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It seemed like B Sai Praneeth was finally coming of age after showing years of promise. However, after the World Championships, his performance graph went down considerably. 2018, though, was going to be a new year, a new beginning and Sai Praneeth began on a positive note. But, two months into the year, things are not looking too bright for the World No 14. First, it was the omission from the Indian badminton squad for the upcoming Commonwealth Games (CWG) and then, two days later he was handed a tough draw at the All England Open....

Torres announced on Friday he is to bring down the curtain on his 18 years in professional football, which has seen him take in spells with Atletico Madrid, Liverpool, Chelsea, AC Milan and current club Sagan Tosu. He will be well remembered for his incredible three-and-a-half-season spell at Anfield, where he struck up an instant rapport with Gerrard following his £20million arrival from Atletico. And Torres, who scored a combined 41 goals with Gerrard in the 2008-09 campaign, singled out the iconic Reds captain when asked to name his favourite team-mate....

The Swede completed a high-profile move to United from Paris St Germain in June and, while his arrival is hotly anticipated, he is keen to ensure that his reputation doesn’t precede him. Ibrahimovic’s career has been littered with bans for violent conduct and well-document incidents in which he has fallen out with team-mates. The forward left a trail of outrageous quotes behind him during successful spells in Italy, France, Spain and the Netherlands and has often been ridiculed by the media for proclamations about his own brilliance....

The stress response is a complicated process. It involves our nervous and endocrine systems and it stimulates changes in a variety of body processes, including blood pressure, heart rate, muscle tension, and bowel functioning. It is the changes in bowel functioning that tie the stress response and IBS together. The Brain-Gut Connection In response to a perceived stressor (external or internal), various parts of the brain begin to communicate with one another, including the sensory cortex, the thalamus, and the brain stem....

Kohli was defiant in his tone and played down all ‘security concerns’ surrounding the tournament after the Indian team landed in England. “I don’t feel any nervousness; I saw life resume pretty normally, and that’s always a healthy sign. That’s very reassuring. I’m sure the whole squad feels that way and I’m not at all nervous about being in England — and I’m excited to play the tournament. What happened here was really saddening and very disturbing for everyone, especially in a place like England, (which) has not had many of these incidents in the past,” Kohli said....

The International Cricket Council (ICC), on Wednesday, dismissed reports linking it to any investigation into alleged attempts by English or Australian players to “cheat” the effectiveness of the Hot Spot technology during the Ashes series. An Australian television station alleged that ICC General Manager (Cricket) Geoff Allardice was flying from ICC headquarters in Dubai to Durham, the venue of the fourth Ashes Test, to investigate the matter. However, ICC Chief Executive David Richardson said: “These media reports are totally incorrect....

“It’s a fact that even matches between the lower-ranked Full Members, like Zimbabwe versus Sri Lanka for example, don’t make revenues so that the series are not making a profit or if it does it’s making a very small profit," Richardson said at the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier in Malahide. “You can imagine series between Afghanistan and the West Indies also cost a lot and the revenues might not necessarily be enough to cover those costs....

Just days before the Lankans take the field against England in a Test series, Zoysa has been charged with articles which relate to match-fixing and encouraging players to influence results. “Mr Zoysa has been provisionally suspended with immediate effect. Mr Zoysa has 14 days from 1 November 2018 to respond to the charges. The ICC will not make any further comment in respect of these charges at this stage,” said an ICC release without getting into the specifics of what Zoysa could have done to invite the charge....

South Africa U19 went on to beat Uganda U19 in their second game of the tournament after having lost their tournament opener to India U19. Batting first, South Africa put on 231 runs in their quota of overs. Dewald Brevis was the top-scorer for South Africa, scoring a 110-ball 104. Defending a modest total, the South African bowlers were up to the task as they bowled out the Ugandan side for a paltry 110 runs....

The AP’s Steve Douglas interviews Magnus in the latest podcast, while co-host Tim Dahlberg gets an Open preview from AP golf writer Doug Ferguson. Co-host Jim Litke weighs in on 1999, when he was on hand at Carnoustie as Van de Velde made a triple bogey on the last hole that would cost him the Open title. Ferguson discusses whether long hitters will be favored on a Carnoustie course that is dry and running fast, and also provides some insight into what can be expected from Tiger Woods this week....

Minerva Punjab are unbeaten in their two games so far with a draw and a win in their kitty. Ahead of their second match in the league, Arrows coach Luis Norton de Matos reiterated the fact that playing in the I-League is in itself an enriching experience for the youngsters in his squad. “Because I have European experience in training young players who four later went to be in clubs like Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain, I know exactly what the level of the players is at 16 or 17 years....

Speaking ahead of the game, coach Sanjoy Sen laid out that their priority was to get three points and make up for the lost ground. He added that weighing the league and the AFC Cup side-by-side, the I-League had more priority. “Our sole priority is to get three points. In the last two matches, we lost five points. It is very important for us to pick three points to stay in the fight for the championship....

East Bengal and Churchill Brothers beat the defending champions 2-1 – both games in which Bengaluru had taken the lead. Against DSK Shivajians, they were 2-0 down before a late comeback saw them claim their first point in three games. It was two points dropped rather than a point won in the bigger scheme of things and the club have slipped from top spot to fifth. Even if they win their game in hand, Roca’s side will still be six points behind East Bengal....

Mohun Bagan’s miseries continued as they were outclassed by Minerva Punjab 2-1 at the Salt Lake Stadium, which took the visiting team to the top of the I-League table. Bhutanese forward Chencho scored a brace to take full points for the Punjab-based side. Minerva Punjab are playing exceptional football this season; this was their sixth victory in eight matches. As per the rules of the AIFF, the “Man of the Match” must appear during the press meet following the match....

It must be noted that late last night Trevor Morgan, the now former coach of East Bengal, handed in his resignation to the club’s decision makers. That was followed by what was an initial confirmation by Armando Colaco, a former East Bengal coach himself, about his impending accession to the seven consecutive time Calcutta Football League (CFL) champions’ hot seat. It has now been confirmed that the ex-India and Dempo coach will not be heading to Kolkata....

I had just started kindergarten when women’s rights were cut in half: Female heirs would inherit half the amount of their male counterparts, and two female witnesses were needed to equal one male witness. Women judges were stripped of their judgeship. Reminiscent of pre-desegregated America, buses became segregated by gender. Those who were cursed with two X chromosomes had to sit in the back — veiled, crammed, and dispossessed of their dignity....

The 23-year-old completed his move to the Serie A side from Hertha Berlin on Monday for a reported fee of €22million. He had also been linked with Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal, but the Austria international wanted to work under a coach like the former Chelsea and Juventus boss. “I talked to Conte recently. He told me exactly what he expected of me and wants from me,” Lazaro told Inter TV....

Neville’s players got off to a winning start by beating Scotland 2-1 in Nice, where first-half goals from Nikita Parris and Ellen White ensured England survived a second-half fightback from Shelley Kerr’s side. Manchester City playmaker Walsh, who anchored the Lionesses’ midfield in their opener, said Neville’s approach suited her despite his criticism of England’s second-half display against Scotland. “People know Phil Neville by now – he’s never satisfied with any performance,” Walsh told Sky Sports News....