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: Doctors say deaths due to asphyxiation and not burns, Narrow exit adds to the evacuation problem

ENTERTAINMENT:-

Amitabh Bachchan has gifted environmentalist Afroz Shah an excavator and a tractor for cleaning up Versova beach. The actor shared a series of photographs from the beach on his Twitter account. Afroz had started the largest beach-clean up initiative with an aim to clean Mumbai's Versova beach with the help of locals. This is not the first time a celebrity has lent his support for the beach clean up. Previously, actors like Randeep Hooda, Anushka Sharma and Dia Mirza have supported the cause.

SPORTS:-

India’s Viswanathan Anand has given a fitting reply to all his critics by regaining the World Rapid Chess Championship in Riyadh and staying unbeaten all through. A win against his arch-rival Magnus Carlsen in the ninth round seemed to have spurred him on, as he demolished Russia’s Vladimir Fedoseev in the final in a tie breaker. Anand, who last won this title in 2003, was placed joint second at the start of the final five rounds (11 to 15) on Thursday, but fought back strongly to bag the title on tie-break after a three-way tie with Russians Vladimir Fedoseev and Ian Nepomniachtchi at 10.5 points from a possible 15. Anand then defeated Fedoseev 2-0 in a two-game tie-break to win the championship.

TECH:-

Facing lawsuits and consumer outrage after it said it slowed older iPhones with flagging batteries, Apple Inc is slashing prices for battery replacements and will change its software to show users whether their phone battery is good. In a posting on its website Thursday, Apple apologized over its handling of the battery issue and said it would make a number of changes for customers "to recognize their loyalty and to regain the trust of anyone who may have doubted Apple’s intentions."

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SPORTS:-

Former England captain Alastair Cook has copped a lot of flak recently for his below par showing at the top of England's batting order in the ongoing Ashes series against Australia. Cook, who is England's highest run-getter in Tests, was expected to lead the visitors' fairly inexperienced batting unit against the arch enemy. But the southpaw failed miserably in the first three Test matches as he failed to register even a score of above 40 as England surrendered the Ashes by losing all three matches. The Boxing Day Test in Melbourne was all about playing for pride for the Three Lions as the rampant Aussies eyed a humiliating whitewash. And the experienced opener finally put his hand up as he slammed an unbeaten double hundred on the third day of the fourth Test to put England in command with a lead close to 200 runs.

ENTERAINMENT:-

The Kochi police arrested a fan of superstar Mammootty for 'cyberbullying' actor Parvathy after she publicly stated that some of the dialogues in the Mammootty-starrer Kasaba were strongly prejudiced against women. Pinto, a person hailing from Wadakanchery, was arrested by the police and, during questioning, he said he is part of the Mammootty fan club from his area. The police probing the complaint of the actor have indicated that more arrests are likely. Trouble for the young award-winning actor Parvathy began after she expressed her reservations regarding the dialogues in the 2016 released film wherein Mammootty plays the role of a police officer.

TECH:-

Twitter has announced the list of its most trending hashtags in India for the year 2017. Topping this trending hashtag list is the Prime Minister Narendra Modi's radio programme "Mann Ki Baat". Following the #Mannkibaat, #jallikattu and #GST came out to be the most trending hashtags on Twitter in India in the year 2017, as per the micro-blogging platform.

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ENTERTAINMENT:-

After throwing a grand reception for the close family members and dignitaries, Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma hosted a glamorous amalgamation of Bollywood and cricket fraternity members at St. Regis Mumbai last night. The biggies of Bollywood including Shah Rukh Khan, Amitabh Bahchcan, Aishwarya Rai, Karan Johar, Kangana Ranaut, and Ranbir Kapoor among others. made the night a star-studded affair. There was also plenty of representation from the Indian sports fraternity, especially cricket, with the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Yuvraj Singh, Zaheer Khan, . Anushka's first co-star and dear friend, Shah Rukh Khan left no stone unturned to make the night memorable for the couple as he danced as well as matched steps with other guests on the floor.

SPORTS:-

Alastair Cook completed a sparkling century in a stellar return to form as England savoured a rare day of domination in the fourth Ashes test against Australia on Wednesday. Cook raised his 32nd test ton with a pull-shot to the fence in the final over before stumps, and strode off the ground unbeaten on 104, having pushed England to 192 for two on day two at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

TECH:-

Chinese smartphone maker Oppo has launched its latest smartphone Oppo A83 in China. The device comes with a new facial recognition technology and sports a display with an 18:9 aspect ratio and has been launched in China at a price of CNY 1,399 (around Rs. 13,700). The device will be available from 29 December in China.

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: Ghatak Team hits Pakistan in POK, 3 Pak troops killed, 1 injured, Action in response to Saturday's Ceasefire violation

ENTERTAINMENT:-

SPORTS:-

TECH:-

WhatsApp has confirmed that it will discontinue support for a number of platforms from December 31. The messaging app will drop support for 'BlackBerry OS', 'BlackBerry 10', 'Windows Phone 8.0' and older platforms. In addition, WhatsApp will also withdraw support for 'Nokia S40' after December 2018 and Android OS version 2.3.7 and older after February 1, 2020.

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: Jadhav Meets Wife and Mother, Jadhav Meets Faimly at Islamabad, Pakistan Doesn't Grant Consular Access, Consular Access Denied 22 Times Earlier.

Entertainment:-

It's that time of the year when everything turns prettier and shinier as festivities begin to unfold. As we celebrate the festival of Christmas, Bollywood celebrities extended their best wishes and some of them have even shared their joyous moments on social media. While some are celebrating with friends and extended family, others have jetted off for vacations. The likes of Shah Rukh Khan, Ranbir Kapoor, Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan attended a star-studded Christmas bash at Karan Johar's residence, while Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor Khan spent time with close family members including Sara, Ibrahim, Soha, Kunal, and Karisma. No matter what occasion it is, one can trust Bollywood celebrities to have the best of time!

Sports:-

Indian Cricket Team coach Ravi Shastri was quoted as saying that they 'don't care' about the shortest format of the game after the hosts completed a comprehensive series whitewash against Sri Lanka at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Sunday. Following the end of the third match, coach Shastri, in his famous outspoken manner, said that with the amount of cricket being played these days, the 'Men in Blue' don’t care about results in T20 cricket.

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: Dedicates acquittal in 2G case to DMK chief in a poem, says ‘I'm waiting to hear your words’, Experts see it as the beginning of his return to mainstream politics, Raja and Kanimozhi could make things difficult for Stalin, Karunanidhi’s heir apparent

ENTERTAINMENT:-

Superstar Salman Khan has once again maintained the top spot in Forbes India Celebrity 100 list for the second consecutive year. The Badshah of Bollywood Shah Rukh Khan and India's cricket captain Virat Kohli took the second and third spot respectively with actress Priyanka Chopra named as the only female celebrity in top 10 list.The 2017 Forbes India Celebrity 100 List rankings are based on estimates of entertainment-related earnings of celebrities.

SPORTS:-

In a bizare incident, nearly 20 Pakistani cricketers including top names like Saeed Ajmal, Yasir Hameed and Imran Farhat have been left stranded in Uganda over payment dispute with a T20 league orgainser.The players had gone to Kampala, Uganda to play in a T20 league after taking due permission from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). But upon landing in Kampala, they found out that the league has been abandoned after a dispute over payment issues.

TECH:-

Tech giant Google has announced price cut on its recently launched smartphones Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL in India. Now after receiving price cut Google Pixel 2 is available at Rs 42,000 for 64GB model, which was Rs 61,000. Apart from Google Pixel 2, Pixel 2 XL 64GB is priced at Rs 57,000, instead of Rs 73,000. While 128GB variant of Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL will be available at Rs 51,000 and Rs 66,000 respectively.

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: A Raja breathes a sigh of relief, CBI failed to prove case beyond reasonable doubt, No scam, only speculation and rumours

ENTERTAINMENT:-

Kareena Kapoor Khan and Saif Ali Khan's baby boy Taimur Ali Khan turned one and celebrated his first birthday on December 20. The entire Kapoor and Khan family got together to celebrate the joyous occasion at the ancestral Pataudi Palace. Kareena, with the help of her nutritionist Rujuta Diwekar, opted for a rather unconventional birthday present and gifted the royal baby a forest of his own in Sonave. Rujuta took to Instagram to share a photograph and further explained that this forest, inspired by Padma Shri Subhash Palekar's zero budget natural farming, is a special one as it thrives on intercropping.

SPORTS:-

Vidarbha edged past eight-time champions Karnataka by five runs to reach their maiden Ranji Trophy final in an absorbing last-four clash at the Eden Gardens on Thursday. Pacer Rajneesh Gurbani starred with career-best figures of 7/68 in the second innings, to run through the Karnataka batting despite stiff resistance by their lower order on the fifth and final day. Vidarbha will now take on Delhi, who beat Bengal in the other semifinal in Indore on December 29.

TECH:-

Apple has addressed claims from an app company that says the maker of iPhones slows down the performance of older phones. Apple on Wednesday acknowledged that the company does take some measures to reduce peak power demands - which can have the effect of slowing the processor - when a phone's battery is having trouble supplying the peak current that the processor demands.

AUTO:-

Hero MotoCorp has unveiled the updated versions of three of its popular motorcycles in the form of the new 125cc Super Splendor, the 110cc Passion Pro and the 110cc Passion XPro. The price announcement for the same is expected to be made in January 2018. The motorcycles will be launched in a phase-wise manner.

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: Video Allegedly Taken at hospital, Video Released Day before crucial RK Nagar bypoll

ENTERTAINMENT:-

After tying the knot at a hush-hush wedding ceremony in Tuscany and enjoying a Roman honeymoon, Anushka Sharma and Virat Kohli arrived in Delhi. The couple will be hosting a reception in New Delhi for their relatives on December 21 at Hotel Taj Palace, which will be followed by another party for industry friends and cricketers in Mumbai on December 26.

SPORTS:-

Coaches have some of the toughest jobs on the planet, and when it comes to coaching an Indian team, or an individual, the difficulty bar vaults to a different level altogether. One could comfortably assume that coaching the Indian cricket team is the hardest job, as the game is next to religion, and is followed by millions in the country. Just a loss can draw a lot of flak. But then, spare a thought for Pullela Gopichand, head coach of perhaps the most followed sport in the country after cricket—badminton. The man has literally transformed Indian badminton in just a decade, and is now coach to some twenty odd world-class players, that includes the likes of Saina Nehwal, PV Sindhu and Kidambi Srikanth.

Auto:-

Actor Riteish Deshmukh has got a special gift from his wife Genelia Dsouza Deshmukh on his 40th birthday on the form a Tesla Model X all-electric SUV. Riteish posted an image of his brand new Tesla Model X on Twitter, thanking Genelia. He wrote – “So the Baiko @geneliad surely knows how to make a 40 yr old birthday boy feel like a 20 yr Old.”

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: Rahul Gandhi invokes Mahatma Gandhi, Jitendra Singh says Rahul should learn to accept defeat, Anant Kumar takes a jibe at Congress’s Parliamentary conduct

ENTERTAINMENT:-

Meryl Streep says she did not know Harvey Weinstein was allegedly harassing and assaulting women when they worked together. Streep says in a statement that Weinstein needed me much more than I needed him and he made sure I didn't know." She further added that her association with him brought him credibility, which she says he used to lure young, aspiring women into circumstances where they would be hurt. The statement came in response to a since-deleted tweet from Rose McGowan, who called out Streep for working with Weinstein. Responding to McGowan, Streep said that they are actually on the same side standing in defiance of the same implacable foe.

SPORTS:-

Aussies captain Steve Smith has had an exceptional run this Ashes, and his performance certainly reflects on his ranking points in the ICC ranking for batsmen. After a double hundred against England at Perth, a performance which helped helped Australia win the third Test and regain the Ashes, Smith has moved closer towards Australian cricket's biggest legend, Don Bradman, who has the highest-ever ranking points. Smith has a tally of 945 points to take joint second position in the all-time list along with England's Len Hutton. Smith had reached 941 points after the first Test in Adelaide before dropping briefly to 938 after the Brisbane Test.

TECH:-

Samsung Galaxy A8 and Galaxy A8+ have been made official by the company. The smartphones borrow their design from the 2017 flagship of Samsung, the Galaxy S8 and feature a similar Infinity display, in addition to a dual selfie camera setup. The Galaxy A8 and Galaxy A8+ also boast of IP68-certified dust and water resistance, Samsung Pay integration and Samsung Gear VR support as the first in the Galaxy A series.

Auto:-

Chinese electric car manufacturer NIO has launched its new SUV, the ES8 which will cost almost half of what the Tesla Model X SUV costs. The NIO ES8 is a 7-seater high-performance electric SUV which can

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: BJP's seat tally in Gujarat down from its previous tally in 2012, BJP wins Himachal but Dhumal loses seat, Poll performance ignites revival hope for Congress

ENTERTAINMENT:-

Sunday's Weekend Ka Vaar saw Hiten Tejwani's eviction from the Bigg Boss house after other contestants decided to save Priyank Sharma. In an exclusive chat with News18.com, Hiten said it was a little disappointing that the gharwalas chose Priyank over him only because they thought he was the strongest one. Hiten entered the house as a celebrity but his grounded persona won the hearts of many people. When asked about the biggest takeaway from the house, he said the best part is that everybody inside as well as outside the house has a lot of respect for me and it's my biggest reward.

SPORTS:-

Australia thrashed England by an innings and 41 runs in the third test in Perth on Monday to reclaim the Ashes with two matches to spare and condemn Joe Root's team to a period of gloomy introspection. Seamer Josh Hazlewood finished with a five-wicket haul as England were bowled out for 218 before tea at the WACA, four years after Alastair Cook's side meekly handed back the urn at the same venue, and with the same humiliating 3-0 scoreline.

TECH:-

A price hike has now been announced on all models of iPhones, except the iPhone SE which is being manufactured in India since June 2017. The new prices of the iPhone models have been updated on the official Apple website and following today, the iPhone models will be available at the mentioned price.