Priyanka, Nick 'seal relationship' with Indian ceremony
Mumbai, Aug 18 : Actress Priyanka Chopra and American singer Nick Jonas on Saturday solemnised their relationship with a traditional Indian ceremony in the presence of their close family and friends here.
The ceremony, held at Priyanka's residence, follows months of speculations around the relationship status of Priyanka, 36, and Nick, 25. The photographs from the ceremony did the rounds on social media, but an official statement or update from the celebrities is still awaited.
The former beauty queen was dressed in a subtle yellow designer ensemble, and Nick wore a pristine white kurta churidar as he performed the 'puja'.
One of the photographs shows Nick cosying up to Priyanka, who holds on to him, as they stand against a green background with a logo that reads 'NP' -- merged together to denote the amalgamation of the first letter of both their names.
The increased activity at Priyanka's residence since the past two to three days had indicated preparations for a celebration. On Friday evening, people were busy decking up the semi-circular balcony with green foliage.
The paparazzi stationed outside the building captured a priest making his way into the house, as well as Priyanka's cousin Parineeti Chopra -- who too was dressed in yellow -- apart from a slew of relatives.
A party for close friends is likely to follow on Saturday evening. Nick arrived here on Thursday night with his parents -- mother Denise and father Kevin Jonas Sr in tow.
The Jonas patriarch even carried a big Tiffany & Co. bag in his hand, fuelling the rumours about the formal ceremony to celebrate the couple's engagement.
According to international media reports, Tiffany is the jeweller that closed down its London store for Nick to buy an engagement ring for Priyanka, and reportedly the two got engaged on Priyanka's birthday last month on the 18th.
Her sparkler is said to be a five-carat diamond with a price tag of around $300,000, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
On Friday night, Priyanka, Nick and close family members stepped out for a dinner. Priyanka was seen proudly flaunting the rock as she made her way into a hotel, hand-in-hand with Nick, looking visibly elated.
Priyanka is a former Miss World, who established her space in the Hindi film industry with a slew of impressive projects like "Fashion", "Mary Kom", "Barfi!", "Bajirao Mastani" and "7 Khoon Maaf". She forayed into the international showbiz world with a singing career, and eventually landed the lead role in American TV show "Quantico".
It gave her a launchpad that pushed her presence in the global entertainment universe. She made her Hollywood debut with "Baywatch", followed by "A Kid Like Jake". She will also be seen in "Isn't It Romantic?"
Nick is a popular singer and has also acted in "Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle", as well as done TV shows like "Hannah Montana", "Camp Rock" and "Scream Queens".
The two have been creating a buzz since a joint appearance at the Met Gala red carpet in 2017, leaving everyone wondering whether they were dating.
At the Met Gala, Priyanka had just laughed off a romance with Jonas, insisting they simply shared an agent and were friends. She had also said they went to the Met Gala together as they were both wearing ensembles by Ralph Lauren.
In December last year, Jonas, while promoting "Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle", had expressed a desire to visit India.
"I've never been (to India), but I'm dying to go and I have now heard from Priyanka, my new friend, a lot about it," Jonas had told IANS in a statement.
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Ready to face no-confidence motion, says Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah
Hassan (Karnataka) (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday said that the Congress government led by him was ready to face the no-confidence motion if moved by the opposition during the legislature session from December 8.
With Deputy CM D K Shivakumar by his side, he reiterated that they would both abide by the high command's decision on the leadership issue.
"Let them (opposition) bring in a no-confidence motion or adjournment motion or any other motion. We are ready to face it. Ours is an open book, transparent government. We are ready to face anything," Siddaramaiah said in response to a question.
However, BJP state President B Y Vijayendra and Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Assembly R Ashoka, clarified that the party, along with the JD(S) has not discussed or decided anything so far regarding moving a no-confidence motion against the government.
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The winter session of the Karnataka legislature will begin in Belagavi, bordering Maharashtra, on December 8 and will go on till 19th of this month.
Not wanting to react to a question on the leadership issue, the CM said the Congress high command is very strong.
"D K Shivakumar and I will be committed to whatever the high command decides," he said.
Earlier in the day in Bengaluru, Shivakumar accompanied AICC Mallikarjun Kharge till airport from Vidhana Soudha, after paying tributes to B R Ambedkar on his 69th death anniversary, which had led to some speculation about possible discussion between the two on the leadership issue.
The power tussle within the ruling party had intensified amid speculation about a change in chief minister in the state, after the Congress government reached the halfway mark of its five-year term on November 20.
However, both the CM and Deputy CM had recently held breakfast meetings at each others residences, on the instructions of the high command, which is seen as a move to pause the leadership tussle between the two and to signal Siddaramaiah's continuation as the CM for the time being, especially ahead of the Belagavi legislature session.
