Aditya Dhar‘s ‘Dhurandhar’ starring Ranveer Singh, Akshaye Khanna, Sanjay Dutt, Arjun Rampal, R Madhavan released in theatres on December 5 and post that one saw the release of James Cameron‘s ‘Avatar Fire And Ash’. However, shockingly, ‘Dhurandhar’ remained unaffected by it and continued its box office run and has crossed Rs 600 crore now at the domestic box office. Dhurandhar Movie ReviewMeanwhile, Kartik Aaryan, Ananya panday‘s ‘Tu Meri Main Tera Main Tera Tu Meri’ has released in theatres today, December 25. This romantic comedy is getting good early reviews, however, due to two big movies like ‘Dhurandhar’ and ‘Avatar Fire And Ash’ dominating at the box office, the film has managed to secure relatively low number of shows, particularly across major urban markets. The advance bookings of the film have also been dull, thus, indicating limited traction among the audiences. Given that ‘TMMTMTTM’ is positioned as an urban-focused film, robust support from multiplexes was expected to boost its opening. Instead, insufficient allocation in premium theatres has placed the film in a challenging spot ahead of its December 25 release. Even with the restricted number of shows on offer, advance sales have been lacklustre, with total pre-bookings yet to cross the ₹1 crore mark, a day prior to release. In case there is good word of mouth for the film, more screens could be allotted to it but at the moment it’s a slow start. According to Sacnilk, ‘TMMTMTTM’ is likely to open at around Rs 5 crore net, a figure that would fall short of expectation. On its day, till afternoon, ‘TMMTMTTM’ has made Rs 2.29 crore so far. Meanwhile, on its day 21, ‘Dhurandhar’ has already made Rs 10.78 till the same time. The total collection of ‘Dhurandhar’ now stands at Rs 618.28 crore. The film will surely see the growth in its business due to Christmas holiday and the upward trend may continue till December 31 as well.

NEW DELHI: Union minister Nitin Gadkari has recounted how he came face to face with Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh just hours before the latter was assassinated in Tehran, linking the incident to what he described as the growing role of technology in modern conflict and national security.Speaking at a book launch event, Gadkari said he had travelled to Iran at the request of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to represent India at the swearing-in ceremony of Iran’s newly elected president, Masoud Pezeshkian. According to the minister, foreign dignitaries were staying at a five-star hotel in Tehran ahead of the ceremony.

“I had gone for the Iranian Prime Minister’s ceremony. There is a 5-star hotel there where all heads of state stayed. Modi ji had sent me,” Gadkari said.He recalled noticing one individual among the dignitaries who was not a head of state. “I wondered who he was. I also shook hands and asked. He was the head of Hamas,” he said, adding that Haniyeh later walked into the ceremony alongside Iran’s president and chief justice, while other delegates followed.Gadkari further described how he was woken early in the morning amid the chaos of Haniyeh’s assassinations. “I also came to my hotel and after eating dinner, went to sleep. At 4 o’clock, the ambassador came and knocked on the door saying “Sir, we have to evacuate.” I asked why. He said there’s been a big problem. What happened? He said the Hamas leader who was here yesterday, a powerful man, was killed in his room.”Iranian authorities later confirmed that Haniyeh was killed at around 1.15am on July 31, 2024, while staying in a highly secure military complex under the supervision of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). His bodyguard was also killed in the attack, according to official statements cited by the Associated Press.Gadkari told the audience that the exact method of the assassination remained unclear. He went on to suggest how the future high-tech is important from the perspective of national security, modern warfare, and critical infrastructure. “No one knows from where the missile was fired, where it entered – now some say it was his mobile phone number, he was specially hidden in one place in a bungalow, went to that room and killed him there. So the coming time is futuristic, technology and futuristic vision for development in defence, agriculture, industry, trade, business export – we will have to do all this.” At the same event, Gadkari remarked that strong nations are difficult to target, citing Israel as an example of how technological and military capability translate into global influence.Iran’s revolutionary guards authorities had said a short-range missile was used to strike the building where Haniyeh was staying. The Telegraph claimed that Israel’s intelligence agency Mossad may have orchestrated the killing by planting explosives inside the guesthouse, citing Iranian officials. Iranian authorities have not publicly confirmed that account.

PUNE:That signature smile of netas, the usual “namaskars” and umpteen vows seem outdated to win voters’ favour. The run-up to the PMC polls is witnessing a redefined way to entice voters — offering Paithani saris, highend vehicles, plots of land and even holiday trips to Thailand in lucky draws.With the local polls in Maharashtra taking place after a prolonged gap, the pitch to voters is no longer subtle and aspirants across party lines are escalating their campaign strategies to levels rarely seen in urban civic politics.The scenario in Pune is in no way different. What were once modest outreach efforts have transformed into high-value inducements, with sponsored cricket leagues offering Rs 1 lakh prizes, and twoand four-wheeler draws becoming routine features of ward-level poll campaigns.Political analysts are of the view that land promises and luxury vehicles signal how fiercely contested the civic race has become, driven by overcrowded tickets, entry of new aspirants and intense intra-party competitions.In PMC’s Ward No. 1, which covers parts of Lohegaon and Dhanori, NCP aspirant Shashi Tingre has drawn much attention after completing registrations for a lucky draw, offering land plot measuring one guntha (roughly 1,100 sqft) each for 11 women.Tingre said the land offer should be seen as social empowerment and not inducement. “This is about giving women security and dignity through land ownership, not about buying votes.”In Wagholi, the scale of campaign has taken an even more extravagant turn with some aspirants sponsoring a five-day Thailand (Phuket-Krabi) tour for couples. In Ward No. 3 (Vimannagar), Sakhi Prerna Manch held a “home minister”-style contest for women, where winners walked away with Paithani saris.In ward No. 10 (Bavdhan and Bhusari Colony), around 500 girls got bicycles, while women got sewing machines through an initiative by Kiran Dagade Patil Foundation. In the same ward, Dilip Vede Patil, an aspirant, organised a free-of-cost music concert.In Pimpri Chinchwad, a candidate, Sanket Barne, organised a draw with the top prize of an SUV. He said, “We had over 5,000 participants attending our event which featured a music concert by leading artists from Bollywood.” Another aspirant from Pimpri, Ashwini More, sponsored a cricket tourney with a Rs 1 lakh cash prize. Many aspirants are privately admitting that such offers raise the stakes for everyone in the fray.Urban policy expert Jyoti Kanade said, “When campaigns revolve around gifts, it signals a transactional approach to democracy where voters are treated as consumers and polls as investments.”Political commentator Anand Puntambekar said, “Delayed elections, overcrowded tickets, and intense competition have pushed candidates to adopt a mindset where visibility matters more than ideology or governance.”A senior BJP leader said there is a growing pressure on contenders to match or exceed the rivals’ offers. “But there has to be a limit to all this and action must be taken against those crossing the line.”

US President Donald Trump marked Christmas Eve in a light-hearted mood, joking with children about Santa Claus, coal-filled stockings and even a “bad Santa” infiltrating the country. He joined first lady Melania Trump for the annual NORAD Santa-tracking calls from their Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.Vacationing at his Palm Beach resort, Trump took part in the Christmas Eve tradition on Wednesday that allows children who call the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) to track Santa Claus as the US military playfully follows his journey around the world. Some of these calls are patched through to the president, giving youngsters a chance to speak directly with the commander-in-chief.Speaking to children from several US states, the president struck a jovial tone and said he enjoyed the interaction so much that he “could do this all day long.” However, he further highlighted that he would eventually have to return to pressing global issues, including efforts to end the war between Russia and Ukraine.“We want to make sure that Santa is being good. Santa’s a very good person,” Trump said while speaking to children aged between four and ten. “We want to make sure that he’s not infiltrated, that we’re not infiltrating into our country a bad Santa.”US President and Melania Trump sat side by side and took around a dozen calls between them. While the first lady spoke quietly with children, advising them to sleep early so Santa could arrive, the president joked about her focus.“She’s able to focus totally, without listening,” Trump said as Melania remained on her call.During the conversations, Trump mixed humour with reassurance. When an eight-year-old girl from North Carolina asked whether Santa would be angry if children did not leave cookies for him, Trump replied, “He won’t get mad, but I think he’ll be very disappointed.”“You know, Santa — he tends to be a little bit on the cherubic side. You know what cherubic means? A little on the heavy side,” he added. “I think Santa would like some cookies.”In another call, an eight-year-old girl from Kansas said she hoped Santa would not leave coal in her stocking.“You mean clean, beautiful coal?” Trump responded, invoking a phrase he has frequently used while promoting domestic coal production. Laughing, he added, “I had to do that, I’m sorry.”“Coal is clean and beautiful. Please remember that, at all costs,” Trump said, before acknowledging that the child preferred a Barbie doll, clothes and candy.At several points, Trump referenced the military updates on Santa’s location, relayed by a general overseeing the NORAD operation, telling children when Santa would be reaching their homes.Despite the festive tone of the calls, Trump later returned to his familiar political messaging. Shortly after wrapping up the Christmas Eve conversations, he posted on his Truth Social platform: “Merry Christmas to all, including the Radical Left Scum that is doing everything possible to destroy our Country, but are failing badly.”Trump contrasted his administration’s achievements with policies he opposes. “We no longer have Open Borders, Men in Women’s Sports, Transgender for Everyone, or Weak Law Enforcement. What we do have is a Record Stock Market and 401K’s, Lowest Crime numbers in decades, No Inflation, and yesterday, a 4.3 GDP, two points better than expected,” he added.Trump has a history of using Christmas messages to criticise political opponents. In past years, he has posted holiday greetings aimed at what he has described as the “Radical Left Lunatics.”On Christmas Eve, however, the president appeared to enjoy the lighter moment, telling reporters watching nearby at Mar-a-Lago that speaking with children during the Santa-tracking calls was a welcome break from global affairs.

California is experiencing a powerful winter storm with heavy gusts of wind, flooding, debris flows, and snowstorms taking over the state. The weather forecast warned that this time would be the wettest Christmas Southern California has witnessed so far in years, with flash flood and mudslide warnings.As per the Los Angeles county officials, 380 evacuation orders were issued for the residences in the regions affected by the January wildfire. Official warnings also state that the car drivers should “turn around and not drown” when they witness the debris flows.“Just a few inches can lift a vehicle off the roadway and put lives at risk,” wrote the California San Bernardino public information office while warning the drivers.Mud and debris rushed down a road as firefighters in San Bernardino county rescued people trapped in their cars. “I came across (a road) where there was a car sucked away by the water and realised we were trapped here,” said Dillan Brown who rented a cabin in Wrightwood with his wife and 14-month-old daughter. He shared that they were stranded in the woods with almost no food and only enough diapers.“Severe, widespread flash flooding is expected,” the National Weather Service said, adding that “lives and property are in great danger.” Videos show damage caused due to gusty winds as trees can be seen fallen on the residential properties. Wet roads and floods have also caused havoc for the people, as several roadways were also closed due to flooding, making the travellers more prone to crashes.Sacramento sheriff deputy James Caravallo reportedly passed away in a weather-related crash, as investigated by the California Highway Patrol. “Our hearts are with Deputy Caravallo’s family, and we ask the public to keep Deputy Caravallo’s loved ones and our Sheriff’s Office family in their thoughts and prayers,” the agency said in a post on social media.The National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning for the greater Tahoe region, which shall stay in effect till Friday morning. Governor Gavin Newsom has also declared a state of emergency in six counties to speed up state support for storm response efforts.Emergency resources and first responders have been deployed across several coastal and Southern California counties, with the California National Guard placed on standby.

The US Department of Justice on Tuesday said that it has uncovered over a million additional documents “potentially related” to the Jeffrey Epstein case.In a social media post on X, the Department of Justice said that finishing the release of all of Epstein’s files could take a “few more weeks.”

“The US Attorney for the Southern District of New York and the FBI have informed the Department of Justice that they have uncovered over a million more documents potentially related to the Jeffrey Epstein case. The DOJ has received these documents from SDNY and the FBI to review them for release, in compliance with the Epstein Files Transparency Act, existing statutes, and judicial orders,” the DOJ said.“We have lawyers working around the clock to review and make the legally required redactions to protect victims, and we will release the documents as soon as possible. Due to the massive volume of material, this process may take a few more weeks. The Department will continue to fully comply with federal law and President Trump’s direction to release the files,” it added.30,000 pages releasedThis comes days after the DOJ released 30,000 more pages of documents related to Jeffrey Epstein, while noting that some of these documents contain “untrue” claims made against President Donald Trump.In an X post, the DOJ claimed that the documents against Donald Trump are “false” and would have been “weaponised” against him.“The Department of Justice has officially released nearly 30,000 more pages of documents related to Jeffrey Epstein. Some of these documents contain untrue and sensationalist claims made against President Trump that were submitted to the FBI right before the 2020 election. To be clear: the claims are unfounded and false, and if they had a shred of credibility, they certainly would have been weaponised against President Trump already. Nevertheless, out of our commitment to the law and transparency, the DOJ is releasing these documents with the legally required protections for Epstein’s victims,” the DOJ wrote on X.A 2021 subpoena to the Mar-a-Lago Club, founded by Trump in 1995, is also among the documents, as reported by CNN. The subpoena relates to a probe into Epstein’s former girlfriend and convicted accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell.The documents also include a letter signed by “J Epstein,” which was sent to convicted sex offender Larry Nassar in the same month Epstein died by suicide in 2019. The letter, as reported by CNN, makes references to Trump without explicitly naming him. The letter contains the phrase “our president.”However, the DOJ said that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has confirmed that the letter is fake. The DOJ noted that the writing in the letter does not appear to match Epstein’s, and the letter was postmarked three days after his death.The US passed the Epstein Files Transparency Act last month, prompting the DOJ to release documents related to Epstein, who was charged as a sex offender.Newly released documents tied to Epstein have put a spotlight on previously unseen photos of the late convicted sex offender with a host of high-profile figures, including legendary popstar Michael Jackson, musician Mick Jagger, and former US President Bill Clinton.The DOJ has released thousands of files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell, but a substantial number of documents remain unpublished.Among the newly released documents is a grand jury interview with an unnamed FBI agent from May 2007. The agent described an allegation that Epstein recruited a 15-year-old girl to give him a topless massage.The agent said a witness had recruited other girls from among their peer group, adding: “Epstein liked girls like her, which is thin and blonde and attractive,” as quoted by The Independent.Another witness quoted in the files described Epstein as selective and highly focused on the age of the girls he allowed to work for him, adding that Epstein rejected some girls he “didn’t really like” and once dismissed a potential masseur as “too old” at 23.