Entertainment
Modi-led govt under fire after women journalists barred from Afghan FM’s presser
Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Indian government faced intense backlash after women journalists were barred from attending Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi’s press conference in New Delhi, Indian media reported.
Muttaqi is on a six-day visit after getting a temporary exemption on his travel ban by UN Security Council (UNSC) Committee. It was the first such trip to India by a Afghan Taliban leader since 2021.
India, a day earlier, upgraded ties with Afghanistan’s Taliban administration, giving a boost to the diplomatically isolated group, by announcing it would reopen its embassy in Kabul that was shut after the Taliban seized power in 2021.
During the visit, the visiting foreign minister held a press conference at the Afghanistan embassy in Delhi, wherein the women journalists were stopped by the security staff and Delhi Police officials from attending the event despite multiple requests.
Opposition parties condemned the Modi administration for its silence over the exclusion of women reporters from the high-profile event, calling it an “insult to every Indian woman”.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said women have the right to equal participation in every field, adding that the incident sends a message that Modi is “too weak to stand up for their rights.”
“Mr Modi, when you allow the exclusion of women journalists from a public forum, you are telling every woman in India that you are too weak to stand up for them,” he wrote on X.
“In our country, women have the right to equal participation in every space. Your silence in the face of such discrimination exposes the emptiness of your slogans on Nari Shakti [woman power],” he added.
Senior Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi demanded that the Modi government clarify its position on the issue.
“If your recognition of women’s rights isn’t just convenient posturing from one election to the other, then how has this insult to some of India’s most competent women been allowed in our country, a country whose women are its backbone and its pride,” she asked.
Former finance minister P Chidambaram also criticised the media’s handling of the event, saying male journalists present at the briefing “should have walked out in protest.”
Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra went further, slamming the government for “disgracing every Indian woman” through its complicity. “By allowing such discrimination on Indian soil, the Modi regime has surrendered the country’s dignity,” she said.
Meanwhile, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs distanced itself from the controversy, claiming it had “no role” in the arrangements for the event.
According to the ministry, the invites for the press meet went to select journalists from Afghanistan’s Consul General in Mumbai who were stationed in Delhi for the Afghan minister’s visit. The Afghan Embassy territory does not come under the jurisdiction of the Indian government, it pointed out.
Ed Sheeran has made an eerie confession.
In a recent interview with Zane Lowe, the 34-year-old musician revealed that he will never stop contributing to the music industry, even after his death.
For those unversed, his latest album Play dropped on September 12.
During the chat, Sheeran explained that he has arranged for a posthumous album to be released after his passing, with his wife Cherry Seaborn, mother to their two children, in charge of its completion.
“Eject is the album in the will,” he shared.
“It’s actually in my will and Cherry gets to pick the tracks for it. It’s fully in [the will] if I were gone tomorrow.”
The English singer said the album would include songs spanning from when he was 18 until his final years, with Cherry deciding which ones make the cut.
“Lots of people won’t like that of me,” Sheeran admitted. “But there will be lots of my fans that would find that super interesting.”
Elisabeth Moss, known for her dramatic roles in Mad Men and The Handmaid’s Tale, for example, shares her openness to working in rom-com movies.
Though she adds that her love for dramatic roles made her a likely choice for such movies.
“I obviously gravitate towards more dramatic material because I love doing that. I love dramatic acting, and I don’t consider it hard — it’s fun for me, is the best way of putting it,” she adds.
But the star notes, “My producing partner and I call them ‘Capital M’ movies, just old-fashioned movies with a great script that are fun to watch. So yeah, I’d love to be a part of something like that.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Elisabeth opens up about her role in The Handmaid’s Tale, where she played June Osbourne.
She adds that she has drawn to such parts because it’s “fun” for her, adding, “That’s kind of like the number one thing that I feel like I hear from people after they meet me, especially if they’ve just seen my work.”
“They’re always like, okay, I was expecting you to be super, super serious,” the actress notes.
Elisabeth meanwhile is set to star in the forthcoming horror film Shell.
Entertainment
‘Kiss of the Spider Woman’ director reflects on Jennifer Lopez, Diego Luna’s chemistry
Jennifer Lopez turned out to be a mentor for Diego Luna on the set of Kiss of the Spider Woman.
On Monday, October 6, Bill Condon, the writer-director of Kiss of the Spider Woman, attended the movie’s premiere in New York City, where he conversed with PEOPLE magazine.
He told the outlet that Lopez and Luna “immediately” developed a chemistry with each other.
The Good Liar director said, “Diego came into this as a non-dancer, and he’s a great actor … but he shared his insecurity with Jennifer and she gave him a wonderful note.”
Prominently, the 56-year-old American singer and songwriter is a skilled dancer and has been dancing since childhood, from school musicals to TV specials and as a Fly Girl on In Living Color prior to her career in Hollywood.
Condon went on to reflect on the Andor actor and On the Floor hitmaker’s relationship on the set of the recently released film by quipping, “You just saw her take him under her wing and then slowly, as the movie progressed, they would just spend more time together talking about stuff, and it was beautiful to watch.”
It is pertinent to mention that Kiss of the Spider Woman, which was released on October 10, 2025, stars Luna as Valentin Arregui and Lopez as Ingrid Luna.
Ed Sheeran reveals his final album will be dropped after death
WNBA’s A’ja Wilson shares heartfelt message for NBA star Bam Adebayo at Aces title celebration
Haaland misses 2 pens, still gets Norway hat trick
-
Tech1 week agoAI could make it easier to create bioweapons that bypass current security protocols
-
Tech1 week agoOpenAI now worth $500 billion, possibly making it the world’s most valuable startup
-
Tech1 week agoAmazon Prime Big Deal Days Is Next Week, but We Already Found 40 Early Deals
-
Fashion1 week agoUS’ Nike partners with Jacquemus to reinterpret historic Moon Shoe
-
Tech6 days agoAll Hail the Surprisingly Versatile Packing Cube! These Are Our Favorites
-
Fashion1 week agoASEAN manufacturing hits 14-month high in September
-
Tech1 week agoAmazon is overhauling its devices to take on Apple in the AI era
-
Fashion1 week agoNelly wins Swedish court case against Shein over photo copyright