jacqueline fernandez, tiger shroff, nathan jones...

MidWeek 13MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY

TUESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2012

MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY


SHOBHAA DE INVITES TROLL FORSINDHU COMMENTS ON TWITTER

Sunil Kataria, Business Head -India And SAARC, Godrej Consumer Products Ltd, actress Kareena Kapoor and Adhuna Bhabani, hairstylist and the co-host of Bblunt during the launch of Bblunt new at home hair color range Salon Secret in Mumbai (IANS).

WILL SRK BE NEXTSEEN OPPOSITE

KANGANA RANAUT?

JACQUELINE FERNANDEZ, TIGER SHROFF, NATHAN JONES AND CHOREOGRAPHER REMO D'SOUZA PAY OBEISANCE AT THE GOLDENTEMPLE TO PROMOTE THEIR UPCOMING FILM "A FLYING JATT" IN AMRITSAR (IANS).

BY NIVEDITA / MUMBAI, (IANS) She is one actress in Bollywood whosebox-office scorecard has not depended on the the male lead of her films,and her versatility has won her fans like megastar Amitabh Bachchanand superstar Aamir Khan. Now she is likely to star with Shah RukhKhan, but she says the project is at a very premature stage. Rumourshave been rife that Shah Rukh and Kangana are going to work in a SanjayLeela Bhansali film.Asked about it, Kangana told IANS: "Sanjay sir just spoke to me about thefilm, saying that he wants to make it with me and Shah Rukh sir. But it'sat a very premature stage. It's not that I am working with Shah Rukh sirtomorrow or something like that... So, yeah, like I said, it's at a verypremature stage."The actress was the showstopper for designer Tarun Tahiliani, who flaggedoff the Lakme Fashion Week (LFW) Winter/Festive 2016 on Tuesday nighthere. The five-day fashion gala begins from Wednesday at St. Regishere. The "Queen" of Bollywood feels fortunate to be a part of such gran-deur. "I think I am very fortunate because I get these opportunities. I aman actress and my film characters are usually not very fashion-inspired.As an artiste, I don't know where and how these opportunities just comemy way where I get to work with the finest artistes in the country and getto display or wear their designs and even get to see their collections,"said the National Award winner. She says these chances help her toknow more about fashion and understand it better. "I am an artiste and Ilove to be inspired. If I wasn't walking the ramp, I would never get exposed tothese collections. I am so busy that I can't participate in the whole fashion scenethat is going on in the country, but because I work with designers and theirshows, I get to know so much about them and the fashion industry," sheadded. On the big screen, Kangana will be next seen in a biopic on RaniLakshmibai, a character she feels inspired by in many ways.

NEW DELHI, (IANS) After Indian shuttler P.V. Sindhu prevailed overNozomi Okuhara of Japan to enter the final of the women's singlesevent at the Olympic Games, author Shobhaa De once again sparkedthe controversy by tweeting an irksome remark on the Hyderabadi.World No.10 Sindhu registered a 21-19, 21-10 triumph in the semi-finals over No.6 Okuhara on Thursday to become the first Indianshuttler to enter the final of the Olympics badminton. In the final, shewill face two-time reigning world champion Carolina Marin of Spain,who beat defending champion Li Xuerui of China 21-14, 21-16.After her selfie tweet on India's delegates to Rio, De's remark hasreally rubbed people the wrong way as she was criticised by the twitterusers. "PV SINDHU Silver Princess ?," De wrote on Thursday and soon shetried to salvage the situation by two new tweets. "Silver minted by Sindhu.Chandi ke baad Sona!!!" and the other "Go for gold, girl!!!"

She was criticised for belittling Sindhu's achievement and betrayinga defeatist mentality about Sindhu's chances against Marin in thefinal. "@DeShobhaa selfiee lete lete silver bh mil gya aur selfiee letelete gold bhi milega. #badminton #PVSindhu #gold #Rio2016#Olympics," a twitter user said on Friday."@DeShobhaa just shut up. She can win the gold as well," anotherTwitter user commented. "@DeShobhaa what a way to stay in thenews & relevant! Then blame haters by crying misogyny! You do somuch disservice to women, DUH princess." De had previously cour tedcontroversy by tweeting, "Goal of Team India at the Olympics: Riojao. Selfies lo. Khaali haat wapas aao. What a waste of money andoppor tunity." That brought a torrent of criticism on Shobhaa fromspor tspersons including 2008 Beijing Olympic gold medallist AbhinavBindra and others.

WON'T CAMOUFLAGE BABY BUMP ON SCREEN: KAREENAMUMBAI, (IANS) Actress Kareena Kapoor Khan, who is expecting her first child with Saif Ali Khan, says she won't camouflage herpregnancy on screen for any role. The mom-to-be said her pregnancy does not affect her hectic work schedule or her career."Well I will definitely go on with my normal life. I am a working woman and there is absolutely nothing wrong in that. I love my job andI'm passionate about my work. I have wanted to became an actress ever since I was in my mother's womb. So I will continue acting allmy life until I am 80," Kareena said here on Monday. The actress will begin shooting for Shashanka Ghosh's "Veere Di Wedding" inOctober. The film also stars Sonam Kapoor, Swara Bhaskar and Shikha Talsania."Whichever role I do, I am not going to camouflage it on screen. I am proud of this phase (being pregnant) that I am in and there is nothingto hide about it. Whichever film I choose to do you will see me the way I am. Right now, I am working on dates so it all depends on howI feel," she added. "Veere Di Wedding" is a romantic comedy about four women who embark on a trip from Delhi to Europe.

DEEPIKA PADUKONE FINDSSPOT IN WORLD'S HIGHEST

PAID ACTRESSES LISTLOS ANGELES, (IANS) Bollywood actress Deepika Padukone, whois set to make her Hollywood debut, has already landed a spot in alist of the world's highest paid actresses, with earnings of $10million. The list also features heavyweights like Hollywood starsJennifer Lawrence, Julia Roberts and Jennifer Aniston.Deepika, daughter of India's celebrated badminton player PrakashPadukone, is the only newcomer to the 'World's Highest-Paid Ac-tresses' ranking and is the only Indian star to make the cut. Shehas found the tenth spot in the list, which is topped by Lawrence.Of the 10 list members, 30 per cent, including Padukone, hail fromoutside the US. Chinese actress Fan Bingbing was also featured inthe list for the second consecutive year, while Charlize Theron, adual South African-American citizen, returned to the list for the firsttime since 2013, reported forbes.com.For the second year in a row, Lawrence became the world's high-est paid actress with $46 million earning while Melissa McCarthywas in the second spot by pocketing $33 million.Lawrence's impressive earnings consist largely of a profit slicefrom the big box office gross of her final “Hunger Games” instal-ment and a mammoth upfront fee for “Passengers”.As for Deepika, who will soon be making her Hollywood debutalong "Fast and Furious" star Vin Diesel in "xXx: Return of XanderCage", she earns far less than her Hollywood counterparts forroles, but compensates with over a dozen lucrative endorsements.The magazine also put the spotlight on the gender pay gap in theIndian film industry, stating that "though a top male star might earnclose to $5 million a movie, prominent Indian actresses rarelyclear $1 million a film", adding that "it's a discrepancy not uncom-mon in Hollywood". Other names to feature in the list include MilaKunis, Amy Adams and Scarlett Johansson.

14 MidWeek MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY

TUESDAY, AUGUST 23, 2016b o l l y w o o d

IS 'PINK' ABOUT RAPES?MUMBAI, (IANS) Megastar Amitabh Bachchan who will be seen play-ing a lawyer in Shoojit Sarkar's upcoming film 'Pink' said the film isnot about rape but the situations that exist today. "I think that the filmtalks about the current situation especially, for the younger genera-tion. The story is based in Delhi and I just want to make it clear thatPink isn't about rape but it is about circumstances that exist in the cityof Delhi and most par t of the country." He said at the 'Jeeney DeMujhe' song launch of the film."There are very strong statements you must have seen in that trial wehad in the trailer. It's just a glimpse, that what kind of language andthoughts that have been expressed. I want you to know that for mepersonally it is a film that I've great belief..."I hope after watching the film somewhere you will sit back and think...I always believe women in our country are half of the strength andthey must have their dignity in their walks of life," he said.About the first song of the film, the 'Piku' actor said, "Jeeney De Mujheis a song of liberation particularly for the young girls". Pink revolvesaround three girls who were trapped in a criminal case. They are triedin the cour t for an attempt to murder case and defaming some men.Piku, Madras Cafe and Vicky Donor famed director Shoojit Sarkarproduced the film and it is helmed by Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury.The crime thriller stars Amitabh Bachchan, Taapsee Pannu, Kir tiKulhari and Andrea Taring in lead roles and is scheduled to releaseon September 16.

IS SONAKSHI IN 'DABANGG 3'?MUMBAI, (IANS) Actor-director Arbaaz Khan has neither confirmednor denied repor ts of Sonakshi Sinha being par t of "Dabangg 3". Whilethere have been repor ts that Sonakshi will not be par t of the thirdinstalment of "Dabangg", Arbaaz says it's not completely true.When asked about the same, Arbaaz told IANS: "There is nothing likethat... The script is not ready. There will be changes in the film andthere could be an introduction of some actors." He said that it's "notcompletely true that Sonakshi is not going to be par t of 'Dabangg 3'"."It all depends on the script. You got to move on and make somethinginteresting for the audience," he added. Arbaaz feels that people "jumpto speculations and make it black and white. You have to be verycareful of how you don't lose the connect with the audience by nothaving Sonakshi and how you give something new to the audience,"he added. Sonakshi was launched in Bollywood with the blockbusterfilm "Dabangg" in 2010. The actress went on to be par t of "Dabangg2", which was directed by Arbaaz. "Dabangg 3" will go on floors byend of 2017.

Sidharth Malhotra and Katrina Kaif during promotion of their upcoming film Baar Baar Dekho in New York (IANS).

BEIIMAAN LOVE WILLESTABLISH SUNNY AS ACTOROF SUBSTANCE: DIRECTORNEW DELHI, (IANS) Debutant director Rajeev Chaudhari,who is gearing up for the release of the upcoming film"Beiimaan Love", says the movie will establish actressSunny Leone as a mainstream heroine. There were repor tsthat the "One Night Stand" actress will not be promoting"Beiimaan Love", which also stars Rajneesh Duggal andDaniel Weber.Asked if the repor ts are true, Chaudhari told IANS: "No,this is all rumours. In this film she has come outdifferent. She looks intelligent. This will be the filmwhere she will be known as an actor of substance...She will definitely promote this film.""She is a complete mainstream Bollywood heroin inthis film," he added. Talking about the censor board,Chaudhari believes that the level of scrutiny becomeshigher when it comes to a film starring Sunny. "Theproblem is the moment they come to know it's a SunnyLeone film they make the producers sit on the other sideand say 'Come on let me see what it is'," he said."The scrutiny level becomes higher because of all the lastfilms like 'One Night Stand' and 'Mastizaade' then we haveto give an explanation this is a class film, this film is forfamily and for everyone... I am sure they will probably giveus a U/A cer tificate," Chaudhari added. The film is about"today's women, who will not get trapped into emotionsand domestic life"."Beiimaan Love" is slated to release onSeptember 30.

TAAPSEE HAPPY WITH 'PINK'TRAILER RESPONSEMUMBAI, (IANS) Actress Taapsee Pannu says she isoverwhelmed with the appreciation the trailer of her film"Pink" has received. The trailer of "Pink" was launched onAugust 9 and iy has already crossed six million views onYouTube. "I am not in India right now to feel the buzz thatthe trailer has created but from what I get to know and seeonline, it seems we have struck all the right notes... Theappreciation is overwhelming," Taapsee said in a state-ment. "Pink" revolves around three girls who were trappedin a criminal case. They are tried in cour t for an attempt tomurder case and defaming some men. Helmed byAniruddha Roy Chowdhury, the film has been helmed by"Piku", "Madras Cafe" and "Vicky Donor" fame directorShoojit Sarkar. The crime thriller also stars AmitabhBachchan, Kir ti Kulhari and Andrea Tariang and is sched-uled to release on September 16.

RITIESH DESHMUKH FELL INLOVE WITH BANJO STORYLINEMUMBAI, (IANS) Actor-producer Ritiesh Deshmukh saidafter the narration of the script of his for thcoming movie"Banjo", that he fell in love with the story and thecharacter."While I was narrated the script I fell in love with thefilm's storyline and the character...You listen to thestory first then if the character is also good then itinterests us. Me and Ravi (Jadhav) both are goodfriends. After 'Balak-Palak', we wanted to work togetherand 'Banjo' script came to us. I am very happy to be apar t of this film," Ritiesh said at the launch of "Bappa"song from the film.Ritiesh who is playing a street musician in the film saidthe hero of the film is the composer Vishal Shekhar'smusic. "'Banjo' the name itself is that of a musicalinstrument. If music isn't good then the film fails. Thecomposers Vishal-Shekhar have done a wonder ful job.They are the backbone of the film," he said."Bappa has a very Mumbaiyya flavour, it also is a kindof street music. The song has an Indianness with a touch offusion. We hope audience likes the song," Ritiesh, 37, added.The Masti actor spoke about the very popular Banjo streetmusic of Mumbai, "Banjo music or Banjo parties alwayscatch your attention because of its strong beats. Ravi ji hasgifted me a Banjo which is my prized possession."Recipient of the National Film Award, Marathi film directorRavi Jadhav is best known for his works in "Natarang","Balak-Palak", "Timepass" among others. The movie, whichwill be released on August 19, marks the Hindi film debut ofRavi Jadhav. The film also features Nagis Fakhri who plays a DJ.Ritiesh was last seen in adult comedy film "Great GrandMasti".

'Happy Bhaag Jayegi' isabsolutely adorable: Dia MirzaMUMBAI, (IANS) Bollywood actress Dia Mirza was allpraise for "Happy Bhaag Jayegi" after the screening of thefilm here. "It's a happy and absolutely adorable film. Iloved it so much and I am sure the audience is going tolove it too. Diana (Penty), Abhay (Deol), Jimmy Shergill,Ali Fazal and the entire cast has been wonder ful," saidDia on the sidelines of screening.A special screening of "Haapy Bhaag Jayegi" was heldin Mumbai on Thursday and Bollywood celebrities likeRicha Chadha, Vicky Kaushal, Chunky Pandey, Kar tikAaryan and Zarine Khan along with producers KrishikaLulla and Anand L Rai attended the event.Lulla, who in collaboration with Anand L Rai has earlierproduced films like "Raanjhanaa" and "Tanu Weds Manu:Returns", said: "I am more nervous than excited aspeople's expectations have gone high. I hope we can keepup to their expectations. It is a simple sweet story. You canenjoy it with your family."

ABHAY DEOL, DIANA PENTY AND ALI FAZAL DURING A PROGRAMME ORGANISED TO PROMOTE THEIR FILM HAPPY BHAG JAYEGI INNEW DELHI (IANS).



MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY

TUESDAY, AUGUST 23, 2016 b o l l y w o o d

AUGUST 2016

MIDWEEK HIT OR FLOPRUSTOM SUPERHITMOHENJO DARO HITDISHOOM HITHAPPY BHAG JAYEGI HITBUDHIA SINGH - BORN TO RUN AVERAGE

MIDWEEK BOX OFFICERUSTOM 100 CR

MOHENJO DARO 100 CR

DISHOOM 72.52 CR

BUDHIA SINGH - BORN TO RUN 3.5 CR

HAPPY BHAG JAYEGI 10 CR

10songs

SONG

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FILM

FILM: SULTAN

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SAU TARAH KE DISHOOM

6 PACK BAND - RAULA PAYE GAYA SULTAN

JAANEMAN AAH (FILM VERSION) DISHOOM

TU HAI MOHENJO DARO440

440 VOLT - SALMAN VERSION SULTAN

DAMA DAMA DAM MADAARI

TOH DISHOOM DISHOOM

PYAR KI HOUSEFULL 3

DIN MEIN KARENGE JAGRATA FREAKY ALI

FILMMAKER ROHIT SHETTY, ACTORS RANVEER SINGH, TAMANNAAH BHATIA AND CHING`S SECRET FOUNDER AJAY GUPTA DURINGTHE PREMIERE OF AD FILM RANVEER CHING RETURNS: DESI CHINESE IN MUMBAI (IANS).

Who is 'dissatisfied' with scripts being offered to her?MUMBAI, (IANS) Dia Mirza is not so active any more as an actress. She says she is not happy with the sor t of scripts that are comingher way and is, therefore, busy producing the movies she believes in. Dia told IANS: "As a producer, I am very excited about some of thescripts that have come our way and we are looking forward to making these films. As an actor, I am dissatisfied. "But I am grateful that instead ofmoping about the lack of good opportunities to be in good films, I create opportunities by making the films I believe in." Dia believes there is a needfor India to have more theatres as she feels the lack of screens is a threat to the country's film industry. "Our biggest threat is the taxation policy as wellas the lack of a sufficient number of movie screens. Both the issues need to be addressed urgently. "The economics of making and releasing a film aregetting increasingly difficult, add to that the advent of access to digital content, and at large, producers/studios have their work cut out for them," saidthe former beauty queen. However, Dia is happy with growth in acceptance of regional cinema as well as English cinema in India. "Aslong as the screen count increases and better policies are ushered in for the movie industry, we will be able to celebrate the successof all stories that are well-told, irrespective of language," she said.

In India it's hard to dabble between TV, films: Prachi DesaiNEW DELHI, (IANS) She star ted her career in 2006 with the television show "Kasamh Se" and later made a transition to the film industryin 2008 with "Rock On!!". Actress Prachi Desai says for an ar tiste in India, it is difficult to juggle between TV and the silver screen."Unfor tunately, in Bollywood or in the Indian film industry you really don't have that liber ty of sor t of dabbling in the television industryas well as film industry if you are a mainstream actor, unlike the west. "Here, there is a drastic difference between films and televisionshows," Prachi told IANS over phone from Mumbai. The "Azhar" actress says people like to believe that TV shows are "extremelyrelatable", whereas films or film actors have to be "unattainable and aspiration. I don't see a match or a link between these two (filmsand TV), which is why in the Indian film industry we cannot really dabble with both," Prachi added.



Movie Review

CAST: ABHAY DEOL, DIANA PENTY, MOMAL

SHEIKH, ALI FAIZAL, JIMMY SHEIRGIL

DIRECTOR: MUDASSAR AZIZ

RATING: ***1/2

'HAPPY BHAAG JAYEGI'MAKES YOU HAPPY

Amitabh Bachchan during the song promotion of film Pink at Mithibai College Umang Festival 2016 in Mumbai (IANS).

FORTUNATE TO WORK WITHBAZMEE: BIG BMUMBAI, (IANS) MegastarAmitabh Bachchan, who willbe seen in "Aankhe 2" di-rected by Anees Bazmee,says he is excited to workwith Bazmee and creditshis "good for tune" forgetting to work with himfor the "very f irst t ime.Anees Bazmee will be direct-ing the fi lm ('Aankhen 2'). Ihave heard a lot about him. And thisis my good for tune that I get to work with him for the first time.So I am very excited," Amitabh said at the event. Talking aboutthe film, Big B, who essayed Vijay Singh Rajput in the 2002heist thriller drama film, said: "'Aankhe 2' will star t from wherethe first par t ended. The story is brand new with new wonder-ful and talented ar tistes."

Kunal Kapoor's transformationin 'Veeram'MUMBAI, (IANS) The makers of the upcoming film "Veeram"released the first poster and actor Kunal Kapoor looked everybit of a true and epic warrior in it. "Veeram" is an adaptation oflegendary poet Shakespear's classic "Macbeth". The postergives a glimpse of the bare back of the actor who dons theavatar of a warrior.The story is set in the Nor th Malabar area of Kerala. Directedby national award-winning film-maker Jayaraj Nair, the filmhas been co-produced by Chandramohan Pillai and PradeepRajan of Chandrakala Ar ts. "Veeram" is being made inMalayalam, Hindi and English.Set in 13th century Kerala, the film resuscitates the real lifecharacter made famous through folklore literature and songs.Action choreographer Allan Poppleton, who has worked onfilms such as "300", "Hunger Games" and "Avatar", has beenroped in to take care of the action sequences in the movie.Award-winning make-up ar tist Trefor Proud has also beenbrought on board.

Arijit Singh to recreate 'Aaj jaaneki zid na karo' for TV showMUMBAI, (IANS) Singer Ari j i tSingh, who star ted his jour-ney in the music industryfrom a reality TV show, hasbeen roped in to recreatethe popular song "Aajjaane ki zid na karo" forupcoming TV show"Naamkarann". Arijit andfi lmmaker Mahesh Bhatta re f amous fo r c rea t i ngmagic for their musical pieceson the big screen, and Bhatt has nowroped in the singer to get his musical exper tise on thesmall screen.Bhatt believes that Arijit, who has made a lasting impactin the industry by rendering songs like "Tum hi ho", "Sochna sake", "Kabhi jo baadal barse" and "Muskurane", willdo justice to the track. "This song has an echo of anothertime and another place, it brings back a thousand memo-ries of somebody whom I love and lost. For me, Arijit 'svoice depicts every emotions of enduring love," Bhatt saidin a statement.The show, which will soon air on Star Plus channel, re-volves around the life of a young girl Avni. The story-line of theshow is progressive and will be questioning the social stig-mas of the society. It will explore the journey of a 10-year-oldwho carves her own identity and takes charge of her owndestiny.

SUSHMITA SEN HAPPY FOR'AANKHEN' SEQUELMUMBAI, (IANS) Bollywoodactress and model SushmitaSen, who had played animpor tant par t in 2002-hit f i lm "Aankhen", ishappy that the sequel ofthe film is being made." I am just happy thatthere is a sequel beingmade because it is a bril-l i an t f i lm . The f i lm wasscripted from a famous Marathiplay. I am very excited to see the par t 2." Sen said at thefashion show where the actress walked as a showstopperfor designer Rebecca Dewan on Thursday.When asked if she was contacted for the sequel. "Well Ihave a very simple answer for that. My character ended inpar t 1, as she was dead. Therefore, if makers are makinga horror film then only I can reappear otherwise it's goingto be a little difficult. But I really feel bad for them, they aregonna miss me," quipped the actress.The former Miss Universe expressed her happiness overthe recent success of Indian athletes in Rio Olympics. "Towear India on your chest, to represent your country is afeeling that I have known. When I see someone else do it,I star t crying. It's just very emotional thing for me."The "Main Hoon Na" actress also feels that Bollywood ac-tress Priyanka Chopra has really made the country proud.Sushmita Sen was last seen in Bengali movie "Nirbaak"directed by "Rajkahini" famed director Srijit Mukherji. Srijitis currently making the Hindi remake of "RajKahini" withVidya Balan.

"Woh jo chahti hai kar ti hai," Abhay Deol playing a suave Pakistani politician's dissatisfied son trapped in a life he doesn't relish, says at some point about the protagonist.

Abhay has a complex role in a narrative that floats freely, gently andelegantly on the surface level. We know all along the complicationsin the plot -- including the heroine landing up accidentally in Lahorefrom Amritsar -- are going to iron themselves out magically. Yes, thisis that kind of a film where laughter can wipe out 69 years of bitter-ness between hostile neighbours.At least for a couple of hours. Yes,this is the kind of Utopian cinema where the entire city of Lahore,including benevolent auto-rickshaw drivers and a compassionatethough cranky cop (Piyush Mishra, brilliant), gets together to help anIndian damsel in distress.Happy is played by Diana Penty, and everyone from her doting fatherback home in Amritsar (played by Kanwaljeet Singh) to the Pakistanidiplomat's besotted son Bilal (Abhay Deol) adores her uncondition-ally, although she tends to create embarrassing havoc with her im-petuous self-asser tions wherever she goes.Undoubtedly, Happy is a direct descendent of Kareena Kapoor's Geetin Imtiaz Ali's "Jab We Met", except that this runaway bride fromPunjab lands up in Pakistan and providentially misses out on thehear tbreak and betrayal that Geet had to go through because of herself-willed behaviour.Happy is a Walt Disney heroine thrown into Ram Gopal Varma's ter-ritory. She is swathed in a kind of sanitised protective shield whichnever comes off even when thrown into potentially dangerous situa-tions. We are supposed to believe that the whole world loves Happyin spite of her awfully shrill self-centredness. In fact Deol's character'ssubtle attraction to the girl from across the border (who very oftenbehaves like a borderline case) echoes Shahid Kapoor's tender fond-ness for Kareena in "Jab We Met".But Happy loves the good-for-nothing Guddu (Ali Fazal) who is a singer

and a musician, though strangely none of the songs in the film'ssoundtrack belong to Guddu. In a beautifully crafted scene betweenGuddu and Bilal, Guddu, sensing Bilal's attraction for Happy com-pares her to Madhubala.Abhay as the reluctant Pakistani politician Bilal who longs to be acricketer plays off nicely against Ali Fazal's likeable loutish Guddu.Jimmy Sheirgil as the hoodwinked bridegroom whose dulhan runsaway from the mandap reprises his role from Aanand Rai's "TanuWeds Manu" but succeeds in giving his familiar character a novelspin specially when he bursts into Sunny Deol's two-left-feet Yaaraoh yaara dance at his own wedding.But the real scenestealer in "Happy Bhaag Jayegi" is the Pakistanistunner Momal Sheikh who plays Bilal's career-convenient but com-pletely devoted fiancée with such finesse and understanding! Youcan't take your eyes off this beautiful talented girl whenever she is onscreen. Momal is a prized find.While the film scores big with its ensemble cast, the narrative tendsto lose steam once in a while. Though some of the gags run on for toolong (and the sequence where Bilal's house-helps try to distract Bilal'sfiancee's father's attention is specially tedious) the narrative neverloses its satirical spirit.Surprisingly an element of gravity is introduced mid-way when thenarrative sneaks in a telling contrast in the relationships that Bilaland Guddu share with their respective life-mates. Director MudassarAziz explores the anatomy of commitment and honesty in a relation-ship without squandering away the spirit of satire that streams acrossthis endearing rom-com. He also makes gentle comments throughPiyush Mishra on how much of India and Pakistan is shared experi-ence. When Ali Fazal mentions Veer-Zaara to Piyush Mishra the lattersighs, "If only Yash Chopra belonged to Pakistan!" "Happy BhaagJayegi" keeps us smiling right through the film. And that's by no meansa minor achievement.

Thriller, horror has huge market in India: Gaurav AroraNEW DELHI, (IANS) Actor Gaurav Arora, who made his debut in the Hindifilm industry with the thriller "Love Games", is now geared up for the re-lease of "Raaz Reboot". He says the market is huge for thriller and horrorcontent in India. "I think thriller and horror has a huge market in India. Forinstance, 'Raaz' is a super successful franchise. Apar t from that, 'The Con-juring', 'The Conjuring 2' and 'Annabelle' have done really well here," Gauravtold IANS.However, the 26-year-old feels that most actors are not quite keen to dabblein the genres. "What I feel is we do have a huge market, but somewhere theactors are apprehensive to be a par t of such films... Though I considermyself to be very lucky to do a film like this," he added. Gaurav is himselfkeen to explore other genres as well."I would love to do an out-and-out love story or an action film," Gaurav said.Directed by Vikram Bhatt, "Raaz Reboot" is the four th instalment of the"Raaz" franchise and features Emraan with south Indian actress KritiKharbanda. The film has been shot in Romania. Produced by Vishesh Films,the film will release on September 16.

b o l l y w o o d



MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY

TUESDAY, AUGUST 23, 2016 i n d i a

General Accounting & Bookkeeping

Congress demands Modi apology, calls RSSBritish 'collaborators'; BJP hits back

ABVP ACTIVISTS STAGE A DEMONSTRATION AGAINST AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL INDIA IN BENGALURU (IANS).

NEW DELHI, (IANS) The Congress on Friday demanded an apologyfrom Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his remark that BJP leaderssuffered more after Independence "than what the Congress did underthe British", saying he had trivialised the freedom struggle. The Con-gress also attacked the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), say-ing it "was a non-par ticipant" in India's freedom struggle and had oncritical occasions suppor ted the British government as a "collabora-tor". "It does not behove the Prime Minister to lower the dignity of hisoffice by making a statement which is factually incorrect and insult tothe freedom fighters, and thousands of others who made manifoldsacrifices during India's national struggle," said senior Congressspokesperson and Deputy Leader of Opposition in the Rajya SabhaAnand Sharma."He has made a shocking comparison, trivialising the freedomstruggle, insulting our national heroes, for which he must not only

withdraw that shameful statement but also apologise," he added.Sharma said the BJP and the RSS were non-par ticipants in India'sfreedom struggle and on critical occasions suppor ted the British Gov-ernment and therefore, 'collaborator' is the correct word for them."They are the ideological descendants of those non-par ticipants andthose who opposed Mahatma Gandhi," said Sharma. The BJP on Fri-day hit back at the Congress for its criticism of Prime MinisterNarendra Modi's remark that BJP leaders suffered more after Inde-pendence "than what the Congress did under the British", saying hedid not intend to undermine the opposition par ty's role in the freedommovement. "The opposition par ty's objection to the Prime Minister'scomments is baseless. He did not intend to undermine the Congressrole in the freedom movement but only talked about the BJP's strugglesince the time of Jan Sangh," Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasadsaid at a press conference at par ty headquar ters here.

Jat agitation: Haryana government admits to rape incidentsCHANDIGARH, (IANS) After being in a denial mode earlier to later admitting a "possibility", the Haryana government on Friday told thePunjab and Haryana High Cour t that some rape incidents could have taken place near Mur thal town in Sonipat district during the Jatagitation in February this year. While admitting to molestation of women on National Highway No. 1 near Mur thal, the counsel for thegovernment told the cour t that investigations done by the state police into the incident indicated that rapes took place. The report of thespecial investigation team of Haryana Police was submitted to the cour t in a sealed cover.The counsel told the cour t that human semen was found from two women's undergarments recovered by police investigators from thespot where the alleged gang-rape took place. However, he said that a number of witnesses, to whom the SIT spoke to, had confirmedmolestation but no one had witnessed any rape.He said that no victim had come forward to record her statement. After outrightly denying any incidents of rape during the violent Jatagitation, the government in April had admitted that there could be a "possibility" that rapes happened. Submitting a repor t by way of anaffidavit filed by Inspector General of Police-South Range-cum-incharge, SIT, Mamta Singh, the state police has include Section 376-D(Rape) to FIR No. 118 registered on March 30 this year regarding the incidents along National Highway No. 1 near Mur thal.The section was included on the basis of the complaint of Delhi resident Bobby Joshi that women were allegedly sexually assaulted bythe agitationists. The state government said it had received anonymous letters alleging that the rapes took place.

AAP, Congress on Navjot Singh Sidhu

Congress demands apologyfrom Modi for 'trivialising'freedom struggleNEW DELHI, (IANS) The Congress on Friday demanded an apol-ogy from Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his remark that BJPleaders suffered more after Independence "than what Congress didunder the British", saying that he has trivialised the freedom struggle.The Congress also attacked the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh(RSS), saying that it "was a non-participant" in India's freedom struggleand had on critical occasions also supported the British governmentas a "collaborator". "It does not behove the Prime Minister to lowerthe dignity of his Office by making a statement which is factuallyincorrect and insult to the freedom fighters, and thousands of otherswho made manifold sacrifices during India's national struggle," saidsenior Congress spokesperson and Deputy Leader of Opposition inthe Rajya Sabha Anand Sharma. "He has made a shocking compari-son, trivialising the freedom struggle, insulting our National heroes forwhich he must not only withdraw that shameful statement but apologise,"he added. He said the BJP and RSS were non-participants in India'sfreedom struggle and on critical occasions supported the British Gov-ernment and therefore, the word 'collaborator', is the correct word forthem. "They are the ideological descendants of those non-partici-pants and those who opposed Mahatma Gandhi," said Sharma.

RAJNATH REVIEWS SECURITYSITUATION IN J&KNEW DELHI, (IANS) Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh onMonday reviewed the security situation in Jammu and Kash-mir as unrest continues in the Valley. The officials of varioussecurity agencies apprised the Home Minister on the prevail-ing situation in the Valley and steps taken to restore peace andcalm there, sources said. Kashmir Valley has been in turmoilever since Hizbul Mujahideen leader Burhan Wani was killedin an encounter by security forces on July 8. Over 65 people,including security personnel, have lost their lives and hun-dred others injured in the violence. Prime Minister Narendra Modiand Home Minister Rajnath Singh have appealed to people in the Valleyseveral time in the recent past to maintain peace and calm.


TUESDAY, AUGUST 23, 2016w o r l d

PEOPLE GATHER AT THE LOCAL BAZAR AFTER A TALIBAN ATTACK IN KHWAJA KHAR DISTRICT OF TAKHAR PROVINCE, AF-GHANISTAN (IANS).

Clinton e-mail scandal: FBIdiscovers 15,000 more e-mails

One killed in TV channel office attack in Pakistan

A RESIDENT THROWS BELONGINGS DAMAGED IN FLOODS IN BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA.SEVERE RAINS DEVASTATED THE AREA (IANS).

WASHINGTON, (IANS) The FBI has discovered almost 15,000unrevealed documents linked to the e-mail scandal surroundingDemocratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, US media reportssaid on Monday. The documents were found during the FBI investi-gation into Clinton's use of a private e-mail server while she wasSecretary of State between 2009 and 2013, Efe news reported.Some 30,000 documents linked to the scandal were already turnedover by Clinton's attorneys to the Depar tment of State in 2014. TheState Depar tment has promised to publish the documents and onMonday assured federal Judge James E. Boasberg, who is hearingthe case, that the depar tment is "giving priority" to reviewing thenew e-mail messages.However, it is still not known if the e-mails will be published beforethe Nov 8 election, in which the former first lady is contestingagainst Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump. The e-mailcontroversy erupted in early 2015, when US media revealed thatduring her four years heading the State Depar tment, Clinton alwaysused a personal -- and not an official -- account for her communica-tions, including a private server, Efe news added.Clinton acknowledged at the time that it would have been "smar ter"

to use an official account and handed over for publication 55,000pages of e-mails from her tenure at the State Depar tment, but thecase raised questions about whether classified governmentinformation was improperly handled on her personal account.The State Depar tment identified around 2,100 e-mails from Clinton'sserver as confidential, although it said that many of them were notconsidered classified at the time they were sent, but had beendesignated as such during the review.The scandal also brought accusations from Republican lawmakersabout Clinton's handling of the 2012 attack on the US Consulate inBenghazi, Libya, in which then-Ambassador Chris Stevens andthree other US government officials died.Several months ago, Clinton appeared before Congress for morethan 11 hours to explain what occurred during that attack, and inearly July the lawmakers' final repor t on the incident was madepublic, a repor t that concluded that no evidence incriminating herhad been found. Thus, later in July the FBI recommended to theDepar tment of Justice that no charges be filed against the Demo-cratic candidate after the e-mail investigation, and Attorney GeneralLoretta Lynch followed that advice and closed the case.

ISLAMABAD, (IANS) At least one person was killed and nineothers were injured in Pakistan's Karachi city after activistsattacked an office of a TV channel, police said. At least 2,000activists of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) stormed theoffice of ARY TV channel and nearby shops. The MQM blamedthe TV channel for not giving proper coverage to its anti-government hunger strike, Xinhua news agency repor ted onMonday. TV footage showed MQM angry workers entering theARY office and destroying equipments and furniture in its officein Karachi. The ARY Chief Executive Salman Iqbal said that theMQM workers fired inside its office located in Medina ShoppingMall. According to police officials, MQM par ty leader Altaf

Hussain instigated the incident after speaking to workers overphone from London. Hussain lives in self-imposed exile inBritain. The MQM is observing hunger strike against the arrestof its workers. Apar t from ARY, other TV channels Samaa andNeo were also attacked by the MQM workers. Police said thatseveral persons were arrested in connection with the firing inthe offices of the TV channels. Murad Ali Shah, Chief Minister ofSindh visited the ARY office and assured its workers that theculprits will not be spared. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharifstrongly condemned the attack on ARY, Samaa and Neo officesin Karachi. It is an attack on freedom of Press and expression,the Prime Minister said in a statement.

EUROPE NOT FINISHED AFTER BREXIT: RENZIVENTOTENE (ITALY), (IANS/AKI) The European Union is determined to go forward and "write a new chapter in our history" after Britain'sdramatic decision to leave the bloc, Italy's Prime Minister Matteo Renzi said on Monday. "Many people thought that Europe would befinished. But it's not so. We respect the British people's choice but we want to write a new chapter in our history," Renzi told journalists.He was giving a press conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and France's President Francois Hollande during a summitheld by the three leaders on the tiny island of Ventotene. "It is the moment to throw old baggage and get ready for new things," Renzi said,quoting Italian anti-fascist Altiero Spinelli, who is considered one of the founding fathers of European federalism.Earlier, Renzi Merkel and Hollande visited Spinelli's tomb on Ventotene. The choice of Ventotene for a mini-summit to discuss EuropeanUnion's future is seen as highly symbolic as Spinelli co-wrote a manifesto for a federation of European states while he was imprisonedon the island during World War II.

US DELEGATION INANKARA TO DISCUSSGULEN'S EXTRADITIONANKARA, (IANS) A US delegation of officials from theJustice and State Depar tment arrived in Ankara onMonday to discuss developments following the failedcoup, the local media repor ted. The four US officialswere expected to discuss with their Turkish counterpar tson Tuesday and Wednesday the extradition of FethullahGulen, who is believed to have masterminded the failedJuly 15 coup attempt, Xinhua news agency repor ted.Turkey Justice Ministry officials stated they would sharewith their US counterpar ts the extradition demanddocuments in addition to evidence indicating Gulen'sdirect involvement in the attempted coup. Turkey sent asecond request to the US for the arrest of FethullahGulen earlier in August.Tensions brewed after Ankara expressed its discontentover lack of suppor t from Washington in the wake of thefailed coup. Turkish Justice Minister Bekir Bozdagwarned that the relationship between both countriescould be negatively affected if Gulen was not extradited.However, the US insists that the cleric would only beextradited following legal procedures according to relevantlegislature and treaties.

Hasina cabinet okays lifeterm for dishonouring 1971War, BangabandhuDHAKA, (IANS) The Bangladesh cabinet on Mondayapproved a draft law with a provision of life imprison-ment and Taka 1 crore fine for dishonouring the 1971Liberation War or the nation's founder Sheikh MujiburRahman. The proposed Digital Security Act, 2016, lawstates that anyone spreading propaganda against theLiberation War or Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahmanusing digital devices will face the penalty, CabinetSecretary Md Shafiul Alam told journalists following thecabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister SheikhHasina.Alam also said that anybody making any distor tionabout the history of the Liberation War settled by cour twill face the same punishment, the Daily Star repor ted.The draft law has another provision that anybody tryingto illegally access any information site will face 14years' imprisonment or Taka 1 crore fine or both.Also, anyone committing forgery using any electronicdevice will be punished by up to Taka 3 lakh penalty andanyone using fake identity to threaten someone will beawarded 5 years' imprisonment or Taka 3 lakh fine orboth, according to the draf t law.If anyone tries to harm Bangladesh's stability and itslaw and order will face 5 years' imprisonment or Taka 3lakh penalty or both. Hur ting religious sentiment and actof defamation using electronic devices will be punishedwith two years' imprisonment or Taka 3 lakh fine orboth.Alam said, "The ICT Act (Information and CommunicationTechnology Act) is inadequate. But this new law is adetailed one. Once this law is passed, Sections 54, 55,56 and 57 of the ICT Act will be repealed,"bdnews24.com repor ted. "But the cases already initiatedunder the ICT Act will continue under that Act." In linewith the Digital Security Law, the government will alsoform a Digital Security Agency, Alam added.

Military court trial onBangkok shrine blast put offuntil SeptemberBANGKOK, (IANS) The first hearing at a Thai militarycour t of two suspects in last year's Bangkok shrinebombing that killed at least 22 persons was put off onTuesday. The military cour t ordered the postponement toSeptember 15 for the first hearing on the homicidecharges filed against the suspects, who had allegedlybombed Erawan shrine that also left 120 others injuredon August 17, 2015, Xinhua news agency repor ted. Thedefendants, who claimed to have been tor tured toconfess while being detained at an army prison, deniedall charges per taining to the blast. The duo was taken tothe military cour t on Tuesday, while 15 other suspectsstill remain at large.



MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY

TUESDAY, AUGUST 23, 2016 w o r l d

US VOTERS SCEPTICAL ON TRUMP,CLINTON PRESIDENCY: POLL

A CAR IS SEEN TRAPPED IN WATER UNDER AN OVERPASS IN HAIKOU, CAPITAL OF SOUTH CHINA'S HAINAN PROVINCE (IANS).

WASHINGTON, (IANS) Confidence in either US Republican presiden-tial nominee Donald Trump or his Democratic counterpar t HillaryClinton being a good president continues to remain low, as was thecase earlier this year, according to a poll.Just 27 per cent of registered voters think Trump would make a goodor great president, while 55 per cent say the bellicose New Yorkbillionaire developer would be either poor or terrible president, a PewResearch Center poll said on Thursday, Xinhua news agency repor ted.Opinions about Clinton are not as negative, but still only 31 per centregistered voters say Clinton would be a good or great president. Asmany as 45 per cent voters say Clinton would be a poor or terriblepresident.Also, the poll found that large shares of voters worry that there isdistinct possibility that if elected, either nominee would make a seri-ous mistake that would damage the country, with 55 per cent regis-tered voters saying that Trump has a "big chance" and 44 per centsaying the same about Clinton.Meanwhile, suppor ters of Trump and Clinton diverge on how their lifehas become and where the country is heading for. According to thenational poll, Trump suppor ters overwhelmingly believe that life inthe country is worse that it was half a century ago "for people likethem," with 81 per cent holding such opinion, compared with only 11per cent saying life has gone better.The majority of Clinton's suppor ters take the opposite view, with 59per cent of them saying that life for people like them "has gone better"

over the past five decades. About one in five Clinton' s suppor tersthink life has gotten worse and another 18 percent see little change.As to the future generation's prospects, most Trump backers are pes-simistic, with 68 per cent saying that life for their children will beworse than today. Clinton's suppor ters hold mixed expectations, with38 per cent being optimistic, compared with 30 per cent who say lifefor the next generation will be worse.

Khaleda Zia to demand scrapping of Rampal power plantDHAKA, (IANS) After its continuing criticism of theRampal power plant, being built jointly with India, theopposition Bangladesh Nationalist Par ty (BNP) plansto demand that Dhaka scrap the project. BNP chief andformer Bangladesh Prime Minister Khaleda Zia is tohold a press conference to demand scrapping of thecoal-based power plant, media repor ts said.The BNP has been alleging that the Sheikh Hasina gov-ernment is constructing the Rampal plant, located nearthe Sundarbans, for the interest of India despite know-ing that it is harmful to the mangrove forests. The par ty had held

protests against construction of the plant in July.The agreement was inked by India and Bangladesh onJuly 12 this year to construct a 1,320 megawatt coal-fired power plant near the Sundarbans, as par t of thebilateral cooperation that would mark the transition fromelectricity expor t to generation level.Bangladesh-India Friendship Power Company (Pvt)Limited (BIFPCL), the joint venture enterprise, inkedthe deal with Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL).India's Exim Bank is to provide $1.49 billion for the

project, scheduled to star t generating power in 2019.

Seoul will 'pay dearly' formilitary drill: PyongyangSEOUL, (IANS) Nor th Korea warned on Friday that South Koreawill pay dearly for its largest live-fire ar tillery drill on Thurs-day near the border, the media repor ted. The Kim Jong-unregime described the drill, which brought together 300 ar-til lery pieces from 49 battalions, as the largest shellingprovocation in history, EFE news quoted a statement assaying. "It is the first time that they mobilised a lot of ar til-lery units in all sectors of the front, not some corps or unitsin an area to stage such shelling drill," and "will have topay dearly for their reckless military provocations", it said.Nor th Korea accused its neighbour of aggravating the situ-ation on the Korean peninsula and leading it into its worstphase in history, ahead of Seoul and Washington's jointUlchi Freedom Guardian military drill. Pyongyang and Seoulremain technically at war since the Korean War (1950-53)ended with an armistice that was never replaced with a defini-tive peace treaty.

'RUSSIA NOT USING IRANIANAIRBASE ANYMORE'TEHRAN, (IANS) Iran said on Monday that Russia has stoppedusing its Hamedan air base for carrying out air strikes at IslamicState strongholds in Syria. "Russia neither has a military base inIran nor has it established one. It was the subject which is over fornow," Xinhua quoted Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman BahramQasemi as saying. The operations from Iran's air base started onAugust 16 as confirmed by the Russian Defence Ministry andIranian officials. Tehran may allow Russian fighters to use moreair bases of the country in the fight against terrorism in the region,Iranian Defence Minister Hossein Deqhan said on Saturday.

COURT SENDS DHAKA CAFEATTACK SUSPECT TO JAILDHAKA, (IANS) A Bangladeshi-British national, Hasnat RezaKarim, believed to be one of the masterminds of the deadly Dhakacafe terror attack which killed 20 persons, was sent to jail onMonday. Metropolitan Magistrate Ahsan Habib passed the orderafter police produced Hasnat, a former professor of North SouthUniversity, after the completion of his 16-day remand in two stintsbefore the court on Monday, the Daily Star reported.The court fixed August 24 for hearing a petition filed by Hasnat seek-ing bail. Earlier in the day, Masudur Rahman, deputy commissionerof Dhaka Metropolitan Police, told reporters that they would not seekfresh remand for Hasnat for the time being. "The information we gotfrom Hasnat during his two-term remand is being scrutinised,"Rahman said. If needed, the law enforcers will seek his remand inthe future, he added. Hasnat was one of the rescued hostages on theday of the attack. He was questioned over his militant connection.Police said that Hasnat had downloaded WICKR ME -- a securedprivate messenger -- on his phone minutes after the terror siege waslaunched at the Holey Ar tisan Bakery in Gulshan area of theBangladesh capital city. He was formally arrested on August 13.Also on August 13, another detainee, Tahmid Hasib Khan, wasalso taken on remand. Detectives interrogated Hasnat, his familyand other survivors after they were released minutes before thecommando operation on July 2. Even though others were released,Hasnat and Tahmid were kept in custody.

European leaders holdpreliminary meeting ahead ofEU summitROME, (IANS) French, German and Italian leaders on Mondaygathered on the Italian island of Ventotene for a preliminary meet-ing ahead of the European Union (EU) summit in September todiscuss counter-terrorism operations, immigration levels as wellas Britains's future exit from the EU. French President FrancoisHollande, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Italian PrimeMinister Matteo Renzi were scheduled to meet later on Mondayfor the meeting, Efe news reported. The last such meeting camefollowing the British electorate's decision to leave the bloc follow-ing a membership referendum on June 23. The meeting is toforeshadow the September 16th EU summit in Bratislava. Secu-rity measures are set to be high on the agenda in light of the recentterrorist attacks in France and Germany with proposals of deployableEuropean military units or the creation of a European border guards corpsis likely to be brought to the discussion table. It is expected that the leaderswill deliberate EU High Representative Federica Mogherini's draft"Global Strategy on Foreign and Security Policy for the EuropeanUnion." Renzi is also due to discuss his paper "Migration Com-pact", which calls for aid programmes in African countries with alarge migrant flow to Europe.

TURKEY WEDDING ATTACKVICTIMS MOSTLY CHILDREN,ERDOGAN BLAMES ISILANKARA, (IANS) More than half of at least 54 persons killed in anattack on a Kurdish wedding party in the southeastern Turkish cityof Gaziantep were children, Turkish officials indicated on Monday.Of the 69 people injured and taken to hospital following the attackon Saturday evening -- when a youth aged 12-14 years old deto-nated an explosive device he was wearing -- five remained criti-cal, Efe news reported.However, medical services were unable to save three, accordingto Turkish newspaper Cumhuriyet, which cited officials. Turkishauthorities have suggested that Islamic State was behind themassacre. Autopsies of 44 of the victims have been completed, ofwhom 29 were identified as minors aged 4- to 13-year-olds.Analysis of the security cameras in the street where the massa-cre took place showed that two people had accompanied thesuspect to the scene before quickly moving away, according toCNNTurk. The explosive device was made up of shrapnel, as inthe cases of recent IS attacks in Suruc and Ankara in July andOctober of 2015, respectively, authorities said.

Typhoon Mindulle passes throughTokyo, several injuredTOKYO, (IANS) Typhoon Mindulle on Monday left several persons injuredand caused significant interruptions in the transport network in and aroundTokyo, while 850,000 persons were asked to evacuate. Mindulle, the ninthtyphoon this season in the Pacific and classified as "strong", lashed the Japa-nese capital and its suburbs with winds of up to 180 kmph and caused heavyrainfall and landslides that paralysed key air and rail networks, Efe newsreported. The typhoon has left behind waterlogged streets and travellers trappedat airports and train stations owing to cancellations.The storm made land-fall around midday in the south of Chiba prefecture, to the east of Tokyo,where it left some 84,900 homes without electricity and 15 persons in-jured. Injuries were also reported from the prefectures of Kanagawa,Tokyo, Shizuoka, Gunma and Ibaraki. More than 500 domestic and inter-national flights to and from Tokyo's Haneda and Narita airports werecancelled and operations of over 100 trains in the region were suspended.

Modi inaugurates Stor Palace inKabul via video linkNEW DELHI, (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Afghan PresidentAshraf Ghani jointly inaugurated Kabul's Stor Palace via video conference andcalled the monument a "setting for many momentous historical events". "Theinauguration signalled and showed our joint commitment to strengthening thefoundations of modern Afghanistan. The India-Afghanistan-Iran transit corridoragreement that we signed in May this year was another land mark in ourpartnership," Modi said. "It manifested our clear and common determination tobuild new pathways for Afghanistan's economic progress and prosperity," hesaid. Modi also recalled the time when he inaugurated the Afghan Parliamenton December 25 last year. "The palace has been the setting for many momen-tous historical events. To those who cannot see beyond shadows of violence inAfghanistan, the restored Stor palace is a reminder of the glory ofAfghanistan's rich traditions," Modi said about the Stor Palace.

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