Month: September 2024

Bollywood actor Kareena Kapoor is celebrating her 44th birthday today, and several B’town celebs have sent her warm wishes. Known for her iconic roles and stunning beauty, Kareena, often called ‘Bebo,’ has won hearts for over 20 years.

Among the warm wishes, her sister Karisma Kapoor took to social media to share rare childhood photographs along with a touching birthday note.

Karisma’s tribute stood out as she posted unseen pictures from their childhood, expressing their deep bond, “Celebrating you always from 4th to 44th together forever. Happy birthday to the best sister love you mostest. (Don’t miss mother and daughter’s Lady Di inspired hairstyle).”

Sara Ali Khan also shared a cute picture on Instagram, featuring herself, brother Ibrahim, their father Saif Ali Khan, and Kareena. She wrote, “May you continue shining and inspiring. Can’t wait to have our pumpkin lunch together soonest.”

Soha Ali Khan also took to her Instagram account to share a couple of pictures. Along with the picture, Soha added a sweet caption that read, “Whether its work or play no-one does it better than you @kareenakapoorkhan Happy birthday bebo bhabhi. Love always (sic).”

Katrina Kaif posted a lovely picture of Kareena in a saree with the caption, “Happiest Birthday to the forever inspiration @KareenaKapoorKhan” with heart emojis.

Rhea Kapoor shared a behind-the-scenes video from a shoot and wrote, “Happy Birthday to the OG queeeen and my veere forever @KareenaKapoorKhan.”

Sonam Kapoor shared a sweet picture of herself and Kareena smiling together, with the message, “Happy birthday Bebo.”

Akshay Kumar also posted a picture from their film Good Newwz on Instagram, writing, “Only ‘good newwz’ and great laughs with you. Happy Birthday Bebo. Wishing you the best always.”

Rakul Preet Singh added her own birthday message, writing, “Happy birthday to the one and only diva @kareenakapoorkhan, the OG, the rockstar!! You inspire in so many ways. Here’s wishing you a year filled with lots of work, travel and food.”

Kajol shared an adorable picture of herself with Kareena, and both stars looked happy as they posed for the camera, adding to the flurry of love and wishes for the birthday girl.

This year marks a significant milestone for Kareena, as she recently celebrated 25 years in the film industry and launched a film festival named in her honour.

The actress has also been in the spotlight for her latest project, ‘The Buckingham Murders’, directed by Hansal Mehta.

The Buckingham Murders’ was released in theaters on September 13.

The mysterious drama revolves around sergeant Jasmeet ‘Jass’ Bhamra (Kareena) dealing with the loss of her young son Ekam (Mairaaj Kakkar). She is assigned a case of a missing boy, Ishpreet, roughly as old as Ekam.The film’s ensemble also includes Ash Tandon, Ranveer Brar, and Keith Allen.

Looking ahead, she is set to star in ‘Singham Again’, an action-packed film directed by Rohit Shetty, featuring an ensemble cast that includes Ajay Devgn, Deepika Padukone, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, and Ranveer Singh, slated for release in November. (ANI)

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Bollywood star Rani Mukerji on Saturday took time off her work schedule to meet with cancer patients in Mumbai.

She partnered with the charity organisation Cancer Patients Aid Association to mark World Rose Day, which is celebrated to raise awareness about cancer and to showcase solidarity with cancer patients and their loved ones.

Rani spent a fun-filled day with a few children who have been battling cancer. Not only did she interact with them but also cut the cake with them. She also travelled with the children in an open bus as the Bandra-Worli Sea Link was lit up in red.

Take a look at the pictures

At the event, she also spoke with ANI and urged people to give unconditional love to cancer patients.

“I am thankful to the organisers for inviting me. With this initiative, I got the chance to spend quality time with kids who have been battling this disease. I pray to God for the recovery of cancer patients…Also, I feel more celebrities should take part in such initiatives and try to bring smiles to the faces of cancer patients. Children who are fighting this big disease are real heroes,” Rani emphasised.

“We all must try to give our time to these kids, shower love on them. Our love and support will give them the courage to fight cancer…Also, with my medium, I will try my best to raise awareness about cancer. If I ever get a chance to be part of a project around this subject, I will definitely do it,” she added.

On the film front, on the tenth anniversary of her film ‘Mardaani’ in August, the makers teased fans about the next chapter of the franchise. More details regarding the project are awaited. (ANI)

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Amid ‘Stree 2’ success, actor Shraddha Kapoor introduced her Instagram family to her “nanhi stree” named ‘Small’.

On Saturday, Shraddha took to social media and shared pictures of her new pet, which she received as a gift.

“Mere ghar aayi ek nanhi stree!!! Miliye Small se. Humaari nayi family member Meri dildaar dost @fazaa_s6 ne is choti si khushi ko mujhe gift kiya. Ab ye hua na sabse best tareeka jashn manane ka Woh toh alag baat hai ki is celebration mein ek koi hai jo kaafi na khush hai Swipe karke dekho woh shaqs kaun hai,” she captioned the post.

Shraddha is currently basking in the success of Stree 2, which also stars RajKummar Rao, Aparshakti Khurana, Abhishek Banerjee and Pankaj Tripathi.

The film has etched its name in cinematic history by becoming the highest-grossing Hindi film ever, surpassing the lifetime collections of Shah Rukh Khan’s ‘Jawan’.

Trade analyst Taran Adarsh recently confirmed the news on his official X handle.

“#Stree2 scripts HISTORY… Becomes the HIGHEST-GROSSING HINDI FILM EVER… Crosses lifetime biz of #Jawan [#Hindi version]… Next stop: Inaugurating the Rs 600 cr Club. [Week 5] Fri 3.60 cr, Sat 5.55 cr, Sun 6.85 cr, Mon 3.17 cr, Tue 2.65 cr. Total: Rs 586 cr. #India biz. #Boxoffice,” he wrote.

‘Stree 2’ earned a remarkable Rs 453.60 crore net in its second week alone. Despite facing competition from new releases like Akshay Kumar’s ‘Khel Khel Mein’ and John Abraham’s ‘Vedaa’, the film quickly established itself as the audience’s favourite.

Directed by Amar Kaushik, ‘Stree 2’ has captivated audiences not only with its engaging storyline but also with star-studded cameos from Varun Dhawan and Akshay Kumar, both of whom have been praised for their contributions to the film. (ANI)

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Delhi Chief Minister Atishi hit out at the Bharatiya Janata Party and Lt Governor VK Saxena on Saturday for trying to stop the developmental work in Delhi and assured the people of Delhi that all work would resume.

“For the next four months, my work would be to take care of the people of Delhi. BJP has tried everything from jailing AAP leaders and stopping the work of development in Delhi. BJP and LG (VK Saxena) stopped the road works, stopped medicines from reaching the hospitals, stopped the tests in mohalla clinics. BJP and LG stopped the garbage collection in Delhi, but now I promise you that Arvind Kejriwal is out of jail, all these works will get completed. The garbage would be picked up, medicines will be supplied, the sewage work will be completed,” said CM Atishi in a press conference.

Atishi was sworn in as Delhi Chief Minister earlier today.

She further claimed that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had conspired to keep Kejriwal in jail, but the AAP leader did not bow down to BJP.

“BJP put up a conspiracy against Kejriwal, put false allegations against him, and arrested him based on that. They kept him in jail for more than 6 months. But Arvind Kejriwal did not break or bow down. Supreme Court has given him bail, despite that in PMLA cases it is almost impossible to get bail. Not only that, they said that his arrest was due to bad luck, and said that Central agencies like CBI, ED are caged like a parrot,” she said.

“If some other neta would have been there, it would have been enough for them to get back to CM’s chair, but Arvind Kejriwal said that just Supreme Court’s decision is not enough, he wants to go to janta ki adalaat (people’s court) and prove that he is honest,” she added.

She also thanked Arvind Kejriwal for trusting her with the responsibility of being Delhi CM, referring to him as ‘Delhi’s son’ and the most popular CM in the history of Delhi.

“I would like to thank Arvind Kejriwal, Delhi’s son, the most popular CM in the history of Delhi, Aam Aadmi Party’s neta, my elder brother and political guru, who trusted me and put such a big responsibility of taking care of Delhi’ people.

“Even though I have been sworn in as Chief Minister, the fact that Arvind Kejriwal is not the Chief Minister anymore is a very emotional thing for me and all of us. He has changed the picture of Delhi in the last ten years, he understood the pain of the common person, he understood how difficult it is for a common person to run a household. Arvind Kejriwal gave free 24/7 electricity to people, he changed the future of the students who study in government schools, gave them a chance to progress in life. He gave free bus rides to women which allowed them to progress with their education and employment,” she added.

She further urged to the people of Delhi that their job is to make sure that Arvind Kejriwal will return as the Chief Minister, claiming that if AAP government does not win again then all the schemes and work done in the last ten years would be undone by BJP.

“Now the people of Delhi need to work together to make Arvind Kejriwal the CM again in the upcoming elections in February. If the people would not elect Kejriwal again then the free electricity, good schools would stop, mohalla clinics would close down and hospitals will stop treating patients,” she said in the press conference. (ANI)

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is on a three-day visit to the US, met US President Joe Biden on Saturday morning (local time). The two leaders are expected to discuss China and Russia in the bilateral meeting.

The meeting is taking place at the personal residence of President Biden. The US delegation is comprised of Antony Blinken, Secretary of State; Jake Sullivan, Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs and Eric Garcetti, Ambassador of the United States to India, while the Indian delegation consisted of External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Ambassador of India to US, Vinay Mohan Kwatra and Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri.

Notably, this could be the last bilateral meeting between the two leaders, as Biden is in his last month of his presidency. The 2024 US Presidential Election is scheduled for November 5, 2024.

Vice President Kamala Harris is the Democratic nominee after Biden exited the race in July, and she is up against the Republican candidate, former President Donald Trump.

Earlier, the US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan indicated that the focus areas between the two leaders would be the ongoing Ukraine conflict and India’s stance on Russia and China.

Sullivan emphasised the US view that Russia’s aggression against Ukraine violates international law and norms. He stressed that countries like India should support sovereignty and territorial integrity, and refrain from supplying inputs to Russia’s war efforts.

“I won’t go too deep into the details of what he will say on those issues, which are obviously sensitive and will obviously be critical priorities in the bilateral meeting. I will just say that the United States has been clear about our view that Russia’s brutal war of aggression against Ukraine flouted every norm and principle of international law, that countries like India should step up and support the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity, and that every country everywhere should refrain from supplying inputs to Russia’s war machine for it to be able to continue to prosecute this brutal war. So they will talk about that. The President will also hear from Prime Minister Modi about his trip to Ukraine, which was an important and indeed historic trip, and it will be the opportunity for the two of them to talk about their respective views on the way forward.”

Further, Sullivan also affirmed that the two leaders will discuss China’s actions in the Indo-Pacific during their bilateral meeting.

“And then, with respect to China, you know, they will talk about how they see China’s actions in the region where China is headed. And that’s not just true in the security domain, but in the economic and technology domain as well,” Sullivan said.

On being asked about QUAD and if China looks at it as if it focuses on them, US NSA Jake Sullivan said the focus will be on a free and open Indo-Pacific.

“The leaders are going to talk about all of the significant developments and dynamics in the Indo-Pacific. But my point is that the purpose of the QUAD is not to come together around China or any other country. It’s to come together around how to construct a free and open Indo-Pacific and actions and policies that disrupt or undermine that are certainly not just of interest but are going to be a matter of discussion for Quad members. These issues are on the agenda because they relate to a free and Open Indo-Pacific, but China is not the focus of the QUAD, and the QUAD is not about one country. It is about a larger vision that we’re all trying to work,” Sullivan said.

Both leaders are slated to attend a summit-level meeting of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

At the Quad Summit, the leaders will review the progress achieved by the Quad over the past year and set the agenda for the year ahead to assist the countries of the Indo-Pacific region in meeting their development goals and aspirations, the Ministry of External Affairs stated.

The first Quad Leaders’ Summit was held in virtual format in 2021. The second Quad Leaders’ Summit (first in-person) was held in Washington, DC, on September 24, 2021. The third Quad Leaders’ Summit was held virtually on March 3, 2022.

The fourth Quad Leaders’ Summit (second in-person) was hosted by Japan on May 24, 2022. The fifth Quad Leaders’ Summit (third in-person) was held in Hiroshima, Japan, on May 20, 2023. (ANI)

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Indian Army troops in Ladakh have demonstrated their ability to carry out night operations in high-altitude areas using Indigenous Advanced Light Helicopters (ALH) Dhruv. These helicopters, manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), are crucial for the Army’s operations in the challenging terrain and extreme weather conditions of Ladakh.

Speaking to ANI, Army personnel Havinder Singh, responsible for maintaining the fleet, explained the process of ensuring the helicopters are ready for missions.”My job is to ensure that all the technicians and supervisors under me keep getting continuous training on this helicopter. Apart from this, many agencies are involved in making this helicopter serviceable, a logistics agency, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited is involved. Talking to all of them, and calling their teams here is my job. The most important job here is the flight safety of every technician, and every officer. There is no compromise in flight safety.”

Singh detailed the challenges of preparing helicopters for night operations, particularly during winters when temperatures drop significantly. “After 2 months, the temperature will drop to minus 20 to minus 30. There is not much problem in today’s weather, but in cold weather, when a technician goes to the aircraft, he works on the inspection for 10 minutes and then comes down to warm up before inspecting again.”

Major Ayush Devliyal, a technical supervisor, also highlighted the importance of thorough inspections before a helicopter is cleared for flight. “This aircraft has to be prepared; everything is checked very closely. Every team checks their specific systems, and after that, the aircraft is certified by an engineering officer for flying. Once all these checks are successful, it is accepted by a pilot, and then it is taken for operations.”

Pilots also face unique challenges while flying in such difficult conditions, particularly at night. Major Amarendra, a pilot of a Cheetah helicopter, explained the difficulties of night flying in Ladakh. “Night flying is a little more challenging than day flying. At night, your depth perception reduces, so we rely more on our instruments. The winds blow a little strong at night, so we have to take care of those things, especially the turbulent winds.”

The Indian Army’s operations in Ladakh require significant coordination between the technical teams and pilots, especially during night missions, where both visibility and weather pose serious challenges. (ANI)

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Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge stated on Saturday that the priority of Congress is to restore statehood of Jammu and Kashmir, adding that the State has never been changed to Union Territory before.

“The state has never been changed to Union Territory. We are asking, why have you not given statehood to Jammu and Kashmir, you have all the power, then why are they doing it?” congress president Kharge asked BJP, while addressing a press conference in Jammu.

“…We have declared seven guarantees. Our priority is to restore statehood to J&K. The second guarantee is to provide a health insurance scheme that will provide coverage of Rs 25 lakh to every family in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.

Further describing Congress Party’s promises for Jammu and Kashmir, he said, “A monthly benefit of Rs 3,000 will be given to women heads of families. An interest-free loan of Rs 5 lakh will also be given to women…OBCs to get their rights as enshrined in the Constitution… 1 lakh jobs are vacant when we come into power will notify them immediately…”

He accused BJP of not doing anything for Union Territory.

“BJP said they would give 5 lakh jobs but they have been here for 5 years but they have not done anything,” Kharge said.

On being asked about BJP leader Devinder Rana’s statement of NC leader Omar Abdullah meeting BJP he said that was past now we are in alliance.

Meanwhile, a voter turnout of 61.13 pc was registered in the first phase polling in Jammu and Kashmir assembly polls, which were held on 24 constituencies in seven districts.

According to Election Commission data, the voting percentage was 61.13 per cent till 11.30 pm.

Voting started across 24 seats at 7 am today, including 16 seats in the Kashmir region and eight seats in the Jammu region. The voting was peaceful.

Kishtwar district recorded the highest turnout at 80.14 per cent followed by Ramban at 70.55 per cent, Doda at 71.34 per cent, Kulgam at 62.60 per cent, Anantnag at 57.84 per cent and Shopian at 55.96 per cent.

Jammu and Kashmir is witnessing an interesting contest with several political parties and independents in the fray. National Congress and Congress have allied, though they are also in friendly contest on some seats.

This is the first election in Jammu and Kashmir after the abrogation of Article 370. Leaders have held hectic campaigns to boost the prospects of their party candidates.

Voting for the second and third phases in J-K will be held on September 25 and October 1, respectively. Votes will be counted on October 8. (ANI)

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Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday slammed the Congress and the National Conference saying that during their rule, terrorism increased in Jammu and Kashmir with thousands of people being killed.

“Congress and National Conference ruled here for 35 years, terrorism increased, 40 thousand people were killed, Jammu and Kashmir remained closed for three thousand days, it remained immersed in darkness for eight years. You (Congress and National Conference) are responsible for this,” Shah said in an election rally at Surankot in the Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir.

“Farooq Abdullah ( National Conference President) came here and instilled fear among the people that terrorism will spread into the Jammu region of Poonch, Rajouri, Doda and the hills. But nobody has the courage to bring terrorism in the hills. I assure you that we will end terrorism,” he added.

The Union Minister also targeted LoP in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi for hsi comments against Sikhs.

“Rahul Gandhi talks about ‘Mohabbat Ki Dukan’ and from that ‘Mohabbat Ki Dukan’ he issues orders for terrorism and says – hold talks with Pakistan. There will be no talks with Pakistan until Pakistan stops terrorism. Talks will only be held with my Pahari children,” he said.

Amit Shah also reiterated the BJP’s poll promises for the region, “Here (Jammu Kashmir), the senior-most woman in the house will be given Rs 18,000 annually. Ujjwala beneficiaries will be given 2 cylinders free of cost and along with this the price of the cylinder will be increased to Rs.500. The annual amount of Rs 6,000 given under PM-Kisan will be increased to Rs 10,000.”

Earlier in the day, addressing a gathering in J-K’s Mendhar Shah said, “Since 1947, in every war fought against Pakistan, the soldiers from this land, Jammu and Kashmir, have defended India. When terrorism entered in the 1990s, courtesy of Farooq Abdullah, it was my Pahadi, Gurjar, and Bakarwal brothers who bravely faced bullets on the borders.”

Targeting the Congress and National Conference and PDP’s manifesto, which promises to restore Article 370 and bring back statehood in Jammu-Kashmir, Shah said, “This election is going to end the rule of three families in Jammu and Kashmir: the Abdullah family, the Mufti family, and the Nehru-Gandhi family. These three families had stopped democracy here. If Modi ji’s government had not come in 2014, then panchayat, block and district elections would not have taken place.”

“Abdullah, Mufti and Nehru-Gandhi family have spread terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir from the 90s till now. Today, the BJP government led by Shri Narendra Modi has ended terrorism from Jammu and Kashmir. The youth here have been given laptops instead of stones,” he added.

Shah also highlighted the increased political participation of local youth, and said “Due to Modi Ji’s tireless efforts, today, around 30,000 Kashmiri youths are contesting elections at various levels, exercising their democratic rights.”

Reflecting on the security situation, he remarked, “Do you remember how much firing used to take place in Jammu and Kashmir in the 90s? Does firing still take place now? Earlier, there used to be firing here because the masters here were afraid of Pakistan; now Pakistan is afraid of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. They do not have the courage to open fire, and if they do so, the bullets will be answered with shells.”

The Congress and the National Conference are fighting the polls in alliance. The PDP, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and People’s Conference, to name a few, are other parties in the fray for 90 Assembly seats.

This is the first election in Jammu and Kashmir after the abrogation of Article 370. Leaders have held hectic campaigns to boost the prospects of their party candidates. Voting for the second and third phases in J-K will be held on September 25 and October 1, respectively. Votes will be counted on October 8. (ANI)

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