Groom and not-so-blushing bride have naked wedding

Their 250 wedding guests were allowed clothes

Austria. William and Kate might like to give this idea for their big day a miss. A couple have turned the other cheek to tradition by getting married - in a naked wedding. Melanie Schachner, 26, and Rene Schachner, 31, had racked their brains to come up with something so memorable for their big day that they would never forget. The groom and not-so-blushing bride decided to strip off and get married in the nude in front of their family and friends.They walked down the aisle in a register office service in Feldkirchen, Austria, before celebrating with a reception in a nearby castle. Melanie wore a traditional veil and white high heels. Her breasts were exposed but a flesh-coloured thong covered her nether-regions. The groom, however, remained totally nude throughout the service, using only a top hat to cover his modesty when posing for wedding pictures. Thankfully for the couple, the registrar managed to keep her embarrassment under control and make it through the reading of the vows.Melanie said: 'We're not ashamed of our bodies and we wanted to do something different. It certainly saved on a wedding dress.'In 2009 Australian couple Ellie Barton and Phil Hendicott, who conducted their nuptials in the nude back in 2009.They won a radio competition which awarded them a free wedding - as long as they both wore nothing at all. But their 250 wedding guests were allowed clothes.

Tamil-Telugu actress Namitha

is one of the most googled women in the South film industry

India. And her new photoshoot is ample reason why fans love to look at her. Namitha first got her break in a Telugu film, seven years ago. For the first two films, she was strangely credited as Bhairavi. When she switched over to Tamil cinema, she changed her name to Namitha. Not many know that Namitha's last name is Kapoor. Yes, she's a full-blooded Punjabi kudi! The actress was, however, born in Surat, Gujarat. Namitha found a place in Tamil cinema quite easily, among other popular actresses like Khushboo, Nagma and Rambha. She has acted with all the big Tamil stars, including Sharath Kumar and Sathyaraj.

A regular sex life is good for your health

"It can satisfy all sorts of emotional- and physical-intimacy needs and help partners stay close"


USA. Says Anita H. Clayton, M.D., a professor of psychiatry at the University of Virginia and author of "Satisfaction: Women, Sex, and the Quest for Intimacy." So why the dry spell? You can chalk it up to a sheer lack of time, but there are a slew of other reasons, too-from weight gain and perimenopause to technology overload (stop texting now) in the bedroom. Here's how to beat these sex busters. You spend your days working, cooking, working out, taking care of the family. And, still, at 11:30 p.m., "you're expected to wave this magic goddess wand," Krychman says. It's enough to make even Pamela Anderson curl up in bed and cry, "headache." Besides totally tuckering you out, the chronic stresses of modern life can also trigger a cascade of hormonal changes that mess with your body's sexual-response cycle. And here's another modern sex buster that adds to all the craziness: today's always-connected technology.

Female condoms

The first city in the US to make female condoms available for free, the Washington Post has reported

USA. The contraceptives will be handed out in beauty salons, convenience stores and high schools in areas with high rates of HIV/Aids infection. Male condoms have long been handed out but infection rates remain high among Washington's black residents. Female condoms have been on sale since 1993 but take-up has been slow. The initial version of the contraceptive was judged by US customers to be too expensive. However, a new version now being used in countries including South Africa, Brazil, and Indonesia will be distributed in Washington DC and offered for sale in pharmacies alongside male condoms.

"Anywhere male condoms are available, female condoms will be available," Shannon Hader, director of the city's HIV/AIDS administration, told the Washington Post. "We're trying to make every effort count to build on what already exists... to expand options rather than limit them." HIV/Aids infection is the leading cause of death for black women aged 25-34 in the US. A 2008 report showed Washington DC's HIV/Aids rate at 3%, or about 15,100 adults, the Post reported.

Hotel erects 11-million-dollar Christmas tree

Christmas came in extravagant fashion to the Muslim desert emirate of Abu Dhabi as a glitzy hotel unveiled a bejewelled Christmas tree valued at more than 11 million dollars

UAE. It is the "most expensive Christmas tree ever," with a "value of over 11 million dollars," said Hans Olbertz, general manager of Emirates Palace hotel, at its inauguration. The 13-metre (40-foot) faux evergreen, located in the gold leaf-bedecked rotunda of the hotel, is decorated with silver and gold bows, ball-shaped ornaments and small white lights. But the necklaces, earrings and other jewellery draped around the tree's branches are what give it a record value. It holds a total of 181 diamonds, pearls, emeralds, sapphires and other precious stones, said Khalifa Khouri, owner of Style Gallery, which provided the jewellery. "The tree itself is about 10,000 dollars," Olbertz said. "The jewellery has a value of over 11 million dollars - I think 11.4, 11.5." This will probably be an entry into the Guinness book of world records, Olbertz said, adding that Emirates Palace planned to contact the organisation about the tree which is to stay until the end of the year. Asked if the tree might offend religious sensibilities in the United Arab Emirates, where the vast majority of the local population is Muslim, Olbertz said he did not think it would. "It's a very liberal country," he said. The hotel has had a Christmas tree up in previous years, but this year "we said we have to do something different," and the hotel's marketing team hatched the plan, said Olbertz. The tree is not the first extravagant offering from Emirates Palace - a massive, dome-topped hotel sitting amid fountains and carefully manicured lawns.

The hotel, which bills itself as seven-star, in February introduced a package for a seven-day stay priced at one million dollars. Takers of the package have a private butler and a chauffeur driven Maybach luxury car at their disposal during their stay, as well as a private jet available for trips to other countries in the region. And in May, the hotel opened a gold vending machine, becoming the first place outside Germany to install "gold to go, the world's first gold vending machine," said Ex Oriente Lux AG, the German company behind the machine.