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Delhi Daredevils skipper Zaheer Khan is all set to miss Tuesday’s Indian Premier League ( IPL) clash against Sunrisers Hyderabad due to a hamstring injury.The 38-year-old sustained the hamstring strain during Delhi’s seven-wicket defeat against Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens on Friday.In his absence, Karun Nair will lead the team against Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium in the national capital.”He will be monitored as we go along. Karun Nair will continue to be the stand in captain for tomorrow’s game,” said a Delhi Daredevils statement.Zaheer has notched up a total of seven wickets from seven matches.Delhi Daredevils are currently standing on the bottom of the table, having registered only two wins from eight matches they played so far. read more

carpetCannes, May 18 (PTI) French actress Marion Cotillard ditched the gown and instead appeared in a casual denim look as she walked the red carpet at 2017 Cannes Film Festival.Cotillard paired a plain white maxi dress with a simple gold neck chain and ruffled jeans from the fall 2017 collection of Y/Project by Belgian designer Glenn Martens.She finished her look with a pair of strappy stilettos.The 41-year-old actress, who in past years has rocked attires by Alexander McQueen and Maison Martin Margiela, sported the surprisingly dressed-down look during a photo call for her upcoming film “Ismaels Ghosts”.She posted a picture of her wearing the creation and was clicked by award-winning photographer Eliott Bliss. PTI RDS JCH read more

Having swept aside all opposition in the group stage, hosts England are expected to face a strong pace attack when they take on Pakistan in the first semi-final of the Champions Trophy cricket tournament here on Wednesday.Pakistan managed to bundle out a formidable Sri Lankan batting line-up for 236 runs in their last Group B match after deciding to bowl first at the Cardiff Wales Stadium here on Monday.The Pakistan bowling attack comprising pacers Junaid Khan, Mohammad Amir, Fahim Ashraf, Hasan Ali and their lone spinner Imad Wasim will look to test the strong England batting line-up as well.Junaid Khan and Mohammad Amir were in excellent form in the previous match against Sri Lanka and will aim to recreate some of that magic against the hosts.Some of the deliveries by the duo against Sri Lanka were almost unplayable and a similar performance at the same venue on Wednesday could prove to be ominious for England.If Pakistan do manage to upstage the hosts, it will be their first appearance in the final of a 50-over International Cricket Council (ICC) tournament since losing to Australia in the title clash of the 1999 World Cup.The last time they qualified for a 50-over ICC tournament was at the 2011 World Cup when they lost a thriller to arch-rivals India in Mohali.However, Pakistan’s power-packed line-up of fast bowlers is offset to some extent by the lack of too much firepower in their batting.Most of the Pakistan batsmen have struggled during the group matches. Skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed and opener Fakhar Zaman are the only Pakistan batsmen who have shown some kind of form in this tournament.advertisementSarfaraz struck an unbeaten 61 runs in the must-win last group game against Sri Lanka, which Pakistan won by three wickets to qualify for the last-four stage.England, on the other hand, were the dominant team in Group A. They dominated teams like Australia, Bangladesh and New Zealand in home conditions for an all-win record in the group stage and will look to maintain their winning streak.England’s batting line-up, boasting the likes of Alex Hales, Joe Root, Eoin Morga, Ben Stokes and Jos Butler, has looked to be in an impressive form but is expected to face a stern test against the Pakistan bowling attack.Joe Root also sits among the top run scorers in the ongoing ICC Champions Trophy scoring 212 runs in three matches with the highest score of an unbeaten 133 against Bangladesh.The bowling department for England has also looked good, trying to provide an equal balance to the side under the likes of pacers Liam Plunkett, Mark Wood, Jake Ball, Ben Stokes and their spinners Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali who have consistently delivered for their side.England lead the head-to-head battle with a 6-4 record against Pakistan in ICC tournaments. The last time Pakistan defeated England in an ICC event was in 1996.Squads:England: Jason Roy, Alex Hales, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan(c), Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler(wk), Moeen Ali, Steven Finn, Liam Plunkett, Mark Wood, Jake Ball, Jonny Bairstow, Sam Billings, Adil Rashid, David WilleyPakistan: Sarfraz Khan (c and wk), Ahmed Shehzad, Azhar Ali, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Sohail, Hasan Ali, Imad Wasim, Junaid Khan, Mohammed Amir, Mohammed Hafeez, Shadab Khan and Shoaib Malik. read more

Following India’s heart-wrenching defeat against England in the ICC Women’s World Cup final, skipper Mithali Raj has asserted that now is the right time to “create the base” for a female equivalent of the Indian Premier League (IPL) as it would help the players gain some valuable experience and improve their own game.Chasing 229 for victory on Sunday, the Women in Blue looked all set to clinch their maiden Women’s World Cup title at Lord’s, the home of cricket.However, the Mithali Raj-led side lost their last seven wickets for just 28 runs to be bowled out for 219 with eight balls to spare and eventually lose the match by nine runs.Anya Shrubsole did the damage as she picked up six wickets for 46 runs to turn the match in England’s favour.Shrubsole took her last five wickets while conceding only 11 runs over 19 deliveries to swing the match decisively.Raj, however, put down India’s 9-run loss to nervousness and lack of experience in finishing close games.”Everybody was very nervous and I think that resulted in our defeat,” ESPNcricinfo quoted Raj as saying after the match. “The girls are sad because they have given it their all. Its natural and it will take time. These girls have set the platform. They have opened a lot of channels for women’s cricket. They should be proud.”Raj, the all-time leading run-scorer in women’s one-day internationals, said as a captain she was very proud.”As a captain I am very proud. I have seen the changes the girls have made. I’ve seen the transition. The team still looks very confident they will be a team that other teams will be looking out for. That’s what I’m proud of,” she said.advertisement”We started off well. We had a few matches in which we were defeated and we came back stronger. Unlike 2005, this went to the end. The girls gave their best,” she added.The 36-year-old said that the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL), in which Smriti Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur have played, has helped the two immensely and called for more such leagues to provide exposure and experience to other women cricketers as well.”The WBBL has given exposure to the two girls who have played [Smriti Mandhana and Kaur]. If more girls participate in such leagues, it will give them experience and help them to improve their own game,” she said.”If you ask me they should have IPL because now is the right time to create that base. Women’s cricket is everywhere and they have put up a much better standard than the last World Cup,” she added. read more

Golf’s greatest names hailed Jordan Spieth’s dramatic triumph at the British Open at Royal Birkdale on Sunday as the new champion savoured his victory by swigging from the Claret Jug trophy.Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player, the three surviving members of the ‘grand slam club’ who have won all four majors, saluted the 23-year-old American who will join them if he comes out on top at next month’s US PGA Championship.”Jordan, we are all so happy watching you win the greatest trophy in golf,” nine-times major winner Player said in a social media address to the new champion.”The example you showed to the young pros who will follow in your footsteps is one they will never forget. The courage, the patience, the fortitude. You are a family man, a gentleman and we love you,” the South African said.Nicklaus, the record 18-times major winner, paid tribute to Spieth’s “guts and determination” while Woods, who’s won 14 major titles, posted on Twitter: “What an incredible way to come back and win.”Few would argue with that after Spieth played the final five holes in five under par to see off the challenge of runner-up Matt Kuchar and secure his third major to set alongside his 2015 Masters and US Open triumphs.Spieth’s friends Rickie Fowler and Justin Thomas posted pictures on Snapchat of him drinking from his new trophy.Two years ago, he had also swigged from the Jug in celebration of Zach Johnson’s triumph at St Andrews — but this time Spieth was toasting himself.advertisementAsked by Thomas how drinking from the trophy tasted, Spieth turned to the camera, lowered the Jug and said “fantastic”.Spieth’s celebrations will probably continue until at least Thursday, when he celebrates his 24th birthday.There was more good news for him on Tuesday when the new world rankings saw him rise a place to number two behind Dustin Johnson on the back of his latest triumph.The next few weeks will be dominated by talk of whether golf’s brightest young star can emulate his 2015 feat of triumphing at successive majors by winning next month’s USPGA at Quail Hollow.If he does, Spieth will join golf’s Famous Five — Gene Sarazen and Ben Hogan are the other winners of each major — at a younger age than the rest, having already become the youngest American to win the British Open.Yet brilliant as that triumph was, Spieth knows that luck was on his side during his erratic final round that came so close to disaster on the 13th where he escaped with a bogey after almost losing his ball.His usual driving accuracy was missing, with statistics released on Monday showing he was only the 24th most accurate player in hitting fairways, behind even the leading amateur, Britain’s Alfie Plant, with an average of just 42.9 percent.Spieth’s driving average of 316 yards at the par-five 15th and 17th holes was 13 yards shorter than McIlroy and 18 behind Dustin Johnson, while the new champion proved only third best at hitting greens in regulation with an average of 69.4 percent.None of these statistics, though, measured the size of his heart. As Zach Johnson tweeted: “(Kuchar) didn’t lose it, (Spieth) bowed up & won it.” read more

Neymar completed his record-shattering transfer from Barcelona to Paris St Germain on Thursday, signing a five-year deal with the French club after they triggered his 222 million euros ($263 million) release clause.The 25-year-old Brazil forward, who will be presented to fans on Saturday, is committed to PSG until June 2022, the club said in a statement. Media reports have said he could earn around 550,000 euros per week.”Today, with the arrival of Neymar Jr, I am convinced that we will come even closer, with the support of our faithful fans, to realising our greatest dreams,” said PSG’s Qatari President Nasser Al-Khelaifi.Both Barcelona and Spain’s La Liga questioned whether the move complied with UEFA’s financial regulations, with the club saying they would report the deal to European football’s governing body.The transfer doubles the previous world record fee paid when Paul Pogba moved last August from Juventus to Manchester United for a 105 million euros.With the Spanish giants certain to be in the market for a replacement for the Brazilian forward – and with a hefty budget to invest – the Neymar move could set off a chain reaction of deals at top clubs across Europe.Yet for PSG the signing is a huge coup, bringing them one of the most exciting talents in the world game.Gifted with a superb touch and an impressive repertoire of tricks, Neymar was part of one of the most devastating strike trios the game has ever seen, playing at Barcelona alongside Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez.advertisementIn four years in Catalonia, he won the Champions League once, La Liga twice, and the King’s Cup three times.The focal point of the Brazil national team, who will be aiming for a record sixth World Cup title in Russia next year, Neymar’s popularity soared after he captained his country to their first Olympic gold medal in Rio last year — scoring a brilliant free kick and the deciding penalty in the final.NEW HORIZONSNeymar, who also has lucrative endorsement deals with Nike, Gillette, Panasonic and Beats by Dre, said he was looking forward to delivering trophies for the French club.”I am extremely happy to join Paris St Germain,” he said in the club’s statement.”Since I arrived in Europe, the club has always been one of the most competitive and most ambitious. And the biggest challenge, what most motivated me to join my new team mates is to help the club to conquer the titles that their fans want.”From today, I will do everything I can to help my new team mates, to open up new horizons for my club and to bring happiness to its millions of supporters around the world,” he said.The excitement was certainly felt by PSG fans. Several hundred gathered outside the palatial Royal Monceau hotel in the capital, letting off flares and breaking into chants.Barcelona said in a statement on their website (www.barcelona.com) that Neymar’s legal representatives “visited in person the club’s offices and made the payment of 222 million euros…”The five-times European champions said they would pass on details of the operation to European soccer body UEFA “so that they can determine the disciplinary responsibilities that may arise from this case.”Barcelona did not specify why they believed there may be a disciplinary issue relating to the deal. Javier Tebas, head of La Liga had earlier said that PSG were engaged in “financial doping” and the Spanish body would also complain to UEFA.Tebas referred to PSG, who are owned by Qatari Sports Investments, as a “state backed club”.UEFA, whose financial fair play rules ban clubs from spending more than their generated revenue, declined to comment but a spokesman noted that international transfers are within the remit of global governing body FIFA.A source from Spain’s La Liga said earlier on Thursday that the league had rejected the payment of the clause to them after Neymar’s lawyers visited its headquarters in Madrid to try to settle the transfer and pay the fee.ALSO READ |Neymar 222m euro payout made, says FC BarcelonaLa Liga reject Neymar’s 222 million euro release clauseLionel Messi wishes Neymar good luck for the future read more

Samsung’s rough and tough take on its gorgeous but dangerously fragile all glass and metal flagship Galaxy S8 phone, aka the Galaxy S8 Active is now official. And it’s every bit as ‘built to take a beating’ as last year’s Galaxy S7 Active, and the Galaxy S6 Active from the year before. In the process however, the Galaxy S8 Active ditches the Galaxy S8’s trademark Infinity edge-to-edge curves for ruggedness only Samsung’s Active phones can vouch for. It comes as no surprise then that the Galaxy S8 Active is being tipped as Samsung’ toughest Galaxy phone yet. Also, it ships with a bigger battery so technically it should be longer lasting as well. We take a look.Specifications:Processor: Just like the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+, the Galaxy S8 Active is also powered by a 2.35GHz octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor clubbed with Adreno 540 GPU.RAM: 4GBInternal storage: The Galaxy S8 Active comes with 64GB of internal storage which is expandable by up to 256GB via a micro-SD card.Screen: The Galaxy S8 Active ditches the Galaxy S8’s trademark Infinity edge-to-edge curves for ruggedness only Samsung’s Active phones can vouch for. The Galaxy S8 Active, as a result, does not ship with a full-blown Infinity screen like the Galaxy S8 and the Galaxy S8+. It does, however, retain the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+’ unusual 18.5:9 aspect ratio. The Galaxy S8 Active comes with a 5.8-inch Quad-HD Super AMOLED display with a 2560 x 1440 pixel resolution and Corning Gorilla Glass 5 on the front. The Galaxy S8 Active also come with Samsung’s trademark always-on functionality.advertisementRear camera: Just like the Galaxy S8 and the Galaxy S8+, the Galaxy S8 Active also comes with a 12-megapixel (Dual Pixel) rear camera with f/1.7 aperture and optical image stabilisation.Front camera: On the front, the Galaxy S8 Active sports an 8-megapixel camera with autofocus.Software: On the inside, the Galaxy S8 Active runs Android Nougat-based TouchWiz UI or more precisely Samsung Experience UX.Battery: The Galaxy S8 Active is backed by a 4,000mAh battery. The phone supports fast and wireless charging.Special features:– The Galaxy S8 Active is what you can call a sturdier (and more durable) version of Samsung’s flagship phone Galaxy S8 that has been designed from scratch to take a beating and also look quite good while at it. The Galaxy S8 Active, however, looks nothing like the Galaxy S8 which means that you’ll have to let go of its gorgeous curves if you’re looking for a more long lasting phone like the Active. The Galaxy S8 Active, thankfully, ships with the same 18.5:9 aspect ratio which means even though it is a 5.8-inch phone, it occupies a much smaller footprint when in the hands.– The Galaxy S8 Active is Samsung’s toughest Galaxy phone yet, it claims. The phone comes with Corning Gorilla Glass 5 on the front; a rugged, tough texture for a secure grip on the back and side bumpers — on top of a metal frame — that help the phone survive accidental drops. The phone is also IP68 certified for water and dust resistance. If that wasn’t enough, the Galaxy S8 Active is claimed to have passed the US Military Standard (MIL-STD) 810G tests for ruggedness, much like the LG G6. The phone can also withstand exposure to high and low temperatures, salt, humidity, and shock, according to the company.– The front, in the case of the Galaxy S8 Active, is clean and without any buttons. Just like the Galaxy S8 and S8+ phones, the Galaxy S8 Active’s front-mounted home button is also software-based. So are the back and recent keys. While the home button is pressure sensitive — and gives haptic feedback when pressed something on the lines of Apple’s Force Touch — it is also possible to edit and re-position the back and recent keys. The Galaxy S8 Active also come with a dedicated Bixby button like the Galaxy S8 and the Galaxy S8 Active.Also Read: Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge (and Galaxy S7) review: On the edge of perfection– Bixby is Samsung’s take on Apple’s Siri and Google’s Assistant. It responds to both touch and voice and has the ability to translate as many as 52 languages. Apple’s Siri, for your reference, maxes out at 30. Bixby, for instance, can be used to search for images. Also, it can be used to get details about nearby places. There’s a catch however, in that, it supports only US English and Korean languages for now. Also, Bixby doesn’t support voice commands yet. In the case of the Galaxy S8 Active, Bixby is integrated with what Samsung calls an Activity Zone. “With a simple swipe or press of a button, the Hello Bixby home screen greets you with quick access to active lifestyle features such as a stopwatch, barometer, compass, and flashlight.”advertisementAlso Read: Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge hardware review: This is the most powerful phone in India– Much like the Galaxy S8 and the S8+, the Galaxy S8 Active also has a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner that lies adjacent to the camera module. In addition, it also come with an iris scanner for added security. “The Galaxy S8 Active is secured from the “chip up” with Samsung Knox, the defense-grade mobile security platform designed to protect the integrity of the device,” according to Samsung.Price and availability: The Samsung Galaxy S8 Active will be available for buying starting from August 11 — with pre-orders beginning from August 8 — in two colours: Meteor Gray and Titanium Gold. Just like the outgoing Galaxy S7 Active, the Galaxy S8 Active will also be an AT&T exclusive in the US. It will sell for $850 which roughly translates to Rs 54,267. read more

By Manish SainNew Delhi, Aug 18 (PTI) Gone are the days when the words, “Ready! Smile!” were the cue for a group of people, standing as if already frozen in a frame, to smile widely before the sound of a click and a blinding flash of light filled the room.That era of formal photography where professionals were hired to take posed, say cheese kind of photographs to record events such as weddings and other mega family celebrations is mostly in the past now.As another World Photography Day comes around tomorrow, lens persons take stock of a different kind of photography that has come to the fore, the kind that catches a groom stealing shy glances with his bride, or a doting father sharing a quiet moment with his daughter.It is also the kind that captures the first moment of a child in the world, a mother looking at her new-born with tear-filled eyes and a wide smile, or a surreal, metaphorical representation of issues. Or, on a more prosaic note, photos of too-beautiful-to-be-eaten food dishes.While long-known genres of photography like architectural, wildlife, fashion and sports have braved the test of time, newer ones like wedding, childbirth and food photography are also claiming a market for themselves.In an era where everybody with a smartphone fancies themselves as photographers, there are many who have given up jobs to specialise in niche photography, pursuing their passion and making a career out of it too.Aditi Verma, for instance, left her job in a production house to take up wedding photography.advertisement”When I started out, candid wedding photography was not such a trend, but now the competition is fierce with almost everyone with a DSLR claiming to be a photographer,” said Verma, who runs her own firm Photosynthesis in Mumbai.Verma, 35, finds it important to capture moments that make an impact.”I try to capture the essence of the moment, so when the married couple or the family looks back at the photos they can relive the moments they couldnt enjoy during the hustle bustle of the wedding,” she said.Delhi-based Urshita Saini focuses on another aspect of life – the birth of a child.Its all about the essence of the moment when she is inside the operation theatre with a pregnant couple, says the 26-year-old Delhi-based childbirth photographer,.”It is an amazing experience to be part of such an intimate moment of a family and be able to share those moments which are probably the happiest in their lives.”I try to capture everything in the duration of 30 minutes or so, which include husband-wife moments before the birth, when the baby is coming out? the first time the parents and the family see the baby,” said Saini, who has had 53 shoots since March this year.Saini, who has a law degree, picked a camera to shoot weddings but her heart was somewhere else. She figured out the “else” after coming across childbirth photographer Angela Gallos work online.”Wedding photography is of course more profitable, but I have no regrets. The happiness involved in this work is far more rewarding,” she said.Riding high on a similar passion, Niharika Shukla dumped her job as a writer with a leading media house and started clicking photos of food.”I was writing about food, but it was more of business writing, not something I wanted to do. Then I took up a course and started work as a freelance photographer.”It did take some time before people started knowing me. But the journey has been worth everything,” said Shukla who divides her time between Jaipur and Delhi.On a different note, Victoria Krundysheva, Russian by birth and Indian by heart, has found a career clicking photos as a way of expressing herself and as a statement.With a portfolio including Conceptual and Fine Art Photography, Krundyshevas photos, often dark and surreal, sometimes melancholic, strike a chord.”My work is both intensely personal and loudly public. I take major social constructs and issues, internalising them to reflect my deepest engagement in each.”Metaphorical representation of subjects allows me to show the overlooked connections between present and past, dreaming and awakening, logic and intuition where I draw the mystical, but evident parallels between emotional reality and physical world,” said the photographer, who has made her home in Mumbai.Krundysheva has found a clientele in big brands and agencies.”I have observed a positive shift in marketing strategies of big brands, choosing creative concept to build their social strategies around, so in last one year I got to work with quite a few big brands and their agencies,” she said. PTI MAH MINadvertisement read more

John Cena returned to Monday Night RAW for the first time since the draft and was all set to get his much anticipated clash with Roman Reigns as the two superstars started trading verbal blows at each other.However, that didn’t happen as ‘The Miztourage’ came walking down to the ring to shut up Cena and Reigns and give the Miz his moment finally.Cena then proposed a match where he would team up with Reigns and The Miz can pick either Curtis Axel or Bo Dallas as his partner. But there was another twist as Samoa Joe came out in the middle and declared himself as the Miz’s partner. The whole confrontation ended with everyone trading blows and the match was sanctioned as the ‘main event’ of the night.Cena and Joe were facing each other for the first time and the match started.A beach ball popped into the ring out of nowhere and Joe chest slapped a distracted Cena and tagged The Miz back in. Cena soon started getting dominated by The Miz and then Joe.Unfortunately, the crowd was having a part of their own and they seemed very less interested in what was going around in the ring as Miz and Joe continued to dominate Cena. Reigns was finally tagged in but it was pretty evident that he was recovering from the SummerSlam main event.Reigns however gave his best and started to get some momentum when Joe finally got the better of the ‘The Big Dog’ with a uranage. Outside the ring there was a distraction and that allowed ‘The Miztourage’ to hit Reigns until Miz started hitting the big kicks. However, Reigns overpowered him to prevent any severe damage.advertisementBut, Reigns was unable to get the hot tag as Joe kept dominating him. Soon after, Reigns cleared ‘The Miztourage’ outside the ring. Miz was the legal man at this point. Reigns finally got the hot tag on Cena, who started a flurry of offence on The Miz.WWE PhotoAnother distraction caused Samoa Joe to land the coquina clutch on Cena, though he wasn’t legal. Reigns saw that and went for the ‘Superman punch’ but The Samoan submission machine moved out, and Cena was hit by the punch instead.Joe then cleared Reigns from the ring and as Joe tried to land a suicide dive but Reigns sent a punch his way, which left Joe out cold.Inside the ring, Miz looked for the chance to hit the skull-crushing finale, but the franchise player countered it into an AA (Attitude Adjustment) instead for the win.The match was followed by a long stare down between the Cena and Reigns. read more

Sri Lanka cricket (SLC) on Sunday appointed former batsman Thilan Samaraweera as new batting coach to lead the team to the 2019 World Cup.The move was confirmed by SLC president Thilanga Sumathipala and is expected to be rubber-stamped on Monday, when announced coach Samaraweera arrives Sri Lanka, reports ESPNcricinfo.Samaraweera will face his first test on the Lions’ upcoming tour to India where they will play three Tests, three ODIs and three T20 Internationals against the Men in Blue.Coaching would not be new for the 41-year-old as he has been a batting consultant for national outfits of Bangladesh and Australia for a brief period.Samaraweera started his career as an off-spinner.He managed a handful of ODI games in 1998, but did not play Test cricket until August 2001. Having worked on his batting considerably he got due reward by scoring century on debut against a strong Indian side helping Sri Lanka to win the series 2-1.He also shares a record-breaking partnership of 437 with Mahela Jayawardene.The right-handed batsman has played in 81 Tests, scoring 5,462 runs and amassed 862 runs in 53 ODIs.Samaraweera retired from all forms of the game in 2013. read more

Aizawl FC’s 616-day unbeaten streak at home came to an end when they went down 1-0 to Shillong Lajong in the first Northeast Derby of the season at the Rajiv Gandhi stadium on Monday.Since their defeat to Salgaocar on April 11, 2016, Aizawl had not lost a match at home but that enviable record came to an end in the most excruciating manner — against their regional rivals.In a fiercely-contested encounter in Aizawl, Lajong’s winger Redeem Tlang scored the solitary goal of the match in the 60th minute.Aizawl managed to win 25 points from the possible 27 points at home last season but the new season has not been as fruitful for the I-League champions.Aizawl are now in the 6th place, having managed just four points from the three games they have played till now.On the other hand, Lajong secured their third win of the season and moved to the second spot in the league table, equal with leaders Minerva Punjab FC, who have played one lesser match than them.Aizawl made only one change to the team that faced Churchill Brother as Lalbiak Thanga filled the gap left by injured David Rinmuana. Lajong’s coach Nongbet made two changes, captain Samuel Lalmuanpuia and Alen Deory were replaced in the starting XI by Shaibor Karpan and Kynsailang Khongsit respectively.Rajiv Gandhi stadium, also known as the fortress for Aizawl FC, saw the diminutive yet lively winger H Lalmuankima steal the ball at the  halfway line and sent a delightful pass to Kobayashi only for the Japanese to waste his golden chance. Kobayashi was alone in the box with no pressure from the Lajong boys, but still couldn’t find the back of the net.advertisementThe match was not played at the tempo the fans would have expected with both teams finding it hard to carve out goal scoring chances.Just after the half hour mark, Yemenese midfielder Al-Hagri danced past Aizawl’s Saighani and Kareem but his weak shot was collected easily by goalkeeper Avilash Paul. Al Hagri was given another gem of a chance but his poor finishing let him down once more.After an array of chances in the first 45 minutes the score stood at 0-0 at the end of the first half.Both teams started the second half brightly but it was the away team who scored the first goal of the match. Al Hagri’s shot inside the box was blocked by the Aizawl’s boys but the ball fell to Khasi winger Redeem Tlang, who calmly curved the ball towards the far side of the net and scored his second goal of the season.Tlang soon found another opportunity to score but the winger’s effort was heroically palmed away by the Aizawl FC goalkeeper.Menezes introduced Romanian attacker Andrei Ionescu at 67 minutes but the substitution went in vain as Andrei had little effect on the game. H Lalmuankima’s penalty appeal was waived off by referee Om Prakash Thakur and a few moments later Kobayshi’s shot flew just over the cross bar.Aizawl will next welcome high-flying and league leader Minerva in their last home game of the year on December 27 while Lajong will play their second Northeast Derby against I-League debutants Manipuri club NEROCA FC on December 23. read more

Britain’s Lewis Hamilton was handed the Formula One world championship trophy for the fourth time on Friday at a gala prizegiving ceremony in the sumptuous palace of France’s former monarchy.With Formula One chairman Chase Carey looking on, newly-re-elected International Automobile Federation (FIA) president Jean Todt handed the 32-year-old Mercedes driver the silverware he won in Mexico with two races to spare.”This has been an amazing year,” Hamilton told the audience of champions and FIA members gathered in the palace’s 18th century opera.He’ll pick up the coveted trophy for the 4th time later on Friday in Paris – but how many more world titles does @LewisHamilton think he can win?#F1 pic.twitter.com/ahZB4LUtsA- Formula 1 (@F1) December 8, 2017″I hope that next year’s an even better year for all of you. I know for me that I’m going to try to do better.”Hamilton won nine of 20 races in 2017 and set an all-time record of 72 career pole positions as well as scoring points in every grand prix.Asked earlier for his highlight of the season, Hamilton singled out his home British Grand Prix at Silverstone because of the support he received after the ‘negativity’ surrounding his failure to take part in an earlier London event.He had also told reporters that while he did not like going to award ceremonies, or being on stage, he enjoyed watching others succeed.Mercedes won both championships for the fourth year in a row but team boss Toto Wolff said 2017 had been particularly difficult.advertisement”We keep it now,” he said after being handed the constructors’ trophy by Carey.The Chateau de Versailles is not your average party venue, as @LewisHamilton has just discovered pic.twitter.com/edpKEhNudt- Formula 1 (@F1) December 8, 2017Red Bull’s 20-year-old Dutch driver Max Verstappen beat a field that included Hamilton and his own Australian team mate Daniel Ricciardo to the ‘Personality of the Year” award for the third successive year.The award is selected by permanently accredited media from all FIA championships.”I always try to be honest and straightforward so I guess that gave me the personality again this year,” said the winner of two races in 2017.”It was a hard season but I learnt a lot from it.”Monaco’s Formula Two winner and 2018 Sauber F1 driver Charles Leclerc won the Rookie of the Year award while Finnish rally driver Esapekka Lappi won the ‘Action of the Year’ for a jump in the Rally of Portugal.British teenager Billy Monger, who had his lower legs amputated after an horrific smash in a Formula Four race at Donington Park in April, was presented with an FIA president’s special award.Monger, who has already returned to driving, walked out onto the stage on prosthetic legs to a resounding ovation.A very special moment as @LewisHamilton collects the world championship trophy for the 4th time – and is joined on stage by @BillyMonger#F1 #FIAPrizeGiving pic.twitter.com/NrS9mMVJQv- Formula 1 (@F1) December 9, 2017 read more

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Tom Coughlin has had enough with the New York Giants’ offense, and he didn’t pull any punches.“Pathetic” was the word Coughlin used after the Giants (5-9) were limited to 181 total yards by the NFL’s top-ranked defense in a 23-0 loss to the Seattle Seahawks (12-2) Sunday.Eli Manning threw a career-high five interceptions in pushing his pick total to 25 — tying his career high —and New York didn’t cross into Seattle territory until midway the fourth quarter.What made the loss so bitter for the 67-year-old Coughlin was that he wanted his team to bounce back after being eliminated from playoff contention last weekend for the fourth time in five years.His defense and special teams were outstanding. The offense struggled in guaranteeing the Giants’ first losing season since 2004, Coughlin’s first season.“Offensively, there is no way to sugarcoat it, it was a pathetic offensive performance,” Coughlin said. “We didn’t block anybody. We didn’t make any plays. We didn’t create any opportunity for ourselves. I told the players that prepared that I appreciated what they did. I told those that are obvious that they had not, and I felt sorry for them because they are missing the whole thing.”Coughlin apologized to his players after the game in taking the blame, but they interrupted him and told him it was their fault.Manning and offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride will take the heat, but they had plenty of help from the line and the receivers.The play that summed up the day for New York was a fourth-quarter interception by Earl Thomas. Manning threw a fade to Hakeem Nicks and he was out jumped by Richard Sherman and Thomas caught the tipped ball.It was a chance for an offensive player to go up and make a play and he failed. That’s been the case the past two weeks as New York has scored 14 points.“It’s not fun when you get down like that and you get beat and you can’t get anything going on offense, and you have interceptions and bad plays,” said Manning, who finished 18 of 31 for 156 yards and 31.9 quarterback rating. “That’s not enjoyable and tough to deal with.”Making the day even worse, the Giants lost top receiver Victor Cruz to a concussion in the fourth quarter. Cruz is 2 yards short of his third straight 1,000-yard season.Seattle dominated this one.Sherman and Byron Maxwell had two interceptions apiece, Marshawn Lynch scored on a twisting, triple-effort 2-yard run, and Steven Hauschka kicked three field goals.Russell Wilson toyed with New York’s defense, running for 50 yards and throwing for 206 and a touchdown before sitting out the last few minutes.The Seahawks are closing in on the NFC West title and their best overall record; they went 13-3 in 2005 before losing to Pittsburgh in the Super Bowl.This season’s Super Bowl will be played at MetLife Stadium and unless they collapse in their final two games at home, where they are undefeated, the Seahawks will be the NFC favorite to reach the first outdoor Super Bowl in a cold weather city.It was Seattle’s first shutout since a 58-0 romp over Arizona on Dec. 9 last year. The Giants lost 38-0 to Carolina in Week 3.“It’s great to have a win and a shutout,” Thomas said. “It’s our best game all year. Now, we’ll keep this tunnel-vision that we have, keep this chip on our shoulder, keep this feeling like we lost.”Hauschka, who is clutch from long distance (14 for 15 from beyond 40 yards), made 49- and 44-yarders, plus a 24-yard field goal.Sherman’s first pick led to Lynch’s brilliant short run for a 10-0 lead. Lynch seemed to be going down several times, but went into full Beast Mode to power into the end zone.Hauschka’s 44-yarder made it 13-0 at halftime, then Sherman got his sixth interception of the season.Maxwell’s second pick led to Wilson’s 12-yard TD pass to Doug Baldwin, the 17th touchdown New York has yielded off a turnover.Lynch actually was most effective as a receiver with six catches for 73 yards. He rushed for 47.(Tom Canavan, AP Sports Writer)TweetPinShare0 Shares read more

MELBOURNE, Australia –  Li Na had one simple request before answering questions in her on-court, post-match interview after battling for 2½ hours in the brutal heat at the Australian Open on Jan. 17: “Can we stand in the shadow?”The Chinese star certainly earned the courtesy. She saved a match point before prevailing against Lucie Safarova, all while playing at the hottest time of the day.The temperature topped 40C (104F) for the fourth consecutive day in Melbourne, the longest heat wave in the city for more than a century.Players draped themselves with ice packs during changeovers and those in the women’s singles were given a 10-minute break before playing a third set, but tournament officials did not enact the “Extreme Heat Policy,” which would have suspended matches on the outer courts and closed the roofs on the two show courts.The heat policy was put into effect on Jan. 16y when the temperature reached 42C (108F) in the early afternoon, suspending matches on the outer courts for about four hours.  The high again topped 42C (108F) on Jan. 17, though the humidity was lower than in previous days.Some players, again, struggled in the stifling conditions. China’s Zheng Jie received medical treatment after she indicated she was dizzy and struggling with her breathing during the second set of her third-round loss to Casey Dellacqua.A doctor checked her blood pressure, as she was lying across chairs beside the court. She got up and broke Dellacqua’s serve in the next game, but lost the match.Poland’s Jerzy Janowicz, the 20th seed, looked completely drained during his third-round loss to Germany’s Florian Mayer and said later, holding back tears, that his only chance would have been to play at night.“Whatever he would do today and whatever I would do today doesn’t matter,” he said. “I had no power to stay on the court. I felt like I’m going to collapse soon.”Top-seeded Serena Williams had an easier time during her 80-minute win over Daniela Hantuchova but she, too, sought any shade she could between points and later withdrew from the doubles competition with sister Venus before they were scheduled to play their first-round match.The official reason was an injury to Venus’ leg, but Serena admitted she didn’t relish the idea of playing another match in the heat. “I guess it’s a relief, but like I say, we love to play doubles and we love to be out there,” she said.Although players have blacked out, staggered, hallucinated and vomited on court this week, tournament officials have defended their decision to only halt play once during the four-day heat wave.Speaking to BBC radio, tournament doctor Tim Wood said that while it may not be “terribly comfortable” to play in these conditions, it’s safe from a medical perspective.“We know that man is well-adapted to exercising in the heat. If you take us back a few thousand years, we evolved on the high plains of Africa chasing antelope for eight hours under these conditions,” he was quoted as saying.Andy Murray, whose brother Jamie received treatment for a heat-related illness and cramping after his doubles match on Thursday, said part of the problem has been the confusion surrounding the heat policy this week.“It’s weighing out whether or not it’s kind of worth playing like that and it’s worth it for the fans and everyone,” he said after his second-round win late Jan. 16. “I’ve seen a lot of matches where everyone’s kind of left and gone home. That’s not good either.”(Justin Bergman)TweetPinShare0 Shares read more

COLUMBUS, Ohio — They’re an afterthought in the standings now, but the Columbus Blue Jackets believe they’re starting something they can build on next season.Ryan Johansen scored late in regulation to tie it and then added the clinching goal in the shootout April 2 to lead them to a 4-3 victory over the New York Islanders, tying the franchise record with their eighth straight win.“We’re playing some great hockey and we’re really making it tough on these good teams,” Johansen said.The Blue Jackets, out of the playoff picture, have won 11 of 12 in addition to running their road streak to a franchise-best eight in a row.They were down two goals midway through the third, a crowd of 15,361 was sitting on its hands and it appeared the winning streak was toast.The Islanders took a 3-1 lead just 55 seconds into the third when John Tavares, who also had a goal, passed back to Travis Hamonic, who blasted a hard shot from near the blue line. Sergei Bobrovsky made the save but gave up a rebound, with Ryan Strome pouncing on it for his 17th.But the Blue Jackets cut the lead to a goal when Jack Johnson scored on a rebound — his third game in a row with a goal.David Savard’s shot from the point got through heavy congestion and Nick Foligno and Scott Hartnell squeezed off shots before Johnson found the net at the 11:08 mark.“Jack Johnson’s goal really energized us,” said coach Todd Richards, who collected his 200th career victory. “It got the crowd into it again. We started battling and getting to the front (of the net).”Johansen then tied it with 3:43 left in regulation. Savard’s long shot was deflected at the net by Cam Atkinson, the puck trickling behind goalie Jaroslav Halak. Johansen reached his stick around the goalie to tap it into the net and tie it.Bobrovsky made three big saves in the final minute of regulation when the Islanders were on a power play after Cody Goloubef was whistled for delay of game. Halak did the same in the overtime when Johnny Boychuk went off for interference and he stopped four in-close shots.After Mark Letestu scored to lead off the shootout, Johansen slowed as he went in on Halak and slid the puck between his leg pads. Bobrovsky, who stopped Frans Nielsen in the first round, then stopped Kyle Okposo to lock up the victory.Johansen came in slow and easy before calmly wristing a low shot through Halak’s legs.“I just feel it’s tougher on the goalie. It’s hard for him to read what I’m going to do,” Johansen said of his deliberate approach. “It’s been working for me so I’ve kind of been sticking with it.”Brandon Dubinsky also scored for the Blue Jackets, who tied the win streak they set in January 2014.Eric Boulton scored for the first time in 17 months for the Islanders, while Halak finished with 36 saves.Coach Jack Capuano said the loss was due more to what Columbus did than what his team didn’t do.“They did a great job of getting shots through to the net and that’s how they scored three goals,” he said. “Our structure was good, but they found and way.”There’s an uneasy feeling in the dressing room, since they’ve lost eight of 10. This is no way to prepare for the playoffs.“This is the time of year you really want to focus on regrouping quickly because this happens in the playoffs,” he said of an emotional loss. “You have to be ready to go the next game.”(RUSTY MILLER, AP Sports Writer)TweetPinShare0 Shares read more

In a thrilling Game of the Week containing dramatic swings in momentum, Panathinaikos Superfoods Athens claimed an 83-75 overtime win over Maccabi FOX Tel Aviv at the Olympic Sports Center Athens. The Greens rode a huge performance from Chris Singleton, who scored a career-high 26 points, grabbed 6 rebounds and blocked 2 shots in a dominant display. Singleton received plenty of help from Nick Calathes, who led the offense with 13 points and 6 assists, while James Gist combined 12 points with 8 rebounds. Sonny Weems led the Maccabi attack with 15 points and Devin Smith had a double-double of 11 points and 12 rebounds. Andrew Goudelock added 14 points and Maik Zirbes 11 for the winners.Panathinaikos scored the game’s first 7 points and held on to a steady lead throughout the first three and a half quarters, with Calathes and Singleton always providing an answer every time Maccabi threatened to get close. The home team led by as many as 16 points midway through the third quarter and the game appeared almost over when it was 64-52 with less than six minutes remaining. But Maccabi then launched an astonishing comeback with a 0-15 run to lead by 3 inside the final minute, before Gist’s tip-in with 9 seconds on the clock forced overtime – Panathinaikos’s second consecutive game to go into bonus time. The Greens hit 3 triples early in the extra period to re-establish control and a big block by Singleton helped snuff out any chance of another Maccabi comeback.Source: EuroleagueTweetPinShare0 Shares read more