UiTV Connect

  National fencing squad's hopes of earning an Olympic Games quota place ended at the quarterfinal stage of the Asian Olympic qualifier tournament held in Tashkent. "Since it was one last chance to make the cut for the Olympics, the players wilted under pressure. Instead of staying calm and playing their natural game the fencers became a bit error prone that spoiled their chances," a national level coach told IANS. The two-day tournament, held last weekend, offered six quota places, including three in the women's category for the Tokyo Olympics. According to the coach, two fencers -- Sunil Kumar and Radhia Avati -- entered the quarterfinals of their respective events while other three bowed out in the first round. "Sunil gave a good account of himself in the epee event. He was leading in his quarterfinal match, but lost three vital points in the closing stages of the tournament to bow out," he said. Radhia too reached the quarterfinal stage in the women'

  In a major setback to India's Olympic Games preparation, the national women's 4x400m relay team has pulled out of next month's World Relays in Poland, said a source in the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) on Tuesday. "The team is unfit. The fastest runner in the squad, Anjali Devi, is yet to recover from an injury she had sustained in March," the source told IANS, explaining the reason for skipping the World Relays. One of the athletes said: "Three main runners are unfit. And there is no substitute." The World Relays, scheduled to be held on May 1 and 2 in Chorzow, is a qualifying competition for Tokyo Olympics as well as 2022 World Athletics Championships in Oregon, USA. As if to further compound the national team's misery, Jisna Mathew, another key runner of the women's 400m relay team, has also pulled out of the World Relays. This month, the AFI had shortlisted six athletes for the 4x400m relay team. They were: MR Poovamma, Suhba Venkates

  The world of music is mourning the death of Pandit Rajan Mishra , who passed away in Delhi on Sunday. Classical singer Rajan Mishra of the Rajan and Sajan Mishra duo breathed his last at the Capital's St Stephen Hospital due to Covid-related complications. He was 70. Singer Lata Mangeshkar tweeted: "Mujhe abhi pata chala ki bahut guni shastriya gayak Padma Bhushan Sangeet Natak Akademi puraskar se sammanit Pandit Rajan Mishra ji ka nidhan hua hai. Ye sunke mujhe bahut dukh hua. Ishwar unki aatma ko shanti pradan kare. Meri samvedanaayein unke pariwar ke saath hai (I have come to know gifted classical singer and Padma Bhushan, Sangeet Natak Akademi award-winning Pandit Rajan Mishra ji is no more. I'm heartbroken. May his soul rest in peace. I offer my condolences to his family)." Singer Hariharan posted on Instagram: "I am really sad to inform that another great soul has departed from us last night, Padma Bhushan Pandit Rajan Mishra was one of the doyens of Hind

   Table-toppers Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) will take on second-placed Chennai Supers Kings (CSK) in what will be a battle between the current India captain Virat Kohli and former India captain MS Dhoni in an Indian Premier League match at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday afternoon. While RCB have a clean slate, having won four out of four matches in the tournament so far, CSK have won three out of their four matches. Both the teams have looked in great form although CSK would be a tad worried with the way their bowling wilted under the onslaught from Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) lower order comprising Andre Russell, Dinesh Karthik and Pat Cummins, in their last match. The KKR trio took their team from 31/5 to 202 and just 18 runs short of CSK total. With RCB batting looking by far the best in the tournament, CSK need to be wary. Devdutt Padikkal and skipper Kohli shared an unbeaten 181-run partnership for the opening wicket as RCB romped to a 10-wicket win over Rajasthan Royals.

   The Nepali government has implemented a quota system for mountaineers to climb Mt. Everest aimed at preventing overcrowding on the world's tallest peak. As per the new rules enforced on Wednesday, the Nepali government has introduced a "first come, first ascent" policy, allowing certain groups of mountaineers who had received climbing permits first to summit the mountain in the first weather window, Xinhua news aency reported. Similarly, other groups are allowed to climb the mountain in other positive weather windows. "If this policy leads to an unmanageable situation, expedition organisers are allowed to arrange expeditions of maximum 170 individuals in each positive weather window through coordination among themselves," states rules. Positive weather windows remain limited as the mountaineers seek to scale the 8848.86-metre tall mountains as early as possible. The Nepali government's move has come amid intense scrutiny over a reported traffic jam on Mt

  Singer-composer Amaal Mallik recently recreated international artiste Dua Lipa's hit track "Levitating" along with Sukriti Kakar and Prakriti Kakar. Amaal thinks most of his songs over the past seven years or so -- as well as those of his brother Armaan Malik - are "global hits". "I think I can speak for myself and Armaan (Malik). Most of our music in the last six or seven years, our songs together and some of my songs from Arijit (Singh) were global hits. I get a lot of love from around the world. I have got fan clubs in Mexico and Turkey and I feel very blessed," he declares. Is Indian music getting the kind of global acclaim it deserves? "I think all of us are doing it not to make a dent outside. We just do it with all our heart and it is reaching music lovers outside of India," he says. Read More:  https://www.uitvconnect.com/newspaper/singer-composer-amaal-mallik-i-get-lot-love-around-world

  Former England captain Michael Vaughan said that Chennai Super Kings (CSK) should build their team around Ravindra Jadeja considering his all-round abilities. "You may say that Dhoni will play for 2-3 more years but let's be honest, he's not gonna play a great deal after that. So you've got to start looking at who you can build a team around and to me, Ravindra Jadeja is the kind of cricketer that I would build my team around. I just think he's that good with the ball, in the field, with the bat in hand, his mindset, his mentality is very good," said Vaughan on Cricbuzz. Jadeja played a crucial role in CSK's win over Rajasthan Royals on Monday. He took two wickets, including the all-important scalp of opener Jos Buttler and took four catches. "Jadeja for me is the kind of player to whom you can say 'You're going to bat at No.4 or 5, get in there early. We might even open the bowling with you, depending on who is batting We'll put you in

    Kangana Ranaut has taken over Karan Johar and Dharma Productions after Kartik Aryan was removed from Dostana 2 over alleged ‘unprofessional conduct’. The Bollywood superstar who has a record of criticizing Karan Johar and other unwavering supporters of Nepotism  in the industry, has now said that they should leave Kartik Aryan alone and not force him to commit suicide like Sushant Singh Rajput.   Taran Adarsh had quoted a source close to the production house saying, “Dharma has decided to replace Kartik Aaryan in ‘Dostana 2’. Kartik expressed creative differences over the script of Dostana 2 ​after one and a half years. However, he completed nearly 20 days of shoot in 2019 after reading the same script and agreeing to it.”   Dostana 2 is a sequel to the 2008 blockbuster Dostana starring Abhishek Bachchan, John Abraham and Priyanka Chopra, directed by Tarun Mansukhani. Dostana 2 is being directed by Collin D’Cunha,starring Janhvi Kapoor and Lakshya Lalwani in leading roles, along wi

  Soon after Karan Johar's banner Dharma Productions dropped their official statement on social media announcing lead actor Kartik Aaryan's exit from the film on Friday evening, netizens started slamming the production house alleging nepotism. A section of netizens also compared Kartik Aaryan's position with late Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput, who was allegedly a victim of nepotism, saying Kartik is being targeted for not being an industry insider's child, just like Sushant. Fans are also threatening to boycott "Dostana 2". The statement issued by Dharma Productions on Friday evening read: "Due to professional circumstances, on which we have decided to maintain a dignified silence -- we will be recasting Dostana 2, directed by Collin D'Cunha. Please wait for the official announcement soon." While the comments section on the Dharma Productions official Twitter account was soon disabled, netizens continued venting anger on their official Fa

  Rafael Nadal and other leading players at the Monte-Carlo Masters face a nervous wait on Tuesday after world No. 2 Daniil Medvedev tested positive for Covid-19. The announcement came ahead of the third day of play at one of the ATP's biggest events, with Medvedev replaced in the draw by Argentinian lucky loser Juan Ignacio Londero, reports DPA. Medvedev said in a statement: "It's a big disappointment not to play in Monte-Carlo. My focus is now on recovery and I look forward to getting back out on Tour as soon and as safely as possible." The ATP said the 25-year-old had been moved into isolation and was being monitored by the tournament doctor and the tour's medical team. Medvedev lives in the principality and his positive test will call into question the wisdom of the tournament allowing players to stay at home rather than in a strict bubble. The Russian practiced with Nadal on Monday and was also pictured talking to Novak Djokovic. There is no suggestion that

    Veteran Indian Wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik has been announced as part of Sky Sports' star-studded commentary lineup for The Hundred. The tournament, which will be played in a new 100-ball format, will start with a women's game between Oval Invincibles and Manchester Originals at The Kia Oval on Wednesday, July 21. The lineup will be led by former England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff, who will be one of the presenters. Flintoff's former England teammate Kevin Pietersen, England fast bowler Stuart Broad, England women international Tammy Beaumont -- who will also play for London Spirit during the tournament, are also part of the line-up. Pakistan great Wasim Akram, former Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara, West Indies' two-time T20 World Cup-winning captain Daren Sammy, and former Australia women's cricketer star Mel Jones will also be part of the commentary team along with Sky Sports regulars such as Nasser Hussain, Ebony Rainford-Brent, Rob Key, David L

   Taking its war against Jack Ma -founded empire to a serious level, Chinese regulators on Saturday slapped a record fine of 18.2 billion yuan ($2.8 billion) on e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding. The fine was imposed on Alibaba for violating anti-monopoly rules as the country seeks to rein in the power of internet conglomerates. "Alibaba accepts the penalty with sincerity and will ensure its compliance with determination," the Hangzhou-based company said in a statement. "To serve its responsibility to society, Alibaba will operate in accordance with the law with utmost diligence, continue to strengthen its compliance systems and build on growth through innovation," it added. According to South China Morning Post (owned by Alibaba), the fine on Ma's company by the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) was more than double the previous record of 6.1 billion yuan paid by chip-maker Qualcomm. In November, China proposed sweeping antitrust regulatio

  Actor Arshad Warsi on Friday got vaccinated for Covid-19 prevention at a hospital in Vile Parle and shared the news on social media. Posting photographs on Twitter and Instagram, the 52-year-old actor wrote: "Vaccine lagao immunity badhao...And it is done... more vaccinated people, equals to less coronavirus." Arshad will next be seen alongside Akshay Kumar and Kriti Sanon in the upcoming film "Bachchan Pandey". In the Farhad Samji directorial, Akshay plays a gangster who aspires to be an actor while Arshad plays his friend. Kriti will essay the role of a journalist who wishes to be a director. Arshad's "Bachchan Pandey" co-star Akshay Kumar is currently hospitalised with Covid. Akshay had shared the news with a social media post on Monday."I am doing fine, but as a precautionary measure under medical advice, I have been hospitalised. I hope to be back home soon," Akshay wrote. Read More:  https://www.uitvconnect.com/newspaper/arshad-warsi

   Three goals in the first quarter by India were not enough to dampen Argentina's spirits as the reigning Olympic champions came back with a vengeance to draw the second practice match 4-4 in Buenos Aires on Wednesday. Varun Kumar (7th minute), Rajkumar Pal (13th) and Rupinder Pal Singh (14th) struck in the first quarter to rattle the hosts, but Argentina, after their 3-4 defeat in the opening match on Tuesday, came back strongly to score through Leandro Tolini (10th), Lucas Toscani (23rd), Ignacio Ortiz (42nd) and Lucas (57th) to snatch a draw. In an action-filled match, Argentina negated India's three-goal lead in the dying minutes of the third quarter with Ignacio Ortiz scoring in the 42nd minute (3-3). But within two minutes of Ortiz's goal, Varun Kumar had again snatched the lead for India. However, Lucas's 57th-minute goal put paid to the visitors' hopes of going 2-0 up. Earlier, India made a fine start with a well-structured attack. The first goal was court

  Bayern Munich will be without Serge Gnabry for their Champions League quarter-final first leg against Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday after the winger tested positive for the coronavirus. The 25-year-old Gnabry "is feeling fine and is now quarantining at home," Bayern said on Tuesday. Earlier coach Hansi Flick told a news conference that Gnabry "has a sore throat and will most likely miss out. He added midfielder Marc Roca "got injured on Sunday and will not be involved", dpa news agency reports Whether Gnabry will be available for the second leg in Paris in six days time was not immediately clear. He previously missed two games in October from what the club later called a "false positive" coronavirus test. Flick will also miss his top scorer Robert Lewandowski, who was injured during international duty with Poland, against PSG. "I will see if everyone is fit. Everyone who was on the pitch today can probably play tomorrow. But sometimes you h

  Bollywood superstar Akshay Kumar has been admitted to hospital with Covid-19. Akshay took to social media on Monday to share the health update. "Thank you everyone for your warm wishes and prayers, they seem to be working. I am doing fine, but as a precautionary measure under medical advice, I have been hospitalised. I hope to be back home soon. Take care," Akshay Kumar tweeted. On Sunday, the actor tweeted to inform that he has tested positive for Covid-19 and is living under home quarantine. Akshay Kumar is currently shooting for his upcoming film "Ram Setu". Meanwhile, 45 crew members from the sets of the film have reportedly tested Covid positive, following which the shoot has been halted, Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) president B. N. Tiwari told indianexpress.com. Read More:  https://www.uitvconnect.com/newspaper/akshay-kumar-hospitalised-due-covid-19

  Pop singer Dhvani Bhanushali , who recently launched her track "Radha", says it is challenging to stand out. However, the singer adds that it is important to do something different with every project. "It's really tough to break the clutter and do something of your own. It also gives you a lot of power in terms of expressing yourself and standing apart from the herd. I have experienced this and I am really happy that people accept me the way I am with the content that I put out. I think Indian pop music has been evolving with time and I am glad that now people are ready to accept changes," she told IANS. She says that for her latest song, she tried to do something different. "For example, recently, I tried to do a contemporary genre for my music video with no set narration. I had always wanted to push myself and step out of the box, so it is really a blessing that the audience has accepted the song with such open arms with constant appreciation pouring in

  The third T20I between New Zealand women and Australia was abandoned due to rains on Thursday, leading to the series ending 1-1. Only 2.5 overs could be bowled in the match, which started after a 90-minute delay at Eden Park. Spo The game itself was reduced to 13 overs with New Zealand winning the toss and choosing to bowl. Rosemary Mair dismissed Beth Mooney in the second over by which time it had started raining again. The two teams played out the next over after which the umpires led them back to the dugout at 4.45 p.m. local time. The match itself was called off 45 minutes later. The two teams now face each other in a three-match ODI series that will be played in Mount Maunganui from April 4. Australia are chasing their 22nd consecutive ODI win, which would be a new world record across men's and women's cricket. They would surpass the mark set by Ricky Ponting's all-conquering Australian men's team in 2003. Brief scores: Australia 14/1 in 2.5 overs (Alyssa Healy