At least 70 trains were running late and were 23 rescheduled due to dense fog in parts of north India on Friday morning, a railway official said here.

According to the Northern Railway official, the trains which were rescheduled included the New Delhi-Rajendra Nagar, New Delhi-Howrah, New Delhi-Sealdah and New Delhi-Bhubaneshwar Rajdhani expresses.

Virat Kohli, who is all set to take over as the Indian captain across all formats paid glowing tributes to his predecessior Mahendra Singh Dhoni for being an inspirational leader and terming him "captain forever".

Kohli on Friday took to twitter to express his feelings about the captain under whom he has played all along in the limited overs format since making his debut back in 2008.

"Thanks for always being the leader a youngster wants to have around him. You'll always be my captain @msdhoni Bhai," Kohli tweeted.

Cricketers across the globe including the likes of Michael Clarke, Michael Vaughan, Shahid Afridi and Zaheer Abbas have all spoke highly about the impact that Dhoni had on Indian cricket during his tenure as captain over the better part of this decade.

Chairman of selectors MSK Prasad and A team coach Rahul Dravid has also termed the timing as perfect with Kohli getting two and half years going into the 2019 World Cup in England.

Photo sharing for iPhone users can be more fun as Instagram on Friday rolled out iPhone 7 and 7 Plus-specific features that support wide colour capture and display -and users don't need to update the app.

According to a report in TechCrunch, Instagram had first announced a series of iPhone 7-specific features, including the wider colorus and Live Photo conversion to Boomerang, as well as a special colour filter, one-finger zoom on the 7 Plus, and instant access to the Instagram Stories camera with 3D touch, in September 2016 at the device's unveiling.

"If you are on an iPhone 7 or 7 Plus, Instagram now supports wide colour capture and display throughout the app -writing an eng blog on it soon," tweeted Mike Krieger, Co-founder, Instagram.

Users can also post GIFs to Instagram Stories even without capturing them on its stand-alone app Boomerang. Apple Live Photos can now be converted into Boomerangs.

"To turn a Live Photo into a Boomerang, first open the Instagram Stories camera, swipe up to upload something from your camera roll, and select one of your Live Photos shot in the last 24 hours. Then while previewing it before you post, give a forceful 3D Touch to the screen, you will see a little loading wheel, and then the Live Photo will appear as a back-and-forth Boomerang you can share in your Story," the report explained.
 

Former "High School Musical" co-stars Vanessa Hudgens and Ashley Tisdale have teamed up to deliver a duet version of Elle King's "Ex's and Ohs" hit.

The actresses have remained close ever since meeting on the set of the Disney film franchise, in which they portrayed Gabriella Montez and Sharpay Evans respectively.

The two friends recently staged a mini reunion for Ashley's YouTube channel series Music Sessions, during which she covers various songs, reported Contactmusic.

"Welcome back to Music Sessions!" Ashley said in the video footage.

"I read all your comments and you guys wanted one very special guest and so I brought her in – my best friend, Vanessa Hudgens!" PTI JCH

The Supreme Court on Friday turned down the plea seeking an urgent hearing on postponement of the Union Budget presentation ahead of Assembly polls in five states.

The apex court bench of Chief Justice Jagdish Singh Khehar, Justice NV Ramana and Justice DY Chandrachud said that they would decide the issue when it comes in its normal course and will lay down the law whenever the petition comes up.

The public suit by advocate ML Sharma came in the wake of the staggered election dates being announced for five state assemblies between February 4 and March 8.

Thus, presenting the budget now would violate the Model Code of Conduct which has come into force with the announcement of the election schedule, the petitioner contended.

Seven opposition parties including Congress, Trinamool Congress, Janata Dal-United, Samajwadi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party, Rashtriya Janata Dal and the DMK have sought are demanding that the Union Budget be deferred till after March 8 contending that fiscal exercise ahead of assembly elections in five states will give an unfair advantage to the BJP and its allies.

A delegation comprising leaders of the seven parties met Chief Election Commissioner Syed Nasim Ahmad Zaidi on Thursday.

Instead of usual February 28, the budget this year is scheduled to be presented on February 1, only days before the assembly elections go underway in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Goa and Manipur between February 4 and March 8.

With inputs from agencies

Indian stocks fell victim to weak overseas cues on Friday as traders and investors digested the previous session's sharp rally. Heavy sales on IT stocks, in particular, and media and real estate companies negated modest gains elsewhere.

The top five losers on the Nifty were export oriented software stocks — Tech Mahindra, HCL Technologies, TCS, Infosys and Wipro — collectively lost 1.4-4.1 per cent on news that two American lawmakers had reintroduced a bill that seeks to further place stringent conditions of H-1B visas, which allow Indian software developers to work in the United States, the main market for Indian software providers, who collectively bring in $150 billion each year as sales.

As a consequence, the Nifty was unable to hold on to its early morning gains and it retraced from a 8-week high of 8,300 points. The Index was up just 5 points at 8,278 points. Very heavy selling was evident on the software sector's benchmark which dropped 2.8 per cent to its lowest since December 27.

Here are the major events of the day:

* Yes Bank, ONGC, Bank of Baroda, IndusInd Bank and GAIL rise 1.3-2.7 per cent and are among 32 shares that rose on the Nifty.

* Idea Cellular, Grasim, Zee Entertainment, BHEL and UltraTech Cement dropped 0.6-1.7 per cent and were among 19 stocks that fell on the index, along with the top five software exporters mentioned above.

* Infosys dropped 2.6 per cent and the counter was the top traded in terms of value with 321 crore rupees worth of shares changing hands. Wockhardt, Yes Bank and Just Dial were also on the list.

* The Sensex dropped 13 points to traded at 26,865 points on the Bombay Stock Exchange.

* JSW Energy, Punjab  National Bank and HDIL and Jindal Steel & Power saw hectic volume trade.

* Broader market indices were flat and they showed a faint colour of green. Mid cap and small cap indices traded flat.

* Bit gains were seen on beaten down banking scrips, metal shares and pharma companies. Their benchmarks rose 0.1-0.4 per cent.

* The bulls loosened their grip a bit on Dalal Street where 678 shares rose versus 834 that gained.

Reality TV star Khloe Kardashian has hinted that her relationship with Tristan Thompson has made her the happiest she's "been in years".
 The 32-year-old reality star has had a difficult few years, particularly due to her split from ex-husband Lamar
Odom and his health struggle following a drug overdose in October 2015.
 But as she looks forward to the coming year, Khloe said she is feeling better than she has done in a long time,
reported Contactmusic.

 "At this moment, a few days into 2017, I feel incredibly clear and probably the happiest I've been in years," she wrote
on her website.
    "It's such a great feeling that I have my happy back! It's from a genuine place and the most peaceful place I've
been in for longer than I can even remember. I think maintaining this peace and happiness is my biggest goal for
the new year."
    Khloe didn't refer to basketball player beau Tristan by name but she hinted that the athlete, who she's been dating
since September last year, was largely responsible for her positive mental attitude.
    "I think when you're in love you definitely feel happy and healthy too. I like that my relationship is very normal
and doesn't need to be so publicised all the time. People aren't wrong for putting all of their personal business out
there, but I've learned from my mistakes and don't need to do that anymore."

Former India captain and current A team coach Rahul Dravid feels that Mahendra Singh Dhoni got his timing of quitting captaincy right if he doesn't see himself continuing in the team going into the 2019 World Cup.

"[Dhoni's decision was] probably not that much of a surprise, in the sense that he probably knew that the time was sooner rather than later," Dravid said. "There was talk of him continuing till the Champions Trophy with only one one-day series before that.

"But I think, from his perspective, if he didn't see himself continuing till the next World Cup, he got the timing really right because if he doesn't see himself as a long-term prospect as captain then I think it is a good time to let Virat Kohli take over and have enough time to be able to build a one-day team to his liking for the next World Cup," said Dravid.

"There is no doubt that someone of MS Dhoni's experience and ability, when playing well, is invaluable to the side.

That's the kind of experience and knowledge and ability, under pressure especially. It is not easy to find and not easy to get," Dravid said.

"The question obviously remains that you need to earn your place in the team and you need to do it with performances. So at his best and performing really well, a guy like MS Dhoni is invaluable to India's one-day team, especially in the big tournaments coming up."

However by Dravid's own assertion, Dhoni's form leading upto key tourneys will also be an issue.

"But I think that will also be decided by his own performances and his own ability. I think now he will really be judged on how he performs and can he hold his place in the side purely in terms of his wicket-keeping and batting. And that'll be up to him."

"And I guess if you are Kohli, you will actually be hoping that MS Dhoni does really well and is able to hold on to his place. Because you would like that kind of experience performing well in the team. Just that knowledge would be priceless for Kohli to have."

Dravid feels that history will remember him as a successful India captain.

"History will remember him as India's most successful captain. And someone who really, in his time as an Indian captain, took the team and the game forward in this country."

 "Suicide Squad" star Viola Davis is the first celebrity to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2017, but all she could think about while accepting the honour was her late father.

The 51-year-old star's husband, actor Julius Tennon, 63, and her daughter Genesis were in attendance, along with
Oscar-winning actress Meryl Streep, who presented the honour to Davis, reported People magazine.

 "I wish he were here. He died in 2006 and, um, he would think this is pretty fantastic," Davis said. Davis also reflected on her difficult upbringing, saying, "The only picture I have of myself as a kid in kindergarten is with a little… an expression that's not really a smile, not really a frown, just something.

"But every time I look at the little girl, I always thought, 'Oh, that's a cute outfit.' But she was always
hungry, she was always shy, she was always kind of in the background, but inside she had big dreams bursting." After thanking her family and Streep for their support, Davis said, "I cannot believe my life right now. All I can say
is, 'God has blessed my life in abundance'." 

Hand-written letters from Princess Diana describing her young children, William and Harry, to a former royal aide have broken pre-sale estimates to fetch nearly 15,000 pounds at an auction in the UK.

The former Princess of Wales had sent the letters to late Cyril Dickman, who served as a head steward at Buckingham Palace for more than 50 years.

In them she wrote about how William "swamped" his new baby brother with "an endless supply of hugs and kisses" and how "naughty" Harry was constantly getting into trouble at school.

Cheffins, a Cambridge-based auction house, said the letters formed part of "a unique collection of Royal memorabilia".

"It was extraordinary. I don't think I have ever sold such few lots over such a long period of time because the bidding just never seemed to stop. People were bidding from all over the world on the internet," Luke Macdonald, director of fine art at Cheffins, said.

The entire Dickman collection, which also included letters from Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Charles, contained around 40 lots which were estimated to fetch around 13,000 pounds.

But they went under the hammer for around 55,000 pounds.

The Diana letters, split into six lots, were expected to fetch around 3,600 pounds, but went for a total of 14,900 pounds.

In one personal letter dated 20 September 1984, Diana writes: "William adores his little brother and spends the entire time swamping Harry with an endless supply of hugs and kisses, hardly letting the parents near!

"The reaction to one tiny person's birth has totally overwhelmed us and I can hardly breathe for the mass of flowers that are arriving here!"  

In another, dated 17 October, 1992, she says how both young princes "are well and enjoying boarding school a lot, although Harry is constantly in trouble!".

Some of the other items in the collection, sold by the Dickman family, included letters, cards and photographs from various members of the royal family as well as an unopened boxed wedding cake from the Queen's marriage to Prince Philip in 1947.

Described by Cheffins as "a favourite of every member of the Royal Family", Cyril Dickman had received handwritten notes from royals dating back more than 30 years.

Ace American golfer Tiger Woods will join India's Anirban Lahiri, SSP Chawrasia and Jeev Milkha Singh in the Omega Dubai Desert Classic to be held here from February 2 to 5.

The appearance in Dubai will be Woods' first since he made his return after a gap of 16 months at the Hero World Challenge in Bahamas last month and it comes ahead of the Genesis Open to be held at the Riviera in the US from February 16 to 19.

India's Lahiri is also due to open his European Tour season at the event.

Woods will be making his eighth appearance when the longest-running European Tour event in the region gets under way at Emirates Golf Club from February 2 to 5.

Woods will join world number two Rory McIlroy, The Open winner Henrik Stenson and The Masters champion Danny Willett among other leading players in a sizzling starting line-up that underlines the event's growing reputation as the 'Major of the Middle East'.

Woods is also slated to play the Genesis Open at the Riviera in the US in February.

The former world number one made his comeback after a gap of 16 months at the Hero World Challenge last month and showed signs of his class, especially during the second round when he shot seven-under 65.

Overall, he was only tied 15th, but had the most birdies in the field, 24, two more than even the winner, Hideki Matsuyama.

Woods, who had been sidelined by back problems, enjoys fond memories of the Omega Dubai Desert Classic, having won it twice and has an amazing 92-under par record for the 28 rounds he has played at the Majlis course since making his debut in 2001.

"I've always enjoyed playing in Dubai and it's fantastic to see how the city has grown phenomenally from when I first started playing there," said Woods.

"It was great winning in Dubai in 2006 and 2008. When you win in Dubai, you know you've beaten an outstanding field. The support from the fans is also just wonderful," said Woods, who boasts of 14 Major victories and 79 PGA Tour wins, making him one of the most dominant players in the history of golf.

"I still remember making that long putt on the 18th. That was nice. Also, I remember I shot three straight 64s, but only two of them were counted because one was in the pro-am. That was the year (2001) when I finished runners-up to Thomas (Bjorn)," he added.

Mohamed Juma Buamaim, vice chairman and CEO of golf in Dubai, commented: "We are naturally delighted and proud that Tiger Woods is joining us for the 2017 Omega Dubai Desert Classic and, like every one, I also look forward to seeing his trademark fist-pumps.

"Having one of the world's greatest golfers play in your event is something many tournament organisers dream of, so for us to be able to welcome him to the Majlis Course for the eighth time is a major boost for golf in the Middle East, especially Dubai.

"Tiger has always been a great ambassador for golf in Dubai, having spoken highly of the city and the tournament during his visits here. I am confident his presence will create a global buzz as always, giving a fresh impetus to tourism in the city. After all, he is Tiger Woods for a reason, one who transcends all races, ages and genders," he said.

The film fraternity expressed shock on the news of the untimely demise of Om Puri, one of the industry's "greatest" and "most passionate" talent, who they believe will remain alive with the body of work he has left behind.

The Padma Shri awardee Om Puri, popular for his work even in the West, breathed his last here on Friday. He was 66.

Members of the Indian film fraternity have expressed grief on the micro-blogging platform Twitter.

Actor Anupam Kher wrote: "Seeing him lying on his bed looking so calm can't believe that one of our greatest actors Om Puri is no more. Deeply saddened and shocked."

Having known Puri for over four decades, Kher added: "I have known Om Puri for the last 43 years. For me he'll always be a great actor, a kind and generous man. And that is how world should remember him.

"Om Puri lent dignity to d medium he worked for. Whether it was stage, TV or cinema. He elevated status of the projects was associated with."

Actress Priyanka Chopra tweeted: "The end of an era …. The legacy lives on.. RIP Om Puri".

Bollywood star Akshay Kumar wrote: "Sad to hear about the passing away of the very talented Om Puri, my co-actor in many films… Heartfelt condolences to the family."

Shocked beyond words to express, actor Riteish Deshmukh tweeted: "Will miss you sir. Condolences to the family. Had the privilege of working with Om ji in two films 'Malamaal Weekly' and 'Tere Naal Love Hogayaa'. I still can't believe he is no more."

Filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt, reacting to the tragic news, said a part of him is gone.

"Goodbye Om! A part of me goes with you today. How can I ever forget those passionate nights we spent together talking about cinema and life," wrote Bhatt. 

Filmmaker Subhash Ghai said Om Puri's life is "an inspirational journey of ordinary man to extraordinary international actor for next generation."

Filmmaker Hansal Mehta described him as "among our finest". "A simple man and a great artiste," he said.

Singer and music composer Vishal Dadlani wrote: "So many unforgettable performances, which will outlive all of us. What a legend."

Actor Boman Irani tweeted: "RIP Om Puri. We have lost one of our finest. A talent, a voice, a spirit. Will miss you Puri saab."

Actor-filmmaker Kamal Haasan wrote: "So long Om ji. Prided myself on being his friend peer and admirer. Who dare say my Om Puri is no more? He lives through his work."

Bidding adieu to the legendary actor, filmmaker Kabir Khan tweeted: "Om ji. I will miss that warm tight hug that you gave me every morning on set.

Sajid Khan recollected the actor's work in films like "Ardh Satya", "Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro", "City of Joy" and "Chachi 420", saying "his versatility and journey as an actor was remarkable".

Describing him as a father figure to an entire generation of actors, Adil Hussain wrote, "He believed in Independent Films. Truly a trailblazer. I will miss him dearly. Rest in deep peace Om ji."

Actress Shabana Azmi, who was among his friends too, wrote: "Om Puri! You have left us all too early… The fun the laughter the arguments so vividly etched in my mind…Will miss you."

 The "Planet of the Apes" franchise is getting its own virtual reality experience.

20th Century Fox's Innovation Lab is making an experience that will let players cross the species line, and band together with other apes in their fight against humans, reported Variety.

Fox Innovation Lab showed a first short of the title at a press event at CES in Las Vegas.

In that preview, which only consisted of a part of one scene of the entire experience, users faced another ape, which included a lot of chest bumping.

The demo was set up on an Oculus Rift headset; Fox didn't reveal much further about the title, but it is expected to become available on other high-end virtual reality headsets as well.

The "Planet of the Apes" VR experience won't be based on the story of the upcoming "War of the Planet of the Apes," which is scheduled to be released in July, but it would make sense for Fox to release the title around the same time as well to piggyback on the promotion of the movie.

The experience is being produced with Imaginati Studios, which was co-founded by "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" actor Andy Serkin.
 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday mourned the demise of veteran Indian actor Om Puri.

"The Prime Minister condoles the passing away of actor Om Puri and recalls his long career in theatre and films," read a post from the @PMOIndia Twitter handle.

Om Puri, a Padma Shri awardee, died of a heart attack on early Friday morning at his residence in Mumbai. He was 66.

The actor gave prolific performances in critically acclaimed non-commercial ventures like "Ardh Satya" and moving on to films such as 'Mirch Masala', 'Aakrosh' and 'Dharavi'. 

He also acted in English films like 'East is East' and 'City of Joy'.

Maintaining its good form for the third day, the Rupee appreciated 15 paise to 67.81 against the Dollar in early session on Friday, underpinned by higher opening in the domestic equity market.

Forex dealers said besides selling of the American currency by exporters and banks, the falling fortunes of the Dollar against others overseas gave the rupee an upperhand.

Further, a higher opening in the domestic equity market influenced the rupee uptrend, they added.

On Thursday, the Rupee had risen 9 paise to close at 67.96 on sustained Dollar unwinding from banks and exporters.

Meanwhile, the benchmark BSE Sensex jumped by another 103.48 points, or 0.38 per cent, at 26,981.72 in early trade on Friday.

Nurul Islam Marzan, the Neo-JMB leader, one of the key figures behind the Gulshan café attack, has been killed in a gunfight with the police in the Bangladesh capital, a senior police officer in Dhaka said on Friday.

The incident took place at Mohammadpur in Dhaka around 3 a m in Beribadh area, Dhaka Metropolitan Police's counter-terror unit chief Monirul Islam told bdnews24 on Friday morning.

Marzan was killed alongside an accomplice, the police added.