Boman Irani to be awarded at Bollywood Festival in Norway
Actor Boman Irani will be felicitated for his outstanding contribution to Indian cinema at 17th Bollywood Festival on Friday in Oslo, Norway. “I am thankful to everyone who has loved my work over the years and has contributed to my success,” he said. The actor will also participate in an interactive session with the audience.
Western firms didn’t see e-commerce gorilla coming: Reliance Brands CEO
Reliance Brands CEO Darshan Mehta has said that Western companies “overbuilt” their store estates and did not see the “e-commerce gorilla” coming. “Look around and you’ll always find many of them up for sale, whether it be in New York, London or Milan,” he added. The company, which recently bought Hamleys, is looking to buy fashion and child-focused retailers abroad.
H&M halts leather purchases from Brazil due to ‘severe’ Amazon fires
Fashion retailer H&M has stopped purchasing leather from Brazil for the time being due to “severe” fires in Amazon rainforest. This comes amid concerns that Brazil’s cattle industry contributed to deforestation of Amazon rainforest. “The ban will be active until there are credible assurance systems in place to verify that the leather does not contribute to environmental harm,” H&M said.
Australian journo mistakenly charged ₹50 lakh for a beer at UK hotel
An Australian journalist was mistakenly charged nearly ₹50 lakh for a beer in a Manchester hotel instead of ₹500. Peter Lalor said he used his Visa card to pay without putting on his reading glasses. He added the money left his bank account and was told it would take up to 10 business days for the refund to be processed.
Kiran Nagarkar, novelist and playwright, dies aged 77 in Mumbai
Novelist and playwright Kiran Nagarkar, known for his books ‘Cuckold’ and ‘Bedtime Story’, passed away at the age of 77 in Mumbai on Thursday. He had suffered brain hemorrhage earlier this week. Nagarkar wrote eight novels in English and Marathi. He had published his first novel, ‘Saat Sakkam Trechalis’ (Seven Sixes Are Forty Three), in Marathi in 1974.
Car owner wrongly fined ₹500 for not wearing helmet in Uttar Pradesh
A car owner was wrongly fined ₹500 for not wearing a helmet in Uttar Pradesh’s Bareilly. Responding to the issue, Bareilly Traffic Police said the challan was generated by the civil police. Superintendent of Police (Traffic) said the man must have been wrongly fined as seat belt and helmet options are closely placed on the challan machine.
5 institutes including BHU, IIT-Madras, DU get eminence tag
The HRD Ministry has awarded the Institution of Eminence (IoE) status to Delhi University, Banaras Hindu University, University of Hyderabad, IIT-Madras and IIT-Kharagpur. The decision was taken after a recommendation by the University Grants Commission. Letters of Intent for granting the IoE status were issued to five private universities including Vellore Institute of Technology in Tamil Nadu.
Goa govt mentions Parrikar as current CM in Teachers’ Day wishes
Goa government on Thursday released a media statement wishing people on Teachers’ Day and mentioned late Manohar Parrikar as the current Chief Minister. “Goa CM Manohar Parrikar has wished teaching class on 56th Teachers’ Day,” the statement read. The former CM passed away in March this year and was succeeded by Pramod Sawant.
Deepika turns showstopper for Abu Jani-Sandeep Khosla’s show
Wearing an embellished lehenga, actress Deepika Padukone turned showstopper for fashion designers Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla at a fashion show in Mumbai on Thursday. The show, which celebrated the duo’s 33 years of completion in the industry, witnessed Deepika dancing on the song ‘Disco Deewane’ with the designers.
Sunny Deol skips son’s trailer launch over Gurdaspur tragedy
Actor-politician BJP MP Sunny Deol on Thursday skipped the trailer launch of his son Karan Deol’s debut ‘Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas’ and instead chose to be in his Gurdaspur constituency following a blast at a firecracker factory in Batala. His father Dharmendra said, “He (Sunny) told me to take care of the launch event today, I said, I will.”
Britney Spears fearful of losing her sons’ custody: Reports
After Britney Spears’ ex-husband accused her father Jamie Spears of physically abusing their elder son, Britney is reportedly fearful that she might lose her sons’ custody as her dad acts as her conservator. As per a report, Britney feels that Jamie put her in jeopardy. “She was very upset with him and left with the boys,” the report further stated.
Ex-campaign staffer who said Trump forced a kiss drops lawsuit
A former campaign staffer for US President Donald Trump who accused him of forcibly kissing her in 2016 has dropped her lawsuit, saying it’s difficult to pursue “justice against a person with unlimited resources”. The lawsuit alleged that Trump leaned in so close that Alva Johnson felt his breath, adding she turned her head, trying to avoid a kiss.
I’d rather be dead in a ditch than delay Brexit: UK PM Johnson
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said he would “rather be dead in a ditch” than ask the European Union to delay Brexit beyond October 31. “It achieves absolutely nothing. What on earth is the point of further delay,” he added. However, Johnson declined to say if he would resign if a postponement had to happen.
Brazilian minister calls French First Lady ‘truly ugly’; apologises
Brazilian Economy Minister Paulo Guedes on Thursday called French First Lady Brigitte Macron “truly ugly”. This comes days after Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro appeared to endorse an attack on her appearance. “The President said it, it’s true…The woman is truly ugly,” Guedes said. An aide of Guedes later said the minister “asks for forgiveness for the joke he made today”.
Mother Dairy hikes cow milk prices by ₹2/litre in Delhi-NCR
Leading milk supplier Mother Dairy has increased the price of cow milk by ₹2 per litre in Delhi-NCR, with effect from Friday. The company said the price has been increased as it is paying more to farmers for procuring raw milk. “The prices as effective…are ₹23 for 500 ml pack and ₹44 for 1 litre pack,” an official stated.
KKR acquires Indian pre-school chain EuroKids International
US-based investment firm KKR has acquired a majority stake in Indian education services provider EuroKids International from an investor consortium led by Gaja Capital. EuroKids runs 1,115 pre-schools and 35 K-12 schools across five countries. The company will continue to be managed by its current team led by Co-Founder and Group CEO Prajodh Rajan, who will remain a shareholder.
Former Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe passes away aged 95
Former Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe has passed away at the age of 95 after battling ill health. Mugabe was ousted from power in a military coup in 2017, ending his 37-year reign. Mugabe, who was Zimbabwe’s first post-independence leader, had once declared that only god could remove him from office. Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa calling Mugabe “an icon of liberation”.
North Korea tells UN to cut international aid staff: Reports
North Korea has reportedly told the United Nations to cut the number of international staff it deploys in the country because the world body’s programmes have failed. “UN supported programmes failed to bring the results as desired due to the politicisation of UN assistance by hostile forces,” a North Korean official wrote to a top UN official.
PM urges nation to watch Chandrayaan-2’s landing, says he’s excited
Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to Twitter to urge the nation to watch Chandrayaan-2’s Moon landing, saying, “I am extremely excited to be at the ISRO Centre in Bengaluru to witness the extraordinary moment in the history of India’s space programme.” “I have been regularly and enthusiastically tracking all updates relating to Chandrayaan-2 since it was launched,” he added.
Things going as per plan: ISRO Chief ahead of Chandrayaan-2 landing
ISRO Chairman K Sivan on Friday, hours before India’s second Moon mission Chandrayaan-2 attempting the nation’s first-ever soft lunar landing, said, “We’re eagerly waiting for the event. Everything is going according to plan.” The Vikram Lander is scheduled to touchdown on the surface of Moon between 1:30 AM and 2:30 AM on Saturday. Chandrayaan-2 was launched on July 22.
Rajinikanth’s daughter’s bag, her husband’s passport stolen at UK airport
Rajinikanth’s daughter and filmmaker Soundarya and her husband Vishagan Vanangamudi’s luggage and his passport were recently stolen from Emirates chauffeur lounge at London’s Heathrow airport. In her tweet, Soundarya criticised the airline, saying she received an email from the authorities stating the CCTV cameras in the lounge were faulty and “didn’t record anything on the day of the theft”.
Masked man enters Russian Election Commission chief’s house; tasers her
A masked man broke into the home of Ella Pamfilova, the head of Russia’s Central Election Commission on Friday, and repeatedly tasered her, Russia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs said. The Ministry added that the man later fled. The attack happened two days before Russians vote in regional elections, including in Moscow.
It’ll be a problem if you give freebies: SC on AAP’s free Metro scheme
While hearing AAP-led Delhi government’s plea on Metro’s Phase IV expansion, the Supreme Court said, “If you allow people to travel free…give freebies, there’ll be a problem.” “On one hand it’s extending sops but in court, it wants direction to centre to bear 50% operational losses, if ever incurred,” the court said while talking about free rides for women scheme.
