Mumbai: Aamir Khan on Tuesday announced his next production venture “Lahore, 1947”, starring Sunny Deol and to be directed by Rajkumar Santoshi.

The superstar confirmed the project in a statement posted on his banner Aamir Khan Productions’ (AKP) official page on microblogging site X.

Khan said he and his team at AKP are looking forward to collaborate with Deol and Santoshi.

“I, and the entire team at AKP, are most excited and happy to announce our next, starring Sunny Deol, directed by Raj Kumar Santoshi, titled ‘Lahore, 1947’.

“We look forward to collaborating with the immensely talented Sunny, and one of my favourite directors Raj Santoshi. The journey we have embarked on promises to be most enriching,” the statement read.

The project will mark maiden collaboration between the two actors, who have previously worked with Santoshi on separate projects.

While Deol has starred in Santoshi’s blockbuster hits such as “Ghayal”, “Ghatak”, “Damini”, Khan has worked with the filmmaker in cult comedy “Andaz Apna Apna”.

Hangzhou: Parul Chaudhary pulled off a heist for a sensational women’s 5000m gold while Annu Rani conjured up her season-best performance to claim the top prize in women’s javelin throw as Indian athletes bagged six medals from track and field at the Asian Games, here on Tuesday.

The 28-year-old Parul was behind Japan’s Ririka Hironaka in the closing stage but stunned her rival with a stunning dash in the final 40 metres to claim the yellow metal

with a timing of 15:14.75.

The stunning performance earned Parul her second medal in Hangzhou after claiming a silver in the women’s 3000m Steeplechase on Monday.

Kazakhtan’s Caroline Chepkoech Kipkirui won the bronze clocking 15:23.12.

The 31-year-old Annu, who hails from Meerut, produced a season-best effort of 62.92m in her fourth attempt to win gold.

Sri Lankan Nadeesha Dilhan and China’s Huihui Lyu claimed the silver and bronze with efforts of 61.57 and 61.29 respectively.

Mohammed Afsal Pulikkalakath and Praveen Chitharavel also made India proud, securing a silver and bronze in men’s 800m and triple jump with efforts of 1:48.43s and 16.68m respectively.

Tejaswin Shankar secured a silver in men’s decathlon with a national record of 7666 points, following a fourth-place finish in the 1500m — the final event of the physically-demanding competition.

It was India’s first men’s decathlon medal since 1974. Vijay Singh Chauhan was the last Indian to win a decathlon medal in Asian Games in 1974, while the national record belonged to Bharatinder Singh (7,658 points).

Vithya Ramraj, 25, came up with a timing of 55.68s to claim a bronze medal in women’s 400m hurdles.

It wasn’t her best show but it was good enough to secure a third-place finish.

Bahrain’s Oluwakemi Mujidat Adekoya produced a Games record of 54.45s and Jaidie Mo of China came up with a season-best of 55.01 to claim the gold and silver respectively.

The Indian had equalled PT Usha’s 400m hurdle national record, which was set in 1984, with a personal best effort of 55.52s to top her heat and directly qualify for the final on Monday.

Ramraj was also part of the Indian quartet, including Muhammed Ajmal Variyathodi, Rajesh Ramesh and Subha Venkatesan, that had won the bronze in mixed team 4x400m relay before it was upgraded to silver on Monday after Sri Lanka’s disqualification for lane infringement.

In men’s 400m hurdles, Yashas Palaksha (49.39) and Santhosh Kumar (49.41) finished fifth and sixth respectively in the final.

In women’s high jump final, Pooja and Rubina Yadav ended their campaign at the sixth and ninth positions respectively.

London (AP): Meta plans to give Facebook and Instagram users in Europe the option of paying for ad-free versions of the social media platforms as a way to comply with the continent’s strict data privacy rules, the Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday.

The company wants to charge users about 10 euros (USD 10.50) a month to use Instagram or Facebook without ads on desktop browsers, the newspaper reported, citing unnamed people familiar with the proposal. Adding more accounts would cost 6 euros each.

Prices for mobile would be higher, at roughly 13 euros a month, because Meta needs to account for commissions charged by the Apple and Google app stores on in-app payments, the newspaper said.

Meta reportedly is hoping to roll out paid subscriptions in the coming months as a way to comply with European Union data privacy rules that threaten its lucrative business model of showing personalised ads to users.

Meta would give users the choice between continuing to use the platforms with ads or paying for the ad-free version, the WSJ said.

“Meta believes in the value of free services which are supported by personalised ads,” the company said in a statement to The Associated Press. “However, we continue to explore options to ensure we comply with evolving regulatory requirements. We have nothing further to share at this time.”

The EU’s top court said in July that Meta must first get consent before showing ads to users a ruling that jeopardises the company’s ability to make money by tailoring advertisements for individual users based on their online interests and digital activity.

It’s not clear if EU regulators will sign off on the plan or insist that the company offer cheaper versions. The newspaper said one issue regulators have is whether the proposed fees will be too expensive for most people who don’t want to be targeted by ads.

Nasheman news

Two talented students from NMIMS University, Ms.
Amruta Mali and Ms. Poonam Patil, pursuing their Final Year B.Sc. (Hons.) Agriculture at
the School of Agricultural Sciences & Technology, Shirpur, have emerged as shining
stars at the SmartIdeathon Competition, held at GITAM University Hyderabad. This
prestigious event was organized in collaboration with Startup India, IIC, Ministry of
Education, Govt. of India, and Northeastern University, Boston, USA, drawing
participants from universities and institutes across the country.

Amruta and Poonam, the founders of Agro-India, an initiative under SVKM’s NMIMS –
School of Agricultural Sciences & Technology, Shirpur, showcased their praiseworthy
innovation during the competition. They presented a board game which has evolved
into a comprehensive simulation of the agricultural ecosystem. This game captures the
intricacies of crop management, resource allocation, and market dynamics in an
appealing and educational manner.
The SmartIdeathon Competition, a ‘Student pitching competition,’ saw the duo advance
to the final rounds, securing a coveted position among the Top 8 Finalists from
participants across the nation.

The competition drew participants from diverse fields of study and was a vindication of
the power of ideas and their potential to bring about big change in the industries. The
students’ passion for agriculture and strategic thinking resulted in a concept that
combined these two elements into an agriculture-based board game. The process
involved refining the game mechanics, designing the board, and devising challenges that
tested their innovation and creativity.

For the two students, reaching the top 8 is not only a personal victory, but also a
validation of the numerous hours they spent brainstorming, designing, and refining the
game. It speaks volumes about their capability for interdisciplinary thinking and the
ability to bridge gaps between traditional industries and modern innovation.
Dr. Suseelendra Desai, Dean, School of Agricultural Sciences & Technology,
expressed his pride for the students’ achievement and said, “Amruta and Poonam’s
outstanding achievement at the SmartIdeathon Competition highlights NMIMS
University’s firm belief in promoting innovation and nurturing their creativity. I am
certain that this is only the beginning of their journey and they will go on to win many
more accolades.”

About SAST:
School of Agricultural Sciences & Technology (SAST), Shirpur is the first School of
Agriculture under SVKM’s NMIMS to be started in 2019 to bring prosperity to the small
and marginal farm holders. The School focuses on teaching, research and outreach, the
three arms of agricultural research and education to meet the stakeholders’ aspirations
with more participatory devolutions. The School has air-conditioned class rooms with

smart boards, 117 acres of farm, and fully-equipped laboratories. The integrated
campus set-up provides an opportunity for the students to get exposed to engineering
& pharmacy faculties and thus promote holistic development. The robust
agricultural education curriculum in line with national agricultural education systems
as recommended by the ICAR provides a platform where knowledge, resources and
opportunities to address aspects of enhanced farm productivity, profitability and
sustainable livelihoods. The skills of the students are honed in basic and applied aspects
of agriculture and allied sectors; constant practical hand-holding; and assurance of
learning to develop into future researchers or entrepreneurs. The students involve in
experiential learning projects and agro-industrial attachments for beyond academic
expertise. NMIMS’s SAST is focused to give an extra mile to the knowledge and career of
graduates because we help them think both critically and creatively, and to express withenergy, precision, and dynamism.

NEW DELHI: The most-wanted suspected terrorist Shahnawaz Alam had conducted reconnaissances of some VIP political leaders in at least two states in order to plant Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) so as to assassinate them, a senior Delhi Police official said.

“He [Shahnawaz Alam] conducted recce of some potential areas like crowded places, Mazar/ Dargah, routes of VIP political leaders in Mumbai, Surat, Vadodara, Gandhinagar and Ahmedabad for planting IEDs and target killings,” the officer said.

The accused, a highly-qualified Mining Engineer with an elaborate knowledge of explosives and blasting had also analyzed the map of West Rajasthan to find out the IED testing point.

The Special Cell of the Delhi Police averted a major terror strike with the arrest of three suspected ISIS operatives among which one, Shahnawaz Alam, was most wanted on their list while two others were identified as Md Rizwan and Md Arshad.

According to a senior police officer, privy to the probe, the accused Shahnawaz met with Rizwan Ali in Shaheen Masjid, Shaheen Bagh, Delhi in 2016. Over a period of time, they became good friends.

“Shahnawaz already followed many pro-ISIS telegram entities/channels and used to discuss about those channels with Rizwan Ali who was also inclined to ISIS ideology,” the official said.

As per the official, Shahnawaz and Rizwan wanted to go for Hijrat and in order to collect some funds for it, both of them got involved in crime. Shahnawaz was arrested in Hazaribagh, Jharkhand in multiple cases of dacoity and theft in 2019 and remained in jail for around 9 months. In December 2020, he was bailed out of jail.

Later on, he started communicating with a foreign-based handler of ISIS. Meanwhile, Rizwan also established contact with the same handler.

Both Shahnawaz and Rizwan visited Lavasa Mahabaleshwar, Goa, Hubli, Saraswati Wildlife area in Karnataka, Udupi, Kerala, Valsad Wildlife Sanctuary, Nallamala Mountain ranges, Chandauli to find suitable hideouts for their stay in Western Ghats and to set up a base there.

During preliminary interrogation of the accused people, it was revealed that they even made Improvised Explosive Devices in Delhi and even tested them at some unknown places in the city.

Since December 2022, on the instructions of foreign-based handlers, Shahnawaz and Rizwan along with their other associates had started accumulating material in Delhi for the preparation of IEDs in furtherance of their conspiracy to carry out blasts in Delhi.