women’s 57 kg freestyle category, lost to USA’s Helen Maroulis by 2-7.

Nisha Dahiya’s Paris Olympics campaign met an unfortunate end as she succumbed to North Korea’s Pak Sol Gum in the quarter-finals of the women’s 68 kg event.

Nisha faced an 8-10 loss to Sol Gum. At one point, she was leading by 8-2, but she faced an injury and had to take some medical timeouts. Sol Gum took full advantage of her opponent’s injury and made a comeback, which helped her prevail over Nisha.

Antim Panghal lost to Zeynep Yetgil of Turkey in the women’s 53 kg freestyle round of 16 bout. The Turkish wrestler, a U23 European championship bronze medallist, won on technical superiority. (ANI)

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Lok Sabha on Thursday witnessed a heated exchange of words between Samajwadi Party MP Akhilesh Yadav and Union Home Minister Amit Shah during the discussion over the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024.

Speaking in a Lok Sabha on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, Samajwadi Party MP Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday claimed that no person from outside the community is part of other religious bodies.

“Yeh bill jo introduce ho raha hai woh bahut sochi samjhi rajneeti ke tehat ho raha hai. When there is a democratic process for election, why nominate people? No person from outside the community is part of other religious bodies. What is the point of including non-Muslims in Waqf bodies?” Yadav said.

He further said that the “BJP has brought this legislation to appease some hardliner supporters after its setback in the Lok Sabha election.”

“Your rights and our rights are being curtailed. I told you that you are the judge of democracy. I have heard that some of your rights are being snatched and we would have to fight for you. Speaker sir, I heard in the lobby that some of your rights are also going to be taken away and we will have to fight for you. I oppose this bill,” the SP chief said.

Akhilesh Yadav’s claim on the Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla’s power being curbed, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, angrily, stood and intervened, saying the “statement” was “misleading”.

“The rights of the Speaker do not belong to the Opposition, but to the whole House. Akhilesh ji is tarah ki golmol ki baat aap nahi kar skate . You are not the protector of the Speaker’s rights,” Shah said.

Interrupting in between, Akhilesh Yadav said, “yeh isslia laa rahe hai kyuki abhi abhi yeh haare hai.”

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla later told Akhilesh Yadav that he and other members of the House must not comment on the Chair. “This is my expectation, no personal remarks should be made on the Chair,” he said.

The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, which seeks to “effectively address” issues related to the powers of the State Waqf Boards, registration and survey of waqf properties and removal of encroachments, was introduced in Lok Sabha.

The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, which amends the Waqf Act, 1995, was introduced by Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju.

Opposition parties including the Congress, DMK, NCP, Trinamool Congress and AIMIM strongly opposed the introduction of the bill, saying its provisions were against federalism and the constitutional provisions. While some members demanded the withdrawal of the bill, many suggested that should be sent to a standing committee.

Rijijiu agreed to the suggestions for further scrutiny of the bill by a parliamentary committee.

“We are not running away anywhere. So, if this has to be referred to any committee, I would like to speak on behalf of my govt – a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) be formed, this Bill be referred to it & detailed discussion be held,” he said.

Rijijiu gave a detailed reply to the points raised by opposition parties and said the government was acting on recommendations made by a panel constituted when the Congress-led UPA government was in power.

The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, Waqf Act provides for the renaming of the Waqf Act, 1995, as the Unified Waqf Management, Empowerment, Efficiency and Development Act, 1995. (ANI)

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Star India javelin thrower and World Championships gold medalist javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra will be aiming to repeat his Tokyo 2020 heroics to retain his title at the ongoing Paris Olympics on Thursday.

Chopra registered a huge throw of 89.34 metres in Group B of the men’s javelin throw qualification round at the Paris Olympics on Tuesday and made his way into the finals.

The final will be played on Thursday at 11:55 pm IST. He successfully breached the qualification mark of 84.00 m.

However, the competition would be fierce as the final will feature the likes of Czech Republic’s Jakub Vadlejch, the 2020 silver medalist, Julian Weber of Germany, the 2022 European Champion and the two-time world champion, Anderson Peters from Grenada.

Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem, who is also one of Neeraj’s closest rivals, joined the Indian star for the men’s javelin final with his season-best throw of 86.59 m. Arshad and Neeraj have developed a healthy rivalry over the years, with Neeraj dominating the head-to-head record 9-0. However, Arshad’s best effort of 90.18 m in the 2022 Commonwealth Games is ahead of Neeraj’s top effort.

Chopra’s first attempt during the qualification was his all-time second-best throw at a men’s javelin event, with his top throw coming at Stockholm Diamond League 2022 with a distance of 89.94 m. It was also the 26-year-old’s best throw in any qualification round. Now, the Indian will be aiming to touch the much-talked-about distance of 90.00 m during the final and retain his gold.

After his throw at the qualification, Chopra laid out the differences between playing at the Tokyo Olympics in 2020 and in Paris this year and also said that defending his title serves as a motivation to him.

Speaking on JioCinema, Neeraj said on Tuesday that he threw the javelin in the sunshine at Tokyo, but it is much cooler and less humid at Paris.

“In Tokyo, we threw in the sunshine and here it’s a bit cooler and the humidity is much lesser. Tokyo was much warmer and more humid than Paris. The big difference is that there are crowds here,” said Neeraj.

On the challenge of defending his title, Neeraj stated: “Being defending champion is motivation and I need to be prepared. The mind should be focused on doing the job at hand.”

Talking about his throw during the qualification round, Neeraj said that though his throw was good, the final remains the “real deal”.

“Final will be a cracker, the Tokyo final mark has already been surpassed by qualification. We were a little relaxed today. The burden and pressure will be much more in the final,” he added.

Chopra also discussed his injury concerns and said: “I have had a few issues with my groin & that is why I did not take part in a lot of competitions. It is important to stay fit and reach the final.”

Ahead of the final clash, Neeraj’s mother Saroj said to ANI, “The preparations are going very well. He has worked very hard. We are hoping for gold. We are all happy.”

His father Satish Kumar also said, “We are all very excited. Neeraj will give his best to live up to the expectations. Everyone in the village is happy and waiting for his match…”

Chopra won the gold medal in the men’s javelin throw competition at the Paavo Nurmi Games 2024 athletics meet in Turku, Finland, earlier in June.

The Indian registered a throw of modest 85.97 m, in his third attempt to clinch the top podium.

Neeraj Chopra, the reigning world and Olympic champion, was competing in his third event of the year.

On the road to defend his crown at the Paris 2024 Olympics later this year, Neeraj started his season with a second-place finish at the Doha Diamond League on May 10 with an 88.36m throw.

He then logged a modest 82.27 m to bag the gold medal at the Federation Cup in Bhubaneswar five days later. It was his first competition in India since becoming an Olympic champion.

Neeraj was also scheduled to compete at the Ostrava Golden Spike athletics meet in Czechia during late May but did not participate as a precautionary measure after a muscle tweak during a training session. (ANI)

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