The News

 Actors Naga Chaitanya and Sobhita Dhulipala are engaged. The couple hard-launched their relationship with pictures from the engagement ceremony, shared by Chay's dad, Nagarjuna. (Also read: Naga Chaitanya, Sobhita Dhulipala engagement this afternoon: Exclusive details from ceremony)

With dad's blessings

Nagarjuna wrote on social media, “We are delighted to announce the engagement of our son, Naga Chaitanya, to Sobhita Dhulipala, which took place this morning at 9:42 a.m.!! We are overjoyed to welcome her into our family. Congratulations to the happy couple! Wishing them a lifetime of love and happiness. God bless! 8.8.8A beginning of infinite love."

The photos show Sobhita in a beautiful peach silk saree and traditional gold jewellery. Her hair is adorned with peach flowers. Chay looks royal in his all-white outfit.

Fans of the couple showed the two with blessings. “Big big congratulations,” wrote a fan. “Best wishes to Chay and the Akkineni family,” read another comment. A follower wrote, “Congratulations to Akkineni Family.”

The ceremony was organised at Nagarjuna's home in Hyderabad, as per an exclusive report by HT. Nagarjuna’s wife Amala Akkineni, and Akhil, Chaitanya’s brother, were present along with Dhulipala’s parents at the engagement ceremony, according to a source close to Chay. They did not want to be identified.

Nagarjuna and family reside in a luxurious home in the upscale location of Jubilee Hills in Hyderabad. The house is a landmark for Telugu movie fans.

Last year in September, rumours of Naga's ‘second marriage’ surfaced online. Sources close to the actor had then denied the same. “He is still going strong with Sobhita. We have not seen them breaking up or something. They are dating discreetly. They will not come out in the open with their relationship anytime soon, unless and until they decide to get married or engaged. They are not hassled about getting spotted together, but it will be a private thing till they officiate it with a ceremony,” the insider told us.

He was previously married to Samantha Ruth Prabhu. They split in 2021.

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 VIENNA (AP) — Both suspects in a foiled plot to attack Taylor Swift shows in Vienna appeared to be inspired by the Islamic State group and al-Qaida, Austrian authorities said Thursday, and investigators found bomb-making materials at one of their homes. Officials said one of the two confessed to planning to “kill as many people as possible outside the concert venue.”

Three sold-out concerts were canceled a day earlier because of the plot, devastating Swifties from across the globe. Many of them had dropped thousands of euros (dollars) on travel and lodging in Austria’s expensive capital city to attend the Eras Tour shows at the Ernst Happel Stadium, which sat empty Thursday morning as media filmed outside.

Concert organizers said they stood behind their decision, saying they expected up to 65,000 fans inside the stadium at each concert and as many as 30,000 onlookers outside, where authorities said the suspects planned to strike.

Officials told reporters that the main suspect, a 19-year-old Austrian, began working on his attack plans in July, and just a few weeks ago uploaded to the internet an oath of allegiance to the current leader of the Islamic State group. He planned to use knives or homemade explosives.

He wanted to carry out an attack in the area outside the stadium, killing as many people as possible using the knives or even using the explosive devices he had made,” said Omar Haijawi-Pirchner, the head of the Directorate of State Security and Intelligence, citing the 19-year-old’s confession.

He was “clearly radicalized in the direction of the Islamic State and thinks it is right to kill infidels,” Haijawi-Pirchner added.

The 19-year-old quit his job on July 25 and made the statement “that he still had big plans.”

The foiled attack was planned for Thursday or Friday, according to Austria’s interior minister, Gerhard Karner.

Neither suspect appeared to have a ticket to any of the shows, he said.

During a raid of the main suspect’s home in Ternitz, south of Vienna, investigators found chemical substances and technical devices that indicated “concrete preparatory acts,” said Franz Ruf, director general for public security at the Ministry of the Interior.

Authorities said they also found Islamic State group and al-Qaida material at the home of the second suspect, a 17-year-old Austrian. He was employed a few days ago by a company providing services at the venue for the concerts, and was arrested by special police forces near the stadium.

The 17-year-old, who has Turkish and Croatian roots and has so far refused to comment on the allegations, had broken up with his girlfriend recently, officials said, adding that both suspects had undergone clear social changes recently.

Both teens were arrested Tuesday. Neither’s name was released in line with Austrian privacy rules.

Karner, the interior minister, said that Austria’s intelligence service had worked closely together with foreign intelligence services to capture the two teens. He did not identify the services, but added that the help was needed because Austrian investigators, unlike some foreign services, can’t legally monitor text messages.

No other suspects are being sought, though a 15-year-old who had been in contact with both suspects was also interrogated by police, Karner said.

“The situation is serious. But we can also say: A tragedy was prevented,” he said.

Concert organizer Barracuda Music said in an Instagram post late Wednesday that it had “no choice but to cancel the three scheduled shows for everyone’s safety.”

Barracuda said all tickets would be refunded. The same message was posted under the Vienna dates on Swift’s official website. Austrian rail operator OeBB in the meantime said that it would reimburse fans for train tickets that had been bought, but not yet used, to get to the concerts.

Swift has not spoken publicly about the plot or canceled shows. “Taylor Nation,” a verified Instagram page widely believed to be run by her team, reposted the announcement from Barracuda Music in a “story,” which is only visible for 24 hours. Her main account has not posted anything.

Last month, an attacker in England 

Austrian Vice-Chancellor Werner Kogler wrote on social platform X: “For many, a dream has been shattered today. On three evenings in Vienna, tens of thousands of #Swifties should have celebrated life together.”

“I am very sorry that you were denied this. Swifties stick together, hate and terror can’t destroy that,” Kogler added.

Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer on Thursday defended organizers’ decision to cancel the concerts, saying it was justified because the arrests of the suspects occurred too close to the shows, which were scheduled for Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

Swift is expected to perform at London’s Wembley stadium in five concerts between Aug. 15 and 20 to close the European leg of her record-setting Eras Tour.

In 2017, an attack at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, England, killed 22 people. Suicide bomber Salman Abedi set up a knapsack bomb in Manchester Arena at the end of Grande’s concert as thousands of young fans were leaving. More than 100 people were injured. Abedi died in the explosion.

Swift’s biggest fear has always been that such large-scale violence could take place at her concerts, the superstar told Elle magazine in 2019 ahead of her Lover Tour, which was ultimately canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic. The attack at Grande’s concert, as well as a 2017 mass shooting at an outdoor country music festival on the Las Vegas Strip where 58 people were killed and 850 wounded, worried Swift as she prepared to circle the globe.

“I was completely terrified to go on (the Lover Tour) this time because I didn’t know how we were going to keep 3 million fans safe over seven months,” she told the magazine. “There was a tremendous amount of planning, expense, and effort put into keeping my fans safe.”

An official inquiry reported in 2023 that Britain’s domestic intelligence agency, MI5, didn’t act swiftly enough on key information and missed a significant opportunity to prevent the bombing, the deadliest extremist attack in the United Kingdom in recent years.

Terrorism expert Magnus Ranstorp, based at the Swedish Defense University in Stockholm, told The Associated Press by phone that any mass public event constitutes a potential threat now, and noted that concerts, like that of Ariana Grande, have been targeted.

“So we shouldn’t be surprised that these extremely popular iconic popstars that attract a massive audience will also attract terrorists that want to create fear and destruction and mayhem, and they target these concerts symbolically, culturally. In some ways Taylor Swift — and all these Swifties — is culturally and symbolically representative of the United States. She’s an American artist and has a massive, massive following.”

 A new Miss USA has been crowned.

Miss Michigan Alma Cooper took the crown on Sunday during the pageant's 73rd annual ceremony, and comes after the resignation of a previous titleholder caused controversy and spawned shakeups at the Miss USA organization.

Miss Kentucky Connor Perry and Miss Oklahoma Danika Christopherson were first and second runners-up, respectively.

"As the daughter of a migrant worker, a proud Afro-Latina woman, and an officer in the United States Army, I am living the American dream," Cooper, 22, said during the Q&A portion of the pageant, according to CNN and Today.com.

Cooper is a U.S. Army officer, data scientist and master's student at Stanford University researching food insecurity.

"I have wanted to walk the Miss USA stage since I was a little itty bitty girl," she told Stanford in a video profile posted last week. "I found that my skills ... and having this community and this love and support, it all managed to make me a better candidate."

The Miss USA pageant aired on the CW, after the network said it was "evaluating its relationship with both pageants."

Cooper's crowning follows a turbulent year for the Miss USA organization, following the resignations of former Miss USA Noelia Voigt and former Miss Teen USA 2023 UmaSofia Srivastava and the exit of the organization's social media director.

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 unelle Bromfield, born on February 8, 1998, in Black River, Jamaica, is not just an accomplished Olympic-level track-and-field athlete but also the partner of the "fastest man in the world," Noah Lyles.

While Lyles excels in the 100 and 200 meters, Bromfield specializes in the 400 meters and even won a bronze medal at the 2020 Summer Olympics. The couple's story is as dynamic as their athletic careers, showcasing resilience, support, and a shared passion for track and field.

The pair first connected in 2017 through social media, with Bromfield initiating contact. Despite an awkward first date, they decided to stay friends. "Whenever I get in a relationship, I'm very serious," Lyles explained on the Fast Lane Lifestyle podcast.

Their friendship persisted for years, and in 2022, Lyles decided to give romance another shot. Since then, they have been inseparable, now living together in Florida and training side by side for the Olympics.

Their relationship has made them better

Their relationship has been marked by mutual support and understanding. Lyles has been open about his mental health struggles, sharing his use of antidepressants in 2020 and the impact on his training. "Just because I'm struggling doesn't mean that I'm going to quit," he told People magazine.

This openness inspired Bromfield to seek therapy for her own issues. "I started therapy about two years ago because my boyfriend is big on therapy and felt I needed it," Bromfield shared in an interview with The Inside Lane.

Bromfield also expressed gratitude for Lyles' family, particularly his mother, Keisha Caine, who supported her when she moved to Florida. Initially living with Lyles' family, Bromfield was taken to training every day by his mother. "That's a support that I'm extremely grateful for," she said.

On the track, they maintain professionalism, keeping their romantic life separate from their athletic pursuits. "Even before we started dating, we had a very good balance," Lyles noted.

"She won't even let me call her 'baby' at practice," he added with a laugh. Off the track, they enjoy dancing together, a hobby that brings joy and relaxation to their busy lives.

Communication and patience are the key

Their bond has strengthened over time, with Lyles praising their communication and patience. "It has taught me a lot of patience and I believe this is my best relationship ever," he said on the Inside Track podcast. Bromfield's appreciation for Lyles' honesty solidified their relationship.

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 This is a recap of the most recent episode of HBO’s House of the Dragon. It contains spoilers. That’s what a recap is.

Credits! And a pretty sizable amount of thread is newly devoted to the Red Sowing – last week’s dragonrider recruitment drive. (Red Sewing joke goes here.)

On behalf of Team Green, Tyland Lannister meets with representatives of the Triarchy (sing along with me: the Free Cities of Myr, Lys and Tyrosh, which lie on, or just off, the continent of Essos across the Narrow Sea). They agree to give him an armada of 100 warships to break Rhaenyra’s blockade of the bay in exchange for control of the Stepstones – the same place they fought Daemon and Corlys for control over, back in season one. But they will only do so if Tyland can best their admiral, Sharako Lohar, in a mud fight. High stakes diplomacy meets Stripes

On Dragonstone, Jacaerys happens upon Ulf and Hugh. Ulf behaves like the Shakesperian comic character he’s written to be, and gets a little overfamiliar with the Prince, lumping himself in with him overtheir shared ability to ride dragons and have brown hair. Hugh, who’s used to being looked down upon by royals, attempts to smooth things over.

We’re all born naked; the rest is dragon

Over on Driftmark, Rhaenyra asks Corlys for any intel on Addam, but he’s not forthcoming. “I’ve had little to do with him,” he says, speaking truthfully. We get a helpful new dragoncount, if you need to update your Dance of the Dragons Scorecard. Rhaenyra’s got six. Aemond has only Vhagar, and two others: The dragon Tessarion, belonging to the oft-mentioned-but-not-yet-seen Daeron Targaryen off in Oldtown, on the other side of the continent. But Tessarion is very young and untested. There’s also Dreamfyre – she’s fierce, and almost 100 years old. But she belongs to Queen Helaena, who doesn’t ride her often.

Rhaenyra makes some noises about hoping her dragon advantage will act as a deterrent, so she won’t have to go to war. Still, she says this. After everything that’s happened, if you can believe it. Because I’m not certain I can.

Over at Harrenhal, the Riverlords armies are mustering, and Daemon is doing a West(eros) Wing walk-and-talk with Ser Alfred Broome. You remember him – he was the pouty jamoke on Rhaenyra’s Small Council who was always second-guessing her, so she sent him off to check in on Daemon.

In the weirwood courtyard, Ser Alfred tells Daemon that he has the support he needs to overthrow Rhaenyra and declare himself king. Which, if you haven’t been following SIX! EPISODES! worth of frustratingly repetitive dream-visions, is something that Daemon wants. Or does he? Daemon’s reaction is unreadable. This whole exchange was witnessed, Polonius-behind-the-arras-like, by a lurking Ser Simon Strong.

Aemond (Ewan Mitchell) and Alicent (Olivia Cooke) don't see eye to eye.

Theo Whiteman/HBO
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