The festival, originally scheduled to be held in Anderson, South Carolina, on July 25 and July 26, was reportedly canceled due to “unforeseen circumstances,” according to Fox Carolina.
“Anderson County has been proud to host Rock the Country for the past two years,” the Anderson County administrator, Rusty Burns, said in a statement to Fox Carolina. “The event was a huge success drawing tens of thousands of visitors, making a multimillion-dollar economic impact on the Upstate. An event of this caliber proved what a great venue and exceptional hospitality we have here in Anderson County. Of course, we are disappointed that Rock the Country will not return to Anderson this year.”
Kid Rock’s Rock the Country has been canceled in Anderson, South Carolina.(Gary Miller/Getty Images)
“We are already planning additional major events and look forward to exciting announcements to come. Anderson County is committed to bringing high quality arts and entertainment to our community.”
According to the festival’s website, the lineups vary by city.
The Anderson, South Carolina, lineup had Kid Rock and Jason Aldean headlining and also featured Creed, Shinedown, Brantley Gilbert, Ludacris, Gretchen Wilson, Parmalee, Morgan Wade, Chase Matthew, Lakeview, Fox N’ Vead, and more, Fox Carolina reported.
On Friday, Shinedown took to X to announce their sudden exit from the festival, which is being touted as “a celebration of community, tradition, and the spirit that’s carried America through 250 years,” explaining that their mission as a band is to “unite, not divide.”
“Shinedown is everyone’s band. We feel that we have been given a platform to bring all people together through the power of music and song. We have one boss, and it is everyone in the audience.”
Shinedown pulled out of the Rock the Country event this summer.(Getty Images)
“Our band’s purpose is to unite, not divide. With that in mind, we have made the decision that we will not be playing the Rock the Country festival,” the statement read.
“We know this decision will create differences of opinion,” Shinedown continued. “But we do not want to participate in something we believe will create further division.”
The festival is a celebration of the 250th anniversary of America’s independence. According to its website, “It’s a chance to look around and appreciate the strength of our towns, the stories that shaped us, and the moments we’ll be talking about long after the lights go down.”
Viral Marriage Proposal: Marriage is one of the biggest decisions of life and in our country it often becomes even more difficult because it is rarely entirely one’s choice. The family is very involved in this. The opinion of elders matters and approval is usually an essential part of the process. If someone is thinking of getting married, introducing your partner to your parents often requires a lot of planning. Many people spend days thinking, rehearsing and planning the right moment and way to break the news to their parents and introduce their partner.
From choosing the right opportunity to carefully crafting each sentence, the process can seem a little nerve-wracking. But a woman adopted a very different method of introducing her partner to her mother for marriage. Its method was completely new era. This girl used technology properly for her marriage.
project damad ji
Prakriti (name changed), living in Noida, is an organizational psychologist by profession. She decided to present a PPT named ‘Project Damad Ji’ to present her boyfriend to her mother for marriage. Instead of a long conversation or an emotional appeal, he gave her a PowerPoint presentation to formally introduce her and seek her mother’s blessings for the marriage.
All information slide to slide
The presentation started with a title slide on which it was written Project Damad Ji. Next came clean slides with all the detail one could expect. Her boyfriend’s age, education, family background, profession, career prospects. Other information that parents often want to know about potential matches for their children. In many ways, it was as detailed as any professional pitch deck.
why did you do this
But why did she decide to introduce her boyfriend using PPT, instead of telling her parents in a direct conversation? It turned out that she did not want her mother to feel that she was taking the biggest decision of her life without thinking or blindly out of love. Instead, she wanted to convey that her decision was a wise and thoughtful one.
practical for wedding
Prakriti told, ‘At the age of 30, I want to be practical about marriage. I want to make it clear that I am taking this decision with full wisdom. I am not going crazy in love with this person (my boyfriend). To be honest, I didn’t know what kind of reactions might come, so I chose something that would also keep my sanity. He laughed and said, ‘Even my friends were surprised to hear this, but they also know my strange habits, so I think I got the right blessings.’
Mother has no questions left
As per presentation protocol, Prakriti also opened the floor for follow-up questions at the end. She says her mother didn’t have many questions because she had already given all the details a parent usually needs or asks. Recalling that moment, Mother Nature said that while the presentation seemed strange, it was not completely surprising. He said, ‘I thought she was going to show me some work-related presentation about which she needed some tips or maybe she wanted me to review it.’ Explaining the reason behind her daughter’s unique way of introducing her boyfriend, she says that Prakriti has always been very particular about announcements, and big gestures have always been her style.
I understood- mother
The mother said, ‘As soon as she started, I understood what she was trying to say and why she wanted to do the introduction in this way. He has liked big gestures and announcements since childhood. Even when she was elected house captain in school, she planned a small surprise party at the age of just 11. Although I must say, the presentation had all the right information a mother would want to know about her ‘son-in-law’ and it was very detailed,’
Tehran, Iran – Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian has called on the United States to respect his country as the two nations look ahead to another round of nuclear negotiations next week following mediated discussions in Oman.
“Our reasoning on the nuclear issue is based on rights stipulated in the Non-Proliferation Treaty,” he wrote in a post on X on Sunday. “The Iranian nation has always responded to respect with respect, but cannot withstand the language of force”.
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Pezeshkian described the indirect talks held in Oman on Friday as a “step forward” and said his administration favours dialogue.
Iranian officials are highlighting sovereignty and independence and are signalling eagerness for nuclear-only negotiations,while rejecting a military build-up in the region by the US.
Speaking at a forum hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Tehran, the country’s chief diplomat Abbas Araghchi pointed out that the Islamic Republic has always emphasised independence since overthrowing US-backed Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi in a 1979 revolution.
“Before the revolution, the people did not believe their establishment to have possessed true independence,” Araghchi said.
The messaging comes as the anniversary of the revolution approaches on Wednesday, when state-organised demonstrations have been planned across the country. Iranian authorities have in previous years exhibited military equipment, including ballistic missiles, during the rallies.
A man carries an anti-US placard upside down in front of the Iranian-made missiles displayed in the annual rally commemorating Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution in Tehran, February 11, 2024 [File: Vahid Salemi/AP]
Araghchi said during the event in the capital that Iran is unwilling to forego nuclear enrichment for civilian use even if it leads to more military attacks by the US and Israel, “because no one has the right to tell us what we must have and must not have”.
However, the diplomat added that he told US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in Muscat on Friday that “there is no way but negotiations”. He said China and Russia have also been informed of the content of the talks.
“Being afraid is lethal poison in this situation,” Araghchi said about Washington amassing what US President Donald Trump has called a “beautiful armada” near Iran’s waters.
“While being prepared, we genuinely have no desire to see the outbreak of a regional war,” Major General Abdolrahim Mousavi told a gathering of air force and air defence commanders and personnel.
“Even though aggressors will be the target of the flames of regional war, this will push back the advancement and development of the region by years, and its repercussions will be borne by the warmongers in the US and the Zionist regime,” he said in reference to Israel.
According to Mousavi, Iran “has the necessary power and preparedness for a long-term war with the US”.
But many average Iranians are left in limbo without much hope that the talks with the US will lead to results, including for the country’s heavily declining economy.
“I was 20 when the first negotiations with the West over Iran’s nuclear programme were held about 23 years ago,” Saman, who works at a small private investment firm in Tehran, told Al Jazeera.
“Our best years are behind us. But it’s even more sad to think that some of the youth who were born at the start of the negotiations were killed on the streets during the protests last month with many hopes and dreams.”
‘They never returned’
Iran is witnessing tense time and threats of a massive US military strike. But the Islamic Republic has not overcome anti-government protests that shook the nation, denouncing the collapse of the national currency, soaring prices and economic hardship.
State television continues to broadcast confessions of Iranians arrested during the nationwide protests, many of whom are accused by the state of working in line with the interests of foreign powers.
In a report aired late on Saturday, a woman and multiple men with blurred-out faces and in handcuffs could be seen saying they were led by a man who allegedly received weapons and money from Mossad operatives in neighbouring Iraq’s Erbil.
“He only wanted more people to die; he shot at everyone,” one of the confessing men said about what allegedly transpired during unrest in the Tehranpars district in the eastern part of the capital, backing the state’s claim that “terrorists” are responsible for all deaths.
Iranian authorities have accused the US, Israel and European countries of instigating the protests.
But international human rights organisations and foreign-based opposition groups accuse state forces of being behind the unprecedented killings during the protests, which were carried out mostly on the nights of January 8 and 9.
The Iranian government claims 3,117 people were killed, but the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) says it has documented nearly 7,000 fatalities and is investigating more than 11,600 cases. The United Nations special rapporteur on Iran, Mati Sato, said more than 20,000 may have been killed as information trickles out despite heavy internet filtering.
Al Jazeera cannot independently verify these figures.
Amid numerous reports that dozens of medical staff were arrested for treating wounded protesters and remain incarcerated in harsh conditions, Iran’s judiciary issued a rejection of the allegations late Saturday. It claimed that only “a limited number of medical personnel were arrested for participating in riots and playing a role in the field”.
A large number of schoolchildren and university students were also reportedly among tens of thousands arrested during and in the aftermath of the nationwide protests. The Ministry of Education claimed last week that it did not know how many schoolchildren were arrested, but could confirm that all have since been released.
The Coordinating Council of Iranian Teachers’ Trade Associations on Sunday released the four-minute video below, titled “200 empty school desks”, which shows the schoolchildren and teenagers confirmed killed during the protests. Many were accompanied by their parents when killed.
One month after the killings, countless families are left grieving and continue to release videos commemorating their loved ones online.
A message on Instagram calling on the international community to keep talking about the people of Iran has now been shared more than 1.5 million times.
“One month ago today, thousands woke up and ate breakfast for the last time without knowing it, and kissed their mother for the last time without knowing it,” the message reads. “They lived for the last time and never returned.”
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A Russian citizen has been detained in Dubai over the shooting of a general in Moscow.
The Federal Security Service (FSB), the main successor to the Soviet-era KGB secret police, said in a statement that a Russian citizen named Lyubomir Korba was arrested on suspicion of shooting Lieutenant General Vladimir Alexeyev on Friday.
“With the assistance of partners from the United Arab Emirates… [he] was detained in Dubai and handed over to the Russian side,” the security service said. Korba has since been flown back to Russia, according to security officials.
Lt Gen Alexeyev was shot three times with a Makarov pistol equipped with a silencer in an apartment block on the Volokolamsk highway in northern Moscow, according to investigators. The perpetrator then fled the scene.
Image:Lieutenant General Vladimir Alexeyev
The 64-year-old was rushed to hospital and underwent surgery, Russian media said.
Russian investigators have accused Ukraine of planning the shooting, but Kyiv has denied involvement.
Investigators said Korba, born in the Ternopil region of Soviet Ukraine in 1960, was tasked by Ukrainian intelligence to carry out the shooting.
Image:A view of the apartment building where Lt Gen Alexeyev was shot and wounded. Pic: AP
The FSB said it had identified two accomplices, also Russian citizens.
One, Viktor Vasin, was detained in Moscow, while another, Zinaida Serebritskaya, escaped to Ukraine. Sky News was unable to immediately verify the details of the suspects.
The UAE did not give any details about how Korba was detained.
Russia claims suspect in shooting of military chief detained
Vladimir Putin called the UAE leader, Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, after the detention of Korba and thanked him for his country’s help in the operation, according to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
Meanwhile, Russia launched an attack on several Ukrainian regions overnight.
Ukraine’s air force said 101 attack drones were fired towards the country, with the force repelling the majority.
Image:A damaged apartment building is seen in a residential neighbourhood following Russian strikes in the Donetsk region. Pic: AP
Apartments in the Donetsk region and nearby cars caught fire after a drone strike. One person died, and two others have been injured.
The overnight attack came almost 24 hours after Russia launched a large-scale attack on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
400 drones, 40 missiles hit Ukraine overnight
More than 400 drones and 40 missiles were fired in that attack as the harshest winter in the near four-year war grips Ukraine.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy introduced new sanctions in response to the strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
“Producing this weaponry would be impossible without critical foreign components, which the Russians continue to obtain by circumventing sanctions,” the Ukrainian leader wrote in a social media post.
“We are introducing new sanctions precisely against such companies – component suppliers, as well as missile and drone manufacturers. I have signed the relevant decisions.”
Duke Blue Devils staff members “got punched in the face” as North Carolina Tar Heels fans stormed the court in celebration of their rivalry win, head coach Jon Scheyer said Saturday.
No. 14 North Carolina topped No. 4 Duke, 71-68, after Tar Heels guard Seth Trimble hit the go-ahead 3-pointer with 0.4 seconds left. Tar Heels fans hit the court thinking the game was over but had to be corralled back to their seats once officials added less than a second back to the clock.
Duke Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer reacts in the first half at Dean E. Smith Center on Feb. 7, 2026.(Bob Donnan/Imagn Images)
Scheyer said some of the team’s staff members took hits during the fracas.
“For me it’s hard to talk about the game when I was most concerned just for the safety of our players after the game,” Scheyer said. “I don’t want to make it about that, because Carolina, they played a great game to win. And that’s a heartbreaking loss for our team.
“I got staff members that got punched in the face. My family, pushing people away, trying to not get trampled. That’s not what this game is about.”
North Carolina athletic director Bubba Cunningham said he apologized for the incident, but didn’t have details on any injuries.
“When they rushed the court, a number of people got knocked over,” Cunningham said. “But then we had to clear the court again. So when we normally have something like just rushing the court and the game is over, we do have a line by the benches to get people off safely.
North Carolina fans take the floor and celebrate after the team defeated Duke in the final seconds on Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026, in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.(AP Photo/Chris Seward)
“Obviously, if somebody got injured, that’s just really, really disappointing. We’ll do the best we can to make sure that doesn’t happen, but again, my apologies to Duke for that.”
A Duke official told multiple outlets that one person tied to the program had been injured but had no other details.
Scheyer and Duke had a similar incident happen after their lost to Wake Forest in 2022. Then-Blue Devils player Kyle Filipowski was shaken up after a Demon Deacon fan collided with him during their celebration.
Scheyer, who wondered in 2022 when court-storming was going to be banned, was asked whether he still believed it should be prohibited.
“Just shouldn’t have people getting punched in the face,” he said. “Shouldn’t put our players in position where they’re face-to-face with people who can do anything at that time. It just takes one reaction. Even today, I had to push people away just to try to protect our players.
North Carolina guard Seth Trimble celebrates with fans after the Duke game, Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026, in Chapel Hill.(AP Photo/Chris Seward)
“They won, they should celebrate. They want to court-storm, court-storm. But just let’s get our guys off safely, that’s it. That’s where I’m at with that.”
ICC, BCB officials meet Naqvi in Lahore: The match between India and Pakistan in the T20 World Cup is proposed on 15 February. But the Pakistan government has already announced that its team will not play the match with India. Meanwhile, on Sunday, Pakistan Cricket Board President Mohsin Naqvi met Bangladesh Cricket Board President Aminul Islam and ICC Vice President Imran Khawaja in Lahore.
Mohsin Naqvi held a meeting with BCB President Aminul and ICC Deputy Chairman Khawaja in Lahore.
Karachi. Pakistan Cricket Board chief Mohsin Naqvi met Bangladesh Cricket Board President Aminul Islam and ICC Vice President Imran Khawaja on Sunday in Lahore. After this, the ongoing talks on Pakistan’s proposed boycott of the T20 World Cup match against India have intensified. This meeting took place at Gaddafi Stadium and PCB has released its pictures. Khawaja has come to Lahore for talks with PCB officials and there are indications that the dispute regarding the match between India and Pakistan in Colombo on February 15 can be resolved, due to which the match is expected to take place.
Khawaja, who represents Singapore at the ICC, is an influential figure and has voting rights on the board as an Associate Member Director. A source close to the PCB has said that the ICC Board has selected Khawaja as the arbitrator on this dispute. The source said, ‘He (Khwaja) has been in talks with Mohsin Naqvi for some time now and has reached Lahore today to talk to the PCB chief and BCB President Aminul Islam before the evening virtual meeting.’
Mohsin Naqvi held a meeting with BCB President Aminul and ICC Deputy Chairman Khawaja in Lahore.
Aminul is already in Lahore and his presence is necessary because the dispute between PCB and ICC started when Scotland was included in the T20 World Cup instead of Bangladesh. Bangladesh had refused to play in India due to security reasons. Pakistan Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif had recently said that Pakistan has taken the decision of not playing against India to show solidarity with Bangladesh.
Naqvi has not said much on the government’s instructions on boycotting the India match, but according to a reliable source, the situation has changed after Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) sent an email to the PCB. In this email they have been appealed to end the boycott. ICC CEO Sanjog Gupta has also gone to Colombo to meet SLC President Shammi Silva, who had sent an email to Naqvi asking him to play the match against India. The ICC has already sought clarification from Pakistan as to how the ‘Force Majeure’ rule can be used. Through this rule, Pakistan wanted to justify the team’s refusal to play the T20 World Cup match against India, because the PCB had tried to avoid the situation by putting the responsibility on its government.
But now a ray of hope is visible because PCB has approached ICC for talks. An ICC director has said that he feels that this big match will happen eventually. The ICC is currently in talks with the Board to find a possible solution so that the interests of the game prevail over any unilateral decision. The SLC has warned the PCB to rethink its decision, citing huge financial loss for all stakeholders. The main reason for Bangladesh’s withdrawal was the release of their fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman from the Kolkata Knight Riders team on the instructions of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
Active in journalism for about 15 years. Studied from Delhi University. Interested in sports especially cricket, badminton, boxing and wrestling. Covered IPL, Commonwealth Games and Pro Wrestling League events. From February 2022…read more
A medical camp is going to be organized in the state for Haj pilgrims from Bihar. Keeping in mind the convenience of the pilgrims going on Haj pilgrimage, Minority Welfare Department Secretary Mohammad Sohail has directed to set up a special medical camp. This medical camp will be organized in the Sadar Hospital of each district between 10th to 15th February.
Regarding this matter, he directed that after the medical examination, the medical report will be made available to the passengers on the same day. So that the Hajis coming from far away for testing do not have to wait long for the report. This year 2569 Hajis will go on Haj pilgrimage from Bihar. The yatra will start from 18th April and will continue till 5th May.
Appeal to include candidates in the state coaching scheme
Apart from this, the Secretary has appealed to all the eligible candidates of the minority community for the State Coaching Scheme run under the department to take maximum advantage of this scheme and join it in large numbers. He has given strict instructions to the concerned officials that the entrance examination proposed to be conducted on 8th February should be conducted in a completely organized, fair and transparent manner. All necessary arrangements should be ensured at the examination centres, there should be no irregularities and the candidates should get a comfortable environment.
Opportunity for minority youth to prepare for competitive examinations
Let us tell you that under the scheme, special opportunities are being provided to the youth of minority community for better preparation for competitive examinations. Its main objective is to provide free high quality coaching to the students, so that they can achieve success in competitive examinations like Civil Services, NEET, JEE Mains.
Sri Lanka defeated Ireland in its first match. In the ICC T20 World Cup match, Sri Lanka, batting first, scored 163 runs for 6 wickets. In reply, the Irish team could score only 143 runs. Kusal Mendis, Mahish Tikshina and Wanindu Hasaranga shone in Sri Lanka’s victory. Mendis scored a half-century while Tikshna and Hasaranga took three wickets each.
Hasaranga and Tikshina took three wickets each.
New Delhi. The Sri Lankan team has started the T20 World Cup with victory by easily trapping the Irish batsmen in the web of their spin. The spin duo of Wanindu Hasaranga and Mahish Tikshina destroyed Ireland’s batting order by taking a total of 6 wickets. Sri Lanka defeated Ireland by 20 runs in the match played in Colombo. As long as the Sri Lankan fast bowlers were bowling, the Irish batsmen were scoring runs, but as soon as captain Dasun Shanaka introduced spinners Hasaranga and Tikshina from both the ends, the runs were controlled and they also took wickets.
While chasing the target of 164 runs set by Sri Lanka, the Irish team collapsed for 143 runs in 19.5 overs. For Ireland, Harry Tector scored the highest score of 40 runs while Ross Adair scored 34 runs. For Sri Lanka, Mahish Tikshina and Wanindu Hasaranga took three wickets each while two wickets went to Mathisa Pathirana.
Hasaranga and Tikshina took three wickets each.
Earlier, on the basis of Kamindu Mendis’ 44 runs in 19 balls and Kusal Mendis’ unbeaten half-century, Sri Lanka scored 163 runs for six wickets against Ireland after a poor start. Wicketkeeper Kusal scored 56 runs in 43 balls with the help of five fours and made a partnership of 67 runs with Kamindu for the fifth wicket. Kamindu hit four fours and two sixes in his innings. At one time Sri Lanka’s score was 86 runs for four wickets in the 14th over.
Sri Lanka also benefited from poor fielding by Ireland who dropped some catches. Ireland’s decision to choose to bowl first seemed to be proved correct when Sri Lanka could score only 28 runs in the first four overs and also lost the wicket of Kamil Mishara (14). Mishara also got a lease of life, which he could not take advantage of and was caught in mid-off on a slow ball by Mark Adair.
Opener Pathum Nissanka scored 24 runs in 23 balls. He hit a six to left-arm spinner Matthew Humphrey over deep square leg and it seemed that he would play a big innings. Kusal Mendis hit three fours off Barry McCarthy in the sixth over, taking Sri Lanka to 50 for one wicket after the powerplay. After this, Ireland captain Paul Stirling handed the ball to left-arm spinner George Dockrell, who gave only four runs in the first over. Dockrell tempted Nissanka with a slow ball who was caught by Stirling at cover.
After this, his next victim became Pawan Ratnayake who lost his wicket due to playing bad shots. Sri Lanka’s score was 68 runs for three wickets in the 11th over. Dockrell took two wickets for 17 runs. Jareth Delany increased Sri Lanka’s problems by sending Dunith Velalage to the pavilion. After this, however, Kamindu and Kusal took over the innings.
Active in journalism for about 15 years. Studied from Delhi University. Interested in sports especially cricket, badminton, boxing and wrestling. Covered IPL, Commonwealth Games and Pro Wrestling League events. From February 2022…read more
Janashakti Janata Dal (JJD) national president Tej Pratap Yadav has rejected his alleged relationship with Anushka Yadav. In a press conference in Patna on Sunday (February 08, 2026), he not only took the names of five Jaichands but also termed the discussion on social media that he has become a father as a rumour. Said there was no relation. Nothing to do with it.
Tej Pratap Yadav said, “We will go to court against those who are defaming us. We will go to Delhi. We will also meet Modi ji. We will go to the court first of all. We are being harassed continuously. We are the only ones visible in everything. Without me, no one’s pulse is melting. Day and night… should the man hang himself? Should we go in a closed room and hang ourselves?”
‘…but God has blessed us’
The JJD leader further said, “I reject the manner in which rumors are being spread now.” Journalists asked that you are talking about hanging. such a big deal? On this he said, “It means to say that if a person remains in such a state of tension… goes into depression… then he will hang himself. This is what we said… he was sent into depression, but God has blessed us.”
Talked to Samrat Chaudhary: Tej Pratap Yadav
was asked whether Narendra Modi Will you contact? On this he said, “We will contact everyone. We will meet everyone. Now I will not leave these Jaichands.” On the question of Bihar Home Minister meeting Samrat Chaudhary, he said that we have called him several times. We have talked to Samrat Chaudhary. He has said that you will be called in a day or two. Information will be given.
A question was raised from the media that why is Tejashwi Yadav silent after seeing all this? On this, Tej Pratap Yadav said that they should know why they are silent, but our matter has come up like this, it has to be seen. Reject the connection that is being made. It is being imposed on us. Everyone is a gang. Some are in Khagaria and some are in Bhagalpur. Everyone knows where everyone’s gang runs from. Mukesh Roshan runs the gang. Mukesh Roshan wants to get murdered. I am not related to the girl in question.
