News & Politics
Don't have time to keep a tab on news throughout the day? CNN-News18 brings you the day's top news and newsmakers in less than 3 minutes! Here are today's top picks: Amarnath Braveheart to Get Recognised on R-Day, Rising Teen Shuttler Lakshya Sen Ready to Make it Count in 2018, Padmaavat Protestors Refuse to Back Down and Instagram Announces GIFs For Stories. INDIA Amarnath Braveheart to Get Recognised on R-Day Gujarati bus driver Sheikh Salim Gafur, who defied terrorists' bullets and saved 52 Amarnath pilgrims, has been awarded the 'Uttam Jeevan Raksha Padak', the second highest honour given to civilians for gallantry. This was announced by the Home Ministry ahead of the Republic Day on Wednesday. Sarvottam Jeevan Raksha Padak is the highest honour given to civilians for gallantry. Gafur has been selected for the honour as he displayed some rare grit and bravery and continued to drive the bus of the Amarnath pilgrims, which came under attack by the militants on July 10, 2017, in Jammu and Kashmir, a home ministry official said. SPORTS Rising Teen Shuttler Lakshya Sen Ready to Make it Count in 2018 Don't judge a book by its cover. This adage perfectly fits 16-year-old shuttler Lakshya Sen who stepped into the senior circuit last year, and was able to carve his niche as one of the most promising young badminton players in the country. Having reached the semifinals of the Sr. Nationals in 2017, the teenager is eyeing international success in the coming season. In fact , he along with coaches at the Prakash Padukone Academy have charted out a map for Lakshya's progress in 2018. ENTERTAINMENT Padmaavat Protestors Refuse To Back Down The protests surrounding Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Padmaavat refuse to die down. Karni Sena Chief Lokendra Singh Kalvi has said that the protest will now happen in states where the film is not banned yet. "We are adamant on our stand that this film should be banned. January 25 may come and go but we won't let the film release, come what may," Kalvi said. Out of fear, Gujarat theatre owners refused to screen the film anywhere in the state while the fringe outfits blocked the Delhi-Jaipur highway disrupting the law and order. In Rajasthan, Chittorgarh Fort has been closed as a mark of protest against the release. Meanwhile, the film’s cast and crew got together for a screening on Tuesday night wherein Bhansali, Deepika Padukone-Ranveer Singh and Shahid Kapoor-Mira Rajput were snapped. TECH Instagram Announces GIFs For Stories Instagram has rolled out a new feature which will allow its users to use GIFs in Instagram stories. When users tap to add a sticker to a photo or video in stories, they'll see a new GIF option. The latest feature has been announced along with Instagram's plan to follow up with more features surrounding Instagram stories in the coming weeks.