Assam govt committed to making state sports capital: Sonowal
Guwahati, May 12 (PTI) Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal today said his government was commited to making the state the sports capital of the country and adequate funds have been earmarked for welfare of youths in the 2017-18 budget.”The future of the nation depends on how positively we channelize the power of the youth. The state government is committed to provide best possible opportunities to youths to exploit their abilities,” Sonowal said after laying the foundation stone of Kalaguru Bishnu Rabha Cultural and Sports Complex in Assams Dibrugarh district. He hoped that the project would provide better opportunities to youths for harnessing their talent in the field of culture and sports.He also appreciated the sporting talents among the youth of the tea tribe community and called for coordinated effort from all sections of the society in taking them forward. He also highlighted the anti-corruption measures taken by the government to ensure a responsible and accountable administration in the state. PTI DG KK KK
Saudi Arabia’s national team will face no sanction from FIFA for failing to respect a minute’s silence for the victims of the London attacks before the start of a World Cup qualifier in Australia, soccer’s global governing body said on Friday.The Saudi Arabia Football Federation earlier “unreservedly” apologised for the incident, which a former Australian government minister said showed “a disgraceful lack of respect” for the victims of the London attack.”After reviewing the match report and images of the said match, we can confirm that there are no grounds to take disciplinary action in relation to the matter you mention,” FIFA said in a statement.Eight people were killed and 50 injured after three Islamist militants drove into pedestrians on London Bridge last Saturday, then attacked revellers nearby with knives. Two of the dead were Australian.Football Federation Australia (FFA) said it had “sought agreement” from the Saudis and the Asian Football Confederation to hold the minute’s silence to honour the victims ahead of the match at Adelaide Oval late on Thursday.The Australia team duly lined up in the centre circle and linked arms but all bar one of the Saudi players dispersed around the pitch and continued to jog and stretch.”Both the AFC and the Saudi team agreed that the minute of silence could be held,” an FFA spokesman said.”The FFA was further advised by Saudi team officials that this tradition was not in keeping with Saudi culture and they would move to their side of the field and respect our custom whilst taking their own positions on the field.”advertisementThe incident prompted a social media storm, coming as it did at a time when Australians were still mourning victims of recent attacks.In addition to the Australians who died in London, a deadly siege in Melbourne on Tuesday that Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull called “an act of terrorism” claimed one victim, while an Australian schoolgirl was one of more than a dozen killed in a Baghdad car bomb blast last week.Anthony Albanese, a front bench spokesman for the opposition Labor Party, said the incident was “bloody disgraceful”.”There is no excuse here. This isn’t about culture, this is about a lack of respect,” he told Channel 9.”I’m so angry about this.”The governing body of Saudi football later issued a statement saying it “deeply” regretted the incident.”The players did not intend any disrespect to the memories of the victims or to cause upset to their families, friends or any individual affected by the atrocity,” it added.”The Saudi Arabian Football Federation condemns all acts of terrorism and extremism and extends its sincerest condolences to the families of all the victims and to the government and people of the United Kingdom.”Prime Minister Turnbull said on Friday that he had not seen video of the incident but thought everybody should condemn “terrorism”.”The whole world, the whole free world, is united in condemnation of that terrorist attack and terrorism generally,” he told reporters in Tasmania.Australia won the match 3-2 to move level on 16 points in Group B with the second-placed Saudis and leaders Japan, who have a game in hand, with two rounds to play.The top two teams win a place at the World Cup finals in Russia next year.
The Cricket Advisory Committee – Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman – will meet the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) over the coach issue in London on Friday afternoon.Importantly, India captain Virat Kohli is expected to be in the meeting as well.Reports of a rift between Kohli and current coach Anil Kumble had surfaced soon after the BCCI issued an advertisement for the next coach. But the Indian board maintained it was only following procedures and processes.Ganguly, Laxman and Tendulkar, who had roped in Kumble as coach for a one-year period in 2016 in place of Ravi Shastri, have firmly backed the legendary leg-spinner to continue.India Today had reported last week that the CAC had asked for more time and wanted to hold discussions with BCCI and Kohli. The India captain has of course dismissed any news of rifts with the coach as mere rumour.Kumble, meanwhile, will travel with the team to the West Indies for a limited-overs series comprising five ODIs and a one-off T20 International after the end of the Champions Trophy.
Hyderabad, June 25 (PTI) The Sports Journalists Federation of India, at its annual general meeting here today, decided to confer the best Sportsperson of the Year Award on the ace shuttler and Rio Olympics silver medallist P V Sindhu.The Best Team of the Year award was bagged by the Indian junior hockey squad which won the World Cup in Lucknow last December.Sindhu clinched the silver medal at last years Olympic Games in Rio.The Indian junior hockey squad won the Junior World Cup title by defeating Belgium 2-1 in the final.The period for which the awards were considered was between July last year and June this year.Both the awards would be presented at the 40th convention of the SJFI to be held in Indore in September. PTI SSR KRK RDS
Melbourne, Jun 28 (PTI) Yoga may not be as safe as popularly believed, say scientists who have found that the ancient Indian meditative practice may causes muscle and bone pain and even exacerbate existing injuries.The findings, published in the Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies, come from the first prospective study to investigate injuries caused from recreational participation in yoga.Yoga is an increasingly popular complementary or alternative therapy for musculoskeletal disorders, with millions of people practicing worldwide.”While yoga can be beneficial for musculoskeletal pain, like any form of exercise, it can also result in musculoskeletal pain,” said Evangelos Pappas from the University of Sydney in Australia.”Our study found that the incidence of pain caused by yoga is more than 10 per cent per year, which is comparable to the injury rate of all sports injuries combined among the physically active population,” said Pappas.”We also found that yoga can exacerbate existing pain, with 21 per cent of existing injuries made worse by doing yoga, particularly pre-existing musculoskeletal pain in the upper limbs,” he said.However people consider it to be a very safe activity. This injury rate is up to 10 times higher than has previously been reported.”In terms of severity, more than one-third of cases of pain caused by yoga were serious enough to prevent yoga participation and lasted more than three months,” Pappas saidHowever, 74 per cent of participants in the study reported that existing pain was improved by yoga, highlighting the complex relationship between musculoskeletal pain and yoga practice.advertisement”Pain caused by yoga might be prevented by careful performance and participants telling their yoga teachers of injuries they may have prior to participation, as well as informing their healthcare professionals about their yoga practice,” Pappas said.”Yoga participants are encouraged to discuss the risks of injury and any pre-existing pain, especially in the upper limbs, with yoga teachers and physiotherapists to explore posture modifications that may results in safer practice,” he said. PTI MHN MHN
Virat Kohli has congratulated close friend and Test cricket’s number one bowler Ravindra Jadeja for edging past Bangladesh’s Shakib Al Hasan to claim the top spot in the ICC’s Test rankings for all-rounders. Kohli and Jadeja go back a long way. They were part of the Indian under-19 team which won the World Cup in Malaysia in 2008. The two went on to debut for India soon after and have been inseparable on the field and are known to constantly banter with each other in the dressing-room.Big Congratulations to our sword master Mr Jadeja for becoming the Number 1 test all rounder with @ashwinravi99. Well done Jaddu! @imjadeja- Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) August 8, 2017Jadeja made his Test debut in 2013 against Australia and made an immediate mark. Over the next four years, he emerged from R Ashwin’s shadow to finally claim the top spot in the ICC’s rankings for Test bowlers.The spunky left-arm all-rounder was particularly impressive against England and Australia and is now in the habit of making important contributions with the bat.In the famous Lord’s Test win in 2014, it was Jadeja’s aggressive fifty in the second innings that once again turned the momentum in India’s favour.India are currently 2-0 up in the three-Test series against Sri Lanka and it was yet again Jadeja’s all-round performance which helped the team seal its first innings win Sri Lanka. After smashing an unbeaten 70, Jadeja returned to take a five-wicket haul in the face of a gutsy resistance by the hosts in their second gig.advertisementJadeja also gained nine places to reach 51st rank among batsmen while India’s wicketkeeper-batsman Wriddhiman Saha has attained a career-best 44th position after moving up four places.Meanwhile, India batsmen Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane have made notable movements after their centuries in the Colombo Test helped India take a 2-0 lead in the three-match series with an innings and 53 runs win over Sri Lanka. Pujara’s knock of 133 in his 50th Test has helped him to a career-high 888 points and third position while Rahane has moved from 11th to fifth position with a score of 132.However, it was a bitter-sweet experience for Jadeja, who was banned for the third and final Test in Pallekele for breaching the ICC’s Code of Conduct.pic.twitter.com/Qzxtn3cqrp- Ravindrasinh jadeja (@imjadeja) August 7, 2017
New Delhi, Aug 18 (PTI) Olympian and national observer for boxing Akhil Kumar today called for strict action against athletes, who recommend multiple coaches names for the Dronacharya awards. The national sports awards — Arjuna, Dronacharya and Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna — have been mired in controversy for a number of years now and the former Commonwealth Games gold- medallist wants a complete overhaul of the process. “There are two ways to cleanse the system. You can try politely and if it doesnt work, then use the rod. If theres some sanction, they would realise,” the Olympic quarter- finalist told PTI on the sidelines of a function. “If you charge athletes under section 420 of IPC (for cheating), they will learn a lesson. I find it surprising that one athlete recommends multiple coaches for Dronacharya award. Guru ek hota hai (You only have one teacher),” he said. An Arjuna awardee, Akhil cited the example of womens boxing in which there are three Arjuna awardees (MC Mary Kom, Sarajubala Devi and Sarita Devi) and as many as five “Droancharyas”. “Take my example. I wouldnt even know how many have applied for Dronacharya using my name. May be I havent even trained under them. If I discuss boxing with someone, he doesnt become my coach,” he said. “Look at our boxing (womens). We have three Arjuna awardees and count the Dronacharyas!” he said sarcastically. Asked about a solution to this age-old malaise, Akhil said the Sports Ministry should revamp the entire selection process by making it online. “Lets have every information online. Name the contenders online, cite all their national and international achievements. Mention the points associated with each event and how much points each candidate has got. No one would then question the process. You dont need committees for that. “Dont just make it a draw of lots so that no one knows whos getting the award and whos not getting it. Make it transparent so that the sanctity of such prestigious award is maintained,” he signed off. While the points system is already in place for evaluating the contenders, the selection is done by a committee, comprising former awardees. This year a retired High Court judge headed the panel to avoid controversies. The awards have not been free of controversy this year as well with ignored athletes such as tennis star Rohan Bopanna and Paralympic silver-medallist Deepa Malik complaining about the lack of recognition for their achievements. PTI KHS PM PMadvertisement
An Australia team that stared down the hardened bureaucrats and faceless money men of the nation’s cricket board to strike a huge win in pay negotiations showed precious little unity when put under pressure by Bangladesh, the ninth-ranked Test team.Steve Smith’s men arrived in Dhaka keen to get back to the cricket after an acrimonious 10-month standoff between the players’ union and Cricket Australia (CA) that reflected badly on both sides of the pay dispute.Instead, the team’s hopes of quickly restoring some of the good will lost during the boardroom wrangling was swept away in the South Asian dust by an all-too-familiar string of batting collapses as the hosts eked out a famous 20-run triumph.Australian media paid due credit to Bangladesh for engineering their first Test win over the tourists but were scathing of Smith’s team for failing to channel their superior resources into an expected victory.”And then there are the prima donnas, otherwise known as the Australian test team,” Jon Anderson fumed in Melbourne’s Herald Sun newspaper.”I use that term because these are the same players who went on strike over their pay packets, ones that dwarf most professional sportspersons in this country.”So if you want to play that game, by heck you have to make sure you back it up in the field of play.”Smith lamented that his team had failed to learn from mistakes made in India, where they won acclaim for their fight even as they were overhauled 2-1 in the tense test series in February and March.advertisementBut the tourists seemed more culpable of looking too far ahead rather than focusing on the present in their approach to the much-improved Bangladesh side.RANKING DANGERAP PhotoBefore the series, Smith justified Ashton Agar’s selection in favour of fellow spinner Steve O’Keefe, who engineered the one victory in India, as taking a long view to beat the top-ranked test side when Australia return there in four years.Usman Khawaja earned a recall as Smith forecast “a big home summer” for the stylish left-hander against Ashes foes England.Agar took five wickets but it was a mediocre return on a pitch offering prodigious spin and bounce, while Khawaja managed a total of just two runs in two innings from the combined eight deliveries he faced.Australia now face the more immediate problem of being 1-0 down in a series and the danger of falling to sixth in the world test rankings if they lose the second match in Chittagong.David Warner’s defiant second innings century broke his poor run of form on overseas pitches but few else of Smith’s batting team mates can proceed with much confidence.O’Keefe’s selection in place of injured paceman Josh Hazlewood is a sign Australia are, belatedly, taking their opponents seriously, as Bangladesh match-winner Shakib Al Hasan said they would after Wednesday’s victory.With their opponents’ pride wounded, Bangladesh can expect a fierce response from the tourists next week.There is no longer any disgrace in losing to Bangladesh, particularly on their home pitches, but there is some embarrassment when hubris has paved the way to defeat.
Caroline Garcia produced a stunning comeback to overcome Caroline Wozniacki 0-6 6-3 7-5 and advance to the last four at WTA Finals on Friday, the Frenchwoman topping the Red Group after top seed Simona Halep lost later in the day.Elina Svitolina knew she was out of the running for a semi-final berth following Garcia’s win in the day’s opening round-robin match but that did not prevent the Ukrainian from producing her best display of the week.Svitolina, who had lost her two previous Red Group encounters, blasted her way to a 6-3 6-4 victory over Halep, ending both their campaigns.”It was my last match of the season so I was just playing very freely” -@ElinaSvitolina #WTAFinals pic.twitter.com/75eiww8Eoh- WTA (@WTA) October 27, 2017That result meant Garcia, the last woman to qualify for Singapore, progressed along with Denmark’s Wozniacki, who was assured of a semi-final berth on Wednesday after easily winning her opening two pool matches.Garcia’s dream debut will continue on Saturday with a semi-final against an evergreen Venus Williams, while Woznaicki takes on White Group winner Karolina Pliskova, who can replace Halep as world number one if she wins the tournament on Sunday.Friday’s first match started as expected with Wozniacki, whose serve had been impenetrable all week, opening with a love hold before the Dane attacked a lethargic Garcia, who coughed up a couple of forehand errors to gift her an early break.Wozniacki had recorded two ‘bagels’ in the wins over Svitolina and Halep, and the 27-year-old chalked up a third 6-0 set in as many matches after just 22 minutes of dominant action.advertisementHowever, Garcia regrouped to finally get a foothold in the match in the second set, deploying her devastating forehand to full effect to fashion three breaks of serve as Wozniacki’s levels dipped.TOOTH AND NAILPlaying with more intensity was the key to @CaroGarcia’s #WTAFinals comeback win. pic.twitter.com/7NYPIWA7lp- WTA (@WTA) October 27, 2017As the match drifted into a decider, the Dane rediscovered her range. She began to assert pressure on Garcia’s weaker backhand side and was rewarded with an early break.But the Frenchwoman was fighting tooth and nail to stay in the tournament and covered every inch of the court to tie it up at 5-5 on her third breakpoint as Wozniacki attempted to serve for the match in a thrilling 10th game.Garcia once again dug deep to recover from 0-40 down in the 11th game edge ahead in the decider and the Frenchwoman sealed a memorable victory on her second match point when a Wozniacki backhand sailed long.”The first set she was playing amazing and I was a little bit down, not believing enough and she gave me nothing,” Garcia, who has now won 13 of her last 14 matches, said in a courtside interview.”Then at the start of the second set, I felt I had nothing to lose and increased my intensity and was able to find my rhythm and finish well.””At the beginning of the second set I said, ‘What do you have to lose? Nothing'” -@CaroGarcia #WTAFinals pic.twitter.com/wXDu5wBPxI- WTA (@WTA) October 27, 2017Despite going into the contest knowing she can go no further in the tournament, Svitolina came out motivated and broke Halep at the first opportunity, the Ukrainian rewarded for a far more aggressive approach than she employed in her previous ties.The world number four kept her nose in front with her positive play as Halep struggled to find any sort of rhythm and Svitolina carried the momentum of the early break all the way to a one-set lead after 32 minutes.Locked at 3-3 in the second set, Svitolina continued to play with the freedom that was missing in her opening losses and more sloppy play from Halep enabled the Ukrainian to edge ahead and she sealed victory when the Romanian found the net on the second match point..@CaroGarcia completes another incredible #WTAFinals comeback!Sees off Wozniacki 0-6, 6-3, 7-5! pic.twitter.com/n3zf3eC2X3- WTA (@WTA) October 27, 2017
Sri Lanka suffered a narrow two-wicket defeat as seamer Faheem Ashraf (3-16) became the first Pakistani to achieve a hat-trick in a Twenty20 international on Friday. (Scorecard)Pakistan, who whitewashed Sri Lanka 5-0 in the ODI series, took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match T20 series with the last match scheduled to be played at Lahore on Sunday.In yet another familiar batting collapse, Sri Lanka lost eight wickets in the last four overs and were restricted to 124-9 after being sent into bat.But Sri Lanka new captain Thisara Perera (3-24) brought his team back into contention before Shadab Khan (16 not out) hit a vital straight six in the last over and took Pakistan to 125-8 with a ball to spare.Opening batsman Danushka Gunathilaka (51) hit his maiden T20 half-century and Sadeera Samarawickrama scored 32 off 31 balls to provide Sri Lanka with an ideal launching pad to accelerate at 106-1.But the innings disintegrated when Samarawickrama was run out and then Gunathilaka, who hit four boundaries and a six, reverse swept legspinner Shadab Khan and was caught in the 17th over.Substitute fielder Mohammad Nawaz then ran out dangerman Seekkuge Prasanna and also took two smart catches in the deep, including the dismissal of captain Thisara Perera (3).Ashraf achieved a rare hat trick in the 19th over to make Sri Lanka 117-8 with Pakistan fielders holding onto sharp catches. Isuru Udana was brilliantly caught over his head by Hasan Ali at short fine leg and Mahela Udawatte was also smartly snapped close to the boundary by Babar Azam.advertisementAshraf completed his hat trick by having Dasun Shanaka leg before wicket as Sri Lanka could only score 18 runs in the last four overs.On a slow wicket Pakistan batsmen also had to pace their run-chase with singles and twos as boundaries were hard to come by.But Perera chipped in with the vital wickets of Ahmed Shehzad (27) and in-form Shoaib Malik (9) to reduce Pakistan to 55-4 by the halfway mark to its run-chase.Perera then held onto a catch to get rid of Mohammad Hafeez and then returned to have Imad Wasim leg before wicket before captain Sarfraz Ahmed (28) was run out as Pakistan slipped to 113-7.With 12 required off the last six deliveries Pakistan lost Ashraf off seamer Vikum Sanjaya’s first ball.Gunathilaka then couldn’t hold onto a sharp chance in the deep which could have dismissed Ali but instead cost Sri Lanka three crucial runs before Shadab lofted the seamer for a straight six and then scampered for two runs to raise the victory.
Mumbai, Nov 16 (PTI) Former Maharashtra football player Keith Swaine passed away after a brief illness at a hospital in Vadodara yesterday.Swaine, who also played for the Western Railway and the Mafatlal Sports Club, was 66.He is survived by his wife Donita and daughter Tracy, according to information received here today.Swaine, a lanky and versatile midfielder, had moved from Ratlam (Madhya Pradesh) to the then Bombay and first played for the Western Railway. His talent was soon noticed and he was grabbed by the Mafatlal SC, which was one of the leading football clubs in the city.He also represented Maharashtra (WIFA) in the National Football Championship for the Santosh Trophy and served both the state team and his club with distinction for many years.After hanging up his boots, he continued to work at Mafatlal Mills before its closure, and then returned to his place of birth, Ratlam, where he spent the remaining days of his life.His last rites took place in Ratlam earlier in the day. PTI SSR RSY BAS
Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere on Thursday asserted his club is aiming to defeat Tottenham Hotspur in their English Premier League (EPL) tie on Saturday and finish above them in the points table.After 11 matches, Arsenal are currently seated sixth in the table with 19 points while Tottenham are third with 23.”They’ve come a long way in the last few years, they finished above us last year, and we want to finish above them this year,” Sky Sports quoted the 25-year-old as saying.”But it’s not all about that, we don’t just look at them. We want to finish as high as we can. We know it’s going to be a tough game. It’s at the Emirates, so we have to take the game to them,” Wilshere added.The English international also said the London derby will be a massive match and they are focused to clinch three points from it.”We’ll see. You’re only as good as your last game. We lost our last game and we need to bounce back. It’s a massive game, and we’re looking to get three points. We’ll be ready for it,” Wilshere said.
NEW YORK — The best thing for the Toronto Blue Jays about the June 19 game was that it was their last one at Yankee Stadium until July 25.David Phelps pitched seven strong innings, Carlos Beltran drove in two runs and the New York Yankees won 6-4 for their 16th consecutive home victory over Toronto.“Hey, if you’re going to play in prime time, you’ve got to perform on the big stage and we didn’t do it,” Manager John Gibbons said. “We’re fully capable of doing it. We just didn’t do it. It’ll be definitely good to move on.”Melky Cabrera and Edwin Encarnacion hit two-run homers for the Blue Jays, who have lost nine of 12 and were swept for the first time since Sept. 10-12 last season by the Los Angeles Angels. Toronto has dropped 25 of 27 at Yankee Stadium dating to 2011 and hasn’t won in the Bronx since Aug. 29, 2012.Headed to Cincinnati for an interleague series this weekend, the struggling Blue Jays shuffled their rotation. They will call up right-hander Liam Hendriks from Triple-A Buffalo to start June 20 and move knuckleballer R.A. Dickey to June 22.“We think it’s important to protect the rotation a little bit,” Gibbons said. “He pitched well for us a couple of outings earlier in the year. Hopefully he gives us a boost, too. … he’ll be here for one start and he’ll go back and it’ll just kind of give those guys a little extra breather.”Dickey exited last Saturday’s loss in Baltimore with right groin tightness. “It makes sense to give him another day or two,” Gibbons said.Jacoby Ellsbury scored twice for the Yankees and hit one of three early sacrifice flies off Drew Hutchison (5-5). New York stole four bases and scratched out its fifth run when Brett Gardner was running as Derek Jeter hit an RBI groundout — preventing an inning-ending double play.Phelps (3-4) yielded two runs and struck out seven in winning his second straight outing after a four-start skid. The Yankees earned their first three-game sweep at home this season and sliced Toronto’s lead in the AL East to 1 1-2 games.“They stuck it to us pretty good all three games,” Gibbons said. “We’re just kind of treading water right now but we need to pick it up.”Citing research by the Elias Sports Bureau, the Yankees said the winning streak against Toronto is their longest at home against one team since a 19-game run vs. Cleveland from June 1960 to April 1962.With closer David Robertson receiving a rest, Adam Warren got two outs for his second save — ending a rhythm-less game that took 3 hours, 47 minutes. Gibbons was on the field five times in the first six innings for four discussions with the umpires, plus a pitching change.Phelps equaled his career high with 115 pitches and finished strong. He escaped a jam in the fifth, retired pinch-hitter Adam Lind with two on to end the sixth and then struck out two in a perfect seventh.The right-hander also picked off Cabrera at second base with two runners on in the first inning and Encarnacion at the plate. Encarnacion hit his 21st homer in the eighth, a long drive to left off Shawn Kelley that cut it to 6-4.Yankees hitters ran up Hutchison’s pitch count early, just as they did against fellow youngster Marcus Stroman in the series opener. Kelly Johnson had a sacrifice fly in the second and Beltran added one in the third.Making his Yankee Stadium debut, Hutchison threw 38 pitches in the second inning and needed 76 to get through three. He was pulled in the fifth trailing 3-2.“You’ve got to make better pitches,” Hutchison said. “When I got ahead I didn’t make good pitches to put them away, and I fell behind quite a bit, too.”Beltran hit an RBI double off Aaron Loup, and Brian Roberts stole two bases in the sixth before scoring on Jeter’s groundout. Steve Delabar walked three in the seventh, including Yangervis Solarte with the bases loaded to make it 6-2.The 23-year-old Hutchison was 3-0 with a 0.31 ERA in his previous four road starts, and 4-1 with a 1.79 ERA away from home this season. But nothing seems to go right for the Blue Jays in the Bronx. “The next time we come to town we’ve got to change that around a little bit,” Gibbons said.(MIKE FITZPATRICK, AP Sports Writer)TweetPinShare0 Shares
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — Rex Ryan already knew facing Peyton Manning is a daunting task in any week.But the fact the Denver Broncos quarterback is heading to New York five touchdown passes away from tying Brett Favre’s career record? Well, that just doesn’t sit well with the Jets coach.“Oh, God,” said a wide-eyed Ryan, drawing laughs, when informed of the impending milestone. “Let’s hope he doesn’t do it this week.”That, of course, would likely mean bad things for the Jets, who have lost four in a row and are trying to save their season before it spirals out of control. Going up against the soon-to-be touchdown tossing king isn’t exactly the ideal cure for the team’s woes.Manning, who has 503 career TD passes, threw for a career-high 479 yards last weekend with four scores in a 41-20 win over Arizona, tying Dan Marino for the most 400-yard games in NFL history with 13. Ryan was asked if the thought of Manning breaking the record against the Jets entered his mind.“No, I’m not going into the game thinking we’re going to give up five touchdown passes,” he said. “He’s beat me enough through the years. He doesn’t need to break the record against me.”Ryan is 2-5 in his career against Manning, as both a defensive coordinator with Baltimore and as a head coach with New York. One of those wins came in 2009, when Manning was pulled early to prevent injury with the playoff-bound Indianapolis Colts entering the game 14-0.And, if a five-touchdown game for Manning sounds like a stretch, he has thrown at least that many nine times in his career — eight in the regular season.That includes a seven-TD performance against Baltimore in last year’s season opener that tied an NFL record. Manning also has had five touchdown passes six times, including the playoffs, with the most recent coming against Kansas City last December.So, yeah, it’s very possible. “It’s a huge challenge for our defense,” linebacker David Harris said. “We’re facing the best quarterback of all time.”Jets defensive coordinator Dennis Thurman laughed and shook his head when he was asked how the Jets can stop Manning.“That is really funny,” Thurman said. “Everybody has jokes. Nobody else has (stopped him), right? Has anybody else stopped him?” Well, not many.Manning is off to another terrific start, with 12 touchdowns and three interceptions in the Broncos’ 3-1 start. While the touchdown mark is the headline, he also needs just 203 yards to pass Jake Plummer (11,631) for the fourth-most yards passing in Broncos history, and 335 to pass Brian Griese (11,763) for third. And it’s only Manning’s third season with the franchise.New York’s defense is ranked No. 6 overall, in terms of yardage allowed, but has struggled against the likes of Aaron Rodgers, Jay Cutler, Matthew Stafford and Philip Rivers in recent weeks. The Jets realize they need to get in Manning’s face and make him uncomfortable to have a shot at slowing him down. But, as Ryan knows, that’s easier said than done.“You can’t give him as clear a picture as he wants it to be,” Ryan said. “I think if he has a clear picture, he’s just going to carve you up. You’ve got to change some things on him.”That means mixing up defensive schemes, blitzing packages, pass-rushing pressure and coverage in the secondary.“We’ve got our hands full,” Harris said. It also means the Jets won’t rely much on old film of their successes against Manning.“He has probably studied all of that stuff already,” Thurman said. “From what I understand, he has a projector at home and has two or three different guys breaking down tapes for him two or three weeks ahead of time. He has already done that stuff. So if we go backward, we are probably playing in his wheelhouse.”The Jets got their first interception of the season last week, and trying to force turnovers has been a focus. New York is also tied for the league lead with 17 sacks, so the Jets’ front seven could be plenty active on Oct. 12th.“I’m certainly no expert on how to stop him,” Ryan said. “We’ve had some battles through the years and he’s gotten the better of it a lot of times. But, I’m not just going to sit in there and just play one or two coverages.”(DENNIS WASZAK Jr., AP Sports Writer)TweetPinShare0 Shares
NEW YORK— Yankees first baseman Greg Bird, who displayed a powerful swing after making his major league debut last August, will miss this season because of a damaged right shoulder that needs surgery.The Yankees said Monday that Bird’s labrum will be repaired by Dr. David Altchek at The Hospital for Special Surgery on Tuesday. The team said the injury is a reoccurrence of one originally sustained last May.Bird, who turned 23 in November, made his big league debut on Aug. 13 and took over at first base when Mark Teixeira got hurt. Bird hit with 11 homers, 31 RBIs and nine doubles in 157 at-bats while hitting .261. He had been viewed as protection against injuries to the oft-hurt Teixeira, who is entering the final season of his contract.NOTES: The Yankees claimed INF Ronald Torreyes off waivers from the Los Angeles Angels and designated OF Lane Adams for assignment. Torreyes made his major league debut last year with Dodgers, going 2 for 6. The Yankees got him in a trade Jan. 12, then designated him for assignment when they claimed Adams off waivers from Kansas City. The Angels claimed Torreyes on Jan. 25 and cut him two days later.TweetPinShare0 Shares
Last year Syrian refugee Yusra Mardini had to swim for her life when the boat she was traveling in while trying to reach Europe broke down; this month the teenager will be swimming in the Rio Olympics.Yusra, who is a member of the first ever Olympic refugee team, told how she and her sister Sara feared they might drown after their overloaded dinghy started taking in water as they crossed the Mediterranean to Greece.Along with another refugee they jumped in the sea and pulled the boat for three hours through the water, saving the lives of 19 others.“When I was in the water there was fear. You don’t know whether you are going to live or die,” the 18-year-old said in a video interview published by the International Organization for Migration (IOM).Yusra, who will compete in the 100-meter freestyle, is among 10 athletes in the refugee team, which will march behind the Olympic flag at Friday’s opening ceremony in Brazil.“When I was swimming for my life, I never would have believed I would be where I am now,” the IOM quoted her as saying.The two sisters, who now live in Germany, left their home in Syria’s war-battered capital Damascus a year ago and headed to Turkey.One evening they boarded a dinghy on the Turkish coast along with 20 others – around three times as many people as it was designed to carry.“Before you go on the boat, people tell you that you are going to die,” Sara told the IOM in an interview published on Monday. “So the first thing you think about when you get on that boat is death. You don’t think of anything else.”Hundreds have died crossing the Mediterranean from Turkey as they tried to reach Europe after fleeing conflicts and political turmoil in the Middle East and elsewhere.Sara, also a swimmer, said she told her sister that if their boat capsized during the journey they should just try to save themselves as it would be impossible to help everyone else. But when the engine stopped and the boat started deflating she realized she could not let the others drown.“We needed to have less weight on the boat and nobody else besides us could swim… When I first got into the water my whole body was shaking like it does just before competition,” she said. “At that very moment I felt that life was bigger than me alone. All the people on that boat were part of me. I thought it was my duty to jump in the water… if I [had left] them I would feel bad with myself for the rest of my life.”She described how her father’s friend cut off her trouser legs in the sea to stop her clothing weighing her down. After two hours she was battling exhaustion and knew she risked falling asleep and drowning.“It was getting dark and cold, the wind was blowing and I was freezing. I could not open my eyes anymore, they were full of saltwater,” she said.They eventually arrived on one of the Greek islands in the middle of the night.Her sister Yusra says she hopes her story will inspire others. “Now we are training really hard,” she said. “I think about making my parents proud and everyone who supported me.”The teenager has three dreams. “I hope that they will open the borders for refugees, and I hope to get a medal in the Olympics, and that my home town is in peace again.”[Thomson Reuters Foundation]TweetPinShare0 Shares
ATHENS (AP) — AEK took a two-point lead at the top of the Greek league after beating newcomer Lamia 1-0 Sunday.Lazaros Christodoulopoulos scored the winner with a penalty kick in the 81st, nine minutes after substituting for Tassos Bakasetas.Lamia played its home game at the Athens suburb of Peristeri, because its own stadium is still undergoing renovation.The result put AEK two points ahead of defending champion Olympiakos and PAOK. On Saturday, Olympiakos drew 1-1 at home against Asteras, and PAOK beat Panetolikos 1-0.AEK hosts Olympiakos next Sunday.Also, Panathinaikos beat Apollon 1-0 Sunday, while Larissa vs. Atromitos and Platanias vs. Kerkyra ended in scoreless draws.Panionios plays at Giannena on Monday and can go level on points with AEK if it wins.TweetPinShare0 Shares
Continue Reading Previous Mouser: Microchip SAM R34 SiPs deliver low-power LoRa solution for edge devicesNext Clientron: multi-functional POS terminal with integrated printer HCC Embedded has been awarded ISO/IEC 27001:2013 certification, one of the most widely recognized and internationally accepted information security standards. This certification reflects both HCC’s long-term commitment to quality management principles and its expertise in managing risk and protecting data on behalf of the company and its customers.With the rising frequency of data breaches, security lapses, and cyber attacks, the ISO family of standards for managing information security has become increasingly important. HCC is building up its safety processes to serve the growing demands of industries such as automotive that require ISO 26262 compliance and demand proper processes for software development. All these standards require that companies developing to them are built on sound and auditable processes that manage all aspects of risk within a system of continuous improvement.ISO 27001 uses a risk-based approach that identifies requirements and specifications for a comprehensive Information Security Management System (ISMS). The standard defines how organizations should manage information securely, including applicable security controls. To achieve this certification, an independent audit firm validated HCC’s security compliance and completed a rigorous process, in which HCC demonstrated an ongoing systematic approach to managing and protecting company and customer data. The audit process covered areas such as risk management procedures, threat mitigation, loss prevention, access control, physical security, and security practices.Share this:TwitterFacebookLinkedInMoreRedditTumblrPinterestWhatsAppSkypePocketTelegram Tags: Tools & Software 
At embedded world 2019, TQ presents the new COM Express Compact Type 6 module TQMx80UC, which is based on the 8th generation Intel Core Mobile Processors. This module is particularly suitable for industrial controllers, robotics applications, medical devices and point-of-sales.For the TQMx80UC, TQ relies on the Intel Core processor family of the 8th generation (U series). Depending on the required functionality and computing power, several CPU variants (i7, i5, i3, Pentium, Celeron) with two or four cores can be selected. With a thermal power loss of 15 watts TDP, four cores are now available for the first time in this performance class (previously two for the 7th generation U series).The memory interface is equipped with the fast DDR4-2400 technology. The memory capacity can be selected between 4 and 64 GB depending on the SO-DIMM modules used. Up to nine PCI Express lanes (Gen3; 8 GHz) are available for connecting up to five peripheral devices and can be flexibly configured in the BIOS. For the first time, the new USB 3.1 Gen2 standard is supported, which allows transfer rates of up to 10 Gbit/s. Four high-speed interfaces are available for this purpose. In addition, eMMC Flash in sizes between 8 and 128 GByte is available for the first time on the module.The COM Express Compact Module TQMx80UC with its dimensions of 95 x 95 mm and Type 6 pinout conforms to PICMG COM.0 R3.0 and is supported by the new TQ mainboard MB-COME6-3. Together with a 11 mm high heatspreader and a heatsink, this results in an ideal evaluation platform.Share this:TwitterFacebookLinkedInMoreRedditTumblrPinterestWhatsAppSkypePocketTelegram Continue Reading Previous Express Logic: X-Ware IoT platform achieves Arm PSA certificationNext congatec: 8th gen Intel Core mobile processors on embedded form factors