Chennai, Aug 14 (IANS) Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin will boycott the ‘At Home’ reception hosted by Governor R.N. Ravi on Independence Day on Friday, in protest against what his government has described as the Raj Bhavan’s continued obstruction of welfare measures and governance.A statement issued by the state Information and Publicity Department also said that, on the Chief Minister’s advice, Higher Education Minister Govi Chezhian will also skip the convocation ceremonies of the Alag…

New Delhi, Aug 14 (IANS) Former India captain Mithali Raj believes a maiden ICC Women’s ODI World Cup title is within the current team’s reach if they are able to seize key moments during the tournament starting on September 30. India head into the eight-team showpiece event as one of the favourites to win the title, though seven-time champions Australia and four-time winners England remain as formidable challengers.“I think (India) needs to seize those small moments during the big games. Th…

Jalandhar (Punjab), Aug 14 (IANS) Hockey Chandigarh and Hockey Uttarakhand won their fixtures while Hockey Himachal and Jammu & Kashmir settled for a draw in their respective Division ‘B’ matches on Day 3 of the 15th Hockey India Junior Men National Championship here on Thursday.The day began with the Division ‘B’ match between Hockey Himachal and Jammu & Kashmir, which ended in a 5-5 draw as both sides shared a point. Captain Rajveer Singh (1′, 19′, 34′) was in scoring form for Jammu &a…

New Delhi, Aug 14 (IANS) After a highly competitive Test series against India, England have turned their focus to the Ashes tour of Australia later this year, with pacer Chris Woakes providing an encouraging update on his fitness.Woakes, who dislocated his shoulder while fielding in the fifth Test at The Oval in London earlier this month, said his rehabilitation is progressing faster than expected, boosting his chances of being fit in time for the high-profile series.“Certainly good news for m…

Mumbai,Aug 14(IANS) As ‘Sholay’, the biggest blockbuster of Indian cinema celebrates its Golden Jubilee, Abhishek Bachchan shared with IANS that he wishes to watch the iconic film on a 70 mm screen at the iconic Minerva theatre. The film features his father Amitabh Bachchan and mother Jaya Bachchan in the lead. When asked during an interview “Sholay will soon be completing 50 years. Have there been any conversations at the family dining table about the film? If so, which story or memory fr…

Chennai, Aug 14 (IANS) If sources in the industry are to be believed, actor Prithviraj Sukumaran, who plays the lead in director Vysakh’s eagerly awaited revenge thriller ‘Khalifa’, has completed shooting for his portions in the UK-schedule of the film and is likely to return to India shortly. Sources say that other members of the film’s unit are expected to return by August 16. They also claim that a major fight sequence was shot across several locations in the UK during this schedule.It may be…

Mumbai,Aug 14(IANS) As ‘Sholay’, the biggest blockbuster of Indian cinema celebrates its Golden Jubilee, Hema Malini shared with IANS that she wants to show the iconic film to her grandchildren. Hema Malini played the iconic role of Basanti in the film, a character which is remembered even today. When asked “We are talking about Sholay even after fifity years. You have grandchidren. Have they seen Sholay.?”Replying to this Hema Malini said “I don’t think so, but now that it has compl…

Mumbai, Aug 14 (IANS) Patanjali Foods Limited’s net profit for the first quarter of the current financial year (Q1 FY26) stood at Rs 180.35 crore, down 31 per cent year-on-year (YoY), according to an exchange filing on Thursday. The Baba Ramdev-led company had posted a net consolidated profit of Rs 262.72 crore in the same quarter a year ago.As per the filing, the FMCG sector’s firm profit declined over 49 per cent sequentially from Rs 358.51 crore in the preceding quarter.Meanwhile, the total i…

Islamabad: By the time Field Marshal Asim Munir’s original term as Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff ends in November 2025, the country may have endured one of the most corrosive, destabilising, and strategically disastrous chapters in its modern history. Whether he clings to power beyond that date — thanks to a conveniently crafted legislative amendment rammed through last year — will decide if Pakistan continues its freefall into unmasked military authoritarianism, thinly dressed up as “hybri…

Moscow/New Delhi, Aug 14 (IANS) Recognising that India-Russia strategic partnership is at a critical juncture, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin should follow more robust approach to further engagement between two nations in new avenues of cooperation, a report said on Thursday. Exploring new avenues of collaboration includes Artificial Intelligence (AI), a substitute for Western IT technologies, the Arctic region, Africa, and regional cooperation, which could fur…