Days after protests at a routine life certificate camp organised by India’s consulate in Canada’s Vancouver at the Khalsa Diwan Society’s gurdwara in Abbotsford in British Columbia, pro-Khalistani elements have threatened to disrupt similar activities in the future. On Wednesday, the secessionist group Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) released posters threatening to “shut down” such camps that are scheduled to be held in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) on November 18 and 19. The SFJ said that “wherever” Indian officials go, pro-Khalistani elements will attempt to “hold them accountable”. “Pro-Khalistan Sikhs are going to challenge Indian diplomats since they are setting up spy network under the cover of community programmes,” SFJ’s general-counsel Gurpatwant Pannun said in a statement. Dig deeper

As rescue operations entered the fifth day to evacuate the 40 construction workers trapped 260 metres inside the Silkyara-Barkot under-construction tunnel in Uttarkashi, a state-of-the-art performance auger drilling machine was brought in from New Delhi in Indian Air Force (IAF) C-130J aircraft on Wednesday to expedite the rescue operation plans. According to officials, the machine can drill through the debris at 5 metres per hour. However, it cannot predict the timeline due to the possible obstacles in the form of boulders present in the debris. Dig deeper

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A day after a video showing Nana Patekar slapping a fan for clicking a selfie with him on set went viral on social media, the actor clarified his side of the story. Speaking to the news agency ANI, Nana Patekar said that smacking the boy was a part of a scene in his next film and he thought the fan was actually one of the crew members – who were playing that part. He added that he later realised that the boy was a real fan. “Though this sequence is a part of our film, we had one rehearsal. We were scheduled to have a second rehearsal. The director told me to begin. We were about to begin when the boy in the video came in. I didn’t know who he was, I thought he was one of our crew so I slapped him as per the scene and I told him to leave. Later, I came to know that he was not a part of the crew. So, I was going to call him back but he ran away,” he said. Dig deeper

Lifestyle

Bollywood actress Anushka Sharma attended the World Cup semi-final between India and New Zealand in Mumbai on Wednesday as her husband and popular Indian cricketer Viral Kohli played on the field. The actress was spotted cheering and reacting to every shot Virat took during the match. In several pictures circulating on social media, Anushka can be seen donning an oversized white cotton shirt featuring a classic shirt collar, front tie-up detailing, full sleeves, and an intriguing green flower print with black borders adorning the entire surface. She paired it with matching shorts with an elasticated drawstring waist. Reportedly, Anushka’s outfit is from the brand Dhruv Kapoor and comes with a price tag of ₹27,500. Dig deeper

Sports goings

Virat Kohli on Wednesday slammed a record-breaking century to seal India’s berth in the World Cup final. From Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar to tennis icon Novak Djokovic, a host of luminaries from the sports fraternity congratulated him on becoming the first batter to hit 50 One Day International (ODI) centuries. Batting legend Sunil Gavaskar opined that the ex-India skipper has been a ‘supehuman’ for the Men In Blue at the ICC event, while former Indian head coach Ravi Shastri praised the star batter for overcoming his lean patch in international cricket. Dig deeper