Sufi music offers a neutral space without belonging to any particular religion at a time when the public discourse is dominated by religious nationalism, says singer Dhruv Sangari.

“When there is so much unrest in the name of religion, sect and caste in the society today, Sufism is offering a neutral space to people, which does not belong to any religion in particular,” says Sangari, who is in Delhi for a Sufi music event 'Jashn-e-Mohabbat' tomorrow.

Comparing Bhakti and Sufi movements, Sangari notes that people have forgotten “our shared heritage” and it was only music that could remind people of it.

“People don't know that early Bhakti and Sufi saints used the movements to rebel against the caste system and religious orthodoxy. It is very important to bring back that idea of a shared existence and culture.

“We are a very unique civilisation and we should celebrate it. Music is good at breaking barriers that we have created through religions and other such elements that separate us from others,” says Sangari.

Citing the example of Amir Khusrau, Sangari says the Sufi poet penned several famous songs including 'Aaj Rang Hai', which talks of Hindu festival Holi.

“Songs like 'Aaj Rang Hai' may be taken for granted today, but these were big efforts made by the great thinkers of their era to bring people of different religions together.

“And it is not entirely forgotten today. I know Muslims in Benaras who go to Hanuman temple on Tuesday, dargah on Thursday, and mosque on Friday. They are the product of that shared heritage and mixed culture,” says the singer.

While agreeing that Bollywood films and music shows are doing their part to introduce Sufi music to larger masses, he also believes that it was unfortunate that Sufi music is seen mostly as a “tool of entertainment”.

“See, Sufism and Sufi music are not for entertainment. Sufism is a path to inner purification, and when we are talking about Sufi music it is simply a mean of Sufism to reach that inner purification.

“Although it is good that Bollywood has given it a platform, it has been used as a tool of entertainment,” says Sangari.

Calling for a need of “deeper engagement”, Sangari says that cinema is such a broad medium that it can “act as a catalyst” to bring more people to appreciate the ideology.

“You cannot simply use words like Allah, Maula aur Ali and say it is Sufi music. People in Bollywood feel audience likes Sufi so let's put a Sufi song. They don't understand the meaning, they would simply want some flavour of Sufi.

“On one side we have a song 'Tere vaste mera ishq sufiyana', which is made only for entertainment, and then there is a small shot of Nizamuddin's dargah in Rockstar, which has influenced people to move towards understanding Sufi music and Sufi culture. It shows how powerful medium like cinema can act as a catalyst,” says Sangari.

Three time Rishikesh legislator, Premchand Aggarwal was unanimously elected the speaker of Uttarakhand assembly speaker in Dehradun on Thursday. BJP gave preference to 56-year-old Aggarwal, completely ignoring claim of many senior party leaders. 

Congress decided not to field any candidate for the speaker post, paving way for Premchand to get elected unopposed. BJP had to face anger of senior legislator and former state assembly speaker Harbans Kapoor support for ignoring him for the coveted post.

Premchand Aggarwal holds a post graduate degree in commerce. He began his political career from the college days to move to state politics after the formation of Uttarakhand. He contested from Rishikesh assembly seat in 2007, 2012 and 2017- registering win every time.

The first session of the Uttarakhand assembly will kick off from Friday. Chief Minister Trivendra Rawat has made Prakash Pant the parliamentary affair minister and rest of the ministers will have to wait for their portfolios for a couple of days. As two slots of cabinet ministers are presently vacant, many BJP leaders are lobbing for the remaining posts. 

The Medical Teachers' Association in Mumbai on Thursday gave an ultimatum of 48 hours to the Maharashtra government to fulfill their demands of better security at hospitals and threatened mass resignation if their demands are not met within two days.

Meanwhile, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in a meeting with the Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD) in Mumbai requested them to withdraw their strike immediately and join their duties.

He had earlier said that the state government will take strong action against those who attack doctors and will ensure doctors' security.

The Bombay High Court on Thursday asked the agitating doctors to resume duties and urged them to give some time to the government to provide them proper security. The court asked the state government to provide security to doctors at the government hospitals so they can work without any fear. The HC will hear the matter after 15 days.

Bombay HC chief justice said in the order that no punitive action should be taken against protesting doctors once they resume their duties.

For the fourth consecutive day on Thursday, over 3,000 resident doctors continued their mass casual leave protesting against growing incidents of attacks by patients' relatives on them.

Medical services in 17 government hospitals in Maharashtra, including four in Mumbai, were severely affected because of the strike.

Thousands of patients have been deprived of medical care in the wake of protest across the state.

With the internet playing a major role in our lives, binge watching has become a trend. From short films to web-series, we wait for them and our hearts ask for more. As much as we love mainstream Bollywood, we relate to some characters in web-series as they appear to be more realistic and resemble our lives.

After a busy week, weekends are dedicated to binge watching web-series on YouTube and other channels on the web.

Here are some actors who have fan followings as big as a movie stars because we totally adore them!

Sumeet Vyas

Annoying yet cute, perfectly imperfect boyfriend Mikesh from TVF Permanent roommates makes you fall in love with the idea of being in love and Chandan, the eldest sibling from TVF Trippling with Tiago makes you feel that living life to the fullest is a necessity. The tall and handsome Sumeet Vyas is not only a good actor but a web-series writer as well. His charming smile makes him one of the most loved web-series stars in India.

Bhuvan Bam

Popular on social media, BB ki vines made this guy so famous that now he stars in web-series and TV commercials. His comic timing, peculiar accent and brilliant acting skills have earned a huge fan following.

Manvi Gagroo

Girl next door look is what makes Manvi the heartthrob of web world. From TVF Pitchers to TVF Tripling with Tiago, she is the perfect example of bold and beautiful as she plays strong characters with her spellbinding smile.

Amol Parashar

Frequently seen in TV commercials and short films, Amol has given great performance in a number of web-series. His voice is mesmerising and the variation in his performance makes him take a permanent place in the list of popular web-series stars.

Jitendra Kumar

Jeetu is the guy to whom almost every IT professional in India relates. This IITian is an internet sensation and his versatility is going to make him stay in this list.

Go ahead and watch some more web-series to add more names to this list!

Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Thursday blamed the Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) 'false' propaganda for the party's loss in
the recently concluded Assembly elections.

Addressing party workers at Khatkar Kalan in SBS Nagar district, the SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal said it was the Congress which gained from AAP's propaganda as it pushed behind the developments works undertaken by the Parkash Singh Badal government.

"Topi wale (AAP) didn't gain anything from this false propaganda. But it benefitted the Congress,' he said adding that Badal government's development works were not taken into consideration by voters due to the AAP propaganda.

Badal said truth will soon come out as the people get to understand the difference between the SAD-BJP government and the Captain Amarinder Singh government which has already halted the developmental works initiated by the previous government.

"It's not a good beginning for the new government to take back the funds allotted for works in villages, towns and cities. Instead, they should given more funds to implement the projects started by our government, " Badal said.

Last week, the SAD president had said that people will realise SAD's value after five years saying, "It is like if someone eats too much, he ends up vomiting. So we actually gave people too much to eat,".

"Our value will be known when there will be drought for five years. Difference between good and bad is not known until acknowledged," he added.

The Congress returned to power in Punjab after a gap of a decade, with 77 seats in the 117-member Assembly. The AAP won 20 seats on debut and become the second largest party in the Punjab Assembly. The SAD-BJP alliance fared the worst with 18 seats (15+3).

Skipper Virat Kohli on Thursday skipped batting at India's net session ahead of the fourth cricket Test against Australia.

It was also learnt that pacer Mohammed Shami will not be picked for the match as he is still being monitored by physio Patrick Farhart.

Kohli is nursing an injury on his right shoulder sustained while trying to save a boundary in Australia's first innings at Ranchi.

While there were speculations that he would be forced to take a break, Kohli defied odds as he came out to bat even though he didn't score too many runs in the third Test.

on Thursday, Kohli was present at the ground with his teammates. With a bandaged right shoulder, Kohli took part in the customary warm-up. He did some under-arm throwing during fielding practice. Perhaps it was more to do with not exerting pressure on his hurt shoulder.

With India having another practice session slated for Friday, Kohli is expected to bat at the nets. Known for his guts, the India skipper will not even in his dream like to miss a match, which is set to have a lasting imprint on the series.

Meanwhile, it was learnt that Shami doesn't have a chance to be picked for the game.

“Shami was with the team in Ranchi also as Farhart is monitoring his progress. He was not named in the squad of 15 for the final Test. Sending him to play Vijay Hazare final was a part of that extensive rehabilitation plan,” a well-informed source told PTI on Thursday. 

The International agency of weather and climate, World Meteorological Organisation, has come out with a new theme on World Meteorological Day 2017: “Understanding Clouds”, as clouds are an important part in weather formation, which affects your mood – sad, happy, gloomy, pleasant and so on.

“The extreme weather patterns are continuing in 2017. adding at least three times so far this winter, the Arctic saw what can be called the Polar equivalent of a heatwave, with powerful Atlantic storms driving an influx of warm, moist air,” the World Meteorological Organisation report stated.

“While global temperatures hit a remarkable 1.1 degree- Celsius above the pre-industrial period, global sea-level touch record highs and the planet's sea-ice coverage dropped more than four million square kilometres below average in November an unprecedented anomaly for that month,” according to the WMO statement on global climate in 2016.

With time, humans have become more responsible toward poor climate condition, global warming and bad clouds formation. Gases and pollutions released from industries both small and heavy, thermal plants, coal, power plants, automobiles, burning of paddy stubbles in agricultural lands, bursting of crackers, burning of plastics and non-biodegradable items are some of the core reasons.

All the meteorological departments and climate bodies in India and world have transformed their technological mechanism to detect change in certain clouds and weather conditions to evade timely natural calamities and save depletion of natural resources.

All you need to know about World Meteorological Day

1. The World Meteorological Day was announced on March 23, 1950. Since then, this day has been observed every year.

2. WMO is a specialised agency of the United Nations and World Meteorological Day is an initiative by WMO.

3. This day is an attempt to celebrate the inherent beauty and aesthetic appeal of clouds, which has inspired artists, poets, musicians, photographers and countless other enthusiasts throughout history, as stated by WMO.

4. ‘Understanding Clouds’ is the theme of World Meteorological Day, 2017 to highlight the enormous importance of clouds for weather climate and water.

5. WMO supports the implementation of a number of environmental conventions and is instrumental in providing advice and assessments to governments on related matters.

Understanding Clouds

Clouds are mass of condensed water vapours that include minute particles of liquid water or ice which float in the atmosphere. Clouds also consist of non-aqueous liquid or solid particles like fumes, smoke or dust.

There are three types of clouds: High clouds, medium clouds and low clouds. High clouds are namely Cirrus, Cirrocumulus, Cirrostratus. Middle clouds are namely Altocumulus, Altostratus, Nimbostratus and Low clouds are namely Stratus, Stratocumulus, Cumulus, Cumulonimbus.

High clouds are thick and are found at top of high mountains or at the cruising altitude of a jet airplane. Middle clouds are comprised of water and ice and they are fluffy, white or grey clouds with lot of contrast between light and dark. Chances are there that they can bring rain. Low clouds are the ones that are found above tall buildings. These clouds block sunlight and can bring precipitation and wind.

Clouds give different feelings and moods to different people. Know your clouds to know your moods.

The BJP-led coalition ministry in Manipur was expanded on Thursday with induction of three ministers.

Governor Najma Heptulla administered the oath of office and secrecy at a simple function in the afternoon at Raj Bhavan.

The new ministers are T Radheshyam, Nemcha Haokip and V Hangkhalian — all from the Bharatiya Janata party (BJP), the major partner.

In the 60-member assembly, the Manipur Chief Minister is allowed to have a council of 12 ministers.

On March 15, eight ministers, besides Chief Minister N. Biren Singh from the BJP, were sworn in. Out of the eight, one was from the BJP, all four MLAs of the National People's Party (NPP), one from the Naga People's Front (NPF), one of the Lok Janashakti Party (LJP) and one from the Congress, who had defected to become minister.

The lone Independent and one MLA of the AITC, who supported the coalition government, were not inducted. 

Y Joykumar of the NPP was made Deputy Chief Minister. Hectic lobbying is said to be going on for important portfolios.

Although the Congress had bagged 28 seats, it got reduced to 27 after the defection of T Shyamkumar.

High on confidence after scripting a 5-0 series whitewash over Belarus earlier this month, the Indian women's hockey team led by striker Rani on Thursday departed for West Vancouver to take part in the World League Round 2, starting on April 1.

The Indian eves will vie for top honours when they clash with teams likes Belarus, Canada, Mexico, Trinidad and Tobago, Chile and Uruguay in the upcoming tournament.

“We go in as the top ranked team and we are confident we will finish in the top spot. We are going there 10 days before the start of the tournament so we will have enough time to get used to the turf, climate. We will also play two practice matches which will help us fine tune further,” said Rani.

Rani said the team has been working extremely hard in the national camp in Bhopal under the watchful eyes of chief coach Sjoerd Marijne and analytical coach Eric Wonink. Their training was also overseen by Hockey India's High Performance Director David John.

“We were put through a rigorous training camp which began in the second week of January. We have worked a lot on our individual skills, brought in a few variations in our techniques to increase speed of play and the team has thoroughly enjoyed working under the new coaches who are very specific in their approach and ensure every girl in the team knows her responsibilities and what is expected of her.

“Apart from emphasis on fitness, there was also special sessions for mental training and it has helped the team a lot,” said the captain.

Vice-captain Deep Grace Ekka said that the series win against Belarus was a big confidence booster ahead of the World League Round 2.

“This group has been together for a while now and we know each others' strengths and weaknesses. I feel the series win against Belarus was a big motivator. There were minor mistakes that we committed against Belarus and we worked on correcting those mistakes these past few weeks,” she said.

“Our primary goal is to qualify for the World League Semi Final and to do that our focus will not just be on attack and speed of play but also a lot of emphasis will be on our defensive structure,” Ekka added.

The Hockey Women's World League Semifinal will be held in June and July with Johannesburg and Brussels set to be the two venues.

Speaking about the women's team progress over these past few weeks, Dutch coach Marijne said, “The team possess great skill to play fast but we have also emphasised a lot on defence because a good defence structure is what wins championships. We have worked on our own small targets and I am hopeful they will fetch us good results.”

Squad:
Goalkeepers: Savita, Rajani Etimarpu.
Defenders: Deep Grace Ekka, Sunita Lakra, Gurjit Kaur, Renuka Yadav, Lalhlunmawii.
Midfielders: Deepika, Navjot Kaur, Ritu Rani, Monika, Lily Chanu Mayengbam, Namita Toppo.
Forwards: Rani, Vandana Katariya, Poonam Rani, Sonika, Anupa Barla.

High on confidence after scripting a 5-0 series whitewash over Belarus earlier this month, the Indian women's hockey team led by striker Rani on Thursday departed for West Vancouver to take part in the World League Round 2, starting on April 1.

The Indian eves will vie for top honours when they clash with teams likes Belarus, Canada, Mexico, Trinidad and Tobago, Chile and Uruguay in the upcoming tournament.

“We go in as the top ranked team and we are confident we will finish in the top spot. We are going there 10 days before the start of the tournament so we will have enough time to get used to the turf, climate. We will also play two practice matches which will help us fine tune further,” said Rani.

Rani said the team has been working extremely hard in the national camp in Bhopal under the watchful eyes of chief coach Sjoerd Marijne and analytical coach Eric Wonink. Their training was also overseen by Hockey India's High Performance Director David John.

“We were put through a rigorous training camp which began in the second week of January. We have worked a lot on our individual skills, brought in a few variations in our techniques to increase speed of play and the team has thoroughly enjoyed working under the new coaches who are very specific in their approach and ensure every girl in the team knows her responsibilities and what is expected of her.

“Apart from emphasis on fitness, there was also special sessions for mental training and it has helped the team a lot,” said the captain.

Vice-captain Deep Grace Ekka said that the series win against Belarus was a big confidence booster ahead of the World League Round 2.

“This group has been together for a while now and we know each others' strengths and weaknesses. I feel the series win against Belarus was a big motivator. There were minor mistakes that we committed against Belarus and we worked on correcting those mistakes these past few weeks,” she said.

“Our primary goal is to qualify for the World League Semi Final and to do that our focus will not just be on attack and speed of play but also a lot of emphasis will be on our defensive structure,” Ekka added.

The Hockey Women's World League Semifinal will be held in June and July with Johannesburg and Brussels set to be the two venues.

Speaking about the women's team progress over these past few weeks, Dutch coach Marijne said, “The team possess great skill to play fast but we have also emphasised a lot on defence because a good defence structure is what wins championships. We have worked on our own small targets and I am hopeful they will fetch us good results.”

Squad:
Goalkeepers: Savita, Rajani Etimarpu.
Defenders: Deep Grace Ekka, Sunita Lakra, Gurjit Kaur, Renuka Yadav, Lalhlunmawii.
Midfielders: Deepika, Navjot Kaur, Ritu Rani, Monika, Lily Chanu Mayengbam, Namita Toppo.
Forwards: Rani, Vandana Katariya, Poonam Rani, Sonika, Anupa Barla.

One of the traditional hubs of Indian football alongside Kolkata and Kerala, Goa's chances of hosting marquee matches in the FIFA U-17 World Cup appear to have taken a hit owing to low attendance in the AFC U-16 event in 2016.

“We have always said that for marquee matches, such as quarterfinals, semifinals or final, the criteria would be readiness and willingness. In terms of readiness, Goa had the advantage of hosting the AFC U-16 Championship, so infrastructure is well covered.

“For the willingness, we have to take into account how important it is for a state, its people and all the stakeholders involved with football to host these matches. We had a test on the AFC U-16 and we have analysed the attendance data, which was certainly not too encouraging,” tournament director Javier Ceppi said.

The mega event is to be held across the country in six centres from October 6 to 28.

An eight-member FIFA team, led by head of events Jaime Yarza, is set out to inspect the host cities.

Newly appointed state chief minister Manohar Parrikar welcomed the FIFA delegation on Thursday and pledged full support for the upcoming tournament.

Commenting on the Nehru Stadium in Fatorda, Parrikar said, “Goa is known for its love for football and we will ensure that no stone is left unturned in preparations for the tournament. It will be a wonderful opportunity for all Goans to witness a spectacle such as the World Cup.”

Earlier in the day, the FIFA delegation along with the Local Organising Committee visited the stadium and the training sites to take a comprehensive look at the facilities. The LOC and FIFA experts expressed their satisfaction with the work which has been put in at the venue.

Describing the preparations of the venue, Yarza said, “I am pretty excited to see the way the stadium has shaped over the last year since I last came here, it played host to the World Cup Qualifiers and from the reports, I gauge that the authorities here did a great job at it.

“Also, the meeting with the chief minister was pretty fruitful. He assured us of continued support and that all requirements would be met leading up to the tournament.”

Speaking about the readiness of the venue, Ceppi said, “On the infrastructure front, things are almost ready but we now need to go into the finer details of all the operation plans such as security, transport, health, promotions etc. We will keep working with the authorities of the state government just as we have done for the past two and a half years to make sure that all the responsibilities for the state are complied with.”

The delegation will continue its inspection visit to the remaining venues — Kochi, Navi Mumbai, Guwahati and Kolkata.

One of the traditional hubs of Indian football alongside Kolkata and Kerala, Goa's chances of hosting marquee matches in the FIFA U-17 World Cup appear to have taken a hit owing to low attendance in the AFC U-16 event in 2016.

“We have always said that for marquee matches, such as quarterfinals, semifinals or final, the criteria would be readiness and willingness. In terms of readiness, Goa had the advantage of hosting the AFC U-16 Championship, so infrastructure is well covered.

“For the willingness, we have to take into account how important it is for a state, its people and all the stakeholders involved with football to host these matches. We had a test on the AFC U-16 and we have analysed the attendance data, which was certainly not too encouraging,” tournament director Javier Ceppi said.

The mega event is to be held across the country in six centres from October 6 to 28.

An eight-member FIFA team, led by head of events Jaime Yarza, is set out to inspect the host cities.

Newly appointed state chief minister Manohar Parrikar welcomed the FIFA delegation on Thursday and pledged full support for the upcoming tournament.

Commenting on the Nehru Stadium in Fatorda, Parrikar said, “Goa is known for its love for football and we will ensure that no stone is left unturned in preparations for the tournament. It will be a wonderful opportunity for all Goans to witness a spectacle such as the World Cup.”

Earlier in the day, the FIFA delegation along with the Local Organising Committee visited the stadium and the training sites to take a comprehensive look at the facilities. The LOC and FIFA experts expressed their satisfaction with the work which has been put in at the venue.

Describing the preparations of the venue, Yarza said, “I am pretty excited to see the way the stadium has shaped over the last year since I last came here, it played host to the World Cup Qualifiers and from the reports, I gauge that the authorities here did a great job at it.

“Also, the meeting with the chief minister was pretty fruitful. He assured us of continued support and that all requirements would be met leading up to the tournament.”

Speaking about the readiness of the venue, Ceppi said, “On the infrastructure front, things are almost ready but we now need to go into the finer details of all the operation plans such as security, transport, health, promotions etc. We will keep working with the authorities of the state government just as we have done for the past two and a half years to make sure that all the responsibilities for the state are complied with.”

The delegation will continue its inspection visit to the remaining venues — Kochi, Navi Mumbai, Guwahati and Kolkata.

Chinese Defence Minister General Chang Wanquan arrived here on Thursday on a three-day official visit.

This is the first high-profile visit from China to Nepal after Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal took office last August.

China and Nepal are next month conduction joint military drills the dates of which will be announced during Chang's stay, officials said.

Leading a 19-member delegation, Chang arrived in Nepal on the invitation of his Nepali counterpart Defence Minister Bal Krishna Khand after concluding his Sri Lanka visit.

Khand, other senior officials of Nepal's Defence Ministry and Nepal Army personnel welcomed the Chinese Minister upon his arrival. 

General Chang is also scheduled to meet President Bidya Devi Bhandari and Nepal Army Chief General Rajendra Chhetri on Friday.

He is also slated to visit the earthquake-damaged heritage sites and monuments at the Basantapur Durbar area in Kathmandu.

Chinese Defence Minister General Chang Wanquan arrived here on Thursday on a three-day official visit.

This is the first high-profile visit from China to Nepal after Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal took office last August.

China and Nepal are next month conduction joint military drills the dates of which will be announced during Chang's stay, officials said.

Leading a 19-member delegation, Chang arrived in Nepal on the invitation of his Nepali counterpart Defence Minister Bal Krishna Khand after concluding his Sri Lanka visit.

Khand, other senior officials of Nepal's Defence Ministry and Nepal Army personnel welcomed the Chinese Minister upon his arrival. 

General Chang is also scheduled to meet President Bidya Devi Bhandari and Nepal Army Chief General Rajendra Chhetri on Friday.

He is also slated to visit the earthquake-damaged heritage sites and monuments at the Basantapur Durbar area in Kathmandu.

A Hyderabad court on Thursday granted bail to prime accused Swami Aseemanand, the former member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in the 2007 Mecca Masjid blast case.

The blast, which occurred when an improvised explosive device (IED) was found inside Hyderabad's Mecca Masjid in May 18, killed atleast nine persons.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) in May 2011 chargesheeted Assemanand who confessed his alleged involvement in the blast. However, soon after, he took a U-turn by retracting his statement.

Earlier, the role of terror outfits such as Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) was suspected.

Aseemanand's bail order came a week after he was acquitted of all charges in the 2007 Ajmer dargah blast case. He is likely to be released on Thursday.

A Hyderabad court on Thursday granted bail to prime accused Swami Aseemanand, the former member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in the 2007 Mecca Masjid blast case.

The blast, which occurred when an improvised explosive device (IED) was found inside Hyderabad's Mecca Masjid in May 18, killed atleast nine persons.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) in May 2011 chargesheeted Assemanand who confessed his alleged involvement in the blast. However, soon after, he took a U-turn by retracting his statement.

Earlier, the role of terror outfits such as Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) was suspected.

Aseemanand's bail order came a week after he was acquitted of all charges in the 2007 Ajmer dargah blast case. He is likely to be released on Thursday.

Italy striker Ciro Immobile is expecting a tough battle against underdogs Albania in a 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifier to be held in Palermo on Friday.

Four-time World Cup winners and current world No.15 Italy host world No.54 Albania in a qualifier for the 2018 World Cup. Spain and Italy lead Group G of the European qualifiers with 10 points each after four rounds.

"We're studying them, they're a team who played in the European Championship with good qualities and they're well trained," Immobile said, as posted on Italy's football federation FIGC's website on Wednesday.

"It won't be a walk in the park, they'll fight tooth and nail. We know that playing at 90 per cent isn't enough to win."

The Lazio star also backed captain Gianluigi Buffon's view that the national side has vastly improved with the inclusion of several young and talented players under the guidance of new head coach Gian Piero Ventura, who has been tasked to oversee a generation transition.

"Belief grew from September and we're a more united team now. There have been improvements even if we've not spent much time together. If Buffon says that we're a very strong team then who am I to contradict him?" he said.

Immobile will also be up against a club-mate in Thomas Strakosha. "I've spoken with him and he said that they'll give us a tough time but we'll give our all to beat them," added Immobile.

Palermo is also a special place for the 27-year-old to play at. "I'm emotional about it because I've already played there twice with Italy and the atmosphere makes you feel at home," he added. 

"From when the anthem plays the stadium gives you energy. When I play at the Stadio Barbera my family always look to go."

The Lazio forward also agreed with head coach Gian Piero Ventura about moving the start of the season to aid Italy's preparation for the match with Spain on September 2. 

"I agree with the coach, it's an important year and everybody must understand that," he went on.

"To prepare best for that match the start of the season needs to be moved, I don't see what the problem is."

This game comes just four days before the Azzurri will take on the Netherlands in a friendly scheduled for March 28 in Amsterdam.