Rampur, Aug 19 (IANS) The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday carried out searches in Uttar Pradesh’s Rampur and Saharanpur and Delhi in connection with the jailed Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan, officials said. According to the ED officials, ten locations, including the Mohammad Ali Jauhar University and its trust, were searched as part of the case registered under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The raids are aimed at tracing proceeds of crime, along with digital evidenc…

Kolkata, Aug 19 (IANS) The West Bengal Police on Wednesday informed that the Special Task Force (STF) of the state police has arrested the third local associate of the Pakistani national, Wahab Alam, having links with Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), who was arrested earlier this month from Habra in North 24 Parganas district.The person arrested by the STF sleuths has been identified as Zafar Sams alias Sunny. An original resident of Topsia in East Kolkata, Sunny had been abscondin…

Cincinnati, Aug 19 (IANS) Aryna Sabalenka needed just 54 minutes to see off Wang Xinyu 6-1, 6-3 to ease into the fourth round of the Cincinnati OpenWith a win, Sabalenka has now reached the Round of 16 or better at 45 WTA 1000 events in her career. Her effort in Cincinnati pulls her ahead of Karolina Pliskova for most among active players.She now owns 50 career wins at WTA 1000 events as World No. 1. Sabalenka is one of three players to do that since the format’s introduction in 2009, along with…

Mumbai, Aug 19 (IANS) Singer-songwriter Shawn Mendes is celebrating a decade of his hit song ‘Mercy’ and also shared a glimpse of his live performance of the number from Montreal. Mendes took to Instagram, where he shared a video of his performance and wrote: “10 years of Mercy. Mercy (Live from Montreal) is out now!” “Mercy” was co-written by Mendes with Ilsey Juber, Danny Parker and Teddy Geiger, with the latter handling the song’s production with Jake Gosling. It was released on Augus…

Chennai, Aug 19 (IANS) Filmmaker Shiva Nirvana, who has now directed actor Ravi Teja’s upcoming film ‘Irumudi’, says that audiences will witness a Ravi Teja they have never seen before in the film. The director, who is best known for having made superhit films like ‘Ninnu Kori’, ‘Majili’, ‘Tuck Jagadish’ and ‘Kushi’, says, “When I began writing ‘Irumudi Kattu’, I wanted to tell a story that was deeply rooted in human emotions.”He goes on to add, “The Ayyappa backdrop is an important layer …

Mumbai, Aug 19 (IANS) Following the devastating earthquake in Colombia, Grammy-winning Shakira visited the schools in Quibdo that were damaged by the powerful shakes that struck the country on August 10. The star took to Instagram, where she shared a string of images and videos of herself visiting the schools that were damaged in Chocó and announced the first wave of relief and rebuilding efforts she plans to lead with the help of a foundation. She wrote as the caption: “Colombia is hurting, …

Seoul, Aug 19 (IANS) Hyundai Motor is expected to suffer cumulative production losses of more than 60,000 vehicles as its labour union steps up strike action amid stalled wage negotiations, industry sources said on Wednesday.The automaker’s union said it will stage four-hour partial strikes on Wednesday and Thursday, followed by an eight-hour full-scale strike on Friday, its first such walkout in 10 years.The union also plans to stage four-hour partial strikes next Monday and Tuesday, extending …

Mumbai, Aug 19 (IANS) Domestic equity market benchmarks opened on a flat note on Wednesday with crude oil prices surging to almost $92 and rising global bond yields dampening appetite for risk assets.Sensex opened at 77,218.05, down 17.41 points or 0.02 per cent, while Nifty started the session at 24,152.05, declining 2.85 points or 0.01 per cent.Sectorally, IT stocks led gains among sectoral indices in early trade with Nifty IT rising 0.82 per cent, while most other sectors remained subdued. Ni…

Chennai, Aug 19 (IANS) The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) has launched a citywide enumeration of street nameboards to identify and remove caste references from public places, in line with the Tamil Nadu government’s social justice initiative. Officials in all 15 Corporation zones have been directed to inspect street names and prepare detailed reports. So far, around 77 streets carrying caste-related names have been identified in the Kodambakkam, Valasaravakkam and Adyar zones. Reports from …

Satna, Aug 19 (IANS) Two youths have been arrested for allegedly raping a minor girl in Satna district of Madhya Pradesh after taking her to a secluded area on the pretext of giving her a motorcycle ride, police said on Wednesday. The incident was reported from the Nai Basti area under the Kolgawan police station limits. The police action followed a complaint lodged by the minor along with her family members.According to the police, the minor had come in contact with one of the accused, Sanju al…