A court here on Friday awarded seven-year jail terms to two members of the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group after their application for pleading guilty to charges against them was allowed.

Those convicted by District and Sessions Judge Amar Nath are Sheikh Azhar-ul-Islam alias Abdul Sattar Sheikh and Mohammed Farhan alias Mohammed Rafiq Shaikh.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) had arrested Sheikh, Farhan and Adnan Hassan alias Mohammad Hussain in January last year on charges of involvement in a conspiracy to identify, motivate, radicalise, recruit and train potential members for the international militant group.

In their applications, both Sheikh and Farhan pleaded that they were remorseful over their actions. 

"We want to return to the mainstream and be productive for society and want to rehabilitate ourselves," they said, adding that their guilty plea was made without any pressure, threat, coercion or undue influence.

Sheikh Azhar hails from Jammu and Kashmir while Farhan hails from Maharashtra. Hassan is a resident of Karnataka.

Actor-filmmaker Pooja Bhatt, who went public about her drinking issues last year, says she is on the road to recovery and has not touched alcohol since the last four months.

"Sober is the new black…celebrating four months of sobriety and counting! Sobriety Recovery," Pooja tweeted on Friday. 

Pooja quit drinking on Christmas last year, and has addressed her issues on several public forums. 

In one such forum, she had said: "I stopped drinking by first acknowledging that I had a drinking problem. Because you are a woman and you live in a society where they are always taught or forced to brush things under the carpet. We tend to bury this shameful habit that we have of covering it up and say, 'Oh, we don't have a problem, it is somebody else's and I am not that drunk'." 

On the work front, she is working on Jism 3.

Worried over declining numbers of children enrolling in government schools, Haryana government has come out with an idea of encouraging the parents for admitting their children in government schools instead of private schools.

The campaign called "Pravesh Utsav" (Admission Festival) is in full swing across the state for the enrollment, retention and transition of students in all government schools.

The additional chief secretary (ACS), School Education Haryana, PK Das told The Statesman that teachers from the concerned government schools were going door to door for convincing the parents that the quality of education in government schools have improved.

Besides, parents are being told about the various benefits available for children in government schools including free admission, free books and uniform, Mid Day Meal, scholarships, free cycles for girls studying in schools at a distance of over one kilometer.

Apart from this, to ignite enthusiasm in students coming for admission in government schools, children are being given grand welcome by the school faculty with garlands and tilak (a coloured spot or mark worn
by Hindus on the forehead)," Das added.

The official further stated that the state government is committed to ensure quality education in its schools by providing adequate infrastructure and teachers availability.

For the financial year 2017-18, over Rs.14,000 Crore have been given for education sector in Haryana Budget.

According to official information, three years back, nearly 26 lakh children were enrolled in government schools against approximate 21 lakh students enrolled with private schools in Haryana.

However, at present the tally in government schools have come down to 23 lakh students while enrollment of students in private schools have gone up to 26 lakh in the state.

Das said that the Education Department has aimed that there should be no more decline in numbers of students in government schools, rather the strength of the students in government schools would be enhanced in coming years.

Out of nearly 7,000 government schools in Haryana, nearly 30 are Model or Aarohi schools to cater to intellectual, physical, emotional, psychological and spiritual development of children on the pattern of private ones.

We are trying our best to develop at least ten government schools in each district better than the private schools, the official added.

To encourage students, the Education Department has also decided to authorise school management committees to decide about the colour and design of uniform and bags of the students.

Upcoming Indian player Velavan Senthilkumar continued his fine run to reach the final of the West Rand Open Squash tournament, a PSA world tour event, in Roodepoort, Johannesburg.

In the semifinal, Senthilkumar, who won the British Junior Open earlier in 2017, ousted fourth-seed Tristan Eysele of South Africa in straight games 16-14 15-13 11-7 on Thursday night.

This is the second successive PSA event final that the 19-year-old Chennai boy, a qualifier, will be playing in the space of 10 days.

Interestingly, Senthilkumar will be up against Egyptian Mohammed Elsherbini, whom he lost to in the final of the Parkview Open in Johannesburg, a SRFI press note said.

His compatriot Harinder Pal Sandhu, the second-seed, had crashed out in the second round earlier.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Friday acceded to Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh’s request for opening of another passport office in Nawanshahr to facilitate NRIs and their families in the Doaba region of the state, while assuring to look into the issue of the blacklisted Sikh youth settled abroad.

The issues came up for discussion when Captain Amarinder called upon the Union Minister to inquire about her health in view of her recent kidney transplant. During the brief courtesy call, Swaraj, in response to the CM’s concern on the issue, also promised all possible efforts by the Central government to ensure the safety and security of Punjabis and Sikhs living abroad.

The Nawanshahr passport office will be in addition to the recently sanctioned passport office in Patiala, which is set to be inaugurated soon, a spokesperson of the Punjab government disclosed after the meeting.

CM expressed concern over the delay in removing the names of the Sikh youth enumerated in the government’s blacklist for their alleged involvement in subversive or anti-India activities. These Indian origin Sikh youth are barred from visiting India on account of being blacklisted. Swaraj said she would take up the issue with the Home Ministry, which was in the process of gradually pruning the list of such youth.

The matter of racist attacks on Punjabis and Sikhs settled in various countries outside India also came up for discussion, with the Chief Minister urging the Union Minister to take up the matter at the international level to protect victims of such assaults. Ms. Swaraj said her ministry was cognizant of the issue and she had been personally pursuing the matter to ensure that Sikhs and Punjabis settled abroad are provided complete security by the respective governments of those countries.

CM also raised the issue of setting up of Punjab-Israel working groups to boost cooperation for mutual benefit in the areas of security, agriculture and trade. The proposal to set up such groups had been made by Israeli ambassador Daniel Carmon at his meeting with Captain Amarinder earlier in the day. The CM, at his meeting with the External Affairs Minister, underlined the importance of such groups in the broader national interest.

Megastar Amitabh Bachchan's fitness trainer Vrinda Mehta has been roped in to appear in actor Suniel Shettys upcoming reality show Indias Asli Champion…Hai Dum.

Vrinda, who has been working in the fitness industry for over two decades, has trained Amitabh for 11 years. She has also worked for other Bollywood celebrities like Karan Johar, Madhuri Dixit-Nene, Sridevi, Abhishek Bachchan, Farah Khan, Tabu and Twinkle Khanna.

India's Asli Champions…Hai Dum will test physical and mental endurance of contestants from different walks of life. Vrinda will help them as a fitness expert. She will work with each contestant personally and help them push boundaries.

"I am really excited to make my on-screen debut with India's Asli Champion…Hai Dum. The show is so well designed and all the contestants are so focussed towards their goal, that it's great to see so much of enthusiasm in them," Vrinda said in a statement.

"Working with Suniel Shetty is like the cherry on the cake for me. We have interacted in the recent past and he is as always very calm and composed. It's a pleasure working with him and I'm looking forward to many more exciting experiences in the show," she added.

India's Asli Champion…Hai Dum will soon be aired on &TV.

Actors Deepika Padukone and Irrfan Khan, who were paired together in the 2015 hit film Piku, will reunite on the big screen. They are set to star in an unnamed Vishal Bhardwaj's production.

The film is to be directed by Bhardwaj's associate Honey Trehan, and will be co-produced by Bhardwaj, Prerna Arora and Arjun N Kapoor.

Deepika will play the mafia queen Rahima Khan, popularly known as Sapna didi. Irrfan will be seen as a local gangster who is in love with her and helps in her mission to eliminate Indian don Dawood Ibrahim. 

The film is based on one of the chapters from former investigative journalist-turned-author S Hussain Zaidi's book Mafia Queens of Mumbai. Bhardwaj has purchased rights to the chapter. 

Arora said in a statement: "We are producing the film along with Vishal ji, who is one of the finest directors in the country. We are looking forward to this collaboration." 

On getting Deepika and Irrfan together, she said: "We are working together on this untitled venture."

Trehan has been a part of Bhardwaj's life for long.

"Launching him as a director after Abhishek Chaubey gives me deep joy. He will make a fine director. Deepika has been asking me to write a script for her for a long time. She heard this script and loved it. We are in an advance stage of discussion with her," said Bhardwaj.

The English Premier League enters the final leg and the stakes are now higher than ever before.

Everyone has a different overall goal.  But they are fighting for every single ball. While it makes for arresting viewing, Fantasy Premier League (FPL) managers would prefer the results be pre-determined.
Since there is no crystal ball on hand, make do with the next best thing! For The Statesman assuages the selection dilemma with a comprehensive article on who to buy for the coming gameweek.

The indicators are:

Teams in BOLD are top 4 contenders.

Prices marked with a (+) indicate an increase in Base Price.
Prices marked with a (-) indicate a decrease in Base Price.

Goalkeepers

David de Gea
Team: Manchester United
Fixtures: Burnley (A)-Man City (A), Swansea (H), Arsenal (A), Spurs (A)-Southampton (A) and Crystal Palace (H)
Price: 5.4 (-)
Score: 113
Ownership: 33.4%

Why yes: Rested for United’s Europa League clash against Anderlecht, de Gea is set to return to the line up for this crucial double fixture gameweek. With United playing two double fixtures (Gameweek 34 and Gameweek 37), the Spaniard is a must-have, especially if you don’t have a United defender already.

Why no: The Red Devils continue to progress in the Europa League and they are definitely shifting their focus there as the season winds down. So don’t expect them to turn in too many sterling performances, they will just about do the bare minimum. Quite a few of their remaining fixtures are against teams in the top six.

Defenders

Antonio Barragán
Team: Middlesbrough
Fixtures: Bournemouth (A)-Sunderland (H), Man City (H), Chelsea (A), Southampton (H) and Liverpool (A)
Price: 4.4 (-)
Score: 71
Ownership: 1.3%

Why yes: Middlesbrough have an impressive defence (It’s actually better than anyone in the entire bottom-half!) and Barragan has been pretty decent all season. They have a double fixture gameweek and among the other teams that are playing two matches, Middlesbrough’s fixtures are the easiest.

Why no: They are on the verge of getting relegated and should results go against them in the next couple of matches, expect to see a rapid decline in the form of Steve Agnew’s men.

Patrick van Aanholt
Team: Crystal Palace 
Fixtures: Liverpool (A)–Spurs (H), Burnley (H), Man City (A), Hull (H) and Man United (A)
Price: 4.9 (-)
Score: 89
Ownership: 3.7%

Why yes: Back in the line up after an ankle injury had sidelined him for a couple of weeks, van Aanholt should wreak havoc against a shaky Liverpool defence. Palace are in excellent form and considering they have a double fixture gameweek, picking their rampaging full-back is a good choice.

Why no: If you already have Wayne Hennessey in your FPL team, then van Aanholt can be given a miss. Also, a majority of the Eagles fixtures’ are difficult.

Midfielders
Ander Herrera
Team: Manchester United
Fixtures: Burnley (A)-Man City (A), Swansea (H), Arsenal (A), Spurs (A)-Southampton (A) and Crystal Palace (H)
Price: 6.3 (-)
Score: 80
Ownership: 1.5 %

Why yes: No this isn't just because he managed to keep Eden Hazard in his pocket. Herrera was rested for the Europa League win over Anderlecht and as a result, he will be fresh for the double fixture Gameweeek United have. Always thinking positively, expect him to pick up an assist or two at least.

Why no: He picks up yellow cards on a regular basis and while he is a fine midfielder, from a FPL perspective perhaps Anthony Martial would make more sense. And if you already have Marcus Rashford in your side, Herrera should be avoided.

Roberto Firmino
Team: Liverpool
Fixtures: Crystal Palace (H), Watford (A), Southampton (H), West Ham (A) and Middlesbrough (H)
Price: 8.6 (-)
Score: 166
Ownership: 12.8%

Why yes: Back in form again after going missing for a while, Firmino is revelling in Sadio Mane’s absence. If he’s not scoring, he is assisting and vice-versa. Liverpool have the easiest fixtures from any side in the top six and Firmino is

Why no: If you already have Philippe Coutinho or Divock Origi, picking Firmino as well doesn't make sense. Also, Liverpool are known to implode against lesser teams, so don't take anything for granted.

Forwards

Alvaro Negredo
Team: Middlesbrough 
Fixtures: Bournemouth (A)-Sunderland (H), Man City (H), Chelsea (A), Southampton (H) and Liverpool (A)
Price: 6.2 (-)
Score: 110
Ownership: 12.6%

Why yes: Considering Middlesbrough have the easiest double fixture Gameweek and the fact that Negredo is in decent form, this is an easy low-budget choice. 

Why no: Middlesbrough have the worst attack in the league and are overly dependent on the Spaniard to win each game, which obviously doesn't work every singe time. They are 18th in the league table and it isn't prudent to pick too many players from a team that are so lowly.

Christian Benteke
Team: Crystal Palace 
Fixtures: Liverpool (A)–Spurs (H), Burnley (H), Man City (A), Hull (H) and Man United (A)
Price: 7.2 (-)
Score: 110
Ownership: 9.6%

Why yes:  Banging in the goals after undergoing a barren patch, Benteke is an excellent option in the mid-price forward range. Palace are in great form at the moment and they have a double fixture gameweek and against Liverpool at least, he should score.

Why no: Should you already have Wilfried Zaha in midfield, Benteke can be overlooked. The Eagles have some extremely tough fixtures up ahead.

PS: The Gameweek  deadline is 2.30 pm GMT/6.30 pm IST.

Actress Sofia Vergara is accused of "harassing" her former fiance Nick Loeb.

According to Loeb, Vergara is making his life "a living hell" nearly three years after they called off their engagement in 2014, reports radaronline.com.

As per reports, Vergara is still in a legal battle of "he said, she said" with Loeb over who owns the embryos they froze to make future children, and what should happen to them. He accuses her of "annoying" and "harassing" him with her legal maneuvers. 

Loeb is suing Vergara over two embryos they froze back in 2013. He wants to retrieve the embryos, use a surrogate to deliver them. He has even named them Emma and Isabella, radaronline.com reported.

Vergara hit back at Loeb with a contract they signed which states one parent needs the other's approval to use any embryo. But Loeb's attorney insists the contract never existed and accuses Vergara of trying to bully his client. 

"The complaint is defective and wholly untenable on so many grounds, it can only be described as a transparent and ill-conceived attempt to annoy and harass Mr. Loeb," the attorney states in documents. 

The much anticipated film of the year, Baahubali: The Conclusion, which is just a few days away from its release, is all set for a grand premiere.

After Baahubali: The Beginning, touted as India's biggest blockbuster, was well received by audiences and critics alike, the makers are optimistic about the sequel witnessing the grandest opening of Indian cinema so far. 

According to sources, a classic red carpet event is being planned. In keeping with the theme of the evening, huge props and artworks from the sets of the film have already been procured to give the venue a larger-than-life feel. The movie will be screened in Telugu and Hindi.

The entire Baahubali team along with director SS Rajamouli, will fly down to attend the premiere.

The event will be held in Mumbai on 27 April, will match the grandeur international premieres. 

Directed by SS Rajamouli, the movie stars Prabhas in the titular role in addition to Rana Daggubati, Tamannaah Bhatia, Anushka Shetty and Satyaraj in pivotal roles. 

The film is slated to release on April 28.

Israel on Friday showed interest in strengthening cooperation with Punjab on a wide range of subjects, including exchange of technology, police and security training, agriculture and irrigation, dairy farming, as well as promotion of private investment in the state.

At a meeting between Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh and Israel’s ambassador to India, Daniel Carmon, the two sides also decided to explore the possibility of setting up Punjab-Israel working groups for continuous dialogue on issues of mutual interest. CM promised to take up the matter with the External Affairs Ministry, after the Israeli envoy suggested the formation of such groups for long-term cooperation, according to Raveen Thukral, media advisor to the Punjab CM.

Besides Thukral, others who joined the CM in the meeting included Chief Principal Secretary Suresh Kumar, DGP Suresh Arora, ADGP Intelligence Dinkar Gupta, Special Chief Secretary (Horticulture and Forests) Himmat Singh and Punjab Resident Commissioner in Delhi Rahul Bhandari.

The Israeli ambassador was accompanied by Deputy Chief of Mission Dana Kursh and Adva Vilchinski, First Secretary and Political Affairs Advisor.

The Israeli ambassador told the CM his country was interested in expanding ties with Punjab beyond government-to-government relations by extending business opportunities for the Israeli private sector. He also showed interest in technological cooperation, with the possibility of setting up an IT and communications hub in Punjab, which Captain Amarinder said could be an important area of mutual growth.

CM was keen to involve the private sector, as he had done during his previous tenure as CM, in innovating new ways to boost irrigation and improve the yields of farmers with small holdings by encouraging them to shift towards horticulture. The Israeli ambassador pointed out that several Israeli companies were engaged in augmenting crop yield through innovative measures aimed at ensuring ‘more crop per drop.’

Captain Amarinder also suggested to Israel to set up an agriculture implements manufacturing facility in Punjab, besides helping the state in providing effective cold storage solutions for agricultural produce.

Pointing out that the dairy yield of Israeli cows was among the top three in the world, Carmon offered to provide Punjab with embryo transfer and artificial insemination technologies to scale up the dairy farming business in the state.

The two sides also discussed cooperation in police/security training, which the Israeli ambassador said could be arranged either in his country or in Punjab. The possibility of setting up a Punjab Special Operation Group for training could also be considered, Captain Amarinder and Mr. Carmon agreed. It may be noted that Israel already has an agreement with the Ministry of Home Affairs, Govt of India, on homeland security and anti-terror activities.

Exchange of agricultural and other experts as an ongoing measure to boost cooperation between the two sides will continue to be undertaken on priority, the two sides further agreed.

Web series 13 Reasons Why has been criticised by a mental health organisation for including “risky suicide content” in the show.

'headspace', Australia's National Youth Mental Health Foundation has published a statement on its website after receiving lots of mails and calls related to the Netflix show, reported The Independent.

“…urging school communities, parents, and mental health services to be aware of the dangers and risks associated for children and young people who have been exposed (to the show)” read the statement by headspace.

Its head, Dr Steven Leicester, explained, “There is a responsibility for broadcasters to know what they are showing and the impact that certain content can have on an audience – and on a young audience in particular.”

Apart from headspace, ABC News reports that the non- profit Suicide Awareness Voices of Education has also criticised “13 Reasons Why”.

The series, produced by actor-singer Selena Gomez, centres on a 17-year-old high school student who commits suicide and leaves behind 13 cassette tapes for 13 different people she felt were instrumental in her decision to take her own life.

Second-half substitute Sassa scored a late penalty to earn Brazil's Botafogo a 1-1 in their their group match of the Copa Libertadores football tournament against Barcelona Sports Club here.

Christian Aleman struck just after the half-hour mark for the Ecuadorian outfit, who looked to be in control before Yefferson Mena was dismissed after a second caution for a bad foul on Thursday night, reports Xinhua news agency.

Referee Jesus Valenzuela pointed to the spot two minutes from time after a Xavier Arreaga handball and Sassa, who was introduced in the 65th minute, coolly converted the penalty.

The result at the Monumental stadium lifted Botafogo to the top of Group A with seven points from three matches, ahead of Barcelona SC on goal difference.

In other matches on Thursday, Argentina's Godoy Cruz won 2-0 at home to Sport Boys Warnes of Peru, Brazil's Gremio drew 1-1 at Club Guarani of Paraguay and Independiente Medellin of Colombia won 2-0 at home to Melgar of Peru.

The Tripura and Mizoram governments have implemented the Supreme Court order in toto to ban liquor shops and outlets along the National Highways, officials said on Friday.

According to officials of the two states, after the Supreme Court's December 15 order, the Tripura and Mizoram governments asked all the District Magistrates and Collectors to relocate the liquor shops and outlets 500 metres away from National Highways.

"Of the 131 liquor shops in Tripura, 82 fall along the National Highways and Highways. Of the 82 liquor shops and outlets most have shifted to new places beyond 500 metres of the National Highways and highways," said an official of the Taxes and Excise Department of Tripura.

He said some of the liquor shops and outlets are yet to set up shops in new locations due to objection by the public and other legal and technical reasons.

The official said that to relocate liquor shops and outlets away from the National Highways and Highways, the Tripura government has amended the Tripura Excise Rules, 1990, under the Tripura Excise Act, 1987.

"We had told the owners of liquor shops and outlets that licence of liquor shops along National Highways would not be renewed after March 31," the official added.

The Tripura government earned Rs 162 crore revenue in 2016-17 from the liquor business – Rs 19 crore more than the previous fiscal.

The official said the Tripura government has also barred setting up of liquor shops near educational institutions, religious places, hospitals, political party offices, industries and factories.

As per the apex court directive, liquor shops, outlets and bars should move beyond 500 metres of National Highways. The court in its December 15 order had also stipulated a deadline to the states asking them to relocate the liquor joints by March 31, 2017.

In Mizoram, at least 12 liquor shops were closed down in the mountainous state following the Supreme Court order.

According to Excise and Narcotics superintendent of Aizawl district, Z. Lalhmangaiha 12 out of 34 liquor shops in Aizawl town were shut down by the department as they were within 500 metres from the Highways.

"Besides closing the shops, the vending licenses of the shop owners were suspended for some time. These would be renewed if they relocate their liquor shops 500 metres away from highways," he said.

Mizoram's Excise and Narcotics Minister R. Lalzirliana had announced that the state government would implement the Supreme Court order to ban liquor shops along National Highways.

After 18 years of imposing stringent prohibition, the Mizoram government lifted the liquor ban in the state in March 2015, allowing opening of liquor shops in the Christian-dominated tribal majority state under the Mizoram Liquor Prohibition and Control Act, 2014.

Google on Friday rolled out "Smart display campaigns" to all advertisers, a move that will help them reach more customers easily on the Google Display Network (GDN).

Smart display campaigns use the power of Google's machine learning to automatically connect businesses to prospective customers who may be interested in products, using insights from millions of apps and sites.

"It will help create beautiful image, native and text ads that fit anywhere across the GDN and set the right bids to meet performance goals," Google said in statement.

From popular news websites to latest gaming apps, there are now over three million apps and websites on the GDN.

According to the company, advertisers like hotel search platform trivago who use "Smart display campaigns" are seeing tremendous increase in conversions compared to other display campaigns. 

"With 'Smart display campaigns,' trivago drove 36 per cent more conversions at the same CPA, compared to its other similar display campaigns," the company said.

Argentinian midfielder Conca is close to making his debut for Brazilian giants Flamengo as he enters the final stage of his recovery from a serious knee injury, according to the club's medical staff.

Conca, who joined Flamengo on a 12-month loan from Shanghai SIPG in January, has not played since suffering knee ligament damage last August, reports Xinhua news agency.

But this week he resumed training with the ball, raising hopes of an imminent return.

"He is back doing ball work but still has some physical restrictions which make his return unpredictable," Flamengo medical spokesman Daniel Goncalves told the Globo newspaper.

Conca is in his third stint in Rio following two separate spells with Flamengo's cross-city rivals Fluminense.

The 33-year-old has made 46 appearances for Shanghai SIPG since joining the Chinese Super League club in 2015.

Her latest Maatr is about a gang-rape incident and actress Raveena Tandon says the movie shows the plight of women in the country without any sugar-coating.

The revenge thriller has been directed by Ashtar Sayed and written by Michael Pellico.

Raveena says she and the makers of the movie were committed to stay true to the subject and wanted to steer clear from commercialising anything.

“I was waiting for a film like this where the director and me were on the same page. Things like these can't be commercialised. It is a film made with emotions, there are no club songs, no dances, no gloss.

“In our country, there is a rape happening at some place everyday. This film shows the harsh reality. There is no sugar-coating,” Raveena told during a visit here.

The actress says since films made on such subjects are often unrealistic, it is important to make movies that shock people so that they understand the ordeal of a victim.

“Somewhere because of the sugar-coating that is going on, people making films which are palatable, we become indifferent to it. Until and unless it shocks you, disturbs you, how do you start feeling the horror of what the victims go through? We think this can't happen to us. It happens to others but it is only coming close to home.”

Raveena says the increase in the number of rape cases show that the law and order system of the country is failing to protect the women and girls.

“Statistically, it is on the rise and it doesn't seem to come down. So, obviously there is some system that is failing to protect the girls and women in the country. Something needs to be done.”

Maatr, which released today, shows a mother's fight for justice and how she takes matters in her own hands to seek revenge from the perpetrators.

Raveena says through the film, they are not trying to propagate people to take the law into their hands.

“We do not endorse anyone taking the law into their own hands. We don't advise that. But unfortunately, that has also started happening.”