Ujjain, Aug 20 (IANS) Double Olympic medallist shooter Manu Bhaker fulfilled a long-standing personal wish on Thursday as she visited the Mahakaleshwar Temple in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh, to seek the blessings of Lord Shiva.Bhaker, who created history by becoming the first Indian athlete in the post-independence era to win two medals at a single edition of the Olympic Games in Paris , took time out from her schedule to offer prayers at one of the 12 revered Jyotirlingas.Expressing her joy after th…

Cincinnati, Aug 20 (IANS) Frances Tiafoe notched a milestone victory at the Cincinnati Open when he upset second seed Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-3, 6-4 to advance to his second Masters 1000 quarter-final of the season. Having also reached the last eight in Miami, it is the first time in his career that Tiafoe has reached multiple Masters 1000 quarter-finals in a single season.Tiafoe capitalised on Auger-Aliassime’s uncharacteristic lapses throughout the clash, with the Canadian committing 37 unforc…

Mumbai, Aug 20 (IANS) Known for belting out hits such as “It Wasn’t Me” and “Angel”, singer Shaggy traded the hustle and bustle for a peaceful day in the English countryside and enjoyed a classic cup of tea and freshly baked scones. Shaggy shared a video on Instagram, where he was seen sipping on some English tea and freshly baked scones.He was heard saying: “My English countryside style. This is British. Scones and tea. Flex it.”Shaggy wrote as the caption: “Day off in the Countryside of …

Chennai, Aug 20 (IANS) The makers of director K C Guru’s upcoming Tamil romantic entertainer ‘Lightweight, Baby!’, starring stand-up comedian Vikkals Vikram and fitness personality Arathy Krishna in the lead, have now released the first look poster of the film. Actor Vikkals Vikram, who plays the lead in the film, took to his Instagram page to share the first look poster released by the film’s makers. He wrote, “He holds on. Love? That’s the real workout. Presenting the First Look of LIGHTWEIG…

Mumbai, Aug 20 (IANS) Popular television actress Munmun Dutta expressed her happiness after visiting the iconic Empire State Building, which was lit up in the colours of the Indian tricolour and said she felt “on top of the world”. Munmun took to Instagram, where she shared a video of herself along with the entire cast of her show “Taarak Mehta Ka Oolta Chashma”. The team visited the Big Apple to celebrate India’s Independence Day. Sharing glimpses from the memorable experience, the ac…

Chennai, Aug 20 (IANS) Tamil actress Priya Bhavani Shankar, who plays the female lead in director Shiva Nirvana’s upcoming bilingual film ‘Irumudi’ which features actor Ravi Teja as the hero, has called the experience of working on the film, “a lovely journey”, and pointed out that by the time they wrapped up the film, she realised how much she had taken back from this journey beyond the film itself. Priya Bhavani Shankar plays Kaveri, a caring wife and doting mother, in a story that places …

New Delhi, Aug 20 (IANS) Shares of Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) — the country’s largest insurer — traded 1 per cent higher on Thursday after receiving approval from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to increase its stake in HDFC Bank to up to 9.99 per cent.In its regulatory filing, HDFC Bank said the RBI has approved LIC’s application to acquire up to 9.99 per cent of the bank’s paid-up share capital or voting rights.In addition, LIC currently holds 4.11 per cent of HDFC Bank’s tota…

Washington, Aug 20 (IANS) Four Republican lawmakers have asked the Justice Department and the State Department to investigate California’s climate agreements with Chinese government-linked bodies, alleging that the state may have intruded on federal foreign policy powers. Senators Rick Scott, Mike Lee and Marsha Blackburn, along with Representative Young Kim, made the request in a letter to Attorney General Todd Blanche and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.The lawmakers asked for a formal inquir…

Canberra, Aug 20 (IANS) Australian Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong said on Thursday that Australia is “outraged” over Israel’s decision to clear military personnel of criminal wrongdoing in a 2024 airstrike that killed an Australian aid worker in Gaza. Australian Zomi Frankcom was one of seven people who were killed when the World Central Kitchen convoy they were travelling in to deliver food in Gaza was targeted by an Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) airstrike on April 1, 2024.The IDF said on W…

Tokyo, Aug 20 (IANS) Black smoke was seen near the engine of an aircraft at Narita Airport near Tokyo on Thursday morning, causing the affected runway to be closed for inspection, a public broadcaster reported. According to public broadcaster NHK, at around 10:40 a.m. local time, the fire department received a report that something resembling black smoke could be seen coming from an aircraft engine at the airport.The report, citing police, said the aircraft was a Malaysia Airlines passenger plan…