XFL Week 1 scores, updates, highlights: Defenders beat Dragons, Roughnecks rout Wildcats

Live updates from this weekend's season openers, featuring D.C., Houston, Los Angeles and Seattle

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• by Cody Benjamin
•  @CodyJBenjamin
• 11 hrs ago • 6 min read

The NFL season is in the books, but the XFL season is just getting started, complete with eight all-new franchises kicking off their 2020 schedules this weekend.

Revived after a nearly 20-year hiatus, Vince McMahon's spring league features a number of familiar faces, including big names from both the NFL and college football -- like former Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops, ex-Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Landry Jones and former national champion Cardale Jones. It's got a bunch of new rules, including ways for teams to add three points after a touchdown. And it's officially underway, with four different matchups marking the start of a 10-week regular season -- one that will ultimately lead to the new XFL's inaugural championship in April.

Whether you're fired up or just curious about the resurrected league, CBS Sports is the place to be. We've got you covered with a detailed XFL Viewer's Guide, projected team win totals, weekly power rankings, game predictions, a breakdown of every single player in the league, plus a whole lot more. And if it's the games themselves you're interested in, you came to the right place.

Be sure to relive both of Saturday's openers right here, with updates, highlights and analysis:

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Ashwin nearing full fitness, likely to play first Test

Published at Wed Oct 28 2015 11:30 IST

CHENNAI: There is finally some good news for India. Ravichandran Ashwin, who has been undergoing rehab for side strain, is nearing full fitness and is likely to be available for the first Test against South Africa, which starts in Mohali from November 5.

"I'm close to achieving full fitness and I'm feeling fine. I'm confident of bowling well in the series," Ashwin said on the sidelines of a promotional event here on Tuesday.

The offspinner had sustained a side strain during the first ODI in Kanpur and subsequently missed out on the rest of the matches. Being India's No 1 bowler in recent past, his absence was majorly felt in the ODI series, which India lost 2-3.

The defeat has definitely pushed India on the back-foot ahead of the Test series. While admitting that the loss was an unfortunate one Ashwin is not keen to dwell on the past. "It is not that we played poorly. We fought our way back into the ODI series brilliantly after we found ourselves trailing 1-2. We levelled the series 2-2 here and it was up to the last match in Mumbai where anything could have happened. Unfortunately, things didn't go our way and we lost," he said.

The Tamil Nadu offspinner feels the upcoming Test series would be anything but a one-sided affair. "It will be a close contest. South Africa are an excellent side and they have adapted to the conditions very well. It will be a tough challenge and we will be up for it," said Ashwin.

Ashwin believes the wickets have assisted the batsmen. "I am not taking away any credit from the batsmen. But I believe they have been scoring runs on wickets that have aided batting. Bowlers need to be given wickets that are helpful to them. I want to see batsmen scoring runs on wickets that aid bowlers," the 29-year-old said.

India have so far looked anything but intimidating with their bowlers struggling and their batsmen failing to fire. Ashwin feels the players need more time to settle down. "There are no weaknesses in the Indian side. We are a young side which is gaining experience. There are only a few players who have played over 100 ODIs, and so this team needs to be given more time. If you look at the South African side, players like Faf du Plessis and AB de Villiers were given a lot of time to settle down.

"I guess Indian players too need a similar cushion. Before the series began, everyone knew it would be hard-fought and it did live up to its billing," Ashwin pointed out.

SKS Microfinance gets Rs 100 crore refinance line from MUDRA

SKS Microfinance informed stock exchanges on Wednesday that MUDRA (Micro Units Development & Refinance Agency Limited ) has sanctioned a refinance line of Rs 100 crore at 10 per cent per annum to the company.

By: FE Online | October 28, 2015 11:06 AM

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This is the first refinance limit sanctioned to SKS Microfinance by MUDRA. (Photo: Reuters)

Microfinance lender SKS Microfinance informed stock exchanges on Wednesday that MUDRA (Micro Units Development & Refinance Agency Limited ) has sanctioned a refinance line of Rs 100 crore at 10 per cent per annum to the company.

MUDRA was launched by the government for financing micro entrepreneurs engaged in small business activities like manufacturing, processing, service sector and trade.

This is the first refinance limit sanctioned to SKS Microfinance by MUDRA. The development is expected to help bring down the cost of interest-bearing liabilities at SKS Microfinance. Earlier, with the cost of its interest-bearing liabilities dropping to 11.9 per cent in Q1-FY16 from 13.6 per cent in FY14 on account of downward adjustments in risk premium, the company could reduce the interest rate charged to borrowers on three occasions since October 2014. With an overall reduction of 3.8 per cent since October 2014, SKS Microfinance charges 20.75 per cent on all its disbursements with effect from October 1, 2015.

“This is the first refinance line availed by us,” said S Dilli Raj, president, SKS Microfinance in a release. “At a rate of 10 per cent, this is lower than regular term loans from conventional lenders, and reinforces our assertion in the recent past that the Non Banking Financial Company – Micro Finance Institution (NBFC -MFI) structure does not preclude us from availing dedicated refinance lines at a lower rate of interest. We are already the lowest cost lender in the MFI segment, and will pass on this benefit to our microfinance borrowers at an appropriate juncture.”

SKS Microfinance shares were trading 5.46 per cent up at Rs 422 in morning trade.

Lawyer: Salman Khan was falsely booked; panchnama, site map fabricated

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The lawyer of Bollywood superstar Salman Khan today argued in the Bombay High Court that the panchnama and site maps were fabricated by police to falsely book the actor under the grave charge of culpable homicide not amounting to murder in the 2002-hit-and-run case. 

READ: Salman Khan 2002 hit-and-run case: Site map of 2002 mishap fabricated says Salman's lawyer

The HC is hearing an appeal filed by Salman who was awarded a five-year sentence on May 6 after a sessions court found him guilty of ramming his car into a shop in 2002, killing one person and injuring four others sleeping outside.

"The panchnama and site maps are fabricated and cannot be relied upon... These were prepared to invoke section 304 II of IPC (culpable homicide) and also to add the element of 'drunkness and rashness' to make the charges graver", argued Salman's lawyer Amit Desai.

"Not just this, the police and prosecuting agency had ignored the statement of Salman Khan's family driver Ashok Singh who has claimed that he was driving the car on the ill-fated day when the mishap occurred," Desai submitted.

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"Ashok Singh (Salman's driver and defence witness) came to you (Bandra police station)...You did not interrogate him, you did not record his statement, you have not cared to investigate," the lawyer said.

Moreover, crucial witnesses like Salman's actor-brother Sohail, who was with Salman at 'Rain Bar and Restaurant' and singer Kamaal Khan, who was also in the bar and in the actor's car when the mishap had occurred, were not examined in the court, Desai said.

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"Besides, police constable late Ravindra Patil's claim that there was a dent in a stutter at A-1 Bakery-American Express Laundry because of the impact of the accident, does not corroborate what Samba Gowda, the panch-witness, has said in his statement," the lawyer argued.

This panch-witness was not at the spot, the lawyer alleged. To prove this, he tabled before the court the damaged portion of the car's bumper and a piece of the shop's shutter. 

Desai said "there is a scratch but not a dent or a hole" as claimed by Ravindra Patil -- Salman's then bodyguard and the first informant who lodged FIR after the mishap.

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Signal that tells when labour about to begin

Signal that tells when labour about to begin (Getty Images)

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A cellular signal can tell doctors that a woman is about to go into labour, according to a study led by an Indian-origin scientist in the US.

Researchers from the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) at Galveston uncovered the cellular signal in the amniotic fluid around the foetus that builds up when a pregnant woman is about to go into labour.

"The initiation of the birth process is complex. Several body systems maintain pregnancy through a delicate balance -- altering this balance tends to promote labour," said lead author Ramkumar Menon, assistant professor in UTMB department of obstetrics and gynecology.

Menon's team focused their investigation on telomeres, which are the parts of the DNA that protect our genetic data while cells are dividing.

These telomeres become shorter every time a cell divides, which hinders their ability to ensure that the new cells are identical to the parent cells.

This process is linked with the changes that take place in our bodies as we age. Over time, the telomeres become too short for the cell to divide and they become "senescent".

"We investigated whether the presence of senescent telomere fragments in the amniotic fluid around the foetus is linked with labour status, as we know that the telomeres continue to get shorter as the pregnancy progresses," Menon said.

Menon's team wanted to know what triggered a change in the delicate balance that had maintained a pregnancy.

"We began this study suspecting that the senescent cells cause oxidative stress-associated damages to the amniotic sac that create inflammation in the placenta," he said.

"We know from previous studies that inflammation can alter the balance of the mother's hormones in the uterus, triggering the labor process."

The researchers used telomere mimics, resembling those found in amniotic fluid, and conducted cellular analyses, finding more telomere fragments when a woman who was in labour compared to women who were at the end of their pregnancy but not yet in labour.

They report that as the foetus mature in the womb and nears term, placenta and other related tissues also age correspondingly due to telomere fragmentation and eventual loss.

The telomere fragments can increase sterile inflammation, as Menon termed, potentially signalling foetal maturity to trigger the process of labour and eventual delivery.

The findings were recently published injournal PLOS ONE.

Bharti Airtel's 4G services starting price Rs 25: Here's what is on offer

India's top telecom service provider Bharti Airtel on Thursday said it has commercially launched its fourth generation (4G) communications services in 296 towns across the country.

"With the help of the feedback received from the beta launches, we have now built India’s first commercial 4G network that will make high speed mobile broadband a reality," Gopal Vittal, managing director and chief executive officer of the company, said at the launch event here.

"The national roll-out today is another small step in our journey to be the most innovative and customer focused brand," he said, adding that the company's journey in 4G began with the launch in Kolkata in April 2012, followed by successive beta offerings in 51 cities.

"The roll-out will take place in few weeks."

To opt for Airtel 4G, customers have to switch to a 4G SIM

Here's all you need to know about the company's offerings:

1) According to the company, customers in the 296 towns will be able to experience high speed wireless broadband and get on to the digital superhighway to enjoy uninterrupted high definition video streaming, superfast uploading and downloading of movies, music and images.

2) The company is offering 4G at 3G data prices with packs starting at Rs 25. In addition, with every 4G SIM swap, Airtel is offering six months of unlimited music streaming and downloads on 'Wynk Music' and five free movies per month for six months on the Eros Now channel of 'Wynk Movies'.

3) 'Wynk Movies' is a new carrier agnostic mobile app, which it claimed was first-of-its-kind movie mall that will offer specially curated library of thousands of movies and other popular videos. This follows the successful launch of Wynk Music and establishes Airtel as the only mobile operator in India to offer OTT (Over-the-Top) mobile applications that work across carriers, the company claimed.

4) The company has introduced a new range of 'Infinity Plans' starting at Rs 999 -- high-end offers for unlimited voice calls on mobile along with data benefits and access to 'Wynk Movies' and 'Wynk Music'.

5) The company's capital expenditure for 2015-16 is a whopping$2.2 billion. However, it did not divulge the details on the money spent and intended to be spent in offering 4G services. Brokerage Emkay had in the post-earnings report said that it expects capex intensity to rise in India in the coming quarters.

6) To opt for Airtel 4G, customers have to switch to a 4G SIM.

7) Bharti Airtel has ramped up its 4G push ahead of the anticipated entry of Reliance Industries Ltd, which plans to start pan-India 4G services in December though Reliance Jio. "We are children of competition in a way and we work in a brutal marketplace which makes us better and sharper," Vittal told Business Standard in an interview. He also said he expects the prices of handsets to fall to Rs 4,500 or so due to competition.

Disclosure: Reliance Jio is owned by Reliance Industries, which publishes Firstpost

With inputs from IANS