French far-right National Front leader and presidential candidate Marine Le Pen on Sunday proposed a dual currency system for France, a national currency for its home economy and another for international trade as, in her opinion, the "euro is dead".

"We will have a national currency like all other countries, and a common currency together," Le Pen said in an interview with French daily Le Parisien, meaning that a new French franc would be a currency for everyday domestic use and the euro would be for "large companies trading internationally".

According to Le Pen who faces centrist candidate Emmanuel Macron in the second round of the Presidential election on May 7, the euro is "largely responsible for mass unemployment" in France because it has not "adapted" itself to the French economy, Efe news reported. 

She added that, if she wins the presidency, she will negotiate with the European Union (EU) the recovery of four "essential" sovereignties: territorial, legislative, economic and monetary. If those EU negotiations failed, she would submit the euro question to the French people via referendum.

"If they vote no, then I will resign," the presidential hopeful said.

Le Pen's proposal to abandon the euro has generated unease, as polls show 70 per cent of the French wish to remain inside the European single currency.

Exactly how she would pull-out from the euro also has created some degree of confusion, even within the ranks of Le Pen's Front National party.

Regarding her "patriotic" alliance with Eurosceptic right-wing party Debout La France, led by Nicolas Dupont-Aignan, a former rival, Le Pen said she had to modify some of her proposals.

Among others, free schooling for immigrant children that she wished to temporarily ban.

Speaking of her duel with Macron, who is ahead in the polls, Le Pen considers she might win and, in her opinion, Macron is already getting nervous by his "feverish and aggressive" stance.

Filmmaker S.S. Rajamouli has thanked the fans of Baahubali 2: The Conclusion for their support after the films release.

"It's only natural that a big project like Baahubali faces hurdles during release. I must say that the enormous love and support that was given by Baahubali fans made us cruise through the obstacles," Rajamouli tweeted on Sunday.

"Thank you everyone who have been with us for the past five years encouraging us at every turn. You have given us such a big success that we can keep it in our hearts for the rest of our lives," he added.

While the first part, Baahubali: The Beginning", released in July 2015 and minted over Rs 600 crore at the box office, Baahubali 2: The Conclusion was supposed to come out in 2016.

However, the makers took time and released the film on April 28 in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam.

With an estimated earnings of Rs 121 crore from first day across four languages, Baahubali 2: The Conclusion is said to have registered the biggest opening for an Indian film.

The film features Prabhas, Anushka Shetty, Rana Daggubati and Tamannaah in the lead.

India recorded a facile 3-0 victory over New Zealand in their second match of the 26th Sultan Azlan Shah Cup hockey tournament here on Sunday.

Defender Harmanpreet Singh converted two penalty corners.

With this win, India now have four points from two outings. 

Mandeep Singh opened the Indian account with a fine deflection in the 23rd minute before Harmanpreet produced two fine drag-flicks to double the tally.

The experimental New Zealand team cracked three shots at goal in the first quarter before the Indian team settled down to dominate the match thereafter. 

It was New Zealand who earned the first penalty corner in the sixth minute, but it could not pose any danger as the low shot went straight to goalkeeper P.R. Sreejesh, who kicked it out of the circle.

The Kiwis had two early shots at the citadel before Akashdeep Singh took an ambitions try from the top of the circle in the 10th minute, only to see his reverse drive soar high over the cross-bar. 

Two minutes later, Manpreet Singh sent a diagonal ball into the circle to S.V. Sunil, who shot wide with only goalkeeper Devon Manchester to beat.

India broke the deadlock in the 23rd minute when Mandeep did well to deflect the shoulder-high ball past the goalkeeper after Chinglensana Singh sent a reverse shot from top of the box.

Harmanpreet then came into the picture with a drag-flick off the first penalty corner. The stinging shot went into the left corner of the board to make it 2-0 in the 27th minute.

Harmanpreet came back to round off the Indian scoring with another penalty corner conversion, this time sending a soaring drag-flick into the top corner of the net in the 47th minute. 

Assam on Sunday got its first Shatabdi Express with Minister of State for Railways Rajen Gohain flagging off the train from Dibrugarh. The new Shatabdi Express train (No. 12085/12086) will run between Dibrugarh and Guwahati.

"There was a long-standing demand for better rail connectivity with Guwahati from Dibrugarh and the Dibrugarh-Guwahati Shatabdi Express would fulfil that demand of the people," said Gohain while flagging off the train.

The Shatabdi Express trains are among the fastest and most prestigious trains of the Indian Railways along with Rajdhani and Duronto trains which connect metro cities with other important cities from the point of view of tourism, pilgrimage or business.

"The train would have latest fully air-conditioned LHB Coaches to provide safety and extra comfort. Travellers would be provided with bottled water, juice, coffee or tea, and meals relevant to time of day of the journey," said the minister.

He also called upon the people of the region, specially the rail users, to take care of railway property and consider it to be their own. He appealed to the people not to damage the interior or exterior of a beautiful train like Shatabdi and keep it clean.

Saying that Prime Minister Narendra Modi placed special emphasis on the development of the northeastern region, Gohain assured the state that the Railways would continue to work for development in the region.

The train will have 10 AC Chair Car coaches and 2 luggage-cum-generator cars. The train will have seven intermediate stoppages. The total fare, which includes charges for food, for one adult passenger from Guwahati to Dibrugarh will be Rs 1,095 and between Dibrugarh and Guwahati will be Rs 1,010.

Fox Studios has decided to release a black and white version of Logan in theaters on May 16 for a limited run.

Director James Mangold made the revelation on Twitter. "Suggestion. Hard core B&W loving LOGAN fans should not make any plans on the evening of May 16th (sic)" Mangold tweeted.

"Won't be on a TV. And the answer is no. To make a great B&W version of a film, the whole thing's gotta be regraded and timed shot by shot (sic)" he added.

Mangold also revealed that the black and white version of Hugh Jackman's last outing as the clawed mutant will be available on the home entertainment release, but confirmed it will also be in theaters: "Yes, but it will be on big screens on the 16th."

The black and white version will only be available in US theaters.

Worry a lot? It may be a good thing, say scientists who found that the act may help recover from traumatic events and depression and prompt to take up activities that promote health.

"Despite its negative reputation, not all worry is destructive or even futile. It has motivational benefits, and it acts as an emotional buffer," said Kate Sweeny, psychology professor at the University of California, Riverside (UCR) in the US.

Researchers from UCR broke down the role of worrying in motivating preventive and protective behaviour, and how it leads people to avoid unpleasant events.

They found that worrying is associated with recovery from traumatic events, adaptive preparation and planning, recovery from depression and partaking in activities that promote health as well as prevent illness.

Researchers also found that people who report greater worry may perform better in schools or at workplaces, seek more information in response to stressful events and engage in more successful problem solving.

Researchers noted three explanations for worry's motivating effects.

First, worry serves as a cue that the situation is serious and requires action. People use their emotions as a source of information when making judgements and decisions.

Second, worrying about a stressor keeps the stressor at the front of one's mind and prompts people toward action.

Third the unpleasant feeling of worry motivates people to find ways to reduce their worry.

"Even in circumstances when efforts to prevent undesirable outcomes are futile, worry can motivate proactive efforts to assemble a ready-made set of responses in the case of bad news. In this instance, worrying pays off because one is actively thinking of a 'plan B'," Sweeney said.

Worry can also benefit one's emotional state by serving as an emotional bench-mark. Compared to the state of worry, any other feeling is pleasurable by contrast.

In other words, the pleasure that comes from a good experience is heightened if preceded by a bad experience, researchers said.

"If people's feelings of worry over a future outcome are sufficiently intense and unpleasant, their emotional response to the outcome they ultimately experience will seem more pleasurable in comparison to their previous, worried state," Sweeny said.

Actress Jane Danson says she had a tough time dealing with the fame she received after joining Coronation Street 20 years ago.

The 38-year-old actress, who starred as Leanne Battersby in the show, says her overnight fame left her unwilling to go

out, reported Daily Mirror.

"I couldn't cope with it. I had this amazing job, and by 19 had my own little house, but I just sat inside. I'd be scared of someone throwing a drink in my face. Coping with the attention¬ was terrifying.

"So I just sort of stayed at home, ate biscuits and put on a stone. It was good in one sense. You are young and earning money, there are parties, drink and other things. So my relationship with my barrel of biscuits was pretty okay!" Danson says.

The actress says her husband, former Emmerdale star Robert Beck, helped her to learn to deal with her fame.

"He had been there and done it and said it would be okay. We have been through good times and some really upsetting times. We wrote our own wedding vows and one was to go off and do our own things which is important."

The Parliamentary Committee on External Affairs, headed by Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, visited Leh in Jammu and Kashmir where army officials briefed them about the security situation in the region.

"The committee, comprising five Members of Parliament under the chairmanship of Shashi Tharoor visited Fire and Fury Corps, Leh yesterday on a study tour," a defence spokesman said here on Sunday.

The Committee members were welcomed by Major General A S Chowdhry and senior officers of the Fire and Fury Corps, the spokesman said.

The Parliamentary Committee was briefed about the security situation and dynamics in the region, he added.

At least 43 militants were killed in military operations in Afghanistan, the Interior Ministry said on Sunday.

"In the past 24 hours, Afghan National Defence and Security Forces launched eight counter-terrorism operations in Kunar, Wardak, Nangarhar, Zabul, Logar and Kunduz provinces," Xinhua news agency cited a ministry statement as saying.

Among the killed, 17 were Islamic State (IS) fighters, it said. Eight persons were wounded in the raids.

The statement did not say if there were any casualties on the security forces side.

The Afghan security forces have beefed up operations against militants recently as spring and summer known as fighting seasons are drawing near in the mountainous Asian country.

Singer Lily Allen has decided to open up about her marriage breakdown for the first time on her new album.

The Not Fair singer, who has never spoken about her split from Sam Cooper, will share her feelings with her fans through the new LP, reported Grazia magazine.

"She's written loads of amazing tracks which collaborators have been urging her to put out, but she wants to wait until the whole package is ready," a source says.

Allen and Cooper are parents to two daughters, Ethel, five and four-year-old Marnie. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday greeted Gujarat and Maharashtra on the eve of their Foundation Day on May 1.

"I congratulate the citizens of Gujarat and Maharashtra. Both the states have striven to reach the heights of progress continually, contributed to the development of the nation, and a number great people born in both states have had continuously inspired us," Modi said in his monthly radio address 'Mann Ki Baat'. 

He followed this by making an appeal to the citizens to take a vow to see where they can take their state, society and nation by the year 2022 when India celebrates the 75th anniversary of its independence. 

He said on this occasion people should chart out their own vision of the nation. 

"To be able to execute this task, one must prepare plans and must march forward with the support of all the citizens," he said. 

Melody queen Lata Mangeshkar paid a tribute to filmmaker Dadasaheb Phalke, fondly known as the father of Indian cinema, on the occasion of his 148th birth anniversary on Sunday.

Dadasaheb Phalke made India's first full-length feature film, Raja Harishchandra in 1913.

"Who can forget the king of the Indian film industry? Today (Sunday) is his birth anniversary. I salute him (Bhartiya Film industry ke janak DadaSaheb Phalke ji ko kaun bhul sakta hai. Aaj unki jayanti hai. Mera unko koti koti pranam)," Mangeshkar posted on Twitter on Sunday.

Before his death in February 1944 at the age of 73, Dadasaheb Phalke directed films like Mohini Bhasmasur, Lanka Dahan, Shri Krishna Janma and Gangavataran.

Kings XI Punjab captain Glenn Maxwell won the toss and elected to bowl first against Delhi Daredevils at the PCA Stadium, Mohali on Sunday.

"We will bowl. It's a fresh pitch, there was a little bit of rain yesterday, should be helpful for our pacers," Maxwell said after winning the toss.

Karun Nair is captaining Delhi in the absence of Zaheer Khan.

Pat Cummins and Ankit Bawne are also missed out as Sam Billings, Shahbaz Nadeem and Mohammed Shami are back in the Daredevils squad.

For Punjab, Hashim Amla, T Natarajan and Varun Aaron carved their place in the playing eleven.

Kings XI Punjab: Martin Guptill, Hashim Amla, Manan Vohra, Shaun Marsh, Glenn Maxwell (c), Wriddhiman Saha(w), Axar Patel, Mohit Sharma, Varun Aaron, Sandeep Sharma, T Natarajan

Delhi Daredevils: Sam Billings, Sanju Samson, Karun Nair (c), Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant(w), Corey Anderson, Chris Morris, Kagiso Rabada, Amit Mishra, Shahbaz Nadeem, Mohammed Shami

Singer Billy Ray Cyrus has decided to legally change his name.

The Achy Breaky Heart hitmaker is changing his name to Cyrus later this year and will only release music under his new moniker, reported RollingStone.

"After August 25th, I will be the artist formerly known as Billy Ray. I'm just going by my last name Cyrus.

"I always went by Cyrus, and I begged Mercury Records to call me Cyrus in the beginning because that's what I was comfortable with. I'm going to the hospital where I was born in Bellefonte, Kentucky, and legally changing my name," he says.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said the 'South Asia Satellite' to be launched by India on May 5, will go a long way in addressing the region's economic and developmental priorities.

"The capacities of this satellite and the facilities it provides will go a long way in addressing South Asia's economic and developmental priorities," the Prime Minister said in his radio address 'Mann Ki Baat'.

"Natural resources mapping, tele medicine, the field of education, deeper IT connectivity or fostering people-to-people contact — this satellite will prove to be a boon in the progress of the entire region."

"It is an important step by India to enhance cooperation with the entire South Asia… It is an invaluable gift. This is an appropriate example of our commitment towards South Asia. I welcome all the South Asian countries who have joined us on the South Asia Satellite in this momentous endeavour," he added. 

The communication satellite, GSAT-9, will be launched using Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) heavy rocket Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV-F09).

All South Asian countries, except Pakistan, are part of this project.

Economic ties and cooperation in the fight against terrorism are expected to dominate the bilateral talks Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will have here on Monday.

Erdogan's Sunday-Monday India visit comes at the start of a diplomatic blitz he is embarking on after winning a referendum on April 16 which gave him more executive powers as President.

India-Turkey trade stands at $6.4 billion, which is much below potential, officials say. Ankara wants a Free Trade Agreement and a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement to bridge the deficit with New Delhi.

With chances of Turkey becoming an European Union member diminishing, Ankara is actively looking to Asia in terms of economic development and security — and India is seen as a major partner in this regard.

At a media briefing ahead of Erdogan's visit, Ruchi Ghanashyam, Secretary (West) in the External Affairs Ministry, said the Turkish leader would be accompanied by some cabinet ministers, senior officials and a 150-member business delegation that will take part in a meeting of the India-Turkey Business Forum.

She said there was scope for cooperation in areas such as construction, infrastructure development, renewable energy, tourism and film shooting.

At a meeting on "India and Turkey's Place in the Rising World" organised here, Kerem Alkin, Professor at the Istanbul Medipol University's Faculty of Business and Managerial Sciences, said Ankara wanted New Delhi to share its experience in power generation.

"There may be negotiations on energy supply during President Erdogan's visit," Alkin said. "We can work together on global energy demand, especially renewable energy."

Transportation, communication, logistics, tourism, retail and financial services are other areas flagged by Alkin where the two countries can cooperate.

Terrorism is expected to be another highlight of the Modi-Erdogan talks.

"Both India and Turkey have been battling terrorism for long and understand the need for acting against this global menace," Ghanashyam said.

Turkey has made it clear that it has no objection to India joining the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).

Ilnur Cevik, Senior Advisor to President Erdogan, said Turkey would be interested in nuclear cooperation with India "and all other peaceful countries that seek peaceful use of nuclear technology".

Turkey's position on India's bid for permanent membership in the UN Security Council is different.

Cevik said his country wanted the five permanent members of the world body to give up their veto powers.

Turkey is a member of the group called Uniting for Consensus (UfC) that is opposed to expansion of permanent seats in the Security Council.

Other members of the group include Italy, South Korea, Canada, Mexico, Argentina, Pakistan, Malta, Costa Rica, Colombia and San Marino.

According to Ghanashyam, following the talks on Monday, some agreements that are currently being finalised are expected to be signed.

Erdogan last visited India in 2008 when he was the Prime Minister.

The Telangana assembly on Sunday passed amendments to the Land Acquisition Act sent back by the Law Ministry, amid protests by the Congress demanding a discussion on farmers' problems.

The amendments to the Telangana Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (Telangana Amendment Act, 2016) were passed within 10 minutes in a one-day special session of both the Houses.

The legislative council will meet later in the day to pass the amendments.

As soon as the assembly began its sitting, Congress legislators were on their feet demanding a debate on the demand for remunerative prices to chilli farmers.

Speaker Madhusudhana Chary, however, said the sitting was being held with the sole agenda of passing the amendments and no other issue would be taken up.

Deputy Chief Minister Mohammed Mahmood Ali, also the Revenue Minister, moved the amendments passed by voice vote without debate.

Immediately after this, the Speaker adjourned the House sine die. The Congress legislators remained seated in the House even after adjournment for some time to register their protest.

Later, leader of opposition K Jana Reddy told reporters that the assembly proceedings were conducted in an undemocratic manner.

He alleged that Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) government was running away from debate on farmers' problems.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) also staged a protest near the assembly building to condemn the government's attitude.

BJP and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) members were not invited to the meeting of the Business Advisory Committee (BAC) of the assembly on Saturday citing their suspension earlier during the budget session.

BJP members staged a silent protest. Wearing black scarves, they marched from Gun Park to the assembly premises.

BJP leader G Kishan Reddy wondered how they could be prevented on ground of their suspension earlier.

BJP members were suspended on April 16 when they stalled the proceedings during the one-day special sitting called to pass a bill on increasing reservations for Muslims and Scheduled Tribes.

The Union Law Ministry earlier this week sent back to the state the Land Act for making "suitable amendments" to it.

The state legislature had passed the bill two months ago and the same was sent to the Centre for the President's assent.