Iggy Azalea cancels US tour again

Also, Bajrangi Bhaijaan song to hit cinemas; Pakistani comics artists take on extremism; B B King recalled with love and humour; and F.A.L.T.U. sequel in the works.

The Australian singer Iggy Azalea. Paul Hebert / Invision / AP

Iggy Azalea has cancelled her tour of the United States for a second time. In a tweet on Friday, the rapper said: "As u may know, the tour is cancelled." She added that she is "so sad and sorry to let my fans down". Azalea announced in March that The Great Escape Tour would not kick off in April. She rescheduled the tour because of production delays and said it would take place this autumn. Representatives from Azalea's record label, Def Jam, and tour promoter, AEG, didn't return emails seeking comment. Azalea didn't offer any details about the second cancellation. The Grammy-nominated musician, whose most recent single is Pretty Girls with Britney Spears, tweeted that she'll "be back out on the road when the next album is done". Azalea said she's still committed to her upcoming festival performances. – AP

Bajrangi Bhaijaan song to hit cinemas

A song titled Le Le Le from Salman Khan's upcoming Bollywood action-drama Bajrangi Bhaijaan will be shown with Zoya Akhtar's family drama Dil Dhadakne Do when it releases in cinemas this weekend. The trailer of Bajrangi Bhaijaan, which was uploaded on YouTube on May 28, has already been viewed more than a million times. The film also stars Kareena Kapoor Khan, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Ali Quli Mirza and Deepti Naval and will be released during Eid. Music is by A R Rahman and Pritam Chakraborty. – IANS

Pakistani comics artists take on extremism

Pakistani comic-book creators Mustafa Hasnain and Gauhar Aftab have created Paasban (Guardian), a three-part series featuring a group of close college friends who begin to worry when one of them drops out to join a religious student group that is ostensibly working for charitable causes. Hasnain, a British-educated computer-­graphics specialist, founded Creative Frontiers in 2013 in a Silicon Valley-style office in Lahore. "It was a huge watershed moment for us. I got together with Gauhar and I said: 'We really have to do something about this," he said. "We used to stand over there [at vigils] with a candle ... but we wanted to do something more." Fifteen thousand copies of the books are set to be distributed for free starting today at schools in Lahore, Multan and Lodhran, while some copies will be sold in bookshops. The comic will also be available on a tailor-made app developed for Apple and Android smartphones. – AFP

B B King recalled with love and humour

"Hands that once picked cotton would someday pick guitar strings on a national and international stage. Amazing," the reverend Herron Wilson said in a standing-room-only sanctuary at Bell Grove Missionary Baptist Church in B B King's hometown of Indianola, Mississippi. King, whose distinctive guitar style influenced generations of entertainers, was 89 when he died on May 14 in Las Vegas. At his request, his body was returned to his native Mississippi for a final homecoming. "He will forever be the king of the blues," Stevie Wonder said in a tribute that was played at the funeral, although he did not attend. About 500 people filled the church, while those who couldn't get in watched a live broadcast of the funeral in the church's fellowship hall. A children's choir based at the B B King Museum clapped as they sang gospel songs. The United States president, Barack Obama, and former president Bill Clinton each sent a letter, which were read aloud by US representative for Mississippi, Bennie Thompson, who was a friend of King. "The blues has lost its king and America has lost a legend," Obama said. "No one worked harder than B B. No one did more to spread the gospel of the blues." Clinton recalled playing two gigs with King: "I was his backup sax man." King was buried at the B B King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center, which opened in 2008. The museum will develop a memorial garden around the grave site. – AP

F.A.L.T.U. sequel in the works

Jackky Bhagnani, who starred in the 2011 Bollywood film F.A.L.T.U., says a sequel to the comedy is on the cards. "Yes, we are working on the sequel to F.A.L.T.U., but a good story has still not been locked for it," said the actor. Directed by Remo D'Souza, F.A.L.T.U. also featured Riteish Deshmukh and Puja Gupta. Bhagnani's latest film Welcome 2 Karachi opened in cinemas last week. – IANS