President Donald Trump and his personal attorney Michael Cohen both knew of three women who accused former New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman of sexually inappropriate behavior back in 2013, according to a letter sent by an attorney representing the women. The filing made by attorney Peter J. Gleason to U.S. Southern District Court Judge Kimba Wood Friday stated that he told a journalist about each of the women and the reporter suggested he speak with Donald Trump about the matter in 2013. Gleason also asserts that he later received a call from Cohen, which he believed confirmed Trump had indeed heard about the allegations made against Schneiderman. Trump had predicted Schneiderman’s demise in a tweet sent in September 2013, stating that he would be gone after the falls of fellow New York officials Anthony Weiner and Eliot Spitzer due to sex scandals. “Weiner is gone, Spitzer is gone - next will be lightweight A.G. Eric Schneiderman. Is he a crook? Wait and see, worse than Spitzer or Weiner,” Trump tweeted. Gleason made the filing, a request for a protective order, to Wood to protect two of the alleged victims’ identities after Cohen’s office, residence and hotel room were raided by federal officials last month. Newsweek sent Gleason a list of questions but did not receive an immediate response. Cohen, along with Trump’s attorneys, had previously argued that they should be able to review the materials seized in the raid in order to determine if anything was covered by attorney-client privilege between Trump and Cohen. An attorney representing Cohen did not immediately respond to Newsweek's request for comment. A lawyer who argued for Trump on the attorney-client privilege matter also did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Judge Wood appointed a special master last month to review documents and records seized by federal officials before federal prosecutors over a period of four weeks. The three Schneiderman accusers revealed by Gleason appeared to be separate from the four women who made similar accusations against Schneiderman in a report by The New Yorker published earlier this week. He was accused of sexual violence, including threatening and slapping the women, allegedly referring to one as his “brown slave” and telling her to call him “master.”

Dame Barbara Windsor is one of those rare stars who cut across the generational divide. To some she will always be the ditsy, buxom blonde in the Carry On films. To others, she’ll remain the bottle-blonde Cockney sparrow landlady of the Queen Vic in EastEnders. Her character, Peggy Mitchell was best known for her catchphrase: ‘Get out of my pub!’ When she’s out and about off-screen, she is constantly approached by people who want to talk to her. Actress Barbara Windsor, 80, pictured with her devoted husband Scott Mitchell, 55, last month There are those who know her and those who only think they know her. Having a personality that’s every bit as ebullient as her on-screen characters, Barbara has always, until recently, been happy to chat to anyone who approaches her as though they’re her oldest friend. Until recently. These days, going out into the wider world has become a growing nightmare for her. She’s found it frightening and bewildering. And people, inevitably, had started to ask questions about her wellbeing. That is why her husband Scott Mitchell, 55, took the difficult decision to reveal what only her closest friends and family have known since 2014: Barbara has Alzheimer’s. The news that she has this cruel, progressive illness has come as a shock to her many fans. For though she is 80 now, she has always exuded a bubbly youthfulness. One of the few people who have been aware of her fight is Paul Bennett, a close friend for more than 30 years. ‘I spoke to Scott last week and he said she had gone downhill rapidly over the past couple of weeks,’ he said. ‘I talked to Barbara as well and she just said: “I’m not so well now.” ’ Mr Bennett says Barbara was deeply upset by the death of entertainer Dale Winton, aged 62, last month. The pair had known each other for years and were very close. ‘I think she took that quite badly,’ he says. ‘Since the diagnosis, there have been up days and down days, but I think there are more down days now than up days. ‘But she still goes out. Two weeks ago she went to see the Tina Turner musical.’ Scott says: ‘I want the public to know this, because they are naturally very drawn to Barbara and she loves talking to them. ‘So rather than me living in fear she might get confused or upset, they’ll know that if her behaviour seems strange, it’s due to Alzheimer’s and accept it for what it is.’ Ben Douglas, a PR who also runs a theatre company, ran into Barbara a year or so at a West End show and was struck by her altered behaviour. ‘She’s a lovely lady, one of those people who always has time for fans. I was having a chat with her in the foyer on this occasion when this chap came up who obviously knew her and started chatting away. ‘Normally Barbara would chat away happily back but she recoiled, she seemed alarmed, she looked at him as though she didn’t know him from Adam, and she grabbed hold of my arm and turned her back on him and said: “Let’s go over there,” and pointed to a corner. ‘She seemed confused. I thought maybe she’d had one tipple too many. But now it all makes sense.’ Barbara first noticed something was wrong in 2009 when she began having difficulty memorising her lines in EastEnders, which she joined in 1994. A true professional who made her stage debut aged just 13, she had always prided herself on learning her lines on time and being able to pull off a scene in one or two takes. Paul Bennett adds: ‘She would get annoyed if one of the younger members of the cast weren’t prepared. ‘Then here was Barbara having trouble with her lines. She told me she was leaving EastEnders because it was getting more and more difficult.’ She admitted in an interview in 2012 that she was finding it frustrating. ‘You hit an age when you have to study that bit harder,’ she said. She also revealed that cooking had become a problem. Knowing what we know now, the signs were there when she described how Scott had banned her from the kitchen. ‘I used to cook but he says I have got a little bit scatty, so I understand that. That is a bit of old age I have got, scattiness. I just forget things.’ And last night the devoted husband told The Sun she even forgets they are married. 'She suddenly has no recollection of our history,' he said. 'She'll look at her wedding ring and say, "Are we married?" But that's the thing about this cruel disease, isn't it? ‘She's not frightened of me, so I'm thankful for that. Over the last couple of days, the conversation has turned to, "I just think it's wonderful that you come here to look after me" - and she keeps thanking me. 'I say: "Barbara I'm not here to look after you, I'm here because I love you".' But by now she had already received the Alzheimer’s diagnosis — which she’d kept from all but her very close friends and family. ‘At first she and Scott thought her forgetfulness was part of getting older,’ says Mr Bennett. ‘But then they began to worry it was more than that and Barbara had some tests done. Scott phoned me after they had seen the consultant. It was important to the family to keep it a secret. ‘Because I used to see her a lot I didn’t notice the change so much. But she started calling me sweetheart, instead of by my name. I don’t know if she just couldn’t remember it.’ Another friend, actor and presenter, Christopher Biggins, who has known Barbara for 40 years, says: ‘Scott has done exactly the right thing in going public. ‘Barbara has her good days and bad days. Sometimes it is not as good. Scott is so wonderful and he is there 24 hours a day. ‘Barbara is incredible. Now she has come out of the closet, so to speak, hopefully we might be able to find things to help her.’ Last May, the BBC screened a one-off drama, Babs, about her life. There was, says Paul Bennett, a fragility to her then that he’d never seen before. At a special screening of the film, Paul says that while she was as charming as ever, she also appeared nervous. ‘She used to be full of confidence but she seemed more nervous. She’d lost a lot of weight, too.’ Dame Barbara’s life off-screen has been dramatic and eventful. She had a troubled relationship with her father, John Deeks, an East End charmer with a fondness for drink, whose marriage to her mother ended in the divorce courts, where the then 16-year-old Barbara had to give evidence. She had to admit to the court that her father, a costermonger, sometimes lost his temper. When the case ended, her father swept past her without a word. She never recovered from his rejection. ‘It haunted me for so long because I was such a Daddy’s girl,’ she said in an interview last year. ‘It had a huge impact on me and started a relationship pattern of always trying to please men.’ After the divorce, Barbara lived with her mother, a dressmaker, whom she believes had never wanted a child. Her mother’s lack of maternal feelings was to have a profound effect on Barbara in adulthood and she went on to have five abortions — something she was always open about, and deeply regretted. She once said: ‘My mother never told me anything about the facts of life. I’d make a mistake then go straight on and do it again. ‘I was so naive. I’m from the generation where you kept your feelings to yourself. But I went through a lot of mental stress. I thought a lot about God and what he would think of me.’ She had her first termination aged 20 while in a relationship with her first serious boyfriend, a singer called Cliff Lawrence. Four more followed, the last aged 42, during her marriage to Ronnie Knight, a small-time crook whom she married in 1964 after they were introduced by the notorious East End gangsters, the Kray twins. That marriage ended in divorce in 1985 and the following year she married Stephen Hollings, a chef whom she divorced in 1995. Then she met Scott. She was 55 to his 30. The age gap attracted comment and there were suspicions he was a gold-digger. ‘Little did they know that after the breakdown of Barbara’s second marriage, she was £1 million in debt and we were talking about her coming to live in my two-bed flat,’ Scott said recently. They married in 2000 and remain devoted. ‘She relies on Scott totally,’ adds Mr Bennett. ‘He has been her rock.’ One of the many showbusinees personalities who posted tweets yesterday in support of Dame Barbara was daytime TV star Lorraine Kelly who said: ‘I hope she knows how much she is loved.’ A sentiment that will be shared by the rest of the nation.

In September, the United States banned American travelers from visiting North Korea. But a perceived thaw in relations after the release of three Americans imprisoned in North Korea and news of negotiations for talks between President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has revived industry hopes for a corresponding travel rapprochement. The ban followed the death in June of Otto F. Warmbier, an American student who was jailed in North Korea for trying to steal a political propaganda poster from his hotel in Pyongyang. Since then, tour operators that specialize in North Korea including Koryo Tours and Young Pioneer Tours stopped taking Americans to the country. Before that, Americans made up 20 percent of the western visitors that Koryo took to North Korea, according to Simon Cockerell, the general manager of the company, who has visited the country 169 times. “The fact that it is a place endlessly reported on and so little-known is the attraction for most visitors,” Mr. Cockerell wrote in an email. The Seattle-based tour operator Mir Corporation has led North Korea trips in the past, but through a spokesman said that until the government rescinds the ban, the company will be “waiting and watching.” Before the ban, Americans were required to travel in a group with North Korean guides and very detailed itineraries with no chance of exploring independently. Those restrictions make it very hard to do what most global travel operators promise: authentic immersion. “Our approach to travel, which is focused on immersing travelers into the people and culture of a country in order to provide meaningful engagement with locals, matches very well with a ‘Voice of America, boots on the ground’ sort of diplomacy that could be possible in the wake of a possible thaw in relations between the U.S. and North Korea,” Edward Piegza, the president and founder of Classic Journeys, said in an email. North Korea has shown no willingness to loosen the rules it places on inbound travelers, however. “Those going there accept the fact that there are a lot of restrictions, that they will have only a few questions truly answered, that it is frustrating, complicated, etc., and go there open-minded and ready to try to experience whatever they can in the time they have allowed themselves,” Mr. Cockerell said. Through Koryo, Wendy Simmons, a New Orleans-based marketing executive and writer, traveled to North Korea in 2016 and was accompanied throughout her trip, including visits to the bathroom, by guides. She returned home to write the book “My Holiday in North Korea: The Funniest/Worst Place on Earth.” “It’s a chance to go to a place that’s not fallen under American and European influence, so if it becomes safe again I’d go,” Ms. Simmons said. Tim Neville, a correspondent for Outside magazine and a frequent contributor to The New York Times, traveled to North Korea in 2014 to report on its first ski area. Like Ms. Simmons, he booked his trip through Koryo and was accompanied throughout his stay by guides. “In a world of absolute peace where none of the politics exist, absolutely it would be a great destination,” Mr. Neville said. “It has a fantastic coastline. Something like 70 percent of country is mountainous. It’s very rugged. The hiking would be fantastic.” For now, South Korea, following its star turn hosting the 2018 Winter Olympics, may be the beneficiary of increased attention to the peninsula. According to the Korean Tourism Organization, based in Los Angeles, 869,000 Americans visited South Korea in 2017, up slightly from 866,000 in 2016. As relations have improved between the two Koreas and North Korea has said it has stopped its nuclear tests, the tourism agency aims to attract 1 million Americans annually in the next two years. “It’s the most underrated destination in Asia right now, like Japan was a decade or two ago,” said Michael Holtz, the founder and chief executive of SmartFlyer, a travel agency based in New York. He recommends clients add a stopover in Seoul en route to other Asian destinations such as Cambodia or Thailand. In addition to being a great value and easy to reach through numerous trans-Pacific flights, he added, “it has pop culture, great food, fantastic nightlife and it’s very stylish.” Proximity is also an attraction. According to Heesun Kim, the executive director of the South Korea tourism board, traveling to the Demilitarized Zone between South and North Korea, where the leaders of the two countries recently met, is the most popular day trip in South Korea for foreign visitors.

Scientists in New Zealand have documented what they believe is the largest wave ever recorded in the southern hemisphere. The 23.8m (78ft) wave was measured by a buoy on New Zealand's Campbell Island in the Southern Ocean on Tuesday, the country's weather authority said. It eclipses a 22.03m wave that was identified south of the Australian state of Tasmania in 2012. Larger waves have been recorded in the northern hemisphere. The Meteorological Service of New Zealand (MetService) installed its solar-powered buoy in March. The area is known for big storm activity, but waves had been previously difficult to measure. © Getty Images The wave was measured by a buoy at Campbell Island in the Southern Ocean Bigger waves possible The "eight-storey high" wave was generated by a deep low pressure system and 65-knot winds, said MetService senior oceanographer Dr Tom Durrant. "This is a very exciting event and to our knowledge it is largest wave ever recorded in the southern hemisphere," he told the BBC. The buoy operates for 20 minutes every three hours. Dr Durrant said it was possible that even bigger waves were generated by the storm but not recorded. The World Meteorological Organization does not hold official records on individual wave heights. Instead, it records an average of successive swells - a measure known as the "significant wave height". During the storm recorded by New Zealand, the significant wave height was 14.9m. That is a record for the Southern Ocean but below a 19m mark measured by a buoy in the North Atlantic in 2016, Dr Durrant said. He said storms moved across the Southern Ocean largely unhindered due to a lack of land. "[It is] the engine room for generating swell waves that then propagate throughout the planet," he said. "Indeed surfers in California can expect energy from this storm to arrive at their shores in about a week's time."

The man accused of killing Jennifer Bastian became a suspect in 1986 when two young girls were abducted and killed in Tacoma parks. Robert Washburn, 60, was first a suspect in the death of 12-year-old Michella Welch. Welch was abducted March 26, 1986, in Puget Park while looking after her two younger sisters. Her body was found in a gulch hours later. She’d been sexually assaulted and died from a cut to the neck. In May of 1986, Washburn called police to report seeing a man resembling Welch’s killer jogging in Point Defiance Park. He said he'd seen the composite sketch of the killer and recognized him as a fellow jogger. That put him on detectives’ radar. He also reported smelling a “foul odor” on Five Mile Drive and said he was in the park when it was cordoned off, according to charging papers. Officials shut down Point Defiance Park for several days after Bastian was reported missing Aug. 4, 1986. She’d gone for a bike ride to train for an upcoming bike tour in the San Juan Islands but never came home. Her parents reported her missing that night. It wasn’t until Aug. 26, 1986, that searchers found her body in a wooded area between Five Mile Drive and the cliffs overlooking Commencement Bay. A jogger reported an odd smell, prompting police to look there. Bastian had been sexually assaulted, strangled and hidden beneath brush near a trail. Her new Schwinn bicycle was nearby. “The area where her body was located appeared to have been prepared in advance of her body being placed there,” records show. Bloodhounds were able to track Bastian’s scent from her home to the park and around Five Mile Drive. That indicates she made at least one lap around Five Mile Drive before she was kidnapped, records show. At least five people recalled seeing Bastian riding her bike in the area. Two people possibly spoke with her as late as 5 p.m. at the Dalco Passage viewpoint off Five Mile Drive. Detectives long believed Welch and Bastian were killed by the same man due to similarities in the cases. But in 2016, DNA showed otherwise. Evidence collected from the scene of Bastian’s death was saved and in recent years, a detective sent DNA to be tested from the bathing suit she was wearing when she died. Police said they ran it through a state and federal database but there were no hits. In 2016, cold case detectives working Welch and Bastian’s cases made a list of suspects whose DNA they needed. Washburn’s name was on the list and he agreed to provide his DNA to the FBI. By then, Washburn had moved to Eureka, Illinois. He lived less than five miles from Point Defiance Park and nine blocks from Bastian’s house when she disappeared. In May, DNA results came back linking Washburn to Bastian’s death. Tacoma police, assisted by Illinois State Police, arrested him at his home Thursday morning. Welch's death remains unsolved.

LOS ANGELES — A dispute between two students led to a shooting that sparked panic and drew a massive law enforcement response to a Palmdale high school early Friday morning. Deputies responded to reports of a person with a gun on the campus of Highland High School around 7:05 a.m. Friday, after a 14-year-old student allegedly shot another student in the arm, authorities said. The injured student was taken to a local hospital in stable condition, and is "expected to make a full recovery," according to Capt. Darren Harris, a spokesman for the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. "That student is going to be OK," he said. The 14-year-old, who has not been identified, was later detained at a nearby parking lot, said Nicole Nishida, a sheriff's department spokeswoman. A firearm was also recovered at the scene, though investigators did not describe the weapon. Deputies had cleared the school and deemed it safe by 9 a.m. local time, the Sheriff's Department said on Twitter. Students will be transported home via school buses, Nishida said. Palmdale Schools Superintendent Raul Maldonado described the person who had been detained as an "active shooter" in a brief statement issued Friday morning. "We are all concerned about the safety of our children. It has been confirmed that earlier this morning, there was an active shooter on the Highland High School campus. Apparently, the person was already apprehended," Maldonado said. "I want to let you know that all of the Palmdale Elementary Schools were put on lockdown, and will stay on lockdown until the situation is confirmed as safe for our students, teachers staff and parents." Shortly after 7 a.m., several students began tweeting that they could hear gunshots and urged other classmates not to come to the campus. Terrence McCalister, 17, said he was walking up to the school with friends when someone ordered them to turn back and warned them about the shooting. "I was just hoping everyone was all right," he said. Dozens of parents and students could be seen near the high school, waiting for either updates about the shooting or to reconnect with loved ones after authorities determined the school was safe. Deputies also responded to reports of a second shooting around 7:30 a.m. at Manzanita Elementary School, roughly seven miles from the high school, but found no signs of a shooting or victims there, Nishida said. Agents with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were heading to the scene Friday morning, the agency said in a tweet

WASHINGTON — Furor built Friday among members of Congress, family members and pundits following news that one of President Trump's communications aides, Kelly Sadler, mockingly referenced Sen. John McCain's brain cancer diagnosis during a White House meeting Thursday. "There are no words," tweeted Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., on Friday, reacting to a report about her comments. During a White House meeting Thursday, Sadler reacted to McCain's announcement that he opposes Gina Haspel's nomination to serve as CIA director because of her involvement in the agency's enhanced interrogation program. "He's dying anyway," Sadler said, according to three sources with direct knowledge of the meeting. The White House hasn't denied Sadler's remarks and multiple spokespeople have not responded to questions from NBC News about Sadler's future in the administration. McCain's daughter, Meghan, questioned Friday why Sadler still has a job. "I don't understand what kind of environment you're working in that that would be acceptable and then you can come to work the next day and still have a job," she said on ABC's "The View." "My father's legacy is going to be talked about for hundreds and hundreds of years. These people are nothing-burgers. Nobody's gonna remember you." Cindy McCain, the senator's wife, tweeted at Sadler Thursday evening, "May I remind you my husband has a family, 7 children and 5 grandchildren." Former Vice President Joe Biden, on the presidential ticket that beat McCain in 2008, said Friday that the Arizona senator is a "genuine hero" whose "sacrifices for his country are immeasurable." Biden, who served in the Senate with McCain, lost his son Beau to brain cancer in 2015. "People have wondered when decency would hit rock bottom with this administration. It happened yesterday," Biden said in a statement. “Given this White House's trail of disrespect toward John and others, this staffer is not the exception to the rule; she is the epitome of it." Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., asked to share his thoughts about McCain on Friday by CNN host S.E. Cupp — who referenced what she called "unnecessary" comments about the senator from "surprising corners" — praised McCain. "Look, John McCain is a hero. No two ways about it," Ryan said. "John McCain, I mean he gave his entire adult life for this country. John McCain fought for us in Vietnam, was a prisoner of war in Vietnam, came home and dedicated his life to public service. His vocation in life was making life better for people and better for the country. There are so many accolades I could heap on a John McCain." Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, said Friday on Twitter, "Our nation should be grateful for the exemplary service and sacrifice of (McCain), and treat this war hero and his family with the civility and respect they deserve." Rep. Walter Jones, R-N.C., called Sadler's comments "outrageous and unacceptable." "It's a sad day in this country when White House officials are mocking a man who was tortured as a prisoner of war," Jones said. "He's more than earned the right to speak out on these matters. A public apology should be issued immediately." Democratic lawmakers sounded a similar note. Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., said shortly after the story broke that it was "unacceptable" for anyone in the Trump administration to "cruelly mock veterans" like McCain, no matter their political or policy differences. "He gave so much for our nation," Reed said, referring to the torture McCain endured as a POW in Vietnam. McCain, 81, who has served in Congress since 1983 and was diagnosed nearly a year ago with an aggressive form of brain cancer, has not returned to Capitol Hill for several months while undergoing treatment. Reacting to Sadler's comments, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., tweeted Friday, "Is part of being low and small that it's irresistible to show just how low and small you are?" "Our politics may be different but John McCain is an American hero," tweeted Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., on Thursday. "The vile and repugnant attacks we've seen from POTUS, WH staff and the far right are disgusting and show how small they are next to this honorable man." The initial report of Sadler's comment came the same day Air Force Lt. Gen Thomas McInerney mocked McCain during a TV appearance on Fox Business network, arguing that torture had worked on the Arizona senator. "The fact is, is John McCain — it worked on John," McInerney said. "That's why they call him 'Songbird John.'" NBC News reported last weekend that people close to McCain have asked Vice President Mike Pence to participate in funeral events for the GOP's 2008 presidential nominee, not President Trump. Former presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush are slated to be eulogists at McCain's funeral service, which is to be held at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., a source close to McCain said.

LONDON — Queen Elizabeth II's husband Prince Philip has made his first public appearance since leaving the hospital after hip replacement surgery on April 13. Philip was seen in a sports utility vehicle at the Royal Windsor Horse Show on Friday. He was talking to the queen through the vehicle's open window. Palace officials have said he plans to attend next week's wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle if he is well enough to do so. The 96-year-old Philip has largely retired from public duties.

Meghan McCain, the daughter of six-term Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain, once again had to use her platform as a host of ABC's The View to defend her father, who is currently under treatment for an aggressive form of brain cancer. Thursday, multiple media reports said White House communications staffer Kelly Sadler dismissed concerns about McCain's opposition to CIA nominee Gina Haspel, saying, "It doesn't matter, he's dying anyway." The View host Whoopi Goldberg opened Friday's episode saying that ahead of Mother's Day weekend, she had hoped the show's panel would be discussing something happier than Sadler's "insanely despicable" comments. Meghan McCain told viewers not to "feel bad for me or my family. We're really strong, there's so much more love, and prayer, and amazing energy being generated towards us than anything negative at all." More: 'He's dying anyway': White House official mocked Sen. John McCain, reports say She added that she felt blessed because, "Dad's actually doing really well right now." Then, she spoke to Sadler directly. "Kelly, here's a little news flash, and this may be a little intense for 11 o'clock in the morning on a Friday, but, we're all dying," McCain said. "And it is not how you die, it is how you live." McCain also said she didn't understand how the White House could be an environment where someone could make a comment like that and "can come to work the next day and still have a job." Sadler's comment, which multiple sources said was intended as a joke, drew a poignant response from McCain's wife, Cindy McCain, within hours of the first reporting on it by The Hill. "May I remind you my husband has a family, 7 children and 5 grandchildren," Cindy McCain said in a tweet addressed to Sadler Thursday night. The White House did not dispute the report about Sadler's remark, but issued a statement saying, "We respect Senator McCain’s service to our nation and he and his family are in our prayers during this difficult time." This was the second time this week Meghan McCain criticized comments about her father on The View. Tuesday, she addressed Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, who said he thought "it's ridiculous" that McCain doesn't want President Trump to attend his funeral. "I would like everybody to take a collective breath and chill out on my dad for a second — especially Orrin Hatch," she said. "We're all doing good and hanging in. It's a process, as anyone knows if you know anyone who has cancer, so please be kind and respectful of the fact that there's a family here." Cindy McCain also chastised Fox Business Network and Making Money host Charles Payne on Thursday for a comment made by retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Thomas McInerney during a discussion about McCain's opposition to Haspel and his opinion that torture is not effective. "It worked on John," McInerney said. "That's why they call him 'Songbird John,'" McInerney said, implying McCain collaborated with his North Vietnamese captors. "Please choose your guest more wisely," Cindy McCain cautioned Fox Business and Payne after the segment. Meghan and Cindy McCain have responded to attacks on the ailing senator several times since his diagnosis. In February, both women responded to what they described as President Trump's "incredibly hurtful" attack on McCain at the Conservative Political Action Conference, where Trump stirred up boos against McCain for the senator's vote last summer against the Republican effort to repeal Obamacare. In September, Meghan McCain said it was "abhorrent" that Trump reportedly mocked her father physically after the health care vote. In the early weeks of his presidential campaign, Trump sparked national outrage when he said McCain is "not a war hero" because he was shot down and captured as a Navy pilot during the Vietnam War.

PAHOA, Hawaii — A Hawaii volcano is threatening to blow its top in coming days or weeks after sputtering lava for a week, forcing about 2,000 people to evacuate, destroying two dozen homes and threatening a geothermal plant. Experts fear Kilauea volcano on the Big Island it could send ash and boulders the size of refrigerators miles into the air. But scientists say an eruptive explosion would not be deadly if people stay out of closed areas of a national park around the volcano. "If it goes up, it will come down," said Charles Mandeville, volcano hazards coordinator for the U.S. Geological Survey. "You don't want to be underneath anything that weighs 10 tons when it's coming out at 120 mph (193 kph)." The added threat could ground planes at one of the island's two major airports and pose other dangers. The volcano park closed indefinitely Thursday night because of the risks. © The Associated Press Steam and gas rise along the edge of Kilauea's summit crater in Volcanoes National Park, Hawaii, Thursday, May 10, 2018. The park is closing Friday due to the threat of an explosive volcanic eruption. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong) "We know the volcano is capable of doing this," Mandeville said, citing similar explosions at Kilauea in 1925, 1790 and four other times over the last few thousand years. "We know it is a distinct possibility." He would not estimate the likelihood of such an explosion, but said internal volcanic conditions are changing in a way that could lead to a blast in about a week. The volcano's internal plumbing could still prevent an explosion. If an explosive eruption happens, a summit blast could also release steam and sulfur dioxide gas. Kilauea has destroyed 36 structures — including 26 homes — since May 3, when it began releasing lava from vents about 25 miles (40 kilometers) east of the summit crater. Fifteen vents are now spread through the Leilani Estates and Lanipuna Gardens neighborhoods. Hawaii Gov. David Ige, a Democrat said crews at a geothermal energy plant near the lava outbreak accelerated the removal of stored flammable fuel as a precaution. The Puna Geothermal Venture plant had about 50,000 gallons (189,270 liters) of pentane. It was removed early Thursday. Barbara Lozano, who lives within a mile of the plant, said she would have thought twice about buying her property if she had known the risks. "Why did they let us buy residential property, knowing it was a dangerous situation? Why did they let people build all around it?" she asked. Avani Love, 29, moved to the Big Island about a month ago from Maui with her four children. They evacuated their home May 3, and only found out it was destroyed when a relative went back to get her personal belongings. While saying she's sad to have lost her home, she also feels a sense of renewal brought on by Pele, the Hawaiian volcano goddess, to correct overpopulation of the island. "Everyone comes here," she said. "When you have that, it's Pele's way of clearing house and restoring the place. There's beauty and also darkness." No one lives in the immediate area of the summit. Communities about 2 miles (3 kilometers) away could showered by pea-size rock fragments or dusted with nontoxic ash, said Tina Neal, scientist-in-charge at the Hawaii Volcano Observatory. What could happen is not an eruption of volcanic gases but mostly trapped steam from flash-heated groundwater released like in a kitchen pressure cooker, with rocks, said volcanologist Janine Krippner of Concord University in West Virginia. The problem is the lava lake at the summit of Kilauea is draining fast, about 6.5 feet (2 meters) per hour, Mandeville said. In little more than a week, the top of the lava lake has gone from spilling over the crater to almost 970 feet (295 meters) below the surface as of Thursday morning, Mandeville said. The lava levels in the lake are dropping because lava is spewing out of cracks elsewhere in the mountain, lowering the pressure that filled the lava lake. "This is a huge change. This is three football fields going down," Mandeville said. The fear is that it will go below the underground water table — another 1,000 feet (305 meters) further down — and that would trigger a chain of events that could lead to a "very violent" steam explosion, Mandeville said. At the current rate of change, that is about six or seven days away. Once the lava drops, rocks that had been superheated could fall into the lava tube. And once the lava drops below the water table, water hits rocks that are as hot as almost 2,200 degrees (1,200 Celsius) and flashes into steam. When the water hits the lava, it also steams. And the dropped rocks hold that steam in until it blows. A similar 1924 explosion hurled pulverized rock, ash and steam as high as 5.4 miles (9 kilometers) into the sky, for several weeks. If another blast happens, the danger zone could extend about 3 miles (5 kilometers) from the summit to land that all falls within the national park, Mandeville said. The small, aptly named town of Volcano, Hawaii, population 2,500, is about 3 miles (4.83 kilometers) from the summit.

An Australian community is reeling from the deadliest mass shooting the country has seen in more than 20 years, after seven people, including four children, were discovered dead on a rural property near Margaret River. Authorities in Western Australia responded early Friday morning to a home in Osmington, not far from Perth, where the four children and three adults were found dead from gunshot wounds, according to local news reports. The mass shooting has rattled Australia, where lawmakers passed some of the world's most restrictive gun-control laws after a 1996 massacre in Tasmania. “'Shocking' is about the only word,” resident Felicity Haynes told 9 News Australia. “I just feel sick to the stomach. That couldn't happen here.” Subscribe to the Post Most newsletter: Today’s most popular stories on The Washington Post Western Australia police commissioner Chris Dawson said at a news conference that officers responded to the scene about 5:15 a.m. and discovered the seven bodies; two adults were outside, and five other victims were inside the home in Osmington, a small town nestled in Western Australia's South West. Police said two firearms were also found at the scene. Although police said that they are not searching for a suspect, they would not confirm reports that the incident was likely a murder-suicide. Dawson said he could describe it only as a “horrific incident.” “This devastating tragedy will no doubt have a lasting impact on the families concerned, the whole community and, in particular, the local communities in our South West,” he told reporters. Authorities have not publicly identified the deceased, but a family friend told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. that the seven victims were Peter and Cynda Miles, their daughter, Katrina, and Katrina's four children. “It's just horrifying, just horrifying,” Haynes, a family friend, told 9 News Australia, explaining that she heard three gunshots — and then two more — at about 4 a.m., but did not think much about it. “They were good people. It's not fair. It's not fair,” she said. The deadly incident was Australia's worst mass shooting since the Port Arthur massacre in 1996, when a gunman opened fire in a cafe in Tasmania and then hunted down more victims in his vehicle, killing 35 and injuring many others. As The Washington Post reported, soon after the 1996 incident, John Howard, who was elected as Australia's prime minister that year, enacted strict gun control legislation. Known as the 1996 National Firearms Agreement (NFA), the law banned the possession, manufacture and sale of all semiautomatic firearms and pump-action shotguns other than in “exceptional circumstances,” such as military and police use. The NFA also mandated that applicants wait 28 days from the time they obtain a permit to the time they buy a weapon. Applicants are also required to undergo firearms training, and weapons and ammunition must be stored separately, according to the law. The Post's Kevin Sullivan reported that the 1996 massacre had united Australians on the gun debate. Sullivan wrote: In a land of only 18 million people, nearly everyone knew someone, or knew someone who knew someone, who was among the 500 or so people in the small waterfront historic site at Port Arthur that day. Australians took the murders personally: Polls showed 95 percent favored the new laws. Australians also were willing to reach into their own wallets to get rid of guns. Sullivan added: There was, of course, opposition to the new gun restrictions: Gun owners argued that the laws would not reduce gun crime and would unfairly penalize law-abiding sport-shooters. They said criminals would be emboldened because more of their victims would be unarmed. And they staged large rallies. Gun owners here always have been a powerful lobby, but they were surprisingly ineffective this time, despite support from the U.S. National Rifle Association. In 2016, 20 years after the shooting in Tasmania, The Post's Christopher Ingraham cited research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association showing that Australia had not had a mass shooting since the reform, and that suicide rates in the country had been on the decline. He noted, however, that there were no significant changes in gun-related homicides in the country. But a 2016 investigation by an Australian newspaper, the Age, found that gun-related crimes in Melbourne had doubled over the previous five years. In an editorial last year, the Age said it respected citizens' rights but that there are “some freedoms that have no place in a civilised society, and none more so than the carrying of illegal firearms.” The newspaper was applauding Australia's National Firearms Amnesty, which gives people the opportunity to register or sell their firearms — “no questions asked.” The newspaper also called for firearm prohibition orders that would “allow police to subject prohibited persons to warrantless searches and ban them from being in proximity to a gun.” Following Friday's massacre, the premier of Western Australia, Mark McGowan, called the shooting “tragic and shocking.” Haynes, the family friend, told the ABC that the victims had moved into the home about three years ago. Neighbors reported that the children were home-schooled there. Haynes told 9 News that over the years, Cynda Miles had become a beloved member of the small community. “You can imagine this warm, motherly person who's always smiling,” she said, “always generous and brings fresh baked scones to everything. That’s Cynda.”

It seems like every restaurant has a gimmick these days, whether it's an Instagram-ready all-Avocado theme or a kitschy aesthetic. But one spot in Monterey, California, has a different idea. Children who are "crying or making loud noises" are not allowed inside Old Fisherman's Grotto. The restaurant is serious about this policy — and people aren't sure what to make of it. Chris Shake, the restaurant's owner, told INSIDER about the inspiration behind the rule. "We decided that it was important that our guests enjoy a great meal and not be distracted by children crying in our dining room," he said. The restaurant hasn't allowed strollers or high chairs in its dining room since 2009 because they make "it difficult to have full access to get to and around tables," according to the establishment's website. In 2011, the "Children's Policy" was expanded to ban "disruptive" children from the dining room. The sign and online warning act as a bit of a deterrent. "We have never refused families with children but often times they do not come in because we are very clear about our policy. If their children become disruptive in the dining room, they will be asked to leave," Shake said. But that's not to say that children are automatically banned from eating there. "We have many families who dine with us with their children who are well behaved and understand our policy with respect to other diners," Shake said. This policy has been in place for some time, and it often causes a bit of a stir. It recently generated a bit of a buzz when Angela Espinoza, the mother of a 19-month-old boy, shared a picture of the sign in a Facebook group for Bay Area moms and cautioned them about the restaurant's rules. "The sign is discriminating toward any children who need a booster seat and younger no matter what ... I also feel it's the wording, it's not nice at all. Maybe 'adults only' would be more understandable," Espinoza told KTVU. Shake says the policy is legally sound according to provisions outlined by the federal and state government in California. "We made sure the wording in our policy was legally approved by our Attorney and was not going to be discriminating towards anyone," he said. Espinoza told KTVU she was planning to eat at the restaurant on her first night out without her son but canceled her reservation after seeing a photo of the sign on Yelp. And she isn't the only person to take issue with the policy. Several Yelp reviewers have shared their own gripes on the platform. "At one point, another waitress told us people were complaining about our kids and could they be quiet. I've never been told to hush my kids before. When I made a comment to the waitress she told me there was a sign outside with rules for children ... They are apparently not joking", a user named Robin M. said of her experience. "She was not just unapologetic but incredibly rude about the whole incident." "The service here is the worst. If you try to come here with kids, they will rudely turn you away ... no shame about it either," a woman named Winnie T. said. For some people, the child-free dining experience is a selling point. "This is what got me to go into this restaurant! Just the thought that I would be able to have a peaceful meal with no kids yelling, sometimes its needed," Alondra J. wrote. "In all seriousness, people need to not get so hurt by this. There was definitely kids inside the restaurant when we dined in. " But Shake said the policy hasn't negatively impacted his business. "What we have found regarding those who write negative reviews — mostly on Yelp —about our policy are those who have not dined here, but are offended by the sign and our policy," he said. "What the Yelp reviewers don't realize is that when they write a negative comment about our policy, they are helping us promote our children policy and the quiet dining we offer." It seems as if things won't be changing at Old Fisherman's Grotto any time soon. "The policy has worked out very well for our guests and our employees," Shake said. "Many of our guests comment that our policy is the reason they dined with us"

The Stormy Daniels lawyer who tweeted bombshell allegations this week against Trump attorney Michael Cohen is now facing questions about his own business dealings — as well as how he obtained Cohen's bank records. Since Michael Avenatti cited financial records to accuse Cohen of receiving $500,000 from a Russian oligarch-tied company — and other media outlets detailed that and other transactions — a frenzy has erupted over Cohen’s dealings at the dawn of the Trump administration. The records suggest Cohen's firm was paid huge sums for insight into the Trump administration. AT&T and pharmaceutical giant Novartis, both of which paid Cohen's firm, also said this week they had been questioned by Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s team about their relationship with Cohen. The lawyer is under investigation, in part over a $130,000 payment to Daniels in exchange for her silence about an alleged sexual encounter with President Trump a decade ago. But Avenatti has also faced scrutiny over his business dealings. Recently, a complaint was filed against him to the California State Bar Association regarding his role in purchasing Tully's Coffee several years ago through an entity called Global Baristas. The complaint, first obtained and reported by The Seattle Times, was filed by attorney David Nold of Bellevue, Wash. The complaint says Avenatti and Global Baristas faced a lien for unpaid federal taxes worth roughly $5 million, claiming taxes were withheld from workers' paychecks but not paid to the government. The complaint from Nold, as posted by The Seattle Times, called into question Avenatti's “fitness to practice law.” Since the coffee chain purchase, Tully's has shuttered its stores (though the closures were described as temporary) as Global Baristas has dealt with numerous lawsuits. The paper trail for that deal is maddeningly complex. Fox News obtained a copy of the notice of federal tax lien in question, sent to “Global Baristas US LLC” and “Michael J Avenatti MBR .” But Avenatti reportedly says he thinks Global Baristas has paid the outstanding taxes. Further, Avenatti claimed to Fox News that he wasn't a “member” of Global Baristas US LLC — but rather the entity that owned it, Global Baristas LLC. “The federal tax lien is related to an entity that was owned by another company that I used to have an interest in,” Avenatti told Fox News Thursday. “At no point in time was I ever responsible for any taxes for Global Baristas US LLC, nor was I ever a member of that entity, nor did I own any direct interest in that entity.” However, a 2017 court document posted by The Seattle Times shows Avenatti acknowledging he was the "principal" of Global Baristas US LLC. Avenatti, though, strongly disputed the complaint itself in an email to Fox News, calling it “complete and utter nonsense” filed by an “unethical lawyer who was recently held in contempt of court." Nold told Fox News in an email that this is "just Avenatti being Avenatti." "The court ruled that I should not have given the full Avenatti deposition transcript to the news media," Nold said. "The court found nothing wrong with sending the bar complaint." Fox News attempted to resolve their dueling claims by contacting the State Bar — but a spokesman said they could not comment on "confidential" filings. Meanwhile, another lawsuit was filed back in 2013 against Avenatti by his famous business partner, Patrick Dempsey of “Grey’s Anatomy” Dr. McDreamy fame. Dempsey's complaint against Avenatti, which was settled quickly, alleged Avenatti had not fully financed the coffee chain as agreed. Avenatti no longer has any interest in either Global Baristas entity. The attorney was surely the lesser known partner in that Tully's deal. But since then, he's rocketed to national fame with his representation of adult film star Daniels — and is still causing controversy. While Cohen faces scrutiny from federal investigators and the media over his financial transactions, the disclosure of the Cohen bank records has drawn the feds' attention. The Treasury Department’s Office of the Inspector General said Wednesday that it was "inquiring" into claims that the information was "improperly disseminated." Inspector general counsel Rich Delmar said the agency’s investigation stemmed from its authority as the federal agency that analyzes banking records for potential illegal activity. Under the Bank Secrecy Act, financial institutions must monitor their customers’ activities and report suspicious transactions to the government. But that information is supposed to remain confidential. An OIG official said the inquiry was “predicated” on a New York Times story, which cited transactions first publicized by Avenatti and confirmed some of the information. In their own court filing, Cohen’s attorneys Stephen Ryan and Todd Harrison accused Avenatti of making false accusations, and publishing “numerous incorrect statements to the public in an apparent attempt to prejudice and discredit Mr. Cohen.” In a letter to federal Judge Kimba Wood, who is overseeing the Cohen case, Ryan and Harrison wrote that some of the information Avenatti published did appear to come from Cohen’s actual bank records and claimed that their client “has no reason to believe that Mr. Avenatti is in lawful possession of these records.” “(Avenatti) should be required to explain to this Court how he came to possess and release this information,” they wrote. © Provided by Fox News Stormy Daniels' lawyer Michael Avenatti would not say where he got Michael Cohen's bank records. Cohen's attorneys also claimed that Avenatti had incorrectly linked at least five wire transfers to their client. In two cases, they said the money was received by different Michael Cohens — one residing in Canada and another in Israel. When asked to respond to Cohen’s attorneys, Avenatti told Fox News that their filing was “comical and baseless.” MICHAEL COHEN TEAM SAYS SOME OF AVENATTI'S CLAIMS ARE ABOUT OTHER MICHAEL COHENS “We have done nothing wrong and the best thing they can point to is claiming that a mere $25,000 worth of transactions out of $3 million that we detailed is inaccurate? What a joke,” Avenatti told Fox News on Thursday. Cohen is under criminal investigation as part of a grand jury probe of his personal business dealings. The investigation is being led by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of New York. Even before his Daniels representation, Avenatti was known as a hard-charging and effective attorney who employs "unconventional" tactics in his legal battles. In Avenatti’s early days, he worked at The Research Group, a political opposition research and media firm run by Democratic political operative Rahm Emanuel. The latest politico raising questions about Avenatti is Mark Penn — a former top pollster for Bill and Hillary Clinton — who said Avenatti should say where he got the banking details and who's funding him. “He wants to make the discussion all about where Michael Cohen, President Trump's personal attorney, got his money but, to have clean hands, Avenatti needs to come forward with exactly who is financing his operation, who his sources were for detailed banking information, and whether he really is an attorney solely representing Stormy Daniels or just using her as cover to wage a political operation,” Penn wrote in an op-ed for The Hill, further questioning “where and how” Avenatti got Cohen’s “detailed financial information — because he didn’t find it on Google.” "He can’t be both an attorney and then participate as an officer of the court in trafficking illegally obtained information," he wrote. Avenatti slammed Penn in response, calling his column "ridiculous" and saying there was "nothing wrong" in the release of Cohen's financial information. Further, he posted a statement saying the case is funded by Stephanie Clifford (a.k.a. Stormy Daniels) and crowdfunded donations collected online. "(N)o political party or PAC is funding this effort. No left wing conspiracy group is behind this. And no big fat cat political donors are leading the charge. Get over it," he said. On Tuesday, when initially asked how he obtained the documents he published, Avenatti told Fox News: “That’s my work product and will not be disclosed.” He then asked: “Why is Michael Cohen refusing to provide the bank statements to the public if what we have asserted ... is not true?”

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Critic's Rating: 4/5 Rangasthalam Story: Chitti Babu (Ram Charan) is a partially deaf, happy-go-lucky man who doesn’t let his disability deter him. His brother Kumar Babu (Aadhi Pinisetty) returns from Dubai only to see that nothing in the village has changed. What happens when he decides to go up against the dreaded President garu (Jagapathi Babu)? Rangasthalam Review: In the fictional village of Rangasthalam (meaning ‘stage’) reside a motley crew of colourful characters. First up is the innocent Chitti Babu (Ram Charan), a hot-headed soul who remains blissfully unaware of the chaos that surrounds him. Kumar Babu (Aadhi Pinisetty), his brother, is the complete opposite. He returns from Dubai and seeing the state of affairs in his village, decides to bring a change. The President garu (Jagapathi Babu) of the village is a steely-eyed man whom the villagers believe to be devout and hence bestowed with special powers. And then there’s Rama Lakshmi (Samantha), educated till sixth class but empowered enough to take decisions of her own. She has no time for moral policing because she’s too busy noticing the corruption rampant around her. Rangammatta (Anasuya Bharadwaj), in a refreshing move, is Chitti Babu’s best friend, maintaining a purely platonic friendship with him. Dakshina Murthy (Prakash Raj) is a local MLA who decides to join Kumar Babu’s cause for a better future. These characters make up the lead actors of the film set in the 1980s. ‘Rangasthalam’ genuinely takes you back to the 80s and hits you with a massive dose of nostalgia – radios and record dances galore. The film is not just set in the 80s; it also picks a story template from that era and narrates the tale in a refreshingly raw manner. However, Sukumar must be credited for fleshing out the characters well enough that they don’t seem like caricatures of a bygone era. He must also be credited for making them capable enough to be empowered should the need arise. The characters, even the ones that have minimal screen time, are etched only after careful thought. And the best out of all them is Chitti Babu. Chitti Babu is hard not to fall in love with, sprouting a refreshing innocence in a time when toxic masculinity is usually celebrated on-screen. The character has no interest in being the ‘hero’ of this tale because he’s more invested in getting drunk, falling in love, talking to his friends and loving his family. The character graph of Chitti Babu that starts with delicate innocence and finds humour even in his disability; only changes when his heart is truly broken. Rangammatta plays catalyst to bursting the Technicolor bubble that Chitti Babu resides in, forcing him to see Rangasthalam for what it is – not a vividly hued stage, but a dry and drab place reeling under oppression. Ram Charan is a delight to watch in this film, delivering what probably is his best performance till date. Be it in the scenes where he oozes childishness or the ones when you see a broken man that no one can heal, you can see it all in the way his eyes emote. Samantha is also good in her role as the rustic Rama Lakshmi, who is Chitti Babu’s female counterpart, the one he needs and deserves. Aadhi Pinisetty also delivers a stupendous performance as the idealist who believes it will definitely be him who will be able to bring about change. Jagapathi Babu and Anasuya Bharadwaj deliver subtle yet powerful performances, making a lasting impression with the simplest of dialogues. Rathnavelu and Devi Sri Prasad need to take a bow, not just for delivering picture-perfect visuals and soundtrack, but for also setting the mood of the film with their work. DSP’s background score is strong in this one! Also, the retro ‘record dance’ style number ‘Jigelu Rani’ ft. Pooja Hegde is a delight to watch on the large screen. Where the film falls short however is towards its epilogue. Despite the cracks showing through, you notice how badly broken Chitti Babu really is only towards the end when he’s pushed to the brim. Prakash Raj’s character is the only one that remains not well fleshed out and almost seems to be there just to push things through and deliver a haphazard conclusion. None-the-less, go watch the film this weekend for the characters and the intrigue they create. Watch it especially for Ram Charan and his stupendous performance, Sukumar’s direction, Rathnavelu’s cinematography and DSP’s background score. This film truly proves that it doesn’t matter if it’s a tale you have seen a million times before, when it’s told in an entertaining manner

Critic's Rating: 3.5/5 Bharat Ane Nenu Story: Raised in London, Bharat is a typical youngster who's yet to figure out what to do in life after graduation when circumstances force him to become the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh. New to the place and with no political knowledge, Bharat learns the ropes quickly and governs efficiently. However, while he endears himself to the masses, he makes enemies out of the political class, including his own party members. With the people within and outside his party gunning for him, can the young CM succeed in effecting change in the society? Bharat Ane Nenu Review: Make no mistake, Bharat Ane Nenu isn't your usual political drama full of mind games and manipulation. The film revolves around a larger-than-life hero, a bad guy (several of them in fact), a love interest, and a bit of family drama to go along with it. The only difference here is that the hero also happens to be the chief minister of Andhra Pradesh. In fairness to Koratala Siva, he has unabashedly declared that Bharat Ane Nenu is a fictional political drama and transports the viewers into his fictional political atmosphere, where one man tries to bring a change. After losing his mother at an early age, Bharat (Mahesh Babu) goes to London to stay with his uncle. He grows up there and like every other youngster, is clueless about what he's going to do after graduation, when he learns of his father's demise. The sudden death of his father, also the AP CM, leaves a political vacuum in the state. Sensing instability in the party and a risk of it breaking up into two factions, party chief Varadarajan (Prakash Raj) asks a reluctant Bharat to take over as CM of the state. Thrown into the job, Bharat uses the values his mother taught him — never to break a promise — in his governance. It's not long before he gains in popularity and new enemies as a result of it. With Bharat endearing himself to the masses, the corrupt and now threatened politicians work round the clock to oust him. But can they succeed? Any comparisons to the real world political scenario would be futile. In Bharat's world, the house is not adjourned, and proceedings only come to a close when he takes his leave. Within minutes of taking charge, he imposes large traffic fines, and issues G.Os at will. He also goes to Rayalaseema and gets involved in a fist fight to show that he has the strength to back his words. Trouble is that what starts off as an engaging journey to change the system and politics of the state, suddenly turns into a bit more routine encounter. There is a rather forced romantic track, where Bharat sports a fake moustache to hid his identity as he takes his girl friend Vasumathi (Kiara Advani) on a ride on his Royal Enfield (Yes, while he's still CM). Unlike good political dramas, which has mind games and manipulations, Bharat's political battles are mostly physical ones — where he single-handedly bashes up hundreds of goons. And that's where this promising political drama loses its fizz. Bharat's declaration about how he can bring change with a snap of his fingers seems far-fetched, even by the film's exaggerated standards. His rant against the media for sensationalising issues for TRPs is equally amusing. And yet, a weak climax notwithstanding, there's a lot to like about Bharat Ane Nenu. Koratala Siva deserves credit for the way he handles the script. You inevitably end up rooting for this charming, young CM and the director keeps you gripped to the journey of Bharat. Mahesh Babu declared that this was his best ever performance. And while the jury is still out on that, he most certainly has delivered a performance his ever growing fan base would enjoy watching on-screen. Devi Sri Prasad's music and background score elevates this movie and Mahesh's performance. Kiara Advani doesn't have much to offer, while Prakash Raj is terrific as the manipulative politician. A political drama with a young and good looking CM at the helm, what's not to like? But you can't help but wonder if the director did the right thing by veering away from an intense political drama into 'song-dance-fights' routine, commercial potboiler.

Critic's Rating: 2.5/5 Story: Surya (Allu Arjun) is a short tempered army soldier who almost loses his job due to an impulsive decision he takes. His godfather (Rao Ramesh) convinces Colonel Sanjay Srivasthav (Boman Irani), to let him keep his job. Except, he will only be able to do so, if he manages to get a no objection certificate from a famed psychologist Dr Rama Krishnan Raju (Arjun). However, Surya and the psychologist seem to share a troubled past. Review: ‘Naa Peru Surya, Naa Illu India’ is a hard film to describe, what with so much happening in a span of less than 3 hours. The film has all the requirements of a commercial potboiler – there’s unbridled patriotism, a love track, a family drama, an ambitious man striving to make it big in his career, several points of conflict replete with goondas and other moral dilemmas that all play out, interspersed at regular intervals with colourful and highly choreographed songs. However, NPS is a film that is confused as to which direction it wants to take. There’s only one key point it maintains clarity about – justifying the ill behaviour of the protagonist by rewarding him for it. Anu Emmanuel plays the role of Surya’s ex-girlfriend Varsha, the woman who usually bears the brunt of his behaviour on more than one occasion. However, she or anyone in the cast have nothing much to do in the film as this is Allu Arjun’s show all the way. Allu Arjun plays the role of Surya, a man suffering from anger issues since he was a child. Leaving home at a tender age because his father refused to enable his behaviour, Surya is an army soldier now for 7 years despite lacking the discipline to be one. His life’s ambition is to serve at the border and be unapologetic for who he is. Smoking cigars, taking lives as and when he pleases and appointing himself as the vigilante this country needs, Surya is a majorly flawed and hard character to like – especially when he mouths lines like, “Pakistani naa kodaka,” in this day and age and yet, it is he who is the hero of this tale. NPS is the coming-of-age tale of this angry young man, who the audience expects will have learnt a thing or two about discipline, manners and patience by the end of this film. However, despite taking up the challenge to do so by the psychologist, it is no spoiler to reveal that Surya comes back to square one by the end of this tale, with everyone in his life suddenly no longer finding his behaviour reprehensible like they previously did. The film’s premise is so interesting and the story begins with such promise that one wonders where it all went wrong by the end. A soldier’s fight while waging a war on himself to control his anger so he can achieve his goal is one that seems so evocative on paper. NPS has moments where the beauty lies in the details, it lies in the way a siren plays in the BGM whenever Surya loses his temper, in the way he turns away the rear-view mirrors of his bike because he cannot bear to see the man he has become or in the manner he describes himself as a gun without bullets. However, as a whole, NPS is a film that is hard to like, filled with random patriotic, romantic and sentimental moments that somehow fail to come together as a whole. The characters of the film are a hard sell too, a surprisingly bold move that would’ve resulted in something amazing, if only the film had direction. It is this lack of direction and treatment that is the film’s undoing, leaving you no one left to root for. Remarkable actors like Boman Irani, Rao Ramesh, Vennela Kishore, Pradeep Rawat and even Sarathkumar are wasted in the film, handed much less than what they deserve. Cinematographer Rajeev Ravi, who worked on films like ‘Dev D’ and ‘Mukkabaaz’ seems to have equally no scope to do much either, with only the song Sainika giving a teeny glimpse into what he’s capable of. Allu Arjun and Arjun however, are stupendous in their roles. Vishal and Shekhar’s music is a delight on-screen, both in the songs and BGM. Walking away from the theatre, apart from Surya’s bull-headed yet strong characterisation, the only other thing that will probably stick in the audience’s mind is the vision of Allu Arjun dancing with gay abandon in Lover Also Fighter Also. Ergo, this one is strictly for Allu Arjun fans, the rest, approach with caution!

Critic's Rating: 3/5 As real as it can get Omerta Story: A biographical drama on Omar Saeed Sheikh – a British-born terrorist of Pakistani origin, who was responsible for the kidnapping of foreign tourists in India, including the abduction and execution of American journalist Daniel Pearl. Omerta Review: Filmmaker Hansal Mehta, who is known for making films with emotional depth like 'Shahid', 'City Lights' and 'Aligarh', has undoubtedly found an interesting subject that can make for a compelling story. Mehta keeps ‘Omerta’ realistic by including documentary-style footage, but the scope of the film is relegated to just that – watching bone-chilling crimes without much of an emotional connection. His latest is like a three-act play; each act elaborates upon one of Omar’s terrorist missions to accomplish his nefarious goals. The film is gripping, not because of the narrative, but because you are keen to know more about its protagonist. Then there’s Rajkummar Rao, who nails the part as the dreaded terrorist Omar Sheikh. From switching his stiff British upper lipped enunciations to a desi accent, or wearing a nonchalant smile while being arrested – Rajkummar has given a nuanced performance catching every beat of Omar’s chilling demeanour. Although there is not much scope for other actors to shine beside him, Timothy Ryan Hickernell as Daniel Pearl matches Rajkummar’s intensity in a few scenes. The one sequence that stands out in 'Omerta' is the cold-blooded execution of Daniel Pearl. For the rest of Omar’s actions, the fear and dread are conveyed through high-decibel sound effects. This film had the potential to shake you to your core with the thought that people like Omar exist in the world. Instead, Hansal Mehta focuses on just the ideological aspects of the character, choosing not to delve into what makes him tick. The director has not invested much screentime into how Omar plans his complex actions or what drove him to such abhorrence. So while Mehta gets the mood right, and Rajkummar works wonders with his limited material, 'Omerta' fails to stir you emotionally. In-depth Analysis Our overall critic’s rating is not an average of the sub scores below. Direction: 3/5 Dialogues: 2.5/5 Screenplay: 2.5/5 Music: 2.5/5 Visual appeal: 3/5

Sudip Bandyopadhyay’s directorial debut, ‘Hope Aur Hum’, promises to connect with people across age groups. The film revolves around the Srivastava family, which consists of people from three generations, each dealing with their own problems. The movie, starring Naseeruddin Shah, Sonali Kulkarni, Aamir Bashir, Naveen Kasturia, Kabir Sajid and Virti Vaghani, is touted to be a complete entertainer with humour, family values, great music and even cricket. With the movie hitting the screens today, three members of the Srivastava family — portrayed by Naseeruddin Shah, Naveen Kasturia and Kabir Sajid — tell you why you shouldn’t miss it. To begin with, it’s a 95-minute family drama that the entire khandaan can watch together. In keeping with its clean content, the film has got a ‘U’ rating from the Censor Board. Also, the makers claim that the music of the movie is unique. Rupert Fernandes has composed its background score using just the guitar. Earlier, Sudip had said, “My nine-year-old daughter asked me if I was going to direct a film. When I said yes, she replied, ‘Papa, I’ll never be able to watch it because I don’t think it will be age appropriate.’ That’s when I decided to make a film that can be watched by maximum number of people.” ‘Hope Aur Hum’, produced by Thumbnail Pictures in association with PVR Pictures, releases today.

Rajkummar Rao and Patralekhaa are one of the cutest couples of Bollywood. The two have always been very open about their relationship. They are currently having a fun vacation in Los Angeles, US. Recently, Rajkummar had shared a cute picture of them from the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. Now the ‘Newton’ actor has shared one more beautiful picture from the streets of Los Angeles. In the picture, the couple is seen in a complete romantic mood and the two posed in a Waltz dance posture. In the caption, Rajkummar wrote, "Roll sound. Roll Camera. Action. Muskurane Ki Vajah tum Hoooo. #LAdiaries @patralekhaa." Rajkummar Rao and Patralekhaa first met on the sets of Hansal Mehta's 2014 film 'Citylights'. Recently there were even rumours that the two might tie the knot soon but Patralekha denied all such rumours and said that marriage is not on the cards for them for the next six to seven years. 2/14Rajkummar Rao and Patralekhaa have a fun time vacationing in Los Angeles Rajkummar Rao is currently cruising through Bollywood with success in both critically acclaimed and commercial films. As his upcoming webseries is about to release and during the promotions, he posed for an adorable picture with his girlfriend Patralekhaa. Taking to Instagram, Rajkummar posted a picture of himself along with Patralekhaa. The couple can be seen pouting together for the camera making for a rather goofy and sweet moment. It is clear that the two look really good together. Rajkummar Rao and his girlfriend actress Patralekhaa are one of the steadiest couples of Bollywood. The couple has also never shied away from accepting their love for each other. Not only are the couple loving and supporting in their personal lives. The actor reportedly revealed that they are the same when it comes to their professional lives too. Speaking about the same, Rajkummar reportedly said that he always gives her professional advice whenever she asks for it. The actor also mentioned that the actress is currently doing well in her career. When asked if marriage with Patralekhaa is on cards anytime soon, Rajkummar reportedly said that marriage with Patralekhaa will definitely happen but not right now as both of them are busy focussing on their respective careers.

Bollywood’s most bankable actor Ajay Devgn is also known to be quite active on social media. He along with his wife Kajol, make their presence feel on social media through their constant updates. Recently, Kajol had shared a beautiful picture of her while she was vacationing in Paris. The picture was clicked by none other than her son Yug. Now, Ajay took to his social media to share a remarkably striking click by Yug. The picture is a black-and-white photo of Ajay Devgn in a silhouette shot. He captioned the picture proudly as, “Shot and designed by Yug.” This picture is a proof that Yug definitely has some amazing photography skills.

Bollywood actress Jacqueline Fernandez, unfortunately, met with an accident last night after partying at Salman Khan's residence. According to reports by a portal, Jacqueline was partying with the entire 'Race 3' cast at Salman Khan’s residence. The reports further had it that the party which started at 10:30 in the night went on till the wee hours. Reportedly Jacqueline left Salman Khan's residence at 2 in the morning and met with the accident at around 2:45 am at Carter Road, Bandra. Apparently, her driver bumped the car to an auto-rickshaw. Thankfully no one was injured and only Jacqueline’s car’s headlights got damaged. A few months back, Jacqueline had injured herself on the sets of 'Race 3'. The 32-year-old actress had injured her eye while playing squash. On the work front, the fans are eagerly waiting to watch Salman Khan and Jacqueline Fernandez back together on the silver screen. The much-awaited trailer of the film is expected to be out by May 15. Directed by Remo D’souza, the film also stars Bobby Deol, Anil Kapoor, Daisy Shah and Saqib Saleem in significant roles. 'Race 3' is slated to hit the screens on June 15.

At a time when fans are still getting over Sonam Kapoor and Anand Ahuja’s grand wedding and discovering the details of Neha Dhupia and Angad Bedi’s surprise wedding, it has now been reported that singer Himesh Reshammiya has tied the knot with his partner Sonia Kapoor in a private ceremony. According to reports doing the rounds, the two were living together for quite a few years and got married on the terrace of singer’s apartment. Reports also suggest that while the Mehendi ceremony was held two days ago, the couple will be hosting a grand wedding celebration tonight for their B-town friends. If there is any truth to these reports, then it'll be Himesh's second marriage. He was previously married to Komal for 22 years before calling it quits. They have a son Swaym together. 2/27Neha Dhupia and Angad Bedi drop surprise wedding announcement 12 Wedding bells are ringing loud and clear in Bollywood! Actress Neha Dhupia dropped a surprise announcement on Thursday, saying that she has married Angad Bedi. The couple, who have long been rumoured to be dating, made it official today in a solemn Sikh ceremony. The new bride took to her social media handle to make the official announcement with a picture and a caption that read, “Best decision of my life... today, I married my best friend. Hello there, husband! @angadbedi.” Hubby Angad also shared the happy news with his fans with a caption that read, “Best friend... now Wife!!! Well hello there Mrs BEDI!!! @nehadhupia” Pictures from the hush-hush ceremony see the joyous couple dressed in summery hues of ivory and pink. We congratulate the couple on their wedding. 3/27Shriya Saran-Andrei Koscheev's wedding photos make their way online 8 It came to light recently that actress Shriya Saran married her Russian boyfriend Andrei Koscheev in a secret ceremony. Although an official statement is awaited on the same, pictures from their nuptials have surfaced online. In photos doing the rounds on social media, the actress can be seen dressed in full bridal attire along with Andrei, looking dapper in a traditional Indian ensemble. The couple looks adorable as they posed for the pictures hand in hand. The couple reportedly made it a point to carry out the ceremony according to traditional Hindu rituals. The only celebrities present at the private affair were Manoj Bajpayee and Shabana Azmi. 4/27Aftab Shivdasani renews wedding vows with wife Nin Dusanj in a beautiful wedding ceremony in Sri Lanka 2 Coming as a good news, actor Aftab Shivdasani and Nin Dusanj tied the knot in an intimate ceremony while on a vacation in Sri Lanka. The longtime lovebirds actually had registered their marriage on June 5, 2014, but the wedding ceremonies were long pending. While in Sri Lanka, the two made up their mind to have a destination wedding at a resort in Tangalle on the south east coast. After the mehndi and a party on the beach on the first day, the two renewed their wedding vows on the second day amid the presence of close family and friends and local Sri Lankan monks. 5/27Aftab Shivdasani and Nin Dusanj’s royal arrival at their wedding 0 While Aftab arrived like a king on an elephant looking demure in a white Sherwani, the bride Nin made her grand entrance in a subtle lehenga in a doli amid the procession led by Kandiyan dancers. The pandit was also flown from Mumbai especially for the purpose. With a wedding as romantic as this one, it seems it was definitely worth the wait. The ‘Grand Masti’ actor and the London-based Nin Dusanj have been dating for several years and were reportedly engaged in 2012. 6/27Mallika Sherawat rubbishes marriage rumours 7 Several reports have been doing the rounds that B-Town hottie Mallika Sherawat has tied the knot with her French beau, Cyrille Auxenfans. The reports suggest that Cyril gifted the 'Murder' actress a luxury car before popping the question and the duo secretly tied the knot in Paris. However, Mallika took to Twitter to rubbish the rumours. She tweeted, "STOP spreading rumors. It's NOT true! The day I get married , you all will be invited :)". She further tweeted, "It's NOT TRUE. Please don't spread rumors. I am on my way to Cannes with my film Time Raiders:)." Mallika Sherawat was earlier married to a Delhi-based pilot, Karan Singh Gill. But looks like the actress is taking things slowly for now! While Mallika has put speculations to rest about her secret wedding, move on to the next slide to read about other B-Town celebs who shocked fans with their secret weddings... by Rachel Baker 7/27Pics: Preity Zinta spotted with hubby Gene Goodenough, in-laws 4 Finally, Preity Zinta is all set to host a lavish wedding reception for her friends and family in India. The ‘Dil Se’ actress who got hitched to management graduate, Gene Goodenough in a private wedding ceremony on February 28, 2016, in Los Angeles will be hosting her wedding reception on May 13 in India. The Kings XI Punjab owner was missing at the KXIP vs KKR match during the ongoing IPL. Reports suggest that the actress was busy playing host to her hubby and in-laws. Also, Gene and his parents were spotted at the Mumbai airport recently, along with Preity. Well, going by the looks of it, the four indeed make for a ‘goodenough’ family, don't they? Click on the next slide to read all about Preity's beautiful message post her wedding... 8/27Preity Zinta's post-wedding message is simply adorable! 25 The dimpled actress of B-town, Preity Zinta recently got married to a US-based financial consultant, Gene Goodenough at Los Angeles. While actor Kabir Bedi spilled the beans on her marriage and few of Preity's friends had wished her too, the bride hadn't officially said a word about her wedding, which was a secretly guarded affair. However, the actress has now posted a message for all her fans on Facebook and it is simply adorable to say the least. Here is what Preity said about becoming Mrs. Preity Goodenough (sounds good enough, isn't it?)... She wrote: "I was holding on the "Miss Tag" rather seriously till now, until I met someone "Goodenough" to give it up for. So now, I join the Married Club folks. Thank you all for your good wishes & for all your love. Love you all Ting ! Let the Goodenough jokes begin." Knowing that her handsome hubby has a funny yet 'good enough' surname, Preity is still ready to welcome jokes on her new surname. Now, if that isn't sporting enough, we don't know what is. Just like Preity, her counterpart Urmila Matondkar too got married recently in a hush-hush manner. Click the following slide to know her post-wedding plans… by Hiten J Trivedi 9/27After shaadi, Urmila Matondkar to have a nikah! 65 The gorgeous lady and the newest bride in Bollywood, Urmila Matondkar, is making headlines every day and rightly so! After all, the 'Rangeela' actress got married to her Kashmiri boyfriend Mohsin Akhtar Mir recently in a traditional Hindu ceremony at her Bandra residence in Mumbai. The wedding was a very private affair with only Urmila and Mohsin's family and closest friends attending the auspicious ceremony. However, as per the latest reports on BollywoodLife.com, the newly-married couple will now have a Muslim wedding, aka Nikah, soon after their marriage is registered this week. If that's not enough, the beautiful couple even plan to throw a grand and lavish reception for the film fraternity and friends outside the industry in a few days from now. Looks like, there are celebrations galore at Urmila's residence, at least, for a few days! Urmila's sudden marriage announcement surely took her fans by surprise and how! Read on to know which other celebs shocked their fans with their secret weddings... by Hiten J Trivedi 10/27Urmila Matondkar: I seek your blessings 49 It hasn't been long since Preity Zinta secretly tied the knot in Los Angeles, another Bollywood actress, Urmila Matondkar, has got hitched too. Urmila got married to Mir Mohsin Akhtar, who is a businessman and a model by profession. About the wedding ceremony being a hush-hush affair, Urmila told a leading web portal that they kept it so as the family wanted it to be a low-key affair and that it was a mutual decision. The 'Rangeela' actress further said she seeks everyone's blessings while embarking on this new journey. Click onto the next slide to know details about Preity Zinta's wedding in Los Angeles... 11/27Preity Zinta gets hitched, Salman Khan to grace reception 2 After months of speculations, actress Preity Zinta got hitched to Gene Goodenough on February 28, 2016 in Los Angeles. The wedding was a well-guarded affair, with only a select few near and dear ones. The list of invitees included Preity's close friends, Sussanne Khan and Surily Goel and the wedding was done according to the Hindu rituals. Reportedly, both Preity and Gene plan to auction their wedding pictures soon, the proceeds of which would be donated to Preity Zinta Foundation. According to a report in Mumbai Mirror, Preity has planned a grand Rajput-style reception in Mumbai in April. The function will be graced by her close friend and superstar, Salman Khan. Click further and read about other celebs who shocked their fans with their secret weddings... 12/27Celebs who shocked their fans with their secret weddings 2 Mila Kunis, Ashton Kutcher's Secret Garden wedding bash After tying the knot, Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher threw a festive wedding party to celebrate their happiness with close family and friends, reports ANI. The former That '70s Show co-stars celebrated at the Secret Garden at Parrish Ranch in Oak Glen, California, which is a secluded spot featuring acres of apple orchards, ponds and botanical gardens, reported People magazine. Tabloid media revealed that matching with her nine-month-old daughter, the 31-year-old bride wore a white dress with her hair all up as it was a colour theme celebration echoed by Wyatt Isabelle. The couple, that has known each other since their early days together on the Fox sitcom, got engaged in February 2014 and welcomed their first child in October 2014, after the 37-year-old actor finalised his divorce from Demi Moore, concluded the report. While both Mila and Ashton preferred to keep their wedding bash a close knit affair, read on to know which Bollywood actress recently tied the knot... 13/27Celebs who shocked their fans with their secret weddings 4 Minissha Lamba got married to long-term boyfriend, Ryan Tham in a hush-hush ceremony held in Mumbai. Talking about the wedding, in an interview with The Indian Express, Minissha has been quoted as saying that they were not sure about how the wedding should be done and a private affair was what they were comfortable with, at the time. The actress further revealed that they were planning a grand affair when the weather becomes a little better. When asked about her honeymoon plans, Minissha said that they hadn't planned one yet as her husband had to work and that it would happen in time. While Minissha's wedding was a secret affair, take a look at which Hollywood actor got married to his girlfriend in a hush-hush ceremony... 14/27Celebs who shocked their fans with their secret weddings 4 Hollywood's A-list couple, Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis, reportedly got married over the weekend. The revelation was made by a source to People.com. The report also claims that the stars' representatives have refused to comment for now. Mila and Ashton are parents to daughter Wyatt, who was born in October, 2014. They are reportedly expecting again. Ashton Kutcher was previously married to actress Demi Moore. While Ashton and Mila's wedding indeed comes as a surprise, check out which fashion designer also recently tied the knot...

Raazi Movie Review Rating: 4/5 Stars (Four stars) Star Cast: Alia Bhatt, Vicky Kaushal, Rajit Kapur, Shishir Sharma, Jaideep Ahlawat, Ashwath Bhatt, Amruta Khanvilkar, Soni Razdan. Director: Meghna Gulzar. Raazi Movie Review: Alia Bhatt Lives Up To The Mind-Numbing Vision Of Meghna Gulzar What’s Good: The intriguing narration holds your guts in addition to a mind-numbing performance delivered by Alia Bhatt, tension created in the second half elevates the pace. What’s Bad: Editing could’ve been tight in the first half, few unnecessary portions required a scissor over them. Loo Break: Only if it’s possible while you’re at your seat with your eyes glued on the screen. Watch or Not?: This is not a dish cooked using your usual ingredients, this is something that satisfies your hunger though belonging to a different cuisine. User Rating: 21 Votes Raazi is the story of Sehmat (Alia Bhatt), a simple as any other college going girl whose father Hidayat (Rajit Kapur) is a core member of the intelligence bureau of India. The relations between India and Pakistan are on the soury side and a war is on the cards. Hidayat, who is under the disguise of a friend to the military officials of Pakistan decides to get his daughter married to Brigadier Syed’s (Shishir Sharma) son Iqbal Syed (Vicky Kaushal). Sehmat sacrifices her everything to move to Pakistan and spy for the intelligence bureau. Living amongst them, Sehmat every day risks her life to attain the confidential information in order to give India an upper edge in the upcoming war. Dodging the risk till what extent she succeeds, how her life changes with Iqbal who loves her truly and what all she goes through to protect the pride of her nation is what the main story is about. Raazi Movie Review: Alia Bhatt Lives Up To The Mind-Numbing Vision Of Meghna Gulzar Raazi Movie Review: Script Analysis Towards the end of this film you’ll feel a sudden pain in your heart; all this is able because of Meghna Gulzar’s captivating narration and Alia Bhatt’s absorbing presence. Sehmat as a character is like a mosiac – created by colorful tiles of various emotions. Her character graph, from the girl who fears blood to someone who can do anything for her country, goes through different parameters ending on an unforgettable high. Meghna succeeds to teleport you to the atmosphere designed by her for the film. Raazi is a powerful yet silent film, it speaks a lot without making much noise. First half takes enough time to build up the first base for the story and some serious trimming would’ve resulted in a pacy structure. Story set in 1971, Raazi is a precautionary tale of that one decision that changed the course of history. Raazi Movie Review: Star Performance Playing Sehmat is not about the maturity, it’s about the innocence; hence Raazi was impossible without Alia Bhatt. To portray the fear of getting killed all the time without overdoing it is what she has achieved. While Highway & Udta Punjab established her prowess, Raazi will take her to a different level. Vicky Kaushal’s character Iqbal Syed is silent and subtle. It’s one of those roles in which you can’t impress by your corporeal existence but you need to do a lot by being stiff and firm. It’s tough to play such a role and Vicky yet again justifies his part. Rajit Kapur as Alia Bhatt’s father has not much screen time but is an appropriate fit for the script. Shishir Sharma as Vicky Kaushal’s father is up to the mark and fills every blank space when it comes to portray the side of Pakistan. Jaideep Ahlawat as Khalid Mir stays honest to his character and delivers a fine performance. Amruta Khanvilkar as Munira looks eternally beautiful and does well. Raazi Movie Review: Direction, Music Meghna Gulzar, post narrating a riveting tale in Talvar brings in yet another (reportedly) true story. Such kind of scripts are exhausting and requires a lot homework; Meghna yet again keeps her research strong and facts correct. She keeps away from the pop-patriotism, which comes as a baggage with stories like these. Everything is subtle and nothing comes on your face. Going through the books of cinematic study, spy dramas should come without any songs but music helps in elevating the emotions. Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy live up to the expectations and keep the songs short and to the point. Dilbaro perfectly describes the pain of Alia Bhatt’s character. Arijit Singh’s Ae Watan succeeds in evoking the feeling of patriotism in you. Raazi Movie Review: The Last Word All said and done, Raazi is a magnificent and unmissable tribute to the unsung heroes of our country. It explores a brave story which was in shelves for long time now. Alia Bhatt has just smashed every barricade for being a superlative actress. Four stars! Raazi Movie Trailer

Actress Deepika Padukone showed her first red carpet look from Festival de Cannes this year as an L’Oreal Paris brand ambassador and she looked no less than an angel, and the epitome of elegance, in a sheer white caped gown. She opted for a sheer lace creation by designer Zuhair Murad with nude lip and smoky eyes done by L’Oreal giving the finishing touch to her entire getup. Deepika Padukone Rocks Her First Red Carpet Look At Cannes Giving a glimpse of her look to her fans on Instagram, she posted a picture of herself and wrote: “Ready to rock and roll.” Before this the actress also shared a picture in a white T-shirt, blue denims and nude heels from the festival. L’Oreal Paris is celebrating 21 glorious years as the official make-up partner for the Festival de Cannes. Known for weaving magic and beauty at one of the most prestigious events of global cinema, it will rule the red carpet with the theme of #Summer Escape this year. Apart from Deepika, Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, who will be completing 17 years at the red carpet, will be attending the festival on May 12 and May 13. Even the just married Sonam Kapoor will be completing 8 years at Cannes and will attend the festival on May 14 and May 15. Some of the other L’Oreal Paris spokespersons that will be seen on the red carpet include Julianne Moore, Helen Mirren & Doutzen Kroes.