Actor Chris Pratt says he refuses to take photos with fans because he wants them to enjoy the moment and not waste time by clicking pictures.

In an interview with Cigar Aficionado magazine, the 37- year-old actor says he also avoids being clicked because he has to be “economical” with his time.

“I've always been a pretty deferential, go-with-the-flow guy. But now I have to be economical with my time. If I go out and want to do normal things, I have to be comfortable disappointing people. So, I just don't take pictures with people.”

He further says, “Because that's not about enjoying the moment; it's about stealing the moment to brag about later. So I say, 'Would you settle for a handshake?' And then they take the picture anyway.”

Actress Neha Dhupia is teaming up with Vidya Balan in upcoming film Tumhari Sulu.
The comedy-drama will see Balan play a radio jockey again after Lage Raho Munna Bhai". Dhupia will essay the role of Balan's boss.

Tumhari Sulu is being produced by T-Series and Atul Kasbekar's Ellipsis Entertainment.
"Say hello to the dazzling @NehaDhupia who plays @vidya_balan's boss Maria in our next film #TumhariSulu Delighted to have her on board," Kasbekar posted on Twitter.
Dhupia wrote, "Thank you @atulkasbekar ..cant wait to work with this magical bunch! @@vidya_balan @sureshtriveni @EllipsisEntt @priyagupta999 #TumhariSulu."

The film will be directed by Suresh Triveni. This will be Triveni's first full-length feature film. He has so far helmed three short movies, including Conditions Apply, Dedh Footiya and My Daddy Strongest. 

In an apparent dig at the AAP, Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Wednesday said BJP's impressive show in the MCD polls is a “lesson” for those crying foul over EVMs and asked it to respect people's mandate.

Minister of State for Minority Affairs Naqvi, without naming any of the opposition parties, also added that the saffron party's victory is a “clean sweep” against politics of “anarchy and arrogance”.

The Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP has been at the forefront of opposition parties complaining of EVMs tampering.

“Lesson & message for 'EVM Vilaap Mandli'- Instead of blaming EVM, respect people's mandate & do introspection.

“#DelhiMCDpolls-Clean sweep against politics of anarchy, arrogance. Results reflect people's passion for inclusive growth, good-governance,” Naqvi tweeted.

From the results available until now, the ruling BJP is headed for a landslide victory, winning 160 of the total 270 wards which went to polls in the three municipal corporations.

The AAP, which made its civic polls debut, bagged 26 seats. The Congress was relegated to third position, winning 8 seats.

Dutch football club Ajax has announced that the Amsterdam Arena is to be renamed in honour of the legendary Johan Cruyff.

Ajax, the stadium management, the Amsterdam mayor and the city council reached an accord to re-baptize the venue as Johan Cruyff Arena, the club said on Tuesday, reports Efe.

The municipal administration also plans to name a street, square, or bridge near the arena after Johan Cruyff, according to Ajax.

The Dutchman, who was part of title-winning sides both at Ajax and Barcelona, won the Ballon d'Or three times and led Holland to the World Cup final in 1974.

Cruyff went on to manage both Ajax and Barcelona. The Catalan club won 11 titles during his 1988-1996 tenure.

On March 25, a year and a day after Cruyff died of cancer, Barcelona announced that the future stadium at the club's Ciutat Esportiva training complex would bear his name.

The BJP was on Wednesday set to retain the three municipal corporations in the national capital for the third term in a row, handing a humiliating defeat to the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP and the Congress.

As per the Delhi State Election Commission, the Bharatiya Janata Party so far has won 143 seats and is leading in 31 seats, the Aam Aadmi Party was a distant second having won 35 seats and leading in 16, while the Congress has won so far only 22 seats and is leading in 4. 

In the East Delhi Municipal Corporation, the BJP has won 37 wards and is leading in nine. In the South Delhi Municipal Corporation, it won 53 wards and is leading in 12, while in the North Delhi Municipal Corporation, the saffron party has won 53 and is leading in 10.

While the BJP credited its continued electoral success to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the AAP reiterated its allegations that EVMs were rigged in favour of the BJP — an accusation it has been levelling since its defeat in Punjab and Goa assembly polls. 

The Congress drubbing saw its Delhi unit Chief Ajay Maken announcing his resignation from the post owning up moral responsibility for the defeat, while veteran party leader and former Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit put the onus of defeat squarely on local leaders.

The AAP's defeat comes more than two years after the Delhi Assembly elections where it humiliated the BJP, winning 67 of the 70 Delhi assembly polls.

"Without rigging, such a massive win is not possible," AAP leader and Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia told reporters.

He said it was "unbelievable" that the BJP could return to power in the civic bodies with such a massive win even as the MCD in the last 10 years had failed to maintain the upkeep of the city.

The BJP dismissed the allegations with Union Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu saying that the AAP failed to understand the mood of the nation.

"He (Kejriwal) was not ready to perform… He did not want to work with the central government. He did not understand the mood of the nation. The mood of the nation is 'Modi'," Naidu said. 

AAP MLA Alka Lamba, who represents Chandni Chowk constituency in central Delhi, offered to resign from all party posts taking moral responsibility for the party's defeat in the municipal seats falling under her constituency.

The poll win is the latest in a series of BJP election victories credited largely to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 

BJP President Amit Shah termed the party's resounding win in the civic polls as another public endorsement of Modi's leadership and rule and a vote against the "negative politics" of the AAP.

Modi expressed his gratitude to the people of Delhi for the resounding win. 

Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari said the party will not celebrate the victory but "dedicate" it to the 25 CRPF troopers who died in a Maoist attack in Sukma.

Delhi Congress chief Ajay Maken took moral responsibility for the party's poor show and announced he was resigning from his post.

The win in Delhi's civic polls has boosted the BJP's prospects for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections after the party scored major electoral victories in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. The party also formed new governments in Goa and Manipur.

The BJP chief said the Delhi verdict, coming close on the heels of his party's success in the assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur, has only taken forward the "Modi and BJP juggernaut".

Researchers have identified new genetic variants associated with reduced risks for cardiovascular and Alzheimer's disease, and higher odds of surviving for 100 or more years.

The search for the genetic determinants of extreme longevity has been challenging, with the prevalence of centenarians (people older than 100) just one per 5,000 population in developed nations.

Combining four studies of extreme longevity, the researchers of the new study identified rare variants in chromosomes 4 and 7 associated with extreme survival.

The results, published in the Journals of Gerontology: Biological Sciences, highlight the importance of studying "truly rare survival, to discover combinations of common and rare variants associated with extreme longevity and longer health span," the authors said.

The research group led by Paola Sebastiani, Professor at Boston University School of Public Health, conducted various analyses to discover longevity-associated variants (LAVs), and to characterise those LAVs that differentiated survival to extreme age.

Their analysis identified new "extreme longevity-promoting variants" on chromosomes 4 and 7, while also confirming variants (SNPs, or single nucleotide polymorphisms) previously associated with longevity.

In addition, in two of the datasets where researchers had age-of-onset data for age-related diseases, they found that certain longevity alleles also were significantly associated with reduced risks for cardiovascular and Alzheimer's disease.

"The data and survival analysis provide support for the hypothesis that the genetic makeup of extreme longevity is based on a combination of common and rare variants, with common variants that create the background to survive to relatively common old ages (e.g. into the 80s and 90s), and specific combinations of uncommon and rare variants that add an additional survival advantage to even older ages," the authors wrote.

Supported by positive Asian equity markets, key benchmark indices closed Wednesday’s trading session at record highs. The BSE Sensex ended 190 points or 0.63 per cent up at 30,135 while the NSE Nifty closed 45 points or 0.49 per cent higher at 9,352.

However, broader markets witnessed profit booking. BSE Midcap and BSE Smallcap indices slipped 0.1 per cent and 0.6 per cent respectively.

Among the BSE sectoral indices, FMCG index registered the biggest gain with a jump of 2 per cent while Realty index became the lead loser with a tumble of 3 per cent.

On Tuesday, the BSE Sensex had closed 287 points or 0.97 per cent up at 29,943 while the NSE Nifty had closed 89 points or 0.96 per cent higher at 9,307.

Top gainers in the Sensex-30 pack: M&M (up 3.6 per cent), ITC (up 3.3 per cent), HDFC (up 2.6 per cent), HUL (up 1.8 per cent) and Cipla (up 1.5 per cent).

Top losers in the Sensex-30 pack: Adani Ports (down 2.3 per cent), Infosys (down 1.6 per cent), Power Grid (down 1.3 per cent), Reliance Industries (down 1.2 per cent) and Dr Reddy’s Labs (down 1.2 per cent).

The Rupee was trading 19 paise higher at 64.08 against the US Dollar.

The current table-toppers of the Indian Premier League season 10, Mumbai Indians on Wednesday acknowledged India’s star off-spinner Harbhajan Singh for his contribution to the success of the two-time league champions.

The 36-year-old is associated with Mumbai from past 10 years and still inspiring the team to victories. MI skipper Rohit Sharma hailed Harbhajan for his “encouraging” support to the side.

“He (Harbhajan) has fought all his life to get where he is… and that is something really encouraging for all of us,” Rohit said in a video released by Mumbai Indians on Tuesday.

Calling him "like an elder brother", Rohit said Harbhajan always lead the side with his valuable experience. 

“He has shown us the way… how to march towards your goal and how to achieve it. He is someone who never takes a back seat,” Rohit added.

Mumbai fielding coach Jonty Rhodes, who earned great recognition for his legendary acrobatic skills on the field, also praised the experienced off-spinner.

“Too often, international players will just stand and hit you, whereas if it's Harbhajan Singh, there's real respect and often that plays on the mind of the opposing batsman more than just ability,” Rhodes said.

Having played eight matches so far in the season, Mumbai have won six in a row. Harbhajan played seven matches for MI this season and managed to claim just four wickets.

Neglecting the current slump in his form, Rhodes said Bhajji has been a lucky charm for the side. “He has a little bit of an aura and a presence which has worked really well for us at Mumbai Indians,” the South African added.

Recreating history, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is a clear victor in the MCD elections yet again, winning over 140 wards. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is at second spot and the Congress third. Now, as Delhi is all set to celebrate the BJP's victory, mixed reactions from different political leaders are pouring in with some crediting Prime Minister Narendra Modi's policies for the BJP's win, while others blaming it on the EVM for their party's debacle.

Reactions from BJP leaders

Taking the lead, Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to Twitter and praised people of Delhi for the victory.

“Grateful to the people of Delhi for the faith in the BJP. I laud the hardwork of (Delhi BJP) team which made the resounding MCD win possible”.

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh credited PM Modi, BJP chief Amit Shah, Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari and all-party workers for the win and said, “BJP’s remarkable victory in MCD polls is reaffirmation of people’s faith in PM’s leadership and Amit Shah’s organisational skills. Congratulations to BJP karyakartas and Delhi BJP President Shri Manoj Tiwari on registering an emphatic victory in MCD polls”.

BJP chief Amit Shah said the party's win in the Delhi civic polls was a vote in favour of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's three years in power and a vote against the 'negative politics' of the AAP.

“MCD election results have pushed Modi’s victory chariot forward… The results show negative politics won’t work,” Shah said.

Union minister and BJP leader Nitin Gadkari said, "Winning and losing is a part of democracy and one must accept mandate of the people with maturity."

BJP leader Subramanian Swamy suggested President's rule in Delhi and said a fresh election should be conducted to form new government. “I think the President should dismiss the Delhi government and order fresh elections. AAP’s support has evaporated. It was done in 1977; SC also upheld it.”

Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari asked Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to resign and said, "Delhi CM Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal must resign. Delhi will be a hygienic, dirt and disease free city. The AAP has failed the people of Delhi and people are facing a lot of difficulties." He also said that the party has dedicated the victory to the slain CRPF jawans who were martyred in Sukma Maoist attack.

Reactions from Congress leaders

Former Delhi chief minister and Congress veteran Sheila Dikshit said that the party should have campaigned aggressively to challenge the BJP. "We are going through a bad time. Congress did not campaign in an aggressive way. It did not do what it should have done to win the Delhi civic polls," Dikshit said.

Taking responsibility of the party's defeat, senior Congress leader Ajay Maken offered to resign from their respective posts. "For one year I will not take up any post in the party and will work as a party worker," Maken said.

Reactions from AAP leaders

Delhi Rural Development Minister Gopal Rai blamed it on the faulty EVMs for the AAP's debacle.

"This is not a (Narendra) Modi wave, this is an EVM wave. This is the same wave that they (BJP) used in the Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Punjab polls," Rai said.

Senior AAP leader Manish Sisodia questioned the use of EVMs in the MCD elections 2017 and said, "BJP leaders had written books on EVM tampering, now same leaders are saying EVMs are fine."

AAP MLA Alka Lamba offered to quit from the post and said, "I offer to quit from all the party posts and MLA post, taking the moral responsibility for the defeat of the party in all the three wards of my constituency," Lamba tweeted.

Taking a dig at the Arvind Kejriwal government, activist Anna Hazare said, “There was a difference between what was said and what was done.”

The elections, which took place on Sunday for 270 of the total 272 wards of the three municipal corporations saw around 54 per cent voters turnout. Over 2,500 candidates contested the elections in North Delhi Municipal Corporation and South Delhi Municipal Corporation (104 seats each) and East Delhi Municipal Congress (64 seats).

Team India and Mumbai Indians’ off-spinner Harbhajan Singh on Wednesday slammed a Jet Airways pilot, accusing him of assaulting Indian passengers and being racist.

“So called this Bernd Hoesslin a pilot with @jetairways called my fellow Indian (u bloody Indian get out of my flight) while he is earning here,” Harbhajan said in a tweet on Wednesday.

Jet Airways pilot Bernd Hoesslin allegedly assaulted an Indian passenger onboard the flight Harbhajan was travelling, according to reports.

“Not only was he racist but physically assaulted a lady and abused a physically challenged man..absolutely disgraceful & shame on @jetairways,” the 36-year-old cricketer added.

Harbhajan, who’s currently playing for Mumbai Indians in the undergoing Indian Premier League, said he feels ‘proud to be Indian’ and urged his followers to spread the message. He then called for strict action against racist attacks.

“Strict action must b (be) taken & such things should not be allowed or tolerated in r (our) country.. #proudtobeindian let's get together and sort this,” the cricketer tweeted.

Taking a swipe at Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee, BJP chief Amit Shah on Wednesday said she has been suffering from "BJP phobia" and claimed that her constant criticism of his party was indicative of its rise in Bengal.

"Mamata Banerjee is having BJP phobia. She is seeing Bharatiya Janata Party at everything," Shah told reporters here.

Asked about the Trinamool leader's claims that the BJP will lose both the Lok Sabha seats it won in 2014 in the next general election, he said: "People will decide on that. It gives me pleasure that the Trinamool Congress is acknowledging the BJP. They used to attack only the Congress and the Left parties earlier."

"The way Mamatadi is criticising the BJP of late, that is a matter of concern for the Left parties."

He said after the success in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Manipur, the BJP leadership has coined the slogan 'ebar bangla' (this time Bengal), and would reach out across the state with the message.

The BJP remains committed to bringing back the lost glory of the state if it comes to power and would seal the border to stop infiltration from Bangladesh, the BJP chief added.

He advised state Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee that "she will be better off" if "she listens to people of Bengal" for what they are demanding.

Taking a dig at the Mamata Banerjee-led government, he said the state government has not been taking steps to check the fake currency supply coming through the Bangladesh border. 

Responding to a query on the Narada sting case, the BJP National President said: "Trinamool leaders were seen in the video footage taking bribes. The allegation is based on evidence, it is not a statement."

Criticising the "appeasement politics" in the state, he said: "I believe that ruling in Bengal has been communally driven, that is why cases of clashes have increased."

Refuting the Trinamool Congress' allegation that the BJP has been intimidating its leaders, he said: "No one is in touch with the BJP."

Children with obesity face four times the risk of developing Type-2 diabetes later, compared to children with a body mass index (BMI) in the normal range, warns a new study.  

For the study, published in the Journal of the Endocrine Society, the researchers examined BMI measurements, diabetes diagnosis records, and other data for 369,362 children between the ages of 2 and 15.  

They found that 654 children and teenagers were diagnosed with Type-2 diabetes between 1994 and 2013.  

Children with higher BMI were found to have far greater risk of developing Type-2 diabetes than those with normal weight.  

"A child with obesity faces a four-fold greater risk of being diagnosed with diabetes by the age of 25, than their counterpart who is of normal weight," said lead author of the study Ali Abbasi from King's College London.

 In addition, the researchers found that the rate of children developing Type-2 diabetes increased from an average of six new cases per 100,000 children each year between 1994 and 1998, to an average of 33 new cases per 100,000 children each year, between 2009 and 2013.  

"As the prevalence of obesity and being overweight has rapidly risen, an increasing number of children and young adults have been diagnosed with diabetes in the United Kingdom since the early 1990s," Abbasi said.  

Researchers also found that 1,318 children were diagnosed with Type-1 diabetes during the same period. As expected, they found no association between obesity and the incidence of type 1 diabetes, which is linked to an underlying autoimmune disorder.  

Criteria to determine obesity in this study was dependent on the child's age – obesity was classified as having a BMI in the top five per cent of the population for their age, as measured by a 1990 study of British children.

Nepal's main Opposition CPN-UML party has accused the government of using the new Constitution amendment bill to push the country towards political uncertainty.

The party said that it has decided to launch a stern protest to foil the government's attempt to amend the Constitution, the party said in a statement.

A meeting of the party's Standing Committee also decided to send a high-level team to the Election Commission to draw its attention towards the government's recent activities.

The CPN-UML said that the new Constitution amendment bill has been brought to push the nation towards further uncertainty and is against the spirit of Constitution and people's aspirations.

They said the new amendments will affect the scheduled elections and breach the election code of conduct.

The party said it has asked the government to immediately withdraw the bill and build minimum understanding with all other parties.

The coalition government led by Prachanda has recently brought a revised Constitution amendment bill so as to bring the agitating Madhesi parties on board the forthcoming local level elections in May.

Under the new bill, the government may form a federal commission to recommend it on the issues relating to the number of provinces and their boundaries.

Madhesis, mostly of Indian-origin, launched a prolonged agitation between September 2015 and February last year against the implementation of the new Constitution which they felt marginalised the Terai community.

They are demanding more representation and re-demarcation of state boundaries in the Constitution.
 

Actress Shraddha Kapoor has praised singer Arijit Singh and says his voice fills everyone up with love.

Shraddha on Tuesday took to Twitter to wish Singh on his 30th birthday. 

"Happy birthday to the man whose voice gives us all goosebumps and fills us up with love. Arijit Singh! Keep spreading magic and love," she said.

Arijit has collaborated with Shraddha on songs liks Meri Aashiqui, Tum Hi Ho, Hum Mar Jayenge, Humdard, Girl I Need You and Enna Sona. 

Currently, Shraddha is busy promoting her forthcoming film Half Girlfriend, which also stars actor Arjun Kapoor. The film, which is directed by Mohit Suri, has been adapted from author Chetan Bhagat's eponymous book. 

Actress Parineeti Chopra, who has lent her voice for Maana ke hum yaar nahin in the forthcoming film Meri Pyaari Bindu, says the song has no auto tune.

Parineeti, who will be essaying the role of an aspiring singer in Meri Pyaari Bindu, shared a short video of herself on Twitter and captioned it: "And this is how it happened! Blessed. And – No auto tune Maana ke hum yaar nahin, Meri Pyaari Bindu."

The 28-year-old actress shared another video captioned: "And another one! Behind the scenes…Maana ke hum yaar nahin Meri Pyaari Bindu,"she said. 

Parineeti made her singing debut with the song that has received a positive response from the audience.

Directed by Akshay Roy, Meri Pyaari Bindu is produced by Maneesh Sharma under the Yash Raj Films banner. Th film also stars Ayushmann Khurrana. In the film, Ayushmann will be playing a novelist. 

Parineeti has also started shooting for Takadum with actor Sushant Singh Rajput.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday expressed gratitude to the people of Delhi by reposing faith in the BJP and ensuring its resounding victory in MCD polls.

“Grateful to the people of Delhi for the faith in BJP. I laud the hardwork of team @BJP4Delhi which made the resounding MCD win possible,” he tweeted.

His tweet came as the BJP recorded a significant victory in polls to all the three municipal corporations of Delhi.

Gulf countries, which are under pressure due to low oil prices, are increasing their efforts to woo Indian and Chinese travellers to boost the tourism industry, according to a report.

For the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, China counts an average of 122 million outbound tourists annually and India contributes 22 million, with overseas spending calculated to be USD 252 billion and USD 15.4 billion respectively in 2015.

China's outbound tourism market is currently growing on an average of 6.7 per cent year-on-year, while India's market posts average annual growth of 7 per cent, according to the report published during the ongoing Arabian Travel Market trade show here.

"The GCC is home to a number of globally-recognised tourist attractions and continues to draw visitors from all over the world. As markets in Europe and other GCC countries continue to feel the pressure of low oil prices and depreciated currency rates, it is key that tourism bodies and private sector hospitality, travel and tourism brands continue to explore new markets," said Debrah Dhugga, Managing Director, DUKES London and DUKES Dubai.

"The growth seen from China and India has driven tourist arrivals across the region in the near past and we have seen this reflected in our recent guest profiles," Dhugga said.

The trend is largely proliferated by increasing levels of personal wealth and a demand for experiential travel.

India is home to 433,000 High Net Worth Individuals (HNWI) with 59 million considered urban middle and educated urban and 97 million counted as urban blue collar workers.

Together they represent almost 31 per cent of the population that is eligible and likely to travel, the report said.

"The growing middle class and cheaper flight options are transforming the outbound travel landscape for these two countries, with a combined 146 million passport holders," said Filippo Sona, Director, Head of Hotels MENA region, Colliers International.

"Countries such as the UAE and Oman are increasing their efforts to attract Indian leisure tourists, through targeted entertainment offerings and promotional activities, while Saudi Arabia is expected to ramp up the visa quotas for the large Muslim Indian population to visit the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah, Sona said.

In both Dubai and Abu Dhabi, India was the top performing source market in 2016. In Dubai, 1.8 million nationals arrived last year compared to 1.6 million in 2015 and Abu Dhabi welcomed a record-breaking 4.4 million visitors in total in 2016, out of which 323,388 were Indians.

Oman, which has seen an increase of 60 per cent in the number of arrivals from India, welcomed 299,568 Indian tourists in 2016.

Oman is also working to promote itself as a wedding destination to tourists from West Bengal.

The GCC is a regional intergovernmental political and economic union consisting of all Arab states of the Persian Gulf except for Iraq. Its member states are Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. PTI CORR MRJ NSA