MUMBAI, AUG 15 (DNA) – Bollywood actor Anupam Kher to play former Indian Prime Minister (PM) Manmohan Singh in his upcoming movie based on Sanjay Baru’s controversial book. The actor said that his role in ‘The Accidental Prime Minister’ is very crucial and that he will fully try to do justice with it. Anupam said, “It’s too early to talk about it. We have not even finalised the script. They (the makers) wanted to announce the film, so we just worked on that. The shooting is in late December.”
End of an era as typewriting tests phased out in India
MUMBAI, AUG 10 (DNA) – The unmistakable chatter of typewriters outside courthouses and government offices will soon fall silent in India’s financial capital Mumbai as stenography colleges on Friday hold their final manual exams. The roughly 3,500 institutes teaching the antiquated ways of the typewriter across Maharastra state will be phased out as India pushes ahead with a drive to digitize the economy. “It is absolutely the end of an era as typewriters bite the dust due to technological innovation,” Ashok Abhyankar, who runs a shorthand and typewriting institute in Mumbai.
EU says Iran deal sound, all parties stick to terms
BRUSSELS, AUG 03 (DNA) – The European Union, which supervises the implementation of the landmark July 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers, says all parties to the agreement remain committed to its implementation. Catherine Ray, a spokeswoman for EU foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, said on Thursday that the EU was on the opinion that all the seven parties to the agreement had implemented their commitments and would do so in the future.
The buck should not stop here by Ansar Mahmood Bhatti
The apex court of Pakistan on July 28, 2017 finally announced the much-awaited and much-anticipated verdict in Panama case in which the court not only disqualified the sitting prime minister Nawaz Sharif but also ordered constitution of sixteen cases against him and his family members. The court also directed the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to file references within six weeks and the accountability court pronounces verdict/s within six months thereafter. Therefore, in the present circumstances future of the former prime minister and family appears quite bleak.
President Xi says China loves peace but can ‘defeat all invasions’
BEIJING, AUG 02 (DNA) – Chinese President Xi Jinping has asserted the government’s willingness to “defeat all invasions” despite its citizens loving peace. Speaking at a rally to mark the inaugural Army Day on the 90th anniversary of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) on Tuesday at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Xi reaffirmed the Communist Party’s leadership over the armed forces and its willingness to defend the country’s sovereignty. “The Chinese people love peace. We will never seek aggression or expansion, but we have the confidence to defeat all invasions,” said the president as quoted by China’s state.
Diana confessions set to air on British TV
LONDON, JUL 31 (DNA) – Footage of the late princess Diana pouring her heart out about her failed marriage with Prince Charles will air on British television for the first time, a channel confirmed Sunday. Ahead of the 20th anniversary of her death in a Paris car crash, Channel 4 will broadcast “Diana: In Her Own Words” on August 6, despite a report on Sunday that her brother Earl Charles Spencer is unhappy with the decision. The tapes show the late princess of Wales speaking frankly to her voice coach about her loveless marriage to the heir to the British throne and his affair with Camilla Parker Bowles, now his wife.
India world’s third largest meat exporter
LAHORE, JUL 31 (DNA) – India has become the third largest country in the world to export meat, according to a report published by Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation (OECD). OECD-FAO Agricultural Outlook 2017-2026 report reveals that India exported 1.56 million tonnes of beef last year “Its position as the third-largest beef exporter, accounting for 16 per cent of global exports in 2026” by exporting 1.93 tonnes that year.
Wheat worth US$ 967,000 exported in previous year
ISLAMABAD, JUL 29 (DNA) – As many as 3,676 metric tons of wheat worth US$ 967,000 exported during previous financial year (2016-17) as compared the exports of corresponding period of last year. Wheat exports from the country during 12 months of financial year, 2016-17 registered 512.3 percent increase as against the exports of 2015-16, according the data of Pakistan Bureau of Statistics. Wheat exports from the country during financial year 2015-16 was recorded at 450 metric tons valuing US$ 158,000, where as no quantity of wheat were exported in month of June, 2017.
Actor Jason Bateman gets Hollywood star
LOS ANGELES, JUL 27 (DNA) – Emmy-nominated actor Jason Bateman was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Wednesday, 30 years after breaking into the movies in “Teen Wolf Too.””Friends” star Jennifer Aniston, who appeared in five films with Bateman, and Will Arnett, his cast mate on television s “Arrested Development,” gave speeches paying tribute to his staying power. “I just simply feel very, very grateful and fortunate to have had a chance to hold my job in a business that s not known for its longevity,” said the 48-year-old actor.
Israel removes holy site metal detectors as Muslims continue boycott
JERUSALEM, JUL 26 (DNA) – Israel removed metal detectors from a highly sensitive Jerusalem holy site after their installation triggered deadly violence, but Muslim worshippers kept up a boycott, suspicious over what would come next. Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas said he would maintain a freeze on coordination with Israel despite the climbdown. Israel’s decision on Tuesday came in the face of intense international diplomacy seeking to prevent the dispute over the Haram al-Sharif mosque compound, known to Jews as the Temple Mount, from sparking wider Palestinian unrest.
