The teaser of Clayface has been released to offer a glimpse into the origins of the shape-shifting villain in the DC universe.
The horror film is directed by James Watkins and will star Tom Rhys Harries in the lead role. Clayface, who starts as struggling actor Matt Hagen, receives a highly experimental medical procedure after his face is disfigured in a knife attack.
Taipei, Taiwan — Japan’s southern island of Kyushu is known for its volcanic landscape and tonkatsu ramen, but the popular tourist destination is ground zero for one of the greatest shifts in Japan’s defence strategy since 1947, when it formally renounced the use of war to settle international disputes.
In late March, Japan deployed long-range missiles to Kumamoto Prefecture on the island’s southwest coast. Unlike previous defence installations, these missiles could hit China, reflecting the fact that Beijing has ranked as Japan’s top national security threat above North Korea and Russia since 2019.
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Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi told reporters at the time that “Japan faces the most severe and complex security environment in the post-war era” and the country must strengthen its “deterrence and responsiveness”.
Known as the “southern shield,” the new front in Japan’s defence strategy has seen the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF), as the country’s military is formally known, deploy a range of weapons platforms as well as electronic warfare and air assets in southern Japan and its southwest outlying islands.
“The balance is changing. The defence posture has completely shifted towards the southwest, so the north is much less prioritised,” Suzuki Kazuto, director of the Institute of Geoeconomics, an independent think tank in Tokyo, said.
Much of Japan’s growing defence budget, which hit a record $58bn for the fiscal year 2026, has been allocated towards this build-up, he said. The strategy focuses heavily on the Nansei or Ryukyu Islands, which run from Kyushu to within 100km (62 miles) of Taiwan.
These islands form a natural barrier dividing the East China Sea from the Philippine Sea, and are a critical part of the United States-led “First Island Chain” maritime defence strategy, which aims to keep Chinese forces out of the Pacific.
While the “First Island Chain” strategy has its roots in the Cold War, Tokyo is worried about increased Chinese military activity in the Asia Pacific, including the East China Sea and the Taiwan Strait.
The “southern shield” aims to create “anti-access or area-denial layers along the First Island Chain, complicating potential Chinese operations near Taiwan or in the East China Sea,” said Jonathan Ping, a political economist whose work focuses on statecraft at Australia’s Bond University.
It also incorporates a major shift in Japan’s defence policy towards acquiring “counterstrike capability” that would allow the JSDF to hit back if attacked, stretching the legal definition of what constitutes “self-defence”. These kinds of contradictions define the modern JSDF, which is a military in all but name and ranks alongside South Korea and France in the 2026 Global Firepower Index.
The JSDF emerged from Japan’s post-war police, at a time when Japan was reckoning with the Imperial Army’s brutal wartime atrocities during the US occupation, according to Soyoung Kim, an assistant professor who researches Japan’s post-war security policy at Nagoya University.
JSDF members are legally classified as “special national government employees,” and until the end of the Cold War, focused largely on humanitarian and disaster relief. Their role began to change after the Gulf War, when Japanese politicians felt humiliated by their inability to offer military support to the US-led coalition, Kim said.
In the decades since, public attitudes about the role of the JSDF have begun to shift, Kim said, amid Japan’s ongoing territorial dispute with China over the Senkaku or Diaoyu Islands. The Japanese public also regularly receives alerts each time North Korea test-fires a missile, as a reminder that Pyongyang still poses a major threat to Japan.
“There is increasingly greater acceptance or perhaps resignation to greater mission capability of the SDF,” Kim told Al Jazeera.
Over the past decade, the Japanese government has slowly moved the needle on what the JSDF can legally do, starting with a 2014 constitutional ruling that found Japan could participate in the “collective self-defence” of its allies.
“Japan has largely avoided formal amendments, choosing instead to ‘reinterpret’ the text. This makes Japan unique not just for its pacifism, but for the ‘legal gymnastics’ required to maintain a modern military under a constitution that explicitly forbids one,” said Taniguchi Tomohiko, who served as a special adviser to the cabinet of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
In 2022, Japan’s national security strategy was expanded to include “counterstrike capabilities,” which means it can hit back if attacked. As part of this strategy, Japan is due to acquire 400 US-made Tomahawk missiles, which can be launched from submarines and naval vessels.
Tokyo will release the next phase of its national security strategy later this year, covering 2026 to 2030. The document is expected to incorporate lessons from Ukraine and Iran about drones and supply chain chokepoints, according to Suzuki at the Institute of Geoeconomics. In its latest legal backflip, Japan separately approved the export of lethal weapons this month as it moves to build up a domestic drone industry.
While some of these changes are a response to the rise of neighbouring China, they also reflect growing concern in Tokyo about its longtime ally, the US, and its ability or willingness to defend its allies, say analysts.
Japan has historically fallen under the protection of Washington’s nuclear umbrella, but China’s rapid military and nuclear expansion has “reduced the credibility of the US extended deterrence,” according to Kei Koga, an expert in East Asian security and the US-Japan alliance, at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore.
“Japan wants to play a more kind of active role to compensate for the relative gains of China,” he said, which includes a second-strike nuclear capability – the ability to retaliate after a nuclear attack. China’s close ties to Russia and North Korea have raised the stakes further, he said.
Japanese politicians are also worried about the long-running question of whether a conflict will break out over Taiwan, a self-ruled democracy of 23 million people. China claims Taiwan as a province and has pledged to annex it by peace or by force.
US military assessments state it will likely be capable of doing so by next year. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said in December that a Taiwan conflict could prove to be a “survival-threatening situation” for Japan, which hosts multiple US military bases.
Some of Japan’s outlying islands also lie closer to Taiwan than the Japanese mainland. And under US President Donald Trump, many of the longstanding assumptions about the US commitment to defend allies like Japan are changing.
Whether Trump would intervene to help Taiwan is even less certain. Washington does not formally recognise Taipei, although it has pledged to help Taiwan defend itself under the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act. Known as “strategic ambiguity,” the policy stops short of committing US forces, but it has long been seen as a credible enough threat to deter China from moving on the much smaller island.
Trump’s shift towards an “America First” policy and combative relationship with longtime allies in Europe has worried Japan. A 2025 survey by Japan’s Asahi Shimbun indicated that 77 percent of respondents doubt that the US would protect Japan in a military crisis.
“Everything is focused on the American interest and American defence, so defending other countries is not the priority,” Suzuki told Al Jazeera.
Growing US scepticism in Japan has pushed Tokyo to shore up alliances with other US allies like the Philippines and Australia, while also dimming some of the public criticism about Japan’s military build-up.
“For many years, the opposition assumed that the United States would come and rescue Japan, and therefore we don’t need to have more than self-defence,” Suzuki said. “Increasingly, people are realising this assumption is too optimistic, and we need to have at least the minimum capability to have deterrence and counterstrike capability.”
There are two ways of looking at this. Continuity is great. Or, is this it? A gap of five years between the first Apple AirPods Max and the sequel, there is perhaps more scope for the latter question to be asked by those who may be willing to part with ₹67,900 for the headphone that will (despite all criticisms) still set the aspirational benchmark. People would want to be seen with this, they’d in fact love to be seen with this. A lot has changed with the audio hardware driving the experience, but it remains nigh impossible to tell the two generations apart at first glance.
In 2024, the generation one point five update gave the AirPods Max a USB-C port, in line with EU guidelines mandating a universal charging aperture. Apple used that moment to add lossless audio via USB-C and ultra-low latency to the AirPods Max. But the troika of big spec upgrades have been reserved for now—a new built-in amp, the H2 audio processing chip, and tweaks to active noise cancellation. The latter, even more crucial considering the window between the two generations has seen competition including Sennheiser and Sony seriously upping the game on the noise cancellation algorithms.
What’s not changed is the design, including the lack of a power button and a Smart Case design that still requires you to be careful. The weight, at 386.2 grams, is the same too—some of you may find it a bit on the heavier side initially, before your neck muscles get attuned to it in a while. The positive side to that heft and weight is, a very robust and fine build. That absolutely isn’t something Apple would compromise on. The combination of the aluminium ear cups, the metal frame with continuous adjustments, and a taut mesh headband simply looks good in any of the five dual-tone colours. If you want restrained, the choice should be Midnight. For maximum attention, go with Orange or Purple.
The big audio upgrade of the minor upgrade a couple of years ago also added lossless audio when connected via USB-C, something the Lightning port didn’t have. That foundational piece allows the AirPods Max 2 to keep the new H2 chips as its core step forward. Some may feel this isn’t enough for an ultra-premium headphone, but that’s just Apple’s methodology of baking things exactly as they feel is just right. And that is pretty much the case here too, with the original 40mm audio driver size (they are custom-built drivers) paired with an improved high dynamic range amplifier, delivering sound that’ll leave nothing on the table to complain about. And that includes a step forward with noise cancellation.
Between the previous generation and this, the AirPods Max 2 makes it very clear from the outset that there is much more definition to the music, though the already wide soundstage continues without any changes either way. What was already profound has only become better, and not clung to continuity for the sake of it. The H2 chip clearly makes its mark in the most positive of ways, not just with the audio experience, but also delivering the Apple ecosystem promise. Bass is definitely more than last year, and in a good way, with just the right tuning. This would be most noticeable with playlists that are leaning towards uptempo music.
The more powerful bass doesn’t intrude on the upper frequencies, and there’s a very nice balance that you’ll appreciate the more you listen to a variety of tracks on the AirPods Max 2. That said, if you are looking for the Sony-esque booming bass that’s attuned for remixes and music in that space, Apple’s audio tuning simply is too refined to be able to deliver that. Instruments in the mid range are nicely detailed and get their space within the soundstage, while vocals stream through with adequate crispness. If you do go the wired route with your iPhone or Mac for instance, the AirPods Max 2 will support lossless audio at 24-bit/44kHz.
Referencing the ecosystem promise I had mentioned earlier, the H2 chip is able to add up to one and a half times more capable noise cancellation, conversation awareness, loud sound reduction and live translation. Particularly for the noise cancellation aspect, this is at par with flagship headphone competition. The adaptive method mixes noise cancellation and transparency when needed to allow the user to be more aware of their surroundings, and this is the ideal mode to be in when travelling. Conversational awareness is key, for public transport announcements, for instance—what’s the point if the reaction comes mid-sentence? In my book, Apple has found the perfect tuning for this balancing act, amidst competition from Sony, Sennheiser, Sonos and even Dyson.
Apple should have found an alternative for the Smart Case, which essentially wraps around the ear cups but don’t provide any protection to the headphone elsewhere (the mesh headband is a concern, in a typical backpack that’d have other items sharing the same space too). And you’ll need this case to put the headphones into a power saving mode, because there is no manual way to power them down. This may also be an opportunity for an optional accessory, a hard case or something that’s a bit stiffer with complete coverage, the way headphones tend to bundle cases. But that hasn’t happened for almost six years now, and it’s unlikely it’ll change.
Let us be clear about one thing—there are no perfect headphones. What works for you may not do so for me, and vice-versa. The Apple AirPods Max 2 are really as good as it gets, for integrating into an Apple device ecosystem (pair these with Android or Windows, and you lose lot of the smart functionality). They sound fantastic, the battery life stamina remains the same as before, and the new audio processing hardware is the key improvement. By all comparative benchmarks, the AirPods Max 2 is a definitive upgrade over the first generation AirPods Max. It is for you to decide how far along are you in the first generation AirPods Max journey.
Singer Arijit Singh made a rare public appearance as he stepped out to cast his vote in the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections, accompanied by his wife, Koel Roy. The couple visited a polling booth in Jiaganj, Murshidabad, drawing attention from fans and media alike.
Dressed casually and maintaining his usual low-key demeanor, Arijit appeared cheerful as he greeted photographers and officials present at the venue. Videos circulating on social media showed the singer smiling warmly and acknowledging those around him before heading inside to exercise his democratic right.
After casting his vote, Arijit interacted briefly with the paparazzi, who requested him to share a message about voting and display his inked finger as proof. However, the singer chose to keep things light and declined both requests in his signature understated style.
Responding to the request for a message, Arijit joked that speaking about voting at that moment could create unnecessary confusion. He quipped that people might start assuming he had turned into a politician if he began making public statements during the polling process.
When photographers further urged him to show his inked finger, Arijit politely refused with a smile. He remarked humorously that his presence at the polling booth should be enough to confirm that he had cast his vote, adding a playful tone to the interaction.
Despite avoiding direct commentary, the singer maintained a friendly approach, encouraging the media to responsibly cover the voting process. His calm and composed behavior stood out, reflecting his preference to stay away from public statements on political matters while still fulfilling his civic duties.
Interestingly, his father, Surinder Singh, was also seen at a polling station in Murshidabad earlier in the day, where he shared that the voting process was smooth and peaceful.
Arijit’s appearance comes at a time when he has been making headlines for stepping away from playback singing earlier this year. While he has chosen not to take up new projects, he clarified that he will continue creating music and releasing previously recorded songs, reassuring fans about his ongoing presence in the industry.
Through his brief yet impactful appearance, Arijit Singh once again demonstrated his grounded personality participating in the democratic process while staying true to his reserved and humble public image.
Mumbai, Superstar Salman Khan on Friday announced that his upcoming action film with filmmaker Vamshi Paidipally will be released on Eid 2027.
The untitled film, produced by Dil Raju under his banner Sri Venkateswara Creations and featuring Tamil star Nayanthara as the female lead, went on floors in Mumbai earlier this week.
Salman shared the news while posting a behind the scenes video from the sets on his Instagram.
“Thoda durr ki sochna chahiye, That’s why announced Eid….. Don’t worry iss wali ka bhi bataenge, when the time is right… Patience, thoda sa sabar… Mere Jitna he intezar karna padega, Baherhaal jo apka haal hai wo hi mera bhi haal hai…. haha ,” he wrote in the caption.
The announcement continues Salman’s long-standing tradition of Eid releases, a run that has included blockbusters such as “Wanted” , “Dabangg” , “Bodyguard” , “Bajrangi Bhaijaan” , “Sultan” , “Kick” and “Bharat” .
The movie will be produced Shirish and Kuldeep Rathore are producers on the project, with Rafi Kazi as co-producer.
The project brings together two of Indian cinema’s biggest names in what the makers are billing as a large-scale theatrical entertainer.
Paidipally is known for blockbuster hits such as “Yevadu”, “Oopiri”, “Maharshi” and “Varisu”.
Nayanthara, one of the most recognised names in south cinema, made her Bollywood debut with the 2023 blockbuster “Jawan” alongside Shah Rukh Khan. The film, directed by Atlee, earned over ₹1,000 crore at the global box office.
Her south credits include “Chandramukhi”, “Ghajini”, “Billa”, “Raja Rani” and “Viswasam”, among others.
Salman will also be seen in “Maatrubhumi”, directed by Apoorva Lakhia, based on the 2020 Galwan Valley conflict between India and China.
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
Saiyaara stars Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda recently found themselves in the spotlight after a video of them at Amritsar Airport showed them trying to avoid the paparazzi. The clip captures the duo walking quickly through the terminal while trying to cover their faces as paparazzi approached, seemingly taking them by surprise. (Also read: Team Saiyaara reunites: Ahaan Panday, Aneet Padda to star in Mohit Suri’s ‘intense romance’ backed by YRF )
The video shows the two heading inside the airport while avoiding photographers. While Aneet was sporting a casual look wearing a tee, with a white shirt and denim jeans, Ahaan was wearing a dark blue hoodie and jeans. Both of them had their faces covered with masks.
Fans quickly reacted, filling the comments with heart emojis and excitement. Amid ongoing rumours about their relationship, Ahaan and Aneet have become a popular pair among audiences, especially following their debut together in the 2025 YRF blockbuster Saiyaara.
The duo made their big-screen debut with Saiyaara, directed by Mohit Suri. The film became a commercial success and was praised for its music, emotional narrative, and chemistry between the lead actors. The film grossed over ₹571 crore worldwide, becoming the highest-grossing love story in Indian cinema history.
Now, the trio is gearing up to reunite for another untitled film, which is expected to revolve around an intense love story. Like Saiyaara, this is also being produced by Akshaye Widhani of Yash Raj Films.
The filmmaker has shared his excitement about working with Ahaan and Aneet again, describing the collaboration as deeply special. “It’s always been love stories for me… overwhelming, when emotions are so unbound and impossible to ignore,” he said, adding that he naturally gravitates towards intense romantic narratives. He further noted that returning with the same team feels like “coming back home,” but with a renewed creative drive.
Mohit also admitted that the new project makes him feel like he is starting fresh again. “This time I feel like a newcomer… excited and anxious about this story,” he said, expressing hope that the film’s music will resonate with audiences in the same way his previous work has. The film is slated for a 2027 release.
On a personal note, Aneet Padda recently opened up about the loss of her grandfather. She shared a deeply emotional tribute, reflecting on his battle with Alzheimer’s and remembering him for his enduring love and warmth. She expressed her desire to carry forward his values, memories, and stories, keeping his presence alive in her life.
Refrigerators are among those rare home appliances that operate around the clock and multiple times a day. Yet, most purchasing decisions in India remain focused only on capacity and star rating, leaving out the one factor that meaningfully shapes everyday usage: the interior layout and design configuration.
Bottom-mounted refrigerators, where the freezer sits below the fresh food compartment, represent a deliberate ergonomic choice. This is not a new concept globally, but it is relatively less explored in the Indian market. Based on available research and product data, this guide tells you how this design works, where it performs well, where it falls short, and what to look for before making a purchase.
The defining characteristic of a bottom-mounted refrigerator is straightforward: the freezer compartment is located at the bottom, and the fresh food or refrigeration section is located in the upper, more accessible half of the unit. This is an inversion of the top-freezer design that has been the default in Indian homes for decades.
The logic behind this layout is based on usage patterns. Research on the behavior of home appliances consistently shows that the fresh food section is accessed far more frequently, often several times a day, compared to freezers that may only be opened once or twice. Placing the most frequently used compartments at eye level is a practical answer to how people actually use their refrigerators.
The most immediate benefit of this design is that your most-used items, vegetables, dairy, leftovers and beverages, sit at a comfortable, visible height. You’re not bending down again and again to reach the crisper drawer or reaching over the bottom shelf to find what you need. For households with elderly members or those with back or knee problems, this is a worthwhile ergonomic improvement over the traditional layout.
The models below feature wider shelves, more structured internal compartmentalization and better light coverage in the fresh food section. When everything is at eye level and there’s good lighting, you’re much less likely to lose track of what’s stored – which simply means fewer forgotten products and less food waste. In homes that regularly store fresh vegetables, fruits and home-cooked meals, this practical visibility benefit is worth taking seriously.
Many bottom freezer models come with adjustable shelving, oversized vegetable crispers, and dedicated areas for different food categories. A variety of containers are kept in Indian homes, often of different heights and sizes. The wider, more flexible shelf configurations in this range accommodate that reality better than the narrower, more rigid layouts found in budget top-freezer models.
Bottom mounted refrigerators are primarily positioned in the mid-to-premium segment, which means they are usually better equipped on the technology front. Most models in this range include:
These are not just marketing add-ons, they have a real impact on the freshness of food, power consumption and how much maintenance the appliance requires over its lifetime.
The design trade-off is obvious: The freezer, which is now at the bottom, requires you to stoop or bend over every time you want to access frozen food. For households that use the freezer frequently – storing frozen vegetables, ice cream, meat, or batch-cooked meals, this can become a daily inconvenience. The drawer-style freezer compartment common in this design helps with organization, but it doesn’t physically eliminate the need to bend down.
Compared to single-door models or entry-level double-door refrigerators, bottom-mounted options tend to cost more. This reflects both design complexity and their positioning in higher product segments. For buyers on a tight budget or those looking to upgrade from a basic model without spending too much, this segment may feel out of reach.
The bottom mounted category, while growing, still offers significantly fewer options than the top-freezer segment in India. Capacity options are limited, brand availability is uneven, and specific feature combinations can be difficult to find. If you have a precise set of requirements, you may find that the market does not yet offer exactly what you are looking for.
It’s not a universally better refrigerator, it’s a better refrigerator for a specific type of user.
Capacity: As a general guideline, a family of two to three members should look at a model between 240 and 300 litres. For families of three to five people, 300 to 400 liters is a more suitable range. One thing to keep in mind: A drawer-style freezer compartment in a bottom-mounted design can feel more compact than a shelf-based freezer, even at the same rated volume.
Cooling Technology: Prefer models that offer multi-airflow systems, frost-free operation in both compartments, and an inverter compressor. These three characteristics together determine how consistently the device cools, how much power it consumes over time, and how little maintenance it requires.
Freezer Drawer Design: Not all bottom freezer drawers are the same. Look at how many drawers or compartments the freezer section offers, how smoothly the sliding mechanism works, and how deep and accessible the drawers are in practice. A poorly designed freezer drawer can make the bottom position more inconvenient than it needs to be.
Energy Rating: Given that a refrigerator runs every hour of every day, the energy rating has a mixed effect on your electricity bill. A three-star rating should be considered the minimum; Four- or five-star models will have a higher initial cost but better savings over the lifetime of the equipment.
Check the shelf strength, adjustability, vegetable crisper dimensions and bottle storage capacity. A refrigerator that looks spacious in a showroom may seem restrictive in daily use if the shelves are poorly designed or difficult to reconfigure. If possible, visit a store to physically evaluate the interior layout before committing.
The Samsung 550L French Door Refrigerator is a well-specified option for large families of five or more people. Its Twin Cooling Plus system keeps food fresh and prevents odors from seeping between compartments, while the convertible feature adds flexibility in how you use the space.
The 4-star energy rating, digital inverter compressor and frost-free operation make it efficient and low-maintenance. But ₹At Rs 62,990, it offers a strong set of features for its price point.
The Panasonic 450L Bottom Mount Refrigerator is known for its Prime Convertible feature, which offers six operating modes that include dedicated settings for marinating, keeping leftovers fresh, and cooling beverages. The jumbo 28L vegetable basket and huge fresh food capacity of 295L make it practical for families of five or more.
But ₹54,999, it is competitively priced, although the 2-star energy rating and relatively modest review numbers are factors worth keeping in mind.
The LG 340L Bottom Freezer Refrigerator is a capable mid-range option for medium to large families. Its Door Cooling+ technology ensures faster, more uniform cooling, while the Wi-Fi enabled convertible function lets you expand the fresh food space as needed.
The smart inverter compressor keeps the operation quiet and energy efficient, backed by a 3-star BEE rating. But ₹Rs 47,990, it offers a clean feature set at a reasonable price point for its potential.
The Electrolux 496L Bottom Mount Refrigerator is built for food preservation, with TasteLockAuto technology keeping produce fresh for up to a week by controlling moisture, and the TasteGuard carbon filter deodorizer maintains odor-free storage.
The EvenTemp function ensures consistent cooling in all shelves, while FlexStore allows flexible rearrangement of shelves and door compartments. But ₹₹79,990, the 1-star energy rating is a notable drawback at this price, but the food care features are really well thought out.
The Bosch 508L Bottom Freezer Refrigerator makes a strong case in terms of capacity and build with a smooth black glass door finish and a well-thought-out feature set. VitaFresh technology maintains optimal humidity levels to enhance the freshness of fruits and vegetables, while MultiAirflow ensures uniform cooling throughout the cabinet.
Super Freeze function and 80-minute convert mode add day-to-day flexibility. But ₹81,830, a 2-star energy rating and a thin review base are two factors that warrant caution.
The bottom-mounted refrigerator has a well-thought-out design that matches how most homes actually use their appliances day-to-day. Placing the fresh food section at eye level is a logical improvement on the traditional layout, and the mid-to-premium positioning of these models means they are better equipped across the board.
That said, it’s not the right option for everyone. If your freezer gets heavy daily use, if your budget is limited, or if your favorite brand has low product availability, a traditional double-door model may still serve you better. But if fresh food storage is central to your home’s needs and you’re looking for a more ergonomic, well-featured upgrade, the bottom-mounted refrigerator is a category worth seriously considering.
Throughout Russia, internet usage has become seriously restricted. Citizens are drawing comparison to Soviet censorship and today’s digital blackouts.
Kate Hudson has always known how to hold her own in a room full of men. As the only girl in the Hawn-Russell family, growing up alongside brothers Oliver Hudson, Wyatt Russell, and Boston Russell, she learned early how to navigate male-dominated spaces. Add to that an iconic mother in Goldie Hawn who raised her to be outspoken and unapologetic, and it is little wonder she was the perfect choice to play a powerful woman running an all-male basketball franchise. Speaking to FilmInk about ‘Running Point’ season 2, Hudson was thoughtful, candid, and clearly energised by the material.
Hudson has given considerable thought to how women operate in high-stakes male-dominated environments, and she does not shy away from saying what she thinks. “I don’t like generalising, because you always find yourself biting your tongue, but I do think women are amazing at strategy. I think actually, we see real long term. We have a great ability to see the big picture,” she said.On the pressure women face to stay on top, she was equally direct. “I think to actually be able to stay on top as a woman, requires a certain amount of ambition, desire and focus. I would say, you just double the effort. That’s the stuff that I think that people don’t realise, which is systemic sexism. Sometimes, women even do it to women. Our jobs have so much higher stakes.”Hudson added, “Women have maybe one or two chances to stay on top, and you just can’t make any mistakes. And for a woman heading a sports franchise? Definitely the stakes are big. They’re very very high.”
Season 2 picks up with Hudson’s Isla Gordon no longer the surprise choice to lead the Los Angeles Waves. With the franchise finally rebounding after last season’s scandal, Isla is determined to prove she is not just keeping the seat warm for her brother Cam, played by Justin Theroux. What she does not know is that Cam is quietly manoeuvring behind the scenes to reclaim his post, turning every misstep into ammunition.As she tries to balance the pressure of running the franchise with her personal life, every decision on and off the court carries weight. To survive the family power plays and board scrutiny, she will have to rip up last season’s game plan entirely.
Asked whether she has experienced that kind of rivalry in her own life, Hudson was clear. “I’ve never been competitive. To me, the arts, it’s an impossible place to be competitive, and you just have to be so focused on what you’re trying to do,” said Hudson, 47. “The most counterintuitive thing you could do in Hollywood is be competitive. And yet, the best thing you could do in sports is be competitive. It’s pretty linear.“
Best known for films like ‘Almost Famous’, ‘How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days’, and ‘Song Sung Blue’, Hudson says nothing has quite matched the reach of ‘Running Point’. “I think this is the most recognisable thing I’ve done. I walk down the street and people really know the show, and I never had that before. The show is in their home. To be in your home and be with your family in the comfort of your walls and be able to enjoy and watch a show that everyone can be a part of and laugh at? That’s an incredible feeling.“
As an executive producer on the show, Hudson speaks about co-creator Mindy Kaling with genuine admiration. “Mindy’s been doing this a while now and she has earned every stripe. She is so good, so smart, and so available. She’s also incredibly generous,” she said.Hudson added, “Mindy really is in 1000 different places, and still able to do all of it. And then on top of that, be a great mom. I just find her to be a very special person. I’m very lucky to be able to work with her.”‘Running Point’ Season 2 is currently streaming on Netflix.
Gold price prediction today: Gold prices continue to be volatile and a buy on dips strategy is recommended for today, says Jateen Trivedi, VP Research Analyst – Commodity and Currency, LKP Securities recommends a buy on dip strategy.Gold June futures on MCX are trading near ₹1,51,350 after a sharp intraday decline followed by signs of stabilization. The recent price action suggests that selling pressure is easing near immediate support levels, with buyers gradually stepping in. The structure indicates a potential recovery bounce from the current zone.
EMA 8 & EMA 21:Price is attempting to stabilize around the short-term EMA cluster after a sharp fall. While EMA 8 remains below EMA 21, flattening of the averages suggests that downside momentum is slowing and a pullback can emerge.Gold has tested the lower Bollinger band and is attempting to revert toward the mid-band, indicating a mean reversion setup.Price Structure:The chart reflects a breakdown followed by base formation near ₹1,51,000 levels. Formation of small-bodied candles indicates absorption of selling pressure.RSI is near 41, recovering from oversold territory, suggesting scope for a corrective bounce.MACD remains negative but flattening, indicating that bearish momentum is weakening.Gold Intraday Trading View: Buy on Dips Strategy; Support Zone Near ₹1,51,100–₹1,51,350• Strategy: Buy on dips• Entry Zone: ₹1,51,100 – ₹1,51,350• Stop-Loss: Below ₹1,50,500• Target: ₹1,52,200• Bias: Recovery above ₹1,51,100; weakness resumes below ₹1,50,500(Disclaimer: Recommendations and views on the stock market, other asset classes or personal finance management tips given by experts are their own. These opinions do not represent the views of The Times of India)
