Deepak Malik’s (B3) unbeaten 179 helped India to get their first win as they beat Sri lanka by six wickets in the Blind Cricket World Cup here on Wednesday.

Put in to bat, Sri lanka scored 358/8 with Suranga Sampath (B3) scoring 68 runs in 60 balls while K.A. Silva (B1) slammed 64 in 46 balls.

Chasing a massive total, India started off on a positive note, thanks to a brilliant ton by Malik. He batted brilliantly through out the innings and helped India overhaul the target in 32 overs.

Apart from him, Prakash Jayaramiah (B3) scored 76 in 51 balls. Sunil Ramesh (B3) took three wickets in his six overs.

Filmmaker Vikram Bhatt’s daughter Krishna has vouched for her father’s forthcoming film 1921.

Krishna tweeted on Thursday: “Over a year’s hard work, blood, sweat, and tears finally come to its fruition. 1921, releases tomorrow! A love story that is sure to stir every heart it hits!

Over a year’s hard work, blood, sweat and tears finally comes to its fruition. 1921, releases tomorrow! A love story that is sure to stir every heart it hits! It’s been made with all our love and we cannot wait to share it with you! #1921 #1921yearofhorror #12jan2018 pic.x.com/KMKdkkKDBW

— Krishna Bhatt (@krishnavbhatt) January 11, 2018

“It’s been made with all our love and we cannot wait to share it with you! ‘1921 year of horror,” she added.

Directed by Vikram Bhatt, the film stars Zarine Khan, Karan Kundra and Angela Krislinzki.

“1921” revolves around Karan, Zarine, and Angela and is a struggle between life and death. Angela will be seen playing the role of Meher Wadia, who is a negative lead in the film.

Lal Bahadur Shastri, the former Prime Minister of India, died a mysterious death in Tashkent 52 years back. On his death anniversary, director and member of CBFC Vivek Agnihotri announced a film on the mystery of his death. There are no revelations yet about the cause of the death of the Prime minister.

The Filmmaker released the information on Twitter, on Thursday, saying, “On this day, 10th Jan 1966, in Tashkent a tiny man called Lal Bahadur Shashtri who won a war with Pakistan, soon after a humiliating defeat with China, signed the Tashkent treaty. Hours later he died. A death mystery unsolved to date. Why? On this day, our 2nd PM Lal Bahadur Shashtri died mysteriously in Tashkent. Was it a heart attack or poison? Even after 52 yrs, the truth of the biggest cover-up of free India has been denied to his family, followers, citizens. After years of research, I present #TheTashkentFiles (sic),”

On this day, 10th Jan 1966, in Tashkent a tiny man called Lal Bahadur Shashtri who won a war with Pakistan, soon after a humiliating defeat with China, signed the Tashkent treaty. Hours later he died. A death mystery unsolved till date. Why? pic.x.com/azBvX45FeU

— Vivek Agnihotri (@vivekagnihotri) January 10, 2018

On this day, our 2nd PM Lal Bahadur Shashtri died mysteriously in Tashkent. Was it heart attack or poison? Even after 52 yrs, the truth of the biggest cover-up of free India has been denied to his family, followers, citizens. After years of research, I present #TheTashkentFiles pic.x.com/k53WBSrKk8

— Vivek Agnihotri (@vivekagnihotri) January 11, 2018

Though the lead actor who will be playing the role of Lal Bahadur Shastri has not been disclosed yet, Vivek Agnihotri has chosen Naseeruddin Shah and Mithun Chakraborty to be a part of the film already.

Privileged to work with two National Award Winners to tell an untold story of beloved Shashtri ji. More to come. pic.x.com/o13G0uVTXz

— Vivek Agnihotri (@vivekagnihotri) January 11, 2018

A 16-year-old girl was allegedly gang-raped by four persons at Modumar village, five kilometres from the Tikamgarh district headquarters, police said.

Police arrested all four accused today morning.

The incident occurred around last midnight when the girl went out to a toilet outside her house, said Nawal Arya, in-charge of the Kotwali police station.

The accused, residents of the same village, forcibly took her to a nearby secluded area and raped her before fleeing from the spot, he said.

After the girl related the incident to her family, a police complaint was registered.

The accused were identified as Mahendra Lodhi, Pushpendra Lodhi, Roop Lodhi and Manjhle Kushwah, aged between 22 to 25 years.

Police cordoned off the area and nabbed the accused some five kilometres from the village.

Arya said the girl was admitted to the district hospital for treatment and medical examination.

The accused were booked under the relevant IPC sections for gang-rape and also under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO).

A man, arrested in connection with the 2000 Red Fort attack case, was on Thursday sent to 10-days police custody by a Delhi court.

Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Deepak Sherawat allowed the plea of Delhi Police seeking 10 days custody of Bilal Ahmed Kawa, who arrested yesterday from Delhi airport in a joint operation of the Delhi Police and Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS).

Three people, including two Army jawans, were killed in the December 22, 2000 Red Fort attack.

According to the police, the Gujarat ATS informed it that Kawa, who had been declared a proclaimed offender in the case, was travelling from Srinagar to Delhi.

Kawa, who was suspected to be linked with Lashkar-e- Toiba, was arrested last evening from the T-3 terminal of the Delhi Airport, the police said, adding that money to the tune of Rs 29.50 lakh was transferred through hawala in various bank accounts, including those of Kawa, to fund the attack.

Kawa was on the run since 2000 and hiding in Kashmir, it claimed.

Domestic original equipment manufacturer (OEM) Smartron on Thursday launched “tphone P” budget smartphone with a massive 5,000mAh battery in India for Rs. 7,999.

The Smartron tphone P has a full-metal body with a 5.2-inch HD display. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 Octa Core Chipset processor is coupled with 3GB RAM for smooth experience on the Android 7.1 Nougat. It features a fingerprint sensor which enables users to take pictures and answer calls with just a tap, says company.

It comes with an inbuilt storage of 32GB (further expandable to 128GB) and with the tronX integration users can additionally get a 1,000GB of free tcloud storage.

The “tphone P” offers an advanced 13MP rear camera with autofocus and 5MP front camera along with low light flash and beautification modes. The company claims that tphone P’s battery lasts for more than two days on a single charge and also gives the option to charge other devices such smartphones, smartbands and speakers via OTG support.

“The tphone P is inspired by the multi-faceted, on the move, globally aware Indian consumer. This is a person who expects more from his phone without any compromises and without stretching the seams of his pockets. With a massive 5000mAh battery and an all metal body, we’ve merged power and beauty into the tphone P. To top it, we have layered it with Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 processing might to give millions of Indians an enviable device at an exceptional price,” Amit Boni, Vice President Sales and Marketing, Smartron, said in a statement.

The Smartron tphone P has been developed under Smartron’s “Powered by tronX” programme. It comes in Black colour option only, and is priced at Rs. 7,999. The device will be available on Flipkart through a flash sale on January 17.

(Written with inputs from IANS)

Actress Sonam Kapoor feels conned by the concept of memory foam mattresses as they have done more bad than good to her.

Sonam tweeted on Thursday: “Memory foam mattresses are a con… whole body and neck in bad shape after using them. Please don’t fall for the marketing bull.”

Memory foam mattresses are a con.. whole body and neck in bad shape after using them.. please don’t fall for the marketing bull.

— Sonam Kapoor (@sonamakapoor) January 11, 2018

Currently, the actress awaits the release of her next film Padman. The film, directed by R. Balki, is based on Arunachalam Muruganantham, who created a revolution in the field of affordable menstrual hygiene. It even stars Akshay Kumar and Radhika Apte.

The actress who is gearing up for the release of her forthcoming film Pad Man, says that she wants to do good work and be a part of good films.

Produced by KriArj Entertainment, Mrs. Funnybones Movies, Hope Productions and Columbia Pictures, the film will release on January 26.

Leganes made history by advancing to the quarterfinals of the Copa del Rey, while Real Madrid, who also qualified, were held 2-2 here by second-division side Numancia.

After last reaching the round of 16 in 2000-2001, Leganes are through to the quarters despite losing the second leg 1-2 away to Villarreal, reports Efe.

Leganes, who won the first leg 1-0, grabbed the lead late Wednesday with what turned out to be a decisive away goal from Nabil El Zhar.

Raba equalized for the hosts early in the second half and Denis Cherysev got the second goal for Villarreal in the 88th minute, but it was not enough to deny Leganes.

Real Madrid, who cruised to a 3-0 victory over Numancia in the first leg, came into Wednesday’s contest at the Santiago Bernabeu virtually assured of advancing to the Copa quarterfinals.

Even so, the Blancos were in need of a strong performance to reassure fans dismayed by their heroes’ troubles in La Liga, where the defending champions trail leader Barcelona by 16 points.

Coach Zinedine Zidane rested his starters in favor of subs eager to prove themselves, such as Theo Hernandez, Marco Asensio and Dani Ceballos.

The second-stringers failed to make the most of their chance and the first half ended 1-1 after Lucas Vazquez connected for Real Madrid with a solid header and Guillermo equalized for the visitors just before the break.

The Blancos were not much better in the second half, though Vazquez scored again at the hour mark to make it 2-1 for the home side.

From that point on, however, Numancia dominated play, pulling level at the late on a late goal by Guillermo.

In Wednesday’s other match, Alaves topped Formentera 2-0 to advance 5-1 on aggregate.

Jyoti English Medium School, Nehrunagar completed the semi-final lineup after playing out a goalless (0-0) draw with a spirited BK Birla Centre for Education in the inaugural Father Schoch Memorial (Under-14) Inter-School Hockey tournament at the Major Dhyanchand Hockey Stadium, Nehrunagar-Pimpri on Thursday.

In Pool-A encounter, Shirgaon-based BK Birla were unlucky to miss the berth as they squandered easy chances in a match they dominated.

In the first-half, captain Tejjas Tehalia came close to scoring twice. First, he missed from close with just the Jyoti goalkeeper Abhishek Giri to beat and then from the right flank had his angular attempt hit the post.

Later, in the second half, Aryan Nevade had the Jyoti keeper block his attempt.

As a result both teams finished with 1 point each, but Jyoti School with a better goal difference went through in final analysis. Jyoti finished with (-2), while BK Birla had (-4) to their name.

In the semifinals, St. Ursula School, Akurdi play Modern H.S and PCMC School take on Jyoti English Medium School, Nehrunagar.

RESULTS

Pool-A: Jyoti English Medium School, Nehrunagar: 0 drew with BK Birla Centre for Excellence, Shirgaon: 0

FRIDAY’S FIXTURES

SF1: St. Ursula School, Akurdi v Modern H.S – 3.00pm

SF2: PCMC School v Jyoti English Medium School, Nehrunagar – 4.00pm

To mark 20 years of the first edition of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Bloomsbury is going to publish House Editions — Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin of the book.

Chamber of Secrets is the second of the Harry Potter series and its house edition will be out this year, Bloomsbury said on Thursday.

Illustrated by Levi Pinfold, who created 2017’s spectacularly successful House Editions of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, the covers will feature an interpretation of the door to the Chamber of Secrets, with beautiful iconography and features woven into the design that are particular to that house.

“There will be complementary hardback and paperback editions of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. The hardbacks will be in each house colour with artwork in black and striped sprayed edges.

“The paperbacks will be black with artwork in the corresponding house colours. Both editions will contain additional content including an illustration of the house common room by Levi Pinfold, a house introduction and a mini-feature on house-elves,” a Bloomsbury statement said on Thursday.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets was first published in 1998 and continued Harry Potter’s adventures at Hogwarts. It introduced some of the most-loved characters from the wizarding world, including Dobby the house-elf.

The 20th anniversary house editions of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone published last year were a huge success selling over 180,000 copies across all eight editions.

Economic indicators like PMIs, vehicle sales and steel demand suggest that growth momentum in India has gathered pace in December, says a report.

However, prices are also on an uptrend with retail inflation likely to have firmed up further to 5.4 per cent in December owing to a lower base of comparison, the report by Morgan Stanley said.

According to the global financial services major, economic indicators like PMIs, sales of commercial vehicles, steel and cement demand have accelerated on a sequential basis suggesting an uptick in the overall economy.

“Recent high frequency growth indicators suggest that the growth momentum has gathered pace in December,” Morgan Stanley said in a research note adding trade data is also expected to mirror this strength with both exports and imports growth holding up well.

On prices, the report said food prices have come off sequentially, largely driven by a seasonal dip in vegetable prices but an unfavourable base of comparison means that food inflation would still be higher at 5.4 per cent YoY in December versus 4.4 per cent YoY in November.

As per the report, WPI inflation is likely to rise to 3.9 per cent year-on-year in December from 3.7 per cent (YoY) in November.

Meanwhile, trade deficit is likely to have improved slightly in December, reaching around USD 13.3 billion.

As per the report, exports continued to stay strong, growing at double digit levels of 23.2 per cent year-on-year in December. While, import growth is expected to have accelerated to 25.5 per cent YoY, on the back of favourable base effect and robust consumption trends in the month.

Morgan Stanley expects industrial production to have improved to 3.2 per cent year-on-year in November from 2.2 per cent in October.

Not disheartened by India’s vote against Israel at the UN General Assembly on the issue of Jerusalem, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has expressed hope that bilateral ties would receive a further boost during his milestone visit to the country.

India in December voted in favour of the UN General Assembly resolution condemning the US for its decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

Netanyahu, who would be leaving for India on January 14, said: “Well I would have preferred a different vote to be frank but I don t think it materially changes the tremendous flowering of relations between India and Israel”.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had also visited the Jewish state in July,becoming the first Indian premier to do so.

“I think everybody can see that. Prime Minister Modi’s visit was a very important milestone in that. My visit to India is the other one,” Netanyahu said addressing the Government Press Office’s annual end-of-year reception for the foreign press corps on Wednesday.

When asked about the impact of India s recent decision to cancel a half a billion dollars defence deal related to development of spike antitank guided missiles, the Israeli leader said, “I think you are going to see an expansion of economic and other ties regardless of this or that deal”.

Pointing towards the tremendous strengthening of ties on all fronts, Netanyahu expressed optimism saying, “overtime I hope I will see a reflection of that more often in the voting of India in international forums.

“It does not nullify the fact that with India, with other countries in Latin America and Africa there is a tremendous increase of relations on all fronts,” the Israeli Prime Minister noted.

“It just takes longer on the international front,” he stressed.

Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Amarinder Singh on Thursday welcomed the Supreme Court (SC) decision to order a fresh probe by a new Special Investigation Team (SIT) into the 186 cases of the anti-Sikh riots, with the hope that justice would finally be meted out to the innocent victims.

Talking to mediapersons on Thursday, the CM said more than 30 years had passed since the gory violence, which claimed many lives and left many others homeless, and while various Commissions had been set up to investigate the cases, justice continued to elude the victims. Several names had cropped up in connection with the riots, and it was now up to the SIT to verify the allegations and bring the investigation to its logical conclusion, he added.

It was high time that justice be provided in these cases, said Amarinder, who himself had quit as Member of Parliament (MP) in protest against the violence.

To a question on the ban announced by certain elements on entry of Indian officials in gurdwaras in Canada and the US, the CM said anyone, be it Sikh or non-Sikh, can enter the ‘guru ghar’ (abode of the Guru) to pay their respects or partake the langar prasad. It was against the ‘Sikhi’ (tenets of Sikhism) to stop anyone from entering the gurdwaras, he said, condemning the ban as totally wrong.

It was for the management committees of the Gurdwaras, as well as the Sikh community, in these countries, to put a stop on such acts, he said, pointing out that never in history had any person been barred from entering a gurdwara.

On the issue of political conferences at Shaheedi Jor Melas, Amarinder said the precedent laid in the case of the Fatehgarh Sahib Jor Mela should be followed for all other Shaheedi Jor Melas, such as Maghi and Chamkaur Sahib.

All political parties acceded to Jathedar Akal Takth’s call not to hold any political conference in Fatehgarh Sahib and should now follow the same tradition for other similar melas, he added. If the Akali Dal planned to hold political conferences there, it was up to them to explain and justify their act, said the CM.

The CM, however, made it clear that he was not against holding of political conferences at other Jor Melas which were not related to martyrdom.

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos is now the world’s richest man, not just at present, but of all time.

Both Bloomberg and Forbes have put Bezos on top of their billionaire lists. Bloomberg said Bezos’ net worth reached $106 billion while Forbes put it at $105 billion as of Wednesday, Xinhua news agency reported.

The previous record was held by Microsoft founder Bill Gates with $100 billion in 1999. The majority of Bezos’ net worth comes from the 78.9 million shares of Amazon stock he owns. Shares of Amazon (AMZN) climbed nearly 57 percent in 2017.

The Seattle-based corporation managed to make up 89 per cent of online spending among major retailers in the five-week period beginning on Thanksgiving, according to an analysis of transaction data by Earnest Research in New York.

Bill Gates now still sits on the No. 2 post on both of the fortune lists with roughly $92 billion. Some argue that if not for his significant charitable contributions, Gates would still be worth far more than Bezos.

According to Bloomberg, Gates has given away almost 700 million Microsoft shares, worth $61.8 billion at today’s value, as well as 2.9 billion of cash since 1996.

Dadasahab Palkhe has been hailed as the father of the Indian cinema. He was the one to make India’s first silent feature film, Raja Harishchand in 1913.

But little is known that there was another filmmaker during that era who was creating films side by side but was unable to showcase his work due to its destruction in a fire — such is the tale of Hiralal Sen.

Director Arun Roy is set to make a film based on Hiralal Sen who was one of India’s foremost filmmakers and is said to have filmed advertising films and possibly make the country’s first political film, though a fire in 1917 is said to have destroyed all of his creations.

The story of Hiralal Sen starts with his birth in 1866 in a zamindar family in Calcutta. It has been said that Hiralal had already made over 40 films by the year 1913. He also had documented the Anti-Partition Demonstration and Swadeshi Movement at the Town Hall in 1905 and this film was considered to be the first political film created by the legend.

The Director Arun Roy has already started work with the shooting of the film and has reportedly done an extensive research on the entire subject.

The film stars Saswata Chatterjee, Kharaj Mukherjee and Shankar Chakraborty among the other actors and actresses in the film.