Taj’s 2nd standalone restaurant Bombay Brasserie abroad to open in Singapore next week | India News

NEW DELHI: That Hotel’s Bombay Brasserie — the only restaurant brand of an Indian hotel at the moment with standalone presence abroad — will within a week open in Singapore too. It is currently in central London, a short distance from Taj’s St James Court hotel near Buckingham Palace and St James’ Park. “The second standalone Bombay Brasserie will open in Singapore within a week,” said Suma Venkatesh, Taj parent Indian Hotels Company Ltd (IHCL) EVP (real estate & development).
Many years ago, ITC’s famed Bukhara had a standalone presence in one or two places in the west.But those were shut down. As of now, Taj’s Bombay Brasserie — which offers Mumbai’s culinary diversity with influences from Parsi, Goan, Bengali, Gujarati, Portuguese and Raj cuisines — is the only restaurant brand of an Indian hotel with standalone presence out of India.
“Our other restaurant brands are travelling within the group. As of now we don’t have plans to open standalone units of our restaurant brands other than Bombay Brassiere outside of out hotels in India or abroad,” Venkatesh said.
The group’s well known restaurants like Machan, Shamiana and House of Ming — which started with one location — are being opened at other Taj properties both, in India and abroad. “A House of Ming (housed at Taj Mahal in Delhi) is opening in our properties in London and Jaipur. Shamiana (Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai) has travelled to Dubai. Bengaluru’s Taj West End now has a Machan (of Taj Mahal, Delhi). Bombay Brasserie, which is in London and Dubai, will also open at San Francisco. And Varq (of Taj Mahal, Delhi) has opened at our new property in Dubai,” a senior Taj official had told TOI last October.
The group is expanding its home delivery brand, Qmin, which was launched during Covid. All its lean luxe Ginger hotels will include a restaurant with this name.

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Alia Bhatt drops FIRST review of Ranbir Kapoor starrer 'Animal'; calls it 'Khatarnak' | Hindi Movie News

Ahead of its release, the makers of the Ranbir Kapoor starrer ‘Animal‘ hosted a star-studded screening in the city . The who’s who in Bollywood made their presence felt at the do.
After the special screening, Alia was seen walking out with her family. A paparazzo asked her how the movie was and the actress replied by saying, ‘Khatarnaak!’.

Alia, along with her mother Soni Razdan, sister Shaheen and father Mahesh Bhatt was seen attending the screening in style.

The actress grabbed eyeballs after she was seen sporting a Ranbir Kapoor-themed t-shirt at the premiere. Ranbir, along with his mother Neetu Kapoor was also seen greeting guests at the screening.

Alia Bhatt-Ranbir Kapoor step out to celebrate Shaheen Bhatt’s birthday, wave and smile for paps- WATCH IT

In an earlier interview with a news portal, Ranbir expressed that he and Alia Bhatt engage in extensive conversations about each other’s work. He conveyed a deep respect for her as an artist and admired her intellectual approach.
Ranbir mentioned that he engages in discussions about every scene and aspect of his film with Alia, seeking her insights. He credited Alia for assisting him in navigating challenging scenes, especially when he felt uncertain as an actor, pondering if things were coming across as intended, as reported by Indian Express.

Furthermore, Ranbir Kapoor stated that in portraying a character, he has never pushed the boundaries to this extent before. While he has generally aimed to depict goodness on screen, Alia has been a guiding force. According to Ranbir, Alia reassured him, saying, “Listen, it’s fine. It’s a character, and it makes sense. There is an idea and thought behind it.” He credited her as a strong support, particularly in the context of this film.
Directed by Sandeep Reddy Wanga‘Animal’ also stars Anil Kapoor, Bobby Deol and Rashmika Mandanna in lead roles. The film will be locking horns with Vicky Kaushal starrer ‘Sam Bahadur‘ at the box office.

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Winter Vacations: Blasphemy row spreads, NIT Srinagar declares early winter vacations | India News

SRINAGAR: Protests at National Institute of Technology (NIT) in Srinagar over alleged blasphemous remarks targeting a particular religion by a student from outside J&K escalated on Thursday, spreading to other college campuses in the city. In response, NIT declared winter vacations from Thursday, ahead of the originally scheduled mid-December break, instructing students to vacate hostels immediately.
This coincided with the J&K higher education department’s directive to all government degree colleges of the Kashmir region to conduct online classes from December 1 to December 31, or until winter vacations are announced, citing the early onset of winter as a challenge for students commuting to their institutes. It mentioned that all internal and semester-end exams will proceed according to schedule.
A YouTube video containing purportedly offensive remarks triggered demonstrations at NIT on Tuesday, leading to the rustication of the student, who was sent home that very day. Police registered an FIR against the accused student on Wednesday.
Despite the rustication, protests continued on Thursday, demanding the arrest and punishment of the accused. Peaceful demonstrations and slogan-shouting were observed in various educational institutes in Srinagar, including Amar Singh College and Islamia College of Science and Commerce. Authorities at Islamia College suspended classes for a day, but informed students that backlog examinations for the third semester would proceed as scheduled.
J&K DGP RR Swain issued a warning against sharing videos and posting texts on social media with the potential to incite communal frenzy, disrupt peace, promote terrorism, and separatism. He emphasised that strict action, in accordance with the law, would be taken against those showing disrespect to any religious group or community.
“No element will be allowed to disrupt the communal harmony Kashmir is known for. Nobody will be allowed to damage or disrespect any religious community,” Swain said.

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Terrorist killed in Pulwama encounter | India News

SRINAGAR: One terrorist was killed in an encounter with security forces in Arihal area of south Kashmir’s Pulwama district on Thursday evening. The operation was still on when reports last came in.
A senior police officer said the identity of the slain terrorist was being ascertained.
An official said a joint team of J&K Police, Army and CRPF launched a cordon and search operation on receiving specific input about the presence of terrorists in the area.As the team closed in on them, the hiding terrorists fired at the forces, who retaliated, resulting in a gun battle.
According to sources, two to three terrorists are believed to be trapped in the area.

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Junaid Khan, Sai Pallavi to start shooting for their untitled love story on Dec 1 | Hindi Movie News

The yet-to-be-titled film is a love story and as per earlier information, it is set in the city of Sapporo in Japan where the team had gone for a recce, a couple of months back.
Talking about the film, a source close to the production shared: “Junaid and Sai’s film is all set to go on floors from December 1. The first schedule will be shot in Mumbai itself.”
A source close to the film had earlier told the media: “The team saw the famous Snow Festival during their recce, which will also feature in the film as it will see the city of Sapporo set in the winters, and the team absolutely loved it.They were so thrilled by the picturesque landscapes and the unique cultural experience.”
This will be the first ever time that a film will feature Sapporo which makes it an even more exciting proposition to watch it on the big screen.
Sai Pallavi will be next seen in ‘SK 21’ alongside Sivakarthikeyan.
Meanwhile, Junaid is all set to make his Bollywood screen debut with YRF‘s ‘Maharaj‘, and has been working professionally in theatre for over six years and a few days ago, he performed at Mumbai’s Prithvi theatre as part of a play titled ‘Strictly Unconventional’.

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Katrina Kaif reviews 'Sam Bahadur'; Vicky Kaushal calls her his 'superpower' - See post | Hindi Movie News

Ahead of the release of her husband Vicky Kaushal‘s movie, ‘Sam Bahadur‘, Katrina Kaif dropped her personal review of the film. The actress heaped praises on Vicky’s brilliant performance in the movie.
Check out her post here:

Sharing a poster of the film, Katrina wrote, ‘SAM BAHADUR – @meghnagulzar such a poetic beautiful classic film , was transported to another era ..you can see your passion to telling his story and attention to detail in every shot. And SAM !!!!….. GRACE, HEROISM , GRIT. What a performance, flawless, I’m just astounded , you are too inspiring , true to your craft in the most brilliant integral way, was so proud to watch you shine your way across the screen . I’ve seen you this last year pour yourself into this film and transform into sam. A performance to be remembered’, followed by white heart emojis.

As soon as she penned the post, likes and comments poured in from all sides. Vicky also took to the comment section and wrote, ‘You are my superpower!’ Neha Dhupia also dropped red heart emojis on the post.

Sam Bahadur Movie Review: Did this Vicky Kaushal led biopic create an impact?

While one fan wrote, ‘Love you Kat!!!! What a supportive wifey you are!’, another one added, ‘The best actor got the best wife’. A fan also commented, ‘Wishing it the huge success it deserves and same for the most awaited Merry Christmas’.

Vicky Kaushal had earlier noted Meghna Gulzar’s meticulous approach on the film set, describing her as a “hawk,” particularly due to the Indian Army’s specific expectations for their portrayal. During an interview with Ranveer Allahbadia, Vicky expressed the challenge of living up to the “glory” associated with the character of Sam Manekshaw.
Sam Bahadur marks Vicky Kaushal’s third film release of the year, following Zara Hatke Zara Bachke and The Great Indian Family. The movie is set to go head-to-head at the box office with Animalwhich stars Ranbir Kapoor in the lead role.

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Goa governor to disburse financial assistance to dialysis patients tomorrow | India News

PANAJI: Financial assistance to dialysis patients will be provided from the Governor’s discretionary funds at Raj Bhawan in Goa on December 1, an official statement said on Thursday.
Earlier Goa Governor PS Sreedharan Pillai had announced various schemes of financial assistance from the Governor’s discretionary fund.
According to an official statement released, the Goa Governor had also visited 91 NGOs and disbursed financial assistance personally at the doorsteps of these institutions although the initial target was 71 NGOs.
“Further, during the Goa Gram Sampurna Yatra, the Governor visited the length and breadth of Goa and distributed financial assistance to 1005 dialysis/cancer/other patients from the Governor’s discretionary fund,” a statement said.
“Continuing the assistance once again it is informed that a programme for distribution of financial assistance to dialysis patients from the Governor’s discretionary funds will be organized on December 1 at 10:30 am. in the Dining Hall, New Durbar Hall, Raj Bhavan,” it added.
Also, the celebrations of the state foundation day of Nagaland and Assam will be held at Raj Bhawan on December 1.
“Goa Governor PS Sreedharan Pillai and Deputy Speaker of Goa Legislative Assembly, Joshua D’Souza will grace the occasion,” an official statement said.

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Exit polls: Axis My India predicts huge BJP win in Madhya Pradesh | India News

NEW DELHI: Axis My Indiawhich has had a good strike rate with exit poll resultshas predicted a huge BJP win in Madhya Pradesh, advantage Congress in Chhattisgarh and a cliffhanger in Rajasthan.
According to the pollster, the BJP may win 140 to 162 seats in Madhya Pradesh while the Congress would be a distant second with 68 to 90 seats. If these numbers hold on the day of counting, it could mean that the BJP will
In Chhattisgarh, the Congress is likely to bag 40-50 seats while the BJP may win between 36 and 46 seats.The incumbent Congress chief minister Bhupesh Baghel is the most preferred choice for the people of the state.
Rajasthan may see a hung assembly with the Congress slightly ahead of the BJP in a very close contest, according to the exit poll predictions. While chief minister Ashok Gehlot may win 86-106 seats, the BJP may manage between 80 and 100 seats.

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Mumbai: 40-year-old woman sexually assaults 16-year-old boy, booked | Mumbai News

MUMBAI: The Tardeo police in Mumbai on Wednesday booked a 40-year-old woman for allegedly sexually assaulting a 16-year-old boy.
A police officer said that the woman had first lodged an FIR last month saying that her 20-year-old relative had sexually assaulted her at her home where he was staying with them as a guest since he came from UP a couple of months ago.
The police arrested the person for rape.
During the investigation, when his age was examined, it turned out that he was 16-year-old.
He was then sent to Children’s remand home.
The boy is the woman’s husband’s relative.
The boy’s mother came from UP and she lodged an FIR against the woman stating that she had sexually assaulted her son.
Police booked the woman under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) act.
The police said that they are making further inquiries in the case.
The boy had come to Mumbai a couple of months ago and was staying with the woman’s family in a chawl in Tardeo.

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'Animal' vs 'Sam Bahadur': Rashmika Mandanna says she 'can't wait to watch' the Vicky Kaushal starrer; the latter calls her the 'sweetest' - See posts | Hindi Movie News

In what can be termed as one of the biggest box office clashes this year, Ranbir Kapoor starrer ‘Animal‘ and Vicky Kaushal starrer ‘Sam Bahadur‘ are all set to lock horns on December 1.
Ahead of the release, Rashmika Mandanna took to her Instagram Story and shared a poster of ‘Sam Bahadur’ and wished the team all the best.
Check out the post here:

She wrote, ‘Vicky Kaushal Jiiii.Congratulations and all the best for Sam tomorrow yaa.. Can’t wait to watch’. Re-sharing her post, Vicky replied, ‘Aren’t you the sweetest Rashmika! Thank you so much and all the best to both of us. Can’t wait to be back on set with you’. Rashmika responded, ‘See you soonest!’
Check out his post here:

Reports were earlier rife that Vicky and Rashmika are all set to collaborate on a project. Their fun banter on social media has now proved the same.

Speaking to The Indian Express, Vicky used a sports analogy to express his opinion about the clash. He mentioned that when two opening batsmen come to the crease, playing for the same team, one wouldn’t say that the two batsmen are clashing with each other. Instead, they are playing for a single team, emphasizing that they are playing for Hindi cinema.

Sam Bahadur Movie Review: Did this Vicky Kaushal led biopic create an impact?

Vicky added that in this scenario, while one batsman scores big hits, the other focusing on strategic singles while maintaining the strike is equally crucial. When questioned about which film will achieve the big hit, Vicky responded by saying, “The audience will decide.”
‘Sam Bahadur’ also stars Sanya Malhotra and Fatima Sana Shaikh in lead roles. The film is directed by Meghna Gulzar. Meanwhile, Animal also stars Anil Kapoor, Rashmika Mandanna, Ranbir Kapoor, and Bobby Deol.

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Both Congress, BJP hopeful of victory in Rajasthan after exit poll predictions | India News

JAIPUR: The Congress and the BJP were hopeful of victory in the Rajasthan assembly polls after exit poll predictions were announced on Thursday. While most pollsters predicted an edge for the BJP in Rajasthan, three exit polls in their upper limit forecast a Congress win in the desert state.
Polling in Rajasthan was held on November 25 and the votes will be counted on December 3.
Senior BJP leader Rajendra Rathore said his party’s tally will be higher than that predicted by exit polls because “there was an undercurrent against the Congress”.
“The polling percentage this time was at an all-time high…, which also indicates that there was anti-incumbency,” he said.
Reacting to the exit poll predictions, BJP MP and party candidate from the Tijara assembly constituency Baba Balaknath said, “The people of Rajasthan want freedom from the Congress, given their record of corruption. The BJP is going to form the government with a majority in Rajasthan as well as Madhya Pradesh.”
BJP MP and party candidate from the Jhotwara seat Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore told reporters that people want a transformation and the results will be in favour of the party on December 3.
Congress leaders expressed hope that the party would win and form the government in the state.
“Exit polls indicate that ‘raaj nahi rivaz’ (trend, not rule) is set to change in Rajasthan as the Congress is going to win a majority,” Congress spokesperson Gourav Vallabh said on the exit polls.
He was referring to the trend in Rajasthan of the incumbent party being voted out every five years.
Congress candidate and minister Pratap Singh Khachariyawas said the Congress could form the government as people have validated its development model.
“The possibility of Congress forming the government is high,” he said.
In Rajasthan, India Today-Axis My India forecast a tight race, predicting 86-106 seats for the Congress, 80-100 seats for the BJP and others 9-18.
While Dainik Bhaskar gave 98-105 seats to the BJP and 85-95 to the Congress, Jan Ki Baat pollsters forecast that the BJP would get 100-122 and 62-85 for the Congress.
TV9 Bharatvarsh-Polstrat predicted 100-110 for the BJP and 90-100 for the Congress. Times Now ETG poll predicted 108-128 seats for the BJP and 56-72 for the Congress in Rajasthan.
Today’s Chankaya gave a simple majority to the Congress, projecting that it would get 101 seat as against the BJP’s 89.
While India TV-CNX put the Congress’ tally at 94 to 104 in the 200-member House and the BJP’s at 80-90, Republic TV-Matrize gave 115-130 seats to the BJP and 65-75 to the Congress.
P-MARQ pollsters gave 105-125 seats to the BJP and 69-91 to the Congress.
Jist-TIF-NAI predicted that in Rajasthan there would be continuation of the state’s revolving door tradition, forecasting 110 seats for the BJP and the Congress 70.

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Electricity bill not proof that structure is authorised: MSEDCL disclaimer | Mumbai News

MUMBAI: Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL) on Thursday told the Bombay high court it will introduce a statement in the application form for a new connection and in the bill that they are not to be used as proof that the premises, where power is sought or supplied, is authorized or is owned.
The power distribution company replied to a suo motu petition regarding an unauthorized four-storeyed building, Om Sai Apartments, in Ghansoli village, Navi Mumbai.
The court receiver, who was directed to visit the site and obtain details, in his report said out of 29 flats, 23 are occupied.
The building had no permission and had water and electricity. Since MSEDCL granted 17 metered connections, it was added as a party.
The judges said electricity bills are produced before authorities to suggest that a structure is authorized.
MSEDCL’s advocate Deepa Chavan said power supply has nothing to do with the legality of a construction.
As it is an essential service, there is statutory obligation under the Electricity Act to provide it, she added.
Chavan informed that MSEDCL proposes to introduce the disclaimer in the bilingual – English and Marathi – statements in the application form of new connections and in electricity bills.
She also said it will be inserted from the 3rd billing cycle.
Chavan also said Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission can issue practice directions to 17 distribution licensees in the State for incorporation of the two statements.
The judges said MSEDCL’s proposed statements are sufficient.
“Mere application for electricity connection or bill by distribution licensees has nothing at all to do with planning permission for construction or erection of a structure. It is impossible to expect distribution licensees to assess the question of title to property,” they said, adding that structures must have requisite planning permissions.
With these clarifications, the judges said “the continued presence of MSEDCL is unnecessary.”
The judges said there would be no problem in ordering demolition but for flat-purchases having taken loans from cooperative banks and giving illegal flats as security to banks “There will be anarchy in planning because people will put up illegal structures and say, ‘I will pay’. …what is the difference between this and slum encroachment?…” asked Justice Patel. The judges posted the matter on January 3 for final disposal.

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'Exit polls have limited sample size, BJP will come to power': Chhattisgarh BJP chief Arun Sao | India News

NEW DELHI: Dismissing the exit poll projections, which put Congress in the lead in Chhattisgarh, state party chief and BJP leader Arun Sao said that the small sample size of exit polls does not reflect the exact situation adding that BJP is set to form government in the state after December 3.
Speaking to ANI, Chhattisgarh BJP president Arun Sao said,” These exit polls have a limited size.The sample size of the BJP is huge. Party workers have given us the data. I have been roaming in Chhattisgarh for the past 1.5 years. I have gone to each Vidhan Sabha and had conversations with people. On that basis, I can say that on December 3, the BJP will come to power.”
He further said that people in Chhattisgarh will reject Congress for the misgovernance that occurred under the tenure of chief minister Bhupesh Baghel.
“Congress looted every section of society. They miserably failed. Congress stopped the development agenda in the state and made Chhattisgarh a centre of crimes and scams,” he said.
While three exit polls predicted a clear victory of Congress, others said that the party was in the winning range.
The Congress fought the election with chief minister Bhupesh Baghel at the helm.
According to ABP C-Voter predictions, Congress is poised to win 41-53 seats in the state which has a 90-member assembly. The exit poll said BJP is poised to get 36-48 seats and others 0-4 seats.
The India Today-Axis My India poll predicted Congress getting 40-50 seats, BJP 36-46 seats and others getting 1-5 seats. The Republic TV exit poll gave Congress 44-52 seats, BJP 34-42 seats and 0-2 polls for others.
India TV-CNX poll predicted 46- 56 seats for Congress, 30-40 seats for BJP and 3-5 for others. The numbers for Congress and BJP in the Jan Ki Baat exit poll were 42-53 and 34-45 respectively and it predicted 0-3 seats for others.
The P-Marq poll said Congress is poised to win 46-54 seats with 44.6 per cent vote, BJP 35-42 seats with 42.9 per cent vote and others will get 0-2 seats with 12.5 per cent votes.
Chhattisgarh went to the polls in two phases on November 7 and 17 and the counting of votes, along with that in the other four states, will take place on December 3.
The exit poll predictions came after polling concluded in Telangana, the last of the five states that went to polls this month.
In 2018, the Congress won 68 seats in Chhattisgarh and the BJP won 15 seats. Janata Congress Chhattisgarh (J) won five seats, while the Bahujan Samaj Party won two seats.

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