Shia LaBeouf joins cast of Francis Ford Coppola’s feature ‘Megalopolis’

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September 1, 2022

Hollywood actor Shia LaBeouf has joined the cast of Francis Ford Coppola’s upcoming USD 100 million epic feature ‘Megalopolis’. According to an entertainment website, earlier this month, reports surfaced indicating that the controversial actor was circling a leading role in Coppola’s passion project.

Now, with production slated to begin this fall, LaBeouf’s casting has been confirmed.

Also set to join the picture, which already boasts an all-star lineup including Adam Driver, Forest Whitaker, Nathalie Emmanuel, Jon Voight and Laurence Fishburne, are Talia Shire, Jason Schwartzman, Grace VanderWaal, Kathryn Hunter and James Remar.

The screenplay of this film was penned by Cappola in the 1980s. The plot has remained largely under wraps, with the story reportedly set in an alternate reality version of New York City dubbed ‘New Rome’.

However, the film’s official logline teases new details: “The fate of Rome haunts a modern world unable to solve its own social problems in this epic story of political ambition, genius and conflicted love.” LaBeouf’s casting comes after the star had been all but blacklisted from Hollywood after musician FKA Twigs, his former romantic partner, filed a lawsuit against him in 2020 for sexual battery, assault and infliction of emotional distress.

The lawsuit alleged multiple incidents of physical abuse during the couple’s one-year relationship in 2018 and 2019, with the musician claiming LaBeouf at one point nearly choked her to death. The lawsuit is yet to go to trial.

After the allegations broke, LaBeouf, who has a history of legal issues and arrests, issued an apology, eventually left his management agency and reportedly sought inpatient treatment.

Although LaBeouf hasn’t starred in a Hollywood film since, he is set to appear in Abel Ferrara’s ‘Padre Pio’, which will open at the Venice Film Festival’s Venice Days section later this summer.

The ‘Transformers’ actor recently denied director Olivia Wilde’s claim that he was fired from ‘Don’t Worry Darling’. “I quit your film because your actors and I couldn’t find time to rehearse,” LaBeouf said in an email he forwarded to Variety and claimed to have sent to Wilde, as per the outlet.

Taiwan shoots down ‘civilian drone’ off Chinese coast

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ANI

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September 1, 2022

Taiwan military on Thursday said it shot down an unidentified civilian drone, which had entered its airspace over the restricted waters of Shiyu Island, just off the Chinese coast in the early hours today.

“The Jinmen Defense Command of the Army stated that at 12:30 p.m. today (1), an unidentified civilian aerial camera was found to enter the airspace over the restricted waters of Shiyu Island,” according to the statement released by Taiwan’s Defence Ministry.

“The Ministry of Defense will continue to search, monitor, and monitor closely to maintain the security of the defence area,” the statement reads

A similar incident was reported on Tuesday where the Taiwanese military fired at a Chinese military drone after it entered the “restricted” air space over a Taiwanesecontrolled island.

Since mid-August, a number of civilian drones have been spotted flying over the outlying island of Kinmen, 180 kilometres from Taiwan’s main island but less than 10 kilometres from China. On one occasion, on August 16, two Taiwanese soldiers wearing masks reportedly threw rocks at a Chinese drone when it flew above their military post.

The Kinmen Defence Command said two other Chinese drones were detected at Little Kinmen island and nearby Lion islet on Saturday and Monday respectively. The one that passed over Lion islet at around 4 pm was flying very low, only 30 meters from the ground, it said.

China has increased its antics in the Taiwan Strait post since the visit of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Infuriated over US Senator Marsha Blackburn’s visit to Taiwan, China had last week commenced military drills in the seas and airspace around the self-governed island.

Asia Cup 2022: Virat Kohli was blown away by Suryakumar Yadav’s knock against Hong Kong

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ANI

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September 1, 2022

virat kohli and sky — image: Twitter @BCCI

Star Indian batter Virat Kohli said he was blown away by Suryakumar Yadav’s knock against Hong Kong on Wednesday.

Suryakumar Yadav’s blistering 68*, Virat Kohli’s 59* and Ravindra Jadeja’s quick fielding helped India secure direct qualification to the Super Four phase of the ongoing Asia Cup 2022 after beating Hong Kong by 40 runs here at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Wednesday.

“I enjoyed Suryakumar Yadav’s innings from the other end. He came and changed the momentum of the game on a pitch that was not as easy as he made it look. I was completely blown away,” said Kohli in a video posted by BCCI that also featured Suryakumar.

Suryakumar said that he enjoyed batting with Virat and needed the veteran to stay on the crease on the other end so as to express himself freely.

Questioned on his mindset in the innings by Virat, Suryakumar said, “When I was sitting inside, I and Rishabh were talking about how do we take this game further as the pitch was a bit slow. When I went to bat, I tried being myself, doing what I do, what I love doing. I was going for 3-4 boundaries in my first ten balls. When I got that, I just kept batting.”

Virat said that the quickfire 98-run stand between them in 42 balls was really nice for the team. Suryakumar Yadav had hit four sixes in the final over, asked if he thought of hitting six sixes and becoming the second Indian to do so after Yuvraj Singh, he quipped, “I was trying my best but let us not get past Yuvi pajji.”

Virat said he is looking forward to Surya playing such knocks for the Indian team. “If you stay in that zone, you can change the complexion of the game against any team in the world,” he added.

Virat said that his plan was extremely simple, to stabilise the innings and take risks when the opportunity arises by hitting some big shots.

“When you (Surya) were here, my role changed back to holding one end steady so that you could express yourself. I enjoy doing this, staying out there at the crease when I am set. I enjoyed my batting in my last game against a quality attack. I am happy that I got two innings where I enjoyed my batting. Numbers and milestones are not really relevant to me,” he added.

Coming to the match, put to bat first by Hong Kong, Team India posted 192/2 in their 20 overs. Virat Kohli showcased glimpses of his old self and hit 59* off 44 balls, decorated with a four and three massive sixes.

Then in the final few overs, Suryakumar Yadav exploded, smashing a brilliant 68* off 26 balls with six fours and six sixes. Pacer Ayush Shukla (1/29 in four overs) was Hong Kong’s bowlers’ pick.

Chasing 193, Hong Kong had posted 51/2 in their powerplay. Babar Hayat (41 off 35 balls) and Kinchit Shah (30 off 28 balls) played some solid knocks. But it was not enough to help Hong Kong shock the mighty Indians as they fell 40 runs short of a win.

They finished off their innings at 152/5 in their 20 overs. India earned direct qualification to the Super Four Phase of the tournament.

Ravindra Jadeja (1/15 in four overs) was the pick of the bowlers for India. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh and Avesh Khan also took a wicket each. Suryakumar Yadav was adjudged as ‘Man of the Match’ for his brilliant knock.

2023 Bengal panchayat polls will be ‘grand affair’: Jailed TMC leader

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PTI

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September 1, 2022

1082910 anubrata mondal — 2023 Bengal panchayat polls will be ‘grand affair’: Jailed TMC leader 6

Arrested Trinamool Congress leader Anubrata Mondal on Thursday asserted that the panchayat election next year will be a “grand affair” and urged supporters to work hard to ensure the party’s victory.

Mondal made the remark before reporters while being brought to Kolkata from Asansol for production before the MP/MLA Court in Bidhannagar in connection with the 2010 Mangalkot blast, in the charge-sheet of which the TMC Birbhum district president’s name features.

“The panchayat election will be a grand affair (byapok hobe). TMC supporters should work hard to ensure the party’s victory,” Mondal said before boarding a Kolkata-bound car from Asansol Correctional Home where he has been lodged in connection with an alleged cattle smuggling case.

Reacting to his statement, BJP leader Rahul Sinha said that though the “panchayat poll provides the TMC opportunity to mint money”, the forthcoming election will have to be fought without Mondal.

SpiceJet Nashik-bound flight turns midway to Delhi after ‘autopilot’ snag

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ANI

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September 1, 2022

Airline SpiceJet’s Boeing-737 on Thursday returned to Delhi after taking off from Indira Gandhi International Airport.

Reportedly, an aircraft VT-SLP of SpiceJet, that took off for Nashik in Maharashtra from New Delhi airport returned after experiencing a malfunction in the flight’s autopilot system informed the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) official.

“SpiceJet B737 aircraft VT-SLP, operating flight SG-8363 (Delhi-Nashik) on Thursday was involved in an air turnback due to an autopilot snag,” he said. However, all the passengers including the cabin crew are safe as the flight landed back safely at the airport.

“On September 1, 2022, SpiceJet B737 aircraft scheduled to operate from Delhi to Nashik returned to Delhi after the flight crew experienced a malfunction with the AutoPilot system.

The aircraft made a normal landing at Delhi and passengers disembarked normally,” said SpiceJet Spokesperson.

Meanwhile, SpiceJet has been going through a highly turbulent phase in recent times on account of several glitches and a non-adherence to mandated guidelines in regard to the training of some pilots.

It all started in April 2022 when the aviation watchdog the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) restrained 90 pilots of the airline from operating Boeing 737 Max aircraft, after finding they were not properly trained.

Those pilots were trained on a faulty simulator, and the aviation regulator asked the airline to retrain the pilots, besides slapping a fine of Rs 10 lakh.

Multiple incidents were reported this year when SpiceJet and other carrier’s aircraft either turned back to their originating station or continued landing at the destination with degraded safety margins

Karan Johar shocked after Tiger Shroff said Rekha played Big B’s mother in a film

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ANI

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September 1, 2022

Tiger Shroff and Karan Johar, Movie, Entertainment, Bollywood — Image: Instagram

No Koffee With Karan episode is complete without some celebrity goof-ups! The latest episode of the ongoing season saw actor Tiger Shroff making a hilarious blunder during a quiz segment on the show.

During the final game round, host Karan Johar asked Kriti and Tiger to name the actress who has played both megastar Amitabh Bachchan’s mother and lover on screen.

In a hurry, Tiger pressed the buzzer and answered uncertainly, “Rekha ma’am?”

Tiger’s response left Karan in shock. Replying to Tiger’s answer, Karan said, ” What? She never…played his mother” and then cited Waheeda Rahman and Rakhee as the correct answer.

Tiger lost the quiz round to Kriti. However, he won the famous rapid-fire round.

Tiger and Kriti made their Bollywood debut together with ‘Heropanti’ in 2014. The two are now all set to share screen space again with the film ‘Ganapath’, which is an action thriller film directed by Vikas Bahl. It also stars Amitabh Bachchan in a cameo appearance.

Casper Ruud, Holger Runne advanced to next round of US Open 2022.

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ANI

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September 1, 2022

Norway tennis player Casper Ruud advanced to the next round of the ongoing US Open after defeating Netherlands’ Tim van Rijthoven in their second-round match in the men’s singles category on Monday.

With this victory, Rudd continues marching towards the position of World Number one. He won the match by 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-4, 6-4. Rudd lost the first set to his Dutch opponent by losing in the tie-breaker.

However, he fought back his way into the game to win the second set 6-4 and make things even. The Norweigan continued to march with momentum found in the second set and won the next two sets to seal the game.

Rudd had earlier reached his first major final this year at Roland Garros. He saved six of seven breaks points and also remained unaffected by 52 winners, including 20 aces from van Rijthoven.

He will be playing Tommy Paul of America in the next round. Paul defeated compatriot Sebastian Korda by 6-0, 3-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 in their second-round match.

To have a chance of finishing at the top of the ATP Rankings, Rudd must make it to the final of the US Open.

On the other hand, Holger Runne of Denmark also advanced to the third round after his opponent via walkover, as his opponent John Isner of America pulled out of the match due to an injury.

Isner took to Twitter to make the announcement. “In my match yesterday I sustained a fall and subsequently fractured my left wrist. Extremely unfortunate and needless to say am pulling out of the tournament. See y’all in 2023,” he tweeted.

US Open started on August 29 and will go on till September 11, 2022.

Pakistan using narco-terrorism in its proxy war against India

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ANI

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September 1, 2022

pak — Pakistan using narco-terrorism in its proxy war against India 11

In order to target youths and channelling finance for Pakistan-backed terror activities, Islamabad is using narco-terrorism as a new weapon in its proxy war against India in the Kashmir valley. Ayjaz Wani, writing in Observer Research Foundation (ORF) reported that Kashmir has witnessed an alarming rise in narco-terrorism and the apathy shown by religious leaders has only added to the problem due to their silence over the issue.

Kashmir Valley has seen a 2,000 per cent rise in heroin abuse in the last five years. Pakistan has now resorted to infiltrating large amounts of narcotics in Kashmir with the help of drones.

Jammu and Kashmir police chief Dilbag Singh dubbed the narco-terrorism from Pakistan as “the biggest challenge”. For the last 30 years, Pakistan has succeeded in breaking down the traditional methods of informal control system by introducing contesting religious ideologies such as Jamat-i-Islami, Salafism, and Tableeg.

These contesting ideologies have silenced the sane voices within society, making traditional social mores and identities irrelevant. Subsequently, people’s affiliation with these ideologies has divided society at the community level, fuelling increased deviant behaviour among the youth.

This unchecked deviant behaviour has been primarily responsible for the widespread rise in radicalism, extremism, and now drug abuse, said Wani. Rather than seriously discussing drug abuse and the role of Pakistan during such religious gatherings, the mullahs and religious leaders have stuck to their own teachings rather than the Quranic teachings and prophetic sayings against drug abuse.

The mullahs affiliated with these contesting ideologies deliver sermons on Fridays and festive days in mosques.

While they remain deeply invoked to their doctrines and their discourses are taken very seriously, they have never spoken against drug abuse within the society.

Ultimate Kho Kho: Telugu Yoddhas, Gujarat Giants finish league stage with wins

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ANI

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September 1, 2022

Telugu Yoddhas and Gujarat Giants finished the league stage on a winning note in the inaugural edition of Ultimate Kho Kho at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex, Mahalunge, Pune, Maharashtra on Wednesday.

While Telugu Yoddhas notched-up an easy 65-36 win over Odisha Juggernauts, Gujarat Giants defeated Rajasthan Warriors by 47-42.

The Kho-Kho players also received special support from Team India batter Prithvi Shaw on Wednesday as the young India batsman watched the matches and enjoyed breathtaking action of Ultimate Kho Kho.

Wazir Abhinandhan Patil clinched eight points in Gujarat Giants’ victory.

??? ????? ??????, ????? ???? ??? ????? ????? ???????? ??? ?? ?????????@GujaratGiants become the table toppers at the end of the league stage?#UltimateKhoKho #IndiaMaarChalaang #AbKhoHoga #KhoKho pic.twitter.com/7DNGCuLBIY
— Ultimate Kho Kho (@ultimatekhokho) September 1, 2022

Skipper Majahar Jamadar put up an impressive show for Rajasthan Warriors with seven points.

With 12 points, Dhruv played a crucial role in Telugu Yoddhas’ win along with Dhanush KC, who scored eight points.

For Odisha Juggernauts, Aditya Kudale, Arjun Singh and Manoj Ghotekar claimed four points each.

Telugu Yoddhas started off the game aggressively against strong Odisha Juggernauts as they found themselves ahead in the game with a 28-26 lead at the end of the first innings.

Dhruv scored nine points by dismissing three players as Telugu Yoddhas added 27 more points to their tally to take the game away from Odisha Juggernauts.

Odisha Juggernauts tried making a comeback in the final turn but Sinam Rokeson Singh (4.01min), Thokchom Sadananda Meitei (2.59 min) and Sudershan (2.38 min) stood tall for Telugu Yoddhas in defence and helped their team complete an easy win in the end.

With 23 points, Gujarat Giants have qualified for the playoffs of India’s first-ever franchise-based Kho-Kho league, alongside Odisha Juggernauts (21pts), Telugu Yoddhas (19pts) and Chennai Quick Guns (15pts).

Playoffs will kickstart on Friday qualifier 1 and the eliminator while the qualifier 2 will take place on Saturday.

The Final will be played on Sunday.

Earlier in the first match of the day, Rajasthan Warriors presented some challenge for Gujarat Giants, who have already cemented their position in the Top-2 on the points table.

Rajasthan Warriors dismissed eight opposition defenders to take 20-2 lead in the opening turn but Gujarat Giants were successful to keep themselves ahead in the game with a narrow 23-22 lead at the innings break.

Sagar Potdar secured four bonus points for Gujarat Giants for his 3.21-minute defence, which restricted Rajasthan Warriors to just 18 points in the third turn.

However, Nilesh Patil provided Gujarat Giants a winning lead with less than two minutes left when he captured Yalla Satish with a skilled pole dive before they secured the match comfortably. Ultimate Kho Kho is promoted by Amit Burman in collaboration with the Kho Kho Federation of India.

Maharashtra soaks into Ganesh Chaturthi Utsav after two years of covid restrictions

By

Brena Soni

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September 1, 2022

Ganesh Utsav — Copyright : Afternoon Voice

The excitement of Ganesh Chaturthi was seen across Maharashtra as the Eknath Shinde-led government had announced a restriction-free festival, after two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, huge crowds are pouring across all pandals and also at Mumbai’s famous Lalbaughcha Raja.

This year the Lalbaughcha Raja idol is of 14-feet tall, higher than the previous year.

Most of the people standing in the queue had come from different parts of the city and nearby districts to seek the blessing of their favourite idol.

This year’s theme for the Lalbaugcha Raja is Ayodhya Ram temple, which is being built in Uttar Pradesh by the well-known artist Nitin Chandrakant Desai.

Apart from the Lalbaughcha Raja, another famous Mandal is the Mumbaicha Raja which has a Ganesh idol of 22-feet tall depicting Lord Vishwakarma and has a theme of Kaashi Vishwanath Mandir.

One of the karyakarta of Mumbaicha Raja said, “We are excited as we are celebrating the Ganeshotsav after two years as the festivities were suspended due to the pandemic. This year, we made the idol of Ganesha the avatar of Lord Vishwakarma. In the past two years, the world has seen a worse situation due to the pandemic.”

Karyakarta of Tejukaya Ganeshotsav Mandal which has an eco-friendly Ganesha idol this year said, “We made an eco-friendly murti this year by using a mixture of Shadu mati clay and paper. We are representing an environmentally friendly theme and the focus is to save the environment. Hence the idol is seen carrying the earth globe in one hand and a droplet of water in another hand.”

Karyakarta of Chinchpokalicha Chintamani said, “The Ganesh idol over here is named after Chintamani because it is believed that people who offer prayers over here can get upbeat ease on their life.”