Heatwave in AP killed 723 people this year, Assembly told
Hyderabad, Sep 8 (PTI) 723 people died of extreme heat wave conditions in Andhra Pradesh in the last four months, Deputy Chief Minister N China Rajappa has said.Replying to a question raised by Telugu Desam member Modugula Venugopala Reddy and others in the Assembly today, the Deputy Chief Minister, who handles the Home and Disaster Management portfolios, said the highest number of 238 heat wave deaths were reported in Chittoor district followed by 134 in East Godavari and 115 in Vizianagaram.This was the first time this season that the state government officially announced the toll caused by heat wave.”Last year, 1369 deaths were reported due to heat wave. The toll was 448 in 2014 and 861 in 2013,” Rajappa said.”A comprehensive heat wave action plan was adopted and being implemented in three phases from January.The government has undertaken an extensive awareness campaign on the precautionary measures to be followed by people,” he added.Most parts of the country sweltered under a blazing sun this summer with heat wave claiming dozens of lives in neighbouring Telangana and Odisha districts too. PTI DBV DK DV
Watch: Virat Kohli, Anurag Thakur set an example for Swachh Bharat Abhiyan
India captain Virat Kohli and BCCI President Anurag Thakur today swept the stands at the Eden Gardens as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti, the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. (Scorecard)India and New Zealand are playing the second of their three-match Test series in Kolkata. (India vs New Zealand, 2nd Test, Day 3: Key highlights)In an effort to generate awareness about the campaign, Thakur and Kohli, along with Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane and a few others, were seen with brooms wiping the stadium and throwing away litter in the dustbins.On the occasion of #GandhiJayanti- BCCI President Lt. @ianuragthakur, @imVkohli & #TeamIndia take part in #SwachhBharatAbhiyan #MyCleanIndia pic.twitter.com/roerE9Q9g8 BCCI (@BCCI) October 2, 2016Today marks the second anniversary of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan or Clean India Campaign, which was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on this day in 2014. (Rohit Sharma grateful to team management after stylish 82)Earlier in the day, Rohit came up with a resolute knock of 82 runs on a two-paced track as India survived a top order collapse to grab the driving seat on a riveting third day of the second Test.The hosts reached 227/8 in their second innings at stumps, opening up a comfortable 339-run gulf with their rivals. India lead the series 1-0, with the final match to be played in Indore from October 8.
SPORT-RESULT 9
9th Race: The Circle Of Bliss Plate 1600 Metres9th Race: The Circle Of Bliss Plate 1600 Metres Godsent (Mrs Laxmi P. Lala, Mr Partab Lala & Mr Gautam Lala rep. Gainsville Stud & Agl Farm P.L) 54.50 Kavraj Singh first Mathaiyus 55.50 N S Parmar second Rapid Girl 50.50 S A Amit third Raees 55 T S Jodha fourth Not Run: Nil Favourites: Mathaiyus Won By: 1 L, 2 1/4 L, 1 L, Time: 1 Minute 39.86 Seconds Tote: Rs 65 for win, Rs 15, Rs 12 and Rs 42 for places Forecast: Rs 230 Shp: Rs 40 Quinella: Rs 34 Tanala: 70 per cent: Rs 4022 on 5 tickets 30 per cent: Rs 2154 on 4 tickets (More) PTI COR BAS NRB AT
ISL 2016: Zico lashes out at off-colour referee, says Goa is always wronged
FC Goa head coach Zico on Sunday lambasted referee Fernando Guerrero Ramirez for his decisions in his team’s Indian Super League (ISL) match against Atletico de Kolkata (ATK) here.”Any kind of foul and he would show his card. All crucial decisions are always against us. Foreign referees always do these things. Like we have good players in the ISL, we should have good referees too,” Zico told reporters post the match which ended 1-1 at the Rabindra Sarovar Stadium.The referee brandished as many as eight yellow cards and two red cards, at which even ATK coach Molina was dubious.”The referee didn’t have a great match. We did not suffer much so we cannot complain. He had a bad day, it happens.”Zico, seemingly fuming at the media conference, went to the extent of saying that Indian referees will do a better job than their foreign counterparts.”It’s better to let Indians do refereeing. Foreign referees do these things in crucial games. I am here to help football development in India and not to only earn money. If they want me here no problem, if they don’t want me I will pack my bags and go home,” the Brazilian legend fumed. (Also read: ISL: Atletico de Kolkata, FC Goa play out 1-1 draw)Zico was however happy with the way his team played on the day.”Our players worked hard and I am happy with the way they played. I have no complains. If decisions were not so poor it could have been different.”advertisementFC Goa were shown five yellow cards in total and three in the opening five minutes. ATK, who were winning by a Sameehg Doutie goal in the sixth minute, conceded a penalty late in the game when Borja was deemed to have handled the ball inside the box from a Jofre corner. Molina felt the decision was harsh.”Borja told me that he was something unlucky. He didn’t want to touch the ball. I think it’s not a penalty,” he said.
Allegri: I was right to reject Madrid
Juventus head coach Massimiliano Allegri is convinced he made the right decision to stay in Turin after turning down Real Madrid.Allegri, 50, was linked with Premier League side Arsenal and Champions League holders Madrid at the end of last season before opting to remain with the Serie A giants.Madrid appointed Julen Lopetegui in June following Zinedine Zidane’s departure after Allegri claimed he rejected the chance to succeed the Frenchman at the Santiago Bernabeu. Article continues below Editors’ Picks Man Utd ready to spend big on Sancho and Haaland in January Who is Marcus Thuram? Lilian’s son who is top of the Bundesliga with Borussia Monchengladbach Brazil, beware! Messi and Argentina out for revenge after Copa controversy Best player in MLS? Zlatan wasn’t even the best player in LA! Reflecting on his decision, Allegri – who arrived from AC Milan in 2014 – told magazine Stile Mese: “I said ‘no’ to Real Madrid because I made a commitment with the president.”Allegri did concede Madrid the title of the world’s “biggest club” but believes it was the correct call to remain.”Therefore, my maximum respect for Juventus and given word were why I rejected the call of Real Madrid, the biggest club in the world and the dream for every coach.”I’d be a hypocrite if I said I wasn’t honoured by their consideration, but I’m absolutely convinced that I made the right decision.”Allegri also dismissed being placed in the pantheon with some other Juventus legends, including recently-departed goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, because he has not been with the club long enough to reach that level. “Am I a ‘bandiera’ like Buffon or Del Piero? I absolutely don’t want to be equated with them because they’re players who wrote Juventus’ history, whereas I’ve only been here for four years.”Seeking an eighth consecutive Scudetto, Juve open their Serie A title defence against Chievo on August 18.
Orozco happy with life at Lobos after resurgence
Watching Michael Orozco’s most famous goal feels like being sucked into some sort of soccer time machine.It was six years ago, but it was a different time. The United States national team was on the way to actually qualifying for the World Cup. Brek Shea and Terrence Boyd were involved in the buildup – just two of a number of up-and-comers in that generation who never came up enough. That moment, scoring the winning goal at the Estadio Azteca, is something Orozco will never forget, not that anyone would let him. Editors’ Picks Man Utd ready to spend big on Sancho and Haaland in January Who is Marcus Thuram? Lilian’s son who is top of the Bundesliga with Borussia Monchengladbach Brazil, beware! Messi and Argentina out for revenge after Copa controversy Best player in MLS? Zlatan wasn’t even the best player in LA! “The video, even my kids have it on the iPad,” Orozco said with a laugh during a conversation with Goal last week. “I came into that camp with just one goal: To make a difference. Thankfully, it happened for me in that 15 or 20 minutes when I got in and played defense, scored the goal. “Getting the first victory for the United States on Mexican soil in the Azteca, which is a stadium that has so much history, I think it was something beautiful, not just for me but for my family. I’m really proud to be part of that moment in history and when I’m at home in Anaheim, California, they remind me of that.” His finish was improbable even at the time, with U.S. supporters expressing shock that it was Orozco who delivered the Stars and Stripes’ first triumph in the Estadio Azteca. A fan’s reaction on a post-match call-in show – “Michael Orozco Fiscal?!” – became a drop on a popular soccer podcast. While that moment still sticks out as the one he’s most known for, it was hardly his only contribution during the Jurgen Klinsmann era. He scored in Panama City to help the U.S. to a 3-2 win in World Cup qualification, and while he didn’t make the roster for Brazil he was back in the starting XI in 2016’s Copa America Centenario. 
His last appearance in a U.S. shirt was a bench role in the 4-0 defeat to Costa Rica in 2016 – the final match before Klinsmann was given his marching orders during an ill-fated qualification campaign. He hasn’t been called since, and at age 32 knows another opportunity might not come. Yet, Orozco quietly put together a strong season off the radar of U.S. and even most Liga MX fans, helping Lobos BUAP bounce back from a poor showing in the previous tournament. In the Clausura, Lobos should have been relegated but paid a fee to stay in the top division. Orozco arrived on loan from Tijuana in the summer, and several other players were brought in to improve the club. Things still got off to a rough start this season, with Lobos winning just one of its first nine games in the Apertura. But manager Paco Palencia engineered a turnaround, with Lobos losing just once in their last eight matches – that defeat coming to regular-season leader Cruz Azul. Orozco was a big part of the turnaround, playing center back next to a fellow defensive veteran, Maza Rodriguez. He knows it’s time for a new generation of players to emerge for the U.S. national team, but says he’d be thrilled to lend the leadership skills he’s learned at Lobos to the U.S. if the new manager were to give him a chance. 
“Right now, I’m focused on what I can do here with Lobos, helping to save the team from relegation. My showings on the field speak for themselves,” he said. “I think the national team is in the process right now of changing the whole structure, starting a new cycle, but I’d never close the door on the national team because this is the highest honor a soccer player can have – to one day get there and represent your country with honor. “So, if a call comes, I’ll be there and help however I can help, whether it be motivating or giving my experience or if I’m going to play as well, it’d be a pleasure, a happy moment to be there once again. Not going to the World Cup has left a lot of players ‘marked’, but I think we can overcome that with work.” Relegation is still a real worry for Lobos, even if the team stayed in the first division via unconventional means last time around. Lobos sit in the penultimate place of the league’s relegation table above only Veracruz. Lobos will look to get as many points as possible in the Clausura to get an advantage in Mexico’s system, which sends down the team that has the worst combined record over six short tournaments. Orozco said he has six-months left with Lobos on a year-long loan from Tijuana. But the former Club Puebla player is happy to be back at a city where he spent many years and said he hopes to continue with Lobos – or perhaps even sign a deal to get back in MLS, where he spent 2010 on loan with the Philadelphia Union. “I’d love to, first, save the team with my teammates, possibly re-sign which would be ideal for me and my family,” he said. “Having kids and having to adapt and figure out a new city is difficult. But, look, I’m also not ruling out going to MLS one day, which is something really great and I enjoyed the experience I had in 2010. It was perfect. “Right now, I’m taking on everything calmly. I’ve got six months left. I’m going to give everything for the team to stay up and if we stay there’s the potential plus of getting to the Liguilla and moving forward. But first of all we have to save the team.”
India, most successful at ICC Champions Trophy, target record third title
India have had pretty mixed fortunes at the ICC Champions Trophy. India have played the tournament in all the previous seven editions finishing on top twice while ending runners-up once.Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar and most lately Shikhar Dhawan have been key to India’s rise at the multi-nation tournament. Zaheer Khan, Harbhajan Singh and Ishant Sharma have been the among the top wicket-takers at the event while MS Dhoni is the most successful Indian wicket-keeper.This time they will go into the tournament as defending champions and would look to create history by becoming the first team to win the championship thrice.Here’s a look at India’s journey at the top ICC event:1998 Wills International Cups (Bangladesh) – SEMI-FINALSIndia fielded a strong side with Mohammad Azharuddin as captain. The side boasted of a strong batting line-up with the likes of Sourav Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Ajay Jadeja and Robin Singh in the side. Javagal Srinath spearheading the pace attack while Anil Kumble looked after the spin department.However, India were knocked out in semi-finals by West Indies, who were led by Brian Lara.2000 ICC KnockOut (Kenya) – RUNNERS-UPSourav Ganguly’s 117 went in vain in the big final as Chris Cairns’ 102 not out guided New Zealand to a four-wicket win to hand Kiwis the trophy. Yuvraj Singh and Zaheer Khan made their debuts for India in the tournament.2002 ICC Champions Tropy (Sri Lanka) – CHAMPIONS (Shared)India, under Sourav Ganguly, went a step further by becoming the joint champions with Sri Lanka after the final was rained-off twice. In the final, Sri Lanka posted 244/5 with Sanath Jayasuriya and Kumar Sangakkara scoring a fifty each. In reply, India started off well and were 14/0 in two overs when rain halted the proceedings and no further play was possible that day.advertisementOn the reserve day, Sri Lanka again won the toss and batted first. This time Mahela Jayawardene and Russell Arnold struck fifties to help Sri Lanka post 222/7 in their 50 overs. In response, Virender Sehwag looked at his menacing best with 25 not out off 22 balls when heavy rain stopped play. Once again the persistent rain denied a result and the trophy was awarded to both Sri Lanka and India.2004 ICC Champions Trophy (England) – GROUP STAGEIndia failed to go beyond the group stage. India started off their campaign with a thunderous 98-run win over Kenya but a three-wicket defeat against Pakistan was enough to stop Ganguly’s men from advancing to the semi-finals.2006 ICC Champions Trophy (India) – GROUP STAGEIndia’s batting line-up failed to fire in the big tournament at home. They managed to beat England in their first game but their star-studded batting continued to misfire and consecutive defeats against West Indies and Australia left them with just one win in the tournament.2009 ICC Champions Trophy (South Africa) – GROUP STAGEIndia again failed to impress. Rahul Dravid-led side started with a 54-run loss against Pakistan while their next game against Australia yielded no result because of rain. In their third group match, India beat West Indies to finish with three points in the table but it was not enough to get them through to the semi-finals.2013 ICC Champions Trophy (England and Wales) – CHAMPIONSIndia started the tournament with three successive failures at the event. However, this time they were a form side with the likes of Shikhar Dhawan and Ravindra Jadeja grabbing all the limelight. They remained unbeaten in the their pool with comfortable victories over South Africa, West Indies and Pakistan. In the semi-finals, MS Dhoni’s men annihilated Sri Lanka by eight wickets. However, the final was a curtailed affair. It was reduced to 20-overs-a-side game and put in to bat, India managed to score 129/7. But a stepped up performances by the bowlers handed India a five-run win and the trophy, making MS Dhoni the only captain to win all three ICC events after his triumphs at the 2007 ICC World Twenty20 and 2011 ICC World Cup.It will be the first major ICC tournament for Virat Kohli as the captain of the Indian team and his first assignment starts when the defending champions lock horns with arch-rivals Pakistan at Edgbaston on June 4.
Bowlers are second-class citizens in white-ball cricket: Shane Bond
“Bowlers are pretty much second-class citizens in white-ball cricket,” says former New Zealand pacer Shane Bond, who feels odds are stacked heavily against them in the limited-overs format.Writing for the International Cricket Council ahead of the upcoming Champions Trophy in England starting June 1, Bond said limited-overs cricket is “a batsman’s game”.”And it isn’t merely the fast bowlers, who have their task cut out. The change in fielding restrictions in the last 10 overs of a one-day international has eased the pressure on the bowlers a little bit, but only a little bit,” he said.”…but for the most part, the bowlers are pretty much second-class citizens in white-ball cricket,” he added.Bond said it is this imbalance which has led to spinners using negative tactics.”The slow bowlers specifically are resorting to a more negative line of bowling, not because they want to but because they have to,” he said.”In an era gone by, the pattern was to tee-off in the first 15 overs, build through the middle of the innings and then launch a final onslaught. That philosophy has now gone out the window,” he explained.Bond said bowlers cannot do without variety in the current scenario where every alternate game ends up being a run feast.”The yorker is not just one of the most difficult balls to bowl, the margin for error is also extremely small. Therefore, it becomes vital to use that weapon judiciously.”You must have the ability to change the length? bowl the yorker, yes, but also use the bouncer, the slower ball, the length ball,” he opined.advertisement”You dont bowl the full ball to certain batsmen, you dont bang it in to certain others. All of it is very much opposition, ground, conditions and batter-dependent. If you are off even marginally, the yorker is probably the easiest ball to hit for a four or a six. You have to weigh up risk against reward,” he said.Bond said bowlers in modern cricket should mix it up to make it difficult for the batsman to settle down.”As a bowler, you must be prepared to bowl different lengths at the death so that when you do bowl the yorker, it must come as a little bit of a surprise.”I keep telling the bowlers to not be shy of bowling a bouncer, to have a field that creates doubt. At the end of the day, it not so much about the outcome; it is important to see how the bowlers have got their wickets at the death,” he said.”What do you do when a David Warner or a Virat Kohli comes hard at you?” he signed off.
Not bothered that middle and lower order is untested: Kohli
By Kushan Sarkar Birmingham, Jun 14 (PTI) Law of averages is one aspect in cricket that international teams are always wary of but Virat Kohli is not bothered one bit about what may happen if the famed and in-form Indian top-order flounders in the ICC Champions Trophy semi-final against Bangladesh. Asked if the lack of batting time for middle and lower order, after three successful league games, could pose problems, Kohli was dismissive. “No, thats not a concern. Obviously, as a batsman you want to finish off games, so you are not necessarily going to get out thinking my middle-order hasnt got any game time. “So, given an opportunity, everyone would like to finish games convincingly and, as I said everyone is batting well,” Kohli said on the eve of the match here. For the combative Indian captain, lack of batting time during matches would only spur Hardik Pandya and Kedar Jadhav to cash in and deliver whenever they are required. “In the practice games, everyone has got a hit, and we know Kedar and Hardik are playing really well at the moment, so we are not bothered at all. Rather they (Kedar and Hardik) are looking for an opportunity if the team is in a bit of trouble. “I am sure those two guys are going to step up and take the team through along with Ash (Ravichandran Ashwin) and Jaddu (Ravindra Jadeja) as well. Those guys are actually waiting for opportunities, and thats a great mindset to have. “They are not sitting comfortably thinking oh these guys are going to do the job. They are actually prepared if a crisis situation comes in… we want to be the match winners (that) is the energy they are creating,” Kohli sounded confident. Kohli and the current team has played a number of pressure games in ICC tournaments, but he said on a new day that will count for little. “Yeah, we have played these kind of games before quite a few times but there are no guarantees in this sport. As we have seen in the league stages as well, a lot of teams have surprised the opposition, and we are certainly not taking anything for granted. “We will use whatever momentum we have gained in this tournament to execute what we want to. We are not going to go according to past results and what we have done in the past tournaments. Going into a big game like this, we are going to treat it as how we treated the last game, and our mindset does not differ.” Kohli made it clear that an unchanged XI would take on Bangladesh and Umesh Yadav will be warming the bench. “We gave a lot of people chances in the practice games and he (Umesh) did bowl well in that game but that does not mean that you necessarily play someone who has done well against a particular opposition in a practice game.” He was all praise for Ashwins performance against South Africa. “I think Ashwin was brilliant in the last game, and I dont see any good reason to change that. The team played really well. It was a complete performance, and I certainly dont think that there is any need to change anything.” Kohli was very respectful of Bangladesh as an opposition despite India enjoying a great record against them. “It is no surprise anymore to anyone that they are doing really well, and they have really improved their cricket, and it is a credit to their set-up and the kind of players they have now who are taking more responsibility. “Bangladesh is a very dangerous side on their day and everyone realises that. Bangladesh have taken huge strides. I mean they are in the top-eight sides in the world. So yeah, they are a very competitive side,” Kohli side. The one question that must have irritated him was the 2015 World Cup quarter-final controversy. “Its been 24 months! I seriously dont think that anyone is thinking about that game. We have had so many matches against each other since then, and we are certainly not going out to prove a point to anyone. “We just want to play good cricket as a side. Our opposition could be anyone. We are not really thinking about whats happened in the past or things that go on at the international level,” Kohli said, setting the record straight. PTI KHS AH AHadvertisement
Indian naval ships pay goodwill visit to Lanka
Colombo, Nov 3 (PTI) Two Indian naval ships are on a five-day goodwill visit to Sri Lanka to participate in a number of training exercises in a bid to share professional expertise and strengthen friendship.The ships crews will also take part in a series of friendly sports events and community service activities organised by the Sri Lanka Navy during their stay in the country, Daily Mirror reported.Indian Naval Ships Tir and Sujatha and the Indian Coast Guard ship Sarathi arrived at the Colombo port yesterday on a goodwill and training visit, the report said.The ships crews will also take part in a series of friendly sports events and community service activities organised by the Sri Lanka Navy during their stay here.The Commanding Officers of the visiting Indian ships Captain D J Revar, Commandant Pankaj Agrawal and Commander KB Singh called on Sri Lankan Navys Commander Western Naval Area Rear Admiral Niraja Attygalle at the Western Naval Command Headquarters.They held cordial discussions on matters of mutual interest and exchanged mementos to mark the occasion.The Defence Advisor attached to the Indian High Commission in Sri Lanka Captain Ashok Rao was also present on the occasion.The visit took place amidst an increase in military ties with Sri Lanka.Last month, vessels from the Sri Lankan Navy completed a set of military exercises in India. The Indian government also provided an Offshore Patrol Vessel to the Sri Lanka Coast Guard. PTI CORR UZM MVV
Big Sale Shuts Down Yanks, 3-2
CHICAGO — Joe Girardi didn’t want to hear about the other team’s starting pitcher after the New York Yankees got shut down again.He wanted more from his offense.Chris Sale retired 18 of 19 batters over six scoreless innings in his return from an arm injury, and the Chicago White Sox beat New York 3-2 on May 22.“We’ve ran against three pretty good starting pitchers, but I know we’re capable of hitting better than this,” Girardi said.The Yankees managed just one single against Sale in this game after getting shut down while splitting the previous two against the Cubs on the North Side.They rallied late to win 4-2 in 13 innings on May 21 after Jeff Samardzija through seven shutout innings against them and did little against Jason Hammel in a 6-1 loss on May 20.Against Sale, they had an even rougher time.The left-hander set down the first 17 hitters after missing more than a month because of a flexor strain in his pitching arm, and Chicago hung on after New York’s Mark Teixeira singled in two runs against Ronald Belisario in the ninth.The White Sox couldn’t have asked for more of their ace.An All-Star the past two seasons, Sale (4-0) struck out 10 and didn’t even come close to allowing a runner until Zoilo Almonte — a .167 hitter entering the game — lined a single to center with two out in the sixth.Sale then struck out Jacoby Ellsbury and called it a night after throwing 86 pitches.“I don’t think I was ever more excited to give up a hit in my life,” he said. “(Manager Robin Ventura) said the same thing, ‘You picked a bad night to do something like that.’ It was all in fun, we were just joking around.”Sale would have been finished after six, perfect game or not. The White Sox weren’t about to stretch their best pitcher after about a five-week layoff, and he insisted he would not have lobbied to stay in even if it was still going.Zach Putnam retired the side in the seventh, and Daniel Webb worked a perfect eighth before Belisario nearly blew it in the ninth.He gave up a one-out single to pinch hitter Ichiro Suzuki and walked Derek Jeter. After the runners moved up on a passed ball, Teixeira drove them in with a single up the middle. Belisario then struck out Alfonso Soriano looking at a 3-2 pitch up and in for his second save in three attempts.“I know the umpire, they have a tough job, it’s not easy being an umpire,” Soriano said. “That ball is up and in. I never said anything to the umpire, but that pitch is a ball.”He said he saw a replay and added: “It’s a bad call, but nothing you can do.”David Phelps (1-1) was a tough-luck loser for New York, allowing two runs over seven innings. He struck out eight and walked one. But one rough inning was the difference.The White Sox scored two with two out in the second on an RBI double by Alejandro De Aza and run-scoring single by Adam Eaton to go up 2-0. Chicago added to the lead in the eighth, when Gordon Beckham led off with a double high off the right-field wall against Alfredo Aceves and scored on Adam Dunn’s two-out single, and that was enough for the win.Sale had the Yankees lunging and looking at pitches on the corner and at the knees, doing everything but make solid contact. He struck out the side in the first and third innings along with the first two batters in the fourth — not bad for a guy who hadn’t pitched since April 17.In that game, Sale tossed one-hit ball over seven innings against Boston. He felt sore the next day after throwing 127 pitches and wound up going on the disabled list on April 22.“He gave them what he could, he gave them six innings and we weren’t able to score until the ninth,” Girardi said. “At that point, it just wasn’t quite enough.”(ANDREW SELIGMAN, AP Sports Writer)TweetPinShare0 Shares
Greece’s Charalampos Kastrantas Wins Tour de Indonesia 3rd Stage
JAKARTA – Greek cyclist Charalampos Kastrantas won the third stage of Tour de Indonesia in East Java province on Saturday, Jan. 27, Xinhua reports.Playing for Java Partizan Cycling, Kastrantas took four hours, 44 minutes and six seconds to complete the longest route of 200 kilometers from Probolinggo town to Banyuwangi town of the province.Kastrantas defeated two Indonesian cyclists in sprint prior to finish.Read the full story here.TweetPinShare0 Shares
Portland Wins Game 1 Against the Thunder 104-99
PORTLAND, Ore. — After eight straight playoff losses over the past two years, the Portland Trail Blazers finally got a win.Damian Lillard scored 30 points and the third-seeded Blazers opened their series against the No. 6 Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday with a 104-99 victory.“We know how it feels to win again,” Lillard said. “Now we can just kind of move on from that and stay focused on this series.”Portland was swept by New Orleans last season and the Warriors the year before.Enes Kanter added 20 points and a career playoff-high 18 rebounds for the Blazers, who were making their sixth straight postseason appearance. CJ McCollum added 24 points.Russell Westbrook had 24 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds for his ninth career postseason triple-double. Paul George, who was a game-time decision because of a sore shoulder, added 26 points and 10 rebounds despite a rough shooting night.Westbrook appeared to hurt his right ankle in the final quarter and grimaced while trying to walk it off. Trainers attended to him on the bench at the next timeout but he returned and his layup closed the gap to 91-87 with just under 4 minutes left.Asked about it afterward, Westbrook said: “We’ll see.”After trailing by as many as 19 points in the first half, Oklahoma City pulled within as 93-92 on George’s 3-pointer with 2:44 left. Lillard answered with a long 3-pointer to keep the Blazers ahead and Al-Farouq Aminu made free throws to extend Portland’s lead to 98-92.George made a 3-pointer with 8.2 seconds remaining to get the Thunder within 100-97 but Portland hung on.“We knew it was going to be a fight all night long. Even at the beginning of the game when we were up like 17 at one point, I wasn’t looking at the scoreboard like, ‘Let’s put them away.” I was like, ‘Let’s just stay solid, keep competing, keep playing hard,’ Lillard said. “And then when they make their runs, and when they get back in the game, (you) just weather those storms.”It was the first postseason meeting between the teams since the Thunder moved from Seattle to Oklahoma City.Oklahoma City beat the Blazers in all four meetings this season, including a heated 129-121 overtime victory on March 7.The Thunder have been to the playoffs every season since moving from Seattle in 2008, but they haven’t gotten past the opening round for the past two seasons.George was nursing a sore right shoulder and was considered day-to-day for Sunday’s game but he started. However he was just 1 of 6 from the floor in the opening quarter. For the game, he made four of 15 3-point attempts.“Four days ago I couldn’t even lift my shoulder,” he said. “Then fast forward to today this is the first day I’ve even shot the ball, so for me it’s just rhythm.”George missed the Thunder’ regular-season finale Wednesday at Milwaukee because of the nagging injury, which also kept him out of games on Feb. 28, March 2 and March 3.McCollum missed 10 games down the stretch with a left knee strain and had only played in two games since returning. But he started and hit his first two 3-point attempts.The Blazers’ hopes for postseason success were dealt a blow last month when center Jusuf Nurkic was lost for the season with a broken left leg. Nurkic was averaging 15.6 points and 10.4 rebounds when he sustained the gruesome injury during a game against the Brooklyn Nets.Kanter, signed just before the All-Star break after he was waived by the New York Knicks, has started in Nurkic’s place.The Thunder rallied from a 19-point deficit in the first half to trail by just 54-48 at the break. But they struggled from 3-point range, making just two of 18 attempts.There was simmering tension between the teams. Terrance Ferguson and McCollum had a heated exchange in the second quarter, earning technical fouls. Ferguson earned his third foul and headed to the bench.Westbrook’s layup got the Thunder within 64-60, but he collected his fourth foul late in the third and went to the bench. The Blazers went into the fourth quarter with a 76-69 lead.The Thunder’s only lead was in the opening quarter.“It’s a series. First to four. They won the first game,” Westbrook said. “Now we make adjustments, come back, play harder next game and try to take it.”TIP-INS:Thunder: While the Thunder swept the Blazers 4-0 during the regular season, Portland swept them in four games the season before.Trail Blazers: Blazers coach Terry Stotts concluded his pregame talk with the media by saying. “All right. Masters.” The Blazers were 8-8 in the postseason against the SuperSonics. … Portland had won the last eight regular-season games at the Moda Center. … Kanter had his third playoff double-double. … The Blazers haven’t made it out of the first round for the past two seasons. Last year as a No. 3 seed Portland got swept by the New Orleans Pelicans.KANTER’S DAYIn just his ninth start with the Blazers, Kanter became just the third player in team history with at least 20 points and 18 rebounds in playoff game. Bill Walton did it three times and LaMarcus Aldridge once.“He gave us a lot of toughness inside,” Stotts said. “Obviously, his rebounding and scoring. I thought his conditioning was really good. He maintained a high level of play for a long period of time.”UP NEXT: Game 2 is Tuesday night at the Moda Center.By: Anne M. Peterson, AP Sports WriterTweetPinShare0 Shares
Nick Galis & Dean Karnazes – Two Great Greek Athletes Partner with Navarino Challenge
ATHENS – The Navarino Challenge will be held for the 7th consecutive year, this October 11-13 in Messinia and Costa Navarino, honoring basketball legend Nick Galis and the event’s main ambassador, the Greek-American ultramarathoner Dean Karnazes, who will participate in the half marathon and run alongside children on the 1km route.The event’s athletic partners will offer more than 30 sporting activities, showcasing Navarino Challenge as the top multi-sport event. This year’s program features among others:BoxingThe Olympic sport and one of the most beloved sports for ancient Greeks, will take center stage this year. As part of the event, lessons will be held for participants of all ages by boxing champion Christos Gatsis and the Vizantinos Target Sport Club.CrossfitCrossfit training will enhance the fitness of the event’s participants through lessons by expert personal trainer Dimitris Moros and FitnessArt.Partnership with F45 The Pearl in QatarTennis cross training with Navarino Racquet Academy. Photo by Mike TsolisFor the first time, the event will partner with Europe’s top fitness centers, F45, to create special packages for those who wish to travel from Qatar’s Pearl, via Doha, and participate in the Navarino Challenge while training at The Westin Resort Costa Navarino.Karate with a World ChampionKarate, which will feature for the first time at the Tokyo Olympic Games 2020, will be introduced in the Navarino Challenge programme. Coaches of the Pammesiniakos Athletic Club Karate will conduct lessons and World karate champion Eleni Chatziliadou, one of the guests of honour at the 2019 Navarino Challenge, will be present to promote the sport.Kick BoxingThe dynamic sport of kick boxing will be part of the event’s schedule yet again, with lessons by martial arts champion Alexandros Nikolaidis.Tae Kwon DoTwo-times Olympic silver medalist and a top athlete who dominated the sport from 2000 to 2012, Alexandros Nikolaidis will introduce Tae Kwon Do lessons to enthusiastic teams and children from Messinia.TennisThe much-loved sport will be held once again with the support of the Navarino Racquet Academy. With the experience of the Panellinios Agora Games, a company that innovates in Greek tennis, beginners will have the opportunity to try Tennis Cross Training, a fitness program that combines Tennis and Cross Training.Watch the following video and enjoy beautiful moments from the event’s dynamic activities: https://youtu.be/lWKDOIn7yLEKick boxing lessons with champion Alexandros Nikolaidis at the Navarino Challenge. Photo by Vassilis SfakianopoulosFor more information on the detailed event program, click on the following link: http://www.navarinochallenge.com/event-2019/schedule-2019/OffersParticipants at the 7th Navarino Challenge will have the opportunity to enjoy special discounts from sponsors and discount partners of the event during their stay at The Westin Resort Costa Navarino. To view current offers, please click here: http://www.navarinochallenge.com/event-2019/offers-2019More information on The Westin Resort Costa Navarino accommodation packages can be found at:http://www.navarinochallenge.com/accommodation-packages-2019Registration continues for running and swimming and interested parties can take part by completing the special form available at the following link: http://activemedia.com.gr/product/navarino-challenge-2019/.Pre-sale is also available online via www.viva.gr or by phone at 11876 as well as at all Viva pre-sale points.For more information on accommodation packages in the region visit VitaNTravel: http://vitantravel.gr/Samsung is the official technology partner for another year. Official sponsors of the event are Ford Motor Hellas and the Natural Mineral Water “Vikos”.Luanvi is the official sports supplier of the event for one more year.Nutramins is the official health supporter of the event.Boxing lessons at the Navarino Challenge with champion Christos Gatsis and the Vizantinos Target Sport Club. Photo by Vassilis SfakianopoulosOfficial supporters are Poseidonia, Municipality of Pylos-Nestor and PlantBox. Messinian Spa is the Official Beauty Partner for the first time. Partners of the event are Pylos Poems, Fysiotek Sports Lab, Karalis Beach Hotel, Athens Easy Transfers.Avance Rent A Car is the official rental partner.National Geographic is the strategic partner of the event and 24MEDIA its premium media partner.All event’s equipment transfers will be made with Pilia Express.Navarino Challenge supports: a) the Institute of Preventive Medicine, Environmental and Occupational Health, Prolepsis with a program on Food Aid and Promotion of Healthy Nutrition, DIATROFI, and through the Captain Vasilis and Carmen Konstantakopoulos Foundation: b) WWF Greece, and c) Karkinaki, through the GivenGain online platform: https://bit.ly/33KTNhDNavarino Challenge has joined the Greek actions of the #BeactiveHellas 2019 program of the European Commission and is held under the auspices of the General Secretariat of Sports.The event is held under the auspices of the Greek National Tourism Organization with the approval of the Hellenic Swimming Federation.Navarino Challenge is co-organized by Costa Navarino, The Westin Resort Costa Navarino and Active Media Group with the support of the Municipalities of Pylos-Nestor and Trifilia.TweetPinShare88 Shares
A logical method of debugging embedded systems
Debugging is an integral part of embedded systems as much as designing. Both can be rightly referred as two sides of the same coin. Considering the recent growth of the embedded systems in IoT space it is an advantage that engineers are equally good in debugging as they are in designing. Embedded systems have become very complex these days and the boundaries of software and hardware are merging. So when an issue occurs at system level it becomes difficult to find out the root cause. As an engineer working on embedded systems it is important that we quickly understand the issue and find the root cause.Mentioned below are a few tips which can help in developing a logical approach and analytical thinking towards solving embedded system issues. This article does not cover the tools used for debugging rather presents the reader with a tried and tested method of how to approach the problem.An embedded system consists of hardware, firmware and application software. Sometimes when an issue is reported it is not clear where the issue is present in the system. It can be due to hardware, firmware code or application software. Below is a generic diagram showing the basics of an embedded system along with the direction of data flow from one system to another.
Listed below is a step by step approach on how to go forward in debugging an issue. To illustrate the approach, an example of a video display issue seen on an embedded system is considered.Step 1 – Understand the setup & reproduce the issue correctly The first and foremost thing that one needs to do is to correctly reproduce the issue. Sometimes the issues are seen locally and the engineer is able to reproduce the issue easily. Whereas sometimes the issues are seen at a remote location or customer site and then the engineer has to rely purely on logs available to understand the setup and reproduce the issue. In the second case, it is very important for the engineer to understand the setup correctly as it will help in successfully reproducing the issue. If the engineer fails to do so then it can happen that the issue can re-occur at the remote location or customer site in the future. This happens primarily because the engineer may not have correctly understood the issue and hence has not developed the right solution. Thus it would lead to multiple iterations of fixing the issue.For our example, let’s consider a video display where noise was seen only on some monitors. Since the devices were installed in a remote location so only the video logs were available for debugging. From the logs it was difficult to make out the root cause of noise. Initially we tried playing with different clips but were not able to reproduce the issue at our end. We were not sure of why the issue was not reproducible. We could not tell clearly if it was due to the video file used or due to the setup. Finally we were able to reproduce the issue by getting the same exact clip that the customer used and one of the monitors.Step 2 – Breaking the issue into smaller issues Once the issue is correctly reproduced the next step would be to break the whole issue into smaller issues. This is very important and can be done by understanding the whole data flow. The first step would be to break the flow of data at the interface of application layer with firmware layer and then firmware layer with hardware layer. This way each layer can be reviewed and tested independently for any issue. Also we need not stop at this and can go ahead and break the whole data flow path into more sub levels based on logical understanding.For our example, we divided the whole path of video frame data from the application to the hardware layer. We understood the whole path of how encoded video data is received and then decoded, and after that how it is passed to the firmware layer. Here we understood how the pointers are assigned for each video frame and how they are given by the firmware to send each frame over the hardware layer. At the hardware layer, we understood the protocol of how a video frame is sent out on the physical lines. Once we understood the whole path, we divided it into logical blocks. One block was for application layer, where the encoded video data is decoded to raw video and stored in video buffers. Then another block is for firmware layer, where we check how the video buffers are given out to the hardware. The final block is for hardware where we check how the video data is given out on the actual physical lines.Step 3 – Fix each of the smaller issues Once we have broken the whole data path into logical blocks for each layer, we needed to individually test each block and validate it in their own respective ways. This would help in finding where the root cause of the issue lies. Sometimes a system issue can be fixed by changing only one layer whereas sometimes it would need a change in more than one layer. By logically breaking the whole path, we can properly find out where all changes are needed and then fix them accordingly.For our example, at application layer we used reading and writing into a file for validating the data path flow. The video data buffers generated after decoding were compared with the expected values. At the firmware level, fixed pattern was used as data input instead of the data coming from application layer. Here we observed that the video data was given to the firmware layer in terms of fields and not frames but the field information (top or bottom) was not given correctly from application layer to firmware layer. So we had to modify the code accordingly so that the buffer contains the correct field information.At the hardware level, these fixed patterns and the corresponding control signal for the interface was validated as per the specifications using logic analysers. For our example, the protocol we were using was BT.1120 and we saw that the protocol timings were not as per the specification. So we realized that this was the reason why some monitors worked properly and others did not. Once we made the protocol as per the specification we saw that all the monitors worked properly. We also realized that the whole issue of noise was actually a combination of the wrong field information and wrong protocol timings. This was the reason why some monitors were able to work and others did not.Step 4 – Negative Testing Testing is of course a very important aspect of problem solving and it is important to test that the issue is fixed properly and should not come back. So it is important that we do negative testing along with the usual testing done after fixing an issue. Negative testing basically means to ensure that the issue is forced into the system and then the system’s response is validated as per the designed solution. This basically means that if we are getting the wrong output from a system by giving correct input and we come up with a solution, so then we should be able to generate a wrong input and feed to the system so that it will generate the correct output. If this happens that means the root cause is correctly identified and the fix is validated.For our example, we tested the following way. For protocol timings, we saw that after making them as per the specification, all the monitors showed the noise issue. Even one slight modification of the specification led to change in behaviour of monitors. This confirmed that the wrong protocol timings at the hardware layer was the root cause for different behaviour of monitors. Next, for a monitor where we were seeing the issue, we knowingly swapped the top and bottom fields at the application layer. Then we saw that the issue did not occur. This confirmed that the incorrect top and bottom field pointers was the root cause for the noise issue. This way we tested that the solution actually addressed the root cause and it included a fix in both application and hardware layer.By using the above steps any issue can be approached in a better way to resolve it.
Ayusman Mohanty is a product architect with key focus on building hardware for embedded applications. Share this:TwitterFacebookLinkedInMoreRedditTumblrPinterestWhatsAppSkypePocketTelegram Continue Reading Previous Dealing with the memory problem in artificial intelligenceNext Alps Alpine develops compact solderless waterproof detector switch Log in to Reply “What I like to put at the top of the list after understanding the configuration and trying to reproduce the problem is to find out what side of the fence is it on? Hardware or Software. I usually try to establish that by insuring ALL critical functions 
Indian police sports contingent felicitated for winning 321 medals in international event
New Delhi, Jul 2 (PTI) The 101-member Indian police contingent, which returned with a record breaking haul of 321 medals from the 17th World Police and Fire Games in the United States, was felicitated by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh here today.The contingent bagged 151 gold, 99 silver and 71 bronze medals in seven events, said Director of Intelligence Bureau Rajiv Jain, who is also the chairman of the All India Police Sports Control Board.It is a rarest of the rare occasion where each team member has won a medal irrespective of individual or relay events in which they participated, he said.Addressing the athletes, the home minister encouraged the police sportspersons to double the medals tally during the next World Police & Fire Games at Chengdu in China. In these games, about 8,000 sportspersons from 68 countries from all over the world took part in 83 events and the Indian police contingent participated only in seven sports events — athletics, archery, wrestling, boxing, judo, swimming and shooting and gave their best performance breaking earlier records.Singh said the central government has raised the prize money for the medal winners. An amount of Rs 50,000 has been sanctioned for winners of gold medal, Rs 45,000 for silver and Rs 40,000 for bronze medals along with a certificate of participation in each event. PTI ACB ACB SNESNE
Belgium sign off from World Cup 2018 in style: Key stats
Belgium signed off from Russia in style after beating England 2-0 and sealing a third-placed finish at the 2018 FIFA World Cup on Saturday.The Red Devils’ third place finish was their best-ever in the World Cup.Thomas Meunier and Eden Hazard scored a goal each to help Belgium beat England for the second time in this tournament and sign off from Russia on a high.Meunier scored in the fourth minute, knocking a cross from Nacer Chadli past England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford to give Belgium an early lead. Hazard added the other off a pass from Kevin De Bruyne in the 82nd to seal the deal for the Belgians.Toby Alderweireld denied England’s best chance of the game, sliding on the goal line to clear a shot from Eric Dier after the Tottenham Hotspur player had dinked the ball over Thibaut Courtois on target.2018 FIFA WORLD CUP: FULL COVERAGEThe Red Devils could easily have scored more, with Pickford making a good save to stop a shot from De Bruyne in the 11th and Alderweireld volleying narrowly over the bar in the 35th.England made set pieces the cornerstone of its run to the World Cup semifinals and created chances for Harry Maguire and Dier in the second half. Neither hit the target with their headers.With the defeat, England matched its best World Cup result — fourth in 1990 — since winning the tournament for the only time in 1966.Belgium’s best-ever World Cup finish, England’s best in 28 years Belgium won six of their seven games at the 2018 FIFA World Cup (Reuters Photo)Belgium’s third-placed finish in this year’s World Cup, was their best finish at a World Cup ever. Before this, they had reached the semi-finals once Mexico 1986. They had lost the third-place playoff match to France 4-2 via penalties that day.advertisementSince then, they were knocked out in the round-of-16 in 1990 and 2002 World Cups and failed to qualify from the group stages in 1994 and 1998. In 2014, they reached the quarter-finals, where they lost to eventual finalists Argentina 1-0 at the Estadio Nacional Mane Garrincha.In the last four years, the team has improved leaps and bounds and stormed their way into the finals this year in Russia. Belgium topped Group G after beating Tunisia, Panama and England. They defeated Japan and Brazil in the round-of-16 and quarter-finals respectively to reach their first semi-final in 22 years. In the semis, their unbeaten run in this year’s tournament came to an end as France edged past the Belgians 1-0 to reach the final.However, they came back strong and won the third-place playoff with ease and finished their best-ever finish in a World Cup. They became the 20th different nation to finish within the top three at the World Cup. They also become the fourth side to win six games at a World Cup but not lift the Trophy (penalty shootouts counted as draws) – after Poland (1974, third), Italy (1990, third) and Netherlands (2010, runners-up). This was England’s best finish since the 1990 World Cup, where they had finished fourth as well (Reuters Photo)England on the other hand, failed to earn their best-ever World Cup finish after the 1966 triumph. Riding on the huge expectations and clinical displays throughout the tournament, Gareth Southgate’s men finally led the fans to believe that “it’s coming home” but their dream came to an end when they stumbled upon Croatia in the sem-final and lost 2-1 after extra-time.And after their 2-0 loss to Belgium in the third-place playoff, England equaled their best performance since their World Cup win in 1966. They also finished fourth in 1990.Before the consecutive losses to Croatia and Belgium, the Three Lion’s defeated Colombia (round-of-16) and Sweden (quarter-final). In the groups, they had defeated Tunisia and Panama but lost 1-0 to Belgium and finished secondPerfect 10 for Belgium at Russia 2018 Thomas Meunier was Belgium’s 10th different scorer in this year’s World Cup (Reuters Photo)Belgium matched Italy and France’s achievement at the World Cup during their 2-0 victory against England on Saturday.They became the third team to have 10 different scorers in a World Cup after France (1982) and Italy (2006).Paris Saint-Germain’s Meunier became the Red Devils’ 10th scorer in Russia. Meunier finished off a devastating move when he turned in Nacer Chadli’s low cross at the far post in the fourth minute after Romelu Lukaku’s pass sliced open the English defence.Before Meunier, Romelu Lukaku, Eden Hazard, Adnan Januzaj, Michy Batshuayi, Dries Mertens, Jan Vertonghen, Marouane Fellaini, Nacer Chadli and Kevin De Bruyne netted for Belgium.advertisementIn total, Roberto Martinez’s men have scored 15 goals in this year’s World Cup — the most by any team in this edition.Kane finishes with six goals despite torrid run Harry Kane scored five of his six goals during the group stages (Reuters Photo)Harry Kane finished with six goals frm seven games in this year’s tournament and still leads the race for the Golden Boot award.But, Kane will be kicking himself for not scoring more goals throughout the course of the tournament. All of the England captain’s goals have come in the group stages. After the first three games, Kane has failed to net in a single knockout game. Kane scored five goals against Panama and Tunisia in the group stages and a single goal against Colombia in the round-of-16 stages. He scored a hat-trick against Panama and two against Tunisia.The 24-year-old, who has missed several chances throughout the course of the tournament, converted four penalties and two from open play.The Englishman is likely to finish with the Golden Boot as well. Lukaku is second with four goals along with Russia’s Denis Cheryshev. French sensation Kylian Mbappe, Russia’s Artem Dzyuba and Uruguay’s Edinson Cavani have three each. Barring Mbappe, everyone else is out of the World Cup and won’t have the chance to topple Kane.
Alderweireld says his World Cup show proved Spurs exclusion was unjustified
Belgium defender Toby Alderweireld was determined to put up a show in the World Cup and prove people at Tottenham Hotspur that his exclusion from the first team last season was “unjustified”.The defender along with his Belgium teammates, who guided the nation to their best-ever finish at a World Cup in Russia, returned to Brussels on Monday, where they were welcomed by ecstatic Belgium fans.Speaking about his future, he said that he wants to return to Spurs and then see what happens but he did point out that his treatment since the turn of the year was unfair and he was motivated to do well in Russia because of that.The 29-year-old was a regular feature in Tottenham’s matches in the opening stages of the tournament before he picked up a hamstring injury. He recovered from it and was fit to play in January. Despite that, he only made six appearances for Spurs since November.2018 FIFA WORLD CUP: FULL COVERAGE”I really do not know anything yet. In my head I just go to Tottenham. We will see,” said the Spurs defender.Sliding to the third place like… pic.twitter.com/XpQHK1YaCzAlderweireld Toby (@AlderweireldTob) July 14, 2018However, his international manager Roberto Martinez had full faith in his abilities and the former Atletico Madrid and Ajax man started six of Belgium’s seven games as they secured a third-place finish in Russia.”I was very focused on this tournament,” Alderweireld said. “I wanted to prove something to me, show that the period before the tournament in which I, for whatever reason, did not play, it was unjustified.advertisement”I wanted to show that I’m still Toby, same as in November.”Belgium fans welcome Red Devils back home after 3rd place finish in World CupAlderweireld has been heavily linked to Manchester United in the summer and a move to the the Red Devils could still materialise before the transfer window in England ends on August 9. However, Spurs’ huge asking price could scupper any deal for the centre-half and he could well start the season for the north London club.Spurs play AS Roma, Barcelona and AC Milan in the pre-season International Champions Cup tournament along with a friendly against Girona before their Premier League opener against Newcastle United on August 11.
Oppo F9 Pro will come with 25MP AI selfie camera with Sensor HDR, company reveals
With the Oppo F9 Pro’s India launch just around the corner, the company has been taking to various social media accounts to sprinkle some interesting features about the upcoming phone. While the company is yet to reveal the official launch date, it has already outed the design of the F9 Pro, which will come with a display notch that looks closer to the Essential Phone than an iPhone X and VOOC fast charging. On Wednesday, Oppo posted another juicy little tidbit about the phone, revealing that it will come with a 25-megapixel AI front camera with Sensor HDR.There is a lot that is still up in the air about the internals of the Oppo F9 Pro including its optics. While we know the phone will sport a dual camera system on the back, its configuration is still unknown. However, things look clearer on the front after Oppo revealed that the camera housed inside the little droplet notch will carry a 25-megapixel AI sensor similar to the Oppo F7. Additionally, the camera will support what the company calls Sensor HDR, which is a feature that is also found in the Oppo F7.Sensor HDR is a technology that essentially tries to improve the details in a selfie by combining multiple images together. This results in sharper and clear selfies with high dynamic range. As it looks like the Oppo F9 Pro will bring a similar front-facing camera as the Oppo F7, you’re likely to see similar results when it comes to capturing selfies. You should also see modes like Beauty and Vivid that are heavily backed by AI, although Oppo is yet to confirm this just yet.advertisementBased on what we know so far, the Oppo F9 Pro will sport a glass or glossy back in a vibrant, gradient colour scheme. Additionally, he device will also come with a 3.5mm headphone jack on the bottom and support for USB Type-C.The Oppo F9 Pro will tout super fast VOOC Flash Charge support that will deliver 2 hours of talktime after 15 minutes of charge.As of now, we still do not have an exact date for the launch of the Oppo F9 Pro. The company has also teased a regular Oppo F9 for the Malaysian market and Oppo has been posting some promos over there as well and has revealed that the F9 will be offered in Sunrise Red and Twilight Blue colours with diamond-like pattern, which may also be the same options for the F9 Pro in India.ALSO READ: This is the Oppo F9 Pro, set to launch in India soon
Ben Stokes had at least 7 vodka drinks and 3 beers before Bristol pub brawl
Ben Stokes took to the witness stands for the first time in his trial on Thursday where he admitted to have had at least seven vodka and mixer drinks and two-three beers before the brawl outside the Bristol pub in September last year.Stokes is standing trial at the Bristol Crown Court after being accused of knocking out two other men outside a nightclub in the southwest English city.Prosecutors say Stokes was the “main aggressor” in a fight that broke out outside the nightclub. Stokes had gone out with teammate Alex Hales after England’s win over West Indies in an ODI in Bristol.Ben Stokes, amid legal battle, sends out emotional message for EnglandBut in a statement provided to police and heard in court Wednesday, Stokes said he only stepped in after hearing two men being homophobic toward two other men.Stokes said “matters had become too serious to ignore and that I had to intervene.”Stokes himself is accused of earlier mocking the gay men outside the club and flicking a cigarette butt at them. Stokes denies taunting them, telling police they “thanked me for preventing them from being beaten up.”Ben Stokes ‘mocked gay men’ before Bristol pub brawl: ProsecutorStokes had been partying with Hales at the Mbargo nightclub but left the club at 12:46 am but the pair returned at 2:08 am and was refused entry because the club was closed. Stokes allegedly hurled insulting comments at the door supervisor.Stokes then spoke to two men – Kai Barry and William O’Connor – who were described by the prosecutor as “flamboyant, extrovert and openly gay.” Security camera footage, which had no audio recording, showed Stokes flicking the end of a cigarette toward one of the men.advertisementCiting testimony from the doorman, Corsellis said Stokes was “mimicking their voices and mannerisms … making fun of their camp behavior” before leaving the area in an “angry state of mind.””As the group came to my attention, I heard some of what was being said. Although I can’t remember anything specific now, I do recall that the language being used was homophobic in nature and was being directed at Kai and William by Ryan Hale and Ryan Ali,” ESPNCricinfo quotes Stokes as saying in a written statement.”What Ryan Ali and Ryan Hale were saying was far from harmless banter, it was nasty homophobic abuse.”I decided to intervene and asked Ryan Ali and Ryan Hale to stop abusing Kai and William. I said something like ‘leave it out – you shouldn’t be taking the piss because they’re gay.'”In response one of the guys said ‘Shut the f*** up and f**** off or I’ll bottle you.’ At the time he was holding a bottle in his right hand.”I decided at this point matters had become too serious to ignore and that I had to intervene to stop Ryan Ali. I struck Ryan Ali with my right hand just after he had delivered the blow on Kai and as he came at me with the bottle and had it raised.”At this point, I felt vulnerable and frightened. I was concerned for myself and others. We knew that they were prepared to use weapons that could do serious injury and I feared they could have other weapons with them.”The force I used in defending us was reasonable and entirely justified when the circumstances are viewed objectively. Amongst other things, Ryan Ali attacked Alex and Kai, with a weapon, when asked simply to stop using the homophobic abuse he was giving to Kai and William. This was an extreme act of aggression in the circumstances and informed my assessment of the situation,” Stokes’s statement further added.The trial continues.(With agency inputs)