2,400 athletes swim in Bosphorus Strait from Asia to Europe
Istanbul, July 22: Around 2,400 athletes swam from Asia to Europe on Sunday, in a cross-continental swimming race in Istanbul's Bosphorus Strait.
The swimmers began the 6.5-kilometer-long race in the Kanlica neighbourhood in the Asian part of the city and swam along the strait towards Kurucesme on the European side, reports Xinhua news agency.
Dogukan Ulac won gold in the men's category with a time of 46 minutes 58 seconds, while Hilal Zeynep Sarac took the spoils in the women's race in 50 minutes 30 seconds.
The strait, one of the most important waterways in the world, was closed to sea traffic for hours for the 30th Samsung Bosphorus Cross-Continental Swimming Race.
Over 4,400 swimmers from 55 countries applied to participate in the race, but only around 2,400 of them were qualified to compete, according to organisers.
The strong current of the strait and the wind were determined as the most challenging aspects of the event.
The race was first launched in 1989, when four women and 64 men took part, and has gradually become an important event for swimmers across the world.
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Kantara mimicking case: HC extends interim relief given to actor Ranveer Singh till March 9
Bengaluru (PTI): The Karnataka High Court on Monday extended the interim relief given to Bollywood actor Ranveer Singh till March 9, in a case related to mimicking a character from the movie, 'Kantara Chapter-1', and allegedly mocking a deity.
The actor had approached the High Court seeking the quashing of the FIR against him for mimicking Rishab Shetty's role as 'Chavunda' deity in the movie.
While mimicking, Singh had called the deity a "ghost". The actor was asked to appear before the court in person on Monday.
Appearing on behalf of the actor, his counsel Sajjan Poovayya said Singh was stuck in London and was unable to reach Bengaluru due to the conflict in West Asia.
The complainant, who is a lawyer, alleged that his religious sentiments were hurt by calling the deity a ghost. On the directions of a local Court, the police registered a case against the actor.
The High Court on February 24 granted interim relief to the actor with directions to the police not to take any coercive steps against him.
