Chennai, Aug 11 (IANS) Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK President M.K. Stalin has accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of converting the Election Commission of India (ECI) into a “poll-rigging machinery” and alleged that large-scale voter fraud had been committed in Karnataka’s Mahadevapura constituency. CM Stalin said on Monday that the incident was not an administrative lapse but a “calculated conspiracy” to subvert the people’s mandate.He pointed to evidence presented by Cong…

Amsterdam, Aug 11 (IANS) FC Barcelona wrapped up its preparations for the new La Liga season with a 5-0 home win over Italian side Como to take home Joan Gamper Trophy. The club has again faced a challenging summer, with ongoing financial issues affecting player registration in the first-team squad and renovation work on Camp Nou. As a result, Sunday’s traditional Joan Gamper game was played at the nearby Johan Cruyff Stadium, which has a capacity of 6,000, reports Xinhua.Those in attendance saw…

Mumbai, Aug 11 (IANS) Bollywood superstar Salman Khan, who made a surprise appearance at the kick-off for Season 3 of the World Padel League, humorously suggested creating his own leagues for classic childhood games like “hide and seek” and “Chor Police”. Speaking at the event, Salman, whose brother Sohail Khan owns a team at the World Padel League, said: “Main goti league kholunga, kanche, main gilly danda league kholunga is prakaar ke league khelunga, chain cook, hide and seek league, chor p…

Mumbai, Aug 11 (IANS) Filmmaker-actor Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani’s Excel Entertainment’s latest production Boon has been selected as the Spotlight Film of the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM) 2025. “Boong” marks the directorial debut of Lakshmipriya Devi, a seasoned industry professional who has previously worked as the first assistant director on acclaimed projects including Luck by Chance, Talaash, PK, and Mira Nair’s A Suitable Boy.Speaking on the selection, Festival …

Mumbai, Aug 11 (IANS) Actors Pratik Gandhi and Sunny Hinduja, who are gearing up for their upcoming series “Saare Jahan Se Acha”, are agreeing that it’s high time to celebrate spies as they and their families make immense sacrifices. With so many films and series being made on spies, is it finally time to celebrate those who work in the shadows, Pratik told IANS: “Absolutely, yes. We should celebrate them knowing one thing, that, you know, today we are in our houses, whatever that we are d…

Seoul, Aug 11 (IANS) Agriculture ministers of South Korea, China and Japan held a meeting on Monday to discuss food security, animal disease response, sustainable farming and other issues, ending a seven-year hiatus in the countries’ trilateral talks, Seoul’s agriculture ministry said.South Korean Agriculture Minister Song Mi-ryung met with her counterparts from China and Japan — Han Jun and Shinjiro Koizumi, respectively — in Incheon, about 30 kilometers west of Seoul, to resume the trilatera…

Seoul, Aug 11 (IANS) Customs authorities here said on Monday they have uncovered 19 companies accused of evading anti-dumping duties worth a combined 42.8 billion won ($30.8 million) while importing low-priced hot-rolled steel plates.The companies allegedly avoided paying duties by declaring their goods under product codes not subject to anti-dumping duties, according to the Korea Customs Service.Some also reportedly used the names of suppliers eligible for lower tariff rates without authorisati…

New Delhi, Aug 11 (IANS) Elon Musk-run electric car-maker Tesla was all set to enter the national capital on Monday with opening its second showroom in India.The US automaker was set to inaugurate its showroom in the upscale Worldmark 3 complex at Aerocity in the national capital.It will cater to customers in the national capital region — a key hub for India’s electric mobility push.Tesla’s India portfolio currently includes the Model Y electric SUV in two configurations. The standard Rear-Wh…

Mumbai, Aug 11 (IANS) Indian benchmark indices started the week higher on Monday, led by gains in the PSU bank stocks. The BSE Sensex advanced 122 points or 0.15 per cent to 79,980 while the Nifty 50 inched up to 24,405, up 42 points or 0.17 per cent. The Nifty Bank rose 0.34 per cent to 55,194.Broader market indices also saw buying activity, with the BSE SmallCap adding 0.16 per cent and the BSE MidCap climbing 0.19 per cent. Last week, the Nifty and Sensex fell by nearly one per cent each.“N…

Jerusalem, Aug 11 (IANS) The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) on Monday confirmed that a strike in Gaza killed Al Jazeera journalist Anas al-Sharif, alleging he was “the head of a terrorist cell in Hamas” and warning that “a press badge isn’t a shield for terrorism.”Al-Sharif was killed along with four of his colleagues — Ibrahim Zaher, Moamen Aliwa, and Mohammed Noufal.In a statement, the military stated, “Al-Sharif was the head of a Hamas terrorist cell and advanced rocket attacks on Israeli civil…