Rajinikanth Explains Why He Touched Yogi Adityanath's Feet

Superstar Rajinikanth on Monday said it was his habit to fall at the feet of a 'sanyasi' or 'yogi', irrespective of the age of that person.

The top actor's remarks came in response to a reporter's query here over the "controversy" surrounding his touching the feet of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath recently during his visit to Lucknow.

"Whether a sanyasi or a yogi, it is my habit to fall at their feet even if they are younger than me. That's what I did," he told reporters here.

The actor's gesture had kicked up an online storm, especially in Tamil Nadu, as many asked if it was okay for the 72-year-old actor to touch the feet of the much younger UP CM.

The filmstar also thanked the people for making his latest movie 'Jailer' a "grand success".

To a question on the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, he said he did not want to talk about politics.

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

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7 Dead As Bus Carrying Gujarat Pilgrims Falls Into Gorge In Uttarakhand

Seven people were killed and 27 injured when a bus carrying pilgrims from Gujarat fell into a gorge in Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand on Sunday.

The bus with 35 people on board was returning from Gangotri when it met with the accident at Gangnani.

Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, who is in Delhi, spoke to top officials about the accident and instructed them to carry out relief and rescue operations at a fast pace.

The State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and medical teams are present at the spot, he said, adding a helicopter has been kept ready in Dehradun to provide assistance in case of need.

Uttarakhand has been reeling from incessant rains that have triggered landslides and flash floods in many places.

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

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Most Corruption Complaints Against Home Ministry Employees: Report

The highest number of corruption complaints last year were against employees of the Union home ministry, followed by those working for the railways and in banks, according to the Central Vigilance Commission's latest annual report.

In total, 1,15,203 such complaints were received for all categories of officers and employees across central government departments and organisations in 2022, it stated. Of these, according to the report, 85,437 were disposed of and 29,766 were pending -- 22,034 for more than three months.

The Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) has prescribed a time-limit of three months for chief vigilance officers, who act as a distant arm of the probity watchdog, to examine complaints, an official said.

While the home ministry received 46,643 complaints against its employees last year, 10,580 were received by the railways and 8,129 by banks, according to the report.

Out of the total complaints against home ministry employees, 23,919 were disposed of and 22,724 were pending disposal -- 19,198 pending for more than three months, it said.

The railways had disposed of 9,663 complaints, while 917 were pending disposal -- nine for more than three months, the report, which was made public recently, stated. Banks had disposed 7,762 corruption complaints and 367 were pending -- 78 for more three months.

There were 7,370 complaints against employees of Government of National Capital Territory Delhi, it stated. Of these, 6,804 were disposed of and 566 were pending -- 18 for more than three months.

The report stated that 4,710 complaints were against employees of the housing and urban affairs ministry (including the Central Public Works Department), the Delhi Development authority, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, the Delhi Urban art Commission, the Hindustan Prefab Ltd, the Housing and Urban Development Corporation Limited, the NBCC and the NCR Planning Board.

Of these, 3,889 were disposed of and 821 were pending -- 577 for more than three months, it stated.

The CVC annual reported stated that 4,304 complaints were against those in the coal ministry (4,050 disposed of), 4,236 were against those in the labour ministry (4,016 disposed of) and 2,617 against petroleum ministry employees (2,409 disposed of).

There were 2,150 complaints against employees of the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), 1,619 against defence ministry employees, 1,308 against Department of Telecommunications employees, 1,202 against finance ministry employees and 1,101 against those in the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC), the report stated.

The CVC report stated that 987 complaints were against those working in insurance companies, 970 against employees of the personnel, public grievances and pensions ministry and 923 against steel ministry employees, among others.

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

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Cheems, One Of The Most Viral Dogs On Internet, Dies

Cheems, the shiba inu dog who inspired several memes on social media, died on August 18, its owners said in an Instagram post. The famous canine, known as Balltze, was suffering from cancer, fell asleep during his last thoracentesis surgery and "never woke up".

"Ball Ball fell asleep on 18/8. He fell asleep on Friday morning during his last thoracentesis surgery. Originally, we wanted to arrange chemotherapy or other possible treatment for him after this operation, but it is too late now," the owners wrote in the post along with several pictures of the dog.

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A post shared by Cheems_Balltze (@balltze)

The post added, "Don't be sad, please remember the joy that Balltze brought to the world. A Shiba Inu with a round smiling face connecting you and me, he has helped many people during the pandemic and brought a lot of joy to many of you, but now his mission has completed."

According to the dog's website made by its owner, Balltze shot to fame in 2017, when its pictures went viral. Immediately, internet users commented that the pup resembled cheese and that's how it developed as his "meme stage name".

"On 2017 Sept 4, I was sitting casually just like any other days, laying my back on marble steps and snap snap my mom took my photos and uploaded it online. Instagram user Josh comments about my post: "I don't know who this guy is but he looks like Cheese." And that's how the start of my meme fame, later it developed to my meme stage name - Cheems / Cheemsburger, one of my best known meme appearance is 'Swole Doge vs. Cheems'," the website mentions.

Balltze was aged 12 and was living in Hong Kong with its owner Kathy. She adopted it when it was just one and believed that Cheems was very photogenic. According to the website, Kathy used to upload pictures of shiba inu's "daily mood" and "cuteness". Cheems' popularity increased when an awkward photo of the dog became an iconic meme, used mostly used to express discomfort or weakness in specific situations.

Internet users expressed their grief after learning about the death of the popular meme dog. "RIP buddy you brought a lot of people happiness," said a user.

A second person added, "He is a legend of the Internet world, a meme founder and now, he is immortal. Rest in love sweet Ball Ball, you were and are loved by billions all over the world."

"I was introduced to this legend through a meme trend. It's hard to hear about his passing a few years later. He helped many people get through 2020 and so on. His meme trend will live on to honour his life and the joy he gave everyone through these memes. Sleep well king, you will be missed," commented a third person.

"Rest easy, King. You did very well. Grateful for all times your round smiling face provided us joy and comfort. You will be dearly missed. Take care, Ball Ball parents," added another person.

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Video: Nitin Gadkari Introduces "Marvel Of Engineering" Dwarka Expressway

Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari shared a video today on X, formerly Twitter, unveiling the newly built Dwarka Expressway, India's first eight-lane elevated expressway.

Nitin Gadkari shared the video with the caption, "Marvel of Engineering: The Dwarka Expressway! A State-of-the-Art Journey into the Future"

Marvel of Engineering: The Dwarka Expressway! A State-of-the-Art Journey into the Future 🛣#DwarkaExpressway #PragatiKaHighway #GatiShakti pic.twitter.com/Qhgd77WatW

— Nitin Gadkari (@nitin_gadkari) August 20, 2023

According to the video, the Dwarka Expressway is a four-package highway with a lane-wide length of 563 km. The road starts at Shiv Murti on National Highway 8 and ends at Kherki Daula toll plaza in Gurugram. It is the first project in India for which, 1,200 trees were retransplanted.

Once completed, the project will significantly improve connectivity between Delhi and Haryana. According to the video, the travel time from Dwarka to Manesar will become 15 minutes, Manesar To Indira Gandhi International Airport will become 20 minutes, Dwarka to Singhu border will become 25 minutes and Manesar to Singhu border will become 45 minutes. The project will also strengthen the connectivity of the International Convention Centre in Dwarka, Sector 25.

On both sides of the expressway, there are three-lane service roads. To avoid traffic congestion, entry points have been made on these service lanes.

According to the video, two lakh tonnes steel has been used in the construction of the expressway, which is 30 times more than that used in the Eiffel Tower. Also, 20 lakh cubic metre cement concrete has been used in the project, which is six times more than that used in Burj Khalifa.

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Dog Chews Up Groom's Passport Days Before Wedding In Italy

A mischievous year-and-a-half-old Golden Retriever dog named Chickie chewed up its human's passport days before his wedding in Italy. The dog has eaten through multiple pages of Donato Frattaroli's passport.

Mr Frattaroli and his fiancee Magda Mazri's wedding ceremony is in jeopardy after the incident. Their wedding is scheduled for August 31, reported New York Post.

The couple had gone to city hall to fill out their marriage form on Thursday. After returning they found their dog had chewed up through multiple pages of Mr Frattoroli's passport.

The couple is trying to get a replacement and has reached out to local officials for help.

Mr Frattoroli told WCVB, "I'm just a little stressed. Luckily, Congressman (Stephen) Lynch's office and Sen. (Ed) Markey's office have been super responsive. They've been in touch, at least with me and the State Department, to try to expedite things and get a new passport. Keep my fingers crossed and, hopefully, everything will work itself out."

The couple is scheduled to fly to Italy this Friday.

The groom-to-be told the media outlet that if he can't secure a passport before the flight, he will stay at home while his fiancee and their wedding guests go to Italy without him.

He added if he can't get a passport in time for the wedding, he said he'll meet the wedding party when they return to the US.

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"He Opens Up The Game...": Ganguly Picks India's Wicketkeeper For WC 2023

Former India captain Sourav Ganguly has picked Ishan Kishan as the team's wicketkeeper-batter for the Asia Cup and the subsequent ODI World Cup on home soil. With Rishabh Pant out of action due to injuries sustained in a car crash last year, India are yet to finalise their first-choice wicketkeeper-batter for the mega events. In his absence, India have a choice to make between Ishan Kishan, Sanju Samson and KL Rahul, who is currently out injured.

However, Ganguly said that he would pick Kishan to keep the gloves, mainly because of his explosive batting approach.

"Pant is the best wicketkeeper in the country, but you can see Ishan Kishan, KL Rahul (depending on his fitness); these two will be right up in Rohit's and Rahul's minds. I like Ishan Kishan because he just opens up the game for any team. I am sure Dravid will keep him in his plans," Ganguly said at an event.

Ganguly also suggested the Indian team should be a mix of experienced players and fresh faces.

"It has to be a team of experience and people who don't have any scars -- like Jaiswal, Varma, Ishan Kishan. They can go and play fearless cricket. Rahul (Dravid), Rohit and the selectors have plenty of choices; they just have to identify and pick the best XI," he said.

So far, Kishan has played 17 ODIs, scoring 694 runs at an average of 46.26. He also has double century to his name, along with six half-centuries.

He has also played two Test and 27 T20Is for India.

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