Author: LokMarg

Anger is brewing among the people of Pakistan’s Balochistan province as thousands of people in far-flung areas are still waiting for help from the government and welfare groups after devastating floods.

With the land routes of several districts with other areas remaining cut off due to the washing away of bridges and link roads, hundreds of people in the Awaran district protested on Sunday against the administration’s failure to launch relief operations, the Dawn newspaper reported.
Protesters gathered in Awaran and chanted slogans against the district administration as they alleged that relief goods sent to them were distributed to other areas, the report added.

“Standing crops and date orchards have been destroyed by floods and people were deprived of their livelihood,” Obaidullah Umrani, a local Balochistan Awami Party leader told Dawn.

On Saturday, six more people were killed due to heavy rains and floods in Balochistan, bringing the total tally of dead to 176.

The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) said 176 people have been reported dead amid the heavy rains and floods in the province. The total includes 77 men, 44 women and 55 children, local media reported.

Deaths were reported in Bolan, Quetta, Zhob, Dakki, Khuzdar, Kohlu, Kech, Mastoong, Harnai, Qila Saifullah and Sibbi.

The authorities said more than 18,000 homes were damaged or demolished due to the floods in the province. Tube wells, solar panels and other forms of communication are severely damaged due to the rains.

Disastrous spells of monsoon rains have led to severe damage on six different highways with 670 km length and 16 bridges, PDMA said. Additionally, 1,98,461 acres of crops were destroyed amid the natural disaster.

Balochistan in particular has seen uncharacteristically heavy rains during the monsoon season this year.

Amidst the ongoing devastation and wreckage caused by heavy rains and floods in different parts of the country, the Pakistan federal government has warned of more rains in the coming weeks as the federal cabinet declared a “monsoon emergency” in the country.

Pakistan’s weather department predicts the country will experience more rains in the coming week. Islamabad, Kashmir, Punjab, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan and Sindh will receive heavy rainfall in the coming days.

“Balochistan recorded more than 600 per cent above-normal rainfall during these monsoon spells since mid-June while Sindh received 500 per cent more rain. Major cities are being warned against urban flooding, prolonged electricity outages, and flash floods,” said Pakistan federal minister for Climate Change, Senator Sherry Rehman.

Rehman said that the effects of climate change continue to exacerbate in the country as it experienced lengthy heatwaves and forest fires. (ANI)

Indian shuttler Lakshya Sen clinched the country’s second badminton gold of the day, defeating Malaysia’s Ng Tze Yong in the final of the men’s singles category at the ongoing Commonwealth Games 2022 in Birmingham on Monday.

Sen fought brilliantly on his way to victory. He won the match by 19-21, 21-19 and 21-16. He took on the Malaysian challenge head-on and toiled his way towards the ultimate prize.
Sen and his Malaysian opponent started the opening game on a mostly even note. Sen gained a slight advantage with a 5-4 lead. But Tze Yong was not the one to give up and not only did he score points, but he also made Sen toil hard for his own points. Sen kept fighting and eventually made things 19-19. But Tze Yong secured the first game after outclassing the Indian by 19-21.

The next game also started off as a see-saw contest, with Tze Yong having a lead. Sen continued fighting hard for his points and made things 6-6. Lakshya’s perseverance eventually took him to a 11-9 lead halfway into the game, which eventually widened to 18-9. Sen won the second game by 21-9 to set up an exciting decider.

The decider game also started on an exciting note, with both players toiling hard for points. Sen was better this time. Halfway through the game, he had an 11-7 lead, which widened to 15-11. Sen eventually swung his racket to a win by 21-16 in the third game, which helped him seal the match and clinch the gold.

Earlier today, ace Indian shuttler PV Sindhu clinched India’s first gold medal in Badminton at the ongoing Commonwealth Games 2022 and the first women’s singles CWG gold medal of her career by defeating Canada’s Michelle Li in the final on Monday.

Sindhu was a dominant figure in the match, though her opponent competed well. The Indian won the match in straight two games by 21-15, 21-13.

PV Sindhu got off to a great start. Halfway through the first game, she was leading by 11-8. Michelle Li offered her Indian opponent great competition but fell short in every rally. The result was a 21-15 win for Sindhu in the first game.

Li started the second game on a good note. But Sindhu took advantage once again within no time. The Canadian kept making errors and it kept widening Sindhu’s lead with every failure. Halfway through the second game, Sindhu was in an advantageous position with an 11-6 lead. She needed ten more points to take home the first CWG 2022 gold medal for India in badminton.

After the break, things started more even, with both players getting two points quickly due to errors committed by their opponent. Sindhu and Li had an exciting rally of 57 shots, which concluded with the Indian losing a point. Li was slowly gaining an advantage over Sindhu as she was cutting the deficit. Eventually, Sindhu’s lead was reduced to 13-11.

Sindhu kept fighting through the second game and eventually won it by 21-13. With the win, she also clinched her first-ever women’s singles medal in Commonwealth Games 2022 and India’s first-ever gold in badminton at CWG 2022. (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)

Bollywood star Aamir Khan’s daughter Ira Khan dropped a twinning-in-black picture with her boyfriend Nupur Shikhare on social media, giving a major shoutout to her father Aamir Khan’s film ‘Laal Singh Chaddha’.

On Sunday, Ira took to her Instagram handle and posted a picture of herself along with her boyfriend Nupur Shikhare. She extended her support for her father’s upcoming film Laal Singh Chadha, ahead of its release.
In the picture, Ira Khan and Nupur could be seen twinning in black. Her boyfriend donned a black t-shirt, while Ira opted for a sheer black top with a black bralette underneath that. The two smiled for the lens, as Nupur put his hand around Ira’s waist. Ira posted the image and captioned it as, “Hey @nupur_shikhare #laalsinghchaddha,” a shout-out to Aamir’s movie.

Aamir shares 25-year-old daughter Ira with his ex-wife Reena Dutta. Aamir and Kiran got married on December 28, 2005. They welcomed their first son, Azad, through surrogacy in 2011. Aamir was earlier married to Reena Dutta but got separated in 2002. He has a daughter Ira and a son Junaid from his first marriage with Reena.

Helmed by Advait Chandan, ‘Laal Singh Chaddha’ is an official Hindi adaptation of the Academy Award-winning 1994 film Forrest Gump, which had Tom Hanks in the lead role. It is scheduled to release on August 11 this year.

Kareena Kapoor Khan and Mona Singh are also a part of the film. A few weeks ago, Aamir unveiled the film’s trailer which took viewers on a joyride of emotions. The almost 3-minute-long trailer gave a glimpse into the fascinating and innocent world of Laal Singh Chaddha, the film’s protagonist.

His slow-witted approach and childlike optimism are the driving force of the movie. In the trailer, Aamir’s calming voiceover and his eyes-wide-open look gave flashbacks to his mannerisms from Rajkumar Hirani’s ‘PK’.

It showed multiple picturesque locations, exhibiting the Indian heritage in its tranquil form. Aamir’s cute chemistry with Kareena is great and Mona Singh also looked seamless in the role of the protagonist’s mother.

Meanwhile, talking about the work front, Aamir is currently busy promoting his upcoming family entertainer film ‘Laal Singh Chadha’ which is all set to hit the theatres on August 11, 2022. (ANI)

Actor Dia Mirza’s one-year-old son Avyaan always melts hearts every time he graces our Instagram feed. Some time ago, Dia shared yet another adorable video of him and we just cannot stop drooling over him!

In the video, little Avyaan is heard saying ‘Mumma’ and well, according to Dia, this is the first time Avyaan has called her ‘Mamma’. Check out the video here:

Avyaan turned one in May this year. On the occasion of his birthday, Dia Mirza took to her Instagram to pen an emotional note, recalling how the little one fought severe health conditions.

Dia informed how her little survivor had to go through life-saving surgeries to heal. Right after his birth, Avyaan was diagnosed with necrotizing enterocolitis and had to go through surgery. He stayed in the hospital’s NICU for almost 90 days.

Dia married businessman Vaibhav Rekhi last year in February, and on May 14, 2021, they welcomed Avyaan.

On the work front, Dia has been shooting for Tarun Dudeja’s ‘Dhak Dhak’ alongside Taapsee Pannu, Ratna Pathak Shah, Fatima Sana Shaikh, and Sanjana Sanghi. Helmed by Tarun Dudeja, the film ‘Dhak Dhak’ belongs to the adventure genre which follows the story of a road trip undertaken by a girl gang.

Dia will also be seen in filmmaker Anubhav Sinha’s upcoming film ‘Bheed’. (ANI)

Aamir Khan is busy promoting his upcoming film ‘Laal Singh Chaddha’ and fans seem to love his rare public appearances.

One video of the actor that has now gone viral on social media has caught everyone’s attention. The video served the perfect dose of nostalgia to all the 90s’ film lovers as Aamir recreated his iconic ‘Andaz Apna Apna’ scene.
In the video, Aamir is seen seated next to Internet sensation Faisal Sheikh. The duo recreated the bus scene from the 1994 movie when Salman Khan and Aamir Khan met for the first time.

Aamir mouthed his own dialogue while Faisal played Salman’s character from the movie. Sharing the video on Instagram, Faisal wrote, “Toh baat aaise hai, Aamar Prem jaise hai Still don’t know how to put this feeling into words. What a day. What a feeling. Aamir Khan Sir, you are a true inspiration.”

Check out the video here:

Directed by Rajkumar Santoshi, ‘Andaz Apna Apna’ is considered a cult classic. Apart from Salman Khan and Aamir Khan, the comedy movie also featured Karishma Kapoor and Raveena Tandon in lead roles.

Meanwhile, Aamir will next be seen in ‘Laal Singh Chaddha’ opposite Kareena Kapoor. Helmed by Advait Chandan, ‘Laal Singh Chaddha’ is an official Hindi adaptation of the Academy Award-winning 1994 film ‘Forrest Gump’, which had Tom Hanks in the lead role.

Ahead of the release of Aamir Khan’s ‘Laal Singh Chaddha’, the film triggered controversy after “#BoycottLaalSinghChaddha” started trending on Twitter.

Apparently, some Twitter users went through the archives and dug up Aamir’s controversial “India’s growing intolerance” statement and circulated it on the micro-blogging site.

Makers of the film recently hosted a special screening in Hyderabad in presence of many big industry names. The guest list included Chiranjeevi, Nagarjuna, Amala Akkineni, Kartikeya Gummakonda, Satyadev Kancharana, Allu Sirish, and Allu Aravind. (ANI)

Maharashtra cabinet expansion is likely to take place at 11 am on Tuesday at Maharashtra Raj Bhavan, sources said on Monday.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde is expected to expand his cabinet this week by inducting at least 15 Ministers and deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis is expected to keep the crucial home portfolio, sources said.
Notably, both the Ministers have been functioning as a two-member cabinet, inviting criticism from Opposition leaders, including NCP leader and former Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar.

“Ajit Pawar is the leader of the opposition. He will have to say such things. Ajit dada conveniently forgets that when he was in the government, there were just five ministers for the first 32 days,” Fadnavis said to reporters on Sunday.

Fadnavis has said the BJP has embarked on a mission to improve its footprint in Maharashtra in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections by identifying 16 parliamentary constituencies where opposition parties have had a consistent winning streak.

On 6 August, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde had said no ministerial-level powers have been given to the secretaries except in quasi-judicial matters. The Opposition in the state had accused the Chief Minister of functioning as a two-member cabinet and having designed the decision-making powers to the bureaucrats. He said these constituencies included those held by Shiv Sena leaders who have now joined Team Shinde.

On June 30, Shiv Sena rebel Eknath Shinde took oath as Maharashtra Chief Minister and Devendra Fadnavis his deputy. Later, Devendra Fadnavis and Eknath Shinde met with Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari and staked claim to power.

On June 28, Devendra Fadnavis met Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari and asked him for a floor test. The next day, Uddhav Thackeray offered his resignation to the Governor as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra. (ANI)

Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama on Monday extended his congratulatory wishes to newly-elected Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar.

The 14th Dalai Lama in his letter to Dhankhar wrote, “Today, the international community is becoming ever more aware of the leadership role that India can play in contributing to the peace and development of all humanity. With your long and rich experience of public service, I am sure you will be able to serve this great nation and its people with success.”
The Tibetan spiritual leader said that India is the land of ‘ahimsa’ and ‘karuna’, ideas that can contribute much to the flourishing of humanity.

He expressed his commitment to moving forward to create awareness of this treasure.

“Over the years, India has taken great strides in many fields, especially in science and technology. As someone who has lived here for most of my life, I consider myself very much part of Indian society. It is auspicious that you are taking up this position on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of India’s independence.”

“Mahatma Gandhi made the principle of non-violence spread across the world, and leaders from Dr Martin Luther King to Nelson Mandela turned to ‘ahimsa’ to try to address long-standing differences and social problems. For my part, in addition to applying this principle wherever possible, I am deeply committed to trying to create greater awareness of this treasure, together with the power of compassion, among my Indian brothers and sisters and across the world,” he added.

Dalai Lama praised the traditional techniques of mental training in India, which include Yoga and meditation and said that they can benefit all human beings now and in future.

“I am proud to say that ancient India is the source of an understanding of the mind and emotions – as well as of its traditional techniques of mental training, such as meditation and yoga – that can be of benefit to all human beings, both now and in the future.

“I believe that it is most important to incorporate the study of India’s ancient knowledge into modern educational systems, purely from a secular and academic perspective.”

“India is uniquely well-positioned to combine these two essential bodies of knowledge. I am aware that such initiatives have begun in several states, and I very much hope that they will grow across the nation,” he added.

Dhankhar won the election by 346 votes after defeating Opposition candidate Margaret Alva.

He got 528 votes against opposition candidate Margaret Alva who secured 182 votes.

The next Vice-President of the country will take the oath of office on August 11, a day after the term of the incumbent Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu ends. (ANI)

Table tennis player Achanta Sharath Kamal and boxer Nikhat Zareen will be India’s flagbearers at the closing ceremony of CWG 2022, as per sources from the Indian Olympic Association (IOA).

Achanta Sharath Kamal has had a great Commonwealth Games 2022 so far, in which he has captured three medals so far, including two gold and a silver.
He was part of the gold medal-winning men’s team which won the gold medal. Indian men’s table tennis team clinched the gold medal defeating Singapore 3-1 in the final at the ongoing Commonwealth Games 2022 in Birmingham on August 2.

He also captured a gold medal in the mixed doubles category with Sreeja Akula. The Indian table tennis duo of Sharath Kamal and Sreeja Akula registered a 3-1 win over the Malaysian pair of Javen Choong and Karen Lyne 11-4, 9-11, 11-5, 11-6 on Sunday.

On the same day, the Indian men’s doubles duo of Achanta Sharath Kamal and Sathiyan Gnanasekaran bagged the silver medal in the men’s doubles final.

The Indian duo clinched the silver medal after losing to Paul Drinkhall and Liam Pitchford of England 11-8, 8-11, 3-11, 11-7, 4-11.

On Monday, he has a chance to win a gold medal in the men’s singles category when he takes on Liam Pitchford of England.

On the other hand, Nikhat Zareen, who won the IBA Women Boxing World Championships back in May this year, continued her fine form to clinch her gold in her first Commonwealth Games ever.

Zareen captured the country’s third consecutive boxing gold medal of the day by defeating Carly MC Naul of Northern Ireland in the final of women’s 50kg (Light Flyweight) at the ongoing Commonwealth Games in Birmingham on Sunday.

Zareen lived up to her ‘world champion’ status as she dominated Carly across all three rounds. She won by 5-0 on basis of points scored.

The ongoing Commonwealth Games 2022 which started in Birmingham from July 28 will conclude today. (ANI)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Droupadi Murmu congratulated ace Indian shuttler PV Sindhu after she captured a gold medal in the women’s singles category at the ongoing Commonwealth Games 2022 in Birmingham on Monday.

Sindhu clinched India’s first gold medal in badminton at the ongoing Commonwealth Games 2022 and the first women’s singles CWG gold medal of her career by defeating Canada’s Michelle Li in the final on Monday.
“PV Sindhu has won the nation’s heart by winning a historic badminton gold at #CommonwealthGames. You created magic on the court, enthralling millions. Your masterly win makes our Tiranga fly high & our national anthem resonate at Birmingham. Heartiest congratulations!,” tweeted President Murmu.

Prime Minister Modi also congratulated the badminton star on her gold medal triumph.

The phenomenal @Pvsindhu1 is a champion of champions! She repeatedly shows what excellence is all about. Her dedication and commitment is awe-inspiring. Congratulations to her on winning the Gold medal at the CWG. Wishing her the best for her future endeavours. #Cheer4India,” tweeted PM Modi.

Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur also lauded Sindhu on her accomplishment.

“The brilliance of @Pvsindhu1 creates history once again! You had us glued to our tv screens! What an amazing show of excellence and determination! Congratulations on a remarkable GOLD #CWG2022 ! PV SINDHU you are India’s PRIDE !,” tweeted the minister.

Sindhu was a dominant figure in the match, though her opponent competed well. The Indian won the match in straight two games by 21-15, 21-13.

PV Sindhu got off to a great start. Halfway through the first game, she was leading by 11-8. Michelle Li offered her Indian opponent great competition but fell short in every rally. The result was a 21-15 win for Sindhu in the first game.

Li started the second game on a good note. But Sindhu took advantage once again within no time. The Canadian kept making errors and it kept widening Sindhu’s lead with every failure. Halfway through the second game, Sindhu was in an advantageous position with an 11-6 lead. She needed ten more points to take home the first CWG 2022 gold medal for India in badminton.

After the break, things started more even, with both players getting two points quickly due to errors committed by their opponent. Sindhu and Li had an exciting rally of 57 shots, which concluded with the Indian losing a point. Li was slowly gaining an advantage over Sindhu as she was cutting the deficit. Eventually, Sindhu’s lead was reduced to 13-11.

Sindhu kept fighting through the second game and eventually won it by 21-13. With the win, she also clinched her first-ever women’s singles medal in Commonwealth Games 2022 and India’s first-ever gold in badminton at CWG 2022. (ANI)