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Watch: Kohli Smashes Ashwin For A Big Six Ahead Of 2nd Test. Video Viral

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After a crushing loss against South Africa in the first Test, the Indian cricket team is gearing up for the second and final match that starts on Wednesday in Cape Town. For India it’s a do-or-die match if they are to draw the series. In the first Test, Dean Elgar hit 185 while the South African bowlers were on song too as India crumbled to a loss by innings and 32 runs. The second Test gives them an opportunity to set the record straight.

Ahead of second Test, the Indian team has been practicing in full tilt. On Monday, Virat Kohli took part in an intense practice session. He faced the Indian bowlers as well as net bowlers.

After a dry spell from 2020-2022, India’s star batter Virat Kohli returned to his normal, run-scoring ways with a historic, record-breaking and consistent 2023 as a batter, breaking some massive batting records previously considered untouchable.

The star batter went several steps ahead to match the legacy of the Indian great Sachin Tendulkar.

This year will be known as the one of Virat’s redemption. Every match, every series, and every tournament saw him grab headlines and re-write record books, even during some occasional off days with the bat. Though Virat’s redemption story remains incomplete without the presence of the highly-elusive Indian Premier League (IPL) title, ICC World Test Championship mace, and the most heartbreaking of them all, an ICC Cricket World Cup trophy at home, Virat’s batting still gave millions of his fans immeasurable joy, ecstasy, pride, and many more reasons to consider him their ‘GOAT’ (Greatest of All Time).

Just a decade back, Sachin Tendulkar’s record of 49 ODI centuries looked impossible to break. Then stepped up a youngster from Delhi, piling up runs and centuries at a rate never seen before every year. On that eventful November 15 this year during the ICC Cricket World Cup semi-final at Wankhede Stadium, Virat became the first player to make 50 ODI centuries, achieving this feat in front of the legend himself, who was clapping for him in the audience.

From lifting Sachin on his shoulders following India’s World Cup triumph back in 2011 at the same venue, Virat had come a long way, standing shoulder to shoulder with his idol in debates of “Who is the greatest ODI batter of all time?”.

After overtaking this mammoth record, Virat was humble even after toppling his idol, saying after the innings, “It is all too much for me to take in now; to equal my hero’s record is something special for me. He is perfection when it comes to batting. But I am never going to be as good as him.”

The respect was mutual, as Sachin wasted no time in wishing Virat on X (formerly Twitter):

“The first time I met you in the Indian dressing room, you were pranked by other teammates into touching my feet. I couldn’t stop laughing that day. But soon, you touched my heart with your passion and skill. I am so happy that that young boy has grown into a ‘Virat’ player. I couldn’t be happier that an Indian broke my record. And to do it on the biggest stage – in the World Cup Semi-final – and at my home ground is the icing on the cake,” tweeted Sachin.

With ANI inputs

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Vladimir Putin Says Russia Will "Intensify" Strikes On Ukraine As War Rages

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Vladimir Putin Says Russia Will 'Intensify' Strikes On Ukraine As War Rages

“No crime against civilians will rest unpunished”, said Vladimir Putin. (File)

Moscow, Russia:

President Vladimir Putin said Monday that Moscow will intensify strikes on military targets in Ukraine after an unprecedented attack over the weekend on the Russian city of Belgorod.

The attack killed 24 people and left over 100 wounded in Belgorod on Saturday. It came after Moscow launched a large-scale attack on Ukrainian cities.

“We’re going to intensify the strikes, no crime against civilians will rest unpunished, that’s for certain,” Putin said Monday during a visit to a military hospital.

He said Russia will press on with hitting what he called “military installations.”

“We are doing that today, and tomorrow we will continue doing it,” Putin said, almost two years into Moscow’s offensive.

He spoke as Ukraine said Russia had hit it with a “record” number of drones on New Year’s Day.

Putin called the Belgorod hit a “terrorist attack” and accused Ukrainian forces of targeting “right in the city centre, where people were walking, before New Year’s Eve.”

He repeated a claim that Ukraine is being used by the West to “settle its problems” with Russia.

The Russian leader said he believed the “strategic initiative” in the dragging conflict was on the Russian side.

“In any case that is how I am being briefed and I always insist: any offensive operations should be done after a defeat of the enemy,” he said, according to the Interfax news agency.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

India

Child Among 8 Killed In Clashes Between Army, Rebels In Syria: Report

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Child Among 8 Killed In Clashes Between Army, Rebels In Syria: Report

Army artillery fire killed two other civilians in the Aleppo village of Burj Haidar, Observatory said.

Beirut:

Eight civilians, including a child, were killed Monday during exchanges of fire between the army and rebels in northwestern Syria, with 19 others wounded, a war monitor said.

The fighting pitted the army of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad against Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), an Islamist group led by Al-Qaeda’s former Syria branch.

“An elderly man, a woman and her young daughter were killed and 10 other civilians were wounded in a bombardment by the HTS on the villages of Nubul and Zahraa, in a part of Aleppo province controlled by the Syrian regime,” the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

HTS and other groups control swathes of Idlib province and parts of neighbouring Aleppo, Hama and Latakia provinces.

The Syrian army retaliated by bombing residential areas of Darat Izza town in Aleppo, killing three civilians and wounding nine others, the Observatory said.

The Britain-based war monitor, which has a network of sources inside Syria, said the bombardments struck a bakery, a mosque, a power plant and a popular market.

Army artillery fire killed two other civilians in the Aleppo village of Burj Haidar, the Observatory said.  

A brutal Syrian government crackdown on Arab Spring-inspired protests that erupted in 2011 spiralled into a devastating war involving foreign armies, militias and jihadists.

More than half a million people have been killed in the conflict.

Last week, Russian air strikes on Idlib province, killed five civilians from the same family, including three children, according to rescuers and the Observatory.

Moscow is one of Assad’s key backers, providing him with military, political and economic support in the country’s civil war.

Russia’s intervention in the war since 2015 has helped forces loyal to Assad claw back much of the territory they lost in the conflict.

A ceasefire brokered by Russia and Turkey was declared in Idlib after a Syrian government offensive in March 2020, but it has been repeatedly violated.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Case Against 330 People For Drunk Driving On New Year Eve In Bengaluru

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Case Against Over 300 People For Drunk Driving On New Year Eve In Bengaluru

14 road accidents were reported in and around Bengaluru between Sunday and Monday.

Bengaluru:

Bengaluru traffic police launched a special drive on New Year’s Eve and caught around 330 motorists for driving under the influence of liquor, officials said on Monday.

According to the police, they checked more than 7620 vehicles during the special drive conducted on Sunday. During the check, 330 motorists were caught driving vehicles under the influence of liquor.

Cases have been registered against them, the police said.

Meanwhile, 14 road accidents were reported in and around Bengaluru between Sunday and Monday.

“On December 31, 2023, till midnight, a total of one fatal accident and ten non-fatal accidents were reported,” Bengaluru traffic police said in a release.

Similarly, on January 1, 2024, between midnight and 7:00 a.m., a total of three fatal accidents were reported, they added.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Jr NTR stands defiantly on a boat in new ‘Devara’ poster

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Sharing the poster on X, NTR Jr wrote: “Wishing you all a very Happy New Year. Can’t wait for you all to experience the glimpse of #Devara on Jan 8.”

Published Date – 01:36 PM, Mon – 1 January 24


Jr NTR stands defiantly on a boat in new ‘Devara’ poster


Mumbai: Telugu star Jr NTR , whose film ‘RRR’ became a global rage, is gearing up for his upcoming film ‘Devara’. The actor took to his X and shared a new poster from the film on Monday.

The bombshell poster showcases the actor in an intense and fierce look. It shows him standing on a boat in the middle of the aggressive waves of the sea. Behind him one can see other boats and the vast expanse of the charcoal coloured sea and the sky. The makers also announced that the first glimpse of Devara will be unveiled on January 8, 2024.

Sharing the poster on X, NTR Jr wrote: “Wishing you all a very Happy New Year. Can’t wait for you all to experience the glimpse of #Devara on Jan 8.”

‘Devara’ is directed by filmmaker Koratala Siva, who is known for ‘Janatha Garage’, ‘Bharat Ane Nenu’ and ‘Acharya’. The film, which marks second collaboration between Koratala Siva and NTR Jr, also marks Bollywood actress Janhvi Kapoor’s Telugu debut. It also stars Saif Ali Khan.

The music for Devara is orchestrated by Anirudh Ravichander, and the cinematography is handled by R. Rathnavelu.

Produced by Yuvasudha Arts and NTR Arts, presented by Nandamuri Kalyan Ram. Part I of ‘Devara’ is slated to hit screens nationwide on April 5, 2024.

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"Mandir Wahin Banne Wala…": India Great's Reply On 2024 Query Goes Viral

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File photo of Indian cricket team fast bowler Venkatesh Prasad© X (formerly Twitter)

Former Indian cricket team fast bowler Venkatesh Prasad conducted a Q&A session on his X (formerly known as Twitter) profile on Sunday and when asked about a prediction for 2024, he made a reference to the Ram temple that is under construction in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh. When a follower asked what he thinks will happen in 2024, he wrote – “Mandir wahin banne waala hai(The temple is going to be made there)”. It was a reference to the consecration ceremony of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya on January 22.

Earlier, Prasad summed up the Rohit Sharma-led side bitter-sweet 2023 in international cricket. Taking to social media platform X (formerly Twitter),

Prasad pointed out how India dominated other teams during the recently concluded World Cup on home soil, but fell at the the final hurdle, losing the cup to Australia. Prasad also rued India’s defeat in the World Test Championship (WTC) final to the same opponents.

It’s been more than a decade since India last won an ICC trophy, and a fan asked Prasad whether the Indian team is the “new chokers of world cricket”.

While highlighting India’s back-to-back Test series wins in Australia, Prasad refused to give the team the “chokers” tag. However, with India’s ICC title drought extending for a further year, Prasad feels there is something wrong with Indian cricket.

“Sir Do You also Think That Team India Has become New CHOKERS of World Cricket ?? as we have Just Lost 10th Consecutive ICC Knockout in last 10 Years,” the fan asked Prasad.

Prasad replied, saying: “Chokers not, we have won 2 Test series against Australia in Australia, the last one in 2020-21 after 36 all out, I consider as one of India’s greatest especially with more than half first choice players missing. But there is certainly something not right about not winning any major tournament in 11 years.”

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Pics: Private Zoo In Rafah, Where Gazans Live Among Animals Amid War

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Pics: Private Zoo In Rafah, Where Gazans Live Among Animals Amid War

Four monkeys have already died and a fifth is now so weak it cannot even feed itself said the zoo owner.

Gaza:

In Rafah zoo, dozens of destitute Gazans are camping between the cages where starving monkeys, parrots and lions cry out for food 12 weeks into Israel’s offensive.

Nearly all Gaza’s 2.3 million people have been driven from their homes under a bombardment that has reduced much of the territory to rubble. Many now cram the southern city of Rafah, their shelters packing street corners and empty lots.

In the private zoo, run by the Gomaa family, a line of plastic tents stood near the animal pens and washing hung from lines between palm trees. Nearby a worker tried to feed a weak monkey tomato slices by hand.

A Palestinian man feeds a monkey at a zoo

A Palestinian man feeds tomatoes to a monkey at a zoo in Rafa.

Many of those sheltering at the zoo are members of the extended Gomaa family who were living in different parts of the enclave before the conflict smashed their homes.

“There are many families who have been completely wiped out. Now all our family is staying in this zoo,” said Adel Gomaa, who fled Gaza City. “Living among the animals is more merciful than what we get from the war planes in the sky.”

Palestinians feed a monkey at a zoo, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip.

Palestinians feed a monkey at a zoo, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip.

Four monkeys have already died and a fifth is now so weak it cannot even feed itself when food is available, zoo owner Ahmed Gomaa said.

He also fears for his two lion cubs. “We feed them dry bread soaked in water just to keep them alive. The situation is tragic really.”

The cubs’ mother has lost half her weight since the conflict started, going from daily meals of chicken to weekly servings of bread, he added.

Lions sit in their enclosure at a zoo in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip.

Lions sit in their enclosure at a zoo in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip.

A U.N.-backed report last week warned that Gaza was at risk of famine with the entire population facing crisis levels of hunger. Israel stopped all food, medicine, power and fuel imports into Gaza at the start of the war.

Though it now permits aid to enter the enclave, security checks, delivery bottlenecks and the difficulty of moving through the rubble of a warzone have hindered supplies. Many Palestinians there say they do not eat every day.

At the zoo, the lioness and her cubs lay listlessly in their cage while children played nearby.

Animals were dying and falling ill every day, said Sofian Abdeen, a vet who has worked at the zoo. “Cases of starvation, weakness, anaemia. These problems are widespread. There is no food.”

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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11 Men Arrested For Raping Girl From Jharkhand: Andhra Pradesh Police

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11 Men Arrested For Raping Girl From Jharkhand: Andhra Pradesh Police

Police said that the girl was raped by the photographer and his friends. (Representational)

Visakhapatnam:

Eleven men were arrested for allegedly raping a girl hailing from Jharkhand on different occasions in Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh, police said on Monday.

Under the pretext of celebrating the girl’s birthday on December 17, 2023, a migrant labourer from Jharkhand, with whom the girl got closer, was taken to a room where she was raped, said an official.

“He brought his friend who also sexually assaulted the girl,” Visakhapatnam Zone-1 Deputy Commissioner of Police K Srinivas Rao told PTI.

Unable to bear the trauma, she went to the R K Beach in the port city to die by suicide. However, a local man who ekes out a living taking photographs of tourists entered into a conversation with her. He then took her to a lodge and sexually assaulted her. Later, she was taken to another room, where eight to nine of the photographer’s friends raped her, the official said.

The girl managed to escape and left the city.

Following a missing complaint lodged by the girl’s parents, she was found in Odisha and was brought back to the city here on December 25, police said.

Police said that the girl was raped by the photographer and his friends on December 20, 21 and 22. They are also probing whether she was sexually assaulted on December 18 and 19 also.

Rao said police altered the missing case into a rape (IPC Section 376) and added the Protection of Children from Sexual Offence Act (POCSO). 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

India

Four Confirmed Dead In Japan Earthquake: Report

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Four Confirmed Dead In Japan Earthquake: Report

Four people have been confirmed dead in the powerful earthquake that rocked Japan.

Tokyo:

Eight civilians, including a child, were killed Monday during exchanges of fire between the army and rebels in northwestern Syria, with 19 others wounded, a war monitor said.

The fighting pitted the army of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad against Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), an Islamist group led by Al-Qaeda’s former Syria branch.

“An elderly man, a woman and her young daughter were killed and 10 other civilians were wounded in a bombardment by the HTS on the villages of Nubul and Zahraa, in a part of Aleppo province controlled by the Syrian regime,” the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

HTS and other groups control swathes of Idlib province and parts of neighbouring Aleppo, Hama and Latakia provinces.

The Syrian army retaliated by bombing residential areas of Darat Izza town in Aleppo, killing three civilians and wounding nine others, the Observatory said.

The Britain-based war monitor, which has a network of sources inside Syria, said the bombardments struck a bakery, a mosque, a power plant and a popular market.

Army artillery fire killed two other civilians in the Aleppo village of Burj Haidar, the Observatory said.  

A brutal Syrian government crackdown on Arab Spring-inspired protests that erupted in 2011 spiralled into a devastating war involving foreign armies, militias and jihadists.

More than half a million people have been killed in the conflict.

Last week, Russian air strikes on Idlib province, killed five civilians from the same family, including three children, according to rescuers and the Observatory.

Moscow is one of Assad’s key backers, providing him with military, political and economic support in the country’s civil war.

Russia’s intervention in the war since 2015 has helped forces loyal to Assad claw back much of the territory they lost in the conflict.

A ceasefire brokered by Russia and Turkey was declared in Idlib after a Syrian government offensive in March 2020, but it has been repeatedly violated.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Rakul Preet Singh and Jackky Bhagnani’s Goa wedding next month

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As per media reports, both Rakul and Jackky are currently enjoying their time on vacation, and plan to relax a bit before going all out in terms of festivities.

Published Date – 05:13 PM, Mon – 1 January 24


Rakul Preet Singh and Jackky Bhagnani’s Goa wedding next month


Mumbai: Actress Rakul Preet Singh and actor-producer Jackky Bhagnani are set to tie the knot in February. The couple will get married in Goa in an intimate ceremony.

The couple made it official on Instagram back in October 2021. Earlier this year, Jackky Bhagnani shared a reel featuring the moments he and Rakul have spent together so far, wishing the actress on her birthday. The reel features glimpses of their vacation diaries, dinner dates, red carpet walks as well as on stage performances.

Jackky also penned a special note for his girlfriend, as he wrote: “On your special day, I want to express my admiration for the one who always leaves me in awe. With you, every day feels like an incredible journey, and there’s never a dull moment.”

He further mentioned: “You’re more than just my companion; you’re my confidant, my partner-in-crime, and the one who fills my life with love and laughter. On your big day, I wish you everything you have ever dreamt of, and more. May all your dreams come true because you only and only deserve the absolute best in life. Happy Birthday to the one who makes every day extraordinary.”

As per media reports, both Rakul and Jackky are currently enjoying their time on vacation, and plan to relax a bit before going all out in terms of festivities. An official announcement from the couple with regards to their wedding plans is awaited.