While 2016 had people questioning the viability of smartwatches following the death of Pebble and the poor sales and adoption rates of both Android Wear and the Apple Watch, 2017 has seen a slew of new launches that might resurrect the category.Android Wear 2.0 made its debut on a pair of LG smartwatches a few weeks ago and now Huawei is set to join the party with the Huawei Watch 2. The smartwatch, as expected runs the latest version of Android Wear and comes with a round 1.2-inch face and interchangeable bands.The Huawei Watch 2 comes in two models – a ‘Classic’ version and a more sportier variant dubbed simply the ‘Huawei Watch 2’. Both variants come with a 420mAh battery with a new low power ‘watch mode’ which will allow the watch to last for a colossal 25 days whilst being able to tell the time and count steps. They are powered by the same Snapdragon 2100 chipset found on LG’s new Android Wear 2.0 smartwatches and come with a paltry 4GB of on-board storage, out of which only 2.3GB is available for the end user.Also Read: Google’s Android Wear 2.0 debuts with LG Watch Style, Watch SportBoth Huawei Watch 2 and Huawei Watch 2 Classic come loaded with sensors including GPS, NFC for Android Pay and a heart rate senor and measure a hefty 12.6 mm thick (2mm more than their predecessor). LTE is exclusive to the Huawei Watch 2 and doesn’t feature in the Classic variant. Both watches are also IP68 water and dust resistant.The Classic watch comes with a metal chassis and features a hybrid leather band which has leather on top and jointed rubber on the bottom making it look good whilst being durable and flexible. As a result of having 4G on board, the Watch 2 is bulkier than the Classic and is made of plastic in order to accommodate its LTE antenna. It also comes with a far sportier design with multiple colour optionsadvertisementAs a result of the LTE connection, the Watch 2 can be used to send texts, take calls and more without needing to be tethered to a smartphone.True to its sporty tag, the Watch 2 comes with exclusive fitness focused software features like Huawei’s ‘Fit’ feature which customises workout plans for specific activities like running, cycling and so on.Both watches are controlled solely by the touchscreen and doesn’t feature any sort of rotating crown as we saw on the LG Watch Style and Watch Sport.Price and availabilityThe Huawei Watch 2 has been priced at 350 dollars (roughly Rs 23,350) and will be available in Spain, France, Portugal, Italy, Germany, and China in March, US, UK, Holland, Belgium, Switzerland and Ireland in April and Thailand, Australia, New Zealand, Russia, India, South Africa, Poland, Austria, Saudi Arabia, Japan, UAE, and Malaysia in May.Also Read: New Nokia 3310 launched along with Nokia 3, Nokia 5, Nokia 6 Android-based smartphones
Stan Wawrinka’s single-handed backhand can withstand the pummelling it will take from Rafael Nadal in Sunday’s men’s singles final at the French Open, according to three-times former champion Mats Wilander.The 32-year-old Swiss is looking to win the title for the second time but faces the ultimate challenge for a player employing a single-hander on clay — dealing with the bouncing head-high ball delivered by the Spaniard’s forehand.No player with a single-handed backhand has ever managed to contain Nadal on Court Philippe Chatrier, where he will attempt to win an unprecedented 10th French Open on Sunday.Robin Soderling beat a weakened Nadal in 2009 and Novak Djokovic did it two years ago — but both used double-handers.”I’m sure Stan will take a few minutes to figure out how high the ball is bouncing and where to hit his one-handed backhand from,” Wilander, working for Eurosport on the broadcaster’s flagship “Game Set and Mats” show, said.”I think the difference between Stan and Dominic Thiem (who Nadal beat in the semis) is that Wawrinka has the best one-handed backhand of all time.”Also he’s strong in the upper body so he can take Nadal’s high forehand and take it early and hit it down the line.”He can get enough power so that Nadal can’t run around the backhand to get it on his forehand. If he can’t do that then it will look like all the other finals Nadal has won.”Third seed Wawrinka played stupendous tennis at times to wear down world number one Andy Murray in five sets and Wilander believes the burly Swiss will have no fear.advertisement”I think it helps Stan that he has won one here,” he said, referring to Wawrinka’s 2015 win over Djokovic.”It releases you and you believe you can win. If Stan just plays the right match, Nadal will be tight early on because he wants it so badly.”
Real Madrid striker Cristiano Ronaldo is ready to pay Spain’s tax authorities 14.7 million euros ($16.39 million) – the amount he has been accused of defrauding by a prosecutor – ahead of a court hearing next month, Spanish state TV said on Wednesday.Broadcaster TVE said, without identifying its sources, the 32-year-old would make this payment as a gesture of good will.The report added Rolando will reiterate at a hearing on July 31 that he is innocent and has never hidden any income from the taxman or committed any tax fraud in Spain.Representatives for Ronaldo declined to comment.The Spanish prosecutor says the Real Madrid forward knowingly used a business structure to hide his image rights income in Spain between 2011 and 2014. Ronaldo has denied the charges.
Roger Federer’s record-breaking 85th match win at Wimbledon did not require much work.Federer moved into the second round after just 43 minutes of action, because his opponent, Alexandr Dolgopolov, stopped in the second set with an injury.Federer was leading 6-3, 3-0.The owner of seven Wimbledon titles and 18 Grand Slam trophies in all improved to 85-11 for his career at Wimbledon. That moved him one win ahead of Jimmy Connors for most victories in the grass-court major in the Open era, which began in 1968.
Mithali Raj’s India created history after beating Sri Lanka by 16 runs in their group stage match of the Women’s World Cup at the County Cricket ground in Derby on Wednesday.With this win, India have extended their unbeaten streak to four games in the World Cup. Not only that, this is also the first time the Indian women have managed to win four matches in a row in a single women’s World Cup tournament.India beat England in the opener by 35 runs and then hammered the West Indies by seven wickets. Mithali’s women then swept aside arch-rivals Pakistan by 95 runs before making it four in four against Sri Lanka, whom they beat by 16 runs on Wednesday.India also extended their dominance against the Lankans with the win in Derby. They have now beaten Sri Lanka 24 times from 25 games. This is the best head-to-head record by a team in women’s ODI cricket. The next best head-to-head record is held by England over Ireland. The Three Lions have beaten the Irish 16 times from 17 games. They’re followed by South Africa over Ireland (15-1), England over Sri Lanka (12-1) and Australia over West Indies (9-1)Batting first, fifties from Mithali Raj and Deepti Sharma helped India scored 232/8 from their 50 overs.After a poor start by the top order batswomen, Deepti and Mithali forged a 118-run third-wicket partnership in 26 overs to stabilise the Indian innings.But just when things seemed good at the middle, Deepti was sent packing in the 37th over by pacer Ama Kanchana. Deepti slammed 10 boundaries in her 110-ball knock.advertisementNew batswoman Jhulan Goswami (9) was dismissed in the 40th over and in the same over Milthali was adjudged leg before wicket off Slow left-arm orthodox Inoka Ranaweera.Middle-order batswomen Harmanpreet Kaur (20) and Veda Krishnamurthy (29) added 50 runs for the sixth wicket before both players were dismissed by pacer S. Weerakkody in the same over.Lower-order batswomen Sushma Verma (11) and Mansi Joshi (2) struggled in the slog overs, and as a result Sri Lanka managed to keep India below the 250-run mark.For Sri Lanka, Weerakkody scalped three wickets while Ranaweera took two wickets.Chasing 233, Sri Lanka never looked in the contention as they lost their wickets at regular intervals. Middle-order players — Chamari Atapattu (25), Dilani Manodara (37) and Shashikala Siriwardene (61) — however, displayed some good batting, but Indian bowlers soon overpowered them.Besides these, however, no other Sri Lankan batswomen stepped up to the occasion and losing wickets at the regular intervals, Sri Lanka went down to India.For India, Poonam Yadav and Jhulan Goswami took two wickets each.India, who are second on the table, will next play South Africa on July 8.(With inputs from IANS)
Ferrari’s Formula One leader Sebastian Vettel looked a good bet for pole position after posting the fastest time in final practice for the Austrian Grand Prix on Saturday.The German, 14 points clear of Mercedes’s Lewis Hamilton after eight races, was 0.269 seconds quicker than his British rival, who suffered a front right brake failure that sent him off at Turn Three.Mercedes said the relevant parts would be replaced for qualifying.Vettel’s time was the fastest lap yet of the Red Bull Ring, with a time of one minute 05.092 seconds on ultrasoft tyres. Hamilton had held the previous record, set on Friday.Hamilton dominated the first two practice sessions but can start no higher than sixth after his team revealed that his car needed an unscheduled gearbox change, incurring a mandatory five place grid drop.The triple world champion’s Finnish team mate Valtteri Bottas was third fastest, 0.423 off Vettel’s pace, with compatriot Kimi Raikkonen fourth for Ferrari.Dutch teenager Max Verstappen was fifth fastest at his Red Bull team’s scenic home circuit with Australian team mate Daniel Ricciardo, winner of the dramatic previous race in Azerbaijan, sixth.The two Haas cars of Kevin Magnussen and Romain Grosjean were seventh and eighth, followed by the Toro Rossos of Daniil Kvyat and Carlos Sainz.
Spain’s all-time top scorer David Villa has come out of international retirement after being named in the squad for World Cup qualifiers against Italy and Liechtenstein, national team coach Julen Lopetegui said on Friday.New York City FC striker Villa, who hit a record 59 goals with Spain, announced his retirement from the national team after the 2014 World Cup, having scored in his final game against Australia as the then world champions were knocked out in the group stages in Brazil.He joined the newly formed MLS outfit New York City in their inaugural season in 2015 and has scored 19 goals in 23 starts this season.Reuters Photo OFICIAL | Lista de la @SeFutbol para los partidos ante @Vivo_Azzurro y Liechtenstein / Spain’s call up #SEFlive pic.twitter.com/BjlGCWqyM5- Seleccin Espaola (@SeFutbol) August 25, 2017Villa takes the place of Diego Costa, who has not linked up with Chelsea for the new season due to a dispute with coach Antonio Conte, while ACMilan midfielder Suso has earned a first call up.Chelsea defender Marcos Alonso was left out of the squad despite Lopetegui going to watch him in action against Tottenham Hotspur last week.”We believe that calling up Villa is necessary and appropriate,” Lopetegui told a news conference. “He’ll give us extra mobility up front and above all he’ll contribute his enthusiasm. We hope and believe he will help us.”
Sri Lanka batsman Dinesh Chandimal has been ruled out of the remaining two matches in the one-day international series against India after fracturing his thumb in the third ODI.Chandimal sustained the injury when he was caught on the hand by a Hardik Pandya bouncer in Sunday’s match at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, which India won by six wickets to take an unassailable 3-0 lead in the series.”SLC confirms that Test captain Dinesh Chandimal will be out of action for the rest of the series after sustaining a hairline fracture to his right thumb,” Sri Lanka Cricket said in a statement. (Crowd trouble erupts in India-Sri Lanka ODI, MS Dhoni takes a nap on the field)”We will have a better idea of timeline of his recovery after consulting a specialist in Colombo tomorrow.”The teams move to Colombo for the fourth one-dayer on Thursday with the fifth to follow in the capital on Sunday. They will also face off in a Twenty20 international on September 6.
Australia skipper David Warner on Tuesday compared the new Barsapara Stadium here to the English cricket grounds where the new ball did the trick for the tourists in their eight-wicket win in the second Twenty20 International.With the win, Australia squared the three-match rubber 1-1. Australia bundled out India for 118 before cantering to the big win.”It feels great. As I said at the toss, we had to bowl well and start well. It looked an English wicket, soft and with moisture. We knew if we could get past the new ball we could do well,” Warner said at the post-match conference.Hailing the efforts of his pacer Jason Behrendorff, who returned 4/21, Warner said: “Dorff bowling there, taking four for in his first real spell was really fantastic. He’s got the height, the bounce and the swing. He was really fantastic.”He also praised leg-spinner Adam Zampa, who shone with the older ball in the innings. “Zampa did well later as well, his execution was spot on,” he said.The visiting captain also praised Moises Henriques, who scored 62 not out coming in to bat at No.3.”Henriques showed his experience. I’ve used him in this role in the IPL (for Sunrisers Hyderabad) as well,” he said.India skipper Virat Kohli admitted that the tourists outplayed them in every department of the game on Tuesday.”Not the performance we wished for. Australia were much better on the day,” Kohli said.”I don’t think we were good enough with the bat. The wicket was bit sticking to start. It was difficult for them as well, but after the dew set in, they got away.advertisement”The effort is to do that as a team, but we speak about when the situations are not in our favour is when we have to put 120 per cent on the field. It’s the attitude that matters most and it’s something the team embraces,” he added.
Rain may play spoilsport in the third and final T20 international between India and Australia with weather forecast indicating possibility of light to moderate rain, here on Friday.”The forecast is possibility of thunderstorm accompanied with rain today (Thursday) and a light to moderate rain tomorrow,” the Met office said.The city has been receiving good rainfall almost on a daily basis for about a week, throwing normal life out of gear. Arrangements have been made at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket stadium, the venue of the match, to ensure that the match is held without any problem.Curator YL Chandrasekhar said the recent rain has not affected the wicket.However, the outfield was affected a bit and some fans were being used to dry the affected area. The T20I series is locked 1-1 after Australia defeated India by eight wickets in the second match at Guwahati on October 10.
Datsun has been plannning to launch its Go Cross after the latest crossover was showcased as a concept at the Auto Expo 2016. Now Datsun has made an announcement by teasing the Go Cross concept as a production model, which will be making its global debut in Jakarta, Indonesia on January 18.Moreover, Datsun has renamed the Go Cross as just ‘Cross’ and will lead a new segment of Datsun in Indonesia. While Datsun will unveil and launch the Cross in Indonesia first, the company will soon be bringing it in India as well, which is most likely by March-April, 2018. Both Datsun and Nissan will not be participating at the Auto Expo 2018 next month.The Datsun Cross is based on the Go Plus but sports a distinct front end with a hexagonal radiator grille, sweptback LED head-lamps, LED fog lamps and plastic cladding. Moreover, the Cross being a Crossover, should feature a skid-plate. On the inside, the Datsun Cross will come with a 5-seater configuration. Moreover, it will be also getting a new dashboard which will provide the Cross with a more premium feel.Under the bonnet, the Cross will feature both petrol and diesel trims. The 1.2-litre, 3-cylinder petrol will be sourced from the Go Plus, the diesel will be sourced from the Nissan Micra.
More power to our Indian women! In a first, the Indian Navy will soon allow women officers on board its warships, and suitable facilities are being made available in the newly-constructed ships for them, said Navy Chief Sunil Lanba yesterday at the annual press conference of the Navy, ahead of the Navy Day.The press conferenceAccording to an IANS report,Admiral Sunil Lanba said the Navy is examining rules and regulations for allowing women officers on board the warshipsHe said all the new ships are being constructed with “suitable facilities” to include woman officers on board themNavy Chief at the Delhi press conference/PTI”As far as combat roles are concerned, lady naval officers are already in combat roles. We have over 70 of them (woman officers) as observers or tactical operators on the maritime patrol aircraft which are armed — Boeing (P8I) and the IL 38,” said Sunil LanbaHe further stated that it is the women officers who are manning the console and even press the button that fires the missile or drop the torpedo from the P8 I aircraftWomen in the Armed ForcesWomen form a very minor section in the armed forces, with the Air Force having the highest number at 1,350 followed by the Army with 1,300 and the Navy with 450 women officers, according to official informationFrom July 1992, the Navy started inducting women as Short Service Commissioned Officers in selected branches of the NavyCreating history, the Indian Air Force last year inducted three women as fighter pilots, less than a year after the government decided to open the fighter stream for women on an experimental basisIn September, the Army announced finalising a plan to induct women into the military police, seen as a major move towards inducting them for combat roles.8 ways women can make an entry into Indian NavyWomen can join any of these 8 branches of the Navy as officers through ‘women entries’:1. Naval Architecture advertisementA Naval Architect is involved in engineering design process, shipbuilding technology, maintenance and operation of marine vessels, structures, design, quality control, repair and construction of Naval vessels.2. Observer Indian Navy needs observers who act as airborne coordinators of maritime warfare. Observer officer operate various equipment including sonics, radars, sonars and communication equipment.3. Logistics/Works A logistic officer is involved in planning, forecasting and execution of the budget and inventory management of spare parts and other items required for day-to-day running of ships.4. Medical If you join the medical services of the Navy, you will largely be part of the Armed Forces Medical Services (AFMS.) The services are delivered through a network of hospitals for training purposes. AFMS doctors get to travel a lot, and are sent on deputation with UN missions as well.5. Education Education officers are involved in education, training and professional development of Naval personnel — including scientific/ methodical instructions, service subjects, theory and techniques of branches of the Navy, meteorology/oceanography services support, and GK.6. Sports As a Sports Entry Officer, you will serve as Physical Training Officer/Secretary/Assistant Secretary/Sports Manager. Sports Officers serve at Command Headquarters/Establishments.7. ATC Air Traffic Control Officers in the Indian Navy control naval fighter aircraft, maritime reconnaissance aircraft and multi-role helicopters both ashore and afloat.8. Law If you want to enter the law services of the Indian Navy, you will be part of the Judge Advocate General (JAG) Department — which is the legal arm of the Indian Naval Service. You will be involved in providing legal advice and indulging in court martial litigations.(Main image source: India.com)Interested in General Knowledge and Current Affairs? Click here to stay informed and know what is happening around the world with our G.K. and Current Affairs section.To get more updates on Current Affairs, send in your query by mail to education.intoday@gmail.com
Former batsman Kevin Pietersen wants England to make a change in their bowling line-up ahead of the second Test of the five-match Ashes series, beginning December 2 at the Adelaide Oval.The 37-year-old has called on the visitors to drop fast bowler Jake Ball as he is simply not up to the standard.Pietersen was supposedly not impressed by Ball’s performance in the opening Ashes Test, which was eventually won by Australia by 10 wickets at the Gabba in Brisbane.Ball managed to pick just one wicket in the match to put England’s bowling attack particularly under scrutiny.”I wouldn’t play Ball in the next Test match, absolutely not. Absolutely no chance. Is Jake Ball any good? I don’t think so. Not at this level. Not in Australia, from what I’ve just seen,” Sport24 quoted Pietersen, as saying.Meanwhile, the former batsman suggested that England should hand debut to uncapped leg-spinner Mason Crane in the day-night Test and that he should replace injured spinner Moeen Ali.”Mason Crane I’d play. I know it’s under lights but it gives that variation of a legspin bowler. One spinning away, one spinning in.Moeen Ali, we’ve got an issue with his finger. Do you want Joe Root bowling all the overs? No,” he told BT Sport.England are currently the Ashes holders, having won three of the five Tests in the 2015 Ashes series.
In a video surfaced on social media, Indian girls hockey team, which went to Adelaide for a tournament, have alleged that the government did not provide them basic facilities.In a video surfaced on Twitter, the girls have complained that they were not given any transportation facilities by the Indian government to reach at their event venue.However, responding to the tweet, the Sports Authority of India (SAI) has said that the government has not sanctioned the travel of the team featured in the video.Kind attention @SushmaSwaraj Ji, @HCICanberra @AusHCIndia, @Ra_thore Ji – these girls went to Australia as our nations representative to play Hockey. They need our support to bring home medals and glory. Please listen to the video and take quick action for real #ChakDeIndia pic.twitter.com/4ACjFw7R5O- Manjinder S Sirsa (@mssirsa) December 4, 2017SAI tweeted, “No Govt. Of #India sanction/approval for travel has been accorded to the team and coach featured in the video circulating on social media. Neither has @TheHockeyIndia approved or sanctioned the tour.”No Govt. Of #India sanction/approval for travel has been accorded to the team and coach featured in the video circulating on social media. Neither has @TheHockeyIndia approved or sanctioned the tour. 1/2 @Ra_THORe @SushmaSwaraj @HCICanberra @AusHCIndia- SAIMedia (@Media_SAI) December 4, 2017In another tweet, the SAI has said that sports minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore has ordered an investigation into the matter.Taking serious note of this, Hon. Sports Minister Col @Ra_THORe has ordered investigation and action into this matter, which has caused inconvenience and embarrassment to the girls and has brought disrepute to the nation. 2/2 @TheHockeyIndia @SushmaSwaraj @HCICanberra @AusHCIndiaadvertisement- SAIMedia (@Media_SAI) December 4, 2017Meanwhile, Hockey India also tweeted that the coach featured in the video was not a member of the national programme and the team was not any of the Indian women national teams.The Coach featured in the video is also not a Member of the national programme. Hockey India is investigating the matter to assist all concerned to find a solution. (2/3)- Hockey India (@TheHockeyIndia) December 4, 2017
Wales have ruled out appointing an Englishman to replace Chris Coleman as manager after the Welshman stepped down last month, Welsh football governing body (FAW) has said.Coleman sought a new challenge at struggling English Championship side Sunderland after failing to lead his countrymen to next year’s World Cup in Russia.”We have always favoured Welsh people because arguably the passion is there,” FAW chief executive Jonathan Ford was quoted as saying by local media.”Somebody said this earlier, Welsh most definitely, foreign possibly, but definitely not English.”The last six Wales managers, including caretakers, have been Welsh, with Englishman Bobby Gould between 1995-99 being the last non-Welshman to manage the national team.Ford said the FAW hopes to appoint Coleman’s successor before the draw for the new UEFA Nations League on Jan. 24.”We have a little bit of time and we will be going through that process, a diligent process, to select our new manager, maybe towards the end of this year or the start of next year,” Ford added.”We have the draw for the European Nations League at the end of January so it would be lovely to take a new manager across to that draw, so that gives you the first sort of deadline we are working to.”Coleman’s assistant Osian Roberts and former Wales strikers Craig Bellamy and John Hartson have expressed interest in the job. British media have linked Welshman Tony Pulis to the hot seat after he was sacked by West Bromwich Albion last month.advertisement”Understandably a lot of people have expressed interest. These kinds of jobs advertise themselves,” Ford said.”But I also have to go and see the relevant people. It’s a two-way street – people will assess us as much as we assess them and I would expect any prospective candidate to understand the system we have in place.”Wales next play in the China Cup at the end of March in a four-team tournament with the hosts, Czech Republic and Uruguay.
Greece’s Big Two basketball powers, Olympiakos and Panathinaikos both took it on the chin in Euroleague play, setting back chances of advancing and getting better spots in the tourney.Olympiakos was beaten 73-64 at home by Turkey’s Fenerbahce/Ulker while Panathinaikos fell 76-70 to the Lithuanian team Zalgiris Kaunas and is battling with Alba Berlin for a position in the quarter-finals.Zeljko Obradovic’s Turkish team hit 58 percent of its three pointers and dominated the boards to take a points-scored advantage against Olympiakos, which had beaten them by six in Turkey. In European basketball, points differential is a factor, not just wins.The loss hurts Olympiakos’ chances to finish in the top two its group as the team finds itself in a three-way tie with Fenerbahce and CSKA Moscow and must play the Russians away.In Lithuania, Nikos Pappas’ 21 points weren’t enough for Panathinaikos, which found itself down 42-28 at one point before closing to within three at 55-52 before the victors pulled away again. The top four of each group make the last eight. TweetPinShare0 Shares
NEW YORK — Mats Zuccarello was essentially a shootout specialist when he made his New York Rangers debut five years ago. Now he may be the team’s most indispensable offensive player.Zuccarello scored the tiebreaking goal with 58.3 seconds left and had two assists in the Rangers’ ninth straight win, 4-3 over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Nov. 15.“He’s on top of his game,” coach Alain Vigneault said. “He’s been playing real well and his enthusiasm is contagious.“There’s no doubt that he is well liked and well respected by his teammates, and I think everyone is happy that he’s playing so well right now.”Ryan McDonagh, Derek Stepan and Derick Brassard also scored for New York, and Antti Raanta made 23 saves.The league-best Rangers improved to 14-2-2, the best 18-game start in franchise history in wins and points (30). The winning streak is their third-longest overall and longest since winning 10 straight in the 1972-73 season.Peter Holland, Joffrey Lupul and Dion Phaneuf scored for Toronto, which snapped a three-game winning streak. Jonathan Bernier stopped 26 shots.Bernier was shaky throughout the game, surrendering rebounds. That was costly on Zuccarello’s game-winner. McDonagh fired a shot from the left point that Bernier couldn’t control and Zuccarello poked the puck into the net to decide a wild, back-and-forth contest.“We win as a team and lose as a team,” Leafs coach Mike Babcock said. “Maybe (Bernier is) trying too hard.”Holland opened the scoring with 2:03 left in the first period with a backhander from in close. The goal was his third of the season, and his second in four games.The lead lasted all of 2:47 of game time as McDonagh tied it 44 seconds into the second period with his third of the year off of a cross-ice feed from Zuccarello.New York took a 2-1 lead at with 6:05 left in the second as Bernier misplayed Stepan’s shot from center-ice, and the puck rolled under the Toronto goaltender’s pads.It was the second goal from center-ice Bernier allowed in less than a year, as Arizona’s Oliver Ekman-Larsson had a similar score on Jan. 30.“It’s my job to be ready,” Bernier said. “I cost us two points. I let them down tonight.”Lupul’s goal with 2:22 left in the period tied it again.Brassard scored 3:37 into the third to put the Rangers ahead 3-2. The goal, his sixth of the season, came off a pass from Zuccarello from behind the net.“When you (have) more confidence, you make those plays,” Zuccarello said. “It’s a nice feeling to be that confident. The whole team is like that. We have a good stretch here, so it’s a good feeling.”Phaneuf tied it again 1:38 later with his second of the season.(DENIS P. GORMAN)TweetPinShare0 Shares
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Naim Suleymanoglu, the Turkish weightlifter who won three Olympic gold medals and was known as “Pocket Hercules,” died Saturday. He was 50.Suleymanoglu was considered one of the sport’s greatest athletes and earned his nickname for his strength and diminutive size. He died at an Istanbul hospital where he was receiving treatment for cirrhosis of the liver. He had been in intensive care since Sept. 28 and received a liver transplant in October, according to Turkey’s official Anadolu news agency.The weightlifter — 1.47 meters (4-foot-10) tall — won three straight Olympic gold medals for Turkey between 1988 and 1996. The Bulgarian-born Suleymanoglu could lift three times his weight.He came out of retirement to try for a fourth gold at the Sydney Olympics in 2000 but missed all three of his lifts.“I know only gold,” Suleymanoglu had said as he returned to competition. “I do not know about silver or bronze.”Suleymanoglu also won seven world and six European championships.He was born to an ethnic Turkish family in Bulgaria, and defected to Turkey in 1986 while training in Australia.Valerios Leonidis, right, of Greece, a veteran weightlifter who won the bronze medal in the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games 59-64kg featherweight men’s event, poses for photographs next to the coffin of his friend Turkish weightlifter Naim Suleymanoglu, who won gold at the same event, prior to his funeral procession in Istanbul, Sunday, Nov. 19, 2017. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)Regarded as a national hero in his adopted country, Suleymanoglu captured the hearts of Turks after winning his first gold at Seoul, South Korea, in 1988. Whenever Suleymanoglu returned home from a tournament, he would be greeted by thousands of fans who would lift him up on their shoulders.Suleymanoglu missed the 1984 Games at Los Angeles because of a Soviet-led boycott. Although only 17, he was the favorite to win the bantamweight gold.He was an outspoken critic of the Bulgarian government’s treatment of the Turkish minority in his homeland, and was forced by the authorities to change his surname to the more Slavic-sounding Shalamanov.When the Bulgarian weightlifting team went to a training camp at Melbourne, Australia, in 1986, he slipped away from the group while pretending to visit the restroom at a hotel.Suleymanoglu hid in Australia for several days before he went to the Turkish consulate to seek asylum. Eventually the Bulgarians allowed him to switch nationalities and he kissed the airport tarmac on arrival in Turkey. In 1986 he changed his name to the more Turkic-sounding Suleymanoglu.He went to the Seoul Olympics as a Turk and twice broke the world record in the snatch on the way to winning the gold medal.He competed unsuccessfully for a seat in Turkish parliamentary elections in 1999 and 2007.—SUZAN FRASER, Associated PressFILE- In this July 22, 1996 file photo, Naim Suleymanoglu, of Turkey, lifts 147.5kg, at the Summer Olympics in Atlanta. Turkey’s official news agency said Saturday, Nov. 18, 2017, (AP Photo/Michael Probst, File)Valerios Leonidis, right, of Greece, a veteran weightlifter who won the bronze medal in the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games 59-64kg featherweight men’s event, touches the coffin of his friend Turkish weightlifter Naim Suleymanoglu, who won gold at the same event, prior to his funeral procession in Istanbul, Sunday, Nov. 19, 2017. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)TweetPinShare0 Shares