Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday met top leadership of India Inc for a power breakfast, the first of his numerous assignments for the day as he wraps up his four-day India visit.

Netanyahu interacted with business leaders at the iconic Taj hotel overlooking the Arabia Sea. This will be followed by his address to the India-Israel Business Summit, also at the same venue.

Business leaders who were present at the breakfast included Ajay Piramal, Rahul Bajaj, Adi Godrej, Harsh Goenka, Anand Mahindra, Dilip Shanghvi, Ashok Hinduja, Atul Punj and Chanda Kochhar.

In the first visit by an Israeli Prime Minister to the financial capital of India, Netanyahu will lay a wreath at the memorial for the victims of the 26/11 terror attacks.

Netanyahu will then proceed to the nearby Nariman House, where he will meet 11-year-old Moshe Holtzberg. Moshe’s father Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg and mother Rivka were killed at the Nariman House during the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.

The Jewish couple ran a cultural and outreach centre for the Chabad-Lubavitch movement at the Nariman House in south Mumbai’s Colaba area.

Netanyahu will later meet around 25 to 30 members of the Jewish community at the Taj hotel.

There are about 5,000 members of the Jewish community living in India, but most of them call Mumbai their home. The city earlier had a sizable Jewish population, but around 33,000 Jews migrated when Israel was created.

Mumbai has three distinct Jewish communities — Bene Israel Jews, Baghdadi Jews and the Malabar Jews. For them, the visit by the Israeli prime minister is about reconnecting with old friends and strengthening old bonds.

Netanyahu will cap his hectic schedule by attending the ‘Shalom Bollywood’ event, in which he will invite leading actors, directors, and producers in the Indian cinema industry to come to Israel to shoot movies and collaborate with the Israeli film and television industry.

Netanyahu is accompanied by a 130-member business delegation representing 102 companies, with a focus on the agriculture, defence and cyber security sectors.

Till now, the visit has seen agreements and comments on innovation, strengthening the start-up innovation system, information technology, defence, electric vehicles and agriculture sectors.

The bilateral trade between the countries increased to USD 5 billion in 2016-17 from USD 4.91 billion in the previous fiscal.

In the first leg of the visit in New Delhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had invited Israeli companies to invest in the country, saying India presents vast opportunities.

India has received total FDI of USD 130 million from Israel during April 2000 to September 2017 period.

Netanyahu will leave for Israel in early hours on Friday.

Actress Sonam Kapoor, who plays a pivotal role in the Akshay Kumar starrer “Pad Man”, says if the character is substantial, she does not mind playing a small yet important role in a movie.

It was the same case in “Bhaag Milkha Bhaag”.

After her performance in “Neerja” which not only received positive reviews, but also got Sonam a special mention at the National Awards, has her criteria for choosing a film changed?

Sonam told IANS: “It is the combination of the story and my character; screen timing does not matter to me, honestly. One does not have to be in every single frame of the film to create an impact of the character. If my part is well-crafted, even with three scenes, my character can make a major impact on the story. And that’s what matters.”

Sonam says she is primarily interested in working with good directors because filmmaking is a collaborative art where working with the right team brings the best of every creative individual.

So, who are the director she wants to work with?

“There are actually few directors that I would love to work with again, like R. Balki, Rajkumar Hirani, Ram Madhvani. I loved working with them. That apart, I want to work with Shoojit Sircar, Vishal Bhardwaj and Shimit Amin among others,” she said.

Despite her film choices, the tag of ‘fashionista’ never goes away from her image. But she says she will always remain unapologetic about it.

“I love wearing make-up and beautiful clothes. I think there is nothing wrong with it. If someone judges me based on that, it is his problem not mine.

“Seriously, I think when it comes to films, in last few of them, all my directors wanted me not to wear make-up because they think I have very good skin. That is why the no make-up looks. However, I do things in real life that I cannot get a chance to do on-screen. So yes, in public events, parties I flaunt good clothes,” said the actress, who has featured in movies like “Raanjhanaa”, “Khoobsurat” and “Prem Ratan Dhan Payo”.

While Sonam’s forthcoming release is “Pad Man”, hitting the screens on January 25, later in the year she will be seen in “Veere Di Wedding” which will come out on June 1.

Russia’s athletics federation said today it was looking into the sudden withdrawal of dozens of athletes from a race, as a report said the mystery was explained by an unexpected visit from doping inspectors.

Thirty-six competitors canceled their participation in a Siberian track and field championship in Irkutsk after the “anti-doping agency’s doping control suddenly showed up,” said Russian sports website Championat.com.

Russia’s athletics federation confirmed the curious withdrawals at the weekend event.

“The (federation) can report that the federation’s disciplinary committee has begun an internal inspection of this fact,” it said in a statement.

The federation said it suggested to Russia’s anti-doping agency RUSADA that it should pay closer attention to regional and junior competitions as “certain problems with doping are present in this segment of Russian track and field.”

Championat.com published a list of athletes who were registered to compete but did not participate. Of the 36, 12 reportedly presented a doctor’s note, while others simply did not show up.

Russia was banned from international athletics in November 2015 over claims of state-sponsored doping, preventing its athletes from competing at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

The 30-scrip Sensitive Index (Sensex) on Thursday opened on a positive note during the morning session of the trade.

The Sensex of the BSE after opening at 35,366.45 points and touched a high of 35,476.70 points and a low of 35,355.45 points.

On Wednesday the Sensex closed at 35,081.82 points.

The Sensex is trading at 35,383.32 points up by 270.77 points or 0.77 per cent.

On the other hand, the broader 51-scrip Nifty at National Stock Exchange (NSE) opened at 10,873.40 points after closing at 10,788.55 points.

The Nifty is trading at 10,864.90 points in the morning.

South African pacer Lungi Ngidi today said that trapping Virat Kohli, one of the world’s best batsmen, lbw in India’s second innings of the second Test was a special moment.

The Test debutant went on to take 6-39 on day five as India crashed to 151 all out and lost the series 2-0.

“The moment for me I think was the captain s wicket. That was a very special moment and I felt that I had worked hard and sort of figured out a gameplan of bowling towards him. So finally getting that really did mean a lot to me,” Ngidi said after winning the Man-of-the-Match award for taking 7 wickets for 90 runs in this second Test.

Playing on his home ground, where he represents the Titans, Ngidi was cheered by the crowd throughout this game, in particular when he dismissed Kohli. He was also given a standing ovation after he tore through India’s line-up on day five.

“To be honest, it’s actually difficult to describe. It’s not something I’m used to, so every time it really does hit me. You get goosebumps and get nervous all over again. It really is an honour to have people appreciate the work that you’re doing out there, so it’s hard to describe but it really is a blessing,” he said.

Kagiso Rabada, the world’s no.1 Test bowler, also took 3 -47 as the young pace-duo plotted India’s downfall.

“I do remember that moment and it did strike me when I was thrown the ball and he was bowling at the other end.

During the game I couldn’t say anything, I had to internalize it, but it really was a dream come true to bowl with him. It has been a dream of mine.

“He actually has a lot of knowledge for a youngster as well. He is no.1 in the world and it shows. We had been chatting throughout the innings and he had been giving me the idea, and to see them work is special as well,” said Ngidi.

The youngster became the seventh Proteas pacer to achieve a five-wicket haul after Lance Klusener (8/62 vs India in 1996), Charles Langeveldt (5/46 vs England in 2005), Vernon Philander (5/15 vs Australia in 2011), Merchant de Lange (7/81 vs Sri Lanka in 2011) and Kyle Abbott (7/29 vs Pakistan in 2013).

“I’d love this to be a long career. I know many people talk about how injuries have affected me in the past, but I feel like this is a new start. In the past, I didn’t know what I was doing, to be honest.

“Now I’ve sort of found my feet and I know which path I’m going down as a cricketer. I’d also like it to be one of the long careers and maybe go down on the honours board,” Ngidi said.

“I actually watched a lot of Andre Nel and was convinced that I had the same bowling action as him, but I realise now that isn’t true. Nel, Makhaya Ntini, Dale Steyn, those were my idols that I looked up to,” he signed off.

The four dissenting Supreme Court (SC) judges — Justices Chelameswar, Kurian Joseph, Madan Lokur and Ranjan Gogoi will on Thursday meet Chief Justice of India (CJI) Dipak Misra to discuss a new mechanism of case allocation, reports said.

The second meeting in the last three days comes in the wake of CJI Misra reaching out to the four dissenting judges on Tuesday to resolve the rift with them over the issue.

The meeting was expected to take place on Wednesday but did not materialise as Justice Chelameswar did not attend the court because of his indisposition. He is expected to attend the court on Thursday.

The dissenting judges met late Wednesday evening with two other SC judges– Justice UU Lalit and DY Chandrachud and finalised a proposal which they submitted to the CJI in a bid to break the ongoing impasse, reports said.

The proposal calls for putting in place a “transparent” mechanism to allocate cases to different benches of the apex court.

During the Tuesday meeting, the sources had said, Justice Misra and the rebel judges had discussed all the outstanding issues, point of contentions and differences.

The sources said the Chief Justice took the initiative of meeting the four judges on January 16 as they were not satisfied with the outcome of a meeting of all judges held the previous day.

On January 15 a misplaced impression was generated that all the issues were resolved after Attorney General KK Venugopal had said that the events since January 12 were a “storm in a tea cup” and that “everything is settled”.

The country’s top court was hit by unprecedented crisis, after the four senior most judges at a press conference last week expressed their unhappiness about the functioning of the court and how cases were being allocated arbitrarily.

(With inputs from agencies)

A Border Security Force (BSF) trooper and a civilian were injured in overnight Pakistan shelling and firing on the international border in R.S. Pura sector of Jammu district in Jammu and Kashmir.

“Pakistan Rangers resorted to heavy shelling and firing on Indian positions late last evening in R.S. Pura sector resulting in injuries to a BSF trooper and a civilian,” police sources said in Jammu on Thursday.

“Pakistan shelling and firing started at 10.30 p.m. BSF positions retaliated effectively and strongly. Firing exchanges between the two sides continued for nearly two hours.”

Austria’s fifth seed Dominic Thiem fought back from two sets down to overcome American qualifier Denis Kudla and fierce heat to reach the third round at the Australian Open on Thursday.

Thiem looked headed out the door before he turned around the match in the third set and went on to complete a 6-7 (6/8), 3-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-3 victory in 3hr 48min on Margaret Court Arena.

In searing on court temperatures, Thiem wore down the 190th-ranked Kudla to set up a third round match against Czech Jiri Vesely or French 26th seed Adrian Mannarino.

“It’s awesome. It’s only the second time in my career I’ve come back from two sets down and especially in this very hot weather it was tough,” Thiem said.

“We practised all year long to play in these conditions and it’s the first Slam, it’s very early in the season, so we are at our freshest now.

“But it’s difficult and we just have to hydrate and not try to play too long, which wasn’t the way today. I’m off to have an ice bath.”

Thiem reached the third round in Melbourne for the third straight year but had to pick up his service after firing eight double-faults.

He broke Kudla’s serve eight times and lost his four times, but was very effective with his forehand, cranking up 21 of his 57 winners.

Thiem became just the third Austrian man to reach a Grand Slam semi-final after Thomas Muster and Jurgen Melzer when he won through to the semi-finals at Roland Garros in 2016.

He arrived late in Melbourne from Doha after pulling out prior to the Qatar Open semi-final with Gael Monfils after contracting a virus.

Thiem was bed-ridden before flying to Australia, but said ahead of the year’s opening Grand Slam he had recovered.

Maria Sharapova laid down her Australian Open title credentials on a scorching hot Melbourne day Thursday, with Caroline Garcia and fellow veteran Agnieszka Radwanksa joining her in the third round.

With the temperatures heading towards an energy-sapping 39 Celsius (102 Fahrenheit) and ice-towels in use, the Russian drawcard worked hard to get off court early against Anastasija Sevastova.

It was the Latvian 14th seed who ended her Grand Slam comeback in the last 16 of the US Open in 2017 as she returned from a drug ban. But not this time.

Sharapova was unstoppable in racing through the first set 6-1 before a battle in the second to prevail 7-6 (7/4), proving she must again be taken seriously.

“You know, it was a warm day. I did my job in two sets against someone that’s been troubling in the past for me,” she said afterwards.

“So third round of the Australian Open. I think I deserve to smile out there after that victory.”

Being unseeded means she has her work cut out to reach another final, with a host of hurdles in her way.

Next up could be in-form 2016 Australian Open champion Angelique Kerber, who plays Donna Vekic later and is starting to show glimpses of her best again after a miserable last year.

Eighth seed Garcia also stayed in the title hunt, but she found it hard going against Czech teen Marketa Vondrousova who pushed her to three gruelling sets.

The Frenchwoman, who had a breakout year in 2017, winning two titles, eventually got over the line 6-7 (3/7), 6-2, 8-6 in almost two-and-a-half hours.

“My feet are burning,” she said. “But we know it’s like this in Australia — the next day it can be freezing.”

Two-time tournament semi-finalist Radwanksa, who has slid down the rankings and is only seeded 26, continued her under- the-radar progress with a three set win over Lesia Tsurenko.

She could potentially face third seed Garbine Muguruza next, who is still struggling with a right thigh problem and tests it against Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei.

British hope Johanna Konta is no longer in contention after she was bundled out by American “lucky loser” Bernarda Pera.

Sydney-born Konta, a quarter-finalist last year, was no match for American, who is only in the main draw after a player pulled out before the Grand Slam began, as she fell 6- 4, 7-5.

Among men through to the third round was Spain’s 21st seed Albert Ramos-Vinolas, who swept past American Tim Smyczek in straight sets.

Hungarian Marton Fucsovics, ranked 80, piled more misery on the United States, beating 13th seed Sam Querrey, with the American contingent in Melbourne — men and women — decimated in the early rounds.

Roger Federer rolls back into action later with the Swiss world number two headlining Rod Laver Arena in the evening.

He faces Jan-Lennard Struff, and the signs are ominous for the German.

Defending champion Federer has made at least the third round each year since his debut at Melbourne Park in 2000. In contrast, Struff has failed to get further than the second round ever, at any Grand Slam.

Twelve-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic was in fine fettle in his opening match as he returns from an elbow problem that kept him out of action for six months.

Seeded 14, his next test in the afternoon heat will be far tougher against experienced Frenchman Gael Monfils, although the Serb holds an unblemished 14-0 record.

In other matches, fourth seed Alexander Zverev plays fellow German Peter Gojowczyk and 2014 Australian Open champion Stan Wawrinka continues his comeback from a lengthy injury lay off against Tennys Sandgren.

World No.1 Simona Halep, who was unconvincing in her first round encounter, takes on Canadian Eugenie Bouchard.

It was a foggy morning in the national capital with the minimum temperature recorded at 7 degrees Celsius, which is the season’s normal, the weather office said.

“They sky is expected to be clear with moderate or dense fog in the morning and mist during the day,” an official at the India Meteorological Department told IANS.

Humidity at 8.30 a.m. was 100 per cent and visibility stood at 200 metres and the maximum temperature is likely to hover around 25 degrees Celsius, six notches above the season’s average.

At least 15 trains were cancelled, 39 delayed and 11 were rescheduled, due to fog in several parts of northern India.

Maximum temperature on Wednesday was recorded at 23.1 degrees Celsius, three degree Celsius above the season’s average, while the minimum temperature settled at 5.6 degrees Celsius, two notches below the season’s average.

South Africa captain Faf du Plessis was on Wednesday fined 40 per cent of his match fee for maintaining a slow over-rate during the team’s 135-run win against India at Centurion.

ICC match referee Chris Broad imposed the fine after du Plessis’s side was ruled to be two overs short of their target when time allowances were taken into consideration.

“In accordance with Article 2.5.1 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Players Support Personnel, which relates to minor over-rate offences, players are fined 10 percent of their match fees for every over their side fails to bowl in the allotted time, with the captain fined double that amount.

“As such, de Plessis has been fined 40 percent of his match fee, while his players have received 20 percent fines. If South Africa commit another minor over-rate breach in a Test within 12 months of this offence with du Plessis as captain, it will be deemed a second offence by du Plessis and he will face a suspension,” the ICC said in a statement.

Du Plessis pleaded guilty to the offence and accepted the proposed sanction, so there was no need for a formal hearing.

The charge was levelled by on-field umpires Michael Gough and Paul Reiffel, third umpire Richard Kettleborough and fourth umpire Allahudien Palekar.

With Wednesday’s win, South Africa have taken an unbeatable 2-0 lead as they head to Johannesburg for the third and final Test against Virat Kohli’s men from January 24.

Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane dismissed media speculation linking superstar Cristiano Ronaldo with a move away from the Bernabeu.

“I can’t imagine a Madrid without Cristiano,” said the Frenchman, a World Cup winner as a player.

“He’s in his club. Everyone, the club, the fans, want him.

Must read: Lionel Messi, Neymar pay moving tributes to Ronaldinho

“We know what can be said outside but within, what Cristiano must do is just think about playing as he has been doing, and that’s what I want, to talk only about his attitude and what he can bring us.”

With the January transfer window open, speculation has been rife over a possible exit for Ronaldo from the Spanish capital, with former club Manchester United a rumoured eventual destination.

Some have been trying to read an intent to leave into his attitude but Zidane insists Ronaldo has only one focus.

Don’t miss: Barcelona icon Ronaldinho bids football adieu with moving post, hints at things to come

“I speak with Cristiano about the pitch and when he comes here he only talks about the pitch and that’s best for everyone,” added the coach who has led Real to back-to-back Champions League victories as well as last season’s La Liga title.

Real, though, have struggled this season and are down in fourth in La Liga following Saturday’s shock 1-0 defeat at home to Villarreal.

That left them a mammoth 19 points behind eternal rivals Barcelona. They have a Spanish Cup clash against Leganes on Thursday and having finished second in their Champions League group to Tottenham and with a last 16 clash against Paris Saint-Germain to come, the domestic cup looks their likeliest route to silverware this season.

“It’s not a final but we know that every match we have now is hugely important,” added Zidane

Former India captain Bishan Singh Bedi is not at all surprised with the current team’s surrender in South Africa as he feels Virat Kohli’s men went into the series without serious preparation and “wasted time” playing against Sri Lanka.

The 135-run defeat in Centurion today ended India’s nine-Test series winning run as South Africa took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match rubber.

India had hammered Sri Lanka in a full series at home before departing for South Africa. The series was arranged within three months of the away assignment in Sri Lanka where India blanked the hosts.

When asked about India’s preparation for South Africa tour, Bedi came up with a stinging response.

“There was no preparation. We wasted our time with the Sri Lankans. There was no sense in playing a weak team for one and a half month when we should be preparing for South Africa,” Bedi told PTI.

“It was supposed to be a tough tour and it required intense preparation. You beat Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka and you then call them to India, for what? The Indian cricketers would have been better off playing domestic cricket or preparing themselves exclusively for the tour,” said the spin great.

India went into the series without playing a warm-up match. However, Bedi said there is no need to press the panic button yet.

“India have been outplayed. It is not a cause of panic, it is a cause of concern. Bowlers have done a good job. The catching and batting has left a lot to be desired. It is a good trial by fire for this Indian team.”

India will travel to England and Australia later this year and with the performance against South Africa, they have certainly not increased the fans’ expectations for future tours.

Bedi felt the ODI form was given preference over the five-day form when it came to selecting the playing eleven.

One example of that was picking Rohit Sharma over vice- captain Ajinkya Rahane in the first two Tests. Rohit ended with 78 runs in four innings, averaging 19.50.

“It is not my job to pick the team. I can only say that vice captain, who is part of the decision-making, is not playing. I can’t agree with that.

“Whether you like it or not, he is a human being. Rahane is not going to take this development positively. Why did you make him vice-captain if you had to drop him?

“It looks like ODI form was preferred for picking the eleven, which is not the right thing. Test matches are a different ball game and this series has proved that,” Bedi added.

Another baffling decision was to drop pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar after a six-wicket haul in the first Test in Cape Town, he said.

India captain Virat Kohli on Wednesday lost his cool while answering a journalist’s question during the media interaction after India’s 0-2 Test series loss in South Africa.

India were thrashed by 135 runs on the final morning of the second Test at the SuperSport Park here on Wednesday. The tourists had lost by 72 runs in the first rubber as well in Cape Town.

Kohli said midway through the press conference that the team effort was not a collective one and mistakes which should not happen had cost them the game.

“Both skills haven’t come together. Last time (in South Africa) we batted well, this time we bowled better. But it hurts when all the things don’t come together and that’s how you win test matches. They were far superior than us on the field as well,” Kohli said.

Kohli scored a fighting 153 in India’s first innings but it went up in smoke as the visitors failed miserably in their second outing, managing just 151 while chasing 287 to win and level the series.

The batsmen once again flopped with only Rohit Sharma scoring 47. They danced to the tune of the right-arm pacer Lungi Ngidi (6/39) showing little application and throwing away wickets.

Ahead of the second Test, there was a lot of talk about in-form pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar being dropped as well as Ajinkya Rahane kept on the bench once again despite having a good record on the road.

Asked about the frequent chopping and changing in the starting XI ever since he has been captain, and whether that has affected the collective performance of the team as there is no consistency, Virat retorted by saying: “How many test matches have you gone out of 30?”

The scribe hit back, saying: “How many times have you changed the team?”

“(In all) 21 wins 2 losses, how many draws,” said Kohli to which the scribe shot back, saying: “How many (wins) in India?”

“Doesn’t matter,” said an irate Kohli. “Wherever we go, we do our best. I am here to answer your questions mate not fight with you.”

In the 34 Tests that Kohli has captained, India have won 20 while losing just five. Nine have ended in draws. Most of them, though, have been played in their own lair.

Later, a journalist asked if after the series loss and India’s record being so poor away from home, does he feel as the No.1 Test side.

Kohli said: “We have to believe we are the best side. If you don’t believe you can win coming here, there is no point coming here. We have not come here to just participate. Answering your question, sir, how many times did South Africa come into the game in India?

“We are not complaining about Cape Town either. The game was completed in three days… one was a washout. We have come here to play in all conditions. I am not here comforting my guys. I have asked them to be hard on themselves. I don’t know what you have been listening to.”

Except Kohli, who is the second-highest scorer after AB De Villiers (200 runs in two matches) in the series amassing 191 runs in four innings, no one performed for India.

Kohli stressed on the need to build on starts during partnerships as well as while batting if they are to win tests away.

“Partnerships of 60s and 70s do not help you win Test matches. We have identified that and we need guys who can put their heads down and build on a partnership after 60s and 70s.

“Similarly, when you are batting as well you want to make a big 100. When we did well in Australia we got 450 runs every first innings but our partnerships were massive so that is something that we haven’t repeated here.”

“South Africa did not have many big stands but they had one every innings which they used to consolidate their position. They deserve to win the series,” Kohli said.

Kohli also rued the manner in which his team fielded and were run out in a few instances.

“The incidents that took place in this match, the way we let go of good opportunities is not acceptable. So many soft dismissals also hurt. We prepare hard and when the momentum shifts due to these mistakes, you feel bad,” Kohli said.

“These are things an individual needs to sit back and reflect on. We have repeated our mistakes in two Tests and as a team that’s not acceptable,” he added.

The who’s who of football rose in unison to pay tribute to Ronaldinho, who announced his retirement from the sport on Wednesday, and two of the game’s biggest stars—Lionel Messi and Neymar— led the tributes for the toothy 37-year-old.

Messi, who enjoyed his breakthrough at Barcelona at a time when Ronaldinho was in his prime, posted:

Como siempre dije, aprendí mucho a tu lado. Siempre te estaré agradecido por lo fácil que me hiciste todo cuando llegué al vestuario. Tuve la suerte compartir muchas cosas con vos y me alegro muchísimo porque, además de un fenómeno con la pelota, sos una grandísima persona y eso es lo más importante. Aunque decidas irte, el fútbol no se olvidará de tu sonrisa jamás. Todo lo mejor, Ronnie.

A post shared by Leo Messi (@leomessi) on Jan 17, 2018 at 8:28am PST

The diminutive Argentine, widely regarded as one of the best footballers of all-time, has repeatedly stated the Ronaldnho’s influence, especially in his teens, helped make him the player he is today.

Must read: Barcelona icon Ronaldinho bides football adieu with moving post, hints at things to come

Messi’s post, when translated, reads:

“Like I always said, I learned a lot by your side. I’ll always be grateful for how easy you made it when I got to the locker room. I was happy to share many things wit you and I am very happy because, besides a phenomenon with the ball, you are a great person and that is most important.

Even if you decide to leave, football will never forget your smile. All the best, Ronnie.”

Neymar never had the pleasure of playing alongside Ronaldinho at the club level but he did play against him while he was at Santos and the toothy superstar carer was closing out his career at Brazilian side Atleticio Mineiro. The duo played together briefly for the Brazilian national side and despite not having been team-mates for long, Ronaldinho clearly left an indelible mark on the PSG superstar as he posted:

@ronaldinho que honra fazer parte da sua história. Sempre vou me lembrar da sua alegria em campo, você deixou um legado que dificilmente será batido no futebol ARTE… Obrigado por tudo que fez pelos amantes do FUTEBOL.

A post shared by Nj 🇧🇷 👻 neymarjr (@neymarjr) on Jan 17, 2018 at 2:57am PST

The 25-year-old Neymar’s post, when translated, reads:

“What an honour to be part of your story. I will always remember your joy on the field, you left a legacy that will be hard to beat in footballing art… thanks for everything you did for football lovers.”

On the penultimate leg of his six-day India tour, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will on Thursday meet captains of the industry, pay tribute at the 26/11 memorial and conclude the day with a star-studded Bollywood gala event.

Netanyahu, who arrived in Mumbai from Ahmedabad on Wednesday night will begin his two-day visit with a power-breakfast and will be joined by business leaders including Anand Mahindra, Ajay Piramal, Adi Godrej, and Chanda Kochhar.

He will then address the India-Israel Business Summit at the Taj hotel in the presence of Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

According to reports, a meeting between Fadnavis and Netanyahu is likely to take place in the afternoon which will be followed by lunch, hosted by the Maharashtra CM for the visiting Israeli delegation.

This will be followed by Netanyahu laying a wreath for the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack victims at Hotel Taj Mahal Palace opposite the Gateway of India and a visit to the nearby Nariman House, where he will meet 11-year-old Moshe Holtzberg, whose parents were killed in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.

Both these places – the heritage hotel and the once non-descript Nariman House – were the targets of the 2008 Mumbai terror attack by 10 Pakistani gunmen who sneaked in from the Arabian Sea.

Netanyahu is expected to declare the Chabad House as a Living Memorial in which the orphaned toddler Moshe, was saved by his Indian nanny Sandra Samuel from the terrorist mayhem.

However, his young parents Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg and Rivka lost their lives along with seven others in the attack, after which little Moshe and Samuel were taken to Israel.

Later, he will attend a gathering with the members of the small but prosperous Jewish community living in different parts of Mumbai.

The evening is reserved for a gala glamour-filled engagement with Bollywood personalities, his final engagement before returning home on Friday morning.

(With inputs from agencies)