Italy offered Serie A clubs a glimmer of hope on Sunday after it said footballers could take part in individual training sessions as the strictest coronavirus lockdown measures begin to ease. The interior ministry's go-ahead for players to attend their club's training facilities offered fans in the football mad country the first sign that the 2019-20 season might yet be saved. Matches were abandoned on March 9 in the face of a health crisis that has now officially claimed nearly 29,000 lives in Italy and 245,000 worldwide. Some of the bigger clubs with title aspirations from the less affected regions have been talking about going back to training for weeks.

But Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte only allowed teams to resume organised activities on May 18 -- a date that might push back this season's completion into the start of the next. Several regions that have avoided the worst of the pandemic have taken matters into their own hands and allowed clubs to open their facilities for players to train on their own. Teams such as Napoli and Parma have followed the lead of Lazio -- trailing leaders Juventus by just a point -- and gave the nod for players to return. They insisted that they were not breaking the rules because Conte has allowed all Italians to start exercising in open public places starting Monday. The interior ministry bowed to the seemingly inevitable on Sunday and agreed that teams can open their facilities to players for training. "Athletes, professional or otherwise, of non-individual sports are allowed -- just as every citizen -- to exercise in public or private areas," the interior ministry said. But players must "respect social distancing rules of at least two metres and the ban on public gatherings."

'All together'
Italian media read the statement as an encouraging sign for football. "Serie A clubs (and not only) can return to training," the La Repubblica daily wrote. Yet Sports Minister Vincenzo Spadafora has noted that the path for football to return was getting "increasingly narrow". And league president Paolo Dal Pino said Serie A "will comply" should Conte decide that it was simply too dangerous to complete the campaign. The teams themselves seem hopelessly divided about what they should do. Those that play in northern regions that were hardest hit by the virus have voiced the gravest concern. Brescia president Massimo Cellino -- whose team is based at the very heart of the outbreak -- said in March that he would rather forfeit games than play in a "plague". The 63-year-old revealed that he had tested positive for the virus a few weeks later. "It would be unfortunate if some teams can start again and others cannot," Fiorentina coach Beppe Iachini said on Saturday. "I think teams like Atalanta, Milan, Inter, Juve and Turino have had more problems than the others," he said of the main northern clubs. "If we do start, we have to do it all together."

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Manchester City's Argentine footballer Sergio Aguero has revealed that the secret to his goal-scoring prowess is a switch in diet from barbecued beef to chicken.

Sergio, who joined City from Atletico Madrid for £38million (R357 crore) in 2011, is their all-time high scorer with 254 goals from 368 games.

However, he struggled with weight issues until a few years back as his love for barbecued beef steaks lowered his blood pressure, leaving him feeling dizzy on the pitch.

"From 2013 to 2016, I could not adapt to food well. Then, I met an Italian doctor online and told him what I usually ate, which was a lot of meat. He said I should try chicken at least once a week. Initially, I was like 'uhhh' but then I adapted. He told me that if I'm very hungry, I should put rice and chicken together. Today, I'm a big fan of rice. Earlier, my weight was 81 or 81.3 kg. Now I am 79.5. In football, even if it's only half a kilo, you feel the difference. It's incredible," Sergio, 31, told Argentine TV channel, TyC Sports.

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From a childhood nickname to his world champion horse, these are some of the lesser-known facts about the Real Madrid captain and legend

1. His nickname as a child was Schuster
As a child, Sergio played up front and was nicknamed ‘Bernd Schuster’ after the great German goalscorer by the friends he played with on the grass outside his apartment block. He’d go on to play in defence throughout his career, at right-back and centre-back, but has maintained his brilliant goalscoring ability. Coincidentally, he was even coached by Schuster at Real Madrid between 2007 and 2008.

2. He’s only ever worn the number 4 shirt at Real Madrid, but never for Spain…
When Ramos arrived at Real Madrid, he was touted to fill the void left by the departing legend Fernando Hierro. Ramos wasn’t shy about taking on the challenge and adopted Hierro’s famous No.4 jersey from day one. That has been the number on his back during his entire decade-and-a-half career at the Santiago Bernabéu. Funnily enough though, Ramos picked a different number for when he plays with the Spanish national team: 15.

3. He has never scored for Spain at a major tournament
Sergio is Spain’s all-time record appearance holder (170) and has scored 21 goals for his country, a mightily impressive tally for a defender. Bizarrely enough, though, he’s never scored for Spain at a major tournament. Each of his 21 strikes has come in qualification rounds, in friendlies, or in the UEFA Nations League. Beyond penalty shootouts, he’s never scored at a World Cup, European Championship or even the Confederations Cup.

4. He didn’t win a Champions League knockout tie until the age of 25
Ramos has four Champions League titles to his name, winning the tournament in 2014, 2016, 2017 and 2018. He may undoubtedly be one of the all-time greats of the competition, but it’s easy to forget that he didn’t reach the competition’s quarter-final until the age of 25. He never played in the Champions League with Sevilla, then his first few years at Real Madrid coincided with a barren spell for the capital city club in which they were consistently knocked out in the first knock-out phase. Finally, in 2010/11 after the arrival of Jose Mourinho, Ramos made it to his first quarter-final, against Tottenham Hotspur. He’s certainly overcome that initial disappointment as the years have gone on.

5. His horse Yucatán de Ramos is a world champion
Like any true Andalusian, Sergio loves horses and has done since childhood. He owns stables near his hometown of Seville, and Yucatan de Ramos, his star horse, won a world championship at the 2018 Interntional PRE Horse Fair recognising it as the finest pure-bred Spanish horse in the world.

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It is said that a friend in need is a friend indeed, and tennis champion Serena Williams is happy to be just that. Recently, when she was asked in an online interview by model Naomi Campbell to speak about good friend Meghan Markle (wife of Prince Harry), Serena sidestepped a question to protect her friend from any possible negative publicity.

In February, Meghan and Harry parted ways with the British Royal family and moved to USA, making global headlines. "Are you happy that your girlfriend Meghan Markle has moved to America," Naomi asked Serena. "Don't know what you're talking about," Serena replied. Naomi persisted: "They're on the West Coast. It's a big deal!" But Serena stuck to her stand: "Never heard of her, don't know her."

Serena and Meghan's friendship dates baack to 2010 when they first met at a Super Bowl party. She also attended her royal wedding in 2018 and even hosted Meghan's baby shower. However, the tennis champ has always worried about the negative press surrounding Meghan.

At a Wimbledon press conference last year, Serena had said: "There's negative media out there. Any time I see her [Meghan] name attached to anything, I don't read it. She couldn't be a better friend to me. Low moments, high moments, she's always there, and that's all I want to be to her."

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Tennis stars like Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova, Naomi Osaka, Kei Nishikori and others will participate in a virtual charity tennis tournament. IMG is the company coordinating the tournament titled "Stay at Home Slam" and it will be streamed on Sunday on Facebook Gaming and on the tennis Facebook page of IMG. Two-person teams will compete using the Mario Tennis Aces game on Nintendo Switch.

Competitors will play the video game from their homes across the country, and each will receive $25,000 donated to the charity of their choice, with the winner of the tournament receiving an additional $1 million in donation. "I am proud our IMG tennis clients came together so quickly to support a multitude of great causes," said Max Eisenbud, SVP of tennis clients at IMG as per the official website. "It is a testament to the people we work with across all our divisions that we were able to bring this to life in such a short amount of time."

"It's been incredible to see the creative ways athletes are using social media to support people during this difficult time," said Evan Shugerman, Facebook Athlete Partnerships Lead. "We're excited to be partnering with IMG to contribute to those efforts, which will bring some of the world's top athletes together on Facebook for an entertaining and impactful competition."

Legendary tennis player John McEnroe and popular YouTube personality iJustine (Justine Ezarik) will be commentating the matches.

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American tennis ace Serena Williams, a successful entrepreneur with fashion labels, handbags and jewelry lines to her name, believes her daughter Alexis Olympia, two, could grow up to be a good businesswoman.

Serena, currently in lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, is busy working from home with her little girl by her side throughout—even during online meetings.

"I love being a full-time mom and not having the responsibilities to travel and play. I love to spend so much time with her but it's interesting. She's in every single call that I have, every single meeting. I feel like she's getting a little bit of it, so she's going to be a really good businesswoman when this is all over," the 23-time Grand Slam champion told USA's People magazine.

The former World No. 1 offered some valuable parental advice too. "You should schedule your day well, and always include your kids. They are the voice of the future.

It's like we're living a future history lesson and that's rare. My advice to parents is to always bring your kids in. You never know what they're going to pick up," added Serena, 38.

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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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Javagal Srinath spearheaded India's pace attack in the 90s with aplomb but former South African seamer Shaun Pollock believes the Indian never got the credit he deserved. Srinath played 67 Tests and 229 ODIs between 1991 and 2003, taking 236 and 315 wickets respectively. "I thought India's Javagal Srinath didn't get the credit he deserved," Pollock said during a Sky Sports podcast discussion with former West Indies fast bowler Michael Holding and England's Stuart Broad.

"In my era, you had great combinations like Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis for Pakistan and Curtly Ambrose and Courtney Walsh for West Indies. Australia had Glenn McGrath and Brett Lee. You now have James Anderson and Stuart Broad in this era." Pollock, who snapped over 400 Test wickets and amassed more than 3,700 Test runs in 108 Tests, said one bowler who left an indelible mark on him early in his career was West Indian pace great Malcom Marshall.

"(Malcom) Marshall was next level and I was lucky enough to meet him early in my career as it made me think about fast bowling in a completely different way," he said.

However, since his retirement in 2008, Pollock has been most impressed by his fellow countryman Dale Steyn, who had overtaken him as South Africa's leading wicket taker in Tests in December, 2018.

"But since I've stopped playing, l cannot have enough respect for (Dale) Steyn. His ability to shape the ball upfront at high speed and then come back later and reverse it," he said. "He cranked it up on flat wickets and had such a good action and variations. He is something special and his stats back it up."

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Former India skipper Kapil Dev was pulled up by former Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi after he turned down Shoaib Akhtar's proposal for a India-Pakistan series to raise funds to fight the Coronavirus outbreak. But Kapil has made it clear that he is standing his ground.

"You could be emotional and say that yes, India and Pakistan should play matches. Playing matches is not a priority at the moment. If you need the money then you should stop the activities at the border. The money which will be spent can be used to build hospitals and schools. If we really need money than we have so many religious organisations, they should come forward. It is their responsibility. We offer so much money when we visit the religious shrines, so they should help the government," Kapil told Sports Tak.

In fact, he wants everyone to look at the larger picture and not even think about cricket at present. "I am looking at the larger picture. Do you think cricket is the only issue we can talk about? I am rather worried about the children who are not being able to go to schools and colleges because that is our young generation. So, I want schools to reopen first. Cricket, football will happen eventually," he added.

Afridi had earlier said: "Kapil's reaction has surprised me. I expected better from him and feel one should not talk like this in these crisis times. Sport is supposed to bring people together and build bridges. It is pretty disappointing," he said.

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When Vikrant Keni, who led the Indian team to its maiden Physical Disability T20 World Series in England last year, and teammate Gurudas Raut were invited by BCCI president Sourav Ganguly & Co to the Cricket Centre on March 4 to receive the token cheque of R65 lakh as prize money for their flawless performance, their achhe din may have begun to look like coming true.

A few weeks later, India went into lockdown to fight against the dreadful Coronavirus and the 18-player team have not received their share of R3 lakh each. The Indian cricket board has yet to release the payment but say the players will receive their dues soon.

The Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators (CoA) had approved the prize money for the Indian physically challenged team before their term ended last October. With most of the players from the T20 World Series-winning squad living a hand-to-mouth existence, they feel the BCCI prize money would make a huge difference to them especially in these COVID-19 pandemic-caused testing times.

All-rounder Ramesh Naidu, 24, whose father M Ramu earns R15,000 from driving cars at Vijaya Medical Centre in Visakhapatnam, is finding it difficult to cope with the lockdown. "My family is completely dependent on my father's income. It's difficult to manage during this period," said Naidu, who is in his last year of M Tech (Master of Technology) in Electrical Engineering at IIT Chennai. Naidu had taken an education loan of Rs 4.5 lakh.

Wasim Khan, who hails from the turbulent Kashmir region, was banking on the prize money to cope with the lockdown.

"With no job, it's quite tough to exist. My elder brother is a lawyer but he is without any work at the moment. We have some groceries at home but I don't know how long they will last. We have got no help from anyone. It will be a big relief if BCCI releases our prize money soon," said Wasim, who had scored a match-winning 40-ball 79 in the semi-final against Pakistan.

Hard-hitting batsman Sudanese Mahendaran, 29, who changed the complexion of the game in the final against England with his 11-ball 33, said the lockdown has rendered his family income-less. "There has been no income for the last month as my father has not been able to ride his auto rickshaw due to the lockdown. My close friends are helping us out," said the Tamil Nadu lad.

Bengal-based wicketkeeper batsman Debabrata Roy, 31, is confident BCCI president Ganguly will rescue the players. "I was earning R8,000 till last month as a salesman at a cloth store. I am sure Dada [Ganguly] will look into our problems," said Roy.

Left-arm spinner Anish Rajan, who was India's highest wicket-taker (11) in the tournament, has had his share of suffering in the lockdown.

Skipper Vikrant Keni (right) and teammate Gurudas Raut with the R65 lakh cheque they received from the BCCI in March. Pic/ Suresh Karkera

A mechanical engineer by profession, Rajan quit his job in 2015 to pursue a career in cricket.

"My dream was to play for India. I play as a professional for Tripunithura Cricket Club in Kochi and I also officiate in matches as umpire or scorer. However, due to the lockdown, there has been no source of income," he said.

Skipper Keni, who is lucky to have a steady source of income, sympathised with the financial condition of some of his teammates. "Most of the players from my team are struggling as they have no jobs. I think the BCCI prize money is taking time due to the lockdown," said Palghar-based Keni.

BCCI's General Manager Cricket Operations, Syed Saba Karim told mid-day on Friday that the prize money will be remitted in a couple of days. "It has been approved and in a day or two, it will be processed. The amount will be deposited in their [players'] bank account. It has been cleared from our side," Karim said.

I will talk to BCCI: AICAPC prez Ghavri

AICAPC prez Karsan Ghavri

The president of the All India Cricket Association for Physically Challenged (AICAPC), Karsan Ghavri said he would talk to the BCCI officials to release the prize money of the Physical Disability T20 World Series-winning team once the lockdown ends. "It [the prize money] was supposed to go into the players' account, but it has not happened. This is not the right time to talk. Let everything settle down. We will definitely speak to the authorities," the former India all-rounder told mid-day.
Ghavri is also hopeful of sorting out the employment problems of the physically challenged cricketers. "We are definitely trying to help them out. In fact, Nitin Gadkari, a senior minister in the central government, is helping us a lot in this regard," he added.

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Former Pakistan captain Javed Miandad has recalled how he and Zaheer Abbas went after the Indian spin attack -- comprising of Bishan Singh Bedi, Bhagwath Chandrasekhar and Erapalli Prasanna -- and scored bulk of runs in the three-match Test series in 1978-79.

Both Miandad and Abbas took the famous Indian spin troika to cleaners in the series which Pakistan won 2-0.

"Chandrasekhar, Bedi, Prasanna... India's strength was this, their spinners. And they did well around the world but when they came here (Pakistan), they were taken to the cleaners. Our players robbed them for so many runs," said Miandad in his Youtube channel.

Miandad recounted the first Test of the series played in Faisalabad and said how he and Abbas went after the Indian spinners.

"I remember that Chandrasekhar was giving some troubles to Zaheer bhai. Then he told me 'Javed please tackle him for me'. I obviously said yes. Meanwhile from the other end, Zaheer bhai was taking a lot of runs off Bedi sahib and Prasanna," said Miandad.

"Then I said, 'Zaheer bhai please allow me to take some runs too, I will also use my feet against them. I'm stuck here. I won't take a single off the last ball'," he added.

Both Miandad (154) and Abbas (176) scored big hundreds in that match which ended in a draw.

In the second Test in Lahore, there was still no respite for the Indian spinners as Abbas scored a brilliant double hundred as Pakistan won the match by eight wickets.

In the final Test in Karachi, it was the turn of Miandad to score a century as India lost the Test and ultimately lost the series 0-2.

Chandrasekhar took eight wickets in that series at an average of 48.12 while Bedi scalped six wickets at an average of 74.83. Prasanna managed to pick just two wickets in the two matches he played in the series at an average of 125.50.

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Virat Kohli's Indian team still has a long way to go before it is spoken of in the same breath as Australia of 2000s, feels former India pacer Ashish Nehra. Under Kohli's leadership, India earned its maiden series victory in Australia in 2018-19, achieving the feat after trying for seven decades. However, it can't be discounted that absence of Steve Smith and David Warner due to ball tampering ban turned out to be an important factor.

"This Indian team has to still cover a lot of distance in order to match up with that Australia team (led by Steve Waugh and then Ricky Ponting)," Nehra said during an interaction with ex-player Aakash Chopra on his show 'Aakash Vani'. "You are talking about an Australian team which won three consecutive World Cups and before that reached the final in 1996, won 18-19 Test matches in home and away conditions," Nehra added. He also did not appreciate the fact that every now and then team combination is being tinkered with. "It's not like this Indian team can not reach there but I believe the core group is very important. A person gets confused after watching many dishes on the table and so it's important to have fewer but better dishes," Nehra made his displeasure clear. He the went on to cite how team management had handled Rishabh Pant's career so far.

"KL Rahul is playing on the fifth position and Pant, the person you were preparing to succeed M.S. Dhoni, is serving drinks," the left-arm fast bowler, known for his straight forward views, said. Thanks to his inconsistency, Pant had lost his place in the Indian team in white-ball cricket to Rahul. "I know he (Pant) has missed his chances and there is no doubt about it but then you have kept him in the team because you saw the potential in him at 22-23 years," Nehra said.

Ashish Nehra

"There are a lot of talented players but they should be backed for a longer duration. Today also when we talk about the number five and six slots in Indian ODI side, then we are not sure about it," Nehra said. Nehra, who played 17 Tests, 120 ODIs and 27 T20 Internationals, feels Kohli's captaincy is still a work in progress. "Virat Kohli as a player needs no recognition as his career graph tells the entire story. Kohli as a player has done amazingly well. In captaincy, I still feel he is a work in progress. I can say he is a little bit of an impulsive captain," said the 41-year-old.

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It looks like former England skipper Nasser Hussain doesn't want to remember the 2002 Natwest Final against India.

The official Twitter handle of the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Wednesday posted a photo of the Indian team celebrating a victory and asked the fans to name the win that the Men in Blue are celebrating.

Scenes 🙌

Can you tell us which dramatic win the Indians are celebrating? pic.twitter.com/Grh0VUwzBx

— ICC (@ICC) May 6, 2020

"Scenes, Can you tell us which dramatic win the Indians are celebrating," ICC tweeted.

As soon as one sees the picture, ardent cricket fans will quickly conclude that the image is from the 2002 Natwest Final when India gained a memorable win against England at the Lord's Cricket Ground.

However, to ICC's query, Hussain replied: "No".

In the Natwest final, India was set a target of 326 to win the match. India was struggling at 146/5 when both Yuvraj and Kaif got together at the crease.

The duo put on a partnership of 121 runs to give India a glimmer of hope in the match. Yuvraj was dismissed for 69 runs, but Kaif batted well the tailenders to give India a win in the final over by two wickets and with three balls to spare.

After the win, then skipper Ganguly took off his shirt and celebrated in style at the Lord's dressing room.

During England's innings, Nasser Hussain also scored a century and went on to play a knock of 115 runs.

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It is premature to talk about resumption of cricket but India's tour of Australia later this year is likely to go ahead, BCCI treasurer Arun Dhumal said on Friday, downplaying the logistical issues likely to arise because of the COVID-19 pandemic. To ensure that the high-profile tour, starting in October, goes on as scheduled, Dhumal said quarantining of Indian players upon their arrival is a possibility even though it is not feasible before every overseas assignment. "You can't be sure of the situation prevailing at that point of time. As of now the Australia tour is on because nobody has called off that tour and same for T20 World Cup," Dhumal told PTI.

"The need for quarantine ahead of Australia tour only arises if the preceding T20 World Cup doesn't take place. If the World Cup happens, then players would have already completed their quarantine." Dhumal said isolation before the start of the tour can only be a one-off. "If quarantine becomes a norm before every tour then it would be difficult to organise games," he said.

Dhumal then went on to list the bigger logistical challenge that awaits Australia -- the T20 World Cup in October-November."...would it be possible for Australia to have so many teams (16) coming in and quarantining for two weeks? Players will be out of cricket for so long and further two weeks of quarantine and then straightaway to go into T20 World Cup. Who would be interested? So there is no clarity. "Once the situation improves and the lockdown ends, then we will see keeping the safety and health of our players in mind as that is paramount," said Dhumal.

India are scheduled to play four Tests Down Under with Cricket Australia considering an additional one. Dhumal said the five-Test series idea was discussed before the lockdown but Cricket Australia could now change its mind considering the severe financial impact COVID-19 has had on the board. If India tour doesn't take place, Cricket Australia could lose as much as 300 million Australian dollars. "The India-Australia tour is more likely to happen because it is further away and logistically it easier to organise. We will have to see what government guidelines are at that point (both India and Australian government).

"How will the team travel? There is no clarity on international travel and if we can get an exemption. We dont' know as of now. The picture is ho hazy that we can't decide anything," said Dhumal. On Cricket Australia's idea of an additional Test, Dhumal said:"As far as the fifth Test goes, that discussion happened before the lockdown. When cricket resumes, (we will see) whether any country would like to host an additional Test or have two T20s instead, which is likely to generate more revenues.

"There is a possibility that request comes from Cricket Australia only." Former Pakistan cricketers, including Shoaib Akhtar and Saqlain Mushtaq, have called for resumption of Indo-Pak cricket as the world deals with the outbreak. Former Australian spinner Brad Hogg has also proposed an Indo-Pak Test series later in the year.

Dhumal rejected all such talk. "People are talking about unthinkable things right now...They can think whatever they want to but it is for the board to decide.

"In an ideal situation, we would want to take Test cricket to a different level but given the situation, we are not even sure when T20s and ODIs can take place next," he said.

Dhumal said if the IPL doesn't take place, the board will take a hit of Rs 4000 crore. "If IPL doesn't take place the revenue loss will be Rs 4000 crore. In case, we lose the home season also, that will also be a substantial amount. BCCI is also facing huge losses. If IPL doesn't happen then we will be in a very big problem," said Dhumal. If the T20 World Cup doesn't take place in October-November, staging the IPL is a possibility in that window.

"If the situation improves by that time (September-October), we also have think about T20 WC and Asia Cup and accordingly take a call. For a full-fledged IPL to happen, you have to have at least 45-50 days. Whether we get the window, it is still a question mark."

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India's limited-over vice-captain Rohit Sharma in an Instagram Live with Australian opener David Warner said India's tour of Australia, which is scheduled after the T20 World Cup, will be a "great way" to restart international calendar.

'Love playing Australia'

"I love playing against Australia. When we won last time [in 2019], it was great for us. You guys [Warner and Steve Smith] were missing [due to ball-tampering bans]. "What our bowlers and batters did there was amazing. I am looking forward to the upcoming tour already. Hope both boards manage to get the series underway. Will be a great way to kick off cricket in the world," Rohit said.

India won their first Test series in Australia, and Warner said he was feeling helpless watching his team lose. "Watching that series was hard as you can't do anything from the outside. But I want to say that India has the best pace attack against left-handers. They zero in one spot and keep bowling there. "Mentally, it was great for Indian cricket but it was hard to watch. I felt helpless," said Warner.

The southpaw said it is unlikely that the T20 World Cup will be staged in his country in October-November because of the COVID-19 pandemic. "The ICC World Cup will not go ahead here by the looks of it. It will be difficult to get everyone (16 teams) together," he said. Warner is also not enthused by the idea of playing in front of empty stands, like Australia did against New Zealand in Sydney in March before the ODI series was called off.

Bizarre experience

"It was a bizarre experience. You could only hear echo of the cricket ball. It was bizarre. We are used to calling 'yes and no' while running between wickets but we did not need to do that. It was literally like playing a warm-up game."

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The UNESCO has said news media should be recognised and supported by all governments as an "essential service" to stop the COVID-19 "disinfodemic" that is putting lives at risk. "There seems to be barely an area left untouched by disinformation in relation to the COVID-19 crisis, ranging from the origin of the coronavirus, through to unproven prevention and 'cures', and encompassing responses by governments, companies, celebrities and others," Guy Berger, Director for Policies and Strategies regarding Communication and Information at the UN educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), said in an interview with the UN News.

According to the UN, unreliable and false information is spreading around the world to such an extent that some commentators are now referring to the new avalanche of misinformation that's accompanied the COVID-19 pandemic as a "disinfodemic". Berger said UNESCO is particularly urging governments "not to impose restrictions on freedom of expression that can harm the essential role of an independent press, but to recognise journalism as a power against disinformation even when it publicises verified information and informed opinion that annoys those in power. "There is a strong case to be made that the media deserves to be recognised and supported by governments as an essential service at this time." He stressed that the need of the hour is to improve the supply of truthful information and ensure that the demand is met.

"We are underlining that governments, in order to counter rumours, should be more transparent, and proactively disclose more data, in line with Right to Information laws and policies. Access to information from official sources is very important for credibility in this crisis. "However, this is not a substitute for information supplied by the news media, so we are also intensifying our efforts to persuade authorities to see free and professional journalism as an ally in the fight against disinformation, especially because the news media works openly in the public sphere, whereas much disinformation is under-the-radar, on social messaging apps," Berger said. The UNESCO official also pointed to a more harmful example of disinformation: encouraging the taking of medication, approved for other purposes, but not yet clinically proven as being effective against COVID-19. He said unfortunately some have capitalised on the pandemic, to spread disinformation for the purposes of advancing their own agendas.

"The motives for spreading disinformation are many, and include political aims, self-promotion, and attracting attention as part of a business model. Those who do so, play on emotions, fears, prejudices and ignorance, and claim to bring meaning and certainty to a reality that is complex, challenging and fast-changing," Berger said. He said in a time of "high fears, uncertainties and unknowns", there is "fertile ground for fabrications to flourish and grow". The big risk is that any single falsehood that gains traction can negate the significance of a body of true facts.

"When disinformation is repeated and amplified, including by influential people, the grave danger is that information which is based on truth, ends up having only marginal impact," he said. Berger noted that some people believe, wrongly, that young people or those of African descent are immune (some disinformation has a racist, or xenophobic, tone), and that those in warm climates or countries where summer is on its way, do not need to worry too much. The likely consequence, he said, is complacency, which could fuel more premature deaths. However, not everyone responsible for spreading untruths is doing so maliciously and well-intentioned people are also uncritically circulating dubious content, the UNESCO official said.

"These different motives require different responses, but we should not lose sight of the fact that, irrespective of intention, the effect of sharing falsehoods is to disinform and disempower the public, with deadly potential," he said. UNESCO has underscored that the rights to freedom of expression and access to information are the best remedies to the dangers of disinformation. These rights "enable governments and the public to take evidence-based decisions about reality, and to put in place responses that are founded on both science and human rights values, and which can get us through the pandemic in the best way", Berger said.

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A northeast China province is offering cash rewards of up to 5,000 yuan ($700) for help in catching people who illegally cross the Russian border after a flood of imported Coronavirus cases. As of Monday, China has reported a total of 1,464 imported cases of which 905 are still undergoing treatment.

Weeks after it drastically cut international flights and banned entry to foreigners to prevent a resurgence of the coronavirus crisis, China is still struggling to contain a spike in imported cases.

Most of the new infections have been in Chinese citizens returning home. A new front has emerged in Heilongjiang province, which on Tuesday reported 79 new cases in arrivals from neighbouring Russia, taking its total of imported infections to 326. Provincial authorities said on Monday that people who report illegal border crossings will receive a 3,000-yuan reward. "If the citizen captures and hands over (offenders) to relevant departments, there will be a one-off reward of 5,000 yuan," the virus prevention and control working group said.

McD apologises after store in China bans Africans

US chain McDonald's has apologised after a sign telling black people they were banned from entering a branch in southern China prompted outrage online, following reports of discriminatory treatment towards Africans in the city. A McDonald's spokesman told AFP that the notice was "not representative of our inclusive values". It said it removed the sign and temporarily closed the restaurant.

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Indonesia's Ministry of Finance is preparing a legislative response to ensure the collection of VAT on electronically supplied services to Indonesian consumers.

ECLERX SERVICES share price has plunged 5% and is presently trading at Rs 474.

Meanwhile, the BSE IT Index is at 13,667 (up 0.7%).

Among the top losers in the BSE IT Index today are ECLERX SERVICES (down 5.1%) and CYIENT (down 10.0%).

TECH MAHINDRA (up 3.1%) and MINDTREE (up 2.3%) are among the top gainers today.

Over the last one year, ECLERX SERVICES has moved down from Rs 1,134 to Rs 474, registering a loss of Rs 660 (down 58.2%)..

The BSE IT has moved down from 15,682 to 13,667, loss of 2,015 points (down 12.8%) during the last 12 months.

The top gainers among the BSE IT Index stocks during this same period were INFIBEAM AVENUES (up 15.5%) and NIIT TECHNOLOGIES (up 11.5%).

What About the Benchmark Indices?

The BSE Sensex is at 32,089 (up 0.9%). The top gainers among the BSE Sensex stocks today are HUL (up 4.3%). The most traded stocks in the BSE Sensex are ICICI BANK and RELIANCE IND..

In the meantime, NSE Nifty is at 9,383 (up 0.6%). HUL (up 4.4%) and DR. REDDYS LAB (up 4.2%) are among the top gainers in NSE Nifty.

Over the last 12 months, the BSE Sensex has moved down from 38,277 to 32,089, registering a loss of 6,188 points (down 17.15%).

ECLERX SERVICES Financial Update...

ECLERX SERVICES net profit stood at Rs 701 million for the quarter ended December 2019, compared to a profit of Rs 390 million a year ago. Net Sales rose 5.0% to Rs 3.8 billion during the period as against Rs 3.6 billion in October-December 2018.

For the year ended March 2018, ECLERX SERVICES reported 24.1% decrease in net profit to Rs 2.7 billion compared to net profit of Rs 3.5 billion during FY17.

Revenue of the company grew 2.6% to Rs 14 billion during FY18.

The current Price to earnings ratio of ECLERX SERVICES, based on rolling 12 month earnings, stands at 7.9x.

This article (ECLERX SERVICES Plunges by 5%; BSE IT Index Up 0.7%) is authored by Equitymaster.

Equitymaster is a leading 'independent' equity research initiative focused on providing well-researched and unbiased opinions on stocks listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange.

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