Mumbai, May 12 (IANS) Actress Lara Dutta Bhupathi has been reliving her Miss Universe 2000 victory day on May 12 through a series of photos in which she is seen participating in the swimsuit round, gracefully posing in an evening gown and finally wearing the prestigious crown. "20 years to the day!! 12 th May 2000, Nicosia, Cyprus. What a wonderful gift to receive from the universe! One I'm eternally grateful for @feminamissindia missdivaorg timesofindia @missuniverse," Lara ca

New Delhi, May 12 (IANSlife) A total of 72 per cent of Indias combustible tobacco users between the ages of 18-24 years old have attempted to quit smoking during the lockdown, followed by 69 per cent of combustible tobacco users between the ages of 25-39, suggests a recent survey conducted by the Foundation for a Smoke-Free World.   Around 66 per cent of those surveyed (ages 18-69) expressed their desire to quit smoking amid COVID-19 for health reasons.   A total

New Delhi, May 11 (IANSlife) Indians are more likely to believe the COVID crisis will get resolved sooner in India than it will globally. Nearly half (48%) think the pandemic is likely to lose steam in India within the next three months (end of May- end of July), which is higher than the number of people hoping for the same to happen globally within this time frame (40%), says a survey.   Fewer Indians (32%) think it may take longer (end of August- end of October) till the c

New Delhi, May 10 (IANS) As disinformation related to COVID-19 is spreading faster than the virus itself, micro -blogging platform Twitter feels that its work has never been more critical and its service has never been in higher demand than ever before globally, including in India.   The power of a uniquely open service during a public health emergency is crystal clear, says Mahima Kaul, Director, Public Policy, India and South Asia at Twitter, adding that they are continuin

Mumbai, May 10 (IANS) Actress Celina Jaitly, who spent a significant part of her life in Kolkata, went back to the City of Joy to shoot her comeback film "Seasons Greetings: A Tribute To Rituporno Ghosh". Self-confessedly a Bengali by heart, she says Kolkata will always hold a special place in her heart. "For a Bengali by heart who stays away from her beloved Kolkata, the complexities of life and the monotony of daily routine never take away the resplendence of nostalgia. Kolka

London, May 9 (IANS) Britain, locked down by COVID-19 restrictions, celebrated the 75th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day (VE Day), a landmark anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe. Massive celebrations, as well as thousands of street parties, had to be scrapped due to the pandemic. A parade through London, which would have included a diminishing group of World War II veterans, was one of the events called off, Xinhua news agency reported on Friday. But a mixture of

Mumbai, May 8 (IANS) Actress Chitrangda Singh believes it is important to stay mentally fit, come what may.   "The mental health of the women in the family affects everyone and it's important to encourage people to talk about it. People should absolutely not make women feel guilty about having any kind of issue or stress or anxiety. There is no bravery in fake toughness. We all are weak at times, and it's good to make people feel that it is all okay and normal. So yes, I bel

The campaign includes 50 female celebrities from actress Reese Witherspoon to soccer player Megan Rapinoe   MEXICO CITY, May 8 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - South African actress Charlize Theron on Thursday said more than 50 female celebrities, from actress Reese Witherspoon to soccer player Megan Rapinoe, had joined her campaign to fight violence against women during the global coronavirus lockdowns.   The #TogetherForHer initiative launched in April by the Char

Mumbai, May 7 (IANS) Actress-producer Dia Mirza's term as United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) Goodwill Ambassador has been extended. She will now be serving till the end of 2022. Dia, who is also a United Nations Sustainability Development Goals Advocate, feels the extension is another opportunity to work towards changing things for nature. "I am grateful for the opportunity to continue to serve as UNEP ambassador. My association with the United Nations Environment Programm

Mumbai, May  6 (IANS) Filmmaker Leena Yadav who directed the late actor Rishi Kapoor in "Rajma Chawal", recalls the actor as a "brutally honest" person driven by his passion for life. "The first time I went to meet him and told him my story idea, he asked me who else is there in the film. Then he started saying that I should make the film with stars so that it can get better mileage. He wasn't one of those actors who would think about just his character. He would think about ho

Former U.S. President Barack Obama speaks during an Obama Foundation event in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, December 13, 2019. REUTERS/Lim Huey Teng/Files   LOS ANGELES, May 6 (Reuters) - Former U.S. President Barack Obama, Lady Gaga, LeBron James and K-Pop band BTS are among dozens of celebrities and world leaders who will salute the class of 2020 in virtual U.S. graduation ceremonies replacing the traditional end of high school and college.   Obama, with his wife Mich

Mumbai, May 5 (IANS) Late actor Rishi Kapoor's wife Neetu Kapoor on Tuesday thanked Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) chairman and managing director Mukesh Ambani and his family.   Taking to Instagram, Neetu penned a post expressing her gratitude to the Ambanis for being a constant support to Rishi Kapoor during his two-year-long battle with cancer.   "For us, as a family, the last two years have been a long journey. There were good days, there were a couple of bad da

Kate Middleton raises awareness for mental health issues during the coronavirus   LONDON, May 5 (Reuters) - British royal Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, has video-called a number of new parents, midwives and other maternity service professionals to promote her message of mental health awareness during the coronavirus pandemic.   In a video posted on Twitter by Kensington Palace, the residence and office of Kate and her husband Prince William, the mother-of-three

Photo: Reuters   London, May 4 (IANS) A mass move to working-from-home accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic might not be beneficial to Mother Earth as energy savings were offset by increased travel for recreation or other purposes, together with additional energy use in the home, says a new study.   The majority of studies on the subject analysed by the University of Sussex researchers in the UK agreed that working-from-home reduced commuter travel and energy use

New Delhi, May 4 (IANSlife) Veteran fashion designer Anita Dongre suggests in these unprecedented times when uncertainty looms large, young designers should utilise this time to find inspiration and design while in lockdown.   Dongre believes the fashion industry is going to be seriously impacted due to the pandemic, and resulting nationwide lockdown.   "As an industry, it provides employment to millions, now all work has come to a halt. It will take many months t

BY VINOD MIRANI IANS A story of struggle ended this week. Irrfan Khan's ailments got the better of his fighting spirit. But, this struggler went onto become a living legend and, in his death at such a young age (53) and at the peak of his acting career, the legend will live forever.   Did Irrfan become the Irrfan that moviegoers always wished to watch and adore, become so popular in the last decade or thereabouts? No, this did not happen overnight, nor with one film. The

New Delhi, May 2 (IANS) The late Bollywood icon Rishi Kapoor created a minor record even after his demise! Online search for the actor rose by 7000 per cent in India, and 6700 per cent globally after he passed away. On April 30, a study by SEMrush found that fans posted 6,214 tweets on hashtag rishikapoor. Other hashtags, which were used included rishi_kapoor, riprishikapoor, riprishikapoorji, and riplegend. On these hashtags, fans tweeted 1,040 times, 995 times, 564 times, and

Mumbai, May 2 (IANS) Bollywood veteran Amitabh Bachchan has paid a tribute to his friend and departed colleague Rishi Kapoor, by sharing a recreated classic that was used in "102 Not Out", their last film together that released in 2018. Big B took to his social media accounts, where he shared a lyrical music video from the Umesh Shukla directorial, which recreated the classic song "Waqt ne kiya kya haseen sitam" in his voice. The original Geeta Dutt classic, for Guru Dutt's

New Delhi, May 1 (IANSlife) A heartfelt rendition of India's national anthem 'Jana Gana Mana', featuring the voices of Lok Sabha member Shashi Tharoor and Tagore fusion singer Isheeta Ganguly, will be launched next week. The two-minute music video, coming as a call to all Indians to unite during the COVID-19 crisis, showcases aerial views of Mumbai's beautiful cityscapes as it binds the viewers in an awe-inspiring rendition of the nation's anthem. While Ganguly, a trained singer

Mumbai, April 30 (IANS) From the son of the iconic Raj Kapoor to the romantic hero of the seventies to the father of new-age star Ranbir Kapoor, Rishi Kapoor a magnetic personality. He lived a life in a way that lives up to the title of his autobiography, "Khullam Khulla". Here we take a look at the journey of the legendry actor through the years: 1952 Rishi, the second child of actor-filmmaker Raj Kapoor and Krishna Raj, is born on September 4. 1955 Little Rishi, l