Former Arsenal manager Unai Emery's ex-girlfriend Sacha Wright, 35, has told British tabloid, The Sun that he blamed her for his sacking last year.

Unai, 48, who joined Arsenal on May 2018 on a two-year deal, was sacked by the team management in November last year, following a poor run. Sacha claimed that Unai called her a "white witch" and blamed her for his team's failure.

"I trusted Unai and believed we would get married and have kids. I thought he was a gentleman and a family man. But in the end I realised he was not ready for a serious relationship," said Sacha, who first dumped Unai in September only to take him back in December.

"It was then that he blamed me for getting him the sack. He said I was a white witch as I brought him bad luck. He said the team began losing the day we broke up," said Sacha, who finally left Unai in March.

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Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba is bemused as to why he remains a constant source of criticism despite missing most of the campaign through injury. The 27-year-old has been restricted to just eight appearances this season due to a persistent ankle injury. Former Liverpool captain and manager Graeme Souness has been one of the most outspoken critics of Pogba since he returned to United from Juventus for a then world record £89 million ($112 million) fee in 2016.

However, Pogba claimed he did not even know who Souness was. "I didn't even know who he was, really," Pogba told the official Manchester United podcast. "I heard he was a great player and stuff like that. I know the face but (not) the name. "Like I said I'm not someone that watches a lot of (punditry), I watch a lot of football but I don't stay after the game to listen to what they say about why they did this, or why they did that. I like to focus on football." Souness - who won three European Cups, and five league titles as a player at Liverpool - responded to Pogba on Tuesday morning.

"I'm happy with that. The oldest saying in football comes to mind: 'Put your medals on the table'. I've got a big table," the former Scottish international told Sky Sports. Pogba's return to Old Trafford has failed to match the expectations of his price tag despite winning the Europa League and League Cup in his first season under Jose Mourinho. A bitter fall out with Mourinho followed in the next two seasons before the Portuguese was sacked in December 2018.

And after a brief hot streak when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer took charge, Pogba's time under the Norwegian has been beset by a lack of form and fitness. However, the French World Cup winner still believes the criticism he has received, particularly in his absence this season, is unjustified. "It's good to hear good stuff instead of bad stuff but when you play football, you know yourself. It's what your manager and team-mates want, the rest is just talk," added Pogba.

"I guess they (the critics) miss me, I don't know? I'm not someone that looks always at Sky Sports News. "When you know football, you don't need someone to tell you what's happening. "One day maybe I will meet them and ask them because I really want to know, why?"

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Manchester United midfielder Jesse Lingard is in lockdown in the UK due to the Coronavirus but that hasn't stopped him from keeping in touch with Playboy model, Laura Bragato (right). Italian Laura told British tabloid, The Daily Star that Jesse has been texting her while in self-isolation. "I spoke to Jesse yesterday, and he is staying home like the rest of us. He is safe. In Italy here we are all in lockdown, it's been one month and I hope everything is going to start again here. When it's over, I can't wait to travel. I want to spend my summer in Spain and London" Laura said on Tuesday.

Jesse Lingard

Laura became famous in 2018, when she claimed that her 'lucky' behind would help Italy beat England in the FIFA World Cup. The match ended 1-1 but her pre-match comments, hoping for Jesse to score, saw her earn lakhs of online fans instantly.

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Asia's top football competitions will go ahead this year despite the coronavirus pandemic, a senior official told AFP, although games may have to be played behind closed doors. Windsor John, general secretary of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), said he was confident that the AFC Champions League and AFC Cup would both be completed. Both tournaments, featuring teams from throughout Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East, are on hold until at least the end of June after COVID-19 shuttered professional sport worldwide.

"Both will be played this year. We still have time," John told AFP, adding that new dates for the competitions may be known by the end of April. However, John did not rule out matches being played without fans "if that's what the health authorities need". The AFC is determined for both tournaments to go ahead "for sporting reasons and to fulfil commercial obligations", he said. His comments came after the AFC on Tuesday announced the indefinite postponement of all matches scheduled for May and June due to the virus.

The Champions League, the region's premier club competition, and the second-tier AFC Cup were both halted in March as the pandemic's spread forced governments to impose strict travel restrictions. Both tournaments are on an increasingly tight schedule, with the 32-team Champions League needing to complete four rounds of group-stage matches in July before the postponed knock-out phase begins in August.

The group phase of the AFC Cup will also have to be completed in a rush once matches resume. The finals for both tournaments -- which traditionally take a break in July, to avoid the worst of the Asian summer heat -- are scheduled to take place in November. Domestic leagues remain on hold around the world, including in China where the virus first emerged, but where football shows no sign of returning despite optimism the outbreak is under control.

Asia's extended shutdown, announced on Tuesday, also affects the two-legged women's Olympic qualifying play-off between China and South Korea, which had already been moved to June 1 and 9. June qualifiers for the men's 2022 World Cup and 2023 Asian Cup had been postponed before the AFC's announcement on Tuesday. Asian football was an early sporting casualty of the coronavirus pandemic, before competitions in Europe -- including Euro 2020 -- and the rest of the world were also affected.

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Former Manchester United and Real Madrid midfielder David Beckham rates Barcelona's Lionel Messi higher than Cristiano Ronaldo. Ronaldo succeeded Beckham as Manchester United's No. 7 before arriving at Real Madrid two years after the England captain left the Spanish giants.

Beckham has also experience of playing against a young Lionel Messi in the latter's initial years with Barcelona and faced him once while he was playing for Paris St Germain. "He [Messi] is alone in his class as a player, it is impossible that there is another like him," Beckham told Telam.

David Beckham

"He, like Cristiano Ronaldo, who is not at his level, are both above the rest." Beckham recalled his last match against Barcelona in the quarter-final of the 2013 Champions League. PSG were ahead at one stage at Camp Nou when Messi came on as a substitute. Eventually, Pedro scored and Barca went through on the away goals rule.

"We were leading before Messi came in, and once he came in, Barcelona scored," Beckham said. He was 37 years old by then and ended his illustrious playing career at the end of the season but Beckham said that he did not enjoy losing that tie.

"Although I enjoyed playing at that level at my age, I do not like to lose. Our team played well. In both matches, we did things we should be proud of. We didn't lose against Barcelona, and that is something that should motivate us," he said.

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LA Galaxy midfielder Joao Pedro has made sensational claims that his former teammate Zlatan Ibrahimovic went on an angry rant in the dressing room after team's defeat in the final match of 2018 Major League Soccer (MLS) season. Despite taking a 2-0 lead, Galaxy lost to Houston Dynamo in the final match of the season on home turf as one of the most recognised American football teams ended the season at a lowly 13th place.

Ibrahimovic, who is known for his unnerving winning mentality, lashed out at his teammates after the end of the match and even went on to the extent of threatening to kill them, according to the Swede's former teammate Pedro, who is currently on loan from Galaxy to Tondela in Portugal.

"At the end of the game, he gave us a talking to," Pedro was quoted as saying by a Portuguese outlet Record. "He said ‘if you are going to come here to go to the beach or take a walk in Hollywood, just say so. I have 300 million on my account, an island, I don't need this for anything. The first one who says something to me, I will kill him'."

Despite not adding any trophy into his bulging cabinet in the USA, Ibrahimovic scored 52 goals in his two MLS seasons. After his goal-laden spell in North America, Ibrahimovic returned to Europe for his second spell with Italian giants Milan.

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The Argentine forward is a true superstar of the game and one of the most famous players on the planet, but here are some things you might not already know about him.

1. He has scored at least seven goals against every other La Liga Santander team
All LaLiga teams naturally fear Messi when he comes up against them, with the No.10 having netted at least seven times against all 19 of the other sides currently in the top division. His favourite victim is Sevilla, against whom he has a whopping 37 goals in 38 appearances. Over his career, he has faced 40 different clubs in the Spanish top flight, with only three yet to concede against him: Cadiz, Murcia and Xerez.

2. He first played with fellow Barcelona captain Gerard Pique in 2000
Messi and his current Barcelona teammate Gerard Pique have spent most of their footballing lives together. They were both in the same team in Barcelona’s La Masia academy, along with Cesc Fàbregas – part of the so-called “generation of ‘87” and conquered almost every challenge in their path. It was clear from that early age that these players would go on to achieve great things and, although Pique spent time at Manchester United and Real Zaragoza before returning to Barcelona, they have both been in the Blaugrana first-team squad together since 2008, playing 471 matches together. Messi has only played more often alongside Sergio Busquets and Andrés Iniesta.

3. He pays tributes to his grandmother after every goal
The sight of Messi pointing towards the sky with both hands after scoring a goal has become an almost weekly occurrence in LaLiga but not many people know its meaning. It is in fact a tribute to Grandmother Celia, who Messi credits with sparking his interest in football and supporting him as he took his first steps in the game. Sadly, she passed away in 1998 and never saw him play at the top level, but his iconic celebration ensures that her spirit lives on.  

4. He could have played for Spain at international level
Messi has represented Argentina throughout his international career, but he could have been wearing the red of Spain had he accepted an offer to join the national team of the country where he has spent his entire professional career. After spending his childhood in Barcelona, he was eligible to play for the 2010 world champions, but Messi says the idea never crossed his mind. The rest, as they say, is history as he has gone on to become Argentina’s all-time top scorer with 70 goals.   

5. His footballing idol was Pablo Aimar
Many up-and-coming players consider Messi as a role model, but it’s easy to forget that he had an idol growing up too, just like any other aspiring footballer. His was fellow Argentina and former Valencia and Real Zaragoza playmaker Pablo Aimar. They faced each other in LaLiga on several occasions, including on one special night in 2004 when Aimar came up to the 17-year-old Messi, an unused sub on the night, after the game to offer him his shirt. He still treasures that jersey to this day. 

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Former Brazilian footballer Ronaldinho pleaded his innocence while speaking for the first time after spending 32 days in a Paraguayan prison. The former Barcelona forward is currently under house arrest in a hotel in Asuncion after he was arrested along with his cavalry for entering the country with forged documents.

Ronaldinho has insisted he didn't know his documents were illegal and also stated he showed full cooperation with the authorities in the aftermath of the airport fiasco.

"We were totally surprised to learn that the documents were not legal," Ronaldinho told ABC Color. "Since then our intention has been to collaborate with the justice system to clarify the facts.

"From that moment until today, we have explained everything and facilitated everything that has been requested of us.

"It was a tough blow, I never imagined that I would go through such a situation. All my life I have sought to reach the highest professional level and bring joy to people with my football," he added.

Ronaldinho also revealed what his plans are after he is allowed to go back to his home nation once investigation ends.

"The first thing will be to give a big kiss to my mother, who has lived through this difficult phase since the start of COVID-19 pandemic, at her home."

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Subimal "Chuni" Goswami came for a routine check-up to a city hospital on Thursday morning and by evening he had suffered three cardiac arrests in 14 minutes to breathe his last and end an era, his son said.

"He had breakfast. Then we got him to the hospital. He was brought here for a routine check-up. He had lunch and even took a nap in the afternoon. But around 5 p.m., he suffered three heart attacks in 14 minutes," said a crestfallen Sudipto.

Goswami, who died at the age of 82, is survived by his wife and Sudipto.

Goswami was also battling underlying ailments, including sugar, and prostrate and nerve problems.

Goswami had to be given insulin daily and due to the COVID-19 lockdown, his medical supervisor was not able to attend to him on a regular basis.

"I don't have words at this point, feeling lonely," said Sudipto.

Goswami's biggest achievement was captaining India to the 1962 Asian Games Gold medal when India scripted a historic 2-1 victory against South Korea (Korea Republic) in the final to land India its second gold medal in Asian Games history.

Besides two editions of the Asian Games, Goswami was also part of India's Olympic squad in the Rome Olympics in 1960. He also captained India to the final of the AFC Asian Cup in Tel Aviv in 1964 and was part of India's campaign in the pre-Olympic qualification in 1959 (in Kabul), 1960 (in Kolkata and Jakarta), 1963 (in Colombo as captain), and in 1964 in (Tehran and Calcutta).

Goswami won the Arjuna Award in 1963 and was conferred the prestigious Padma Shri Award in 1983.

The versatile sportsman that he was, he also represented Bengal in the Ranji Trophy and even captained Bengal in 1968-69 season. He also played for East Zone in the Duleep Trophy. His first-class career as a cricketer ended after 46 matches and he scored 1,592 runs, including a century.

He also served the Tata Football Academy as its director and was appointed the Sheriff of Kolkata in 2005. In the same year, he was awarded the Mohun Bagan Ratna and was bestowed the Banga Bibhusan in 2013.

The Indian postal department also honoured Goswami with a commemorative stamp on his 82nd birthday earlier this year.

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Former Barcelona player Xavi Hernandez is certain of ex-teammate Lionel Messi featuring in the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 as he said that the Argentine has still got "five or seven very good years left in him".

"He's still got five or seven very good years left in him," Goal.com quoted Xavi as saying during an Instagram chat with another ex-Barca forward, Samuel Eto'o.

"He takes good care of himself and he can keep playing until he's 37, 38 or 39. He'll play at the Qatar World Cup, I'm sure," he added.

The 32-year-old Messi scored 24 goals this season in all competitions before coronavirus pandemic brought the football season to a standstill.

Xavi also expressed his desire to manage Barcelona saying that it is his dream to coach the club.

"In January, it wasn't the right moment. I had conversations with Eric Abidal [Barcelona's sporting director] and Oscar Grau [Barcelona chief executive] and a big offer, but it wasn't the right moment. I need a bit more experience. Coaching Barcelona is my dream. I'd like to do it one day. I've said that many times," he said.

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Unnerving movements for debt mutual funds investors!

Just last week my colleague, Divya explained the fiasco at Franklin Templeton Mutual Fund, which took a decision to abruptly wind down six debt mutual fund schemes, namely:

• Franklin India Low Duration Fund
• Franklin India Dynamic Accrual Fund
• Franklin India Credit Risk Fund
• Franklin India Short Term Income Plan
• Franklin India Ultra Short Bond Fund
• Franklin India Income Opportunities Fund

In all, the above debt mutual fund schemes had an AUM of Rs 30,854 crore as of March 31, 2020.

The fund house cited, "severe market dislocation and illiquidity in the fixed income space" caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, as the reason behind the decision.

Investors in these schemes are now left in the lurch: they cannot sell (nor buy) these funds and will have to rely on the fund house to get back their hard-earned money. Investors will have to hold their investments in these schemes until liquidity is available to the mutual fund house by either selling securities in the fund's portfolio or receiving maturity proceeds.

Currently, a fact is, not just Franklin Templeton Mutual Fund, but debt mutual fund schemes of many other fund houses are have a remarkable exposure to stressed assets.

According to portfolios disclosed on March 31, 2020, mutual funds collectively held Rs 1.38 trillion of exposure to debt securities issued by Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs). Approximately Rs 51,000 crore of the exposure in debt securities has a maturity profile of less than 3 months; and now, mutual funds fear that there will be defaults.

NBFCs and other corporate borrowers claim that they do not have enough liquidity to fulfil their obligations and have requested for additional time. Given that, rating downgrades from rating agencies look likely.

However, some companies are playing smart: they are approaching the Courts to prevent a rating downgrade, plus seeking a stay on sale of pledged shares. Of course, they are well within their right to approach the judicial authority or Courts and contest.

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But the capital market regulator, seems to be in no mood in offering them any leeway. On the contrary, the regulator is asking the mutual fund industry to act against the issuer of securities who are possibly carrying high credit risk; facing asset quality problems.

Delays in repayments would mean the creation of more side-pockets by mutual funds. And in my view, more the losses investors suffer, more frustrating it will be for mutual fund houses and their investors. Eventually retail and High Net-worth Individuals, particularly, will lose confidence and may not be keen to invest in debt funds.

If you are wondering what has gone wrong, here's everything you may like to know about liquidity, credit risk and the exposure of mutual funds to corporate debt in the present scenario.

If you remember, the capital market regulator had mandated large corporations to source at least 25% of their borrowings from the bond markets from the beginning of FY 2019. This move was expected to deepen Indian bond markets and reduces the stress on banks. Just a year later, the same move is proving fatal for companies that went to the bond markets to raise money.

Now that the COVID-19 lockdown has forced many business units to shut off temporarily or operate much below their optimal operational capacity with a skeletal staff, companies, including the large organisations that relied heavily on debt markets, are finding it difficult to honour maturity claims on Commercial Papers (CPs), Non-Convertible Debentures (NCDs), and Bonds.

They were hoping for an 'at-par treatment' with Banks when the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) offered a moratorium period to borrowers. But the RBI circular came to them as a shocker. The devil was in the details.

On March 27, 2020, the RBI issued a notification allowing a three-month moratorium on all outstanding term loans and working capital facilities on account of disruptions caused by the outbreak of coronavirus. This circular did not cover around 10 thousand NBFCs, who mainly depend on CPs, NCDs, and Bonds for their funding requirements.

As far as NBFCs are concerned, the RBI has already provided them with a liquidity facility through the banking channel. The RBI directed banks to utilise funds infused under Targeted Long Term Repo Operations (TLTRO) facility to invest in 'investment-grade' CPs, NCDs, and Bonds issued by NBFCs. Also, RBI mandated banks to allocate 50% of Rs 50,000 crore of liquidity introduced by way of TLTRO 2.0 to small and mid-size NBFCs and small finance banks.

But NBFCs seemed not too happy with just liquidity and many of them are now approaching courts to prevent rating downgrades. This is not a best practice for the industry, although fund houses may be well within their rights to contest.

Recently, Indiabulls Housing Finance was successful in receiving the interim order from Delhi High Court, throttling any coercive action against the housing finance company for its inability to repay its bondholders. The Delhi High Court will hear the case further on May 19, 2020.

This has added to the worries of mutual fund houses that now fear other NBFCs will follow the same path.

The capital market regulator, only recently (a few days ago) following the three moratorium by RBI (due to disruptions caused by COVID-19 pandemic) has relaxed the valuation norms for debt and money market instrument held by mutual funds vide a circular dated April 23, 2020, wherein it states as under:

• Based on assessment, if the valuation agencies appointed by AMFI are of the view that the delay in payment of interest/principal or extension of the maturity of a security by the issuer has arisen solely due to COVID-19 pandemic lockdown and/or in light of the moratorium permitted by Reserve Bank of India (RBI) (vide notification no. RBI/2019-20/186, dated March 27, 2020) creating temporary operational challenges in servicing debt, then valuation agencies may not consider the same as a default for the purpose of valuation of money market or debt securities held by Mutual Funds.
  
  However, in the scenario, as stated above, if there is any difference in the valuation of securities provided by two valuation agencies, the conservative valuation shall be accepted.

But then what is the point of coming up with these valuation norms as an afterthought, and not in close synchronisation when the RBI came with its notification a month ago?

The damage now is already done and companies are anyways approaching the Courts to prevent a rating downgrade.

Let's say shares of a company are pledged and to recover the proceeds -- if they cannot be sold due to a court order -- then such lending would be as good as unsecured lending.

Also, why should that not be construed as an instance of deviation from the stated fundamental attributes of a debt mutual fund scheme? After all, mutual fund investors invest in debt fund schemes taking into account a certain level of risk. Change in the risk profile of a scheme is a change in the fundamental attribute/s.

According to India Ratings, NBFCs having the asset base of Rs 500 crore to 5,000 crore, largely fall between "A" and "BBB" rating categories.

The mid-path could be a decision on payment or deferring the payment in consultation with all stakeholders, including debenture trustees. The industry will require a blanket resolution because a case-to-case resolution approach is cumbersome and may create more chaos.

Unless the RBI takes a clear stance on NBFCs and other financial institutions, mutual fund houses are likely to feel the heat of redemptions. Suppose, there's no further statement issued by the banking sector regulator; mutual funds will have to be prepared to handle large-scale defaults, which might look inevitable. After all, a majority of NBFCs' customers are retail borrowers and they enjoy a moratorium on the EMI payment for 3-months. This has been the trickiest part for NBFCs.

While COVID-19 outbreak has been the genuine reason for the potential defaults this time, asset-liability mismatches of NBFCs are well-known. Many NBFCs have gone overboard with cheap credit available during stable market conditions. Their credit underwriting has been questioned widely. The industry has also witnessed belly-up instances such as IL&FS and DHFL. Many mutual fund houses have burned their fingers badly in such defaults.

At the time of writing this piece, to ease the liquidity pressure on mutual funds, the RBI today decided to provide a special liquidity facility of Rs 50,000 crore for mutual funds. Under this facility, the RBI will conduct repo operations of 90 days tenor at the fixed repo rate. This will be on-tap and open-ended, and banks can submit their bids to avail funding on any day from Monday to Friday (excluding holidays). The scheme is available from today i.e., April 27, 2020, till May 11, 2020, or up to utilization of the allocated amount, whichever is earlier. The Reserve Bank will review the timeline and amount, depending upon market conditions.

The RBI has stated further that the liquidity support availed under the Special Liquidity Facility for Mutual Funds shall be used by banks exclusively for meeting the liquidity requirements of mutual funds by, 1) extending loans; and (2) undertaking outright purchase of and/or repos against the collateral of investment-grade corporate bonds, CPs, debentures and certificates of Deposit (CDs) held by mutual funds.

Having taken this measure, keep in mind that it does not make investing in debt mutual funds risk-free. Considering the prevailing investment environment, you should stay away from mutual fund schemes whose portfolio characteristic appears compromised. Also, avoid credit risk funds and corporate bond funds as they are likely to be more vulnerable amidst the financial crisis followed by COVID-19 pandemic.

As a thumb rule: Choose mutual fund schemes from fund houses that follow prudent judicious investment processes and stringent risk-management systems.

In these uncertain times, it would be wise sticking to liquid funds and overnight funds while considering debt funds.

Our friends at Quantum Mutual Fund have highlighted the secret behind their debt management strategy which has helped them provide safety and liquidity to investors when it comes to investing in quantum funds. Don't Worry, Quantum Liquid Fund always aims for Safety and Liquidity.

As with all financial matters, better be safe than sorry!

PS: If you wish to select worthy mutual fund schemes, I recommend you to subscribe to PersonalFN's unbiased premium research service, FundSelect.

Additionally, as a bonus, you get access to PersonalFN's popular debt mutual fund service, DebtSelect.

Each fund recommended under FundSelect goes through our stringent process, where they are tested on both quantitative as well as qualitative parameters.

Every month, PersonalFN's FundSelect service will provide you with insightful and practical guidance on equity mutual funds and debt schemes - the ones to Buy, Hold, or Sell.

If you are serious about investing in a rewarding mutual fund scheme, Subscribe now!

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Author: Rounaq Neroy

This article first appeared on PersonalFN here.

PersonalFN is a Mumbai based personal finance firm offering Financial Planning and Mutual Fund Research services.

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The views mentioned above are of the author only. Data and charts, if used, in the article have been sourced from available information and have not been authenticated by any statutory authority. The author and Equitymaster do not claim it to be accurate nor accept any responsibility for the same. The views constitute only the opinions and do not constitute any guidelines or recommendation on any course of action to be followed by the reader. Please read the detailed Terms of Use of the web site.

British tennis star Jamie Murray, 33, believes that he's the most fashionable person in his family. Jamie, the elder brother of former British No. 1 Andy Murray, 32, recently signed on as the brand ambassador for Edinburgh-based Andrew Brookes Tailoring.

Jamie hailed England football legend David Beckham's fashion sense. "David Beckham is my style icon. He always has his game face on. I'm sure a lot of effort goes into making sure he looks on point," said Jamie in an interview to The Herald Scotland.

About his own style, Jamie said: "[My style is] Pretty casual. With travelling so much, there's a limit to what you can take in your suitcase. I tend to keep it quite simple with jeans and sneakers, some t-shirts and hoodies."

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The International Tennis Federation (ITF) has issued a set of guidelines for local and national-level competitions when tennis returns to action once the restrictions put in place due to coronavirus pandemic are lifted. The guidelines include arriving at a venue already dressed and leaving immediately after the conclusion of a match, no handshake, no sharing of equipments (rackets, towels, water bottles, etc), no doubles matches. Besides the guidelines also say that competitions should be held without spectators.

The ITF has also said that players use separate sets of balls (and mark them clearly prior to play) and should go around opposite sides of the net at changeovers. "The guidelines -- at this stage for local and national-level competitions only -- seek to provide a framework in which tennis can be played again in a manner that protects against the risk from transmission or infection by the COVID-19 virus, and provide a number of practical suggestions as to how this might be achieved," said ITF in a statement on Friday.

"While following measures such as these will ensure that the risk from COVID-19 is minimised, the guidelines are clear that the risk cannot be eliminated altogether," it added.

Currently, all tennis activities remain suspended until July 13 due to coronavirus pandemic which has so far claimed more than 2.3 lakh lives across the world.

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The new BJP-led government in Tripura is keen to boost employment in the state by encouraging tourism around sick tea gardens and boost income of farmers by exporting an exquisite variety of pineapple to Dubai and Hong Kong.

Officials said that hotels, motels, restaurant and lodges will be created near sick tea gardens to encourage tourists to visit and stay there.

"These tea gardens, which are not doing too well in terms of business, are located in serene environment and are surrounded by natural beauty. Once infrastructure is created, tourists are sure to visit these places. It will help create local employment besides helping tea gardens market their produce," an official said.

He said the state government is keen to make Tripura famous within and outside the country for "queen" pineapple.

The Tripura Queen pineapple got the GI tag in 2015.

Officials said that production of queen variety of pineapple, known for its pleasant aroma, sweet taste and golden yellow colour, has faced some constraints as producers do not get a very good price owing to their facing problems in export.

"We have now decided to tap international market for this pineapple variety and have identified Hong Kong and Dubai as prime destinations for export. We are sure that the queen variety will establish itself in the international market due to its sweetness and unique aroma," an official said.

He said that transport arrangements have already been put in place for export of the pineapples and the state government has set an ambitious target.

"The purpose is to ensure that the farmers get double the price of their product. Today they are getting about 15 per pineapple but if their product is sold in foreign countries, they would get double the price of their produce," the official said.

Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Deb told IANS over phone that his government has taken various measures to boost agriculture and tourism sectors.

"Tripura has immense potential in agriculture and the tourism sector but it was not utilised in 25 years of CPI-M rule. We will make Tripura a world class tourism destination and would ensure that the farmers of the state get proper dues for their produce," he said.

"We are taking various measures. We are focusing on branding of some of our special produce. We are talking to every stakeholder and also trying to get into foreign markets," he said.

Deb said the steps are in line with the NDA government's efforts to double the farmers income by 2022.

Officials said that productivity of pineapple in Tripura at 18.73 tonnes per hectare is higher than the national average of 15.80 tonnes.

They said that people know about Assam tea and Darjeeling tea but Tripura, despite having special variety of tea leaves, has not been able to earn a similar reputation.

Tripura has a history of tea plantations going back to 1916 but these suffered during the spells of insurgency in the state. Some tea gardens have also faced problems related to infrastructure, modernisation and management.

The officials said that decisions to boost employment through tourism and agriculture export is in line with the BJP's pre-poll promises.

The party had assured to establish Directorate of Tea Gardens for scientific development of tea and facilitate the socio-economic development of tea plantation workers.

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Steve Vai at 2015 Rock in Rio concert. Pic/Getty images

You visited India 23 years ago. What are your memories?
I came to India as a spiritual soldier. Most people know me as a musician, but perhaps my most focused attention throughout my life has been on spirituality. There was a period I went through when I was researching various eastern philosophies and this brought me to India on several occasions. It was a tremendously rewarding experience.

How did you manage to keep your personal style of music intact?
When I was a kid, I wanted to be a composer and so, I started studying music. But when I was an early teenager in the '70s, I discovered rock music by the likes of Led Zeppelin, Queen, Jethro Tull and Deep Purple. I've always loved the energy of rock music. When the opportunity came to join those bands in the '80s, I felt that a part of my musical sensibilities would work well with them. So, a particular style of my music was used during that time. But when I started doing my solo music more, my innate musical style emerged more powerfully. All the artistes I've worked with in the past have shaped what I do.

How would you describe the journey of your music?
I was very emerged in Zappa and his music while I was working with him from the age of 18 to 23. During that time, I was also writing my own music and, to some degree, it was highly influenced by Frank (Zappa). When I started working on the music of Modern Primitive, it was directly after my Zappa years and there was still much residual leftover Zappa influence in it.

Tell us about your life as a 20-something rock star in the '80s...
Well, it was certainly a good time to be a rock star. We could wear the oddest clothes, had a gigantic stage to run around on and were playing our a***s off! To be honest, I enjoyed it very much. I took great advantage of all the situations, but never lost myself in them. I knew they were all fleeting moments. Dave Roth threw the best parties, though. They were notorious. I saw and discovered things that could fill volumes of books and which you would not believe even if they were written and truthful. Imagine having at your disposal an abundance of fame, drugs, sex, money, etc. But as mentioned, I never got lost in any of it… except perhaps the fame, ha!

Will the heydays of rock ever return?
I don't know what young artistes do backstage anymore, but any time I've been there, they were nothing like what I remember in the '80s. For some, the heyday is now. There is still enough fame, drugs, sex and money to go around that could spin the head of any young artiste. But then again, there seem to be 'rock stars' in every field.

Any Indian musicians you admire…
I was fortunate to do some work with violinist L Shankar in the '80s. He's a phenomenon. I also enjoy the work of Ravi Shankar, Zakir Hussain, U Srinivas, Ali Akbar Khan, Anoushka Shankar and others.

Who are your all-time favourite guitarists and why?
Jimmy Page was my first real guitar discovery and is, in my books, the best arranger, writer and producer of rock music. Allan Holdsworth has an inner ear unlike that of anyone.
Jimi Hendrix. Well, because he's Hendrix. When I heard Al Di Meola play as a teenager, I became aware of the extremes that a human being can achieve in terms of tone and chops.
Brian May has the most identifiable tone and touch. Joe Satriani, he speaks through his guitar in a way that is deeply moving and creative. He is the master of inspired instrumental guitar melody. I could go on and on.

What have you planned for your performance here?
I was happy to discover Mohini Dey, an extraordinarily talented Indian bass player. She played on a track on Modern Primitive called Bop. She's truly a marvel and if everything works out, she will be joining us at the show for a jam. Also, I have a backing video screen that has some of my friends appearing on it, who I will jam with from the stage. They include Joe Satriani, Brian May, John Petrucci, Tommy Emmanuel and Frank Zappa. I want to be connected to the evolutionary impulse of the universe when I play, thus, bringing an experience to the people that is captivating and even shocking.

Steve Vai performs at the Meghalaya (October 28) and Pune (December, date to be announced) edition of Bacardi NH7 Weekender 2017
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Mayank Gandhi on ground at rural development projects

The Aam Admi Party (AAP) took the country by storm in 2012 and people believed they were looking at a new dawn. But "leaders are not what they seem like from far. When you go closer, you can see that they have feet of clay. What they project and what they actually are, are two different things", alleged Mayank Gandhi, former AAP leader and a founder member of the party, in an email interview, hours before his book AAP & Down: An Insider's Story of India's Most Controversial Party (Simon and Schuster India), co-authored by Shrey Shah, was released in the city yesterday.

At the book launch in Mumbai. Pic/Bipin Kokate 

Wake up, India
The tell-all was released to mark the third anniversary as the ruling party in Delhi. When we asked the Mumbai-based leader about his reasons for penning it, he said, "The primary purpose was to lay down the bare truth about what happened and how the country's citizens realised that democracy was more than just about voting during five-year elections. It is to also tell the youth who still harbour the hope of alternative politics coming from AAP that their dream is over."

In the book, besides Arvind Kejriwal and Anna Hazare, Gandhi focuses on those who worked behind the scene to shake the nation into consciousness. He elaborated, "As a young man, I had felt the pain of being betrayed when the Janata Party experiment failed, in which I had personally invested part of my life. I was insignificant then and inconsequential. Now, when the youth of the country are being betrayed all over again, I can feel their pain. And this time, I am not so inconsequential and would like to be a medium of letting the people know what happened and how."

A file photo of Arvind Kejriwal at an AAP rally in Delhi

Opportunity lost
Gandhi, who played a key role in AAP's formation, admits that writing the book was a tumultuous journey. From re-living the India Against Corruption (IAC) days to the crushing of dreams, "the only thought that came to my mind was the opportunity that we lost in transforming the nation". Gandhi believes that AAP failed because instead of maintaining the founding principles for which it received extraordinary support, the party decided to indulge in the three Cs — corruption, casteism and communalism — after it won Delhi by unprecedented margins. "This impatience and abandonment of ethics and morals was the biggest mistake it made," he said.

But despite losing focus, the IAC movement has given people the courage to assert themselves before authorities and politicians. "Counter hegemony has started appearing as people have understood the power of standing up to the wrongs," says the man who has decided to focus on development politics, and is now working for the development of rural India, starting with the Beed district in Maharashtra.

AAP & Down, which is a documentation of India's "second independence" struggle according to Gandhi, gives readers a chance to see how power changes man. "People who operate in the name of serving the poor, many a times are serving their personal ambitions and egos," the author said.

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Representational picture

Mangoes can be used for skin and hair in several ways as they are loaded with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, all of which are good for the skin. Here are some amazing skin and hair benefits of mangoes.

Helps get a glowing skin: Mangoes are loaded with beta-carotene and Vitamin A. For a glowing skin, smear mango pulp on your face and leave it on for 30 minutes. Beta-carotene and Vitamin A present in mango help to revive the dull skin and turn your skin into a radiant one.

Helps fight acne: The beta-carotene in mango helps fight acne. The best time to apply mango pulp is at night. Apply a handful of mango pulp at night and keep it for an hour. Wash your face before going off to sleep. Alternately, boil a raw mango until the water is reduced to half. Use this water as facial astringent for drying up acne naturally. Use the mango astringent regularly on your face to get rid of acne, pimples and scars.

Helps get a fair skin: Beta-carotene in mangoes has a strong anti aging effect. In addition, Vitamin C in mangoes helps rest down collagen. Mangoes are a great way to reduce dark spots, freckles, acne scars and pigmentation. Apply mango pulp during summer to get a clear and fair skin that is free of blemishes, wrinkles, scars and acne.

Acts as a great exfoliating agent: Mango pulp when applied on skin along with glycerine or honey, helps to exfoliate dead skin cells. This, in turn, results in a smooth and glowing skin. Mix one spoon of mango pulp with one spoon of raw milk and two spoons of honey. Rub the paste on your face gently to remove blackheads and whiteheads. You can use mango scrub for removing dead skin cells and bring back the natural glow.

Acts as a natural peel off mask: We are aware of chemical peel off masks available in the market and their benefits on skin. Raw mango pulp is high in AHA (alpha hydroxyl acid) and Vitamin C, both of which are excellent peeling agents. Vitamin A does wonders to your skin and its deficiency can cause dullness, result in open pores as well as lead to eruptions on the arms, elbows and knees.

It is beneficial for hair: The seed of mango (soft part after breaking the outer hard seed) when kept in oil (any) for few days, and then applied, helps you to get rid of grey hair and prevents hair loss. When the same is mixed with fenugreek and yogurt, it serves as an excellent home remedy for dandruff.

Helps to form happy hormone: Mangoes contain a lot of tryptophan, which helps in the formation of the ‘happiness-hormone’ serotonin. A rise in happy hormone automatically cheers you up and brings back the natural glow on your face. Mango is thus called a happy fruit.
With inputs from Dr Apratim Goel, of Cutis Skincare Studio

Also Read: Mumbai Food: 8 Delicious Mango Dishes You Must Try During Summer

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Representational Image

It may sound audacious to some but Facebook thinks that sharing with a trained employee of the company the intimate images that you fear might go viral in the social networking platforms can help it stop their spread, thereby protecting your privacy.

The social networking giant on Tuesday said it was testing a reporting tool so that people who worry that someone might want to harm them by sharing an intimate image can proactively upload it, which will eventually help Facebook to block anyone else from sharing it on Facebook, Instagram, or Messenger.

Facebook said it entered into partnership with safety organisations on a way for people to securely submit photos they fear will be shared without their consent -- images that are also referred to as "revenge porn" or "non-consensual pornography".

"This pilot programme, starting in Australia, Canada, the UK and US, expands on existing tools for people to report this content to us if it's already been shared," Antigone Davis, Facebook's Global Head of Safety, wrote in a Facebook post.

From anxiety and depression to the loss of a personal relationship or a job, the result of having most intimate moments shared without permission can be devastating for a person.

And while these images harm people of all genders, ages and sexual-orientations, women are nearly twice as likely as men to be targeted, Davis said.

"This week, Facebook is testing a proactive reporting tool in partnership with an international working group of safety organisations, survivors and victim advocates, including the Australian Office of the eSafety Commissioner, the Cyber Civil Rights Initiative and The National Network to End Domestic Violence in the US, the UK Revenge Porn Helpline and YWCA Canada," Davis added.

As part of this initiative, anyone who fears an intimate image of them will be shared can contact one of Facebook's partners to submit a form.

After submitting the form, the victim receives an email containing a secure, one-time upload link. The victim can use the link to upload images they fear will be shared.

Thereafter, one of a handful of specifically trained members of Facebook's Community Operations Safety Team will review the report and create a unique fingerprint, or hash, that allows the social network to identify future uploads of the images without keeping copies of them on its servers.

Facebook said once it creates these hashes, it will notify the victim via email and delete the images from its servers within seven days.

"We store the hashes so any time someone tries to upload an image with the same fingerprint, we can block it from appearing on Facebook, Instagram or Messenger," Davis added.

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Michael Jackson

In the last few days, neurosurgeons Dr Sandeep Mohindra, Dr Manjul Tripathi and Dr Nishant S Yagnick, have all become mini celebrities at Chandigarh's Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education & Research (PGMIR). In between attending to OPD and other hospital duties, Mohindra and Yagnick have been fielding press questions, while Tripathi, currently in the UK pursuing a short course, has recorded a video to offer his version should the media approach. And, all this fuss is thanks to a 683-word paper that the trio submitted four weeks ago to The Journal of Neurosurgery which has been able to answer the question that many generations have pondered over: How did Michael Jackson manage his gravity-defying moves?

Blood on the Dance Floor
Mohindra, 45, and Tripathi, 39, have been working together for the last seven years. While Mohindra is an Additional Professor, Tripathi is an Assistant Professor and Yagnick, a registrar, has been with the institute for three years. Mohindra says the team of neurosurgeons at the institute had been reporting a lot of dance injuries — kids or amateur dancers coming in with spinal injuries from trying to copy dance moves off YouTube videos.

Dr Nishant S Yagnick and wife Shweta are amateur dancers, and regulars at contests and reallity shows

"While our textbooks have mechanisms of injury for certain sports or postures — say if you play cricket, this is the injury you are most prone to get, or this is how you will hurt yourself if you ride a bike without a helmet — not much research has been done in the field of dance. There are people turning on their heads and B-Boying, and when they come in with injuries, we wonder how they fractured these many vertebra in this specific way?"

The study began six months ago when Tripathi called in Yagnick, asking him to participate in a research to understand the bio-mechanics of certain moves. They zoomed in on MJ's anti-gravity lean which debuted in 1987.

Smooth Criminal
In the seventh minute of the video, Smooth Criminal, in which Jackson (then 29 years old), dressed in his trademark outfit, along with a group of dancers, leans forward — without bending his legs or taking any support — at an angle of 45 degrees. For the average human, this range is 20 degrees. "Medical science," says Mohindra, "fails when Jackson starts dancing."

The first thing that the trio found out was that a patent, registered under Jackson's name, made the move partially possible. "Along with fellow inventors, MJ developed a special shoe that had a slot in the heel. The triangular slot could engage a hitch member (a metallic peg, which emerged from the stage floor at just the right time), allowing the dancer to obtain the right amount of extra support to be able to lean forward beyond physiological limits. Alas, MJ's move was an illusionary trick." Yet, says Yagnick, even with this extra support, not everyone can do an MJ.

Dr Manjul Tripathi and Dr Sandeep Mohindra

Yagnick and his wife Shweta are both amateur dancers. While he has taken training in jazz and hip hop, his wife has added ballet, modern contemporary and Indian contemporary, to her repertoire. The couple regularly participates in reality shows, in fact in February they won a Punjab state-level contest. When the research idea was mooted, the couple tried to replicate the MJ lean, but realised that even with the support of the shoes, it was impossible. "We tried the angulation against the wall. Even when we held each other's feet and legs, we could not get his angulation," says Yagnick.

Speed Demon
There was then more to this. While studying various videos and trying to replicate the move, the doctors studied the muscles that come into play. To put it simply, when the human body leans forward, it's the core muscles (or the erector spinae muscles) that act like cables to support the suspended spinal column during the forward shift, preventing the body from toppling over. However, when the body leans further, the weight is transferred from the core to the to the ankle joints, "and strain is shifted to the Achilles tendon". The paper states: "This allows for a very limited degree of forward bending from the ankle joints, while keeping a stiff straight posture — unless you are Michael Jackson. Most trained dancers with strong core strength will reach a maximum of 25° to 30°..."

A] Drawings showing the "antigravity tilt" (>45° forward bend), the dance move introduced by Michael Jackson, in comparison to the normal limit of a human tilt (20° forward bend), as well as the conceptualized shoe designed by MJ and co-inventors. B] Shift of the fulcrum from the sacrum to the Achilles tendon in MJ's antigravity tilt; the pic on the right show MJ do the tilt in Smooth Criminal. Courtesy/Journal of Neurology

What then allowed Jackson to manage what few could? Several years of training and special exercises, not unlike perhaps what sprinters such as Usain Bolt perform daily. "If you see Bolt preparing for the 100 m dash, you will see the same forward bend," says Mohindra, adding, that for the most famous dancer in the world, the idea would have been to make his Achilles Tendon so strong that the two legs could hold his 60 kg weight when he shifted his weight on them. While the average tendon can hold 10k to 15 kg, for Jackson that weight almost doubled.

Heal The World
It could take months for a paper to get accepted by the Journal of Neurosurgery, but the curiosity of the gravity-defying lean is such that the journal's editor accepted it within 24 hours of submission. Not just that. Yagnick says they have been asked to continue the research with other dancers in order to understand where injuries originate and how some people, defy the spine. Hrithik Roshan, for instance, says Mohindra has scoliosis of spine i.e. an abnormal curve. "Yet, he is one of best dancers one has seen. He has, obviously trained his muscles to challenge these bio-mechanics."

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BDO, the accountancy and business advisory firm, has released a report into the rapidly growing issue businesses and governments face with fraud, including tax fraud.

South Africa pacer Dale Steyn has revealed his favourite bowling spells. Steyn was doing an #AskDale session on Twitter and a fan asked him about his best spells in international cricket. The Proteas pacer replied: Nagpur (7 against India) and Wanderers (6 against Pakistan). Steyn picked up a seven-wicket haul against India at Nagpur in 2010 in the first Test of the two-match series.

His exploits helped South Africa defeat India by an innings and 6 runs. Steyn achieved the feat in the first innings after Proteas put up a mammoth score of 558/6. Steyn picked up the wickets of Murali Vijay, Sachin Tendulkar, S Badrinath, Wriddhiman Saha, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, and Amit Mishra to finish with figures of 7-51. In the Test match against Pakistan at Johannesburg, Steyn finished with figures of 6-8 in the first innings to bundle out the opponents for just 49. Steyn picked up the wickets of Mohammad Hafeez, Nasir Jamshed, Younis Khan, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Saeed Ajmal, and Rahat Ali.

In the second innings against Pakistan, Steyn took five wickets and South Africa won by 211 runs. Steyn announced his retirement last year from red-ball cricket, which he termed as the ultimate form of the game. Explaining his decision, Steyn said that it was in the best interest of prolonging his career. He continues to remain available for South Africa in both One-Day International and T20 cricket. The fast bowler represented South Africa in 93 Tests and took 439 wickets at an average of 22.95. Steyn became the leading wicket-taker for his nation in the longest format after he went past Shaun Pollock in 2019.

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Former Indian opener Virender Sehwag has stated the real inspiration behind his swashbuckling batting technique was 'Angad' -- a character in mythological epic 'Ramayan'.

Sehwag, who was known for his great hand-eye coordination with minimal footwork, on Sunday shared a picture of 'Angad' on Twitter and said: "So here is where I took my batting inspiration from. Pair hilana mushkil hi nahi, namumkin hai. #Angad Ji Rocks."

So here is where i took my batting inspiration from :)

Pair hilana mushkil hi nahi , namumkin hai . #Angad ji Rocks pic.twitter.com/iUBrDyRQUF

— Virender Sehwag (@virendersehwag) April 12, 2020

According to mythology, it is believed that Angad -- who was part of vanar sena which helped Lord Ram in rescuing his wife Sita from Lanka -- was sent as an emissary to the court of Ravan in order to avoid war.

However, Ravan declined the offer and then to break his ego, Angad challenged that if anyone present in the court would be able to lift his feet from the ground then Lord Ram would accept defeat and leave Lanka.

But it is believed that none of the warriors present in Ravan's court was able to lift Angad's feet.

Sehwag, who played 251 ODIs and 104 Tests for India, scored 8,273 and 8,586 runs respectively. In fact, he is the only Indian cricketer to hit two triple centuries in Test cricket.

The swashbuckling opener also played 19 T20Is for India in which he amassed a total of 394 runs.

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Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin on Tuesday revealed the misconception he had about cricket while growing up.

The International Cricket Council had posted a tweet, asking everyone to reveal the misconception they had about cricket growing up.

To this Ashwin replied: "That all cricketers had aerated drinks to regain lost energy and keep good health".

Ashwin was last seen in action during India's two-match Test series against New Zealand in February this year.

The off-spinner played just one match in the series and went on to take three wickets in it.

India ended up losing the series 0-2, but the side is still at the top of the World Test Championship standings.

All sporting action across the world has come to a halt due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Ashwin would have been in action for Delhi Capitals in the Indian Premier League (IPL) if the tournament had started on March 29.

However, the tournament was postponed until April 15 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

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Cricketer-turned-politician Gautam Gambhir has called upon all countrymen to stand united and adhere to the guidelines of the government amid the ongoing lockdown in place in order to win the battle against coronavirus pandemic. "We can only win this war if we stand together and the most important thing is to follow the guidelines," Gambhir said while speaking on Star Sports 'Cricket Connected' show. "If we have been asked to stay at home and not leave our house at any circumstance then it's really important for us to follow this, as it is for the betterment of our nation," he added while requesting people to stay indoors and maintain social distancing.

"Since we were talking about donations, according to me there's no limit, if a person gives one rupee with the right emotion, it's a very big contribution," the former Indian opener further said while calling on people to make a contribution in fight towards COVID-19 which has so far claimed more than 400 lives in the country. Gambhir, who is also a BJP MP from East Delhi, has donated Rs one crore to the Delhi Government for procurement of medical equipment and treatment of COVID-19 patients in the national capital.

Besides that, he has pledged to donate his two years' salary towards Prime Minister's Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund (PM CARES Fund) and has already released Rs one crore out of his MP Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) Fund towards the relief efforts amid the coronavirus outbreak. Speaking about how he spends time at home during the lockdown, the 38-year-old said: "I have been given a responsibility during this lockdown to maintain the plants and the lawn in our garden."

"But the interesting part is that I've been watering the lawn for three days, but there's still no grass growing. Just as (VVS) Laxman does not listen to me, so also does this grass not listen to me," he added.

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Having fought cancer four years ago, former India batsman and Bengal coach Arun Lal knows a thing or two about conquering a dreadful disease and as the country battles the COVID-19 pandemic, he feels both immunity and optimism need to be kept high. The former player was detected with adenoid cystic carcinoma, a rare type of salivary glands cancer, but he overcame the disease and gained abundant hope in the process.

"It's a disease after all. You have to believe that you can fight it. You have no other choice. You have to be prepared for the worst. Hope for the best," Lal, under whom Bengal made their first Ranji final after 13 years this season, told PTI in an interaction. "You have to keep your immunity level high. You have to fight it. You have to stay positive, and believe in yourself. Eat well, sleep well, keep your immunity level high." Lal was slated for a fortnight's holiday in Europe from April 15, but the COVID-19 pandemic put paid to all his plans and he's now confined at home, like everyone else. "You have to prevent it not only for yourself but for everybody else around you. That's what I'm doing, I'm staying isolated. Looking after the elderly in the house," he said. "Nobody knows very much about it yet. You have to be very very clear that you have to stay isolated. You have to wash your hands, wear a mask. You've to be careful." With the world under lockdown to stop the spread of the deadly virus, Lal is doing his bit, looking after his ailing mother and wife, doing household chores that include cooking and cleaning.

"Gardening, cooking, cleaning. Then I've to look after my mother and wife, both are sort of semi bed-ridden. No help is also coming. Only one person I have," he said. "I sometime make the sweet dishes, or may be the odd gobhi-aloo, bhindi or karela. I also love to cook meat. I make lovely meat. 24 hours is less for me. We are managing somehow." A hard taskmaster, Lal is also making sure that his wards are engaged in training. "Now everybody is training on their own. We have laid out plans for the fast bowling unit. They are given whole plan on what to do everyday and what training, and how to do. We want to be fitter than last year." "They don't have grounds so they can only train on the roofs of their buildings, inside home, or in the drive-in and things like that. We hope to get together from July 1. But you never know. Future is very uncertain," he said. "So far we are only working with the bowling unit. Not the batsmen yet. It's been our major deficiency area. We will work very hard on them from next week," he added.

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Former India cricketer Sachin Tendulkar recalled a hilarious incident which ended up with his former teammate Mohammed Kaif getting a new nickname. The Master Blaster was referring to an incident that took place recently in the first match of Road Safety Series against West Indies XI.

Tendulkar stated that Kaif was giving his all in the field despite being 39 and that prompted others to caution him that it is the first match of the tournament and there is still a long way to go.

"We had to tell Kaif to be cautious. We nicknamed him 'bhai sahab, bhai sahab, thoda sambhalke.' It's the first match of the tournament and there are a lot of matches to be played," Tendulkar said in a video uploaded on 100 MB YouTube channel.

"What if you pull a hamstring or something. It (diving and fielding quickly) comes naturally to him. He thinks if you are fit, you continue doing those things. He was a really fit guy. He was an outstanding fielder in team," he added.

Kaif was regarded as one of the finest fielders ever to don the iconic blue jersey. He, along with Yuvraj Singh, marshalled the cover-point area with great aplomb in an era where fielding wasn't Team India's strongest suit.

Despite his incredible fielding skills, Kaif is fondly remembered by almost every Indian cricket fan for his Man of the Match performance in the Natwest Trophy final against England at Lord's in 2002.

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India pacer Mohammed Shami on Tuesday revealed what role Zaheer Khan and Wasim Akram have played in shaping his bowling career. Shami also revealed that growing up he used to look up to Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Zaheer, and Akram.

The pacer was doing an Instagram Live session with batsman Manoj Tiwary. "When we were growing up, we used to witness that India and Pakistan used to be the most intense matches. Sachin Tendulkar is a great of the game and I looked up at him when I was growing up. The best pair was of Virender Sehwag and Sachin. When it comes to batting, I used to look up to Sehwag and Sachin," Shami said during the Instagram Live session.

"When it comes to bowling, I used to look at Zaheer Khan. When India and Pakistan faced off against each other, I also used to like Wasim Akram. Both Zaheer and Akram were left-arm bowlers," he added.

Shami had a stint with Kolkata Knight Riders and as a result, he got the chance to learn from Wasim Akram as the former Pakistan bowler used to be the bowling coach of KKR.

The Indian pacer also had a chance to learn from Zaheer as the duo enjoyed a stint together at IPL franchise Delhi Capitals.

"When I came to KKR, I realised the skill and value associated with cricket. I watched Wasim Akram all my life on television, but with KKR, I had the chance to learn from him. For the initial days, I was not even able to talk to him.

"Wasim Bhai came up to me then, and he initiated the conversation with me and he started telling me things about bowling. He read me very fast, he realised what I am all about, I learnt a lot from him. If you have someone experienced close to you, then you should not shy away and try to learn maximum things as well," Shami said.

"Zaheer Bhai and I did not play much together, but whenever I got the chance to talk to him, he was very helpful. I spent time with him during IPL stint with Delhi Capitals, Zaheer Bhai is very experienced, I just wanted to learn how to go about bowling with the new ball," he added.

Shami was last seen in action during the two-match Test series against New Zealand. The pacer would have been in action for the Kings XI Punjab if the IPL had started on March 29.

However, the tournament has been postponed indefinitely due to the coronavirus pandemic.

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Former Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi has described Brian Lara as "sheer class", saying he never felt confident whenever he bowled to the West Indies legend. Afridi and Lara locked horns only twice in Test cricket but the former Pakistan skipper said the left-handed batting great had quite an "effect" on him.

"I got him out a few times but whenever I was bowling to him I always had the feeling in the back of my mind that he is going to hit me for four the next ball. He had an effect on me. I never bowled with any confidence to him," Afridi was quoted as saying by Wisden.

The 40-year-old Afridi, who snapped 395 and 48 wickets in 398 ODIs and 27 Tests, lavished praise on Lara, saying he had a brilliant footwork. "He was a world-class batsman who dominated the best spinners he came up against, even the likes of Muttiah Muralitharan in Sri Lanka," said Afridi. "His footwork against spinners was brilliant and the way he batted against such bowlers was a wonderful sight. He was sheer class."

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Swashbuckling India opener Rohit Sharma believes the presence of David Warner and Steve Smith will make the tour of Australia later this year a "different ball game" for the his side, which is also at its best right now. India won the 2018-19 Test series 2-1, their first in 71 years of touring Down Under, but it came against a depleted Australian team which didn't have Warner and Smith, who were both serving a one year ball-tampering suspension.

"I was looking forward to the New Zealand series but unfortunately, injury (calf muscle) happened at the wrong time," Rohit told 'India Today' on Wednesday. "I can't wait to go to Australia and play the Test matches there. Australia in Australia with those two guys will be a different ball game," India's white ball vice-captain said.

For him, opening is a challenge that he has relished and a testimony to that was his stupendous start against South Africa at home. However, he has been ready for the job since the 2018 Australia tour when the team management gave him enough hints. "I was told you might be opening in Tests as well. It was two years ago. I was preparing myself from then onwards," he said.

For him, watching the game from the dressing room is no fun. "You wanted opportunity, everybody wants to be out there in the middle. I wanted to play and not watch the game. "When the chance came along, I was ready. There were some technical aspects, I needed to be aware of," he said. Rohit said the Australia series will be an exciting one as this Indian team is currently playing its best cricket.

"As a team, we are playing best cricket right now, everybody wants to take the game back to the opposition. If it happens (amid the COVID-19 pandemic), it will be a great series to be part of," he said. The tour is planned between October and January but there is speculation on whether it can be conducted smoothly amid the global heath crisis which hasn't shown any signs of being under control as of now.

Former Pakistan off-spinner Saeed Ajmal is still not over the disappointment of missing Sachin Tendulkar's wicket in the lost 2011 World Cup semifinal against India and is now deriving solace from English umpire Ian Gould's recent assertion that the iconic batsman was indeed out. Tendulkar, who made crucial 85 runs in the semifinal at Mohali, was on 23 when Gould ruled him out LBW off Ajmal. But third umpire Billy Bowden, after a review, overturned the decision.

Gould, who served on the ICC's elite panel of umpires, recently said that he would stands by his decision of giving Tendulkar out. Recalling the incident, Ajmal, now 42, said, "It was straight in front and I was 100 percent sure he was out. Shahid Afridi, Kamran, Wahab and other players asked me was he (Tendulkar) out and I told them he is gone." He said he was heart-broken after the third umpire ruled Tendulkar not out. "I never got a chance to bowl to him in a Test so whenever I played against him in white ball cricket I always wanted to do my best. "More disappointing was that we lost the semifinal and it is obvious that Tendulkar's 85 runs made all the difference," he said on a television channel," he said.

"Even today, the third umpire's decision baffles me. Maybe luck was with him that day and he went on play such a crucial innings for his team," said Ajmal who played 35 Tests between 2009 and 2014, taking 178 wickets. He also took 183 wickets in 113 ODIs and 85 in 64 T20 Internationals. Ajmal said Gould was upset after his decision was overturned by the third umpire. The off-spinner's career, however, came to an unceremonious end after a tour of Bangladesh. His bowling action was reported in 2014 and he could not cope with the subsequent modification and retired in 2017.

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England Test captain Joe Root has revealed that he has faced a variety of sledges in his cricketing career, including comparison with American comedian and chat show host Ellen DeGeneres for his looks.

"I've been called Ellen DeGeneres on a number of occasions over the course of my career," Root told BBC Radio 1.

"I think there's a likeness there," he added.

The 29-year-old opted for 'Mardy Bum' by the Arctic Monkeys and 'She Moves In Her Own Way' by the Kooks as his opening two 'Mancave Anthems' while appearing on the pop music station to select some of his favourite records.

Earlier in March, Root, in an open letter addressed to the British public, had stressed on the importance of team work as a society in their fight to defeat the coronavirus pandemic which has swept the world off its feet.

"As England players we've tasted some desperate days and enjoyed exhilarating highs and tried to stay grounded throughout.

"But over the last few weeks I'm sure that many of you, like us, have experienced intense emotions as the pandemic has spread. Perhaps you have lost a loved one, fear for someone who is ill or are sick yourself.

"Perhaps you are worried about families and friends and are anxious about what the future holds. Never has teamwork been more important in our society," Root had written in the letter.

Professional cricket in England remains suspended till July 1 because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic which has claimed over 2 lakh lives across the world thus far.

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Former India cricketer Sachin Tendulkar spoke regarding an interesting story from the 1999 Adelaide Test featuring former Australia speedster Glenn McGrath. Tendulkar revealed how he managed to win a game of chess on the field against the player of McGrath's quality.

The 'Master Blaster' explained how he first remained calm and patient when McGrath was in full flow but cut loose the next morning and put pressure back on the bowler.

"In 1999, in our first match at Adelaide... the first innings there was hardly 40 minutes to go in the day's play. Glenn McGrath comes and bowls five or six maiden overs to me," Tendulkar told Star Sports during a video chat that was tweeted by BCCI.

"That was their strategy... 'let's frustrate Sachin. 70 per cent of the ball should go to (wicket-keeper) Adam Gilchrist and 10 per cent close to his bat. If he plays or chases deliveries outside the off-stump we have succeeded'.

"So I kept leaving as many deliveries as possible. There were some good deliveries where I was beaten as well. But I said 'well bowled and now go back and bowl again as I am still here'," he added.

"I remember hitting him for a few boundaries the next morning because it was a fresh day and we both were at the same level. They had a strategy but I knew their strategy was to frustrate me.

"I thought this evening I am patient but tomorrow morning I am gonna play the way I want. You won't control how I want to play but I would control where you are going to bowl."

Tendulkar also had a word of advice for current cricketer as to how to keep themselves mentally fit during lockdown. Due to coronavirus pandemic, all cricket across the world has been postponed for the time being and Tendulkar stated sometimes it is good to stay away from the game for a brief period.

"First of all I would like to tell them to recharge their respective batteries. It is important to have some off time. When you are playing regularly it is not easy to be at the top of your game. It is good to move away from cricket for a while to recharge your batteries," he said.

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England's Ben Stokes has said his Australian rival and IPL teammate Steve Smith is a "genius" as well as "strange" as he hailed the number one Test batsman. "He's still strange to play against and he's still strange to play with. And the best thing about it is that he admits it," Stokes said in a podcast broadcast by their Indian Premier League side Rajasthan Royals on Tuesday. "But I feel to be a genius you have to be a bit strange and you know he's certainly both," Stokes said from Britain. "Personally, I could not think about cricket in the way that he does when it comes to batting.

I could never be like that. Obviously, he's on all the time but that's why he averages 60-plus in Test cricket." The 30-year-old Smith averages over 62 in 73 Tests and improves to 65.11 when playing against arch-rivals England. Smith was the leading scorer in the 2019 Ashes in England, retained by Australia after the series finished 2-2, with a whopping 774 runs in four matches.

Ben Stokes

"Even though he plays for Australia, biggest rivals England and Australia, you've just got to hold your hands up sometimes to players like that and go 'yeah you're on a different level when it comes to batting,'" said Stokes, who scored 441 runs in five matches during the series. "You have to be on a different level with something to be like those guys when it comes to batting." The flamboyant all-rounder also threw his backing behind Test cricket, saying the five-day format is the "pinnacle" for him and there is no room to tinker with it.

The International Cricket Council has floated the idea of four-day Tests to deal with the cluttered cricket calendar, but the plan met with intense criticism from many within the game.

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On this day in 1995, former Australian batsman Steve Waugh played his highest Test innings as he scored 200 against West Indies at Sabina Park in Kingston. the final Test of the four-match series, playing against a fearsome West Indies attack spearheaded by Courtney Walsh and Curtly Ambrose, Waugh stood firmly at one end and guided the side to post 531 runs in the first innings after bundling the hosts for 265. Waugh's double ton was studded with 17 fours and one six.

In the second innings, Paul Reiffel and Shane Warne scalped four wickets each to bundle Windies at 213. The visitors won the match by an innings and 53 runs under the leadership of Mark Taylor, Waugh was awarded as the Player of the Match for his spectacular batting performance. Australia also won the series by 2-1 after one match ended as a draw and became the first side to defeat the invincible Caribbean team in 15 years.

Waugh played 168 Tests and scored 10,927 runs at an average of 51.06. He is at the eleventh spot in the all-time run-scorer list of the longest format. In 325 ODIs, the middle-order batsman amassed 7569 runs. He hammered 35 centuries and 95 fifties across all formats.

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Former India pacer Ashish Nehra went down the memory lane with ex-teammate Aakash Chropra during a chat on Chopra's show Aakashvani. Nehra said how he had only one pair of shoes which he used for Ranji Trophy games as well as his Test debut against Sri Lanka in Colombo in 1999.

"I wore them for the first time in Ranji Trophy and had only one pair which I took them with me to play in my first Test match in 1999. I still remember I used to get the shoe stitched after each innings and that is how it survived the entire Test," Nehra said.

Talking about practicing bowling action at the Delhi Cantonment Railway station with the club's bowling coach, Nehra said: "I wasn't alone. There used to be a bunch of us who would go to drop sir at the railway station. He would ask us to show him different bowling actions. I remember we would pick up the stones at the station and bowl with them."

The pair also discussed a game they had played at the Race Course ground in Delhi for their club team. "You remember we had to bowl into the wind and against the wind? The coach asked me why I didn't bowl you from that end. I told him that you wanted to bowl from the other end," said Chopra as the two had a good laugh going down memory lane. Left-arm pacer Nehra played 17 Tests, 120 ODIs and 27 T20Is for India.

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Indian cricketers Ravichandran Ashwin and Umesh Yadav on Thursday expressed condolences to the families affected in the Vizag gas leakage mishap. Yadav took to Twitter and wrote: "Praying for everyone affected in Vizag. Condolences to the bereaved families #VizagGasLeak.

Praying for everyone affected in Vizag. Condolences to the bereaved families 🙏🏻 #VizagGasLeak

— Umesh Yaadav (@y_umesh) May 7, 2020

"A gas tragedy now??? Omg.. The visuals are so disturbing. God !!! Please have mercy," Ashwin tweeted. Badminton player Kidambi Srikanth also tweeted about the incident which has left eight people dead, saying it is disturbing to hear about the mishap.

A gas tragedy now??? Omg.. The visuals are so disturbing. God !!! Please have mercy🙏

— lets stay indoors India 🇮🇳 (@ashwinravi99) May 7, 2020

"Disturbing to hear about the #VizagGasLeak. Hope affected people recover soon and my condolences to the families who lost their loved ones. Stay safe Vizag!" Kidambi Srikanth tweeted.

Around 120 people have been admitted to the hospital after a styrene gas leak in RR Venkatapuram village. The mishap took place at the LG Polymers industry early on Thursday morning.

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In a touching gesture, a bride ensured her grandmother staying in an assisted home gets to be a part of her wedding by visiting her on her big day amid the Coronavirus scare. Shauna Varner from Minnesota stopped at nothing to involve her grandmother Janis Krueger in her wedding, even if it was from behind the glass door.

Varner and her fiancé Travis Scepaniak had planned a big wedding but had to call it off and smaller ceremony with a small number of guests due to the Coronavirus pandemic. As it was impossible to get Krueger out of the assisted home, Varner came up with an idea to get the administration there involved to help her.

The assisted home shared the heartfelt moment of  Varner making her bridal debut in front of Janice on their Facebook page, with the caption that read, “COVID-19 cannot stop true love.” The post, which concluded with the home conveying their wishes to the couple, also read that love radiated between the grandmother-granddaughter duo as soon as the bride got out of her car.

The post shared last week garnered more than 105680 views on Facebook with over 2,600 likes and was shared 531 times. Users commenting the video praised the bride’s gesture and conveyed their best wishes to the couple.

A user said, “This is so sweet that they would come to visit Grama and make her part of their special day! Congratulations to the happy couple and your families! Your dress is beautiful and the groom looks pretty good too!” Another user said, “How beautiful grandma could still participate ! Love has no boundaries ! Wonderful that the facility help make a dream come true!” One user said, “Wow!!! Goosebumps and tears! How very special!”

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US officials believe China covered up the extent of the COVID-19 outbreak — and how contagious the disease is — to stock up on medical supplies needed to respond to it, intelligence documents show. Chinese leaders "intentionally concealed the severity" of the pandemic from the world in early January, according to a four-page Department of Homeland Security (DHS) intelligence report dated May 1 and obtained by the AP.

Marked "for official use only," the DHS analysis states that, while downplaying the severity of the virus, China increased imports and decreased exports of medical supplies. It attempted to cover up doing so by "denying there were export restrictions and obfuscating and delaying provision of its trade data," the analysis states.

Hid details from WHO
The report also says China held off informing the World Health Organisation that the COVID-19 "was a contagion" for much of January so it could order medical supplies from abroad " and that its imports of face masks and surgical gowns and gloves increased sharply.

Those conclusions are based on the 95 per cent probability that China's changes in imports and export behaviour were not within normal range, according to the report. China publicly identified the pathogen as a novel Coronavirus on January 8.

Trump 'thinks' we'll have vaccine by year end

President Donald Trump says he believes a vaccine for COVID-19 will be available by the end of the year. Trump commented Sunday night during a televised town hall. "I think we'll have a vaccine by the end of the year. We'll have a vaccine much sooner rather than later," he said. Trump also increased his projection for the total US death toll to 1,00,000 — up by as much as 40,000 from what he had suggested just a few weeks ago. So far, over 67,000 have died in US.

'Remdesivir to be out by next week'

Antiviral drug Remdesivir, approved by the USFDA for emergency use to treat COVID-19 patients, is expected to be available by early next week, the CEO of Gilead Sciences, the pharmaceutical firm manufacturing the medicine has said.

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As a last ditch effort to prevent his extradition to India, embattled liquor baron Vijay Mallya on Monday filed an application in UK Supreme Court to prevent implementation of an earlier order that made his return to India imminent.

The application came after a gap of almost two weeks after the London High Court on April 20 rejected a similar application and ordered his extradition to India to face enforcement authorities there in connection with a Rs 9,000 crore bank fraud and money laundering case involving his now defunct Kingfisher Airlines.

The UK Supreme Court is expected to hear the matter later this week. Legal experts said that if the application is rejected by Supreme Court as well, then UK Home Secretary would have to sign on Mallya's extradition papers within 28 days.

Mallya's application in Supreme Court came on the last day when such an appeal could be made in the top court. The 64-year-old businessman was given 14 days to file such an application against the order of High Court. The high court dismissed his appeal against a Westminster Magistrates' Court extradition order certified by the UK Home Secretary.

Legal experts quoted above said it is unlikely for Mallya to get a reprieve from Supreme Court as it would only look as constitutional issues and may not tamper with high court's order if other aspects are in order.

This should be music to the ears of enforcement agencies in India who have been waiting for a long time get hold of the fugitive businessman. The ED has attached several properties of Mallya in the last few years under sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

Mallya is being investigated by the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate in connection with the loan fraud case.

He was arrested by the UK authorities on April 20, 2017 on the request of the Indian investigative agencies.

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Israeli Defence Minister Naftali Bennett on Monday said he witnessed a "significant breakthrough" by the country's biological research institute in developing an antibody to COVID-19 infection. Bennett visited the labs of the Israel Institute for Biological Research (IIBR), a secretive unit that works under the Prime Minister's Office, in Ness Ziona and was briefed by the research team, who revealed that the development phase of COVID-19 antibody or passive vaccine that attacks the virus and neutralizes it in the body has been complete, his office said in a statement cited by The Jerusalem Post.

IIBR is now working to patent its antibody and secure a contract for its commercial development. All legal procedures will be coordinated with the Defence Ministry. "I am proud of the Biological Institute staff, who have made a major breakthrough," Bennett was quoted as saying. "The Jewish creativity and ingenuity brought about this amazing achievement," he added.

Last month, IIBR announced that it had begun testing its antibody-based vaccine prototype on rodents. IIBR is also involved in plasma collection from people who have recovered from infection with the new coronavirus, in the hope that this might help research, the Post reported further.

A second Israeli research team, MigVax, has also reported that it is close to completing the first phase of development of a coronavirus vaccine. Last week, it secured a USD 12 million investment from OurCrowd to accelerate the path to clinical trials.

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International tax developments could have a negative impact on Luxembourg's tax revenues and economy, the International Monetary Fund has said in its latest Luxembourg country report.

South Africa is to launch an inquiry into the reasons behind a shortfall in tax revenue collections.

The international community has made important progress in improving developing countries' ability to tax multinational enterprises and boost domestic revenue mobilization, says the annual report for the initiative Tax Inspectors Without Borders.

The OnePlus Bullets Wireless Z earphones come with a magnetic stripe on the earbuds that pause music when attached.

Globally, efforts are underway to develop a vaccine to treat Covid 19 which has stalled economic activity and led to death of over 2.77 lakh people across the world

TRA2020 conference in April 2020 has been cancelled

More information

New chemical markers intended to be used in gas oil (diesel) and kerosene in the EU are more resilient to fraud than the one currently applied, and introducing a new marker might cost less than member states currently lose in tax revenues, a new EU report says.

The Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS) has released new guidance for GST-registered persons on the completion of new boxes in the GST F5 return from next year.

The Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore has updated its guidance on the introduction from January 1, 2020, of an obligation on Singaporean taxpayers to collect GST on imported services under a reverse charge.

The OECD and the Intergovernmental Forum on Mining, Minerals, Metals, and Sustainable Development have finalized three practice notes intended to support resource-rich developing countries to protect their tax bases from erosion and profit shifting.