Kichcha Sudeep rolls in customised vehicles for superhero movie ‘Vikrant Rona’

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Kichcha Sudeep rolls in customised vehicles for superhero movie ‘Vikrant Rona’

Kichcha Sudeep’s upcoming fantasy action-adventure ‘Vikrant Rona promises high-octane action and thrill to pan-India audiences. Mind-blowing visuals apart, specially designed vehicles are being used for the superhero movie.

The art department headed by production designer Shivakumar has come up with specially designed vehicles for the film. The bike, ‘Phantom’, that Vikrant Rona rides in the film was specially built for Kichcha Sudeep. The film’s audience will also get to see a specially designed red mini car and a bus designed in the 60s style.

Shivakumar J, the production designer who created the vehicles for the film said, “It was my director Anup Bhandari who came up with the idea of giving unique vehicles to the characters. The vehicles took one month and a half each to make.

“A normal jeep was altered to make it into a bus. The work happened in Bangalore but was taken to Pune for the shoot. All the meticulous planning and attention to detail paid off as people as I’ve been getting calls about where was the bus brought from.”

‘Vikrant Rona’ will be released worldwide in 3D on July 28. It also stars Jacqueline Fernandez, Nirup Bhandari, and Neetha Ashok.

Akshay, Samantha groove on ‘Oo Antava’ in ‘Koffee With Karan’

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Akshay, Samantha groove on ‘Oo Antava’ in ‘Koffee With Karan’

Stars Samantha Ruth Prabhu and Akshay Kumar, who will be seen on the upcoming episode of ‘Koffee With Karan’, grooved to the popular track ‘Oo Antava’ from the film ‘Pushpa: The Rise’.

A clip of the two dancing on the number, originally picturized on Samantha and Allu Arjun, was shared on the Instagram page of Disney+ Hotstar.

The two guest stars of filmmaker Karan Johar’s show were seen doing the hook step of the number, which was released on January 7 and currently has 272,289,880 views.

The caption of the video reads: “The cool and the killer raising the temperature in the house!”

The teaser of the third episode was unveiled on Tuesday. Akshay made his entry in true Khiladi fashion, carrying the show’s debutant Samantha in his arms. The episode marks his third appearance on the show.

The new episode of ‘Koffee with Karan’ Season 7 will drop on Disney+ Hotstar on Thursday at 7 p.m.

Madhavan’s ‘Rocketry’ to release on Prime Video on July 26

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Madhavan’s ‘Rocketry’ to release on Prime Video on July 26

After having a splendid run in theatres, actor Madhavan’s ‘Rocketry: The Nambi Effect’ will premiere on the OTT platform Amazon Prime Video on July 26.

Produced by Tricolour Films and Varghese Moolan Pictures, the film stars Madhavan in the lead and also marks his directorial debut. It also features Simran, and Ranjit Kapoor and includes a special cameo by Suriya. Prime members in India and across 240 countries and territories can stream the film starting July 26, 2022, in Tamil, along with Telugu, Malayalam, and the Kannada language dubs on the service.

Talking about the movie’s OTT premiere, Madhavan said: “It’s an incredible honor for me to be able to bring this story to life. I’m truly humbled by all the love that the movie has already received and am quite excited to see what new milestones hold next for our film with streaming.

“Essaying this role and helming this incredible story of Nambi sir was very crucial, and I’m glad that we will be able to reach many more households to inspire, enlighten and entertain through Amazon Prime Video.”

The biographical drama is based on the life of ISRO scientist Nambi Narayanan, who was framed for espionage and imprisoned in 1994. The film chronicles his achievements, his passion for the country’s space mission, his unmatched dedication, and the accusation that eventually became the biggest personal and professional setback of his life. It is an emotionally charged human narrative with an outstanding performance by actor-director R Madhavan.

Tamannaah-starrer ‘Babli Bouncer’ to release on Sep 23

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Tamannaah-starrer ‘Babli Bouncer’ to release on Sep 23

Actress Tamannaah Bhatia’s upcoming film ‘Babli Bouncer’, touted as a coming-of-age movie, is set to release on September 23.

The film will be released in Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu digitally on Disney+ Hotstar.

The actress took to Instagram, where she also shared the first look of her from the film. In one image, Tamannaah is seen in a bouncer avatar as she is wearing an all-black outfit and standing in front of a door with her arms crisscrossed.

“Oye bawale suna kya? Aa gaya hai Babli Bouncer ka time! Dilon ko yeh jodegi, ya khub hadiyaan todegi? Pata chalega jald hi!” she wrote as the caption.

The coming-of-age feel-good story with a slice-of-life comedic tone is set in the real ‘bouncer town’ of North India – Asola Fatehpur.

Produced by Star Studios and Junglee Pictures, ‘Babli Bouncer’ is directed by Madhur Bhandarkar and stars Tamannaah Bhatia in the lead along with Saurabh Shukla, Abhishek Bajaj, and Sahil Vaid in pivotal roles.

Priyanka won’t sing with Nick, but acting together on the cards

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Priyanka won’t sing with Nick, but acting together on the cards

Actress Priyanka Chopra Jonas, who recently celebrated her birthday, doesn’t want to share the mic with her husband Nick Jonas although she is a singer herself and has lent her voice to songs like ‘In My City and ‘Exotic’.

Priyanka is diversifying in other avenues as an entrepreneur, after setting up her New York City restaurant named ‘Sona’ and investing in home decor, the actress along with Nick has recently invested in a UK-based luxury fashion and sportswear brand specializing in ski and surf clothing, reports ‘Variety’.

While talking to ‘Variety’, the ‘Barfi’ actress mentioned, “I love working with Nick so you’ll see things happen as the years unfold. But I’ll never sing with him.”

When she was asked the reason behind her decision especially when she is a singer herself, PC responded by saying, “Not like him! No chance. He’s a musical prodigy.”

But, the actress assured me that someday they will share the screen. ‘Variety’ quoted her saying, “We’re definitely developing a bunch of TV and film stuff together.”

‘Harry Potter’ actress reveals Arnie broke wind in her face on sets

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‘Harry Potter’ actress reveals Arnie broke wind in her face on sets

Actress Miriam Margolyes, who played the role of Professor Sprout in the franchise film ‘Harry Potter’ wasn’t too pleased working with Arnold Schwarzenegger. The actress revealed this on the ‘I’ve Got News For You’ podcast, reports Variety.

Margolyes worked with Arnold on the 1999 supernatural action movie ‘End of Days’. Schwarzenegger allegedly farted on Margolyes’ face in between filming takes. According to ‘Variety’, Margolyes said Schwarzenegger “deliberately” did it and she still hasn’t forgiven him.

Quoted by ‘Variety’, Margolyes said of Schwarzenegger, “He’s a bit too full of himself and I don’t care for him at all. He’s a Republican, which I don’t like. He was actually quite rude. He farted in my face. Now, I fart, of course, I do — but I don’t fart in people’s faces. He did it deliberately, right in my face.”

“I was playing Satana’s sister and he was killing me, so he had me in a position where I couldn’t escape and was lying on the floor. And he just farted, Margolyes continued. “It wasn’t on film, it was in one of the pauses, but I haven’t forgiven him for it.”

‘End of Days’ was directed by Peter Hyams and starred Schwarzenegger as an ex-cop hunting for Satan before he can bring about the Antichrist. Margolyes appeared as one of Satan’s assistants in the movie. The cast also included Gabriel Byrne, Robin Tunney, Kevin Pollak, and Rod Steiger.

JLo’s mum believes Ben Affleck is singer’s ‘true love’

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JLo’s mum believes Ben Affleck is singer’s ‘true love’

Jennifer Lopez’s mother Guadalupe Rodriguez believes Hollywood star Ben Affleck is the singer’s, true love. The 76-year-old was said to have made the declaration by her friend Sunny Hostin.

During a roundtable talk on ‘The View’, Hostin, 53, said she’d talked to J-Lo’s mother about the star’s relationship with now-husband Ben Affleck, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

The show started with Whoopi Goldberg sending congratulations to Lopez and Affleck who tied the knot in Las Vegas on Saturday.

When Whoopi, 66, asked her co-hosts if they were surprised the couple, dubbed Bennifer, had got hitched, Hostin said not at all “because Ben is her true love”.

Sunny added: “I knew they would get back together. I knew that they were in love.

“I’ve spoken to her (Jennifer’s) mother, Lupe, about it. Lupe has always said that Ben is her true love, and we all have them, and I know this is going to last forever and that they’re going to live happily ever after, and that’s why she took his last name and she loves him.”

A witness at Jennifer and Ben’s wedding said they were emotional and tearful as they read vows at their wedding.

Kenosha Portis, who was working at the Little White Wedding Chapel when the couple said “I do” added ‘That Bennifer’ arrived just before they closed up.

She told Good Morning America: “It was so exciting. I mean, we were getting ready to close and we had a special guest arrive as a walk-in.

“I started shaking a little bit, you know, ‘Oh my God this is Jennifer Lopez we are getting ready to marry!’ As they were reading each other’s vows, they were very sweet, they both were emotional. They cried to each other. The kids were right there behind them.”

Reports said Jennifer, 52, walked down the aisle to ‘Here Comes the Bride’, played over the famous chapel’s Bluetooth speaker at the surprise, low-key ceremony.

Among the very few guests at the A-listers’ nuptials were said to be the singer’s 14-year-old twin girl Emme and one of 49-year-old ‘Batman’ actor Ben’s three children.

The pair are reportedly planning a second wedding at Ben’s home in Georgia.

Intruder from Pak crossed border with 11-inch knife to kill Nupur Sharma, say Raj cops

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Intruder from Pak crossed border with 11-inch knife to kill Nupur Sharma, say Raj cops

A Pakistani national, who was apprehended by the Border Security Force (BSF) from the Hindumal border in Rajasthan’s Srigangagar district, has confessed that he crossed the International Border aiming to kill Nupur Sharma for her remarks against Prophet Mohammad, confirmed police on Wednesday morning.

The Pakistan national, identified as Rizwan Ashraf, crossed the border on July 16 at around 11 p.m.

Many suspicious items have also been found in his possession, which includes an 11-inch sharp knife. A joint team of intelligence agencies Intelligence Bureau (IB), Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), and the Military Intelligence Agency interrogated him.

Sriganganagar Superintendent of Police Anand Sharma said that the accused spilled the beans after being strictly interrogated.

“The 24-year-old Pak national has been identified as Rizwan Ashraf and was found by a BSF team patrolling on the borders under suspicious circumstances. The accused was handed over to the Hindumalkot police,” he added.

Officials said that the suspect was roaming around the Hindu Malkot border fencing adjoining the Sriganganagar district at around 11 p.m. on July 16. The patrolling team got suspicious and questioned him, however, he failed to answer properly. On being thoroughly searched, two knives were found on him, one of them was 11-inch long. Apart from this, religious books, maps, clothes, and food items were also found.

During interrogation, the accused confirmed that he was a resident of Mandi Bahauddin city in northern Pakistan.

He told the officials that he crossed the border with the intention of killing Nupur Sharma. He was on his way to Ajmer Dargah before executing the conspiracy. The BSF handed over the accused to the local police. The police produced him in the local court, from where he was sent on remand for five days.

Over 2 lakh pilgrims perform Amarnath Yatra in 20 days

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Over 2 lakh pilgrims perform Amarnath Yatra in 20 days

Over 2 lakh pilgrims performed the Amarnath Yatra in 20 days as another batch of 4,355 pilgrims left Jammu for the Valley on Wednesday.

Officials of the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board (SASB) which manages the affairs of the annual pilgrimage to the Himalayan cave shrine situated 3,888 meters above sea level said, “Another batch of 4,355 pilgrims left Bhagwati Nagar base camp in Jammu in two escorted convoys for the Valley today (Wednesday). Of these, 1,846 Yatris are going to Baltal, and 2,509 are going to Pahalgam base camp.”

Since this year’s Yatra started on June 30, 2,07,679 pilgrims have performed the yatra while 13,226 paid obeisance at the cave shrine on Tuesday.

Those using the Baltal route have to trek 14 km to reach the cave shrine while those using the traditional Pahalgam route have to trek 48 km for 4 days to reach the cave shrine.

Helicopter services are also available on both routes for the pilgrims.

Amarnath Yatra 2022 started on June 30 and will end after 43 days on August 11 on Shravan Purnima coinciding with the Raksha Bandhan festival.

Frogs married in Gorakhpur to appease rain god

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Frogs married in Gorakhpur to appease rain god

A group of people organized a wedding of frogs to appease the rain god, Lord Indra.

The ‘wedding’ was held on Tuesday night with all rituals.

Radhakant Verma, who organized the event, said, “It is a time-tested belief that frog weddings are held to bring in rains. We have had a long dry spell and farmers, in particular, are upset over the delay in sowing paddy.”

The people at the wedding had a tough time keeping the frog couple in place and scores of people witnessed the event when all mantras and shlokas were chanted by a group of priests.

The guests were later treated to dinner by the organizers.

India committed to skill development among African youth: EAM

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India committed to skill development among African youth: EAM

India is committed to enhancing capacity building and skill development among African youth, External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar said on Tuesday.

“We are committed to enhancing capacity building and skill development among African youth. In this context, you would recall that we had announced 50,000 scholarships during IAFS-III in 2015, out of which more than 32,000 scholarship slots have already been utilised,” the minister said while addressing the 17th CII-EXIM Bank Conclave on India-Africa Growth Partnership.

The Minister noted that it is a matter of pride for India that several high-ranking leaders, ministers, and officials from Africa have studied in Indian universities and other institutions. Apart from these, a number of students and officials from Africa have also been trained under the ITEC programme.

“To provide high-quality virtual education and medical services to our partners, the e-VidyaBharti and e-ArogyaBharti networks were launched in 2019 for tele-education and telemedicine respectively,” Jaishankar said, adding that under these initiatives, youth from 19 African countries have enrolled for various degree and diploma courses.

“India has helped African countries to promote digital transformation through setting-up of IT Centres, Science and Technology Parks, and Entrepreneurship Development Centres (EDC).”

“I think there is ample scope in the sphere of technology, and with our emphasis on trust and transparency, India and Africa make natural partners,” the minister asserted.

75 years of Independence: 9 rly stations in NE to be illuminated

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75 years of Independence: 9 rly stations in NE to be illuminated

As part of the commemoration of 75 years of India’s Independence, the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) would illuminate the northeastern region’s nine railway stations, which are associated with freedom fighters, officials said here on Tuesday.

NFR Chief Public Relations Officer Sabyasachi De said that the nine railway stations, which would be illuminated, include, Gohpur, Raha, and Sibsagar Town in Assam, Agartala in Tripura, Jiribam in Manipur, Dimapur in Nagaland, Bhoirabi in Mizoram, Naharlagun in Arunachal Pradesh and Mendipathar in Meghalaya.

De said that to mark the 75 years of India’s independence, the Railways Ministry is celebrating the ‘Azadi Ki Rail Gadi Aur Station’ event for which 75 stations that are related to the freedom struggle have been selected across the country for decoration and 27 trains have been selected for spotlighting.

After ‘Samrat Prithviraj’ debut, Manushi Chhillar joins John Abraham for ‘Tehran’

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After ‘Samrat Prithviraj’ debut, Manushi Chhillar joins John Abraham for ‘Tehran’

Former beauty queen Manushi Chhillar, who made her Bollywood debut with the Akshay Kumar-starrer Prithviraj’, will be seen in an action avatar in the upcoming film ‘Tehran’ featuring John Abraham.

Manushi has joined John on location for the action thriller’s shoot.

Based on true events, ‘Tehran’ is reportedly a geo-political thriller revolving around the Russian-Ukrainian War.

A Maddock Films production in association with Bake My Cake Films, Tehran is directed by Arun Gopalan, written by Ritesh Shah and Ashish Prakash Verma, and produced by Dinesh Vijan, Shobhna Yadav, and Sandeep Leyzell.

John will also be seen sharing screen space with Deepika Padukone and Shah Rukh Khan in the upcoming movie ‘Pathaan’. Manushi has a film with Vicky Kaushal in the pipeline.

Mani Ratnam hospitalised, Covid suspected

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Mani Ratnam hospitalised, Covid suspected

Ace director Mani Ratnam on Tuesday was admitted to a private hospital in the city where he underwent a test for Covid. Sources close to the director said that the test results have not come out yet.

Talking to IANS, a source close to the director said: “He was running a temperature this morning and decided to get it checked and has therefore gone to a private hospital where he has been admitted. They are suspecting it to be Covid-19.”

The source said that the director, however, is feeling much better now than he did in the morning.

On the work front, the director’s upcoming film, ‘Ponniyin Selvan, has triggered huge interest among fans and film buffs. The film is based on the classic Tamil novel ‘Ponniyin Selvan by eminent writer Kalki.

The film has the best in business handling each of its departments. A. R. Rahman is scoring the music for this epic historical and the cinematography is by Ravi Varman. National Award-winning art director Thotta Tharani is in charge of production design while Mani Ratnam’s trusted editor Sreekar Prasad is handling its editing.

JLo, Ben Affleck set for bigger second wedding after Las Vegas ceremony

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JLo, Ben Affleck set for bigger second wedding after Las Vegas ceremony

Hollywood star couple Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck are said to be planning a bigger second wedding at the actor’s home in Georgia. After their low-key nuptials in Las Vegas, the happy couple is reported to be going to hold the ceremony and party with family and friends.

A source told People that the newlyweds “plan on having a bigger party so they can celebrate with family and friends.”

The insider added: “They don’t have a honeymoon planned yet. Jennifer says that every day with Ben is a honeymoon.”

“Ever since they started dating again, Jennifer has truly believed that this is it,” the so-called inside source went on. “She is looking forward to growing old with Ben. She is very happy and content with Ben. She couldn’t ask for anything else. She thinks it’s all perfect.”

Lopez’s closest family members include her 14-year-old twins Max and Emme, whom she shares with ex-husband Marc Anthony, as well as her mother Guadalupe, her father David, and her sisters Lynda and Leslie. Her closest celebrity friends include Leah Remini, Jane Fonda, and Renee Zellweger reports aceshowbzi.com.

Affleck’s family includes his three kids, 16-year-old Violet, 13-year-old Seraphina, and 10-year-old Samuel, with ex-wife Jennifer Garner.

He is close to his famous brother Casey Affleck and mother Chris, whereas his other famed pals likely to be invited to the second ceremony include Matt Damon and George Clooney.

According to TMZ, the second wedding will take place at 49-year-old Affleck’s home in the coastal town of Riceboro, Georgia, just outside Savannah. The two-story mansion has four bedrooms and four-and-a-half bathrooms, while there are two smaller properties on the grounds with additional bedrooms that could house guests.

The outlet added that the second ceremony will take place there in the next few weeks. It was also claimed that Lopez recently flew to the Georgia house to look it over and talk about the plans with her manager Benny Medina, who was said to have been on site with the singer.

After Covid hiatus, monkeypox fears haunt K’taka district

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After Covid hiatus, monkeypox fears haunt K’taka district

The authorities of Dakshina Kannada are on high alert after a resident of Kannur in Kerala, who landed at the Mangaluru International Airport of the district, tested positive for monkeypox.

Though experts say the spread of this disease is less, a ward with 10 beds in the Government Wenlock Hospital is being reserved for monkeypox patients in Mangaluru. The authorities have swung into action and all passengers arriving from overseas are being screened and subjected to tests.

A 31-year-old resident in Kerala from the Kannur district, who tested positive for monkeypox on Monday, had arrived from Dubai at the Mangaluru International Airport before leaving for Kannur on July 13. This is the second confirmed case of monkeypox in the country.

Following the development, six persons have been isolated and others are being monitored. No one has shown symptoms of the disease so far and all are being monitored, according to the district health authorities.

Dakshina Kannada authorities are keeping a vigil as two cases of monkeypox were confirmed in Kerala. During the Covid-19 second and third waves, this bordering district was sealed and movement of people from Kerala was restricted.

Recognising the best talent in food industry

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Recognising the best talent in food industry

The recently held India Food & Beverage Awards 2022 (IFBA), hosted by Godrej Vikhroli Cucina, a platform by Godrej Industries dedicated to food and culinary space, and the Food Bloggers Association of India (FBAI), at Nine Dine, Jio World Drive, Mumbai.

Chef Sanjeev Kapoor and Chef Ranveer Brar were awarded the people’s choice – Culinary Icons of the Year at the awards. Both experts were felicitated for their outstanding contribution to the food and culinary space.

Chef Sanjyot Keer, content creator and founder of Your Food Lab, was honored as the Social Media Star of the Year. Curly Tales’ Founder Kamiya Jani won two awards – Instagram Star of the Year and Travel YouTuber of the Year. Apart from these 58 winners were announced at IFBA 2022. This list includes chefs, restaurants, content creators, bloggers, media houses, communities, and TV personalities across India, who did commendable work in the year in the food space. They were recognized under 7 main award categories – Facebook, Instagram, Blog, YouTube, Media, Hospitality, and Celebrated Chefs. Furthermore, these awards were divided into 29 sub-categories.

Commenting on the initiative, Sujit Patil, Vice President and Head – Of corporate Brand and Communications, Godrej Industries Limited and Associate Companies, said, “Vikhroli Cucina is a first-of-its-kind brand agnostic platform by Godrej where brands operating in the food space, chefs, food bloggers, influencers and all food lovers engage and exchange ideas. We are very happy to associate with the Food Bloggers Association of India (FBAI) for the India Food & Beverage Awards 2022. The platform recognizes the best work done in the food space. We believe that this recognition of the best talent in the industry can lead to even better work and raise the stature of this great industry. We wish the winners a great journey ahead in the food and beverage ecosystem.”

Speaking about the awards, Sameer Malkani, Co-Founder, of the FBAI, said, “Unearthing new talent and encouraging entrepreneurship has always been one of the key objectives of #IFBA. The increase in the number of entries from across India showcases the need and interest levels for such recognitions. I would like to thank the participants, stakeholders, and our Jury, who have been very supportive of our Initiative and deserve a special mention along with our co-host Godrej Industries and its brands which always add value to #IFBA.”

(IANSlife can be contacted at ianslife@ians.in)

Schools in 2 UP districts closed in view of Kanwariya rush

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Schools in 2 UP districts closed in view of Kanwariya rush

The Uttar Pradesh government has directed the closure of all government and private schools from classes 1 to 8 every Monday for the month of ‘Shrawan’ in two districts of the state.

The order, effective from July 18, was passed by Basic Shiksha Adhikari (BSA) Lakhimpur Kheri.

Quoting the sub-divisional magistrate, BSA Laxmikant Pandey’s order stated that the closure was in view of the large crowds of devotees/kanwariyas expected to throng the pilgrimage of Gola Gokarannath on each Monday of Shravan.

The rush will also lead to traffic problems and difficulty in commuting.

As many as 82 teachers from government primary schools that will remain closed on all four Mondays have been asked to serve as volunteers and aid kanwariyas present at the famous Shiva temple in Gola Gokaranath from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m., the order said.

“Schools lying in the vicinity of 3 kilometers from the temple are closed due to excess rush of devotees. The decision is taken by the local administration to avoid any mishap. Barricading is done to manage the mammoth crowd. Even inter colleges in the Gola area are closed,” Pandey said.

In another order, all schools in the Meerut district have been closed in view of the mammoth crowd of kanwariyas.

BSA Meerut Yogendra Kumar said that based on directives from the district magistrate, all schools from classes 1 to 8 will remain closed from July 19 to 25.

All-party meeting on Sri Lankan crisis today

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All-party meeting on Sri Lankan crisis today

The Centre has called an all-party meeting on Tuesday on the Sri Lankan crisis which will be briefed by Minister of External Affairs S. Jaishankar,

India has maintained that it stands by the people of Sri Lanka.

The ministry of external affairs recently stated that it will continue to stand by the people of Sri Lanka and that it was in favor of a peaceful resolution of the ongoing crisis through democratic means and a constitutional framework.

India has been helping Sri Lanka with fuel and ration supplies. Last week, the MEA said India had committed $3.8 billion for Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka’s acting President Ranil Wickremesinghe declared a nationwide state of emergency with effect from Monday.

Amarnath Yatra touches 2L, over 15,000 have ‘darshan’ in one day

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Amarnath Yatra touches 2L, over 15,000 have ‘darshan’ in one day

Nearly two lakh pilgrims have performed the ongoing Amarnath Yatra.

Over 15,000 Yatris had ‘darshan’ at the cave shrine on Monday.

Officials of the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board (SASB) which manages the affairs of the annual Yatra said, “Since the Yatra started on June 30 this year, 1,99,453 have performed the Yatra.

“15,642 Yatris had Darshan at the holy cave yesterday”.

One pilgrim passed away on Monday taking the number of pilgrims who died due to natural causes so far to 32.

Officials said another batch of 4,898 pilgrims left Bhagwati Nagar base camp in Jammu for the Valley on Tuesday in two escorted convoys.

Of these, 3062 are going to Pahalgam while 1836 are going to Baltal.

Those using the Baltal route have to trek 14 km to reach the cave shrine. They return to the base camp the same day after having Darshan.

Those using the traditional Pahalgam route have to trek 48 km for four days to reach the cave shrine.

Helicopter services are available for the Yatris on both routes.

Situated 3,888 meters above sea level, the cave shrine houses an ice stalagmite structure that wanes and waxes with the phases of the moon.

Devotees believe that the ice stalagmite structure symbolizes the mythical powers of Lord Shiva.

Amarnath Yatra 2022 started on June 30 and will conclude after 43 days on August 11.

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