Chinese Grand Prix: Kimi Raikkonen leads the way for Ferrari in Shanghai practice

April 15, 2016

Shanghai, Apr 15: Kimi Raikkonen set the pace ahead of Sebastian Vettel in Friday practice for the Formula One Chinese Grand Prix as the Ferrari pair dislodged the dominant Mercedes duo.

Prix

The Finn, a former winner for Ferrari in China, jumped to the top of the order with a one minute 36.896 second lap in Friday’s second practice session, beating German team mate Vettel by a margin of 0.109 seconds.

Championship leader Nico Rosberg was third for Mercedes, 0.237 seconds off Raikkonen’s benchmark.

Rosberg`s team mate and reigning world champion Lewis Hamilton, who heads into Saturday’s qualifying session with a five-place grid penalty for a change of gearbox, was fourth, 0.433 seconds adrift.

Rosberg had set the fastest time ahead of Hamilton in Friday morning’s interrupted opening session in which the Ferrari duo were only third and fifth.

But the Maranello-based squad turned the tables on their German rivals in the afternoon with their runs on the fastest, red-walled, super-soft compound tyre.

Friday afternoon’s practice session was only the second time this season that a Mercedes has not ended a session on top.

The German team has won 34 of the last 40 races and started the last eight on pole.

Rosberg, who leads the standings by 17 points from Hamilton, heads into Sunday’s race gunning for a sixth-straight win.

The Briton, meanwhile, is aiming to complete a hat-trick of Chinese Grand Prix victories, even if the highest he can start the race from is sixth.

Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo ended the day fifth, the Australian, fourth in the morning, setting a time 1.247 seconds adrift.

McLaren driver Fernando Alonso, cleared by doctors to compete in Sunday’s race after a final round of medical tests following the morning session, was eleventh.

The Spaniard, forced to miss the last race in Bahrain due to injuries sustained in an accident last month in Australia, completed a total of 42 laps over the entire day.

Friday afternoon’s running was uneventful compared to the morning’s action.

The opening 90-minutes were headlined by two red-flag stoppages as Williams driver Felipe Massa and Renault’s Kevin Magnussen both suffered high-speed left-rear tyre failures while running on the soft-compound rubber.

Following an investigation, the sport’s tyre supplier Pirelli confirmed none of the failures were tyre-related with a separate technical issue responsible.

The Mercedes pair also reported problems in the morning.

Rosberg limped home near the end of the session with engine issues while Hamilton, struggling with "locking" problems, spun twice at turn 11.

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News Network
April 24,2020

New Delhi, Apr 24: The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Friday extended wishes to the "most prolific batsman of all time" Sachin Tendulkar on his 47th birthday.

ICC took to Twitter and wrote: "Happy birthday to Sachin Tendulkar, the most prolific batsman of all time! To celebrate, we will give you the opportunity to vote for his top ODI innings in a bracket challenge! Stay tuned to join the celebrations."

The Maharashtra-born player had an illustrious career in the game, creating several records.
Tendulkar made his debut in Test cricket on November 15, 1989. In the same year on December 18, he played his first ODI match.

The legendary cricketer has the most number of runs in the longest format of the game, amassing 15,921 runs. Along the way, Tendulkar scored 51 Test centuries, most by any player.

Things are no different in ODI cricket as Tendulkar atop the list of most runs in this format as well. He has accumulated 18,426 runs in ODI which includes 49 tons.

Tendulkar represented the country in six World Cups during his career that lasted for 24 years. He was the part of the 2011 World Cup-winning squad.

This year, Master Blaster decided not to celebrate his birthday due to the ongoing coronavirus crisis in the country.

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Agencies
January 24,2020

Mumbai, Jan 24: Former Indian cricket captain and former MP Mohammad Azharuddin on Thursday denied allegations of cheating levelled by a travel agency in Maharashtra and threatened to file defamation suit of ₹100 crore.

"Those who filed the FIR have done it only to be in the limelight. There is no truth in it. The allegations are baseless," Azharuddin said in a video message on Twitter.

Azahruddin, who is now president of Hyderabad Cricket Association, said he would soon seek advice from his lawyer and will file Rs 100 crore defamation case against those who lodged the FIR.

A case was filed in Aurangabad on Wednesday against Azharuddin and two others for allegedly cheating a local travel agent of around ₹21 lakh.

The complaint was lodged by Shahab Y. Mohammed, 49, proprietor of Danish Tours & Travels here, a former executive with the defunct Jet Airways.

"We have lodged a first information report against Mujeeb Khan (Aurangabad), Sudheesh Avikkal (Kerala), Mohammed Azharuddin (Hyderabad). No arrests have been made and further investigations are underway," Investigating Officer A.D. Nagre, of the City Chowk police station, told IANS.

According to the complainant, between November 9 and 12, 2019, Avikkal booked several international airline tickets and Azharuddin's personal secretary Mujeeb Khan promised to pay the ticket charges. He said since no payment was made, he was compelled to lodge the police complaint.

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News Network
April 12,2020

New Delhi, Apr 12: As devotees across the world celebrate Easter today, former Sri Lanka skipper and current Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) president Kumar Sangakkara on Sunday condoled the demise of people who lost their lives during last year's Easter Sunday bombings in Sri Lanka and said someone must seek answers to the questions which still remain unresolved.

"A year on we all share the pain of the families grieving lives lost, we stand with you and for you. We remember. So many questions still unanswered, but answer them someone must," Sangakkara tweeted.

On April 21, 2019, multiple blasts ripped through Sri Lanka when the Christian community was celebrating Easter Sunday.
The explosions rattled churches and high-end hotels across the country, killing 258 people and injuring over 500.

A local terror group called National Thowheeth Jama'ath had claimed responsibility for the devastating attacks.

The island nation was put under a state of emergency for a period of four months from April to August.

The Sri Lankan police had then said that 293 suspects were arrested in connection with the Easter Sunday bombings in the island country in April.

This year, most of the devotees would be offering the prayers from their homes as mass gatherings have been suspended in most countries due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Easter marks the resurrection of Jesus Christ following his crucifixion on Good Friday. It also marks the culmination of Lent, a 40-day period of fasting and penance.

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