From making 'COVIDIOTS' (a term coined for those flouting restrictions) squat on the road and do sit-ups, to making them pose with pamphlets admitting their fault, police officials have pulled out all the stops from their kitty of creativity to drive home the message.

Chilling at home after coming back from a coronavirus-forced "hotel arrest" in Pakistan, South African pacer Dale Steyn believes it's a pity that sporting events are being cancelled en masse due to the crisis. Steyn, who returned from Pakistan due to the virus outbreak, said it's indescribable how the situation changed in a matter of hours.

Arsenal suffered a shock Europa League exit to Olympiakos Piraeus on away goals after a 2-1 extra-time home defeat, while Manchester United and Wolverhampton Wanderers cruised into the last 16 with emphatic aggregate wins on Thursday.

'While high-level interventions may help smoothen inter-State relationships, they cannot fundamentally change the alchemy of such relationships, which are firmly rooted in mutual benefits and mutual interests,' points out Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.

'Not for the first time during this festival I was struck by the atmosphere of friendly inclusion the organisers had managed in a city where you can smell menace in the air, thanks to Adityanath's revenge-driven politics, his denigration of Muslims and ruthless use of State power against critics,' notes Anjali Puri.

Australia left-arm spinner Ashton Agar took a career-best 5-24, including a hat-trick, as they thrashed hosts South Africa by a massive 107 runs in the first Twenty20 International at The Wanderers in Johannesburg on Friday. After being sent in to bat, Australia amassed 196 for six in their 20 overs as South Africa struggled with their line and length and missed a number of catches in the field in what was a sloppy display. The home side were in early trouble in their reply when they lost mainstay Quinton de Kock in the first over and it became a precession after that as Agar helped bowl the hosts out for 89, a record low for South Africa.

Liverpool's Sadio Mane marked his return from injury with a late goal to break Norwich City's resistance and secure a 1-0 win on Saturday to extend his side's Premier League lead to 25 points.

South Africa needed three off the last two balls but Tom Curran, who had just been smashed for 12 runs in three by Dwaine Pretorius, got him lbw then had Bjorn Fortuin caught off the final ball to cap off a day of almost unrelenting excitement and set up a thrilling decider in Centurion on Sunday.

Following is a match by match look at the English Premier League's weekend fixtures.

After a few exciting days in Nepal, a land of alluring stupas, Rediff.com's Rajesh Karkera, on a tri-nation drive, heads east via India into mysterious Bhutan.

England completed the task with a day to spare with South Africa falling well short of their 466 run target

England proved devastating with both bat and ball on Saturday as they scored 400 runs in their first innings and then reduced sorry South Africa to 88 for six wickets at the close of play on the second day of the fourth Test at The Wanderers. Images from Day 2 of the 4th Test played between South Africa and England in Johannesburg on Saturday.

England all-rounder Ben Stokes was fined and given a demerit point by the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Saturday after a foul-mouthed row with a spectator on Friday in the ongoing fourth Test match against South Africa. He was fined 15 percent of his match fee and given a demerit point after being charged by the ICC with a level one offence of "use of an audible obscenity".

Archer would likely thrive on a pacey pitch in Johannesburg and if he is fit that would pose a selection dilemma for coach Chris Silverwood and captain Joe Root.

'Though it's a story of inspiration, Meghna Gulzar's Chhapaak is not the kind of film you walk out feeling entertained or ecstatic about,' says Sukanya Verma.

Annabel Mehta, Sachin Tendulkar's mother-in-law, has dedicated her life to working with the Beautiful People of the other half of Mumbai without whom the city would neither exist nor thrive. Vaihayasi Pande Daniel met the amazing lady who was awarded the Member of the Order of the British Empire for her service to underprivileged communities.

IMAGES from Day 4 of the 2nd Test played at Newlands in Cape Town on Monday

High drama ensued during the English Premier League matches on Wednesday as Spurs manager Jose Mourinho was booked while Brighton stunned Chelsea via Alireza Jahanbakhsh's superb equaliser to deny the Blues victory. Here is all the EPL action in IMAGES from Wednesday's matches.

It is a sight that both warms and breaks the heart. The women of Shaheen Bagh seem oblivious of the cold, these women and their children, the latter ranging in age from 19 days to early teens, who have been occupying the road for over two weeks now. Some of them have not gone home for days, but their faces are clear, unlined by fatigue, their eyes bright and fierce as those of the falcon, shaheen, the area is named for.

'Surely a person like Happi deserves to be treated with dignity.' 'But does he deserve a two hour movie dedicated to his daftness, and to the failure of the rest of the world to come round to the purity that shines behind that daftness?' asks Sreehari Nair.

News of all that's transpired on and off the football field.

Sergio Aguero believes the 14-point gap between the defending champions and Premier League leaders Liverpool is 'too hard' to overturn

IMAGES from the English Premier League match played between Arsenal and Chelsea at Emirates Stadium in London on Sunday.

Manchester City blew a two-goal lead and had Ederson sent off in a dramatic 3-2 defeat at Wolves on Friday.

McTominay injury takes gloss of vibrant United display

Sreehari Nair could not put up with turgid and self-serious ones like Super Deluxe and Gully Boy. His list of favourite Indian movies of 2019 contains just five names.

News of all that's transpired on and off the football field.

The Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) called for a government inquiry into racism in the English game following the match, which Chelsea won 2-0.

Eight wins and a draw in their last nine games had seen Leicester emerge as the closest pursuers of runaway leaders Liverpool but they went down 3-1 at the Etihad despite taking an early lead through Jamie Vardy. Images from the English Premier League matches played on Saturday.

IMAGES from the English Premier League matches played on Saturday.

In Pep Guardiola's 100th match in charge of the Manchester club, captain De Bruyne led from the front as City outclassed the Gunners, who have now suffered six home games without a win. Images from the EPL matches played on Sunday.

Indrani was cheering Pasbola on from the back, with little, happy whoops, that she muffled with her chunni. Indrani was in her element on Friday. The defence's cross-examination was clearly going her way and Indrani was delighted.

Exploring India hopes to bust myths surrounding ghosts. 'The only way to defeat fear is by facing it. If that happens, we'll just deal with it,' say Exploring India's founders.

'Dementia is going to be a huge challenge for hospitals, doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, health workers and family members.'

News of all that's transpired on and off the football field

News of all that's transpired on and off the football field

Humans rarely get to glimpse the animal kingdom up-close. But, the Wildlife Photographer of the Year contest, which is developed and produced by the Natural History Museum in London, offers a peek into the lives of species around the world. The competition has just revealed the shortlist of 25 photos for the LUMIX People's Choice Award. Voting is open until February 4, 2020, and the overall winner will be announced in February.

The long-awaited book is frank, funny, self-lacerating and full of gossip worthy anecdotes. What else could we ask of the Rocketman?

Computers need to be trained to recognise images, says Devangshu Datta.

'The lush green of Kashmir was exactly like the postcards and posters I had seen growing up.'