Telangana’s Director of Public Health and Family Welfare Srinivas Rao said the “country and state” could witness a surge in the Omicron variant cases of COVID-19 between January and February. “We have intensified our surveillance mechanism at the international airport in Hyderabad,” he said. He further added that the COVID-19 situation in the state is in complete control.

The BCCI are planning to replace Virat Kohli with Rohit Sharma as ODI captain, as per reports. “It looks difficult that Virat would be able to keep his ODI captaincy,” a senior BCCI official told PTI. The BCCI want Rohit to captain in ODIs so that he gets to prepare a team for 2023 World Cup, reports added.

Abhishek Bachchan, speaking about the film industry, said, “It’s a business.” “I’ve been at the end…when I was replaced in countless films,” he added. “I was getting calls from certain makers and six months later, when my films haven’t done well not only do they not pick up…calls, they don’t call back. It’s important to understand…it’s not personal,” said Abhishek.

A Bengaluru-based software professional has reportedly sought divorce from his wife over her obsession with cleanliness. He said that his wife, with suspected OCD, washed his laptop and cellphone with detergent. “She bathes…six times a day and…has one exclusive soap to clean her bathing soap,” he added. She also forced her kids to wash their school uniforms and bags daily.

Telugu actor Mahesh Babu will reportedly be undergoing a minor knee surgery in the US following an injury. As per reports, this will delay the shooting for ‘Sarkaru Vaari Paata’, which has been postponed for two months. While no official announcement has been made, fans have been trending ‘Get well soon, Anna’ on social media for the actor’s quick recovery.

Tel Aviv is the world’s most expensive city to live in, according to this year’s Worldwide Cost of Living index by Economist Intelligence Unit. Paris and Singapore have been ranked 2nd and 3rd, while Zurich, Hong Kong and New York City have been ranked 4th, 5th and 6th respectively. Geneva has been ranked 7th, Copenhagen (8th), Los Angeles (9th) and Osaka (10th).

Actor Salman Khan in an interview has revealed that his plan to open a theatre chain ‘Salman Talkies’ is in the works. The actor added that the chain will open in “smaller towns where people [don’t] have access to theatres”. “Everything was put on hold (due to the pandemic). Slowly we will get back to it,” Salman said.

After Aryan Khan’s bail order said there was ‘no proof of conspiracy’ in the drugs case, Indian filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma on Sunday said, “It will be a joke on democracy if investigative agencies aren’t made accountable for misusing their powers.” He added, “If this can happen to [Shah Rukh Khan’s] son, God knows what’s happening to lesser people.”

Director Rohit Shetty has revealed that he used to earn ₹35 as his salary at the beginning of his career in the 90s and often had to choose between eating food and travelling to work. Rohit added that his family had financial constraints so he had to walk from Malad to Andheri which would take about two hours.

National Executive Member of the Aam Aadmi Party Preeti Sharma Menon has filed a complaint with Mumbai Police seeking an FIR against Kangana Ranaut for her alleged seditious remarks at a conclave where she was a guest speaker. “What India got in 1947 was ‘bheekh’, real freedom came in 2014,” Kangana had said. “Hope to see some action,” Menon tweeted.

Mallika Sherawat revealed on ‘The Love Laugh Live Show’ that a producer once wanted to “heat a chapati” on her waist for a “hot song”. “He was like ‘How will the audience know you’re hot? You’re so hot that one can heat chapatis on your waist’,” Mallika stated. “I said, ‘No, we’re not doing any such thing’,” she added.

Thieves broke into a 60-year-old woman’s house in Hyderabad’s Rajendranagar and decamped with 11 tolas of gold ornaments and ₹1.7 lakh cash on Monday night. The incident occurred when the woman had gone to her relative’s house to attend a function. Police said the thieves opened the almirah at her home with keys that were kept on a nearby table.

A special court has ordered the unfreezing of Rhea Chakraborty’s bank accounts and the return of her electronic gadgets over a year after NCB arrested her. In her application, Rhea said NCB froze them without any reason. She added she needs the bank accounts to pay her taxes, support her lifestyle as well to take care of her younger brother.

A 4,544 square feet apartment on Hong Kong Island has been sold for HK$640 million (around ₹611 crore) in Asia’s most expensive apartment sale, Bloomberg reported on Wednesday. Costing HK$140,800 (₹13.44 lakh) per square foot, the apartment came with three parking spaces. The apartment is built on the Peak, a luxury residential area on Hong Kong Island.

Mumbai Police Cyber Cell arrested a man from Hyderabad for giving online rape threats to Virat Kohli’s nine-month-old daughter. He has been identified as 23-year-old Ramnagesh Alibathini and he’s being brought to Mumbai, police said. The man had given rape threats after Kohli supported Mohammad Shami, who was being abused online after loss against Pakistan in T20 World Cup 2021.