Superstar Shah Rukh Khan feels the kind of roles he portrays onscreen, be it an action hero or a hopeless romantic, needs a strong conviction to impress his fans.
The 47-year-old actor has completed two decades in Bollywood and given blockbusters like “Darr”, “Baazigar”, “Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge”, “Kuch Kuch Hota Hai”, “Jab Tak Hai Jaan” among others.
Tainted Pakistan umpire Asad Rauf has retired from all forms of umpiring duties due to personal commitments, a report claimed here today.
A report on the website of ‘Express’ newspaper today said that Rauf had made up his mind to retire from all forms of umpiring.
Rauf was quoted as saying in the report that being an international or domestic umpire required constant travelling which meant he couldn’t give a lot of time to his family or private business.
A young police constable from Andhra Pradesh has grabbed glory in international sporting arena by winning three gold and a silver in swimming in the ongoing World Police Games in Belfast, Ireland.
24-year-old Tulsi Chaitanya, a head constable posted in Vijaywada police unit, could even become the fastest police swimmer in the world as he is also competing in 50m freestyle and 50 metre backstroke events.
India has sent a 34-member team, drawn from state police and central paramilitary forces, for the Games being held from August 1 to 11.
Bolstered by a favourable draw, a fit-again Saina Nehwal will look to record her maiden podium finish when she leads the country’s strongest ever squad at the 2013 BWF World Championships to be played here from August 5-11.
A medal at the World Championships has eluded Saina so far as she could only reach the quarterfinals in the last two editions in 2009 and 2011. The 23-year-old from Hyderabad will look to better her record this time around.
Actor Akshay Kumar, whose upcoming film ‘Once Upon A Time In Mumbai Dobaara’ will hit the cinema houses soon, says films are not made to “outdo” anyone in the industry.
“We don’t make films for reason like I would outdo someone or their films…We don’t make films to cut each other’s work. We are all in one industry…Don’t divide us. We all make our films with hard work and love and want people to enjoy it,” Akshay told reporters here last night at the promotional event of his film.
TDP Rajya Sabha member and late N T Rama Rao’s son N Harikrishna today resigned from his post over the division of Andhra Pradesh.
Harikrishna, who displayed his resignation letter to the media, alleged that the Congress leadership announced the division without resolving the crucial issues like water sharing.
He offered tributes at the ‘samadhi’ of late N T Rama Rao here today.
Accusing the Congress of dividing Andhra Pradesh only to serve its political interests, five MPs of Telugu Desam Party (TDP) have already resigned from their posts.
The state-wide ‘padayatra’ of YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) leader Sharmila, sister of party president Y S Jaganmohan Reddy, concluded at Ichchapuram in Srikakulam district here today.
Sharmila, who launched her foot-march on October 19 last year at the YSR family estate at Idupulapaya in Kadapa district, covered about 3,112 kms in 230 days.
Addressing a gathering at Ichchapuram, she said the absence of late Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy resulted in “chaos” in the state.
The ruling Congress decided to divide Andhra Pradesh only for political gains, she charged.
The Special Cell of Delhi Police today claimed to have busted an extortion racket being run from inside Tihar Jail here with the arrest of its seven members.
“A team of Special Cell led by Inspector Brahmjeet Singh under the supervision of ACP Ved Prakash, has busted an extortion racket being operated from Tihar Jail. Seven persons involved in the crime have been arrested.
“They had hatched a conspiracy to extort Rs 50 lakhs from a businessman in Bawana, Delhi,” DCP, Special Cell, Sanjeev Kumar Yadav told reporters here.
Six weeks after a white supremacist gunned down Pardeep Kaleka’s father and five others at a Sikh temple in the US last year, Kaleka was skeptical when a former skinhead reached out and invited him to dinner.
But Kaleka accepted, and he’s grateful he did. Since then, the grieving son and repentant racist have formed an unlikely alliance, teaming up to preach a message of peace throughout Milwaukee, the largest city in Midwestern Wisconsin state.
Several Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supporters were today detained by Delhi Police for trying to barge into Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s residence while protesting at 7 Race Course Road.
Around 40-45 AAP activists had gathered outside PM’s residence around 4 PM to protest against the Cabinet decision to exempt political parties from the purview of Right to Information Act (RTI).
The protesters had tried to barge into the PM’s home, but were prevented from doing so by the security personnel there.
Firing a fresh salvo at Congress-led UPA government, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi today appealed to BJP workers to yank out the ruling party from the Centre in upcoming elections.
Addressing the state BJP executive meeting in Gandhinagar, the party’s election campaign committee chief alleged that nine years of UPA rule has brought only frustration and disappointment among people of India.
“To restore self-confidence and faith, we have to make our country ‘Congress free’ and for that we all have to start working zealously from today,” he said in his address.
An Army jawan posted with the Assam Rifles, who was apparently unhappy over his salary, today climbed atop a 200 ft tall transmission tower, demanding better pay and promotion.
The drama which started this morning ended at around 6:30 PM when Vikas Chandra Borai (37) was convinced by his senior officials from the Rifles that his matter will be looked into and justice will be done, police said.
Borai climbed the tower, which carries high tension power lines, at Sarai Kale Khan in South Delhi at around 11:30 AM following which the locals called the police and fire officials.
Congress leader Vundavalli Arun Kumar today asked legislators from Seemandhra region to refrain from resigning, as doing so will decrease their strength in opposing the passage of the Telangana bill in Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly.
Vundavalli recently resigned as MP from Rajahmundry in protest of the decision to create separate Telanagana.
“If any MLA resigns, he will lose a chance to express views of the people from their regions,” Vundavalli said while addressing a public meeting here.
Michelle Obama took to Twitter today to send her husband an affectionate birthday message — and a gentle ribbing about the US President’s graying hair.
“Happy birthday, Barack! Your hair’s a little grayer, but I love you more than ever,” Michelle Obama wrote on her official twitter account, @FLOTUS.
The message was accompanied by an undated black and white photo of the Obamas as a young couple relaxing on a sofa.
Barack Obama is spending his 52nd birthday weekend at Camp David, the rural Maryland retreat made available to US Presidents. He was to return to Washington later today.
With superstar Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone on the ramp, stunning old world setting and 1930’s inspired wedding collection, Bollywood’s favourite designer Manish Malhotra brought the curtain down at the PCJ Delhi Couture.
While model-turned-actress Deepika looked stunning in a navy blue velvet zardozi lehenga teamed with full puffed sleeved choli, her ‘Chennai Express’ co-star SRK kept it simple in a black suit.
For the first time in any fashion show in India, people were seated on the ramp.
An explosive device has gone off at a Buddhist temple in the Indonesian capital Jakarta, injuring one person, police said today.
The low-intensity blast happened at the Ekayana Buddhist Centre this evening, police said.
Local media reported the device went off inside next to a glass door but had caused little damage. A second device emitted smoke but failed to explode, national police chief detective Sutarman said.
Neither police nor the centre said who may have been behind the blasts.
The US has announced to extend closure of its 19 diplomatic posts till August 10, while nine of its embassies and consulates which were closed, will resume normal operations today.
“Given that a number of our embassies and consulates were going to be closed in accordance with local custom and practice for the bulk of the week for Eid celebration at the end of Ramadan, and out of an abundance of caution, we’ve decided to extend closure of several embassies and consulates, including a small number of additional posts,” State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki said.
The unusual US decision to close its diplomatic missions en masse in the Middle East today was prompted by intercepts of high-ranking Al-Qaeda operatives signalling a major attack, US lawmakers said.
Lawmakers briefed on the intelligence called the threat reporting among the most serious they’ve seen in recent years, reminiscent of the intelligence chatter that preceded the September 11, 2001, attacks.
“There is a significant threat stream and we’re reacting to it,” General Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said in an interview with ABC.
A series of attacks across Iraq has killed 15 people, including a random shooting and the killing of a judge, authorities said.
Violence has been on the rise in Iraq all year, but the number of attacks against civilians and security forces has spiked during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, which began early last month.
The surge in the bloodshed is raising fears of a return to the widespread killing that pushed the country to the brink of civil war after the 2003 US-led invasion.
As the US temporarily closed its missions in Middle East and North African countries amid terror threats, a top US officer has said that Washington has intercepted al-Qaeda plot to target not only Americans, but also citizens from Western countries.
“There is a significant threat stream, and we’re reacting to it,” General Martin Dempsey, Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the ABC news.
“That part of it is unspecified. But the intent seems clear. The intent is to attack Western — not just the US – interests,” he said.
Iran’s new president has expressed his country’s support to Syria’s embattled leader Bashar Assad’s regime, saying no force in the world will be able to shake their decades-old alliance.
Hasan Rouhani’s comments came as Syrian troops and rebels fought some of the fiercest battles in the mountains of the coastal province of Latakia, an Assad stronghold.
Rouhani made the comments during a meeting in the Iranian capital of Tehran yesterday with Syrian Prime Minister Wael al-Halqi, Syria’s state news agency SANA said.
Syria’s crisis will only be solved by stamping out “terror”, President Bashar al-Assad has said, in reference to rebels fighting his regime.
In a rare speech on Syrian state television yesterday, Assad also dismissed the political opposition to his regime as a “failure” that could play no role in solving the country’s brutal war.
“No solution can be reached with terror except by striking it with an iron fist,” said Assad.
“I don’t think that any sane human being would think that terrorism can be dealt with via politics,” he added.
Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) leader Kalvakuntla Chandrashekar Rao (KCR) on Sunday asked the people of Andhra Pradesh not to create unnecessary misunderstandings, saying that he would clarify and discuss issues pertaining to the new state’s creation in the Telangana Bill. Earlier, in a controversial remark KCR had urged government employees, working in Telangana, but with their homes in Rayalaseema and the coastal areas of Andhra Pradesh to go back to their respective regions.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday criticized the Congress for not being able to politically engage with Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi which was the reason for the party not being able to take an internal decision on their Prime Ministerial candidate for the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. Speaking to media persons here today, BJP spokesperson Nirmala Sitaraman said that Congress’ repeated loses to their party in Gujarat has left the ruling party confused. “On the political stage, it is not clear how the Congress engages with Modi.
Close aide of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, Amit Shah has been admitted here in a private hospital after suffering from a viral infection.
Shah was admitted at the Care Institute of Medical Science (CIMS) on Friday with high fever and is being treated for pulmonary viral infection, hospital sources said today.
However, the BJP leaders’s health has improved significantly this morning, the sources said.