"He Has Supported Me...": Rashmika On Rumoured Boyfriend Vijay

Rashmika Mandanna, who was rumoured to be engaged with co-star Vijay Devarakonda this month, talked about her equation with Vijay in a recent interview with We Are Yuvaa. Rashmika told We Are Yuvaa, "Viju and I sort of grew up together. So anything I do in my life right now, he has a contribution to it."  She added that she takes Vijay's advice seriously. "I take his advice in anything I do, I need his opinion. He's not a yes person. He's on point. This is good...this is not good...this is what I think...this is what I don't think. He has supported me personally more than anyone else in my entire life. So, I feel he's someone I really, really respect."

Earlier, Vijay Deverakonda addressed the rumours of his engagement to Rashmika in an interview with Lifestyle Asia. "I'm not getting engaged or married in February. It feels like the press just wants to get me married every two years. I hear this rumour every year. They're just walking around waiting to catch me and get me married," Vijay Deverakonda said.

The rumours started doing the rounds when a report by News18 Telugu stated that Vijay Deverakonda and Rashmika Mandanna were planning to make an announcement regarding their engagement in the second week of February.

Vijay Deverakonda and Rashmika Mandanna, who have worked together in films such as Geetha Govindam and Dear Comrade are rumoured to be dating. In April last year, when a report claimed that the actors were living together, the actress replied on X (earlier called Twitter), "Aiyoooo.. don't overthink it babu."

The actors have remained tight-lipped about their relationship so far. However, they often face questions about each other in shows or interviews. During the promotional events for Animal, Rashmika was on the set of Telugu star Nandamuri Balakrishna's talk show, Unstoppable with NBK 2. On the show, Rashmika was asked to choose between two posters - Vijay Deverakonda's Arjun Reddy and Animal featuring Ranbir Kapoor. When Rashmika was about to respond, Ranbir interjected, addressing Balakrishna, "Ask Rashmika, who is the better hero." Later, Rashmika was asked to call Vijay and put him on speaker.

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Raghav Chadha's Shout Out To Parineeti's Maiden Live Singing Performance

Raghav Chadha gave a roaring shout out to Parineeti Chopra who made her live singing debut at the Mumbai Festival 2024 a couple of days back. Raghav shared a few pictures from Parineeti's concert in which she can be seen singing on stage. The actor can be seen dressed in an all-black outfit. Raghav wrote in the caption, "My rock star, my nightingale, my own personal melody queen - as a trained classical singer with music in your soul-you breathe life into lyrics, Paru! I'm totally in awe (and so excited) as you finally step onto this new path you've been longing to tread since so long. Go ahead and rock the world, my girl! I'm always gonna be here; rooting for you and cheering you on." He added, "Finally the world will get to see the free concerts I get at home everyday. Haha." Parineeti replied to the post and she dropped a few kiss and shy emojis. Take a look at what Raghav Chadha posted:

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A post shared by Raghav Chadha (@raghavchadha88)

A day back, Parineeti shared a BTS video and revealed how Raghav called her to "calm her nerves" before performance. In the video, Parineeti can be heard saying, "Raghav has called me to ask my well-being". Raghav can be heard asking, "Are you excited?" To this, Parineeti replies, " No, I am not, dude." When Parineeti repeatedly says in the video, she is not "set" though the stage is set, Raghav can be heard saying, "The only thing I want to tell you is you have my blessing." After hearing this, Parineeti can be seen laughing out loud.

Parineeti wrote an extensive caption documenting "A day in the life of a debutante musician." She wrote, "1.⁠ ⁠Got a call from @raghavchadha88 to calm my nerves, and it really helped. 2.⁠ ⁠First time on-stage in-ear experience. 3.⁠ ⁠Nope, I was nervous..... and it was hot. 4.⁠ ⁠Can't stress on this enough, MUSIC lifts my mood like nothing else. Is that true for anybody else? 5.⁠ ⁠In a world full of trends, I love my pink fuzzy chappals / shoes. Comfort. 6.⁠ ⁠A bundle of nerves as we got into hair and makeup for the first show. 7.⁠ ⁠I believe in my comfortable chappal shoes, I guess not everyone did. 8.⁠ ⁠Right before we walked on stage.  Take a look at Parineeti's post here:

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A post shared by @parineetichopra

Parineeti shared a few glimpses from her debut stage performance as well. She wrote about her feelings and summed it up with these words, "Andddd it's done....I have tears of joy as I type this: MY FIRST EVER LIVE SINGING PERFORMANCE was last night and it was everythinggg I could wish for and more. Thank you all for the love and kindness you all have shown. It means a lot to me." Take a look:

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A post shared by @parineetichopra

Parineeti Chopra made her playback debut in Meri Pyaari Bindu with the song Maana Ke Hum Yaar Nahin. Later she sang Teri Mitti for Kesari and Matlabi Yariyan for The Girl On The Train. Parineeti specially recorded a song for her wedding, titled O Piya.

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"Mother, Don't Get Shot": People Run To Safety Amid Fresh Manipur Violence

Visuals of the aftermath of a gunfight between two armed groups on a hill in Manipur have been shared widely on social media. Sources in the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) in the state capital Imphal said they have received two bodies, and the number of deaths could rise. The Manipur Police in a post on X later confirmed two deaths.

The gunfight broke out on a hill covered with dry, winter shrubs in Koutruk, a village that lies in the foothills about 20 km from Imphal.

In one of the videos that has gone viral, a group of people were seen running for cover on a road in the village. Though no sound of gunfire is heard, the people are heard asking each other to move away from the foothills.

"Ima (mother), don't get shot, please hurry," a man is heard telling some elderly women. "Bullets are raining in Koutruk," the man said, before gesturing to them to move away.

In another video, a group of armed men were seen burning sleeping bags and blankets on a hill, which likely belonged to the people who were killed. Food packets, biscuits, etc were strewn around.

The armed men in olive green battledress fired several shots from assault rifles and yelled in the general direction of the village below. They shouted a stream of expletives on the Chief Minister.

M Barish Sharma, the former state chief of the BJP's youth wing Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM), has been hospitalised with a bullet injury on the chest. He was brought to the hospital from Kangpokpi, 45 km from Imphal.

The ethnic violence in Manipur between the hill-majority Kuki-Zo tribes and the valley-majority Meiteis over disagreements on land, resources, political representation, and affirmative action policies has dragged on for nearly nine months now.

With the two communities sharply divided on ethnic lines, the Centre has enforced some semblance of a "buffer" zone between the hill areas where the Kuki-Zo tribes live, and Imphal valley.

The Kuki-Zo tribes say their "village defence volunteers" have been repelling attacks by armed groups from the valley, who come to the hills across the "buffer zone" with obvious intentions.

The Meiteis, however, maintain all fertile agricultural lands in the foothills are under the range of the "so-called Kuki-Zo volunteers", who allegedly have been shooting at farmers to prevent them from harvesting. Four civilians - including a father and a son - from the valley who had gone to collect firewood on a hill near Bishnupur district were allegedly tortured and killed by suspected insurgents on January 11.

A similarity between the village defence volunteers of both sides is that they appear to be well-armed and well-equipped with modern battle gear. The security forces have frequently recovered Russian-origin AK and US-origin M series assault rifles, and gun models commonly used by both the junta's army and pro-democracy insurgents in neighbouring Myanmar.

The Kuki-Zo tribes, who have 10 MLAs in the 60-member Manipur assembly, have been demanding a separate administration carved out of Manipur since violence broke out in May 2023. They have cited complete breakdown of trust between them and the Meiteis as one of the key reasons behind their push for a separate administration. Over 180 have died in the violence, and thousands have been internally displaced.

For a long time, however, Kuki insurgent groups have been working for separation from Manipur. At least 25 Kuki insurgent groups have signed the tripartite suspension of operations (SoO) agreement with the Centre and the state.

Under the SoO agreement, the insurgents are housed in designated camps. There have been allegations that full attendance at many of the SoO camps has not been observed.

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After Flag Row, Trouble Over Board Naming VD Savarkar In Karnataka

Another controversy has engulfed Karnataka's Uttara Kannada district on the heels of the Mandya flag controversy. This involved the removal of a right wing flag and a board bearing the name of right wing icon VD Savarkar. A protest took place over the removal in Bhatkal's Tenginagundi today and the local BJP workers and panchayat members got into an altercation with panchayat officials.

The workers argued that VD Savarkar's name board was installed with the approval of the panchayat, and they protested against the removal of the flagpole with the right wing flags.

The officials claimed that no permission was sought from the gram panchayat.

"Don't think we are sitting quiet. We have permission. Is it a Pakistan flag that we put up? Who gave you the order to raze this?" said one of the angry villagers.

The Zilla Panchayat chief, along with senior authorities, decided to issue notices for all such structures built in the area under the panchayat. They will be allowed to stay only if they have the necessary permissions from local administration or local taluks.

If the mandatory documents are not produced within 15 days, the structures will be razed.

"We have decided to issue notices to all such structures in that panchayat. If they have the necessary permissions from local administration or local taluks, they will be considered.
Otherwise, 15 days time will be given to produce documents. If not, unauthorised structures and nameboards will be removed," said Ishwar Kumar, the chief of Zilla Parishad.

Last week, a saffron Hanuman flag hoisted by a local religious organisation, was taken down leading to huge row in the village of Keragodu and nearby areas of Mandya district.

It led to widespread protests that escalated into a political conflict between the ruling Congress and the opposition BJP and the Janata Dal (Secular) of HD Kumaraswamy.

The flag was funded and set up by a section of villagers near a temple. Reports indicated the BJP and JDS were also involved.

But many people held protests and complained to the district administration, which later removed the flag.

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Waited For Months To Seal Seat Sharing But Congress...: Abhishek Banerjee

Senior Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Abhishek Banerjee on Monday attributed the differences in opposition bloc INDIA in West Bengal to the Congress party's failure to finalise seat-sharing arrangements.

Mr Banerjee highlighted that despite repeated reminders over the last seven months, the Congress remained inactive in sealing the seat-sharing agreement.

The TMC national general secretary slammed West Bengal Congress president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury for playing into the hands of the saffron camp and repeatedly attacking the TMC government in West Bengal, despite being an ally at the national level.

"According to alliance norms, the first thing you do is seal the seat-sharing. We had waited for seven months since July last year to seal the seat-sharing issue. But the Congress was sitting idle and nothing moved forward," he told reporters here.

TMC chief Mamata Banerjee had last week announced that the party would go alone in the Lok Sabha polls in West Bengal.

"We held multiple discussions with senior Congress leadership. During the last meeting in Delhi, Mamata Banerjee had clarified that seat-sharing talks should be finalised by December 31. However, they did not do so and refrained from participating in any conversation," he said.

The TMC leader said the seat-sharing issue was also raised at meetings in Patna, Bengaluru, and even in the last meeting.

The Diamond Harbour MP, who is also the nephew of Mamata Banerjee, slammed Mr Chowdhury for "demanding President's Rule in the state," echoing the demands of the BJP.

"By demanding President's Rule, whose interest is the state Congress president trying to serve - the TMC, the Congress or the BJP? There is a limit to our patience," he said.

The TMC leader, however, iterated that the "party continues to be a part of the opposition bloc INDIA at the national level." Hitting out at the Congress for accusing Mamata Banerjee as the "Trojan horse of the saffron camp", Mr Banerjee wondered, "when the state Congress is speaking in the language of the BJP, then who the Trojan horse of the saffron camp is?" How many times has Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury condemned the financial deprivation of Bengal by the BJP? There is a limit to our patience. The woman who is fighting against BJP is being challenged by state Congress leadership," he said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Indian Navy's Warship Sumitra Rescues Iranian Vessel Hijacked By Pirates

Indian warship INS Sumitra on Monday ensured the safe release of an Iranian-flagged fishing vessel and its 17 crew members after it was hijacked by some pirates off the east coast of Somalia, officials said. The Indian Navy swiftly responded to a distress call from the vessel last night, they said.

"INS Sumitra, deployed on anti-piracy operations along the east coast of Somalia and the Gulf of Aden, responded to a distress message regarding the hijacking of an Iranian flagged fishing vessel Iman," Indian Navy spokesperson Commander Vivek Madhwal said.

The fishing vessel had been boarded by pirates and the crew members were taken as hostages, he said.

Swift response by #IndianNavy's Mission Deployed warship ensures safe release of hijacked vessel & crew.#INSSumitra, on #AntiPiracy ops along East coast of #Somalia & #GulfofAden, responded to a distress message regarding hijacking of an Iranian flagged Fishing Vessel (FV)… pic.twitter.com/AQTkcTJvQo

— SpokespersonNavy (@indiannavy) January 29, 2024

"INS Sumitra intercepted the vessel, acted in accordance with the established SOPs (standard operating procedures) to coerce the pirates for the safe release of the crew along with the boat and ensured the successful release of all 17 crew members along with the boat," Madhwal said.

The vessel was subsequently sanitised and released for onward transit.

"Mission deployed Indian naval ships on anti-piracy and maritime security operations in the Indian Ocean region symbolises the Indian Navy's resolve towards the safety of all vessels and seafarers at sea," Madhwal said.

The response by the Indian Navy to the fresh incident came two days after its warship INS Visakhapatnam extinguished a fire onboard a commercial oil tanker with 22 Indian crew when the vessel was struck by a missile in the Gulf of Aden.

The Indian Navy deployed its missile destroyer INS Visakhapatnam to assist the vessel after receiving a distress call from it on Friday night.

The US Central Command (CENTCOM) had said the Marshall Islands-flagged vessel MV Marlin Luanda was hit by an anti-ship ballistic missile fired by Iran-backed Houthi militants.

The Navy on January 5 thwarted an attempted hijacking of Liberian-flagged vessel MV Lila Norfolk in the North Arabian Sea and rescued all its crew members.

Liberian-flagged vessel MV Chem Pluto, with 21 Indian crew members, was the target of a drone attack off India's west coast on December 23.

Besides MV Chem Pluto, another commercial oil tanker that was on the way to India came under a suspected drone strike in the Southern Red Sea on the same day. The vessel had a team of 25 Indian crew.

The Navy has already enhanced the deployment of its frontline ships and surveillance aircraft for maritime security operations in view of the maritime environment in the critical sea lanes including in the North and Central Arabian Sea.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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2 Deputies From BJP, 6 Ministers Take Oath: Nitish Kumar's New Bihar Team

Bihar Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President and MLC Samrat Choudhary took oath as Bihar Deputy Chief Minister along with Vijay Kumar Sinha at Raj Bhavan in Patna on Sunday.

Samrat Choudhary was on Sunday chosen as the leader of the BJP's legislature party, paving the way for him to become the Bihar Deputy Chief Minister.

BJP's Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha, and six other ministers including JDU's Vijay Kumar Chaudhary, JDU's Bijendra Prasad Yadav, BJP's Dr Prem Kumar, Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) president Dr Santosh Kumar Suman, JDU's Shravan Kumar, Independent MLA from Chakai Sumit Kumar Singh took oath as ministers in the new Nitish Kumar-led government.

Meanwhile, the chants of "Modi-Modi" were raised inside the Raj Bhavan, in Patna.

Janata Dal-United chief Nitish Kumar took oath as Bihar Chief Minister for the ninth time at Raj Bhavan on Sunday after snapping ties with "Mahagathbandhan".

After days of speculation, JD(U) chief Nitish Kumar resigned as the Chief Minister of Bihar on Sunday, his second volte face in less than 18 months. Snapping ties with the RJD and Congress, Nitish Kumat formed a government with BJP's support.

Samrat Choudhary who always wears a turban on his head, is known as a bold state BJP leader. Earlier in 2023 when asked about the turban, he had said that the turban would go off the moment Nitish Kumar is removed from the Chief Minister's post.

54-year-old Samrat Choudhary took over as the state BJP chief in March 2023. He joined the BJP six years ago and has also been the BJP leader of Opposition in the Bihar Legislative Council.

Before joining BJP in 2018, he has remained associated with Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) as well as Janata Dal (United).

In 2022, Samrat Choudhary was selected as the Leader of the Opposition in the Bihar Legislative Council.

Samrat Choudhary is an OBC leader who belongs to the Koeri community.

He has also served as Minister for Urban Development and Housing, Health in 2014 in Jitan Ram Manjhi Ministry and Minister of Metrology and Horticulture in 1999 in Rabri Devi Ministry.

He was elected for the second term as MLC in 2020 after his first term ended in 2019.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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