Manchester United have been handed a massive injury boost ahead of their FA Cup tie with Derby County as manager Jose Mourinho revealed that striker Romelu Lukaku has recovered ahead of time to face the Championship side on Friday night.

“Romelu is back, Romelu is back,” Mourinho told MUTV on Thursday.

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Lukaku had been involved in a sickening, albeit accidental clash of heads with Southampton defender Wesley Hoedt early on in their Premier League clash on Saturday and had to be stretchered off with oxygen support.

It appears the injury wasn’t as bad as previously thought for Mourinho had stated he expected his summer signing to return to action after a week’s rest, expecting to welcome him back for a January 15 Premier League clash with Stoke City, not earlier.

“As I said it was not a concussion, it was a precaution, a protection for him. He wanted to play against Everton, but this time he is back,” Mourinho added.

After signing for United from Everton on a £75 million transfer in the summer, Lukaku has scored a total of 14 goals to emerge as the club’s top scorer.

And while United made do without the 24-year-old Belgian when they travelled to his former club for a mid-week Premier League clash on Monday night, with Anthony Martial and Jesse Lingard netting in a 2-0 win, his long-term absence would have seen the Red Devils struggle to cope.

Especially with Zlatan Ibrahimovic sidelined for a month at least, United were a bit short of options up front and as they seek to avoid an upset against the Rams, the return of Lukaku bodes well for United.

Currently United are in three competitions (Premier League, UEFA Champions League and FA Cup) and while a treble is unrealistic, the Red Devils are expected to make a deep run in both the cups they are still in.

Dell on Thursday announced a redesigned and more powerful XPS 13 laptop that will be available globally, starting at $999.99.

Activated by voice, touch or facial recognition, the new XPS 13 comes with narrower bezels, a new cooling system and white and rose gold options with a stain-resistant coating.

XPS 13 is the world’s first laptop built with “GORE Thermal Insulation”, the same silica aerogels that have been used in high-tech science and extreme engineering environments to diffuse and dissipate heat.

“If you get a pen mark or other stain on the white interior you can just wipe it off. And with a heat resistance superior to metal, woven glass fiber also stays cooler to facilitate longer performance,” Frank Azor, Vice President and GM, XPS, Alienware and Dell Gaming, said in a blog post.

The device houses quad-core eighth-generation Intel processor and is available with an FHD non-touch or 4K touch display.

It has Intel UHD Graphics 620 and supports up to 16GB of RAM and up to 1TB PCIe SSD.

“Log in with a look or a touch with the infrared camera and optional fingerprint reader in the power button for Windows Hello, or talk to your device from across the room, with four integrated digital microphones and Cortana voice recognition,” Azor added.

The 13-inch laptop, first unveiled at the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show (CES), is 30 per cent (3.4mm) thinner as well as lighter, starting at just 2.7 pounds.

Powered by the latest Intel 8th Generation Quad Core processor, XPS 13 delivers superior mobile performance with fast booting SSDs up to 1TB.

“While we made the system smaller and lighter, we were able to increase the performance by 2x, over the original XPS 13 launched in 2015,” Azor said.

 Annoyed and depressed due to his wife’s extra-marital affairs, a senior citizen on Thursday committed suicide by jumping before a Delhi Metro train here, police said.

The police said the incident took place at around 3.20 p.m. at GTB Nagar Metro station when a senior citizen — later identified as Banarsi Dass, 60 — jumped before the train at Platform No.1.

“Banarsi Dass, a resident of Adarsh Nagar, was taken to Babu Jagjivan Ram Memorial Hospital, where he was declared dead,” a senior police officer said.

A suicide note was recovered from his pocket, in which it was written that he was not happy with his life and annoyed with his wife’s affairs for the last few weeks, the officer said.

“His body has been handed over to the family after the postmortem examination,” he said, adding that the police were trying to ascertain whether he had gone to the station with someone or alone.

Five-time Australian Open finalist Andy Murray on Thursday said he would head home after pulling out of the first tennis Grand Slam tournament of the year due to an ongoing hip problem that has kept the former World No.1 from competitions since mid-way through last year.

The lingering injury forced the British player, now ranked 16th, to withdraw from Brisbane International on Tuesday, cancelling his match against Ryan Harrison of the United States, reports Efe.

“Sadly, I won’t be playing in Melbourne this year, as I am not yet ready to compete,” said Murray.

Murray, who is considering surgery on his hip, played his last official match in July, when he lost to Sam Querrey of the US, 3-6, 6-4, 6-7 (4), 6-1, 6-1 at the Wimbledon quarterfinals.

“I’ll be flying home shortly to assess all the options but I appreciate all the messages of support and I hope to be back playing soon,” the 30-year-old Scot stated.

Meanwhile, Australian Open Tournament Director Craig Tiley said Murray had been suffering with his hip, wishing him, “the absolute best on his road to recovery.”

Earlier in the day, Japan’s Kei Nishikori announced he would miss the Australian Open because of a right wrist injury.

Actress Raveena Tandon has urged people to save planet Earth by recycling and preserving.

Raveena, an ardent animal lover and an environmentalist, tweeted on Thursday: “Cars, fuel emissions, factory waste, garbage choked rivers, plastic waste … are all our problems!”

“Everything’s counted, slowly we are destroying this planet. Let’s be aware and in our own way, try to recycle and preserve. Join in saving … Save Aarey as well. One problem at a time.”

Mumbai’s green lung is Aarey Colony. It has been in the news as The Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Limited (MMRCL) filed an intervention plea against the National Green Tribunal order. In the plea, the MMRCL sought to axe 500 trees at Aarey Colony to set up a car shed.

Delhi Dynamos on Thursday signed up Spanish goalkeeper Xabi Irureta — their eighth foreign player for this season of the Indian Super League (ISL).

“Xabi brings a lot of experience and can help us to stabilize our way of playing. I’m sure he would fit in well in our scheme and in our game philosophy,” Dynamos’s head coach Miguel Angel Portugal said.

Xabi has previously excelled in teams such as Eibar and in La Liga with Real Zaragoza, and the custodian will now be hoping to make his mark in India.

Born in Ondarroa, Spain, Xabi started his career with local side Real Union before he went onto represent Eibar for seven seasons, where he helped the side move from Spanish Segunda Division to the top tier.

The custodian then signed for Zaraogza in the summer of 2016 where he made 17 appearances for the club.

“I’m excited to welcome Xabi as our 8th foreign signing. He brings a lot of experience and has played against the world’s best. He will be a calm and solid presence in our net and I’m sure he will be another successful Spanish Goalkeeper for the club,” Delhi Dynamos Director Rohan Sharma said.

Facebook is running a small test to let users post their Instagram “Stories” directly to WhatsApp Status. The new feature will let users post decorated photos, videos and GIFs on WhatsApp which will disappear after 24 hours.

“An Instagram Story posted as a WhatsApp Status also becomes encrypted like the rest of WhatsApp,” TechCrunch reported on Wednesday.

“We are always testing ways to improve the experience on Instagram and make it easier to share any moment with the people who matter to you,” a Facebook spokesperson was quoted as saying.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has announced that ‘Instagram Stories’ and ‘WhatsApp Status’ both now have 300 million daily active users.

The features, which are the clones of rival app Snapchat, now boast numbers almost twice the size of Snapchat that has 173 million daily active users. Facebook has also rolled out a feature that lets users share ‘Instagram Stories’ directly to ‘Facebook Stories’.

The option to syndicate Instagram Stories to Facebook Stories is available for US users and will be officially rolled out for everyone around the world.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday remembered the musical maestro RD Burman on his death anniversary on Twitter.

Solemnly legendary music composer RD Burman on his death anniversary

— Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) January 4, 2018

Rahul Dev Burman aka RD Burman was an Indian music composer, who is considered as one of the greatest music directors of the Indian film industry.

Also read: Remembering legend R D Burman on his 24th death anniversary

He was fondly called as Pancham Da by his colleagues and many regard him as the pioneer of Hindi pop songs.

Burman began his journey in 1961 composing songs for Hindi films. In his later years he further ventured into other languages and composed songs for Bengali, Telugu, Tamil and Marathi.
From 1961 to 1963 Burman composed for 331 films and won numerous awards and recognition in career spanning more than three decades.

He was known for his collaboration with Asha Bhosle (his wife) and Kishore Kumar.

Burman rose to prominence in the early 1970s in films starring Rajesh Khanna. He gained more popularity with his collaborations with Asha Bhosle, Mohammad Rafi and Lata Mangeshkar.

Burman has been credited with revolutionising Bollywood music. He incorporated a wide range of influence from several genres and made electronic-rock popular in love stories.

He also used Western music as a source of inspiration for his compositions. Burman’s legacy served as an influence to the next generation of Indian music directors. Many of the recent music directors have remixed Pancham Da’s popular songs over the years.

The legendary music director was known for his songs like Dum Maaro Dum, Piya Tu Ab To To Aaja, Kya Hua Tera Wada, Raat kali ek khwab mein, Mehbooba Mehbooba, Yeh Dosti Hum Nahin, Chura Liya Hai Tum Ne and Aao Na.

Burman also holds the record for the most nominations for best music director at one of India’s most prestigious award shows, FilmFare.

Simone Garcia Johnson, daughter of actor Dwayne Johnson, says it feels “surreal” to be named as the Golden Globe Ambassador for the 75th annual Golden Globe Awards.

“It was surreal and I was immediately so excited. The first person I told was my best friend,” eonline.com quoted Simone as saying.

The Golden Globe Ambassador replaces the honorary title Miss/Mr. Golden Globe, which was given to the son or daughter of the entertainment industry’s most respected talents.

The Golden Globes ceremony will be held here on January 7 and will air in India on Vh1, Comedy Central and Colors Infinity on January 8.

In addition to being a full-time student and a model, Simone has partnered with GlobalGirl, a non-profit organisation which helps further opportunities for economically disadvantaged women.

Simone, who wrote her first novel at 11, has voiced her support for a number of socially conscious causes, including Black Lives Matter, inclusivity in media and the fashion industry, and the Time’s Up initiative, which was launched by women in Hollywood to combat sexual harassment and gender discrimination.

“I think the biggest social issue young people face today is that we seem to be told that our opinions are often invalid,” Simone said, adding: “My advice to my generation would be to continue to fight for things you are passionate about and want to change about the world.”

After registering nine consecutive Test series victories since 2015, India will be duly tested in overseas conditions when they aim to overcome a formidable South Africa in the first of three match series at the Newlands here on Friday.

India maintained their Test series winning streak since defeating Sri Lanka 2-1 in their away series. The top ranked side in the longest format had also defeated South Africa on their own turf in the 2015-16 Freedom Trophy series.

However, India have not won against the Proteas on South African soil since 1992 — losing four and drawing one in 2010-11.

India will bank on their premier batsmen — Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli — who ended 2017 as the second and fourth highest runs scorers in the longset format respectively in the calender year to help their side maintain its top Test status.

Key Indian batsmen Shikhar Dhawan, Ajinkya Rahane, Murali Vijay and Lokesh Rahul will only look to add depth to the batting department.

Skipper Kohli might opt to play an extra batsman — Rohit Sharma — in place of Ravindra Jadeja, who is down with flu.

Pacer Jasprit Bumrah — who received his maiden call up in Test squad — alongside Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav and Bhuvneshwar Kumar will be tested against the fearsome South African batting on the green-top wicket.

Second ranked Test side South Africa, on the other hand will look to flourish on their home conditions under the likes of batsmen Hashim Amla, AB de Villiers and Faf du Plessis.

The well set-up bowling department will be led by pacer Kagiso Rabada — who ranks second in the Test bowlers list alongside fit again Dale Steyn, right-armer Morne Morkel and Vernon Philander who will target to dismiss the visitors right from the start of the match.

Squads:

India: Murali Vijay, Shikhar Dhawan, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli(captain), Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Wriddhiman Saha(wicket-keeper), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Parthiv Patel, Umesh Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Hardik Pandya, Lokesh Rahul.

South Africa: Dean Elgar, Aiden Markram, Hashim Amla, AB de Villiers, Temba Bavuma, Faf du Plessis (captain), Quinton de Kock (wicket-keeper), Andile Phehlukwayo, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Morne Morkel, Dale Steyn, Chris Morris, Vernon Philander, Theunis de Bruyn.

Jammu and Kashmir Governor N N Vohra and Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Thursday greeted people on the auspicious occasion of the birth anniversary of Guru Gobind Singh.

In a message, the governor observed that Guru Gobind Singh was a warrior and a philosopher-poet who strived for establishing a society based on equality, brotherhood, and respect for women.

He said the values underlying the teachings of the great Guru should guide our endeavours to establish a just social order.

The governor expressed hope that this auspicious occasion would usher the state towards peace, progress, and prosperity, strengthen the bonds of communal harmony and brotherhood and re-invigorate the valuable traditions that are the hallmark of the glorious heritage of Jammu and Kashmir for centuries.

In her message, the chief minister said the values underlying the teachings of the great Guru should guide our endeavours to establish a just and egalitarian society.

She said Jammu and Kashmir has been an abode of communal harmony and these occasions strengthen the inter-community bonds which are the need of the hour.

The chief minister also prayed for the well-being of the people of the state.

Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Thursday slammed the Modi government over the reported plunge in fresh investments in the country, terming its record a “Fake in India” programme.

“Guys a quick update on the Fake in India program. #FakeinIndia,” said Gandhi on Twitter attaching an online Mint story, headlined “Fresh investments in India plunge to a 13-year low as stalled projects rise”.

Rahul Dev Burman aka R D Burman was an Indian music composer who is considered as one of the greatest music directors of the film industry. He was fondly called as Pancham Da by his colleagues and many regard him as the pioneer of Hindi pop songs.

Burman began his journey in 1961 composing songs for Hindi films. In his later years, he further ventured into other languages and composed songs for Bengali, Telugu, Tamil and Marathi.

From 1961 to 1963 Burman composed for 331 films and won numerous awards and recognition in career spanning more than three decades.

He was known for his collaboration with Asha Bhosle (his wife) and Kishore Kumar, and composed some of the most memorable songs in the film industry ever.

Burman rose to prominence in the early 1970s in Rajesh Khanna starrer films. His popularity even grew more with his collaborations with Asha Bhosle, Mohammad Rafi and Lata Mangeshkar.

Burman has been credited with revolutionising Bollywood music. He incorporated a wide range of influence from several genres and made electronic rock popular in love stories. He also used Western dance music as a source of inspiration for his compositions. Burman’s legacy served as an influence to the next generation of Indian music directors. Many of these music directors have remixed Pancham Da’s popular songs over the years.

The legendary music director was known for his songs like Dum Maaro Dum, Piya Tu Ab To To Aaja, Kya Hua Tera Wada, Raat kali ek khwab mein, Mehbooba Mehbooba, Yeh Dosti Hum Nahin, Chura Liya Hai Tum Ne and Aao Na.

Burman also holds the record for the most nominations for Best Music Director at one of India’s most prestigious award shows, FilmFare.

On the occasion of his 24th death anniversary we pay a tribute to the legendary singer by listing some of the most iconic songs that revolutionised Bollywood music.

Chura Liya Hai Tum Ne

https://youtu.be/IEwrLaCYQkg

Mehbooba Mehbooba

https://youtu.be/6PCxTGZynpo

Dum Maro Dum

https://youtu.be/3muMjMT6hSA

Yeh Dosti Hum Nahin

https://youtu.be/91z_Q39uu1Q

Yamma Yamma

https://youtu.be/0T09y5o0I1w

The Supreme Court on Thursday issued a notice to the central and state governments and union territory administrations on a plea seeking proper implementation of a 2013 law to prevent and prohibit sexual harassment of women at workplaces.

The bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra, Justice A.M. Khanwilkar and Justice D.Y. Chandrachud, issued notice on a public interest litigation by NGO Initiatives for Inclusion Foundation seeking implementation of the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition, Redressal) Act, 2013.

Senior lawyer Sanjay Parikh, who appeared for the NGO represented by its trustees Pallavi Pareek and Esha Shekhar, told the court that the mechanism provided under the law for curbing sexual harassment at workplaces has not been created entirely.

The entire edifice that is required to enforce the law includes internal complaint committee in each organisation be it a government body or a private entity, setting up of local complaint committee (LCC), designation of a District Magistrate as a district officer to exercise powers under the Act, and the appointment of nodal officers, he said.

The 2013 Act provides for the appointment of nodal officers in every block, taluka and tehsil in rural or tribal areas and ward or municipality in urban areas, to receive complaints and forward the same to the LCC concerned.

Parikh said that though four years have passed since Parliament passed the Bill, the entire structure that has to operationalise it remains non-functional.

Grammy-winning singer Bruno Mars has teamed up with hip-hop star Cardi B for a new remix of Finesse. The song is from Mars third album, 24K Magic.

“We out here! #FinesseVideo,” Mars tweeted on Thursday.

Cardi B also shared a brief video of the song and wrote: “I had so much fun doing this video. It felt like a BBQ.”

This year, Mars has received six Grammy nominations including Album of the Year and Record of the Year for 24K Magic.

The 60th annual Grammy Awards will take place on January 28.