Xiaomi launches new Mi TV series in India, starts from Rs 13,499

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Xiaomi launches new Mi TV series in India, starts from Rs 13,499

Xiaomi on Monday introduced the new Mi Horizon Edition TV series that offers Mi TV 4A Horizon Edition (32) and Mi TV 4A Horizon Edition (43) and starts from Rs 13,499.

Mi TV 4A Horizon Edition (32) and Mi TV 4A Horizon Edition (43) are priced at Rs 13,499 and Rs 22,999, respectively.

The 32-inch model will be available on September 11 while the 43-inch model will be available on September 15.

“With people consuming more content lately, Mi TV Horizon Edition series aims to bring in a cinema-like experience at home. With the new bezel-less design, we are confident that these TVs will enhance and enrich users’ binge-watching experience,” Eshwar Nilakantan, Category head for TV at Mi India said in a statement.

The new range is powered by ‘PatchWall’ platform, designed specifically for the Indian consumers.

PatchWall is India’s most comprehensive content platform on TVs with deep integration of over 23 content partners, including Netflix, Prime Video, and Hotstar from over 16 languages.

Mi TV Horizon Edition series runs Android TV 9.0 giving access to over 5000 apps with built-in Chromecast and Google Assistant.

It also comes with the ‘Google Data Saver; feature available on mobiles hotspot.

“This lets you consume three times more content while keeping a track of your data usage,” the company said.

In order to fasten the boot-up time, the new series comes with Mi ‘QuickWake’ which helps you wake your TV in just 5 seconds.

Both these TVs will soon be available across all Mi Stores, Mi Studio, and offline partner stores, along with retail outlets

Religious places reopen in Rajasthan, with health protocols

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Religious places reopen in Rajasthan, with health protocols

After a gap of over five months, religious places were allowed to reopen in both urban and rural areas of Rajasthan from Monday onwards, subject to a strict following of COVID-19 guidelines and protocols issued by the state government.

As per the Home Department guidelines, there is a complete ban on the ringing of temple bells, offerings of flowers and petals, garlands, ‘prasad’, and other material of worship at the religious places.

There will be only one queue of devotees each at entry and exit points to the holy premises. Only 50 devotees will be allowed in the temple periphery at a given point in time while observing the social distance norm.

The devotees can offer prayers from a distance of 50 feet from the idols of deities/gods and goddesses.

Wearing face masks is mandatory and spitting in public places is banned. The violations will invite heavy penalties.

Meanwhile, a few big temples, including the Govind Dev ji and Moti Dungri Ganesh temple in the state capital Jaipur will remain closed in view of the coronavirus infections.

The Ashok Gehlot government had permitted the reopening of a few religious places with a limited number of devotees in rural areas from July 1 onwards, but large religious places in urban and rural areas remained closed due to the pandemic.

While big temples have been allowed to reopen from September 7, their management committees have been authorized to take the final call on reopening of the premises to devotees. The Rajasthan government will not interfere in their decisions, officials said.

Iyer has an open mind to learn, will lead us in right way in IPL 13: Dhawan

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Iyer has an open mind to learn, will lead us in right way in IPL 13: Dhawan

Opener Shikhar Dhawan has exuded confidence that his IPL franchise Delhi Capitals can win the elusive Indian Premier League trophy in the upcoming season slated to begin from September 19 in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

“As a team, we are looking forward to the tournament. We are really confident and are building a great bond. We are all coming back to cricket now, and are already creating that energy, and creating that bond within the team. I feel the trust is also very good between all of us, and I think we have a very balanced side that can do well in the conditions here in UAE. We are confident that we are going to take the cup this season,” Dhawan said while speaking to the media on Sunday.

Much of Capitals’ success last year was down to the overall team performances and proactive captaincy from Shreyas Iyer, and Dhawan believes the addition of more experienced brains will only help the young captain. “Last season he (Iyer) led in a very nice manner, and with (Ravichandran) Ashwin, Ajinkya (Rahane) coming in with their experience, I think they will share their insights, and it can be really helpful for the team. I think Shreyas has an open mind to learn from both seniors and juniors, and he will lead us in the right way.”

Commenting on how Delhi Capitals’ depth in the spin department can help during the season, the opener said with wickets expected to get slower, the bowlers will come in handy but the focus will be on all departments.

“With only three venues being used and lots of matches happening, I think during the course of the season, wickets will turn and get slower, and that’s where our great spinners in Ashwin, Sandeep, Amit, and Axar will help us. Their experience will be really valuable. Not just our bowling, but our batting goes deep, so we will focus on a good overall team performance throughout. The whole team has to play well – that is our focus, and if we are able to do that, we can become champions,” said the 34-year-old.

Asked if less travel and having limited venues during the season will make it easier for the batsmen, Dhawan said, “Not traveling much will definitely help us in avoiding fatigue and being able to recover quickly between matches. When you say it might be easier for batsmen, it depends on the pitches. If the pitches aren’t good and have wear and tear then it becomes difficult – to score off the bowlers and at a quick rate.”

Not short of self-belief, the Delhi-based batsman also commented on his plans with the national team. “Currently, I’m not in the Test team, but that does not mean I have lost hope of making a comeback. Whenever I have had the opportunities, like in the Ranji Trophy last year, I ended up making a century, and return to the ODI team. I believe as long as I have the bat in my hand, I can keep scoring and keep performing well.”

“I focus on my process – which involves staying fit and strong – scoring consistently – if I keep doing that, the rest will follow,” said Dhawan.

Buttler ‘England’s best-ever’ white ball cricketer: Broad

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Buttler ‘England’s best-ever’ white ball cricketer: Broad

Veteran pacer Stuart Broad has labeled Jos Buttler as England’s ‘best-ever’ white-ball cricketer after the wicketkeeper-batsman played yet another scintillating knock in the second match of the ongoing T20I against Australia.

On Sunday, Buttler played an unbeaten knock of 77 runs as England comprehensively defeated Australia by 6 wickets. The wicketkeeper-batsman explored all corners of the ground as he smashed eight 4s and two 6s during his 54-ball knock as he helped the hosts chase down 158 with seven balls to spare and seal the three-match series being played at the Ageas Bowl.

“England’s best-ever white-ball cricketer does it again. Jos Buttler,” Broad said in a tweet after Sunday’s game.

Buttler had scored valuable 44 runs in the first match as well which England had won by two runs.

Meanwhile, Australia’s Mitchell Starc also hailed Buttler for his ability to finish off the game. “He’s obviously been damaging for them in the first game and again today and got them home with the bat,” Starc said after the match. “We would have liked to have got him out in the powerplay, so it’s something the bowlers will have to chat about.”

The two teams will now face each other in the third and final T20I on Tuesday.

Samsung may launch budget model of Galaxy S20 in Q4

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Samsung may launch budget model of Galaxy S20 in Q4

Samsung is likely to release a budget model of its flagship smartphone Galaxy S20 in the fourth quarter of this year as the company tries to boost its mobile sales amid the pandemic.

The handset, tentatively named Galaxy S20 FE, is likely to be a new addition to Samsung’s flagship Galaxy S20 series that made its debut in February.

“Sources said the 5G-supporting Galaxy S20 FE is expected to be launched in South Korea no later than November as local telecom operators started network compatibility tests with the device,” reports Yonhap news agency.

The price of the Galaxy S20 FE is estimated to be around $670 or a tad more, according to the sources.

The standard Galaxy S20 was launched with a price tag of a little over $1,000.

Foreign tech reviewers predicted the Galaxy S20 to have a 6.5-inch display supporting a 120Hz refresh rate along with 6GB RAM and 128GB storage space. It is expected to have a triple rear camera setup.

Industry officials said Samsung is trying to make up for mediocre sales of the Galaxy S20 with the launch of new budget smartphones.

The Galaxy S20 FE could also help Samsung’s competition with Apple Inc. when the U.S. giant launches the new iPhone 12 series later this year.

Realme 7 Pro: Outperforms rivals in Rs 20K segment

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Realme 7 Pro: Outperforms rivals in Rs 20K segment

Handset maker Realme is aiming to capture at least 20-25 percent overall market share in the festive season and to cement its position further in the mid-premium segment, it has launched two devices: Realme 7 and Pro.

Realme 7 Pro, India’s fastest charging 64MP flagship, is targeting users who would prefer a great comprehensive flagship experience. It features Indian’s fastest 65W SuperDart charging, Super AMOLED display, and many other desired features at a proper price point.

The device is available in two variants — 6GB+128GB and 8GB+256GB — priced at Rs 19,999 and Rs 21,999, respectively. The device will go on sale on September 14 on realme.com and Flipkart.

With Realme 7 Pro, the company aims to unsettle Xiaomi which is a strong player. Is the ‘Mirror Blue’ device ready for an impact? Let us find out.

It offers a 6.4-inch Super AMOLED full-screen display with 180Hz sampling rate, Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G processor, and 64MP AI quad-camera.

The handset houses a 4500mAh battery with 65W fast charging, which can quickly power up the smartphone in around 35-40 minutes.

The Realme 7 Pro is also equipped with three-card slots — two SIM cards and one SD card (up to 256GB).

In terms of comparison, this Realme handset may have an upper hand over Xiaomi’s Redmi Note 9 Pro Max and Vivo V17 in the similar price range — thanks to the camera features, display, and its extremely high charging efficiency.

When it comes to design and outlook, the smartphone looks decent and attractive, giving users a ‘premium’ feel.

The Realme 7 Pro has a rectangular camera block with a quad-camera setup along with an LED flash at the rear top left corner.

The device features an advanced 64MP main camera with a Sony IMX682 sensor, an 8MP Ultra wide-angle lens with the 119-degree field of view for capturing images, a 2MP B&W Portrait lens, and a 2MP Macro lens that allows to take close-up pictures.

The images were sharp. In low light and indoor shots, the device generated decent images that were lacking in rival handsets at the same price point.

When it comes to camera and photography, the USP of this device is Pro Nightscape Mode and Night Filters.

During video shoots, the device didn’t disappoint. The night videos were clear enough.

The Realme 7 Pro houses the power button and has a dedicated space for SIM-tray on the right side, while the volume rockers are on the left side.

At the bottom, the smartphone has a USB Type-C charging port, Dolby Atmos speaker charging along with a 3.5mm headphone jack.

On the front, Realme 7 Pro comes with a 6.4-inch Super AMOLED full-screen display with a 180Hz sampling rate that has a 1080×2400 pixels resolution with a 20:9 aspect ratio and 90.8 percent screen-to-body ratio.

The device comes with a hole-punch display design. The 7 Pro also has an always-on display mode.

For selfies, the device houses a 32MP in-display camera with an f/2.5 aperture and provides multiple functions such as AI beautification and Super Nightscape mode.

The overall camera experience was pleasant.

The smartphone packs the octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G SoC, coupled with up to 8GB of LPDDR4X RAM, and comes with Realme own UI. It runs the Android 10 operating system (OS).

The device didn’t lag while using multiple apps during usage.

Another USP is the 4500mAh battery with superfast 65W fast charging.

The fastest 65W SuperDart charging tag was not disappointing and the battery got the optimum juice within 40 minutes.

Since PUBG is banned, try other games like Asphalt 9: Legends. The graphics were good in the basic setting but the phone did lag while playing heavy games.

Conclusion: With an amazing camera, display, and design, the Realme 7 Pro mid-premium smartphone performed well on most parameters. The smartphone gives some tough competition in the Rs 20,000-Rs 25,000 range.

Youngsters and camera lovers looking to buy mid-premium smartphones, 7 Pro has all the right ingredients to meet their demand.

Lung, heart damage in Covid-19 patients improve with time: Study

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Lung, heart damage in Covid-19 patients improve with time: Study

The bad news is that people show lung impairment from Covid-19 weeks after discharge. The good news, however, is that the impairment tends to ameliorate over time which suggests that the lungs have a mechanism for repairing themselves, researchers said on Monday.

The first follow-up of 86 patients infected with the coronavirus in the ‘hot spot’ Tyrolean region of Austria, presented at the European Respiratory Society International Congress, showed that the Covid-19 patients can suffer long-term lung and heart damage but, for many, this tends to improve over time.

The patients were scheduled to return for evaluation six, 12 and 24 weeks after their discharge from the hospital.

At the time of their first visit, more than half of the patients had at least one persistent symptom, predominantly breathlessness and coughing, and CT scans still showed lung damage in 88 percent of patients.

However, by the time of their next visit 12 weeks after discharge, the symptoms had improved and lung damage was reduced to 56 percent.

The average age of the 86 patients included in this presentation was 61 and 65 percent of them were male.

“The findings show the importance of implementing structured follow-up care for patients with severe Covid-19 infection. Importantly, CT unveiled lung damage in this patient group that was not identified by lung function tests,” said Sabina Satanic, a clinical Ph.D. student at the University Clinic in Innsbruck, Austria.

“Knowing how patients have been affected long-term by the coronavirus might enable symptoms and lung damage to be treated much earlier and might have a significant impact on further medical recommendations and advice,” she added.

Nearly half of the 86 patients were current or former smokers and 65 percent of hospitalized patients were overweight or obese.

Damage from inflammation and fluid in the lungs caused by the coronavirus, which shows up on CT scans as white patches known as ‘ground-glass’, also improved.

It was present in 74 patients (88 percent) at six weeks and 48 patients (56 percent) at 12 weeks.

At the six-week visit, the echocardiograms showed that 48 patients (58.5 percent) had dysfunction of the left ventricle of the heart at the point when it is relaxing and dilating (diastole).

Biological indicators of heart damage, blood clots, and inflammation were all significantly elevated.

“We do not believe left ventricular diastolic dysfunction is specific to Covid-19, but more a sign of the severity of the disease in general,” Satanic said.

“Fortunately, in the Innsbruck cohort, we did not observe any severe coronavirus-associated heart dysfunction in the post-acute phase. The diastolic dysfunction that we observed also tended to improve with time.”

In a second presentation at the event, Yara Al Chikhanie, a Ph.D. student at the Grenoble Alpes University, France, said that the sooner Covid-19 patients started a pulmonary rehabilitation programme after coming off ventilators, the better and faster their recovery.

“How soon they can start rehabilitation depends on the patients being judged medically stable by their doctors. Despite the significant improvement, the average period of three weeks in rehabilitation wasn’t enough for them to recover completely,” Chikhanie said.

CPL: Zouks beat Tallawahs in low-scoring thriller

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CPL: Zouks beat Tallawahs in low-scoring thriller

St Lucia Zouks and Jamaica Tallawahs played out a thrilling match, despite the game being a dead rubber, to conclude the group stages of the 2020 Caribbean Premier League (CPL).

It was a game that swung both ways in periods on Sunday afternoon, but ultimately the spin bowling of the Zouks reigned supreme as they managed to defend a meager score of 145 to get another win under their belt

Batting first, Najibullah Zadran and Roston Chase made useful contributions of 35 and 32 as Zouks ended their stipulated 20 overs on 145/6. However, they came out with a better bowling performance as they restricted Tallawahs to 134/9 in their full quota of 20 overs and won the match by 11 runs. Glenn Phillips top-scored for the Tallawahs with 49 runs. For Zouks, Javelle Glenn and Zahir Khan were picked of the bowlers as they both scalped three wickets each.

In Sunday’s other match, Trinbago Knight Riders once again showed that they are a formidable squad, not just an XI, as even with four changes — Sunil Narine still rested and Colin Munro injured — they put together a superbly planned and executed performance to bowl out St Kitts & Nevis Patriots for 77 runs inside 19 overs and chase their modest target inside 12 overs, thus completing a perfect 10 for 10 records in the league stage of the ongoing tournament.

Knight Riders will now play their semi-final game against Tallawahs on Tuesday while Zouks will face Guyana Amazon Warriors in the second semi-final on the same day.

Brief scores: St Lucia Zouks 145/6, 20 overs (Najibullah 35, Rahman 2/28) beat Jamaica Tallawahs 134/9, 20 overs (Phillips 49, Glenn 3/16)

Brief scores: Trinbago Knight Riders 78/1 (Webster 41*; Emrit 1/14) beat St Kitts & Nevis Patriots 77 all out (Ramdin 19; Fawad 4/21,) by 9 wickets

Bengal minister tests Covid-19 positive

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Bengal minister tests Covid-19 positive

West Bengal Food Minister Jyotipriyo Mallick tested positive for Covid-19 and has been admitted to a private hospital in Kolkata.

According to party sources, Mallick started feeling unwell on Sunday morning. A corona test was conducted upon him in the evening, which confirmed him being positive. He was immediately shifted to the hospital from his Salt Lake residence.

Doctors said the Minister was stable but is a high diabetic. He has been kept under strict medical observation. People, who came in contact with him, have been advised to undergo corona tests. Mallick’s Salt Lake residence has also been sanitized.

Earlier, two other West Bengal Ministers — Fire Brigade Minister Sujit Bose and Textile Minister Swapan Debnath — were also tested positive for Covid-19. Both have recovered from the infection.

India surpasses Brazil to become 2nd worst-hit nation by Covid-19

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India surpasses Brazil to become 2nd worst-hit nation by Covid-19

With the highest single-day spike of 90,802 cases, India’s Covid-19 tally on Monday crossed the 42 lakh mark and the country surpassed Brazil to become the second worst-hit nation after the US.

Out of the total 4,204,613 cases, 8,82,542 are active, 32,50,429 have recovered, while 71,642 lost the battle against the deadly virus, the data from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare showed.

In the last 24 hours, 69,564 patients have recuperated.

While the recovery rate was at a whopping high of 77.32 percent, the fatality rate has come down to 1.72 percent.

India has added almost two lakh cases in two days.

Maharashtra continues to be the worst-hit with a total of 8,83,862 cases wit 26,276 deaths; followed by Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, West Bengal, and Bihar.

According to data from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), India conducted a record 7,20,362 tests in a single day on Sunday, taking the total number of samples tested so far to 4,95,51,507.

On the global front, India now rallies behind the SU. The US leads the board with 6,275,614 cases and 188,932 deaths.

Brazil has reported a total of 4,137,521 infections and 126,650 fatalities.

New iPad, Apple Watch Series 6 planned for Sep 8: Report

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New iPad, Apple Watch Series 6 planned for Sep 8: Report

Apple is likely to announce a new iPad and the much-awaited Apple Watch Series 6 on September 8.

According to Jon Prosser, a reliable Apple insider, the company has a press release scheduled for Tuesday.

Prosser previously claimed that new Apple Watch and iPad models would arrive via press release in the week of September 7.

“Apple press release is currently scheduled for Tuesday (September 8) at 9:00 am EST — though, I should note that it’s not locked in until the press has been briefed, day of. I will tweet early that morning to update you if it changes,” Prosser said in a tweet on Sunday.

The new Apple Watch models would likely be the expected Series 6 with a Touch ID fingerprint sensor built into the crown of its upcoming Watch Series 6.

It is not clear how the Touch ID fingerprint sensor would be implemented, as the Digital Crown is already used for capturing an ECG in the current Apple Watch models.

Apple may also bring blood oxygen detection and an improved ECG to its next Watch Series 6.

Meanwhile, it has been reported earlier that updated iPad Pro models may arrive this month.

Don’t blame us for classified ad decline in newspapers: Google

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Don’t blame us for classified ad decline in newspapers: Google

Google reiterated on Monday that it is passing on the vast majority of money advertisers pay the Search engine giant directly to Australian publishers and it should not be blamed for classified ads decline in newspapers.

The company said it does not object to the idea of an Australian Code called ‘News Media Bargaining Code’ to oversee relationships between news businesses and digital platforms.

“We have already made agreements to pay publishers for content through a licensing program and several Australian publishers have come on board.

“But what we don’t agree with is a law that’s totally unworkable from a product and business perspective. We know that many voices have called for changes to the current draft law,” Google said.

In a scathing attack on the Australian government’s move to increase the bargaining power of media organizations overpayment for the inclusion of news in its services, Google last month termed the proposed changes unfair, while warning users that the new regulation will affect Google Search and YouTube.

Google had warned Australians that the proposed “News Media Bargaining Code” could even lead to their data being handed over to big news businesses.

In a new blog post, the company said large publishers have inaccurately accused it of “stealing” news content.

“We sent more than 3 billion clicks and visits to Australian news publishers in 2018 – for no charge – allowing these publishers to make money by showing their own ads, showing other articles or converting people into new paying subscribers — driving an estimated $218 million worth of value,” Google explained.

Google said it makes money from ads and doesn’t run ads on Google News or the News Tab in Search.

“For many years we’ve helped publishers make money by providing tools and technology that helps them sell advertising on their sites,” the company said.

In July, Google announced a series of new deals to pay to license content for a new news product going live in the next couple of months.

An analysis recently conducted for Google by the economists at AlphaBeta shows that the loss of newspaper revenue resulted primarily from the loss of classified ads to online classifieds businesses such as Domain, Realestate.com.au, Carsales and Seek.

Between 2002 and 2018, newspaper revenue fell from $4.4 billion to $3 billion.

“Of that decline, 92 percent was from the loss of classified ads, and most of these classified revenues went to specialist online providers that target niches such as job advertisements, second-hand goods, or real estate listings. Almost none went to Google,” the company stressed.

On April 20, the Australian Government directed the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) to develop a mandatory code of conduct to address bargaining power imbalances between Australian news media businesses and each of Google and Facebook.

The draft code would allow news media businesses to bargain individually or collectively with Google and Facebook overpayment for the inclusion of news on their services.

Samsung bags its biggest $6.6bn network supply deal from Verizon

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Samsung bags its biggest $6.6bn network supply deal from Verizon

Samsung Electronics on Monday said it will supply network equipment to US telecommunications giant Verizon for $6.6 billion which is the largest network equipment supply deal in the history of the South Korean giant.

Samsung said it will supply network solutions, including 5G, for the next five years until December 2025.

The size of the deal is equivalent to 3.43 percent of Samsung Electronics’ sales of 230 trillion won 2019.

Samsung has been trying to expand its 5G equipment customer pool in recent years.

“We are pleased to expand our long-standing partnership with Verizon to advance their next-generation network evolution. With this latest long-term strategic contract, we will continue to push the boundaries of 5G innovation to enhance mobile experiences for Verizon’s customers,” the company said in a statement.

In addition to the US, Samsung has so far inked 5G equipment contracts in countries like Canada, New Zealand, and Japan, reports Yonhap news agency.

Industry insiders said the deal with the top US telecom operator will serve as a reference for Samsung to secure more network solutions orders in other major markets.

The US is the world’s largest mobile telecommunications market, with its infrastructure spending accounting for about a quarter of the global network investment.

With the US pressuring China’s Huawei, the world’s top 5G equipment supplier, over security reasons, industry observers predicted that Samsung can further expand its presence in the 5G equipment market.

According to market tracker IHS Markit, Huawei was the leading player in the global 5G equipment market last year with a 26.2 percent share, followed by Sweden’s Ericsson with 23.4 percent and Samsung with 23.3 percent.

Will remove outright attempts at voter suppression: Facebook

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Will remove outright attempts at voter suppression: Facebook

Facebook has reiterated that it will pull out everything that attempts at voter suppression and spread misinformation on its platform before the 2020 US presidential election in November.

In an interview with CNN on Sunday, Nick Clegg who is VP of Global Affairs and Communications at Facebook said that the platform will “label any claim by a candidate where they prematurely claim victory”.

“Facebook will remove outright attempts at voter suppression. We’re now going to do this much more forcefully between now and November the third,” Clegg said.

Facebook recently launched a new Voter Information Center as part of the biggest ever voter information campaign in the US, with the goal of registering four million voters.

Earlier this month, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said the platform will not accept new political ads in the week before the election.

He said that Facebook will remove posts that claim that people will get Covid-19 if they take part in voting.

“Importantly, if any candidate or campaign tries to declare victory before the results are in, we’ll add a label to their post educating that official results are not yet in and direct people to the official results,” Zuckerberg wrote in a Facebook post.

The company has announced a new research partnership to better understand the impact of Facebook and Instagram on key political attitudes and behaviors during the US 2020 election.

“The US elections in 2016 exposed the risk of social media being abused to interfere in elections, and misinformation and political polarisation clearly play out on social media platforms too,” Clegg said earlier this month.

“To continue to amplify all that is good for democracy on social media, and mitigate against that which is not, we need more objective, dispassionate, empirically grounded research”.

Bob Willis Trophy: Match abandoned after player tests Covid-19 positive

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Bob Willis Trophy: Match abandoned after player tests Covid-19 positive

The Bob Willis Trophy match between Gloucestershire and Northamptonshire was abandoned after one of the non-traveling members of Northamptonshire, who came in contact with the playing squad, was found positive for Covid-19.

The match was called off before the lunch break on Sunday at the Bristol County Ground.

“Just before lunch of the first session of play, it came to light that a member of the Northamptonshire playing squad has tested positive for COVID-19,” the Northamptonshire County Cricket Club said in a statement.

“Although the player was not part of the group that traveled with the squad to Bristol (and has been self-isolating at home), further members of the Northamptonshire squad have been in contact with the player within 48 hours of the player developing COVID-19 symptoms.”

Following the abandoned match in which only 30 overs of play was possible, the Northamptonshire squad returned home on Sunday itself.

“Gloucestershire, Northamptonshire, and the ECB are unified in the belief that player welfare is paramount and that no risks should be taken with the health and safety of the players, officials, and administrators involved in this match,” the statement further read.

Tour de France: Roglic takes yellow off Yate as Pogacar wins Stage 9

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Tour de France: Roglic takes yellow off Yate as Pogacar wins Stage 9

Tadej Pogacar led home a Slovenian one-two in Stage 9 of the ongoing Tour de France as compatriot Primoz Roglic moved into the yellow jersey after a pulsating second day in the Pyrenees.

The Slovenian duo was part of a deluxe chase quartet alongside Egan Bernal and Mikel Landa which swept up Swiss escapee Marc Hirschi with just over one kilometer remaining after a heart-in-mouth descent of the Col de Marie Blanque on Sunday.

Team Sunweb’s Hirschi put in a brave sprint after spending 90 kilometers on the front of the race, but Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) and Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) powered through to deny the 22-year-old a first professional win. The victory instead went to another Tour debutant, Pogacar, who moments earlier almost hit the deck when touching wheels with his compatriot in the sprint for bonus seconds over the top of the final climb.

Roglic, a winner in Laruns two years ago, took over the race lead after yellow jersey Adam Yates (Mitchelton-Scott) was distanced on the Marie Blanque following a succession of attacks from the Slovenian duo and the white jersey of Bernal (Ineos Grenadiers).

Britain’s Yates came home in a second chase group 54 seconds in arrears to drop to eighth place in the general classification on the eve of the first rest day. Roglic now leads defending champion Bernal by 21 seconds after the Colombian missed out on bonus seconds over the Marie Blanque and at the finish, where he took fourth place ahead of Spain’s Landa (Bahrain-McLaren).

Frenchman Guillaume Martin (Cofidis) stays third but is now 28 seconds off the summit after he came home 11 seconds down in a five-man chase group that featured compatriot Romain Bardet (Ag2R-La Mondiale), Trek-Segafredo duo Richie Porte and Bauke Mollema, and the Colombian pair Rigoberto Uran (EF Pro Cycling) and Nairo Quintana (Arkea-Samsic).

Hirschi spent most of the 153km stage from Pau out ahead after powering clear on the second of five categorized climbs, the Cat.1 Coll de la Hourcere. At one point, the lone leader had a gap of four and a half minutes over the main field before some hefty tempo-setting by Roglic’s Jumbo-Visma train slashed the lead ahead of the all-important Col de Marie Blanque, where the expected fireworks blew up the race and turned the battle for yellow on its head.

Despite missing out on the win, Hirschi moved up to third place in the King of the Mountain standings, where he trails French duo Benoit Cosnefroy and Nans Peters (both Ag2R-La Mondiale) by 10 and five points respectively. On a quiet day in the battle for green, Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe) retained his lead of seven points over Sam Bennett (Deceuninck-QuickStep) in the maillot vert race after both riders came home in the gruppetto.

US Open: Djokovic disqualified after hitting line official with ball

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US Open: Djokovic disqualified after hitting line official with ball

World No.1 Novak Djokovic was disqualified in the US Open fourth round match against Pablo Carreno Busta after accidentally hitting a line umpire with a ball.

After Carreno Busta broke to lead 6-5 in the first set on Sunday, Djokovic angrily hit a ball that made contact with a lineswoman. Following an extended discussion between Djokovic and tournament officials, the match was ended.

“In accordance with the Grand Slam rulebook, following his actions of intentionally hitting a ball dangerously or recklessly within the court or hitting a ball with negligent disregard of the consequences, the US Open tournament referee defaulted Novak Djokovic from the 2020 US Open,” the USTA said in an official statement.

“Because he defaulted, Djokovic will lose all ranking points earned at the US Open and will be fined the prize money won at the tournament in addition to any or all fines levied with respect to the offending incident,” the statement added.

The 17-time Grand Slam champion also released a statement on social media saying, “This whole situation has left me really sad and empty. I checked on the linesperson and the tournament told me that thank God she is feeling ok. I’m extremely sorry to have caused her such stress. So unintended. So wrong.

“As for the disqualification, I need to go back within and work on my disappointment and turn this all into a lesson for my growth and evolution as a player and human being.

“I apologize to the US Open tournament and everyone associated with my behavior. I’m very grateful to my team and family for being my rock support, and my fans for always being there with me. Thank you and I’m so sorry,” he added.

After the match, Carreno Busta told reporters: “I didn’t watch the moment when he (hit) the ball-I was looking to my coach, celebrating the break.”

“I asked the Colombian guys who were in the crowd if the ball hit the line (umpire). I was in shock…I hope the best for her. I hope that she will be okay as soon as possible,” he added.

Carreno Busta will now face 12th seed Denis Shapovalov in the quarter-finals.

Radhika Apte: We have supported nepotism as a society

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Radhika Apte: We have supported nepotism as a society

Actress Radhika Apte feels the nepotism conversation is complicated, and not just related to the film industry.

“I don’t want to be a part of this discussion, really,” Radhika told IANS when asked about the ongoing nepotism discussion, adding: “It is not just about the insider and the outsider. It is a larger discussion. There is no one answer to it. As a society, we have supported nepotism a lot and it’s not just the film industry. In order to change everything, we all need to change how we look at it,” she added.

Talking about how difficult it is to make a name in Bollywood, the actress said: “I think it’s difficult for both the insider and the outsider to be successful. Success is not just about being born into a family. It is a complicated answer. I don’t think it’s easy to answer that.”

Earlier in an interview with IANS, Radhika shared that she does not want to get stuck in something convenient or be satisfied, and she is not chasing fame.

“I’m not here for fame. I do like the perks sometimes, but I don’t take success and failure seriously,” Radhika told IANS.

Radhika entered the industry with a small role in the 2005 release “Vaah! Life Ho Toh Aisi!”, and went on to do films like “Shor In The City”, “Kabali”, “Phobia”, “Badlapur” and the short film “Ahalya”.

The actress is credited for breaking the stereotypical image of the Bollywood heroine with her roles in “Phobia”, “Badlapur”, “Manjhi: The Mountain Man”, “Lust Stories”, “Sacred Games”, “Pad Man” and “Ghoul”.

Ex-Bolivian Prez rejects US nominee to head IDB

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Ex-Bolivian Prez rejects US nominee to head IDB

Former Bolivian President Evo Morales has rejected the US’ nominee to head the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the largest source of development financing for Latin America and the Caribbean.

“Supporting (US President Donald) Trump’s candidate for the IDB presidency is an attack against the interests of the country and a betrayal of the region,” Morales, who was forced out by the opposition and now lives in exile in Argentina, said in a tweet on Sunday.

“The IDB will cease to be a development bank and will have a disastrous role, like that of the IMF,” should the US succeed in placing its representative at the helm of the organization, Xinhua news agency reported citing Morales as saying.

The proposed candidate is Mauricio Claver-Carone, senior director for Western Hemisphere Affairs at the US National Security Council, a key architect of Trump’s policy toward Venezuela, Cuba, and Nicaragua.

Other regional voices have also rejected the nomination, including Argentina, whose Minister of Foreign Affairs Felipe Sola instead proposed Argentine politician Gustavo Beliz to head the IDB.

“The figure of Claver-Carone is not questioned from a technical perspective, it is questioned from a political perspective because it expresses the most hardline US vision of the Americas,” Sola said in July.

A slew of former presidents, including those from Chile, Uruguay, Colombia, and Mexico, as well as the Spanish government, have issued a statement opposing the US nominee and calling for a delay in the election of the IDB’s next head, which is due to take place on September 12-13.

Headquartered in New York, the IDB was established in 1959.

It is owned by 48 sovereign states, which are its shareholders and members. Only the 26 borrowing countries are able to receive loans.

Covid-19: Olympic family impressed by Beijing 2022 preparations

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Covid-19: Olympic family impressed by Beijing 2022 preparations

As the 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games approach its 500-day countdown, Olympic family members have spoken highly of the Beijing 2022 preparations despite the Covid-19 pandemic this year.

“The IOC continues to be impressed by the progress of the preparations, and we are all looking forward to writing this new chapter in China’s great sporting history,” IOC President Thomas Bach said at the opening ceremony of the World Winter Sports Expo (WWSE) 2020 via a video link, reports Xinhua news agency.

The WWSE is a sporting event supported and participated in by the IOC and the seven International Olympic Winter Sports Federations, providing a platform for the world’s ice and snow industry.

Due to the pandemic, the five-day 2020 WWSE, which opened in Beijing on Saturday, is held both online and offline, with more than 500 brands from China and overseas showcasing their products and services.

Bach admitted that because of the unprecedented global pandemic, “we are all living with much uncertainty. We are still learning every day about the impact of this global crisis on all aspects of our lives”.

On the other hand, the IOC chief said he believed that hosting the expo sent a strong signal of confidence through the sporting world.

“The World Winter Sports Expo is the perfect platform to highlight this important contribution of sport to the recovery. The expo is also an important step as China gets ready to welcome the world’s best winter sports athletes in 2022,” he noted.

Discussing Beijing 2022’s legacy and sustainability plans, IOC Coordination Commission Chair Juan Antonio Samaranch said, “This is a great opportunity and a great occasion to amplify their really successful legacy from Beijing 2008 Summer Games. Beijing and China did very well on that occasion.”

“Now in winter 2022, future generations of Chinese and worldwide winter sports lovers will benefit from this and will experience the success and the access to winter sports like never before.”

All the Games’ competition venues and related infrastructure will be completed by the end of this year.

“Despite the difficulties over the last months, we are happy to recognize the big advance of the Beijing 2022 project. The team has been extremely proficient and capable of delivering the progress in the organization of the Games,” Samaranch noted.

Samaranch praised both the physical and intangible legacy of Beijing 2022, namely post-Games utilization and raising awareness of winter sports.

“It is one of the best ever in the history of the Olympic Movement, and will be very difficult to match in the future.”

“Something after the Games should be envisaged, not within seven years of difficult preparation and 17 days of delivery, but how this spirit of seven-plus seventeen can contribute then to another 20 years in the community. You are right on time to deliver that,” IOC’s Olympic Games executive director Christophe Dubi noted.

“The Games represent a formidable asset to accelerate some long term developments. This is what has been done for Beijing 2022, and we’ve learned a lot,” he added.

For Sarah Lewis, Secretary-General of the International Ski Federation (FIS), the Games provide a historic opportunity to develop winter sports in China as the country endeavors to engage 300 million people in winter sports.

“Such an outcome would create a really extensive winter sports industry in China and develop a base for many top athletes and for competitions to take place,” Lewis declared.

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