Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy will host a summit here on Monday with the leaders of six other southern European nations.

The meeting is to focus on the future of the European Union (EU) in light of Britain's decision to leave the bloc, as well as the future negotiations that would allow this to happen, Efe news reported.

Those set to attend Monday's meeting include the Presidents of France, Francois Hollande; Cyprus, Nicos Anastasiades; and the Prime Ministers of Greece, Alexis Tsipras; Italy, Paolo Gentiloni; Portugal, Antonio Costa; and Malta, Joseph Muscat.

The gathering would be the third of its kind among southern European nations, the last ones taking place in Athens in September 2016 and in Lisbon at the end of January.

With UK Prime Minister Theresa May now having formally notified the EU of her country's wish to leave the bloc, Brexit is expected to feature on the agenda for the talks in Madrid.

Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, whose country holds the rotating presidency of the EU, is scheduled to make an initial statement to the other leaders, at the invitation of Rajoy.

Spanish government sources told Efe news that Madrid hoped a common position would be ratified among the seven southern European countries that could be shared by the other remaining 20 members of the EU.

Spain's Maverick Vinales clocked 41 minutes and 45.060 seconds to win his second consecutive MotoGP race with a comfortable victory in the Argentine Grand Prix here.

The 22-year-old became the first Yamaha rider since Wayne Rainey in 1991 to win the first two races of the season, reports Xinhua news agency.

Italy's seven-time MotoGP champion Valentino Rossi was second on his Yamaha on Sunday, finishing 2.915 seconds behind Vinales at the Termas de Rio Hondo circuit.

Britain's Cal Crutchlow was third on his Honda, less than a second further back.

Reigning champion Marc Marquez, who started from pole position, crashed out on lap four while leading the race.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger stressed that he wants to keep Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain at the club, according to a statement made on the club website (www.arsenal.com).

Santi Cazorla’s injury has given Oxlade-Chamberlain a chance to play regularly and he has looked impressive in centre midfield, breaking at speed with the ball and setting up teammates on multiple occasions.

“I personally think it is vital that Chamberlain stays at Arsenal,” Wenger said, adding “We bought him when he was very young, we have built him up and I think he has a great mentality and a good football brain. It would be a big damage for us to lose this kind of player.”

Cazorla will return next season and, with Aaron Ramsey, Mohamed Elneny, Francis Coquelin, Granit Xhaka and Jack Wilshere at the club, Wenger has plenty of central midfield options. But he believes Oxlade-Chamberlain has a future there.

“I think so,” Wenger asserted. “He can lose balls but defensively he is strong in the challenge when he wants to switch on. He has that kind of robustness to deal with body-to-body which is very important in the Premier League."

“When I didn't play Ozil I had to find a combination with Alex in central midfield. He is offensive and you can see as well he is a guy who can get out of pressure. He has a dribbling skill and acceleration that can get you out of pressure."

“He can penetrate, and in midfield that is important. I felt as well sometimes on the flank he is out of the game but in the middle he is more focused. He needs to be involved in the game.”

The 23-year-old has made 12 starts for the Gunners in the Premier League and has scored 2 goals and notched 5 assists this season.

Filmmaker Sundar C's Rs 150-crore mega budget Tamil historic drama Sanghamitra — which stars Arya, Jayam Ravi and Shruti Haasan in the lead — will roll from July 3, a source said.

"The pre-production has been happening for the last three months. The lead actors have already started training in sword-fighting and horse-riding. Shruti has been taking special fighting lessons. The makers are planning to go on the floors on July 3," a source from the film's unit said.

Shruti, who plays a pivotal role, tweeted last week that she has started taking fighting lessons as part of her preparation for her role.

Shruti said "It's going to be the biggest project of my career. It will give me an opportunity to attempt something I haven't done before."

Produced by Sri Thenandal Films, the film will also be released in Telugu and Hindi.

"It will be simultaneously made in Telugu. In Hindi, however, it will be made with an entirely different cast and the process will take time," the source added.
 

Popular designer Vikram Phadniss maiden directorial venture Hrudayantar will release on 9 June, actor Hrithik Roshan has announced.

Hrithik, who will be seen in a cameo in the upcoming Marathi film, announced the release date on Twitter on Monday.

"So happy to announce release date of ‘Hrudayantar' film that I'm happy to be a part of! Directed by my friend Vikram Phadnis," Hrithik tweeted along with an image which revealed the release date of the film.

The film will feature actors Mukta Barve and Subodh Bhave in the lead.

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said on Monday that India can never discriminate against its citizens on the basis of caste, creed, religion and colour.

Singh was responding in the Lok Sabha after opposition members created a ruckus over remarks made by former BJP Rajya Sabha member Tarun Vijay in relation to the colour of South Indians.

"This country can never never allow to differentiate on the basis of caste, creed and colour," Singh said.

He said he would even take the name of the person as he is neither a member of the Lok Sabha nor Rajya Sabha.

Singh said that he (Vijay) has already apologised, saying his remarks are indefensible.

"When he has already apologised, there is no requirement of raising questions," Singh said.

Foreign Ministers and representatives of the G7 group will meet on Monday and Tuesday in the Italian city of Lucca to discuss Syria and ways to counter the Islamic State (IS) terror group.

The meeting will be attended by Italian Foreign Minister Angelino Alfano, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel, French Foreign Minister Jean Marc Ayrault, UK Foregn Secretary Boris Johnson, Japan's Fumio Kishida, Canada's Chrystia Freeland and the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini, Efe news reported.

The two-day meet, which is a precursor to the G7 summit in May in the Italian city of Taormina, comes at a time of increasing concern among Western nations over terrorist threats and conflicts in the Middle East.

In fact, Syria will be one of the main points on the agenda, especially after the March 6 US airstrike on the Shayrat air base in the city of Homs, in response to the use of chemical weapons by President Bashar al-Assad's regime.

The Italian interior minister, too, has convened a meeting with his counterparts from Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Qatar on Tuesday.

On Tuesday, there will be a second session, which will be followed by a press conference to brief the media regarding the outcome of the meeting.

In addition to the Syrian crisis and the threat from terrorism, the foreign ministers will also discuss the instability in Libya, North Korea's intention to continue its nuclear and missile weapons program, ties with Russia and the Ukraine crisis.

Other matters on the agenda also include the situation in Iraq and the complete integration of Iran in the international community. 

Kulbhushan Jadhav, an alleged Indian spy arrested in Pakistan, has been given the death sentence, it was announced here on Monday.

The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said a Field General Court Martial awarded the capital punishment and Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa had confirmed the death sentence.

Jadhav was arrested on March 3, 2016 reportedly in Balochistan's Mashkel area for "involvement in espionage and sabotage activities against Pakistan", the ISPR said.
 

Renowned Sarod players Amaan Ali Bangash and Ayaan Ali Bangash believe that the world's biggest video-sharing platform YouTube has changed the world of music once and for all.

"It's the time of social media. It's good to listen to so much material. The content is easily available there (Youtube). Back in the day, one just had to run to look for even for a single record, one CD or cassettes of your favourite musicians. Whereas, now everything is available quite easily," said Ayaan, who along with his elder brother Amaan visited Noida for the first time for a 'True to our roots' concert organised by HCL.

While maintaining that YouTube has made the world of music more connected than ever before, the Bangash brothers, whose mesmerising performances can be watched on their official channel 'Sarod Records', pointed out its disadvantages too.

"It has, perhaps, given a platform to lot of opinions, views, which are posted by an unknown identity…I can't say how healthy it is. However, as fas as music is concerned, especially, if you are professionally learning a particular form of art, one needs to have proper guidance from a trainer, a guru to know what direction he/she should take," exclaimed the duo, who enthralled audience playing melodious ragas including their favourite Raga Rageshree during the concert that concluded Sunday night.

Sarod maestro Ustad Amjad Ali Khan's famous sons, who mesmerised Indian classical music lovers with their recently-released album The Journey: Rabab to Sarod have many more forthcoming projects up their sleeve. 

In tete-a-tete, the duo revealed they are working with western musicians for fresh records, scheduled to be released soon.

"We are working with musicians from western school of music. It will be an interpretation of western classical music in Indian form. Besides, we are also working with Karsh Kale (Indian American musician). With Karsh, we will be working on a musical mix of electronica and Indian classical music, disclosed Amaan, who is planning to get hitched in near future.

The musical greats also talked about their latest album The Journey: Rabab to Sarod. 
"When we recorded a track with Afghan Rabab player Daud Khan Sadozai, we didn't plan to make an album. We just wanted to check how Rabab sounds with Sarod. It sounded amazing…It was Ayaan's idea. It took us a year-and-a-half to decide to come out with an album," the musical duo signed off with a smile.

Expressing concern over terrorism and cyber security, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said challenges like terrorism and cyber security require a global strategy.

"Challenges like terrorism and cyber security require global strategy and solutions," Prime Minister Narendra Modi said after signing six MOUs with his Australian counterpart Malcom Turnbill.

"We are aware that in this globalised world challenges like terrorism and cyber security extend beyond the boundaries of our regions," PM Modi said.

Of the six pacts signed between India and Australia, one is aimed at boosting counter-terrorism cooperation.

The two leaders held comprehensive discussions on bilateral, regional and international issues of mutual interest and concern.

Kerala government is planning to use its own live streaming technology to tap tourists' experiential accounts of the destinations they visit.
Considering its potential for tourism promotion in India, a group of young professionals from Kerala, with the support of state Tourism Department, is all set to explore live streaming as a major campaign tool for the upcoming second edition of International Conference on Tourism Technology (ICTT) in Kochi.
Association of Tourism Trade Organisation (ATTOI), with the support of Kerala Tourism, will organise the three-day event at the Le Meridien Hotel here from June 8 to 10.
“Technology has become an essential part of tourism industry.
Unlike other social media tools, we have noticed that the live feeds are getting more traction.
“It is intimate, engaging, bespoke and authentic than any other form of tourism destination promotions,” ATTOI President Anish Kumar PK, who is a winner of the Kerala State Tourism Award for best use of IT in tourism, said.
In December last, ATTOI, as a curtain raiser to an international conference, organised a live streaming of an underwater engagement to showcase beach resorts as a unique offering of Kerala Tourism.
Over 25 lakh viewers across the world watched the video that was streamed live from the beach resort of Kovalam.
“The event was a huge hit as it attracted a large number of viewers across the globe.
Looking at the audience and strategy, the campaign is focused on giving people a chance to explore a place before they embark upon their journey.
This defines the changing dynamics of tourism,” Anish Kumar said in a release here.
ICTT 2017 aims at helping the tourism industry players to stay abreast with the latest technology through effective usage of the digital platform.
Experts from Singapore, Malaysia, New Zealand, Australia, UK, USA, and Belgium will be attending the brainstorming meet this year to share their insights.
The speakers will share insights on topics such as 'Content and Search Engine Strategy', 'Digital Tools: The way forward', 'Online Destination Marketing', 'Consumer Behaviour and Online Reputation', 'Social Media for Tourism.'
Around 500 delegates, comprising tour operators, hoteliers, resort owners, home stays, SEO (search engine optimisation) companies, social media marketing companies and bloggers, are slated to attend the conference.

Marigold, the most popular flower of India, has spiritual significance in India. It is grown not only in gardens, but also cultivated in fields. The flowers are used as prayer offering to deities, to decorate the house and its garland to welcome guests. Apart from its many uses, it has several health benefits. The flowers, leaves and even the sap of the stem have medicinal purpose for several ailments. 

While marigold comes in different colours and varieties, the dark red ones are said to be more effective medicinally. Some of its health benefits are:

The leaves of dark red royal marigold are effective for treatment of skin irritation and allergy. Slightly warm the leaves, roll them between your palms and rub the roll on to the infected skin area. 

The juice of the flowers also cure inflammation of the skin and other parts of the body. 

The extract of the flower and leaves can be used as sunscreen. It cures sunburn. 

The leaves extract also treat boils, cuts and other damge on the skin.

Its strong odor keeps insects and pest away, which is why they are commonly used in houses to ward off evil as believed.

Marigold grows in plenty in the country. Farmers harvest them for commercial purpose, as the flowers are used for all religious purpose by the Hindus. If they are hard to find, you can plant your own. They are easy to grow and they grow well in sunny places and are all-weather flowering plants.

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Yogi Adityanath, ever since he assumed office as the 21st Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, has not only sent shivers down the spines of the bureacuracy with his blistering work pace but has also "inspired" a luxury hotel in this city of nawabs to tailor its vegetraian menu in his likeness, even as it continues to serve Mughlai fare.

Built in splendid nawabi colonial style architecture with majestic oriental stone, pillars and intricately carved stonework, the management of the SSJ International Hotel, "inspired by the Yogi" and awe-struck by his simple living and hard work, has unveiled an innovative and diverse menu — much of it in saffron and orange, the colours worn by the monk-Chief Minister.

Some of the signature dishes on the new menu include paneer tikka, tandoori aloo, tandoori Momos, pineapple tarts, tomato sour, tandoori achari cchaap and tandoori stuffed malai chaap, among others, Surendra Kumar Jaiswal, the founder of the hotel, said.

The "new menu reflects the combination of different flavours, yet these bear the hallmark of simplicity just like the Chief Minister," he added, expressing confidence that all the dishes on offer would be "a unique culinary experience for our guests and these will be well received by the food connoisseurs coming to dine here".

And so, as the guests coming to the hotel in Charbagh are enjoying the new menu, only time will tell how far would the list of faithful go in the coming times.

Dismay, fear and panic grips many in parts of India, as the ban on selling of meat that triggered dissension not only among the common people but also in the corridor of politics continues to be imposed in several states.

Recently, it was the crackdown on illegal slaughterhouses initiated by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath followed by other states like Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand and Madhya Pradesh, and now the announcement of life imprisonment for cow slaughter in Gujarat.

Following it, the voice for and against the ban in social networking sites and mobile apps has been growing louder and wider. But the ban on cow slaughter is not a new issue, it has been debated upon in both the political and social circles even before, and it is an age-old matter. 

The ban on cow slaughter is ancient 

According to history books, cow slaughter became prominent in India when Islamic rulers of Arab and Central Asian Turkic arrived in the country. It was during the Mughal rule that selected restricted bans were introduced on cow slaughter. It was believed that Mughal emperor Humayan stopped eating beef after killing of cows in Hindu territory led to severe clashes. So, later other Mughal emperors like Akbar and Jahangir prohibited cow slaughter.

Where was India’s first slaughterhouse built?

While killing of cows and domestic animals was practiced openly, India’s first formal slaughterhouse was built in Calcutta, now Kolkata, in 1760 by Robert Clive.

What does the Indian Constitution have to say about beef ban?

Yes, in Directive Principles of State Policy, the Article 24 of the Indian Constitution states prohibition of slaughter of cows and calves and other milch and drought cattle. The milch and drought cattle include buffaloes, mithun and yak.

Where is cow slaughter legal in India?

Kerala, Arunachal Pradesh, West Bengal, Mizoram, Sikkim, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur and Tripura are states where there are no restrictions on cow slaughter or sale of cows.

States where cow slaughter is banned

In Gujarat: According to the bill passed by the state Assembly on March 31, now it is life imprisonment for cow slaughter in the state from the earlier seven-year jail term. The bill also imposed 10 years' imprisonment for transportation of cows. People in possession of beef will be slapped a fine of Rs.1-5 lakh along with a jail term of 7-10 years.

In Uttar Pradesh, cow slaughter can lead to seven-year jail term with fine up to Rs.10,000.

In Maharashtra, slaughter or consumption of cow meat is banned and five years' imprisonment and Rs.10,000 fine of the accused.

In Jharkhand, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir and Rajasthan – jail term of 10 years has been imposed on selling or consumption of beef. However, a fine of Rs.1 lakh is imposed for killing in Haryana and Rs. 50,000 in Chhattisgarh along with seven-year imprisonment.

In Tamil Nadu and Odisha, up to three years jail and two years jail along with Rs.1,000 fine in both the states respectively.

In Karnataka, possession of cows is not considered illegal, but killing can lead to seven-year jail and Rs.1 lakh fine. But, it is yet to become a law in the state.

In Madhya Pradesh, killing of cow would result in seven-year jail.

In Himachal Pradesh, killing of cows is allowed for only research purposes. But, otherwise anyone caught in the act of slaughtering cow for selling and consumption will be jailed for five years.

Cow slaughter is banned in Assam, except on ‘fit-for-slaughter’ certificate according to the Assam Cattle Preservation Act, 1950. Also in Andhra Pradesh and Telengana,

In Chandigarh, cow killing, storing or consuming beef is banned.

Cow killing is allowed in Bihar for the ones older than 15 years. However, slaughter of calves is banned. The violater will be slapped a jail term of six month and Rs.1,000 fine.

In New Delhi, slaughtering of cows, not buffaloes, and possession of beef even if killed outside the city is banned.

Singer Mariah Carey has reportedly split from her boyfriend Bryan Tanaka, who earlier worked as a backup dancer for her.

According to sources, Carey and Tanaka have parted ways over his "insane jealousy" and her "shutting the cash register drawer" on Tanaka's fingers, reports tmz.com.

The website claimed that Tanaka was in "unbridled fury" over Carey's relationship with her former husband Nick Cannon. 

"She's been chummy with him for sure, mostly for the benefit of their twins. They vacation as a family and go to dinner and parties together, sometimes without the kids," the source said.

As per sources, Tanaka felt "disrespected" when Carey and Cannon came together to the Kids' Choice Awards last month.

Meanwhile, on Carey's behalf, the source shared that the singer got sick of paying the bills for his expensive shopping.

They were together for five months. 
 

Actress Busy Philipps says she was almost "murdered" by a stranger during an Uber ride with husband Marc Silverstein.

Philipps, best known for her roles in TV shows like Freaks and Geeks and Dawson's Creek, shared the story on Instagram through videos, explaining in detail how a man suddenly appeared inside the car they were in on Sunday, reports aceshowbiz.com.

Before explaining the incident, Philipps shared a photograph on Instagram, and wrote: "Seconds before I was almost murdered by a random dude in an Uber…" 

She said that they ordered a single ride, not a shared one and that the driver was already acting strangely right from the beginning, pulling up farther away from where they were. The moment she got into the car, she knew something was wrong. 

"I say (to Silverstein), 'What's going on, are we about to get murdered?'" Philipps recounted. 

"A man that we didn't know existed in the back seat pops up… And he was like, 'I promise that's not going to happen.' It was very creepy the way he chose to say it, even though he wasn't going to murder us, he made it seem like he might," she added.

The couple eventually jumped out of the car to prevent possible incidents. 

They contacted Uber after the ride, but didn't call the police, aceshowbiz.com reported.

"I don't feel like the police would have been helpful," she said. 

According to a source, Uber said that it was a violation of the rules, and they are looking into the incident. 
 

Bollywood actress Shraddha Kapoor, who is playing the lead role in Mohit Suris upcoming film Half Girlfriend, says these days while parents are quite open about the idea of love marriages and live-in relationships, there are many youngsters who are commitment-phobic.

Half Girlfriend is a film based on an eponymous novel by writer Chetan Bhagat, who had once explained that the term is for a phenomenon where boys and girls are not clear about their relationship status with each other.

Asked about her opinion on becoming a half girlfriend, Shraddha said here on Monday: "Well, there are relationships in all our lives that you cannot name. Like in this film, I also believe there are relationships we have sometimes in life, where you have someone who is more than just a friend but not exactly a boyfriend… It's somewhere in the middle."

"I have seen many of my friends who do not want to fully commit in a relationship. At times do not want to settle down… As in, marry the person. On the other hand, our earlier generation — our parents — are becoming more accepting towards respecting our choice, even if it is a live-in relation, keeping our happiness in mind. I talk to my parents about it openly," she added.

Shraddha spoke at the trailer launch of the film, which also features Arjun Kapoor and is directed by Mohit Suri.

Known for her singing skills and asked if she has crooned any track for "Half Girlfriend", Shraddha said: "No, but I played basketball. That's a new experience that I enjoyed during the shooting."

The film is releasing on May 19.