Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar on Wednesday ruled out banning wearing of bikinis on the state's beaches, a day after a minister in his government advocated such a measure, but said drinking of liquor in public places will be prohibited.

Having already triggered a controversy by his remark against "young girls going to pubs in short dresses", Goa minister Sudin Dhavalikar on Tuesday waded into another, saying bikinis should be banned on state's beaches.

Brazil's one million licensed prostitutes are reportedly preparing to cash in at the upcoming FIFA World Cup, where more than 3.7 million soccer fans are expected to pour in.

We bring you a fresh collection of offbeat, quirky stories from around the world.

To commemorate 20 years of worship, here are 20 things about Pulp Fiction that make it better than your favourite film, no matter what it may be.

'If you remove the Gandhi tag behind his name, Rahul is not fit to become even a clerk anywhere.' 'What Gujarat model? It's a model that allows you to sell chai for Rs 5 and land for Rs 1.' 'The day I think AAP becomes Arvind Kejriwal's party I will leave it.' Dr Vishwas Kumar Sharma's Web site introduces him with the grandiose line, 'Indian by blood, poet by choice and a motivator by God's grace'. He is also the Aam Aadmi Party's candidate from Amethi. In a interview with Swarupa Dutt/Rediff.com, 'India's most-read poet' manages to keep the 'I' in every answer.

The Indian Chief Classic brings in a lot of character, style. It puts even the Harley-Davidson in the shade.

M I Khan in Patna Nearly twelve years after he left the National Democratic Alliance and resigned from the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government after the Gujarat riots in 2002, Lok Janshakti Party chief Ram Vilas Paswan will share the dais with Gujarat Chief Minister and Bharatiya Janata party's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi at his 'hunkar' rally in Bihar's Muzaffarpur town on Monday. Paswan, who joined the NDA last week to contest the Lok Sabha polls and took a U-turn on Modi, will appear in public with the BJP's top brass including Modi at the rally. Paswan's son Chirag will also be present at the function. Upendra Kushwaha is another new face that will be at the event. Kushwaha is the chief of the Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP) that joined hands with the BJP last week. Both Paswan and Kushwaha are known as their own caste. Paswan is said to enjoy overwhelming support of his caste -- locally known as Dusadh, the only Dalit caste in Bihar after Chief Minister Nitish Kumar categorised 21 other Dalit castes as 'Mahadalit' -- poorest of the poor. Kushwaha has been trying hard for last few years to emerge as a leader of his caste -- Koeri, an agrarian backward caste spread across the state. A senior BJP leader said that presence of Paswan and Kushwaha will send a strong political massage among respective castes in Bihar. "It will strengthen the BJP's social support base in Bihar," he said. In Bihar, the BJP is widely seen as an upper caste party. The much-hyped rally is seen as a bid to mobilise support and strengthen the support base in the state. The state in the Hindi heartland that sends 40 Lok Sabha members to Parliament is politically very important. In the 2009 Lok Sabha polls, the party had won 12 seats, while the Janata Dal-United won 20 seats, when they had contested as a combined force. It is expected that Modi will target Kumar, who has openly opposed him by repeatedly saying that the prime ministerial candidate should be of nsecular credentials.

Morning Glory, a pre-work club started by events organiser Sam and massage therapist Nico, is the antidote to a room full of rowdy, drunken party-animals lurching out of step to booming dance music.

Formula One legend Michael Schumacher may reportedly several months to wake up from his medically-induced coma, although he is slowly recovering from his devastating head injuries.

Confused about where to travel to this year? In a series beginning today, we get the pros to list out the most popular destinations amongst Indians. Today Shalini Bajaj of Journey N Beyond Travels draws up her list!

There's nothing quite like a wonderful lunch on a crisp winter day in Delhi. Harnoor Channi-Tiwary recommends five such places that you absolutely must visit before the onset of summer.

It doesn't matter where you go, but the break will help you focus better when you resume work.

Excerpts from celebrity hairstylist Jawed Habib's book Hair Yoga

As the D-day draws near, a long list of things start screaming out for the bride's attention! We will provide you with is a list of few things that you need to carry with you while you take forward the journey from being Miss to Misses.

Jawed Habib runs 340 salons and 47 academies around the world and is perhaps the most well-known hairdresser in the country. Even so, the flashy entrepreneur has had humble beginnings.

Shameem Akthar ventures to Nepal to learn the use of Tibetan bowls in meditation. And to enrich her soul.

Dr Rashmi Shetty answered readers' queries on skincare during pregnancy in an online chat with Get Ahead readers on November 29.

After the court exonerated him in the case, a happy Prof Joseph told Rediff.com over the phone, "I am very happy. I had no intentions of hurting anyone. When the protests happened I had given an unconditional apology to both the public and the college but it was not accepted. Today they know that I was innocent."

Mumbai claims to have a large number of developed public and private medical facilities. It attracts patients from all over, including abroad, for specialist care. Hoardings proclaiming all sorts of 'state-of-the-art' medical facilities dot its skylines. The lack of a developed emergency medical response system is completely incongruous with all this, says Dr Sanjay Nagral.

Mumbai claims to have a large number of developed public and private medical facilities. It attracts patients from all over, including abroad, for specialist care. Hoardings proclaiming all sorts of 'state-of-the-art' medical facilities dot its skylines. The lack of a developed emergency medical response system is completely incongruous with all this, says Dr Sanjay Nagral.

Keep these pointers in mind and you will drastically lower the risk of injury. Your workouts will be safe and effectively produce the results you want!

In an online chat with Get Ahead readers Dr Anil Bansal, Chief Cardiologist at Columbia Asia Hospital, answered queries related to heart ailments.

redBus.in is the second highest transacted travel website in the country, next only to IRCTC.

A long term solution to arrest the rupee slide is growth.

Our beloved country although evolving still, retains a precious simplicity. We still have time to visit one another without having to make appointments, says Neil Nongkynrih, founder of the famous Shillong Chamber Choir, as we continue our special series where 66 Indians tell Rediff.com what they love most about India.

A month after serial bomb explosions at Bodh Gaya's Mahabodhi temple in Bihar, the temple management body has appealed to foreign monasteries to help woo pilgrims and tourists.

Shameem Akthar, yogacharya trained with the Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Center, Kerala, reveals the poses that can keep your mane healthy.

Cheeky, outrageous and at the same time all very true -- Lalita Iyer says it as it is in her pregnancy memoir I'm pregnant not terminally ill, you idiot!

Chris Xuereb, the masseur and fitness advisor of Asafa Powell and Sherone Simpson, has denied providing the two Jamaican sprinters with performance-enhancing drugs and said they should take responsibility for their failed dope tests.

In further legal trouble for the beleaguered Pervez Musharraf, the Islamabad high court on Friday ordered the registration of a case against the former military ruler for his alleged involvement in the Lal Masjid operation.

Agnieszka Radwanska has bared it all. The world No.4 has revealed herself in the latest edition of ESPN The Magazine Body Issue.

M V Sridhar was appointed manager of the Indian cricket team for the tri-series in the West Indies starting June 28.

We bring you an excerpt from the recently-published 'Beauty Unleashed' by hair and skincare expert to the stars Dr Dinyar Workingboxwalla.

By resigning from all posts of the Bharatiya Janata Party, and finally being persuaded to withdraw the resignation, veteran leader L K Advani, there is a realisation in the party it could not overlook or ignore the senior leader's tantrums as it would show up the party as a divided house, says Anita Katyal

Affairs can be painful and shocking, and can often cause untold damage. However, for some couples, an affair may also be a path to strength and to a renewed and even stronger relationship.

Jay Bhanushali and Mahhi Vij talk about their big win at the dance reality show.

A British woman who jumped from a hotel balcony in India fearing a sexual assault has recalled her ordeal, saying that she shouted for help for more than an hour.

Close on the heels of the gang rape of a Swiss tourist in Madhya Pradesh, a 25-year-old British woman on Tuesday jumped off a hotel room in Agra to save herself from an alleged sexual assault bid and suffered a leg fracture.

Shiv Chowrasia's wife will be ruing her decision to stay in bed on Saturday morning after missing out on seeing her journeyman husband shoot the best round of the week at the Abu Dhabi Championship.