Deepika Padukone Special, I'm Proud,' Says Ranveer Singh On xXx 3 Red Carpet

xXx 3 Premiere: Meanwhile, Ranveer and Deepika were spotted arriving at the xXx 3 premiere's after party looking uber-stylish

Written by: Gitanjali Roy  | January 13, 2017 17:18 IST (New Delhi)

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Ranveer and Deepika at xXx 3's after party (courtesy: DeepVeer_FC)

At the grand premiere of Deepika Padukone and Vin Diesel's xXx: The Return Of Xander Cage in Mumbai last night, one celebrity ear-to-ear grin was potted on the red carpet. A beaming Ranveer Singh told the press that it was a "proud moment" for him, describing Deepika, 31, variously as "a special co-actor" and "someone I really admire" - Ranveer, also 31, and Deepika are rumoured to be dating, a romance they resolutely refuse to acknowledge despite being spotted hand-in-hand at several showbiz events. "It is a proud moment for me. I am very excited about the night. It is a big Hollywood film, we have some special guests in the city. It is the premiere of 'xXx', starring Deepika, who is a special co-actor of mine and I am looking forward to watching the movie," Ranveer said on the red carpet, reports news agency PTI.
 

Ranveer Singh photographed at xXx 3 screening in Mumbai

Meanwhile, Ranveer and Deepika were spotted arriving at the xXx 3 premiere's after party looking uber-stylish:
 

Ranveer has made two movies with Deepika already - Ram-Leela and Bajirao Mastani - and is currently working on a third, the period piece Padmavati in which Deepika plays the titular role, Ranveer plays Alauddin Khilji and Shahid Kapoor (who was also at the xXx 3 premiere) plays Rani Padmavati's husband Raja Ratan Singh.

"Deepika is a gifted actor and an amazing movie star, someone whom I really admire. I am extremely proud of her," Ranveer said, reports PTI. Speaking to the press before going in to the screening, Ranveer said he would have to reserve judgement on the DDeepika-Vin Jodi until later. "The chemistry looks good in the promos, but rest I can only say after watching the movie," he said.

The Mumbai premiere of xXx: The Return Of Xander Cage, which capped an uber eventful day for the actors, was also attended by Karan Johar, Shabana Azmi, Kalki Koechlin, Kriti Sanon and several of Deepika's co-stars from earlier films, including Irrfan Khan of Piku, Richa Chadda of Ram-Leela and Diana Penty of Cocktail.
 

From the xXx: The Return Of Xander Cage red carpet

They were outshone, naturally, by Deepika herself in gold Naeem Khan and Vin Diesel looking very Xander Cageish in what looked like a fur-trimmed coat.
 

From the xXx: The Return Of Xander Cage red carpet

Deepika Padukone, who makes her Hollywood debut in xXx: The Return Of Xander Cage, plays a leather-clad special agent named Serena Unger who, as director DJ Caruso revealed, is written as the 'female version' of Xander Cage, played by Vin Diesel. The film also stars Nina Dobrev, Ruby Rose, Samuel L Jackson and Tony Jaa and releases globally on January 19 - India, however, gets to watch it tomorrow.

(With inputs from PTI)

Deepika Padukone's xXx 3 Hero Vin Diesel 'Will Do Anything' That Stars Her. True Love

xXx 3: Deepika Padukone and Vin Diesel's film reportedly made about 15 crores in its first weekend at the box office

Written by: Gitanjali Roy  | January 17, 2017 17:42 IST (New Delhi)

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xXx 3: Deepika and Vin's film released on January 14 in India

Deepika Padukone's Hollywood debut xXx: The Return Of Xander Cage has made hardly a dent in the Indian box office, despite its very grand release here a week early, superintended by Deepika, Vin Diesel and director DJ Caruso. Box Office India reports that the film has made only a little over Rs 15 crores in its first weekend, which began not on Friday as is usual in India, but on Saturday. This lukewarm start notwithstanding, Deepika Padukone herself is a blockbuster hit with critics and with Team xXx 3. Vin Diesel, 49, has declared himself ready and willing for a Bollywood project, as long as she's he's co-star. "I'd do anything with Deepika Padukone in it," he told The Hollywood Reporter. True love, this.

Yesterday, Vin Diesel posted this photo of himself and Deepika, 31, on a chai stop while promoting xXx: The Return Of Xander Cage in Mumbai last week

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xXx: The Return Of Xander Cage Box Office Collections: Deepika Padukone And Vin Diesel's Film Is A 'Flop'

xXx: The Return Of Xander Cage features Vin Diesel as the eponymous Xander Cage while Deepika plays Serena Unger

Written by: Shruti Shiksha  | January 17, 2017 22:54 IST (New Delhi)

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xXx: The Return Of Xander Cage released in India on Saturday

Deepika Padukone's Hollywood debut xXx: The Return Of Xander Cage doesn't seem to have entertain the audiences' as her Bollywood films do. The film released in India on January 14 and has so far managed to make about Rs 18 crores, reports Box Office India. xXx 3 on the opening day collected Rs 7 crore and made a gross amount of Rs 17.25 crore in the weekend. Box Office India report said that the film has flopped at the Indian box office. xXx 3 couldn't make business on Monday. xXx 3 also stars Vin Diesel, who returns as the eponymous Xander Cage while Deepika plays Serena Unger. The DJ Caruso-directed film released in India a week ahead of anywhere else.

Vin, 49, and Deepika, 31, promoted xXx: The Return Of Xander Cage on a large scale in India last week. Both the actors and director DJ Caruso received a Bollywood-style reception at the Mumbai airport. DJ Caruso called it, the 'greatest welcome ever,' in a tweet. The film's premiere was attended by some of the A-listers of Bollywood, including Deepika's boyfriend Ranveer Singh and her Padmavati co-star Shahid Kapoor.

Director DJ Caruso told The Hollywood Reporter that Deepika had originally auditioned for one of the Fast And Furious films, but she couldn't be part of that project due to scheduling issues. Additional cast of xXx 3 includes Ruby Rose, Samuel L Jackson, Nina Dobrev and Tony Jaa. The film will release globally this week.

Back home, Deepika Padukone, who was last seen in 2015's Bajirao Mastani, is currently working for Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Padmavati along with Ranveer and Shahid.

Sanjay Dutt's Daughter In Bhoomi Will Be Played By Aditi Rao Hydari

Sanjay Dutt's Bhoomi, which begins filming next month, will be his first film after he finished his five-year jail sentence in an illegal arms possession case linked to the 1993 Bombay Blasts

Written by: Gitanjali Roy  | January 18, 2017 12:28 IST (New Delhi)

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Bhoomi is Sanjay Dutt's comeback film, starring Aditi Rao Hydari

Actress Aditi Rao Hydari has been cast in a crucial role in Sanjay Dutt's comeback film, Bhoomi. The 30-year-old actress will play the daughter of Mr Dutt's character in the Omung Kumar-directed film. The role has been up for grabs for a while and several actresses were reportedly being considered, including Alia Bhatt and Shraddha Kapoor. Bhoomi, which begins filming next month, will be Sanjay Dutt's first film after he finished his five-year jail sentence in an illegal arms possession case linked to the 1993 Bombay Blasts. Confirmation of Aditi's casting was posted on social media by several sources, among them trade analyst Taran Adarsh.
 

Director Omung Kumar, who has been scouting locations in Agra, told Mumbai Mirror: "We shortlisted Aditi because she's in a good space right now. I love the way she emotes. This, unlike her other projects, will be her film. She's a relatively untapped actress. The father-daughter relationship is an important aspect of the narrative in this revenge drama. Aditi's face perfectly blends softness with a lot of strength. Besides, I like to team up people, who seem unlikely to be cast together, in my movies."

Aditi Rao Hydari, 27 years younger than Sanjay Dutt who is 57, appeared in Wazir and Fitoor last year.

Sanjay Dutt's last film appearance was in Aamir Khan's 2014 blockbuster PK. At the time, he was still in prison in Pune. In 2013, the Supreme Court sentenced him to five years in a case related to the Bombay Blasts. Mr Dutt had already spent 18 months in prison previously and served the remainder in Pune's Yerawada Jail. He was released last February.

Apart from Bhoomi, Sanjay Dutt's roster of upcoming films includes the third Munna Bhai outing, a sequel to his Nineties hit Khalnaayak and a film titled Marco Bhau. A biopic of him is going full steam ahead, with Ranbir Kapoor cast as the actor and Sonam Kapoor playing his love interest

Maaya Trailer: Shama Sikander's Web Series Is Being Compared To 50 Shades Of Grey

Maaya Trailer: The trailer of Shama Sikander's Maaya begins with Shama submitting to her desires and takes a surprising turn when she ends up in a hospital bed

Written by: Nilanjana Basu  | January 18, 2017 10:27 IST (New Delhi)

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Maaya Trailer: Shama Sikander in a still from the show

The trailer of Shama Sikander's upcoming web series Maaya was unveiled earlier this week and has taken the internet by storm for its striking likeness to Hollywood erotic film Fifty Shades Of Grey. Directed by Vikram Bhatt, Maaya stars Shama Sikander as one half of a married couple and as a character who is guided by her secret sexual desires. Yeh Saali Zindagi actor Vipul Gupta plays the role of her saviour, with whom she indulges into her sexual fantasies. Actor Veer Aryan features in the role of her husband. Vikram Bhatt is the director of films like Inteha, Aetbaar, Shaapit, 1920 and Dangerous Ishq while Shama has also been part of erotic short film Sexaholic. Shama is best known for her role in TV series Yeh Meri Life Hai, which ran from 2003 to 2005.

The trailer of Shama Sikander's Maaya begins with Shama submitting to her desires and takes a surprising turn when she ends up in a hospital bed. It is known that she suffers from Retrograde Amnesia, a condition of memory loss, as a result of which she has no recollection of the past six months. Suspicion leads her husband to find out about her secret affair from her personal blogs and he decides to take revenge. The trailer ends on a dramatic note as each of the characters go through an emotional upheaval.

(Viewer discretion advised. Some content in this video may be unsuitable for children.)

Video: Watch the trailer of Shama Sikander's Maaya
 


Shama Sikander confessed to have been diagnosed with bipolar disorder five years ago. Earlier in December, she opened up about the extent of her struggle with the psychological disorder. The 34-year-old actress explained she was "bored" with herself and with her life, reported Times Of India. "I started finding conversations boring. I didn't want to meet anyone and stopped liking myself. Everybody I met during that phase was bored of life. My career and love life added to the stress. I wasn't eating or looking right. This can't be overnight; I am sure it must have been accumulating since several years," Times Of India quoted her as saying.

Shama also opened up about her ordeals and said that she even tried to end her life but was saved after her family members rushed her to the hospital, the Times Of India report added.

The first episode of Shama Sikander's Maaya releases on January 27.

We watch sports for the thrill, excitement, and passion we feel for our favorite teams. But let's face it: X-Factor is a huge part of which athletes and sports we end up following. 45 Most Desirable Athletes Alive So who are the Most Wanted athletes alive? We chose 45 men and women from across the sports landscape who are astonishingly good-looking and still relevant to their sports. They are hot because of their abs, smiles, eyes and hair but also because of their dance moves, fashion choices, and bubbly senses of humor. Watch the Slideshow to see the most priceless list

Alia Bhatt Channels Kareena Kapoor From Jab We Met In Adorable Video

Alia Bhatt at Filmfare Awards: Kareena Kapoor was not present in the audience to cheer for Alia, who performed to Yeh Ishq Haye from the 36-year-old actress' much-loved film Jab We Met

Written by: Nilanjana Basu  | January 18, 2017 12:51 IST (New Delhi)

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Alia Bhatt and Kareena Kapoor are co-stars of Udta Punjab (courtesy, L: manishmalhotra05)

Actress Alia Bhatt paid tribute to her industry senior and colleague Kareena Kapoor Khan at the 62nd Filmfare Awards in the cutest manner possible. Alia and Kareena co-starred in Abhishek Chaubey's drug drama Udta Punjab, which fetched the 23-year-old actress the Best Actress Award. Alia featured as an abused and unnamed Bihari migrant in the film, which also brought in an award for Shahid Kapoor - he won Critics Award For Best Actor while Diljit Dosanjh received the Best Actor Debut Award. The Filmfare Awards was co-hosted by Shah Rukh Khan and Karan Johar in Mumbai on January 14 and witnessed blockbuster performances by Varun Dhawan, Sonakshi Sinha, Tiger Shroff and of course Alia.

Kareena was not present in the audience to cheer for Alia, who performed to Yeh Ishq Haye from the 36-year-old actress' much-loved film Jab We Met. Alia's look was exactly modelled on one of Kareena's from the song. Alia looked cute as a button in a red skirt paired with white shirt and a black corset-like jacket.

Designer Manish Malhotra, who shared the video of Alia twirling, also wrote: "Alia Bhatt performing a tribute to iconic actress Kareena Kapoor."
 

This is not the first time Alia dressed up like another actress. Ahead of the release of Akshay Kumar's Rustom in August last year, Alia stopped social media traffic as she reprised Akshay and Raveena Tandon's hit song Tip Tip Barsa from 1994 film Mohra.
 

Well, this is how Alia was spotted the morning after her big Filmfare win:
 


Alia turned heads at the Filmfare red carpet in a pale pink gown from the shelves of Prabal Gurung:
 

Meanwhile, Kareena Kapoor and Saif Ali Khan welcomed a son they've named Taimur Ali Khan Pataudi on December 20. The actress worked through her pregnancy for upcoming film Veere Di Wedding and appeared in the last episode of Koffee With Karan 5 with Sonam, who also co-stars in the wedding drama. Kareena is currently on maternity leave and is often spotted hanging out with close friends and family members.

5 Most Desirable Athletes Alive

We watch sports for the thrill, excitement, and passion we feel for our favorite teams. But let's face it: X-Factor is a huge part of which athletes and sports we end up following.

So who are the Most Wanted athletes alive?

We chose 45 men and women from across the sports landscape who are astonishingly good-looking and still relevant to their sports. They are hot because of their abs, smiles, eyes and hair but also because of their dance moves, fashion choices, and bubbly senses of humor.

Watch the Slideshow to see the most priceless list

Bigg Boss 10: Welcome To Monalisa, Vikrant Ki Haldi. Details Of The Bigg Wedding Here

Bigg Boss 10, Monalisa Ki Haldi: Vikrant proposed to Monalisa for marriage and went down on his knees with a ring

Written by: Nilanjana Basu  | January 18, 2017 11:36 IST (New Delhi)

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Bigg Boss 10, Monalisa Ki Haldi: A still from the show

Bigg Boss 10 is gradually drawing to a close with only a handful of contestants left in the house. On Tuesday's episode, the mood was made very celebratory and festive by Bigg Boss, who organised for pre-wedding rituals inside the house for Monalisa. The actress, who is also known as Antara Biswas, was surprised by her fiance Vikrant Singh Rajput, who arrived on the sets of the controversial reality show to meet her. Monalisa was overjoyed to see Vikrant and greeted him with a hug. Vikrant proposed to Monalisa for marriage and went down on his knees with a ring.
 
 

Soon, Bigg Boss announced that Monalisa and Vikrant's wedding will take place on the show - date and venue - January 18, at the Bigg Boss house.
 

Meanwhile, the housemates rejoiced as Monalisa and Vikrant entered the house hand-in-hand. Bigg Boss also asked the contestants to take responsibility of the entire wedding, which kicked off with a haldi ceremony on Tuesday's episode. Bigg Boss also divided the housemates as ladkiwaale and ladkewaale. Lopamudra Raut, Rohan Mehra and Manu Punjabi will represent Monalisa while VJ Bani and Manveer Gurjar take up the role of Vikrant's acquaintances.
 

Bigg Boss 10: Inside Monalisa Ki Haldi

As the haldi ceremony began, Bigg Boss asked the housemates to contribute to the festive fervour. Bigg Boss also organised for the items required for the haldi ceremony as the contestants danced to the song Navrai Majhi along with Monalisa and Vikrant. The duo could not look happier as the contestants smeared haldi on them and performed rituals. Monalisa, dressed in a yellow saree and bindi, looked like a typical Bengali bride while Vikrant was a lot more casually dressed.
 

Bigg Boss 10: Inside Monalisa Ki Haldi

Bigg Boss 10: Inside Monalisa Ki Haldi

The Monalisa and Vikrant's bigg wedding is scheduled for tonight, when guests including some of Monalisa's best friends and her mother, will arrive for the ceremony.

Yes, Deepika Padukone Went On The Ellen Show

Deepika Padukone On The Ellen Show: Deepika and her team confirmed the news with pictures on Wednesday morning

Written by: Nilanjana Basu  | January 18, 2017 09:13 IST (New Delhi)

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Deepika on Ellen Show: How Deepika and her 'troopers' posed (courtesy:shaleenanathani)

Actress Deepika Padukone is making debut after debut this year. On Wednesday morning, she got us excited after she and her team shared pictures from the sets of The Ellen DeGeneres Show. "This just happened," Deepika wrote with a smiley on Instagram after she posted a picture. This year, the 31-year-old actress made one debut of sorts at the Golden Globes after-party, looking stunning in a yellow Ralph Lauren. The party was also attended by her Bollywood colleague Priyanka Chopra, who presented at the awards gala. Deepika's Hollywood debut, xXx: The Return Of Xander Cage, has already hit Indian screens and will release everywhere else on January 19. Deepika co-stars with Hollywood action superstar Vin Diesel in the third xXx film.

Deepika's appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show arrives two months after Priyanka Chopra met and downed tequila shots with the TV personality in October. Deepika kicked off promotional duties for her maiden Hollywood film earlier this month. All that aside, this is how Deepika made us very, very happy today. Woo hoo!
 


Meanwhile, Deepika Padukone's stylist Shaleen Nathani posted a photo of the team smiling ear-to-ear outside the entrance to the sets of the show. Deepika was a perfect balance of simplicity and chic in a white ensemble with strappy pumps. Meet Deepika and her 'troopers:'

Last year, Deepika Padukone was named in Vanity Fair's line-up of rising Hollywood stars. Forbes ranked her tenth on the list of the world's highest paid actresses.

Deepika Padukone and Vin Diesel were in India last week, promoting xXx 3. Deepika, who invited Vin to witness the xXx 3 craze in India, had welcomed him with a tweet in Hindi which said: "India is frantically waiting for you." On January 12, Deepika and Vin hosted a premiere of xXx: The Return Of Xander Cage for the actress' Bollywood colleagues, including her rumoured boyfriend Ranveer Singh. Before her homecoming, Deepika was busy with xXx promotions in Mexico and London. She flew out of India on January 13, looking very much like her xXx 3 character - Serena Unger - in black and olive green.
 

Deepika was photographed at the Mumbai airport

Back home, Deepika was last seen in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Bajirao Mastani. Her upcoming project is another period drama titled Padmavati, also by Mr Bhansali and co-starring Ranveer and Shahid Kapoor

Addicted to smoking? Blame James Bond for it

ANI  |  London [UK]  January 18, 2017 Last Updated at 06:09 IST

• ALSO READ

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After getting you addicted to vodka Martinis, James Bond could now be blamed for turning you into a smoker!
Cigarettes feature in all but one of the 24 movies filmed to date, new research has discovered.

And despite kicking the habit in 2002 - before Daniel Craig took over - he continues to be exposed to second-hand smoke from his sexual partners, experts say.
However, the typically brief encounters would have helped to cut his risk of lung cancer, scientists claim.
Known to kill six million people a year, smoking increases the risk of 17 forms of cancer, according to scientists.
While the World Health Organization predicts more than one billion tobacco-related deaths will occur this century.
Given the links between alcohol in movies and teenagers taking it up, the findings are of huge concern and could be applied to smoking, scientists claim.
While several studies have delved into various aspects of Bond's lifestyle, there has been little consideration of smoking related content.
Since the spy first lit up in 1962 with Dr No, there have been 24 movies - all screened by Eon Productions, the new study found.
Researchers from the University of Otago, New Zealand, discovered that his onscreen smoking peaked in the 1960s.
He used cigarettes in 83 per cent of the movies produced in that decade, the study published in the British Medical Journal found.
However, the rate steadily declined until he took his last puff in 2002's 'Die Another Day'.
But when he was a smoker, he lit up, on average, within 20 minutes of the start of the film.
Only 2006's 'Casino Royale' was totally free of any smoking-related imagery, the researchers found.
Writing in the journal, the researchers said 'while there have been some favourable downward smoking related trends in this movie series, the persisting smoking content remains problematic from a public health perspective, especially given the popularity of the series'.
In Spectre, the most recent movie, none of Bond's major associates smoked, but other characters still did.
This added up to an estimated 261 million 'tobacco impressions' for 10-29 year olds in the US alone.
Cigarette branding even featured in two movies, with Marlboro in 1979's Moonraker and Lark in License to Kill a decade later.
The latter was part of a product placement deal with Philip Morris to try and conquer the Japanese market.
The researchers noted that were several attempts to mention the hazards of smoking - the first of which came in 1967's 'You Only Live Twice'.
While in 1999's The World Is Not Enough, Miss Moneypenny hurls Bond's gift to her of a cigar into the bin in disgust.
And they suggest that while smoking seems to be at odds with Bond's need for physical fitness, it does fit with his disregard for other risks.
After all, 007 has dodged thousands of bullets, he drinks a lot of alcohol, and often drives very fast, they point out.
And that's without a goodly proportion of his sexual partners (nine out of 60) attempting to disable, capture, or kill him.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Caffeine may protect against inflammation

Wed, 18 Jan 2017 8:56 AM

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Credit: flickr.com/Brian.    

New research suggests that coffee may have a protective effect against inflammation and cardiovascular disease as we age, possibly even helping to increase life expectancy.
Carried out by Stanford University School of Medicine, the team looked at blood samples, survey data and medical and family histories taken from more than 100 participants taking part in the Stanford-Ellison cohort, a long-term program started 10 years ago by two of the study's authors to look at the immunology of aging.
The participants fell into two groups -- one group of healthy participants ages 20-30 and another group 60 and above.
The researchers compared blood taken from both groups to see which genes tended to be more highly activated in older people, focusing in on two groups of genes whose activity is associated with an inflammatory protein called IL-1-beta.
They then focused in on two groups of older people -- those with high activation of one or both inflammatory gene clusters and those with low activation levels.
Those with high activation were found to be much more likely to have stiff arteries -- a risk factor for cardiovascular complications -- than those in the "low" activation group.
Those in the low group were also eight times more likely than those in the high group to report having at least one close family member who had lived to age 90 or older, while those in the high group who were older than 85 in 2008 were also significantly more likely to have died by 2016 than those in the low group.
When compared to the low group those in the high activity group were also more likely to have high blood pressure, increased activity of free radicals -- which can harm cells -- and increased levels of the inflammatory protein IL-1-beta.
Interested by a possible link between the older participants' health, the activation levels and their self-reported rates of caffeine consumption, the researchers once again tested the blood from the groups, finding that blood from the group with low activity had higher levels of caffeine and a number of its metabolites, including theophylline, also found in tea, and theobromine, also found in chocolate, when compared with blood from the group with high cluster activity.
To research further the team then incubated immune cells in mice with caffeine, finding that the caffeine substantially prevented on inflammatory effect on the cells.
"That something many people drink -- and actually like to drink -- might have a direct benefit came as a surprise to us," said one of the study's co-authors Mark Davis, who also noted however that the study did not prove a causal link. "We didn't give some of the mice coffee and the others decaf. What we've shown is a correlation between caffeine consumption and longevity.

Acupuncture to reduce excessive crying in babies Excessive crying in babies is an issue for up to one in five families, causing pain for the baby and stress for the parents, the study said. 83 SHARES Share to Facebook FacebookShare to Twitter TwitterShare to Google+ Google+Share to Email Email By: IANS | London | Published:January 17, 2017 11:34 pm Acupuncture may have the potential to effectively reduce incidences of excessive crying in babies with infantile colic, researchers say. Infantile colic, also known as baby colic, is defined as episodes of crying for more than three hours a day, for more than three days a week, for three weeks in an otherwise healthy child. Watch what else is making news Excessive crying in babies is an issue for up to one in five families, causing pain for the baby and stress for the parents, the study said. The findings showed that needling twice a week for a period of two weeks significantly reduced the crying time in babies. “For those infants that continue to cry for more than three hours each day, acupuncture may be an effective treatment option,” said Kajsa Landgren from Lund University in Sweden. Previous studies have associated acupuncture with relieving pain, restoring gut function as well as inducing calm. In the study, the team compared two types of acupuncture in 144 babies aged between two and eight weeks of age and randomly allocated each child to one of three groups (A-C). Group A received standard minimal acupuncture at one acupuncture point, group B were given tailored acupuncture at a maximum of five acupuncture points and group C received no acupuncture. The results showed that the amount of time spent crying excessively fell in all three groups, which is not unexpected as colic tends to clear up by itself eventually. But the magnitude of this reduction was greater in those given either type of acupuncture than it was in those given standard care alone, suggesting that the babies tolerated the ancient method fairly well, the researchers said. “Fussing and crying are normal communications for a baby, therefore a reduction to normal levels (rather than silence) is the goal of treatment,” Landgren noted. The research was published in the journal Acupuncture in Medicine

24 weeks pregnant woman to undergo abortion today

mumbai Updated: Jan 18, 2017 00:32 IST

Aayushi Pratap
Hindustan Times

The law, under the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act, does not allow abortion beyond 20 weeks of pregnancy.(Pic for Represetation)

A Dombivli resident, who had petitioned the Supreme Court asking for permission to abort her 24-week-old foetus which has a severe abnormality, will undergo the procedure at Parel’s KEM Hospital on Wednesday.
The abortion was scheduled on Tuesday after the apex court granted permission on Monday.
Dr Avinash Supe, dean of KEM Hospital, told HT that they could not start the procedure on Tuesday as the woman and her husband reached the hospital late. “Doctors are evaluating her condition. They will start the procedure on Wednesday morning,” he said.
Meera Pal, 22, and her husband wanted to abort the foetus that was diagnosed with anencephaly — a rare condition in which babies are born with parts of their brain and skull missing, at 21.1 weeks.
The law, under the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act, does not allow abortion beyond 20 weeks of pregnancy.
Pal’s husband, Santosh, said that they are anxious and are hoping that the procedure gets over safely.
“Doctors have told me that it will take 48 hours for the entire procedure. I hope everything goes about smoothly,” he said.
What does the law say
The law, under the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, does not allow abortions beyond 20 weeks of pregnancy, except in cases where there is a threat to the mother’s life.
Any person/ doctor breaching the provisions of the Act can invite imprisonment up to seven years.
What does the 2014, draft Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Bill say?
The draft Bill allows abortion up to 24 weeks
A healthcare provider “in good faith” can make the decision of aborting a pregnancy between 20 and 24 weeks if:
- The pregnancy involves substantial risks to the mother or child
- If the pregnant woman has alleged the pregnancy was caused by rape
Expert speak
Dr Nikhil Datar, medical director, Cloudnine Hospital, Malad, who was the co-petitioner in the case, said the government must push the abortion ceiling to 24 weeks as soon as possible.
“Not every pregnant woman who has crossed the deadline of 20 weeks has access to file a petition in the apex court,” he said. “One cannot imagine the anxiety the woman goes through when she learns that her baby has a fatal condition but she cannot undergo abortion beca

Acupuncture to reduce excessive crying in babies

Excessive crying in babies is an issue for up to one in five families, causing pain for the baby and stress for the parents, the study said.

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By: IANS | London | Published:January 17, 2017 11:34 pm

Acupuncture may have the potential to effectively reduce incidences of excessive crying in babies with infantile colic, researchers say.
Infantile colic, also known as baby colic, is defined as episodes of crying for more than three hours a day, for more than three days a week, for three weeks in an otherwise healthy child.
Watch what else is making news

Excessive crying in babies is an issue for up to one in five families, causing pain for the baby and stress for the parents, the study said.
The findings showed that needling twice a week for a period of two weeks significantly reduced the crying time in babies.
“For those infants that continue to cry for more than three hours each day, acupuncture may be an effective treatment option,” said Kajsa Landgren from Lund University in Sweden.
Previous studies have associated acupuncture with relieving pain, restoring gut function as well as inducing calm.
In the study, the team compared two types of acupuncture in 144 babies aged between two and eight weeks of age and randomly allocated each child to one of three groups (A-C).
Group A received standard minimal acupuncture at one acupuncture point, group B were given tailored acupuncture at a maximum of five acupuncture points and group C received no acupuncture.
The results showed that the amount of time spent crying excessively fell in all three groups, which is not unexpected as colic tends to clear up by itself eventually.
But the magnitude of this reduction was greater in those given either type of acupuncture than it was in those given standard care alone, suggesting that the babies tolerated the ancient method fairly well, the researchers said.
“Fussing and crying are normal communications for a baby, therefore a reduction to normal levels (rather than silence) is the goal of treatment,” Landgren noted.
The research was published in the journal Acupuncture in Medicine

Research shows teens losing sleep over social media

Over 900 pupils, aged between 12-15 years, were recruited and asked to complete a questionnaire about how often they woke up at night to use social media and times of going to bed and waking.

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By: PTI | London | Published:January 17, 2017 10:24 pm

One in five reported ‘almost always’ waking up to log on, with girls much more likely to access their social media accounts during the night than boys. (Source: Thinkstock images) One in five teens regularly wake up in the night to send or check messages on social media, which makes them three times more likely to feel constantly tired at school than their peers who do not log on at night, a new UK study has warned.
Researchers at Wales Institute for Social and Economic Research, Data and Methods (WISERD) in the UK also found that girls are much more likely to access their social media accounts during the night than boys.
They warned that this night-time activity could be affecting happiness and well-being in the young people. Over 900 pupils, aged between 12-15 years, were recruited and asked to complete a questionnaire about how often they woke up at night to use social media and times of going to bed and waking.
They were also asked about how happy they were with various aspects of their life including school life, friendships and appearance.
One in five reported ‘almost always’ waking up to log on, with girls much more likely to access their social media accounts during the night than boys.
Those who woke up to use social media nearly every night, or who did not wake up at a regular time in the morning, were around three times as likely to say they were constantly tired at school compared to their peers who never log on at night or wake up at the same time every day.
Moreover, pupils who said they were always tired at school were, on average, significantly less happy than other young people.
“Our research shows that a small but significant number of children and young people say that they often go to school feeling tired – and these are the same young people who also have the lowest levels of wellbeing,” said Sally Power, professor at WISERD.
“One in five young people questioned woke up every night and over one third wake-up at least once a week to check for messages. Use of social media appears to be invading the ‘sanctuary’ of the bedroom,” said Power.
The study findings support growing concerns about young people’s night-time use of social media. However, because of the complex range of possible explanations for tiredness at school, further larger studies will be needed before any firm conclusions can be made about the social causes and consequences of sleep deprivation among today’s youth.

Game that lets you grow plants on ISS!

IANS

New York January 18, 2017 00:00 IST

Updated: January 18, 2017 03:32 IST

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U.S. space agency NASA has launched a mobile game that allows gamers to grow virtual plants aboard the International Space Station.
Named “Space Science Investigations: Plant Growth,” the 200MB game takes a player on the ISS, where it meets the crew, gather items, float around and grow plants, tech website slashgear reported on Tuesday. Players first need to learn how to get around in zero-gravity environment and then complete the mission to grow the plants.

NASA has long worked at perfecting the art of growing plants in a low gravity environment, something considered necessary for providing food during long-duration flights. The astronauts have had some success such as growing bright zinnias on the space station.
Last year, a Hollywood movie The Martian showed a character who improvised a farm inside a space station on Mars, utilised Martian soil that was fertilised with human waste, produced water by extracting hydrogen from leftover rocket fuel and grew potatoes on the station.IANS

Australia will draw confidence from 2015 experience, says Sriram

by Bagawati Prasad • Last updated on Wed, 18 Jan, 2017, 06:25 AM

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Sriram was appointed Australia's spin consultant for the tour to India. © Agencies

Ever since the Australian team was announced for the upcoming Test series in India, there has been a lot of talk on how they would fare in the subcontinent conditions against a quality Indian side.
However, S Sriram, who was appointed as spin consultant of the Australian team for the India series on Tuesday (January 17), has seen at close quarters the success of a few fresh faces in this Australian squad, such as Steve O'Keefe, Ashton Agar and Peter Handscomb on Indian soil.
It was Sriram, as consultant, who played a pivotal role in guiding an inexperienced Australia A side led by Usman Khawaja to a 1-0 win over India A, which had the likes of Virat Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara, KL Rahul, Amit Mishra and Umesh Yadav in the ranks, in an unofficial two-Test series at Chennai in 2015.
Though Sriram did mention that India is a "tough place" to tour for any side, the 40-year-old believes O'Keefe and Handscomb will "draw confidence" from the experience they had in 2015.
"India is a quality side. They are playing exceptionally good cricket and India has always been regarded as a tough place to tour for any Test playing nation. O'Keefe and Handscomb have had the feel of playing here before and I'm sure they will draw confidence from that experience. O'Keefe and Nathan Lyon share a great rapport and they generally feed of each other very well," Sriram told TOI.
He also said the players have spoken a lot as a group with regards to the skill sets required to be successful in the subcontinent. Sriram mentioned that one of the key things to being successful in India as a batsman is to have the right scoring options. "Things the Australia coach has spoken about for being successful in India as batsmen are: sound defence, lots of patience, right scoring options and the ability to rotate strike," added Sriram

Birthday girl Kerber unwraps perfect present

AFP | Jan 18, 2017, 11.03 AM IST

MELBOURNE: World number one Angelique Kerber got the birthday gift she wanted Wednesday by making the Australian Open third round, but she had to work hard against fellow German Carina Witthoeft.

The defending champion, who turned 29, battled through 6-2, 6-7 (3/7), 6-2 and will next face either Czech Kristyna Pliskova, sister of fifth seed Karolina Pliskova, or Romanian 27th seed Irina-Camelia Begu.

The prospects looked bleak for the unseeded Witthoeft, who has twice lost to Kerber at Wimbledon including an embarrassing 6-0, 6-0 'double bagel' in 2015.

Witthoeft has never beaten a top 10 opponent but she showed far more fight than at the All England Club, with Kerber taken to three sets for the second match in a row.

Kerber stunned Serena Williams in the final last year and also went on to win the US Open, dethroning the American as the world's top ranked player.

She is not only defending a major title for the first time but also playing her maiden Grand Slam as top seed, admitting she is still getting used to dealing with the extra pressure.

"To have this pressure is a privilege. It's completely new for me, but I'm doing well. I'm just trying to enjoy it," she said, before the Rod Laver Arena crowd sang "Happy Birthday".

"I am getting older... I think I will have a great day today," Kerber added.

The top seed came out of the gates at full pelt, breaking the 21-year-old in the first game when her opponent netted a backhand.

Ranked 89, Witthoeft was pushed around the baseline by the left-hander but some unusually wild shots from Kerber handed her break opportunities, one of which she grabbed to level the match.

It was an aberration with the birthday girl immediately breaking back, before turning up the heat as they traded blows to score another break when Witthoeft whipped a forehand long to go 2-5 down, with Kerber easily holding to take the set.

Bidding to be the first woman to defend her Australian title since Victoria Azarenka in 2013, Kerber had an indifferent lead-up to Melbourne with early exits in Brisbane and Sydney this month.

She has slowly been improving as he works her way deeper into the Australian Open and towards a potential quarter-final against Garbine Muguruza, with Williams seeded to meet her in the final.

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She came out firing in the second set, ambushing Witthoeft for an early 2-0 lead. But she lost focus and her countrywoman made the most of it, breaking back with some pinpoint shots from the baseline.

The set turned into a slug-fest and Kerber succumbed to the pressure in the tiebreak, firing blanks on her serve which allowed Witthoeft to win six points in row and take the set.

Kerber was rattled and lost her opening service game to love, but she quickly regrouped as the crowd got behind her to break back.

India vs England: India practise in quest to be perfect

Virat Kohli-Kedar Jadhav stand gave India a 1-0 series lead against England but team is leaving no stone unturned in improving as a unit.

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Written by Bharat Sundaresan | Pune | Updated: January 18, 2017 11:49 am

Kohli and Dhoni during a training session in Pune on Tuesday. PTI ON HIS first return visit to his theatre of dreams, Kedar Jadhav’s batting stint lasted only 10 minutes. And there was no fanfare involved. The hometown hero quietly faced close to 30 throwdowns from fielding coach R Sridhar in the far net before picking up his fatigue-green cricket backpack and sauntering off inconspicuously.
Probably it had to do with the fact that Jadhav was back at the MCA Stadium less than two days after his career-defining knock. He wasn’t alone though. The entire Indian team was in attendance on Tuesday. Ideally, they would have been in Cuttack — but rooms were overbooked because of the wedding season — the venue for the second ODI, in front of a bevy of media presence and dealing with an anticipatory buzz in the air. But here they were still in Pune, going through their paces away from the glare, at a venue where they orchestrated one of the more memorable run-chases in ODI history.
While Jadhav seemed content with just knocking few balls around, the rest of his teammates preferred to spend their time either ironing out blemishes – Shikhar Dhawan and Yuvraj Singh for example -or working on their strengths like Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni. Dhawan was the most active member of the contingent.
Coach Anil Kumble had decided to turn the centre-wicket, which witnessed India’s great win into the fast-bowling net, and the left-handed opener was first in to face Umesh Yadav and Bhuvneshwar Kumar along with a few well-built net bowlers.
It was only Kumar who seemed to have the edge over him as he looked at ease against the rest. He even flicked one leg-side delivery into the parking-lot behind the East Stand. He then switched places with opening partner KL Rahul to face the spinners. Dhawan somehow didn’t seem to have had enough even once he was done with close to 30 minutes of batting. He then put his gloves on and got a net bowler to toss a few balls underarm and overarm on the periphery of the nets. That was followed by an intense throwdown session with Sridhar.
The two had plenty of conversations, which looked to focus around getting Dhawan’s head into a neutral position right above his right shoulder and his body almost alongside the ball at the point of delivery. Sridhar even on occasions stopped short of releasing the ball to see whether Dhawan was getting into the right alignment.
He did seem pleased by the end of their session but Dhawan did shadow-practice his set-up a few more times before walking off. After a failure here, Dhawan only has two innings left in his series to cement his spot as the second opener behind Rohit Sharma for the Champions Trophy after all. Rahul, who’s competing with Dhawan for that same spot, also had a few additional stints in the nets, including one facing Sridhar.
Yadav and Kumar seemed to be having their own audition meanwhile. Yadav, India’s highest wicket-taker in this format over the last two years, was expensive and erratic on Sunday. Even here it was Kumar who looked the more incisive of the two with Yadav struggling to not stray down the pads regularly.
Yuvraj Singh didn’t have a great comeback match either. And while the rest were busy bowling or batting in the nets, he chose to take a few high catches. He held on to most but did grunt and cuss himself after dropping a couple. There were few grunts of self-critique from him even while batting.

There were a few flowing drives of vintage value. But he was rushed by quite a few short of length deliveries, mostly from Jasprit Bumrah. And he let out a loud “ehhhh” after mis-timing an uppish drive that would have gotten him caught at cover. He then faced an inevitable barrage of bouncers from throwdown specialist Raghu.
Bumrah was easily the quickest of the pacers, and rattled quite a few of his colleagues. Captain Virat Kohli even tried to fire up his tearaway by intentionally cheering for Manish Pandey even though the bouncer had smashed into his gloves while he took evasive action. Bumrah was understandably bemused at his captain’s reaction and argued vehemently that it was he who got the better of the exchange, which led to laughter all around.
Kohli was the energizer bunny of the practice session. He spent half-hour knocking balls while facing Raghu and Sridhar. He got both to bowl short deliveries at him-the left-handed Sridhar from around the wicket-and kept practicing the pull shot. Not that this necessarily had anything to do with it, but incidentally Jake Ball had spoken about England’s plan of using the short ball to unsettle the Indian captain a bit earlier. Once done with his stint, he sat around holding court. On one occasion he shouted, “catch hai yaar” to one of the local boys after he snared a steepler near the boundary. And he let out a loud “kya baat hai” when Yadav managed to hit one of the seamers nearly into the second tier of the grand-stand.
He also handed Pandey one of his own bats to check out, having seen that Pandey wasn’t getting enough distance with some of his big shots despite seemingly connecting with the middle of his bat.