Brad Pitt's 'Bullet Train' release date, 'Rastrapatni' comment row, India VS West Indies: Top Headlines | Let's Catch Up Ep-52

Episode Description

TOP HEADLINES    28TH JULY 2022 

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

NASA is launching two more mini helicopters to Mars in its effort to return Martian rocks and soil samples to Earth. Under the plan announced Wednesday, NASA's Perseverance rover will do double duty and transport the cache to the rocket that will launch them off the red planet a decade from now.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un warned he’s ready to use his nuclear weapons in potential military conflicts with the United States and South Korea, state media said Thursday, as he unleashed fiery rhetoric against rivals he says are pushing the Korean Peninsula to the brink of war. His speech to war veterans on the 69th anniversary of the 1950-53 Korean War, was apparently meant to boost internal unity amid pandemic-related economic difficulties.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky and his wife Olena Zelenska posed for Vogue magazine amid the ongoing war with Russia. The couple shared their marriage story, life during wartime and the future of Ukraine with the magazine. The international magazine describes Olena Zelenska, Ukraine’s First Lady as "portrait of bravery". In one of the images, she can be seen with soldiers in the background with the scars of war on Ukraine visible in the picture.

Hundreds of supporters of powerful Iraqi cleric Moqtada Sadr danced and sang in parliament Wednesday after storming Baghdad's high-security Green Zone in protest at a rival bloc's nomination for prime minister. Police fired barrages of tear gas in a bid to stop the protesters from breaching the gates of the heavily fortified Green Zone, but the crowds surged forward and entered parliament.

Amid monkeypox surge, WHO urges reducing number of sexual partners. As monkeypox cases surge globally, the World Health Organization called Wednesday on the group currently most affected by the virus -- men who have sex with men -- to limit their sexual partners. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who last Saturday declared monkeypox a global health emergency, told reporters that the best way to protect against infection was "to reduce the risk of exposure".

NATIONAL NEWS

A major verbal duel broke out between interim Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and Union minister Smriti Irani following Lok Sabha MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury’s comments on President Droupadi Murmu, with Gandhi demanding that her name should not be dragged into the row over the leader of opposition’s statements. The Bharatiya Janata Party demanded an apology from Gandhi after Chowdhury addressed President Murmu as ‘rashtrapatni’. The uproar forced the Lok Sabha to be adjourned till 4 pm.

Karnataka police on Thursday arrested two persons from Dakshina Kannada district in connection with the murder of BJP youth wing leader Praveen Nettar. The arrested accused have been identified as Zakir (29) from Savanoor in Haveri district and Mohammed Shafiq (27) from Bellare, Dakshina Kannada Superintendent of Police Rishikesh Bhagawan Sonawane said. Police said the two accused are allegedly behind the conspiracy to murder Nettar.

Arpita Mukherjee, who is under the Enforcement Directorate (ED) radar in relation to the West Bengal teacher recruitment scam, has reportedly started spilling the beans, leading to the discovery of more cash, gold, and other valuable assets. So far, the agency has raided two flats of Mukherjee and found about Rs 50 crore in cash and other valuable assets, as per media reports. The raiding team calculated the huge pile of cash using note counting machine, which works like wonders when it comes to calculating a massive amount of notes.

There is a limit to which you target judges, the Supreme Court said on Thursday while expressing displeasure over news reports that it was delaying hearing a plea alleging increasing attacks on Christian institutions and priests across the country. Give us a break, a bench of Justices DY Chandrachud and Surya Kant said.

ENTERTAINMENT AND POP CULTURE NEWS

Bollywood star Kareena Kapoor Khan on Wednesday confirmed that she will starring in film producer Rhea Kapoor's next venture. Kareena, who has previously collaborated with Rhea on 'Veere Di Wedding', said the upcoming film is "slightly different" from their 2018 movie. Kareena revealed the makers have finalised the cast for the film and hope to start production by the end of this year or early 2023.

Actor Ratna Pathak Shah has discussed how India is transforming into an "extremely conservative society" and questioned whether or not we want to be like Saudi Arabia. Ratna stated in a recent interview that a conservative society places restrictions on its women. She added that because India is "very very convenient," it could end up being like Saudi Arabia. Ratna discussed how women in the twenty-first century continue to practise antiquated customs like Karwa Chauth.

Hollywood star Brad Pitt's upcoming film 'Bullet Train' is all set to release in India on August 4, one day prior to the US. The movie, directed by 'Deadpool 2' director David Leitch, will comprise a stellar cast with some of the most popular names from Hollywood.

Katie Holmes shares one of her pandemic pastimes with the world in her new feature film 'Alone Together,' as writer, director and star of the movie. The film, which was shot as the first COVID-19 vaccines were released, centres around two strangers who end up spending a week together in an upstate New York rental home after it was double booked. The pair start as frenemies, but quickly bond.

SPORTS NEWS

Pakistan has withdrawn from the 44th Chess Olympiad scheduled to begin in Chennai from Thursday. Citing India’s torch relay through Kashmir on July 21 as a reason for withdrawal, Pakistan’s foreign office spokesperson Asim Iftikhar said in a statement to Radio Pakistan, “India chose to politicize this prestigious international sporting event.” Meanwhile, the marquee event is being hosted by India for the first time and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the Olympiad in Chennai on Thursday.

The 2022 Commonwealth Games is slated to begin on July 29 and will span 11 days before culminating on August 8. The sporting extravaganza will witness the participation of 72 countries, featuring more than 5000 athletes competing for a podium finish. Keeping in mind, the five-and-a-half-hour time difference between Birmingham and India, the opening ceremony begins on July 28 at 11.30 PM. However, it will miss the presence of Queen Elizabeth of England. The Queen has recently been forced to skip several events because of her mobility issues for which she often uses a walking aid. Prince Charles will be attending the event.

India maintained their third position in the latest men’s ODI Team Rankings following the 3-0 series whitewash of the West Indies in their own backyard. Despite missing a slew of first-choice players, the Shikhar Dhawan-led India showed they have plenty of depth waiting in the wings as they completed a sweep over the Caribbean side on Wednesday with an emphatic 119-run victory in the third and final match.

STOCK MARKET NEWS

Nifty ends above 16,900, Sensex gains 1,041 pts led by IT, metal, realty.

Lexus Granito(up 4.81%), Ashapura Minechem(up 3.31%), Pokarna(up 3.24%), Aro Granite Industries(up 1.20%), NMDC Ltd(up 1.05%), Orissa Minerals Development Company(up 0.89%), Gujarat Mineral NSE 0.54 % Dvpt Corporation(up 0.54%) and KIOCL(up 0.18%) stood among the top gainers.

20 Microns(down 3.65%), Oriental Trimex(down 2.27%), Madhav Marbles and Granites(down 0.76%) (down 0.76%), Coal India(down 0.29%) and MOIL(down 0.13%) were among the top losers of the day.