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We are getting ready for it (2019 general elections) and it's true that we are ready already, Haasan said   Actor and Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) chief  Kamal Haasan  on Wednesday said that his party is ready for the 2019 general elections, but are not in a mindset to contest the forthcoming bye-election in Tamil Nadu. "We are getting ready for it (2019 general elections) and it's true that we are ready already," Haasan said at an event here. However, when asked whether his party will contest in the forthcoming bye-election in the state, Kamal replied, "We will teach a lesson to the government to tell them about their duties, but we are not in the mindset to contest it." Two Assembly seats - Thiruvarur and Thiruparankundram constituencies - have fallen vacant after the demise of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) chief M Karunanidhi and All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) leader A K Bose. A date for the bye-election is yet

Tollywood actor and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leader  Nandamuri Harikrishna succumbed to his injuries after he met with an accident in Telangana's Nalgonda district on Wednesday morning.   Harikrishna was the fourth son of late former Andhra Pradesh chief minister and TDP founder NT Rama Rao and brother-in-law of incumbent state Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu. Harikrishna had received multiple injuries. He died while undergoing treatment. According to the police, the accident took place at the Anaparthy highway, 100 km away from Hyderabad, when the former's parliamentarian's car turned turtle after the person on the driving seat lost control over the vehicle. In 2014, Harikrishna's son Janakiram also died in an accident near Nalgonda. Harikrishna is survived by his wife, daughter Sushasini and two sons Kalyan Ram and Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao, both are Tollywood actors. Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao also expressed grief

Realme 2 would sport a gradient design, similar to the first-generation device. However, compared to predecessor, it would feature a new format screen, better internals and an improved camera module   Realme, a sub-brand of Chinese smartphone manufacturer Oppo is launching the second iteration of its value-for-money smartphone in India today ( August 28). Named the  Realme 2 Price  , the smartphone would have a gradient design, similar to the first-generation device. However, compared to the predecessor, the upcoming smartphone will feature a new format screen, better internals and an improved camera module, according to a device listing page on the e-commerce platform Flipkart. The Realme 2 would sport a 6.2-inch HD+ resolution screen with a notch, accommodating a front camera, earpiece and sensors. On the back, the phone would get a dual camera module placed horizontally on top left centre, along with an LED flash. The back would also feature a fingerprint sensor, which

'Daddy's lil girl'  Priyanka Chopra  celebrated her late father Dr Ashok Chopra's birthday by stepping out for a dinner outing with mom Madhu Chopra.   The 36-year-old took to social media to share a picture, clicked by 'Dhadak' star Janhvi Kapoor, in which the mother-daughter duo can be seen cutting a piece of cake. Earlier in the day, the 'Quantico' star shared a short video clip with photographs of her father on social media and captioned the post: "Dad. You are so missed. Happy birthday. Always and forever." On the work front, Priyanka will next be seen in Hollywood movies 'Cowboy Ninja Viking' and 'Isn't it Romantic'; while in Bollywood, she will play a major role in Shonali Bose's 'The Sky is Pink'. The 'Mary Kom' actor recently made headlines for her engagement with American singer Nick Jonas.

Nayar died at around 12.30 am at a private hospital, his elder son Sudhir Nayar said Veteran  journalist Kuldip Nayar  passed away in New Delhi on Thursday, a member of his family said. He was 95. Nayyar died at around 12.30 am at a private hospital, his elder son Sudhir Nayar said. He is survived by his wife and two sons. Nayar started his career as an Urdu press reporter. He was editor of Delhi edition of English newspaper The Statesman. Nayar had served as High Commissioner of India to the United Kingdom (UK). He was also nominated as a member of the Upper House of Parliament in 1997. He was also the author of more than 15 books including, Beyond the Lines, Distant Neighbours: A Tale of the Subcontinent, India after Nehru. His last rites will be performed at Lodhi crematorium. Read Full Story →  Kuldeep Nayyar  

The instant messaging platform had earlier expressed inability in tracing the origin of messages citing privacy of consumers With the government threatening action against  WhatsApp  over spread of fake news, the chief executive officer (CEO) of the American messaging platform, Chris Daniels, flew down to New Delhi to fix things. Daniels, who took over as the boss of WhatsApp in May, on Tuesday told the government it would work out a technological solution to trace the origin of fake messages. The Facebook-owned firm, with more than 200 million active subscribers in India, also committed to complying with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) rules relating to local storage of financial data by having servers in India. Daniels, a Facebook insider known for running  Internet.org  at the California-based social media firm, has been firefighting with the Indian authorities over fake news soon after he was appointed as the WhatsApp boss. Following an exchange of letters with th

Virat Kohli hit his 23rd century and put 119-runs stand for 3rd wicket with Cheteshwar Pujara (72) to put India in a commanding position in 3rd Test On Day 3 of third Test of 5-match series, England were 23 for no loss in their second innings while chasing a mammoth 521 runs for victory against India at Trent Bridge in Nottingham on Monday. Courtesy skipper Virat Kohli's (103) 23rd century, his second ton of the series, India declared their second innings at 352 for seven, leaving the hosts an improbable victory target of 521 runs to chase with two full days play remaining in the match. At stumps, Keaton Jennings was batting on 13, while Alastair Cook was unbeaten on 9. Earlier, Indian captain  Virat Kohli  hit his 23rd century in post Tea session to put India in a commanding position. At tea India were 270/3, taking their overall lead to 438 runs against England at Trent Bridge in Nottingham. Kohli and Rahane (17) were at the crease when umpires dislodged the bai

The Oppo F9 Pro would features a water drop notch-based screen and gradient colour design. It would also feature the VOOC flash charge Oppo, a Chinese smartphone manufacturer, is gearing up for the launch of the  Oppo F9 Pro  today i.e. August 21. The smartphone would feature a tiny notch-based screen and gradient colour design, similar to the Realme 1. The phone would also feature the VOOC flash charge, an enhanced version of Oppo’s proprietary fast charge technology that can provide up to two hours of talk time in five-minute charge, the company’s claimed. OPPO F9 PRO FEATURES First introduced in the Oppo Find X Lamborghini edition, the VOOC charge is a fast charging technology that uses a low voltage and high amp configuration to transfer more power from charger to the device. The charger uses a standard configuration of 5V/4A to achieve a charging speed that are 4 times faster than conventional 5V/1A charging technology.  Read More  

Commercial flight operations from Naval airport at Kochi commenced today with the first Air India flight from Bengaluru arriving this morning Kerala floods  : The situation in the flood-ravaged state was gradually improving, even as some rainfall was forecast for the coastal state from Monday onwards. According to the Indian Meteorological Department, “heavy rainfall” is expected only in Kozhikode, Kannur and Idduki districts over the next four days. However, even as water recedes from major areas, authorities are gearing up to deal with the possible outbreak of water-borne and air-borne diseases. Commercial flight operations from the Naval airport at Kochi commenced today with the first Air India flight from Bengaluru arriving this morning. It is after 18 years that civilian flights are landing and taking off from the naval airport. The Indian Railways said that two special trains will be run on Monday from Thiruvananthapuram and Ernakulam to Kolkata and that the t

Actress Priyanka Chopra welcomed her American singer beau Nick Jonas and his parents, fuelling rumours that they will be reportedly formalising their relationship with an engagement party. Nick, dressed in an all-black attire with a gold chain, stepped out of the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport here late on Thursday night, flanked by his parents -- mother Denise and father Kevin Jonas Sr -- and a security entourage as the paparazzi welcomed him with loud cheers of "Welcome to India, Nick". Priyanka is reportedly going to host a party on Saturday when her family members, including her mother Madhu and brother Siddharth, will meet Nick's kin. As they made their exit, the Jonas patriarch had a big Tiffany & Co. bag in his hand. Tiffany is the jeweller that closed down its London store for Nick to buy an engagement ring for Priyanka, according to  PEOPLE.com | Celebrity News, Exclusives, Photos, and Videos . According to international media

Vajpayee is under the supervision of Dr Randeep Guleria, a pulmonologist and currently the Director of AIIMS. Guleria has served as personal physician to Vajpayee for over three decades Former prime minister  Atal Bihari Vajpayee  's condition continues to remain critical, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) said in a statement on Thursday. Vajpayee's health worsened on Wednesday and he is on life support system. "Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's condition continues to remain the same. He is critical and on life support systems," the statement by the hospital read. Senior BJP leaders Lal Krishna Advani, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, agriculture minister Radha Mohan Singh, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh paid visits to the AIIMS on Thursday to enquire about the health of the former prime minister. Earlier in the morning, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu visited AIIMS to enquire about the condition of Atal Bi

Ajit Wadekar is one of the only three cricketers who represented India as a captain, coach, and national selector. The other two players are Chandu Borde and Lala Amarnath Former Indian cricket team captain  Ajit Wadekar  , who led India to maiden Test series wins in England and West Indies, died at the age of 77, at the Jaslok Hospital in South Mumbai on Wednesday, after suffering prolonged illness. The aggressive batsman left an indelible mark on Indian cricket despite making a mere 37 Test appearances. He led India to triumphs in England and the West Indies in 1971. Wadekar also served as India's manager in the 1990s when Mohammed Azharuddin was the captain. He later went on to become the chairman of selectors as well. He is survived by his wife Rekha, two sons, and a daughter. Ajit Wadekar as Indian cricket captain in 1971 In 1971, Wadekar was appointed the captain of national cricket team after Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi opted out of the West Indies tour

Entertainment News  : After I saw Sharat Kataria's "Dum Laga Ke Haisha", I immediately sensed he was an important and portentous cinematic voice, meant to take our cinema far ahead. This time again in "Sui Dhaga" he weaves the dreams desires, destiny and doom of the small town working class community into a pastiche of struggle and hope. It is world lined with pain. But won't give up on laughter. In his directorial debut, Kataria took on body-shaming. His X-L sized heroine (Bhumi Padnekar) was at peace in her large body even when her husband was ashamed to be seen with a woman so overweight. This is Sharat Kataria's universe of heroes who don't emerge from the shadows to claim fame. They remain in the shadows and are happy to be recognized for their ambivalent pride and poorly defined dignity. In "Sui Dhaga" he takes on hierarchical humiliation with powerfully drawn characters who exude a sense of self worth in their state

The acquisition will also propel PVR to becoming the 7th largest cinema exhibitor in the world in terms of annual admissions at its theatres Multiplex chain PVR Ltd on Sunday announced the acquisition of South India-based SPI Cinemas Private Ltd, which has a presence in the key markets of Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, and Mumbai. In a cash-cum-stock deal, PVR will acquire 222,711 equity shares of SPI Cinemas, constituting 71.7 per cent of SPI, from existing shareholders for a total consideration of Rs 6.33 billion, and issue 1.6 million equity shares of PVR Limited, constituting 3.3 per cent of the diluted paid up equity share capital of PVR. At Rs 1,317.2 per share, this translates to Rs 2.1 billion, taking the deal value to just short of Rs 8.5 billion. EY India was the exclusive financial advisor on the transaction. PVR will be funding the cash transaction through a combination of internal accruals, new debt issuance, and a deferred cons

IPPB would become one of the largest banking networks in India. India Post has 154,000 post offices, of which 139,000 are in rural areas Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch  India Post Payments Bank  (IPPB) on August 21. The event will take place at the capital's Talkatora stadium. The bank is running pilot services in Raipur and Ranchi. It will tie up with other banks and financial companies to offer loans, mutual funds and insurance policies, said sources. The Department of Posts was one of the 11 entities to get the in-principle nod from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in 2015 for setting up a payments bank. Many private firms such as Airtel, Fino, Paytm, etc, have launched these services. But IPPB missed the September 2017 deadline to open 650 branches because it failed to get a system integrator (SI) on board. IPPB would become one of the largest banking networks in India. India Post has 154,000 post offices, of which 139,000 are in rural areas. The gove