Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to attend World Yoga Day celebrations here on June 21, an official said on Saturday.

At a meeting, Chief Secretary Rahul Bhatnagar said as many as 50,000 people are likely to take part in the event and asked all concerned departments to make proper arrangements.

The Uttar Pradesh government is looking for a venue that could accommodate such a large crowd and also ensure foolproof security for the VVIP influx, an official said.

The Secondary Education Department has been asked to ensure participation of at least 100 students.

Preparations are also being made for the participation of senior citizens and 400-500 differently-abled children.

Instructions have been issued to arrange for mineral water bottles, shoe bags, t-shirts and yoga mats. 

A rehearsal will also be held on June 18-19.

Candidates waiting to get their NEET admit card 2017 for National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test-UG can now download admit card from the official website 

NEET candidates trying to download the admit card 2017 have to visit the official website and fill the blank space with the required information including registration number, date of birth and login details.

As per the updates, NEET exam 2017 has been scheduled for 07th May and more than 11 lakh candidates have applied for the examination.

Due to the huge rush on the NEET official website candidates may face technical issues in getting their admit card, so the candidates are advised to stay calm and refresh the official website in a short interval of time.

Veteran actor Anil Kapoor says his daughter Sonam is very "fortunate" to have been chosen for a Special Mention at the 64th National Film Awards. And now the family is looking forward to the day when she will receive the honour from President Pranab Mukherjee next month.

Anil was present at the IIFA voting weekend here on Friday when he was asked about his sentiments on Sonam getting a National Award for her performance in Neerja.

He said: "I am very happy. I was discussing it with my family that she is so fortunate. In such a short span of time, at such a young age, with such a less number of films, she has got this recognition from the highest award in our country. Besides, the film has been loved by all.

"All the departments of Neerja were excellent. But Sonam was Neerja and Neerja was Sonam. I am very happy that not just the film, but even Sonam has received a National Award. I am looking forward to the May 3 event when Sonam will be on dais receiving an award from the President of this country."

"Neerja" was named the Best Hindi Film for the 64th National Awards.

Based on air hostess Neerja Bhanot, who displayed the utmost courage to deal with armed terrorists and sacrificed her life to save others, the film was appreciated for its performances by Sonam and Shabana Azmi, who played her mother on screen.

Anil has himself received two National Awards — one in the Best Actor category for Pukar and a Special Jury award as producer of Gandhi, My Father.

The actor was happy about being a part of the IIFA voting weekend, where film celebrities cast their vote for winners of the International Indian Film Academy Awards. This time, the gala will take place in New York.

"As far as my involvement is there, IIFA is like family as I have associated with it from many years. Being in New York, it involves high expectations, more hard work, large scale grandeur and much more."
 

 Singer Justin Bieber has revealed his collection of tattoos in a topless selfie.

In the black and white photograph shared on social media, the Love yourself hitmaker flashed a hint of a smile and stared into the lens, reports mirror.co.uk.

He put his many inkings proudly on display and his fans around the globe happily took a peek.

 Musician Stevie Wonder is set to walk down the aisle with girlfriend Tomeeka Robyn Bracy on 17 June, says a source.

It is expected to be a star-studded beachside ceremony in Jamaica, reports aceshowbiz.com.

Singers Elton John and Sam Smith are among Wonder's close friends who are expected to attend the wedding ceremony. 

This will be his third wedding. The Isn't she lovely hitmaker was previously married to Syreeta Wright from 1970 to 1971 and Karen Kai Millard Morris from 2001 until 2012. 

According to a guest, "It is going to be a huge, incredibly fun wedding and Stevie is flying out all his nearest and dearest". 

"The guest list is pretty spectacular, and there will be a couple of surprise performances on the night," said the guest.

"Stevie has said he may well get up and perform a number, but hasn't said what song yet. There will be a huge party afterwards as well, and the whole day will be about love, laughter and family; Stevie is very close to his, and they will all have a role to play on the big day," the guest added.

The legendary singer, 67, and his 42-year-old girlfriend have two children together, with the youngest being born in 2014 and named Nia. 

He has seven other children who were born to other women. 

The Sir Duke singer's children will serve as bridesmaids and best men. 
 

A hacking group has leaked a collection of powerful hacking tools allegedly used by the US' National Security Agency online, the media reported.

According to experts, the leaks, published by the Shadow Brokers on Friday, target a variety of Windows servers and Windows operating systems, including Windows 7 and Windows 8, CNN reported. 

"They may have been used to target a global banking system. One collection of 15 exploits contains at least four Windows hacks that researches have already been able to replicate," the experts said.

"This is quite possibly the most damaging thing I've seen in the last several years," said Matthew Hickey, founder of security firm Hacker House. 

"This puts a powerful nation state-level attack tool in the hands of anyone who wants to download it to start targeting servers."

The Shadow Brokers is a group of anonymous hackers that published hacking tools used by the NSA last year, reports CNN. 

On April 8, the group published a batch of NSA exploits it had previously tried, and failed, to sell. 

This Friday's release contains more serious exploits. The releases are published with strange and misspelled blog posts.

According to Hickey, the Windows exploits could be used to conduct espionage and target critical data in Windows-based environments.

A Microsoft spokesperson told CNN that they were reviewing the report and will "take the necessary actions to protect our customers".

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is warning that Libya risks a return to widespread conflict, citing the volatile security situation in Tripoli and fighting in the oil-rich east and elsewhere.

The UN chief expressed alarm in a report to the Security Council at the renewed military escalation and ongoing political stalemate in the country.

Guterres said the Islamic State extremist group no longer controls territory in Libya but its operatives have been sighted, it has been blamed for a number of attacks in different areas, and the international community remains a target.

Libya sank into chaos following the 2011 uprising that toppled and killed dictator Moammar Gadhafi, and has remained split between rival parliaments and governments in the east and west, each backed by a set of militias, tribes and political factions. 

The Met office forecast that maximum temperature is likely to touch 41 degrees Celsius on Saturday, which can turn as the warmest day of the year.

"Generally the season's average of the maximum temperature during the month of April remains less than 35 degrees Celsius. But on Saturday, mercury is expected to rise and it can reach till 41 degrees Celsius," said an official of the India Meteorological Department.

April 17, 2016, was the only day in the April when maximum temperature was recorded at 42 degrees Celsius. However, maximum temperature remained below 40 degrees Celsius throughout last April, the Met official said.

The Met has also forecast a clear day ahead.

It was a sunny Saturday morning in the national capital with the minimum temperature recorded at 22 degrees Celsius, a notch above the season's average.

Friday was also a warmest day of the year as maximum temperature was recorded at 40.6 degrees Celsius, five notches above the season's average while 20.7 degrees Celsius, normal for the season's average.

Pope Francis deplored the suffering of migrants, victims of racism and persecuted Christians as some 20,000 worshippers gathered at Rome's Colosseum to hear his Good Friday prayer.

“Christ, our only saviour, we turn towards you this year with eyes lowered in shame,” the pope on Friday told the crowds outside the former gladiators' battleground, their faces lit by candlelight.

“Shame for all the images of devastation, destruction and shipwrecks which have become ordinary in our lives,” Francis said in an apparent reference to Mediterranean migrant disasters that have left at least 590 people feared people dead this year.

The pope also spoke of the child abuse scandals that have rocked Catholicism in recent years, expressing “shame for all the times when bishops, priests and the religious have scandalised and hurt” the Church.

“Shame for the innocent blood, spilt daily, of women, children, migrants, people persecuted for the colour of their skin or for their social or ethnic group — or for their faith in you,” he said.

The Easter holy week commemorating the last days of Jesus's life had a bloody beginning last Sunday with attacks claimed by the Islamic State group on two Coptic churches in Egypt that left 45 people dead.

Egyptian Copts observed a solemn Good Friday with prayers and fasting, as the community reeled from the bombings. Despite concerns over security, Francis is planning to go ahead with a visit to the country later this month.

In Rome, security was tight for the night-time ceremony, with road blocks and metal detectors in place as worshippers gathered to hear the leader of the world's 1.3 billion Catholics. Three thousand officers were deployed to protect the Colosseum.

This year an Egyptian couple and their three young daughters carried a large cross for part of the Via Crucis (Way of the Cross) procession, descending through the Colosseum and then outside into the crowd.

Worshippers from Portugal and Colombia — two countries the pontiff is set to visit in May and September respectively — also took part in the procession, taking turns to carry the cross along with two Chinese Christians.

A small group of believers carry a cross between 14 “stations” evoking the hours in the run-up to Jesus's crucifixion during the Via Crucis procession.

Francis, 80, sat under his traditional red canopy next to a large cross lit with torchlight for the ceremony, which for the first time included a meditation written by a secular woman, French professor Anne-Marie Pelletier.

Good Friday is the second of four important days in the Christian calendar beginning with Maundy Thursday and culminating in Easter Sunday, which commemorates Christ's resurrection.

Today, the pontiff will take part in an evening Easter vigil in St Peter's Basilica, before celebrating Easter mass Tomorrow and pronouncing the traditional “Urbi et Orbi” blessing to Rome and the world. 

At least 10 people were injured when eight coaches of the Meerut-Lucknow Rajya Rani Express derailed near Rampur in UP on Saturday morning.

As per reports from the Ministry of Railways, the incident took place at 8:15 am between Mundapandey and Rampur in Uttar Pradesh.

Police personnel rushed to the spot after the incident and the rescue operation is underway. No casualties have been reported so far.

Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Adityanath has announced compensation of Rs.50,000 each for seriously injured and Rs.25,000 each to injured in the train accident.

Union Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu has ordered enquiry to look into the causes of the accident and said he is personally monitoring the situation. The Ministry of Railways has announced compensation of Rs.50,000 to those injured in Rajya Rani Express derailment.

He said that strict action will be taken against any lapse.

 Late actor Heath Ledger had an inability to sleep for long hours, says I Am Heath Ledger co-director Derik Murray.

"He'd sleep either zero or two hours a night for years," said Murray, reports nypost.com.

"He would call people up in the middle of the night." 

Matt Amato, who co-founded a production company, the Masses, with the late actor, said: "Heath was very private. He didn't even like any of that behind-the-scenes stuff, like DVD extras."

But later this month, I Am Heath Ledger, a documentary delving into his life, will premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival. 

Interspersed with interviews – among them former girlfriend Naomi Watts, musician Ben Harper, directors Ang Lee and Catherine Hardwicke, and actors Djimon Hounsou, Ben Mendelsohn and Emile Hirsch – are countless clips from Ledger's home videos, dating from his teen years in Perth, Australia, and ending just days before his death in 2008. 

They all say he was in good spirits after The Dark Knight, which had been rumoured to have turned Ledger's typical obsessive role preparation into genuine mental illness.

"This is definitely more the truth than anything else that's out there," said Amato.
 

President Donald Trump's administration announced that it will not follow predecessor Barack Obama's policy of voluntarily disclosing the names of visitors to the White House complex, citing "grave national security risks and privacy concerns".

Friday's announcemen marks a significant shift from the Obama administration, which released the names of nearly 6 million visitors since 2009, including scores of lobbyists, The Washington Post reported.

Instead, the Trump administration said it would release information under far more limited circumstances: when Freedom of Information Act requests are filed for those visiting offices of the White House characterised under the law as separate agencies, such as the Office of Management and Budget.

Under the new policy, it will be up to the White House to decide whether to release the names of visitors coming to meet with the President, Vice President and their senior staff.

However, the announcement was harshly criticised by government watchdog groups.

"The only excuse for this policy is that the Trump administration has something to hide," said David Donnelly, president and chief executive of advocacy group, Every Voice. 

"This kind of secrecy will allow big donors, lobbyists and special interests to have unknown levels of influence in the White House," The Washington Post quoted Donnelly as saying.

The Trump administration was sued in federal court earlier this week by a coalition of watchdog groups to compel the release of the White House visitor logs. 

Under Obama, such records, which were published on a White House-maintained website, were typically disclosed 90 to 120 days after the visit.

Since Trump took office in January, the page where the visitor logs had been publicly available went dark. 

Trump administration officials said that they will no longer maintain it, saving taxpayers $70,000 by 2020, the daily added.

West Indies all-rounder Andre Russell, who is ready to make a foray into the world of entertainment with an international music video, may also explore a career in Bollywood.

"Yes it is true that I'm exploring a career in the performing arts. I will be launching my first international music video with main focus in India this year and then maybe explore acting in Bollywood films," the cricketer said in a statement on Saturday.

Produced by Gemini Musiq based in Los Angeles, the production house behind Grammy winning singer Justin Bieber's recent album Sorry, Russell will be launching his music this year.

This comes after West Indian all-rounder Dwayne Bravo came out with numbers like Champion, Jaegerbomb and Trip abhi baki hai.

The cricketer was given tips and notes on how to go about his passion by Indian actress Mallika Sherawat in San Antonio, Texas. One of the projects might even see the two collaborating.

Venus Entertainment Group will be taking care of Russell's branding and management globally.
 

US President Donald Trump has said that terrorism is one of the gravest threats to religious freedom around the world and hoped for a “better tomorrow” when people of all faiths, including Hindus, can worship according to their conscience.

In his weekly radio and web address, he said the US has cherished the freedom of worship “from the very beginning”.

“That is the promise the first settlers saw in our vast continent    and it is the promise that our bravest warriors have protected for all of our citizens in centuries since, a long time ago,” he said yesterday.

“Sadly, many around the globe do not enjoy this freedom and one of the gravest threats to religious freedom remains the threat of terror,” he said.

On Palm Sunday, as Christians around the world celebrated the beginning of the Holy Week, IS killed 45 people and injured over 100 at two Christian churches in Egypt, he said.

“We condemn this barbaric attack. We mourn for those who lost loved ones. And we pray for the strength and wisdom to achieve a better tomorrow    one where good people of all faiths, Christians and Muslims and Jewish and Hindu, can follow their hearts and worship according to their conscience,” Trump said.

“With God's grace, life always triumphs over death, freedom overcomes oppression, and faith extinguishes fear. This is the source of our hope    and our confidence in the future,” he said.

He also had aspecial message for the struggling Americans who have felt for too long the bitter taste of hardship. “I want you to know: this White House is fighting for you,” he said.

“We are fighting for every American who has been left behind. We are fighting for the right of all citizens to enjoy safety and peaceand to work and live with the dignity that all Children of God are entitled to know,” he said.

Ghazal maestro Jagjit Singh's wife Chitra Singh, who gave up stage performances in 1991 after the death of their son, will perform at the Sankat Mochan annual music festival here on Sunday.

Chitra arrived in the city this afternoon and will make her first stage appearance at the temple after a gap of 26 years, said Vishwambhar Nath Mishra, Mahant of the Sankat Mochan Temple.

Her son Vivek died in a road accident in Mumbai in 1990 and unable to bear the shock, she decided not to sing in public.

Chitra will also pray and seek the blessings of Lord Hanuman for the Bharat Ratna for her husband.

 Actors Orlando Bloom and Nina Dobrev are reportedly dating.

The Pirates of the Caribbean star sparked romance rumours with the Vampire Diaries actress after the two were spotted looking cozy while leaving the premiere of The Promise here on Wednesday, reports aceshowbiz.com.

Bloom and Dobrev stepped out after an event and were joined by the movie cast members that included Christian Bale, Angela Sarafyan and Charlotte Le Bon when hitting the red carpet. The new couple was pictured leaving the event and taking a walk together. 

The sighting comes just days after Bloom spoke about his breakup with singer Katy Perry. 

Iran's President Hassan Rouhani on Friday registered to run for a second four-year term in the upcoming presidential election in the country.

At the Interior Ministry's headquarters in Tehran, Rouhani said he had fulfilled the promises he made to the Iranian people during the election campaign four years ago, EFE news cited statements published by official media outlets.

In a new attempt to convince undecided voters and citizens disappointed with his policies, the Iranian President stressed that his government's economic performance was better than his predecessors' in recent years.

He also alluded to the nuclear agreement signed in July 2015 between Iran and six major powers, whose protection, in his view, is one of "the most important economic and political issues" facing the nation.

"Those who made incessant efforts on the nuclear pact should tread the path up to the end," he said in remarks to the press after registering as a candidate.

Rouhani said maintaining national security was one of his government's most important goals and stressed that "the ominous shadow of the war (over the country) has disappeared".

Rouhani, who won the 2013 presidential elections in the first round with 50.8 per cent of the vote, is the candidate of the reformist bloc, although he defines himself as moderate.

His main rival in the May 19 elections is expected to be the conservative cleric Ebrahim Raisi, who aligns with the views of the supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, and is the custodian of Iran's holiest shrine.

Another potentially strong candidate for the presidency is former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

The registration process, which opened on April 11, is set to conclude on Saturday.

The country's Guardian Council — the highest political body in the country, which is overseen by Khamenei — then has 10 days to approve the candidates.