Cricket - Pakistan and India agree future tours programme

The International Cricket Council (ICC) logo at the ICC headquarters in Dubai, October 31, 2010

CREDIT: REUTERS/NIKHIL MONTEIRO/FILES

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Arch-rivals Pakistan and India will play six bilateral series in cricket's future tours program after N. Srinivasan was elected chairman of the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Thursday.

Pakistan did not oppose the election of India's Srinivasan and has been rewarded with a six-series agreement between 2015 and 2023

"After N. Srinivasan’s election as the first ICC chairman in a landslide, India has officially turned the MOUs (memorandum of understanding) signed earlier this year with regard to six rubbers between the two nations into binding agreements straightaway," the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said in a statement on Thursday.

"Four of these series will be hosted by the PCB in the United Arab Emirates or Pakistan with mutual consent. The six tours are now part of the Future Tours Program and are to be played from 2015 to 2023."

The Asian nations have not played each other in a full test programme since 2007, although India hosted Pakistan in a hastily arranged limited-overs series in 2013.

The PCB had initially opposed constitutional changes and a new financial model backed by India, Australia and England, but later offered 'conditional' support in return for concessions.

The PCB also said it had been granted the fourth rank after India, Australia and England in terms of the percentage of revenue to be received from the ICC over the next eight years from broadcasting and other rights.

"The third big recognition is, the ICC confirming Pakistan to get the position of the global body’s president for one year with effect from June 2015," the statement added.

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World Cup 2014: Belgium awaits the USA as Jurgen Klinsmann's German revolution continues apace

World Cup Nation, USA: some German flavour in the American melting pot is paying off for the Jurgen Klinsmann's pugnacious US team

Vindicated: Jurgen Klinsmann (right) has successfully remodelled the US team after some controversial moves  Photo: GETTY IMAGES

By Liviu Bird, World Cup Nation: USA

12:15PM BST 27 Jun 2014

After leading the United States through Group G, Jürgen Klinsmann has completed his German revolution of the American team. Along with the manager’s shrewd decisions, countrymen Fabian Johnson and Jermaine Jones have been two of the team’s top contributors in Brazil.

Sprinkle in contributions from Kyle Beckerman and Clint Dempsey, and the resulting amalgamation is fit for a nation founded by immigrants. Still, it’s the German tint to the American melting pot that has caught the most attention.

Five German-Americans made the final squad, and a sixth (Terrence Boyd) was trimmed from the 30-man initial list. That includes surprise call-up Julian Green, the 19-year-old Bayern Munich winger who hasn’t seen any action but turned heads when he was named to the final roster and the U.S.’s most famous player, Landon Donovan, was not.

Scrutiny is nothing new for Klinsmann, who led the team to a disastrous start to qualifying, losing away to Honduras. After that, a story in Sporting News relied on multiple anonymous player sources to tear into Klinsmann’s coaching ability, with one player saying his pre-match talk amounted to, “Go express yourself.”

The Honduras match and its aftermath were the first events in a game of cresting and plummeting confidence in the man charged with establishing American soccer as a worldwide powerhouse.

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In response to the players’ assertions, Klinsmann said, “My job is to elevate the program, and I can’t do that by doing the exact same of what they did before me.”

Nonetheless, the Americans seemed to echo German captain Philipp Lahm’s criticisms of Klinsmann in his autobiography. Lahm wrote that tactical training was ignored in favour of physical conditioning.

However, between losing to Honduras in February 2013 and the end of qualifying, the USA only lost one competitive match, in Costa Rica, which ended a 12-match winning streak that included winning the Concacaf Gold Cup.

Klinsmann had his team clicking, and the American fan base seemed invigorated. Jozy Altidore scored goals all summer for his country, coming off the bench to score a hat trick and cap a 4-3 comeback victory against Bosnia-Herzegovina in an August friendly.

Another 2-0 win over Mexico — the same score by which the US defeated their biggest rival in the previous three cycles at home — sealed qualification. Despite Tim Howard’s age, he seemed to be in the form of his life for club and country.

Then came another wave of scrutiny.

Klinsmann famously told The New York Times that “we cannot win thisWorld Cup because we are not at that level yet.” The quote made waves just before the World Cup, in a preview story published in early June.

Then, Donovan was left out of the squad.

Klinsmann has repeatedly stressed that players have to be pushed outside their comfort zones. Donovan was the biggest remaining link to regimes past and a stereotype that American players would rather stay at home and be comfortable than leave their shores and seek to progress to the next level but possibly fail and get lost on the bench.

The 49-year-old manager, who won a World Cup, a European Championship and two Uefa Cups as a player, said players should leave Major League Soccer and do all they can to progress to that next level in their club careers.

However, some players did the exact opposite, with Michael Bradley and captain Clint Dempsey returning to MLS from Roma and Tottenham, respectively. Perhaps Klinsmann’s rollercoaster ride at the head of US Soccer has been designed to continue pushing his players beyond where they seem willing to go.

It has only served to accentuate the backs-against-the-wall, fighting mentality the US rode to its most famous World Cup results, making the quarter-finals in 2002 and scrapping to the end of the third match in 2010 to make the round of 16 on Donovan’s stoppage-time winner against Algeria.

“Their desire to do well — their energy and commitment — is outstanding,” Klinsmann said after the group finale against Germany.

A flexible yet defensive posture against Germany was enough to lose by just one goal, which snuck the US into the knockout rounds on a series of last-second tackles and saves by Howard.

Now, the US will have to be more than committed to get beyond Belgium and likely Lionel Messi’s Argentina — they will have to be savvy.

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Algerian frenzy after Desert Foxes advance in World Cup

Algerian fans celebrate the end of their 2014 World Cup Group H soccer match against Russia, in Algiers June 26, 2014. Picture taken June 26, 2014.

CREDIT: REUTERS/RAMZI BOUDINA

PICTURE GALLERY

Algerian fans turned their capital into a frenzy of fireworks, chants and dancing on Thursday night to celebrate their team's passage into the World Cup's final 16 for the first time.

Draped in Algeria's green and white flags, fans packed downtown Algiers watching their team draw 1-1 with Russia on a large screen near the historic Grande Poste among the city's white-washed colonial buildings.

The point secured second-place behind Belgium in Group H and Algiers erupted into an explosion of fireworks, car horns, singing and chants of "1, 2, 3 Viva L'Algerie". A ship's fog horn blasted out from Algiers bay in celebration.

"Magnificent. What a pleasure to go through. It's our first time, we are representing all Arabs and Muslims," said Hassan Saheb, discussing Algeria's progress to the tournament's knockout stages with neighbours on Friday. "Everything is possible now. It's not a science, it's a game."

It was the first time in four attempts that Algeria, among the top-ranked African teams over the last two years, made it past the first round. Four years ago, in South Africa, they went home without scoring.

"They did it" screamed the headline from El Watan daily newspaper, declaring the "The Greens make history" for the team known as the Fennecs or Desert Foxes.

In France, police arrested 74 people as thousands of Algeria supporters took to the streets, with riot police firing tear gas in one case to disperse a crowd after scuffles in the southern port city of Marseille, according to a French interior ministry spokesman.

Celebrations in Algiers were tempered slightly by the prospect of facing Germany, one of the tournament favourites, in the last 16 on Monday.

Algerians have fond memories of the shock victory at their first World Cup appearance in 1982 when they beat then West Germany 2-1 in Spain in the first major win for an African country over a world soccer power.

"Germany will be difficult. For us, I think we have a 10 percent chance against them," said Algiers resident Adbas Jamal. "If we beat Germany though it will be a miracle."

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Saina Nehwal in Australian Super Series semis; Sindhu bows out

PTISaina Nehwal. File Photo

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sport

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Saina Nehwal reached the women’s singles semifinals with a comfortable straight-game win, but compatriot P.V. Sindhu failed to cross the quarterfinal hurdle in the $7,50,000 Star Australian Super Series, in Sydney on Friday.

While Sindhu, seeded eighth, lost 17-21, 17-21 against Carolina Marin of Spain, sixth-seeded Saina got the better of Eriko Hirose of Japan, winning 21-18, 21-9 in 47 minutes.

Saina got off to a fine start against her Japanese opponent, as she straight away opened up a 4-0 lead and quickly widened the gap to 8-2. But Hirose fought her way back to make it 10-10.

Although she always held an upper hand and maintained a slender lead, Hirose once again came from behind to make it 18-18.

But the world no. 8 held on and was quick to take the next three points to wrap the opening game.

A dominant display in the second game by Saina left the Japanese girl gasping for breath. And the only time Hirose even came close to the shuttler from Hyderabad was at 2-3.

Saina will face Shixian Wang in the semifinals. The Indian enjoys a 4-3 record against the world no. 2 — a two-time All England champion — although Wang has won in their last two encounters.

Sindhu crashes out

Sindhu, world no. 10, fought her heart out for 47 minutes but could not overcome the challenge posed by the 11-ranked Carolina.

Opening game was a closely fought affair with the two shuttlers exchanging the lead time and again. The game kept oscillating till it was tied at 17-17.

At this stage, the Spaniard broke off and reeled four consecutive points to seal the first game 21-17.

Sindhu tried hard to make a comeback in the second game, and put up a good fight. But it lasted only till 7-7. The Spaniard bagged a couple of points to surge ahead and then capitalised on the advantage to maintain a slight edge. At 20-15, when Carolina was serving for the match, Sindhu managed to save two match points, but eventually went down to crash out of the competition.

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Uber launches cheaper cab booking service in India

Avani Bagga,TOI Tech | Jun 26, 2014, 05.55 PM IST

Uber launched in India last September and its services are available in Bangalore, Delhi, Hyderabad, Chennai, Mumbai and Pune at present.

NEW DELHI: Uber, the US-headquartered technology company that allows users to hire luxury cars via its mobile app, has rolled out in India UberX, the affordable version of its service.

Uber launched in India last September and its services are available in Bangalore, Delhi, Hyderabad, Chennai, Mumbai and Pune at present.

UberX base fare for cab rentals is Rs 50, while the cost per kilometre is Rs 15, with the charge per minute of waiting at Rs 2. The minimum fare under UberX is Rs 150.

As per the company, UberX features mid-range, commercially licensed sedans with seating for up to four people. Vehicles include Toyota Etios and Maruti Swift DZire.

For Uber's standard service, the base price for any ride is Rs 90, and the cost per kilometre Rs 25 with the cost per minute of waiting being Rs 2.

Users can switch between the two services through a slider on the app home screen.

Bangalore was the first Indian city to get the services of Uber where it was launched in September 2013. The luxury car service was later extended to Delhi, Hyderabad, Chennai, Mumbai and Pune, and is expected to be launched in Kolkata soon.

Even though Uber doesn't own any cars and just acts like a middleman between the customer and the cab driver, it has made the task of booking a cab easier.

The fleet of cars for the luxury service include cars like Mercedes, BMW Series, and various cars from Audi.

Uber competes with the likes of Olacabs, TaxiForSure, TaxiPixi, EasyCabs and Meru.

Uber is also expected to include other modes of payment for their services soon. Currently, the users can only pay through Google wallet, PayPal or a credit card added to their Uber account, which limits the number of users in India, where most people would not be able to use these channels of payment.

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Tata-led Neotel signs broadband deal in South Africa

PTI Jun 26, 2014, 01.12PM IST

JOHANNESBURG: Tata-led South African telecoms operator Neotel has secured a ground breaking deal with the State Information Technology Agency (SITA) and the Western Cape provincial government to provide broadband services across the province over the next three years.

The project is a first-of-its-kind in South Africa and has strict guidelines to deliver sites and service levels in a true public-private partnership, by leveraging the skills, resources and expertise of each party for the provision of broadband services across the Province, the company said
.

"The Western Cape government is focused on realising its vision for the province and Neotel is extremely pleased to play the role of a partner to make the vision a reality," the Managing Director and CEO of Neotel, Sunil Joshi, said.

"Neotel is delighted and humbled to be chosen to deploy fibre optic infrastructure across the Province for the provision of broadband and voice services to Government departments and also make available these services to communities, businesses and households to create a connected Province.

The initiative is a direct outcome of the Western Cape Provincial Government's vision 2030 to let every citizen benefit from broadband in their daily lives, he said.

As part of the project, Neotel will provide connectivity to over 2 000 sites across the province to a mix of government buildings, schools, healthcare institutions, and libraries.

"We also expect many large, medium and small businesses, and other government departments to benefit from the infrastructure and connectivity as it is rolled out for their broadband, voice, data centre and VPN requirements," Joshi added.

As part of this strategic project, Neotel has also partnered with the Department of Economic Development and Tourism to provide free Wi-Fi services to local communities at a site in each ward during the project, continuing with its commitment to help with social development and uplift communities in the region.

Neotel will also offer its leading edge voice, broadband, VPN and other innovative communication services to local businesses.

This will include small or large, government departments and institutions in the Province and households as it expands its wireless and fibre network across the Western Cape Province, thereby developing the communities, and through enterprise development, exposing entrepreneurs to new opportunities for growth and developing sustainable skills, it said.

Tata Communications is the majority stakeholder in Neotel, which was established about a decade ago as a competitor to the fixed-line state operator Telkom.

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Xolo Q1011 Android KitKat smartphone launched as Amazon.in exclusive for Rs 9999

• Xolo

by Shreya Shetty - June 27, 2014

0 59

A new Xolo Q1011 smartphone running on AndroidKitKat 4.4 has been launched in India exclusively via online retailer and Flipkart archenemy Amazon, for a price of Rs 9999. It has been released at the same cost as the recently revealed Spice Stellar 600 which might sport better specs on paper, but fails miserably in one department.

The Stellar 600 offers just 4 hours of talk time in spite of having a 2500mAh battery, while the Q1011 has a 2250mAh power house and still claims to render up to 13.5 hours of talk time on 3G networks. The latter boasts of a 5-inch IPS screen with 1280 x 720p resolution visuals, a 2MP webcam and an 8MP main camera accompanied by a BSI sensor.

The Spice handset has an 8MP snapper, 3.1MP front lens and a 6-inch IPS 960 x 540p display. The Xolo device isn’t anything special to look at, just like most others in the mid-range segment priced similarly. It has a quad core chip clocking a speed of 1.3GHz and makes do with 1GB of RAM.

Xolo Q1011 specifications at a glance:

- Android Kitkat 4.4 OS
- 5-inch 1280 x 720p touchscreen
- 1.3GHz quad core processor
- 1GB of RAM, 4GB ROM
- 32GB microSD card support
- 8MP main camera, 2MP webcam
- 2250mAh Li-polymer battery
- 13.5 hours 3G talk time

While we’re on the topic of memory, we might as well mention that the Q1011 from Xolo has 4GB of internal storage as well as a microSD card slot for taking the hoarding space up to 32GB. The dual SIM smartphone will be available or begin shipping out starting from June 28, according to its listing on Amazon.in.

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Intel working on improving data security solutions

PTI | Jun 26, 2014, 06.05PM IST

Intel is working on designing various models in the field of security and surveillance across the country and is in dialogue with some state governments.

COIMBATORE: Chipmaker Intel is working on designing various models in the field of security and surveillance across the country and is in dialogue with some state governments, a top company official said.

Since security is becoming a major concern in every field, be it government or private sector, the company on a pilot basis has started working on the model in two cities.

This includes modalities in storage of data in hidden cameras in the building and the duration of keeping the content, B Suryanarayanan, director, sales, Intel South Asia, told reporters. 

While not divulging details of the location on it being confidential, he said the company was also in dialogue with some governments for designing and developing the computing solution in these fields.

It was also concentrating on providing solutions in the field of water, waste management, energy and transport sector, which were fast emerging and wanted devices to monitor the impact on environment, he said.

Suryanarayanan was here as part of the Intel Channel Symposium, showcasing the latest range of desktops, mobile devices, servers, devices enabling internet and security device based on Intel processors.

Contrary to the opinion, he said, the traditional PC segment was going strong, as the 280 million units of desk top in 2010 has grown to 600 million units in 2014 and considering the expected growth of GDP in a couple of years, the segment was also likely to grow in future, Satyanarayanan said.

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Telcos to fork out Rs 2,451 cr as one-time spectrum usage charges

News | By V&D Bureau , 27 June 2014

Nine telecom operators will have to shell out Rs 2,451 crore as one-time spectrum usage charges for
 providing services in certain circles even after the Supreme Court quashed their permits in February
2012.
The Department of Telecom will issue notices on the basis of senior advocate PP Rao's opinion that
 the Supreme Court judgment mandated the licensees to pay the government a one-time spectrum
usage charge for the circles in which they continued to provide services while quashing the telecom
licences, media

reports say.

The Supreme Court had cancelled 122 telecom licenses granted in 2008 to nine telecom operators,
 saying loopholes in the then government's spectrum allocation policy.

It had asked DoT to conduct fresh spectrum auctions based on the recommendations of the telecom
regulator.

The spectrum usage charges will be determined on a prorata basis from the day of the court order till the
 time the firms continued to render services.

"As the reserve price is stipulated for a period of 20 years and the spectrum is now offered in different
block sizes, demand made on each licensee will have to be calculated pro-rata in respect of their
 respective periods of operations and holding of spectrum," an official document quoted Rao as saying.

The total amount of one-time spectrum fee was previously calculated as Rs 1,989 crore, but it went up
to Rs 2,451 crore due to change in the closure day.

After the cancellation of licences, some operators such as Etisalat DB Telecom and S Tel exited their telecom business in India.

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99Games Online launches sequel to Dhoom 3 game

Stanley Pinto,TNN | Jun 27, 2014, 12.58 PM IST

Dhoom:3 Jet Speed has been released worldwide for Android, iOS, Windows Phone and Nokia Asha devices.

MANGALORE: The games-specialist arm of Udupi-based Robosoft Technologies has released a sequel to the popular mobile app 'Dhoom: 3 The Game' that saw over 12-plus million downloads worldwide.

Dhoom:3 Jet Speed has been released worldwide for Android, iOS, Windows Phone and Nokia Asha devices. The launch coincides with the television premiere of Dhoom:3 movie on Saturday. It has, apart from the usual game play, a goal (timer) and Facebook friend challenge mode.

Rohith Bhat, CEO, 99Games Online said, "This is the first time a sequel is being attempted for a Bollywood game. We have built an awesome game around this popular movie franchise. With Jet Speed, we hope for another successful innings like Dhoom:3 The Game."

Shilpa Bhat, senior producer, 99Games said, "Dhoom is a popular franchise and fans of Dhoom and Aamir Khan wanted new content around Dhoom. Hence we thought there was scope for a sequel. Also as the movie would premiere on Saturday, we thought it would be a good time launch."

Regarding highlights of the sequel, Shipa said, Dhoom:3 is a no end game with progressing levels. We studied analytics and observed that initial levels were difficult for certain percentage of players. We have taken care of that in the sequel. There's a friend challenge mode which enables gamer to post a challenge to his friend after reaching his/her peak levels.

After a thrilling high-speed bike race through the streets of Chicago in Dhoom:3 The Game, the chase continues on the Chicago river in Dhoom:3 Jet Speed. The game has players donning the role of the Dhoom:3 movie protagonist Sahir (Aamir Khan), as he rides a supercharged Aqua Jet through the congested Chicago River. There are obstacles to avoid and the police are at their very best with ACP Jai Dixit (Abhishek Bachchan) and Ali (Uday Chopra) leading them in the chase. The player can use a variety of power-ups to help evade and get the best score, but they must watch out for the health of the Aqua Jet. The game features realistic water animation and graphics for a great gaming experience.

Rohit Sobti, VP, Yash Raj Films Licensing said, "We are extremely excited about Dhoom:3 Jet Speed post the success of Dhoom:3 The Game. We are in the process of building a sustainable Licensing Programme of the Dhoom Franchise and gaming is a very important and ?thrilling segment for us."

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Flipkart Digiflip Pro XT712, 7-inch tab @ Rs10k is paisawasool

Flipkart Digiflip Pro XT712, 7-inch tab @ Rs10k is

 paisawasool

BY admin | June 27, 2014

There is no denying the fact that Flipkart Digiflip Pro XT712, 7-inch tab @ Rs10k is paisawasool. It is also going to give tough competition to other 7-inch tablets available in the market.

Amazon seems to have a huge competitor in India. Indian online megastore owners know the way to the people’s heart. And they have one great example to follow, Amazon.

Yes, Flipkart after a rather long wait seems to have realized that it will pay to have its own tablet. In fact the company seems that tablets have huge potential in the fast growing Indian market and they have entered it effortlessly.

The company seems to have realized that when it can sell other company’s handsets even exclusively and help them sell hundreds of thousands of units why it cannot sell its own tablets, and even smartphones. While smartphones can wait, the tablet is already out. And believe me it is going to give tough fight to other top selling tablets already available in the market.

The tablet named Digiflip comes with rather good specifications and features. The handset priced at Rs 9,999, will be available in two color versions black and white. When it comes to specifications the tab with seven inch display comes with 1280 x 800 resolution and IPS display. When it comes to processor the tablet is powered by 1.3GHz Quad Core Cortex A7 processor besides 1GB RAM. The dual SIM tablet supports 3G calling and weighs about 285 grams.

The online megastore top brass seems to be excited with the development. Michael Adnani, vice president of retail with Flipkart says “With this we have taken another step in our goal towards building an entire e-commerce ecosystem in India…With one of the largest user bases in the country, we have access to unparalleled data that allows us to predict what kind of products and services will work well in the market.”

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