Marriage may aid recovery from heart surgery

Married people who have cardiac surgery may feel better after the operation than those who are divorced, separated or widowed, according to new research.

In the study, people who were not married — as opposed to never-married — had about a 40 percent greater risk of either dying or developing a new disability during the first two years after the surgery, the researchers found.

“People who were married had fewer decreases in functional status compared to people who were widowed, divorced or separated,” said lead study author Dr Mark Neuman. Neuman who is an assistant professor of anesthesiology and critical care at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.

While other research has linked better survival odds after cardiac surgery to marriage, few researchers have looked at any link between marital status and surgical recovery, Neuman said.

For this study, the investigators gathered data from more than 1,500 men and women enrolled in the University of Michigan Health and Retirement study, which has been ongoing since 1998. Every two years, participants answer questions about health, disabilities and family structure. The study focused on the participants who had undergone cardiac surgery. Neuman noted that no information was available on the types of cardiac surgery.

The researchers evaluated how well the patients could fend for themselves after the surgery, including performing activities of daily living, such as dressing, eating and taking showers without help.

Among the study patients, 65 percent were married, 12 percent were divorced or separated, 21 percent were widowed and two percent never married. The findings showed that marital status was significantly associated with the risk of death or a new functional disability within two years after surgery. Neuman cautioned, however, that the study only found an association, not a cause-and-effect relationship.

He pointed out that those in the never-married group had results similar to the married group, but their numbers were so small that he hesitated to draw any firm conclusions about those patients.

So, why do married people seem to fare better? While Newman cannot say for sure, he suggested that married patients might receive more social support from spouses to get through recovery. The findings are consistent with other research on marital status and health, said Hiu (Cathy) Liu, an associate professor of sociology at Michigan State University, who has researched the topic.

“This adds to the general picture of the advantages of married people relative to the unmarried people, especially the divorced/separated and widowed, by extending to a more specific health outcome, a postoperative functional recovery,” Liu said.

Kareena Doesn't Take Stardom Seriously, Says Arjun Kapoor

"The first thing I learnt is being simple, she has not lost herself after being here for a long time. She has always been the same person. She is the same person on sets as she is off it. She doesn't take her stardom seriously. I think that is her biggest asset," said Arjun Kapoor of his Ki And Ka co-star
Actor Arjun Kapoor feels his Ki And Ka co-star Kareena Kapoor Khan is a simple person, who doesn't take her stardom seriously, and said that is her biggest asset.

Arjun found it quite easy to work with his childhood crush Kareena in the R Balki-directed film. "The first thing I learnt is being simple, she has not lost herself after being here for a long time. She has always been the same person. She is the same person on sets as she is off it. She doesn't take her stardom seriously. I think that is her biggest asset," Arjun told PTI. (Also Read: Why Arjun Kapoor 'Needed' Ki And Ka at This Point in His Career)

The 30-year-old actor, who is all praise for the Jab We Met actress, further said that she listens to her directors very patiently.

"She is a gifted actor, she listens to her directors. As an actor, she just patiently listens to what the director wants. A lot of people have their opinion or point of view, but Kareena doesn't do that, she still listens to her directors," Arjun said.

"That humility towards your craft is something I love. Films are as good as directors, actors are selfish people, directors see the bigger picture," he said. (Also Read: 'Arjuntina'-Bound Khatron Ke Khiladi Really Doesn't Like Ceiling Fans)

Arjun also said he did not feel intimidated by Kareena. "I have been a fan of hers as she is a fantastic actor. I have grown up in the industry. I know Kareena for years even before she became an actress. She has done four films with my father. She is not one of those actors who intimidates another person, we have fun on the sets," he said.

"We have now known each other for quite some time, its normal for us. We did not have to break the ice or create chemistry. We have a fantastic director, great actors and a great story. We finished the film in less than 50 days," he added.

Govt drafts rules to regulate Uber, other ride-hailing firms

The transport ministry has drafted guidelines to regulate ride-hailing companies, including US-based Uber and its domestic rival Ola, for the first time laying down federal rules that could end months of uncertainty on how they operate in the country.

The ministry has asked states to ensure companies operate with call centres and their taxis follow emission norms, according to a six-page advisory issued last week and reviewed by Reuters on Tuesday.

The guidelines also call for extensive background checks of drivers to ensure passenger safety. Any person who has in the past been convicted of any “cognizable offence” under India’s criminal laws should not be allowed to become a driver.

Although it is not yet clear whether the guidelines will be binding on the states and much uncertainty still remains, Uber and Ola both welcomed the move as a step in the right direction.

Ola, backed by Japan’s Softbank, called the advisory a “progressive directive” that will help it work closely with different states. Uber said the guidelines were a “big leap” in recognising regulations for such companies.

In recent months, ride-hailing services have faced questions by authorities about their safety measures, especially in the capital Delhi, where an Uber driver was last December accused of raping a woman passenger.

Such services were banned in Delhi after the incident, but a court recently revoked the decision. It also led to widespread outrage against online taxi companies after it was found the accused driver had a past criminal record.

Game of Thrones Star Emilia Clarke Is the Sexiest Woman Alive

Call off the search! Emilia Clarke, who plays Daenerys Targaryen, the First of Her Name, Queen of Meereen, Queen of the Andals and the Rhoynar and the First Men, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms, Protector of the Realm, Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea, called Daenerys Stormborn, the Unburnt, Mother of Dragons on HBO’s fantasy mega-hit Game of Thrones, has been named Esquire magazine’s “Sexiest Woman Alive” for 2015.

That’s right. Of all the women alive, the 28-year-old, London-born beauty is the sexiest, based on Esquire’s extensive research. Working tirelessly since Penélope Cruz was named 2014’s sexiest woman, the brave explorers of Esquire have finally found a new, and perhaps even sexier, woman. Amazing that, of all the women on this lonely planet of ours, it just happened to be the dragon lady from TV.

Of course, they looked everywhere. They scoured the beaches of Mozambique, hacked through jungles in Ecuador, peered into the Forbidden City, helicoptered over Petra. They took bumpy boat rides to the Faroe Islands, surveyed the narrow streets of Vilnius. They rounded the Cape of Good Hope, binoculars pressed to their faces, searching, madly, for the ever elusive sexiest woman alive. And they saw many contenders. Would it be the lonely barmaid in faraway Rotorua? That red-haired hiker they saw scrambling around Tierra del Fuego? The beautiful woman one Esquire correspondent observed crying alone on the observation deck of the CN Tower?

No, it would be Emilia Clarke, bewigged teen princess of Meereen. Of all the lands they picked over—rattling in Land Cruisers across the Gobi, skirting along Bhutan’s edges in a skiff bobbing up the choppy Manas River, mushing on dogsleds through the deep snows outside Nuuk—they eventually went with a great beauty from a place that doesn’t really exist. Does that tell us something about our culture, that we prefer fantasy to reality? I don’t know! Maybe it does. Of course, Emilia Clarke is a real person, from a real place, but we mostly know her as a fake person from a very fake place. So who’s to say what ultimately swayed Esquire to Clarke. Obviously there is a science to it, but there is also a human element, some slight or bias that influenced this most monumental of decisions.

Beef ban: Petitions challenging ban to come up in Bombay HC tomorrow

The Bombay High Court has posted for final hearing on Tuesday a bunch of petitions challenging the beef ban legislation in Maharashtra.

The petitions would be heard by a bench of Justices Abhay Oka and VL Achilya for three days from October 14. In February 2015, the President had granted sanction to Maharashtra Animal Preservation (Amendment) Act. While the Act had banned slaughter of cows way back in 1976, the recent amendments prohibited slaughter of bulls and bullocks.

According to the amended Act, the sale of bulls and bullocks in the state is an offence punishable with five-year jail term and Rs 10,000 fine. Besides, possession of meat of a cow, bull or bullock is also an offence for which the punishment prescribed is one-year jail and Rs 2,000 fine.

While hearing the petition, the HC had in April refused to grant an interim stay on the law on the issue of possession of beef. Arif Kapadia, a city resident, and noted lawyer Harish Jagtiani, have challenged the provision of the law which says mere possession of beef in any place in the state is a crime.

According to Jagtiani, this provision of the law is arbitrary and hits upon the cosmopolitan nature of the city which houses people from all religions and communities. Kapadia, on the other hand, has described as "draconian" section 5(D) of the Act which makes possession of meat of any cow, bull or bullock slaughtered outside the state a cognizable and non-bailable offence with punishment upto one year in jail and Rs 2,000 fine.

Other petitions have been filed by Vishal Sheth, a lawyer, and Shaina Sen, a student. The duo said "we are Hindus who are consumers of beef which is now part of our diet and nutrition sources. The ban on beef and criminalising its sale and possession violates fundamental rights of citizens." On September 21, the HC had rejected the plea in a bunch of petitions seeking the relaxation of beef ban in Maharashtra during a three-day period for Eid festival, also known as Bakri-Eid.

Petrol price cut by Rs 2/ litre, diesel by Rs.0.50/litre

Petrol price will be cut by Rs 2 per litre and diesel by 50 paise per litre with effect from midnight tonight. The price cut is inclusive of state levies and will vary from state to state.

Earlier in the month, petrol price was cut by Rs 1.27 a litre and diesel by Rs 1.17 per litre with effect from August 15 and prior to that, rates of petrol were cut on August 1 by Rs 2.43. a litre and that of diesel by Rs 3.60.

The new petrol price effective from midnight will cost Rs 61.20 a litre in Delhi as against Rs 63.20 currently, while diesel will cost Rs 44.45 a litre as against 44.95 currently.

 "Since last price change, there has been a decrease in international prices of both petrol and diesel. However, Rupee-US Dollar exchange rate has depreciated during this period. The impact of both these factors warrants a downward revision in prices, the impact of which is being passed on to the consumers with this price decrease," IOC said in a statement.

 Last month, the price of petrol was cut on July 1 by 31 paise per litre and diesel by 71 paise a litre. This was followed by a Rs 2 per litre cut in rates of both petrol and diesel, excluding local sales tax, from July 16 but consumers in Delhi were deprived of the benefit as the Delhi government raised VAT.

As a result, petrol price in Delhi went up by 28 paise a litre after hike in VAT or sales tax on the fuel from 20 to 25 per cent. Rates of diesel, on which VAT was raised from 12.5 percent to 16.6 per cent, saw a smaller reduction of 50 paise per litre.

 "The movement of prices in international oil market and INR-USD exchange rate shall continue to be monitored closely and developing trends of the market will be reflected in future price changes," IOC said. The effective change in price of petrol in Kolkata would be Rs 66.50 as against current price of Rs 68.10 and in Mumbai would be Rs 66.23 as against current price of Rs 68.24.

In Chennai, it would be Rs 61.46 as against the current price of Rs 63.49. Similary, Diesel in Kolkata would cost Rs 48.23 from midnight and that in Mumbai would be Rs 49.51 and in Chennai, diesel would cost Rs 45.56.

VMA host Miley Cyrus walks carpet in barely there silver straps, Amber Rose goes with words

Miley Cyrus shook a long, rock goddess ponytail and strutted in barely there silver straps Sunday on the arrivals carpet at the MTV Video Music Awards, promising multiple costume changes as host.

Nipples barely covered, Cyrus wore tight, over-the-thigh silver boots and shorty loops of baubles open at the sides and a hint of her bare behind.

Multiple nominee Taylor Swift showed up on the arrivals carpet with a lady posse that included Selena Gomez and Cara Delevingne. She wore a sparkly, midriff-baring trouser set with an oversize houndstooth design in bronze and silver.

As “fun” as Swift and Cyrus were at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, Amber Rose was more “political” with a posse of her own. All were adorned in slogans that included “gold digger,” ”whore,” ”stripper” and stronger, unprintable slurs for women and gay men.

It fashion designer Jeremy Scott, who redesigned the Moonman statuette for the awards night, walked in tuxedo tails that matched the arrival carpet’s stripes of red, yellow, green and pink. Gigi Hadid, a fellow “it” person who’s had quite a year as a model, was in a yellow dress that opened at the front for a peak at matching shorty shorts.

Miguel chatted with Kelly Osbourne in a fawn-colored jacket while Usher and Nick Jonas wore black. Pharrell went for jeans and a jeans jacket, scaling back on the hat to a much lower topper.

The VMAs are known for outrageous fashion of both the couture and casual variety. FKA Twigs was in a black, spiderweb look and Nicki Minaj went for a sexy bronze illusion gown that made her look like a statuette herself.

Pregnant Kim Kardashian, fond of showing off her baby bump, walked with hubby Kanye West in a tight tan gown with open laces at the front. West was in bunched up and baggy grey sweats. His shirt had overlong sleeves that didn’t stop him from cradling her belly.

Britney Spears smiled for the cameras in a short sparkly dress and high Barbie ponytail colored purple at the ends before she rushed off to take her seat.

Justin Bieber, his hair looking shaggy over one eye, had a good time on the carpet, mugging for cameras in ripped jeans.

“I like your swoop,” Cyrus complimented Bieber on his hair as she kicked off the show in a fresh look, a flower shrug worn with a wide-legged, multicolored sparkle jumpsuit cut low at the front

Yakub Memon's hanging sparks debate over death penalty

The execution of Mumbai blasts convict Yakub Memon on Thursday sparked a debate over death penalty with prominent opposition leaders joining activists in calling for a ban and the government saying it cannot afford to take the leap at present.

The chorus was led by Congress parliamentarian Shashi Tharoor who said "State-sponsored killing" reduces citizens to murderers.

"There is no evidence that death penalty serves as a deterrent: to the contrary in fact. All it does is exact retribution: unworthy of a Govt," Tharoor tweeted.

The Kerala MP said he was not commenting on the merits of the Yakub Memon sentence but on "death penalty in principle and practice".

Congress in general welcomed the hanging of Memon, but Tharoor got support from party colleague and Rajya Sabha MP Mani Shankar Aiyar who said: "India is a democracy. We set very high standards when it comes to human rights. Why are we then not abolishing the death sentence? What benefit are we getting from it?"

DMK parliamentarian Kanimozhi Karunanidhi vowed to move a private member's bill in the Rajya Sabha to abolish death sentences.

"India has witnessed three executions in three years. A lengthy legal process and executive clemency could not prevent the government from taking the life of its own citizens," she said.

Left parties, the CPI( M) and CPI, reiterated their stand against capital punishment. "India should say no to capital punishment. In this regard I am moving a private member resolution in the Rajya Sabha," CPI leader D Raja said.

Union minister Arun Jaitley called the debate “legitimate” but made it clear there was no way India could afford to take the leap at present due to concerns over internal security and cross-border terrorism.

“We are not in a position to abolish death penalty,” Jaitley said, adding that the BJP’s ideology was against showing leniency to those who butcher innocents.

More than 160 countries have abolished the death penalty in law or in practice and 98 of those have  abolished it altogether. India is one of the 58 countries which still hands out the death penalty, according to a UN reports.

The international voices against Yakub Memon's hanging was led by UN secretary general Ban ki moon who emphasied his stand against death sentences.

New York-based NGO Human Rights Watch urged India to order a ban, saying there is no evidence that the "cruel" form of punishment acts as a deterrent.

"Why does India cling to capital punishment? Perhaps the government is afraid to be seen as soft in the face of horrific terrorist attacks or other crimes like the 2013 gangrape of a student in New Delhi. But the often professed goals for capital punishment – deterrence, reformation, or justice – hardly hold up to scrutiny," said Jayshree Bajoria, a researcher with the organisation.

Eminent jurists too joined the debate. While former attorney general (AG) Soli Sorabjee called for a ban on capital punishment, present AG Mukul Rohatgi said it wasn't time yet.

Writers and opinion makers who spoke out against the noose mainly said the state should not be a party to taking precious lives and that death is never a deterrent for terrorists.

Friday release: Ajay Devgn, Tabu’s crime drama ‘Drishyam’

After having a not-so-successful box office run with last release, ‘Action Jackson’, actor Ajay Devgn is back with a mysterious crime thriller this time also starring the very talented Tabu and Telugu actress Shriya Saran.

Directed by Nishikant Kamat, ‘Drishyam’ is a remake of Malayalam film of the same title.

Set in Goa, the film tells the tale of a family man who contentedly runs his own business and lives a simple life with his wife and two daughters. However, things take a nasty turn when he gets embroiled in a murder case, which crops up when the son of a determined lady cop played by Tabu goes missing.

Said to be made on a modest budget, the trailer of ‘Drishyam’ gave us a glimpse of tender emotions beautifully woven with an underlying mystery.

In the film, Ajay Devgn plays the family man Vijay Salgaonkar pitted against Tabu, who essays the role of IG Meera Deshmukh, while Srhiya Saran plays the devoted wife to Ajay’s character.

Talking about ‘Drishyam’, Ajay Devgn had said: “I am sure it (“Drishyam”) will do well. With today’s market changing box office (fate) of such films depend on word of mouth. We are not expecting this film to do Rs 150 crore (business at box office). This film is made in a limited budget and if it does decently and covers the cost its good. If the budget is big then it is a problem.”

The film brings together the two very talented actors – Tabu and Ajay onscreen after a long gap.

Talking about her friend and co-actor Ajay, with whom she last shared screen space with in ‘Thakshak’, Tabu said: “Ajay has carved his own niche in the industry. He is extremely versatile and I feel proud when I see his success and growth. But success has not changed Ajay as a person. He is still the same like he was 20 years ago. It’s his specialty.”

Keep watching this space for the Indian Express review, which will be up in a few hours from now.

Sallu gets his smash! Bajrangi Bhaijaan nets 100 crore in just three days to be 2015's biggest opener

Salman Khan’s Eid release Bajrangi Bhaijaan has emerged as Bollywood’s quickest 100-crore grosser in 2015, scaling that magic figure in just three days.

The film’s first weekend income of Rs 102.6 crore makes it the biggest opener of the year so far, beating Tanu Weds Manu Returns and ABCD 2.

“102.60 crore Bajrangi Bhaijaan first weekend. Outstanding!! (sic),” tweeted trade analyst Komal Nahta.
Smash hit: Salman Khan’s Eid release Bajrangi Bhaijaan has emerged as Bollywood’s quickest 100-crore grosser in 2015, scaling that magic figure in just three days
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Smash hit: Salman Khan’s Eid release Bajrangi Bhaijaan has emerged as Bollywood’s quickest 100-crore grosser in 2015, scaling that magic figure in just three days
A still from Bajrangi Bhaijaan, which also stars Kareena Kapoor. The film’s first weekend income of Rs 102.6 crore makes it the biggest opener of the year so far
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A still from Bajrangi Bhaijaan, which also stars Kareena Kapoor. The film’s first weekend income of Rs 102.6 crore makes it the biggest opener of the year so far

However, Salman’s latest lags behind the best weekends of rival Khans - Shah Rukh and Aamir - in the all-time charts.

SRK’s Happy New Year occupies the top slot, having raked in Rs 108.86 crore over the first weekend in Diwali 2014.
Aamir Khan’s Christmas 2013 release Dhoom 3 collected Rs 107.61 crore to occupy the second spot.
The film has broken a few records for Salman Khan, marking the highest three-day collection for the superstar, beating even Ek Tha Tiger. However, it is still behind PK and HNY
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The film has broken a few records for Salman Khan, marking the highest three-day collection for the superstar, beating even Ek Tha Tiger. However, it is still behind PK and HNY

“#BajrangiBhaijaan won hearts, acclaim... now emerges triumphant at the BO. Fri 27.25 cr, Sat 36.6 cr, Sun 38.75 cr. Total: 102.60 cr (sic)” tweeted trade analyst Taran Adarsh.

Bajrangi Bhaijaan is expected to be the biggest hit of Salman’s career. However, the challenge for the superstar right now is to crack the overseas market.

He has been trying to score a global winner for a while, but his biggest international film, Kick, managed to rake in only Rs 377 crore.

The figure is way behind Aamir Khan’s PK, which saw a monstrous kill of Rs 735 crore.

Meanwhile, Bajrangi Bhaijaan has broken a few minor records for Salman. The film marks the highest three-day collection for the superstar, beating Ek Tha Tiger (Rs 100.16 crore).

Also, its second-day collection of Rs 36.6 crore beats Ek Tha Tiger’s opening-day haul of Rs 32 crore.

“Bajrangi Bhaijaan collected Rs 36.6 crore on day two, making it the highest box-office grab for the superstar for a single day. His earlier single-day collection record was for Ek Tha Tiger of over Rs 32 crore (sic),” confirmed trade analyst Adarsh on Twitter.

The good show of Bajrangi Bhaijaan comes in the wake of the Telugu blockbuster Bahubali crossing the Rs 300 crore-mark in just nine days.

“Last week, #Baahubali. Now, #BajrangiBhaijaan. Raining blockbusters. Achhe din aa gaye!” tweeted Taran Adarsh.

Gold hovers near five-year low early Tuesday, eyes on Shanghai

Gold held near its lowest level in more than five years early on Tuesday after tumbling more than 4 percent the session before in an early-Asia rout, pulling bullion below the key US$1,100 support.

Monday's selloff began shortly after the Shanghai Gold Exchange opened trading when liquidity was thin and investors are eyeing the bourse for any further selling pressure.- Reuters

Earlier Tuesday morning report

NEW YORK/LONDON: Gold prices plunged more than 4 percent to five-year lows on Monday as a sudden bout of selling across Shanghai and New York markets during the illiquid early Asian trading hours triggered a mini flash crash, deepening bullion's biggest rout in years.

A wave of sell orders in a one-minute period shortly after the Shanghai Gold Exchange opened on Monday sent the most-active U.S. gold futures contract <GCv1> down $48 to as low as $1,080 per ounce, its weakest since February 2010.

Within two minutes, an estimated 33 tonnes of gold in Shanghai and New York worth $1.3 billion changed hands. A lack of liquidity, with Japanese markets closed for a holiday, hastened the slide.

The ferocious selling triggered CME circuit breakers twice within one minute just before 9:30 p.m. EDT (0130 GMT) on Sunday.

The exact cause of the selling was not immediately known, but traders and analysts attributed the massive move to high-frequency trading algorithms as well as stop-loss selling.

"It was just a bit of a bear raid and there was nobody on the other side to mop up the selling," Societe Generale analyst Robin Bhar said.

Prices recouped some losses by the end of trading in New York, but the latest slide helped wipe out half the gains from the last decade's historic bull run, taking prices back to a key chart level and threatening a break towards $1,000 an ounce.

The breadth of the latest sell-off will underscore bullion's worsening outlook as the dollar <.DXY> strengthens and investors brace for the U.S. Federal Reserve to raise interest rates for the first time in nearly a decade.

The dollar hit a three-month high against a basket of currencies, making dollar-priced gold more expensive for holders of other currencies.

The selling followed China's Friday announcement that it increased its gold reserves much less than expected over the past six years.

Why Did Instagram Ban ‘Curvy’?

Instagram recently banned the single, evocative word “curvy” in hashtag form because it violated its policies. The issue with “curvy,” Instagram said, isn’t what it represents — often body-positive images of voluptuous figures in various states of dress and undress — but how it was being used. An Instagram spokesperson told ThinkProgress the tag was being used to share pornography, which is strictly forbidden on the site.

Ralph Rosen, PhD, a classics humanities professor at the University of Pennsylvania, has experienced social media companies’ compulsion to ban words firsthand. He started a Facebook page in 2009 for his Scandalous Arts class, which evaluates why certain visual, literal and musical works are considered offensive and could unduly influence society.

“What was so amusing but annoying was when I set it up they did not let me use the name of the class because it had the word ‘scandalous’ in it. It was a banned word at the time.” To get around it, Rosen had to spell the word with a “k,” playing on its Greek origins.

“It’s always words or images that drive people crazy,” Rosen said. “With words there are sometimes ways to get around it more than with images, because images are more direct.”

Instagram’s decision to ban the hashtag whole cloth is the latest in a string of attempts from social media sites to minimize offensive content but still allow users to be expressive.

Model and social media maven Chrissy Teigen, known for testing the boundaries of restrictive policies, slammed Instagram in June for taking down a topless photo she posted from a W Magazine photo shoot. She repeatedly re-posted the image in protest each time it was removed. Rihanna’s account was suspended — and then deleted in protest — after she posted a nipple-baring photo from magazine shoot in 2014, Nicki Minaj caught flack for posting her album cover artwork with her squatting back first in a G-string and Jordans.

But celebrities posing in risque photo shoots aren’t the only posts Instagram targets. Instagram removed artist Rupi Kaur’s photo of herself laying in bed, fully clothed but with menstrual blood seeping through her sweat pants and onto her sheets. Instagram soon restored the photo, apologizing for its accidental removal.

But Kaur didn’t buy it, saying “Thank you Instagram for providing me with the exact response my work was created to critique. You deleted my photo twice stating that it goes against community guidelines. I will not apologize for not feeding the ego and pride of misogynist society that will have my body in an underwear but not be okay with a small leak. When your pages are filled with countless photos/accounts where women (so many who are underage) are objectified. Pornified. And treated less than human. Thank you.”

Cartoonists have even been caught in Instagram’s anti-nudity web. Brooklyn artist Tara McPherson’s cartoon “An Interruption of Blood” was removed because it depicted a woman’s animated bare breasts. Instagram restored the image with apologies.

Last year, a plus-size teen was kicked off the site for posting a selfie in a bikini. Critics accused the site for praising a thin, toned beauty standard and condemning curvy bodies as explicit or “mature content.”

'Bajrangi Bhaijaan' Salman Khan to join Preity Zinta on 'Nach Baliye 7' finale?

For the finale episode of celebrity dance reality show 'Nach Baliye 7', the show's makers are said to be in talks with superstar Salman Khan to come and motivate the contestants.

The makers of the show are trying to rope in the 'Dabangg' actor, who is currently gearing up for the release of his film 'Bajrangi Bhaijaan', directed by Kabir Khan.

Discussions have been initiated to get Salman on board for one of the segments of the Star Plus show, which features actress Preity Zinta, author Chetan Bhagat and choreographer Marzi Pestonji as judges.

"Bhai (Salman) and Preity (Zinta) together will create some magic on the show! Hopefully, he drops by for the visit," said a source.

The show has four 'jodis' to perform for the finale on Sunday. These include Karishma Tanna-Upen Patel, Rashami Desai-Nandish Sandhu, Amruta Khanvilkar-Himanshu Malhotra and Mayuresh-Ajeesha Shah

India vs Zimbabwe Live Score: 2nd T20, Harare

After clinching the ODI series and winning the first T20, second string India led by Ajinkya Rahane would look to finish the tour on a high.

Hello and welcome to the LIVE coverage from the second Twenty20 between Zimbabwe and India in Harare. Scorecard

Toss and team news: Zimbabwe won the toss and have opted to bat. India have rested Harbhajan Singh as Sanju Samson makes his debut.

Preview: India will hope to end the Zimbabwe tour on a high with a win in the second Twenty20 International at the Harare Sports Club.

A second string India, captained by young batsman Ajinkya Rahane, clinched the three-match ODI series 3-0. The visitors were a superior side in the first T20I too, winning the match by 54 runs. The visitors will have very little homework to do after putting up an impressive show both with the bat and ball so far. But the hosts will look to win a match and redeem some of their bruised pride.

India fielded five debutants Axar Patel, Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadav, Sandip Sharma and Stuart Binny for the T20 match on Friday. Patel made his T20 debut memorable, winning the man of the match award after picking up three wickets giving away just 17 runs.

He was given ample support by veteran offspinner Harbhajan Singh (2 for 29) after experienced batsman-wicketkeeper Robin Uthappa played a responsible 35-ball 39-run knock to guide India to 178 for 5.

Set a target of 179, Zimbabwe could muster only 124 for 7, undone by the slow bowling pair of Patel and Harbhajan. India will aim to capitalise on their batting strength once again, hoping their batsmen would again set up the victory with another strong total.

Rahane and Vijay scored at a fast clip and the onus will be on them once again to provide India a platform. Uthappa will also like to make a big score, after his crucial knock in the first T20.

Zimbabwe need quality performances from batsmen Hamilton Masakadza, Chamu Chibhabha and Vusimuzi Sibanda and bowlers like Prosper Utseya and Tinashe Panyangara. Skipper Elton Chigumbura and Sean Williams will share the dual responsibility of contributing with both bat and ball.

Emilia Clarke Reveals 'Game Of Thrones' Season 6 Is Its Most Shocking Yet

Who knows if Daenerys Targaryen will "break the wheel" on "Game of Thrones," but Emilia Clarke has a good shot at breaking the Internet.
Clarke, who plays Daenerys on the show, is changing from the Mother of Dragons to the Mother of Spoilers lately. The actress has already hinted at her doubts that Jon Snow is truly gone from "Game of Thrones," and now she is giving the inside scoop on Season 6.

It was revealed at Comic-Con that the cast has already received scripts for the upcoming season and in an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Clarke couldn't hold back back her excitement. While some seasons have gotten off to slow starts in order to introduce background information, the actress said that's not the case in Season 6:

    This season coming up, that we’re about to film, there’s none of that. It’s just go, go, go, go. Shocking moment to shocking moment. Epic moment to epic moment. It’s mental; it’s epic. And definitely Dany’s a part of it.

Clarke was recently nominated for an Emmy along with co-star Lena Headey, who has also teased shocking moments in Season 6. “Every year you go ‘What?! Whaaaat!?’ and having read these, it’s the same feeling again," she told Variety. "There’s a lot to be very excited about."

Season 5 of "Game of Thrones" ended with the show basically caught up to the books, so the future of the characters and the series is largely unknown. There is one thing you can almost count on, though. Filming locations and character casting calls have caused wide speculation that Season 6 might finally reveal who Jon Snow's true parents are.

Could this be one of the shocking moments Clarke is teasing? Or perhaps she already knows about the future of Jon Snow?

The good news is Season 6 is coming. The bad news is it can't get here fast enough.

'Filipino Flash’ Donaire stops Settoul in 2nd round

 Former five-division world champion Nonito Donaire of the Philippines showed he was back to his very best with a sensational second-round stoppage of France’s Anthony Settoul in Macau on Saturday.

The 2012 Fighter of the Year improved his record to 35 wins and three defeats (23 KOs) and is now in line for another world title crack, probably for the WBA super bantamweight belt against Britain’s Scott Quigg in Dubai later this year.

The classy and powerful “Filipino Flash” soon had the Frenchman (20-4, 8 KOs) in trouble in the opening round of their scheduled 10-round super bantamweight fight with stunning body shots that twice dropped him to his knees.

In the second round more telling punches to the diaphragm were followed with a bone-shaking right cross to the chin that put Settoul down once more.

Although he bravely managed to just beat the count he was visibly unsteady on his feet, staggering backwards across the ring as his corner threw in the towel to save him from further punishment with 1min 41sec gone in the second.

“We worked really hard for this fight and I did everything I needed to do,” said a barely sweating Donaire afterwards.
“I wanted to set him up with the body shots and finish it from there.”

Two other fighters had very easy nights as their opponents quit in confusing and slightly unsatisfactory fashion.
American-based Russian Denis Shafikov enjoyed an easy win when his Indonesian lightweight opponent Roy Mukhlis decided he no longer wanted to continue halfway through the third round.

Former US Olympian Jose Ramirez had a facile win after also traveling halfway around the world to the southern Chinese city when his Japanese opponent Ryusei Yoshida quit on his stool at the start of the fourth round.
Ramirez (15-0, 12 KOs) was awarded a technical knockout in an anti-climactic end to the junior welterweight contest after catching Yoshida with several heavy shots toward the end of the third round.

Chinese fight fans earlier had plenty to be delighted about at Cotai Arena.
There was a stirring display by local favorite “Macau Kid” Kuok Kun Ng who knocked out awkward southpaw Phompetch Twins Gym two minutes into the fourth round of their welterweight contest.

“KK” as he is known took his record to 8-0 (4 KOs) when he landed a peach of a right uppercut on the Thai southpaw who was out even before he hit the canvas.

And the super flyweight “Wonder Kid” Rex Tso from nearby Hong Kong continued his march toward a world title shot by taking his record to 17-0 (10 KOs) with a fourth-round stoppage of Thailand’s Khunkhiri Wor Wisaruth.

Friday’s big release: SS Rajamouli’s ‘Baahubali’

SS Rajamoulis’s ambitious project, ‘Baahubali’ is finally releasing this Friday. Starring south actors Prabhas and Rana Daggubati in lead roles, the film is said to be the most expensive Indian film ever made with major attention to effects, promising to be a cinematic visual delight.

Compared to the likes of Hollywood film, ‘300’, Baahubali tells the tale of two brothers at war over a kingdom. While Prabhas plays the titular character Baahubali, Rana portrays the role of Bhallaladeva. Actresses Tammannaah and Anushka Shetty are also part of the film.

The trailer gave us a glimpse of beautiful larger than life imagery, a lush green world and misty waterfalls. The kingdom looked stunning with its age-old architecture and somewhat rich majestic divinity that radiates from its holy temples.

‘Baahubali’ is sure to be a treat for action lovers as well. The trailer revealed gory wars on a bloodstained battlefield, with swords and axes flying in every direction.

There is already a lot of buzz around the movie and people have been seen making a beeline outside theatres to get hold of their tickets.

Rana Daggubati is clearly excited about the film’s release. “To me this film is very special because as a child I grew up on stories from Amar Chitra Katha and I was always a movie lover. Every time I watch a big Hollywood war film, I would think that we have so many stories to tell and why aren’t we telling them. And there’s nothing more exciting than this,” said the actor in an interview.

Tamannaah Bhatia, on the other hand denies jitters about the film’s performance, even though she has invested a considerable amount of time doing ‘Baahubali’. When asked if she was taking a gamble investing so much time in one mega project, the actress replied, “I wouldn’t say it was a risk at all because for people who follow SS Rajamouli’s work will know that he makes the most likable films and they are relate-able to everybody. Most of the times, his films don’t require a language because they are universal in content. It was a new experience, because nobody has ever attempted to make a war film in India before. But, Rajamouli had spent one year doing pre-production from the weapons, the armour and the set – everything was pre-designed. It took them a year to sketch it, prepare it and execute it.”

Nifty seen opening higher, may reclaim 8,350

Domestic stocks are likely to open on a positive note, tracking firm cues from Asian markets. The SGX Nifty futures on Singapore Exchange were trading firm at 8,362 in early trades, signaling a modest gap-up opening in Nifty here.

All eyes will be on IT stocks after IT major TCS reported its quarterly numbers post market hours of Thursday. IT stocks constitute a significant weightage in benchmarks Sensex and Nifty.

The market could take support from the overnight rise in the US stocks. The S&P 500 index had settled 0.19 per cent higher overnight, following strong gains of up to 3.5 per cent seen in European indices such as DAX, CAC 40 and FSE100 amid revived hopes of Greece eventually securing the bailout in the emergency meeting of EU leaders coming Sunday.
In the latest development on Greece crisis, European Council President Donald Tusk, who will chair the emergency summit, joined growing international calls for Athens to be granted some form of debt relief as part of any new loan deal if Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras finally delivers convincing reforms, Reuters reported.

The Greek government will seek a parliamentary vote today to endorse immediate reform commitments it is offering euro zone creditors in a race to avert bankruptcy and a possible Grexit.

Meanwhile, Chinese stocks continued to rise for the second session. Asian markets including Hang Seng, Nikkei and Kospi were up between 0.10 per cent and 1.50 per cent. Chinese stocks were up 4 per cent.

Wimbledon 2015: Sharapova beats Vandeweghe to reach semis

 Former champion Maria Sharapova withstood some heavy hitting from American Coco Vandeweghe to reach her fifth Wimbledon semi-final.

Fourth seed Sharapova was under pressure after losing the second set but recovered to beat the world number 47 6-3 6-7 (3-7) 6-2 on Centre Court.

The Russian, 28, goes on to face Serena Williams or Victoria Azarenka in Friday's semi-finals.

"You have to give everything," said 2004 champion Sharapova.

"You are playing in a Wimbledon quarter-final. It's been a while since I have been in a semi at Wimbledon. I was pleased to win today and it gives me a lot of confidence."
Tracy Austin, two-time US Open champion

"Coco performed very well today. Big things expected from Coco in the future with a result like this. Sharapova loves the challenge of a situation like this. She loves to be able to problem solve and always seems to be able to figure it out."

Sharapova found it hard going against Vandeweghe, who impressed in her first Grand Slam quarter-final as she hit 32 winners and dominated many of the baseline exchanges.

Five-time Grand Slam champion Sharapova was tested from the outset and survived a seven-minute opening game that included four break points.

The Russian proved the more clinical, however, breaking twice in three games to take control of the first set and again to love early in the second.

After working her way to within sight of victory, Sharapova dropped serve to love and a fired-up Vandeweghe dominated the tie-break to set up a decider.

Again, Sharapova's experience showed as she broke three times in the final set, attacking the Vandeweghe first serve with more success to close it out after two hours and 46 minutes.

"I was pretty dominant in the first set and the beginning of the second but things slipped away after that and I had to regroup," said Sharapova, who is through to her first Wimbledon semi-final since 2011.

Xiaomi unveils ‘Enhanced’ version of Redmi 2

Xiaomi has unveiled a new version of its low-end Redmi 2 smartphone in Singapore. Named Xiaomi Redmi 2 Enhanced, this smartphone comes with 2GB of RAM and 16GB internal storage, twice that of the original model.

The Enhanced variant shares all other hardware and software features with its sibling.

According to Xiaomi Singapore's Facebook page, Redmi 2 Enhanced will cost SGD179, compared to the SGD149 price tag of the standard variant.

There is no official word from Xiaomi India on the launch of Redmi 2 Enhanced in the country yet. If launched in India, this smartphone is expected to cost around Rs 7,000.

Xiaomi India recently gave a Rs 1,000 price cut to Redmi 2 smartphone, bringing its price down to Rs 5,999. The phone is also available under a special exchange offer on Flipkart for as low as Rs 3,999.

The Redmi 2 Enhanced version is better equipped to Lenovo's recently-launched A6000 Plus as well as the new Coolpad Dazen 1.