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‘I Was Compared To Ajmal Kasab In Jail,’ Says Anti-CAA Activist Sharjeel Usmani

September 11, 2020

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‘I Was Compared To Ajmal Kasab In Jail,’ Says Anti-CAA Activist Sharjeel Usmani

Anti-Citizenship Amendment Act activist and Aligarh Muslim University student Sharjeel Usmani, who was released from jail last week after being granted bail by the Aligarh sessions court, says the movement will bloom again.

Preetha Nair INTERVIEWS Sharjeel Usmani 11 September 2020

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Sharjeel Usmani.

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Sharjeel Usmani, a third-year political science student was arrested in July in connection with violence that broke out during the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protests on 15 December last year at Aligarh Muslim University. While speaking to Outlook, Usmani said that he doesn’t consider his release as a legal victory and urged the State to compensate and apologize for allegedly framing innocent citizens and putting them behind bars.

Q) You were released from Aligarh district jail after two months. Do you consider your release as a legal victory?

I will not call it a victory. There is nothing to celebrate because I lost three months and missed my exams. I didn’t commit any crime but the State did everything to keep me in prison. The State should not only compensate for my loss but also take action against the police officers who were involved in my illegal arrest.

There are many innocent people languishing in prison for many years. We have the example of Jamia Millia Islamia student Safoora Zargar. The state used the draconian Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) to keep her in jail for many months. She was released because of pressure from certain sections of the society. The State should be held responsible for putting innocent persons behind bars.

The courts and the judges have to ponder over the reason they are losing respect in the eyes of the public. I consider myself lucky that I was granted bail by the lower court. They couldn’t establish any charges against me. (But) For every privileged Sharjeel who comes out, hundreds of unprivileged innocent persons go to jail.

Q) Will you talk about your experience in jail? How has it changed you?

It’s well documented how Muslims are treated in prisons. I was treated in the same way as Muslim prisoners are treated in police custody. I don’t want to delve into details. I was kept in a barrack meant to host 42 people, along with 145 other inmates. Most of them were charged with rape, murder and other gruesome cases. The inmates recognised me from local newspapers and they used to refer to me as the “Shaheen Baghwala.” Once, when the inmates were watching a movie based on the 26 /11 Mumbai attack, some of them compared me with terrorist Ajmal Kazab and also commented that I will indulge in similar activities. I have realized that prison is a microcosm of the outer world in its crudest form.

Q) You were slapped with multiple charges and arrested by Anti- Terrorism Squad (ATS). Why do you think it was unfair?

The terror squad has nothing to do with anti- CAA protests or the cases that were slapped against me. Every Muslim youth in India is a potential terrorist in the eye of the State and it considers us as a threat to national security. My arrest was also a part of the larger witchhunt against activists from the Muslim community, who were part of the anti-CAA movement. After the AMU violence in December, the UP government charged me with the Goonda Act, which banned me from entering Aligarh district for six months. I never went into hiding and led a public life. I was active with anti-CAA protests and relief work for migrants. On July 8, I was arrested by policemen in plain clothes from my relative's place in Azamgarh. The police took me away to Lucknow when I stepped out of my house with friends. My family wasn’t even informed about the arrest or my whereabouts and all my belongings were confiscated.

Q) You were interrogated by ATS for almost 15 hours. What was the line of questioning?

Though they questioned me for long, it came as a shocker that they barely touched issues regarding anti-CAA protests or the AMU violence. They questioned me at length about my friends from Kashmir and my opinion on the Kashmir issue. They took the name of one Mujahedeen recruit from Nepal and inquired whether I knew him. I have also realized that there is no scope for personal privacy anymore. They had accessed my call recordings, chats, emails, bank account, and everything else. They probed me about the relationship with lawyers such as Rebecca John and Colin Gonsalves since I mentioned them in my phone conversations. They also asked me about Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi and journalist Rana Ayyub.

Q) Why do you feel that the Muslim community is being targeted?

There are more than one lakh cases registered against Muslims in connection with the anti- CAA protests in Uttar Pradesh alone. Even in the North-East Delhi riots, Muslims were killed and their houses were burnt. However, it’s the Muslims who are being framed for the violence. The State doesn’t see any value for our lives. We have to negotiate our rights with the State.

Dr. Kafeel Khan was arrested for the speech he delivered at AMU. At that particular event, Yogendra Yadav also gave a speech on similar lines. They came in the same car and they spoke at the same event. The fact that Kafeel Khan was charged with NSA for the speech shows the State’s prejudice against Muslims.

Q) Did the arrest dampen your spirits? Will you carry on the fight against the citizenship law?

If the witch-hunting was meant to scare, it has only made me bolder and stronger. I don’t regret my actions even for a moment. I am positive about the future of the anti-CAA movement. This isn’t a fight only to scrap the black law. It is also a struggle to restore our self-esteem. I am sure the movement will bloom again like wild mushrooms. Everyone has to come together in this battle.

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US Open 2020 Women's Semi final HIGHLIGHTS: Victoria Azarenka Beats Serena Williams, Naomi Osaka Reaches 2nd Final - News18

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US Open 2020 Women's Semi-final HIGHLIGHTS: Victoria Azarenka Beats Serena Williams, Naomi Osaka Reaches 2nd Final

News18.com | September 11, 2020, 9:33 AM IST

Event Highlights

US Open 2020 Women's Singles Semi-finals HIGHLIGHTS: Victoria Azarenka defeats Serena Williams 1-6, 6-3, 6-3 to reach her third US Open final. Victoria Azarenka took the second set 6-3 against Serena Williams to level the match and made her way back in the semi-final. Serena took the first set 6-1 with absolute ease as Azarenka failed to find her range at all. Earlier, Naomi Osaka advanced to her second US Open final with a 7-6 (1), 3-6, 6-3 win over American Jennifer Brady, whose dream run came to an end.

Follow the News18 Sports' live blog on the US Open women's singles semi-finals, which will start with Brady and Osaka and will be followed by Serena and Azarenka. Osaka, who is in her second US Open semi-final, is eyeing a second win at Flushing Meadows and a third Grand Slam title. For Brady, it is uncharted territory as this is her first Grand Slam semi-final. Serena is still eyeing Margaret Court's record of 24 Grand Slam titles while Azarenka, who recently won Western & Southern Open, is a former world No.1 in New York, she has reached two finals but has no title to show.

Sep 11, 2020 9:27 am (IST)

Here are the full match statistics of the women's singles semi-final between Serena Williams and Victoria Azarenka, which the latter won. Shows how close the match was!

Sep 11, 2020 9:23 am (IST)

"It's been seven years, it's my favourite number, so I guess it's meant to be. I am very grateful for this opportunity. I am grateful to be playing against such champions.

"(Had never defeated Serena in Majors) I knew it's never over till I have another chance. I knew it wasn't over at 5-3 as well. I held on. (Back when she lost a final to Serena) I was young, my ego was way bigger back then.

"It is the daily work I have been doing to keep calm mind but keep moving my body for energy. There was no crowd for energy so I had to do it myself. She dug me a big hole in the first set, I am glad to have turned it around.

"I hope it inspires women to go out and chase their dreams. You don't have to be just one thing. I am a mother but also a tennis player and fighter on court. I want to inspire my kid. I hope women know they can do anything.

"So excited to play against her (Naomi Osaka), we didn't get to play last week. She is super powerful. I have to stay super strong. Playing in the final is a blessing and I am going to take all the fun out of it."

Sep 11, 2020 9:21 am (IST)

Victoria Azarenka beats Serena Williams 1-6, 6-3, 6-3 to reach her third US Open final. It was an incredible turnaround for Azarenka, who looked completely down and out after the first set but managed to turn it around brilliantly to give herself the opportunity to win her first US Open.

Challenge and ... into the final with an ace!

Victoria Azarenka has all the emotions after this three-set classic. @vika7 | #USOpen pic.twitter.com/yXyxJsmYc0
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 11, 2020

Sep 11, 2020 9:13 am (IST)

Set 3: Serena 6-1, 3-6, 3-5 Azarenka* | Serena holds her serve 40-15 and leaves it to Victoria Azarenka to serve out the match. The two-time US Open finalist, who lost to Serena on both occasions, can she do it?

Sep 11, 2020 9:08 am (IST)

Set 3: Serena* 6-1, 3-6, 2-5 Azarenka | Another good service hold from Azarenka, a comfortable one and now she is just a game away from her third US Open final. Azarenka movement on the court, the quality of her strokes and the punch in them is top-class right now. Serena is finding it difficult to deal with the intensity.

Sep 11, 2020 9:05 am (IST)

Set 3: Serena 6-1, 3-6, 2-4 Azarenka* | An easy service hold for Serena there, even though she made a double fault while 40-0 love. Azarenka is returning so well right now that it is forcing Serena to go bigger.

Sep 11, 2020 9:01 am (IST)

Set 3: Serena* 6-1, 3-6, 1-4 Azarenka | Net cord helping Azarenka when she was 15-30 down and then she slams a down-the-line forehand to go up 40-30. A big first serve and then a backhand to the other side gets Azarenka over the line and she holds her serve. Azarenka survives another Serena push and this is edgy action at the Arthur Ashe Stadium now.

Sep 11, 2020 8:56 am (IST)

Set 3: Serena 6-1, 3-6, 1-3 Azarenka* | Lots of "c'mon" and screams at the Arthur Ashe Stadium right now as Serena Williams works hard to hold her serve and stay in the semi-final.

Sep 11, 2020 8:53 am (IST)

Set 3: Serena* 6-1, 3-6, 0-3 Azarenka | Some nervous vibes from Azarenka at 30-30 but she gets to 40-30 and then serves up an ace to close down the game to take a 3-0 lead in the deciding set.

Sep 11, 2020 8:51 am (IST)

Set 3: Serena 6-1, 3-6, 0-2 Azarenka* | Azarenka has punched it down! Serena, unable to hold her lines, was broken and Azarenka has a solid lead in the match now.

Sep 11, 2020 8:45 am (IST)

Serena has her ankle strapped completely and after Victroria Azarenka makes her hustle on the court a lot, she held her ankle in pain and called for a trainer. The trainer checked and she took a medical timeout, wherein her ankle was further strapped.

The momentum was all with Azarenka, will this break her rhythm? Will Serena will able to move well on the court?

Sep 11, 2020 8:41 am (IST)

Set 3: Serena* 6-1, 3-6, 0-1 Azarenka | Oh that huge Serena scream! Serena comes to the net and wins the first point of her service game with a kill at the net. From 40-0 up, Azarenka stormed right back to take it to deuce with her backhand firing. After a lot of hustle on the court, Serena worryingly held her strapped ankle called for the trainer.

via GIPHY

Sep 11, 2020 8:37 am (IST)

Set 3: Serena* 6-1, 3-6, 0-1 Azarenka | Azarenka starts the decider on a good note as she grinds out to hold her serve. She is making Serena move on the court now and Serena has been misfiring while Azarenka seems more agile and consistent now.

Sep 11, 2020 8:33 am (IST)

Victoria Azarenka has found a fresh rhythm as she breaks Serena Williams once more to take the second set 6-3 and force a deciding set. This just got very interesting!

via GIPHY

Sep 11, 2020 8:31 am (IST)

Set 2: Serena* 6-1, 3-5 Azarenka | Azarenka holds her serve with ease. She is in her rhythm now, showing her range of strokes, consistent backhand and attacking Serena up front.

Sep 11, 2020 8:21 am (IST)

Set 2: Serena 6-1, 3-4 Azarenka* | Two break points come and go for Azarenka but she is playing so much better now and creating pressure on Serena. Serena has lost all seven of her second serve points so far. Serena, though, shows her composure once again and holds her serve.

Sep 11, 2020 8:18 am (IST)

Set 2: Serena* 6-1, 2-4 Azarenka | Another love hold for Azarenka, her second straight. This is finally turning right for Azarenka. Serena will now have to just dig in.

Form 52 per cent first serves in and a just a 40 percent win ratio in the first set, Azarenka has bettered her first serve in percentage to 81 and is winning 77 per cent of them. That is how better Azarenka is now!

Sep 11, 2020 8:13 am (IST)

Set 2: Serena 6-1, 2-3 Azarenka* | 0-30 down, Serena gets a big first serve in and let's out a "c'mon" to pump herself up. But Azarenka brings her A return game and beautiful backhand to get herself two break points. She converts in just her first point to get right back in this semi-final.

Sep 11, 2020 8:10 am (IST)

Set 2: Serena* 6-1, 2-2 Azarenka | Azarenka holds her serve to love. She is playing better now, giving herself some chance here. She has even put 10 out of 12 first serves in this set and that has been a huge help for her.

Sep 11, 2020 8:07 am (IST)

Set 2: Serena 6-1, 2-1 Azarenka* | A brilliant last point as both players exchange angled, powerful groundstrokes. Serena shows excellent movement on the baseline to stretch and bang the forehand to get the last point.

Sep 11, 2020 8:03 am (IST)

Set 2: Serena* 6-1, 1-1 Azarenka | Azarenka holds her serve even as Serena pushes on. Azarenka let out a scream after holding her serve and she has to stay in this to give herself any chance.

Sep 11, 2020 8:00 am (IST)

Here are the statistics from the first set of Serena Williams vs Victoria Azarenka.

Sep 11, 2020 7:59 am (IST)

Set 2: Serena 6-1, 1-0 Azarenka* (* denotes next server) | A dominant service hold by Serena as she hold her serve 40 to love. It is all Serena right now and even though the American is playing good tennis, it is more about how weak and patchy Azarenka is right now.

Sep 11, 2020 7:57 am (IST)

Set 1: Serena 6-1 Azarenka | From 40-0 up, Serena takes Azarenka to deuce. Azarenka was really good in the first three points but not so much in the next three. She is so inconsistent right now that it is just playing in Serena's hands. Serena then converted her second set point to ease through the first set.

SERENA WILL NOT BE STOPPED 😤

One set away now. pic.twitter.com/wd5L4j1ppQ
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 11, 2020

Sep 11, 2020 7:46 am (IST)

Set 1: Serena 5-1 Azarenka* | Azarenka is finally getting into her elements, she is opening up the court, coming to the net, going for the winners, and stretching Serena. She is able to bring up a break point but then sprays her backhand to get it to deuce. Serena, then, gets to advantage with a big first serve. However, Azarenka's consistent returns make Serena send a forehand wide. An unforced error from Azarenka as she hits the net despite a couple of massively attacking strokes that stretched Serena. She holds her serve!

Sep 11, 2020 7:39 am (IST)

Set 1: Serena* 4-1 Azarenka | Azarenka is having to work so hard for every single point right now, she could be heard cursing, "it's f*****g s**t," she said in the middle of her service game. But she finally gets on board as well. Azarenka shows her range, plays some powerful shots to the line to get '1' against her name.

Sep 11, 2020 7:36 am (IST)

Set 1: Serena 4-0 Azarenka* | Another easy hold of serve for Serena Williams to open up a 4-0 lead. This first set looks like it will be a walkaway for the six-time champion. Azarenka just can't find her length yet.

Sep 11, 2020 7:32 am (IST)

Set 1: Serena* 3-0 Azarenka | Serena, who has had slow starts at US Open, will not mind this. Azarenka has literally gifted her an ideal start with two breaks of serve.

Sep 11, 2020 7:27 am (IST)

Set 1: Serena 2-0 Azarenka* | Serena starts her service game with a double fault but then holds with ease by taking the next four points to close out the game. An ideal start for the six-time champion.

Sep 11, 2020 7:24 am (IST)

Set 1: Serena* 1-0 Azarenka (* denotes next server) | What a terrible start for Azarenka as Serena rights away breaks her without even doing much. Surely, this is nerves speaking for Azarenka. After all, this a rematch of the two US Open finals she has lost!

Azarenka vs Serena on Ashe.

Let's do this (again) 😤 pic.twitter.com/yVnUUT9ngQ
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 11, 2020

US Open 2020 Women's Semi-final HIGHLIGHTS: Victoria Azarenka Beats Serena Williams, Naomi Osaka Reaches 2nd Final

Naomi Osaka (L) and Victoria Azarenka. (Photo Credit: US Open Twitter)

Osaka has two Grand Slam titles to her name while Brady had never been past the fourth round at any major tournament until this week even though she won her first WTA title at Lexington, Kentucky after lockdown. She and Osaka have played twice, each winning once by a 6-4, 6-4 score, although Brady’s victory came six years ago.

Williams vs Azarenka is a rematch of US Open 2012 and 2013 finals, both of which were won by Serena. Williams is closing in on what would be her seventh U.S. Open championship and record-tying 24th Grand Slam singles title overall. She has made it to the semifinals in each of her past 11 appearances in New York. Azarenka is a two-time Australian Open champion on a 10-match winning streak and back in a Grand Slam semifinal for the first time in seven years. Williams leads Azarenka 18-4 head-to-head.

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'You are not going anywhere': Lalu pens emotional letter to Raghuvansh Prasad Singh hours after latter's resignation from RJD - The Financial Express

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‘You are not going anywhere’: Lalu pens emotional letter to Raghuvansh Prasad Singh hours after latter’s resignation from RJD

By: FE Online |

Updated: Sep 11, 2020 10:40 AM

Raghuvansh Prasad Singh was once considered Lalu's close aide. He resigned from the RJD on Wednesday.

Jailed RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav has made an emotional appeal to Raghuvansh Prasad Singh not to leave the party. Lalu’s letter comes hours after Raghuvansh sent his resignation to Lalu who is undergoing treatment at RIMS, Ranchi.

In his reply, Lalu said that his family needs him and told him that “you are not going anywhere”.

“…I cannot believe (that you have resigned from the RJD). My family and I want you to recover fast, and to see you standing among us. For the last four decades, we have sat together to make political, social, and even family decisions together. You should first recover, and we can then talk it out. You are not going anywhere. I am telling you,” he wrote.

Raghuvansh Prasad Singh was once considered Lalu’s close aide. He was reportedly sidelined by the party since his 2014 general election loss from Vaishali seat.

Raghuvansh wanted Rajya Sabha berth but the RJD denied him on many occasions. After the 2019 elections which Raghuvansh had lost, the politician wanted the RJD to nominate him to the Upper House.

Raghuvansh was also miffed over the leadership of Lalu’s son Tejashwi Yadav. He had in June resigned from the RJD’s national vice-president post after his rival Rama Singh met Tejashwi to pave his entry into the party.

While in 2014, Raghuvansh lost his stronghold Vaishali seat to LJP’s Rama Singh, he contested unsuccessfully in 2019 against LJP’ Veena Devi. Notably, Raghuvansh had won all the parliamentary elections since 1996 from Vaishali.

Raghuvansh and Rama Singh belong to the same caste — Rajput. They draw on support from the same political constituency.

According to reports, Rama Singh wants his wife to contest the Assembly election on the RJD’s symbol.

Raghuvansh has also been upset with Lalu’s eder son Tej Pratap Yadav who had dismissed him as “just a potful of water in the ocean of the RJD”.

Raghuvansh, 74, is undergoing treatment at AIIMS with a persistent cough after recovering from Covid-19.

Following Raghuvansh’s resignation from the RJD, the BJP said that it is a matter of concern for the RJD that its senior leaders are quitting.

“Raghuvansh Babu is a leader who commands respect of all parties. Why he quit the RJD is a matter of concern. Such a senior leader was not getting due respect from Lalu Prasad’s sons,” party spokesperson Nikhil Anand said.

JD(U) MP Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh said that it is unfortunate that RJD was not able to respect one of its tallest leaders.

“Raghuvansh Babu represents the legacy of socialists, but RJD could not respect him,” he said.

Meanwhile, reports suggest that Raghuvansh could join Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United).

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NEP 2020: National Education Policy Aims To Remove Marksheet Pressure, Says PM Narendra Modi

National Education Policy Aims To Remove Marksheet Pressure: PM Modi

The new curriculum framework will be developed and be ready by 2022 when the nation celebrates its 75th year of Independence, he said addressing the "School Education Conclave" organised by the Ministry of Education.

NEP will reduce the syllabus and make learning a fun-based and complete experience, PM Modi said

New Delhi:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said today that school students should have a new curriculum, which is in sync with the new National Education Policy, by 2022 when the nation celebrates its 75th year of Independence.

Noting that marksheet has become "pressure sheet" for students and "prestige sheet" for families, the Prime Minister said the new policy aims to remove this pressure.

The NEP will reduce the syllabus and make learning a fun-based and complete experience, he said.

The new curriculum framework will be developed and be ready by 2022 when the nation celebrates its 75th year of Independence, he said addressing the "School Education Conclave" organised by the Ministry of Education.

The new curriculum will be a future-ready and scientific. It will have new skills to promote critical thinking, creativity, communication and curiosity, PM Modi said.

The Prime Minister noted that the Ministry of Education has received over 15 lakh suggestions from teachers on the implementation of NEP within a week through the MyGov portal.

Advocating teaching up to class 5 in mother tongue, the Prime Minister said language is just a mode of study and not a study in itself.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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BSE Sensex NSE Nifty LIVE COVID-19 Sensex, Nifty Turn Flat Financial Energy Stocks Weigh On Markets

Sensex, Nifty Turn Flat As Financial, Energy Stocks Weigh On Markets

Asian shares struggled to stem a bearish mood on Friday after US technology stocks fell overnight on growing doubts about stimulus in the world's largest economy.

Domestic stock markets fluctuated between gains and losses on Friday, as global equities took a breather amid rising cases of COVID-19. The S&P BSE Sensex index moved within a range of 240 points, between 38,738.22 and 38,978.52, in morning deals, having started the day marginally higher. The broader NSE Nifty 50 benchmark hovered around the 11,450 mark after opening flat at 11,447.80. Losses in financial and energy stocks offset gains in consumer goods and automobile shares.

At 10:02 am, the Sensex traded 3.95 points - or 0.01 per cent - higher at 38,844.27, while the Nifty was up 4.45 points - or 0.04 per cent - at 11,453.70.

Top percentage gainers in the Nifty basket of 50 shares were Bharti Infratel, Britannia, Titan, HDFC Life and Hindustan Unilever, trading between 0.98 per cent and 3.15 per cent higher.

Adani Ports, IndusInd Bank, HCL Tech, Eicher Motors and Axis Bank, trading between 0.84 per cent and 1.96 per cent lower, were the top laggards in the index.

Analysts awaited macroeconomic data to assess any signs of recovery from the damage caused by the COVID-19-triggered restrictions. Official data on industrial production will be released after market hours on Friday, and on consumer inflation in the country on Monday.

Equities in other Asian markets struggled to stem a bearish mood after US technology shares fell overnight, on growing doubts about stimulus in the world's largest economy and worries about their stretched valuations.

The European Central Bank's status quo on policy and weak US jobs data claims fuelled concerns that stimulus and high liquidity may not be enough to counter the damage caused by COVID-19 to world economy and business.

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Huawei FreeBuds Pro TWS, FreeLace Pro Neckband Earphones With Active Noise Cancellation Announced | Technology News

Huawei FreeBuds Pro TWS, FreeLace Pro Neckband Earphones With Active Noise Cancellation Announced

Both new Huawei earphones will be available in multiple colours.

By Roydon Cerejo | Updated: 11 September 2020 18:41 IST

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Huawei FreeBuds Pro TWS, FreeLace Pro Neckband Earphones With Active Noise Cancellation Announced

The Huawei FreeBuds Pro feature 11mm dynamic drivers

Highlights

The FreeBuds Pro will offer 30-hour battery life with the charging case
The FreeBuds Pro can connect to two devices at the same time
The FreeLace Pro are IP55 rated

Huawei FreeBuds Pro true wireless earphones and FreeLace Pro neckband earphones were announced at the company's ‘Seamless Ai Life' event, among many other products. The FreeBuds Pro are said to be the world's first true wireless stereo (TWS) earphones to support intelligent dynamic noise cancellation. The Huawei FreeLace Pro feature 14mm drivers and noise cancellation of up to 40dB.

Huawei FreeBuds Pro, FreeLace Pro pricing and availability

The Huawei FreeBuds Pro are priced at EUR 199 (roughly Rs. 17,280) and will be available in October. The Huawei FreeLace Pro are priced at EUR 119 (roughly Rs. 10,330) and will go on sale this month.

Huawei FreeBuds Pro features

The Huawei FreeBuds Pro are true wireless earphones, featuring active noise cancellation for blocking out ambient noise. The earphones' hybrid noise cancellation technology includes inward and outward facing microphones that is said to reduce noise by up to 40dB. The earphones are also able to dynamically switch between different noise cancellation modes, based on the amount of ambient noise. For voice calls, there's a bone voice sensor that is claimed to deliver better voice clarity.

The Huawei FreeBuds Pro will be offered in Ceramic White, Silver Frost, and Carbon Black colours. The earphones feature interchangeable eartips, and a short stem that supports touch gestures, similar to the AirPods Pro. The earphones are said to have a battery life of up to seven hours on one charge (up to four and a half hours with ANC), and up to 30 hours in total from the case.

These also feature 11mm dynamic drivers, and support Bluetooth 5.2. Huawei hasn't specified the types of codecs that are supported. The company says the earphones can connect to two devices at once, includes Mac, Windows, Android, and iOS devices.

huawei freelace news dd

The Huawei FreeLace Pro is a neckband-style earphone

Huawei FreeLace Pro features

The Huawei FreeLace Pro are neckband earphones, similar to the Huawei FreeLace but with active noise cancellation. These feature 14mm dynamic drivers in each earbud, with a magnesium-alloy diaphragm and an independent bass tube. The FreeLace Pro are said to offer up to 40dB noise cancellation performance and better call quality thanks to the three microphones and AI voice enhancements.

The earphones can last a full day with continuous playback on one charge, according to Huawei. The built-in USB Type-C port in the neckband supports Huawei's HiPair feature that offers five hours of playback with a five minute charge. The earphones will be offered in Graphite Black, Spruce Green, and Dawn White colours. These support Bluetooth 5 and are IP55 rated for dust and water resistance.

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Further reading: Huawei, Huawei FreeBuds, TWS, true wireless earphones, Bluetooth earphones

Roydon Cerejo Email Roydon Roydon Cerejo writes about smartphones and laptops for Gadgets 360, out of Mumbai. He is the Deputy Editor (Reviews) at Gadgets 360. He has frequently written about the smartphone and PC industry and also has an interest in photography. With over a decade of experience covering the consumer technology space, he is also an avid sci-fi movie and TV show geek and is always up for good horror flick. Roydon is available at roydon@gadgets360.com, so please send in your leads and tips. More

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Asus F570 Review

Asus F570 Review

By Vignesh Giridharan | Updated May 22 2019

DIGIT RATING

68 _/100

design
54
performance
51
value for money
92
features
74

PROS
Butter-soft keyboard
Decent gaming performance
Ryzen runs cool

CONS
Colourless display
Performance marred by slow HDD
Not easy to upgrade

Verdict

The Asus F570 would have ticked all the right boxes, had it used a faster storage option. Nevertheless, it's a fine affordable gaming laptop for the newbie gamer in you.

BUY Asus F570

	Available	49990
	Out of Stock	46999

Asus F570 detailed review

The Asus F570 is a rather unique gaming laptop in that it’s easily one of the most affordable ones out there in the market. It uses an all-plastic construction but doesn’t feel visibly too flimsy or delicate. The body sports a neat, brushed metallic finish that’s easy on the eyes. The keyboard is easily one of the best Asus has ever made outside of its ROG lineup; the keys are soft and precise and include the long-lost context menu key.

There’s an AMD Ryzen 5 processor on the inside that runs cool most of the time. Accompanying the AMD Vega 8 internal GPU is a dedicated NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 GPU with 4GB of video RAM. The RAM is a healthy 8GB but the hard drive is a sluggish 1-terabyte unit. How does all of this sum for a gaming machine that’s aimed at students and first-time gamers? Let’s find out.

Build and Design

The Asus F570 is only made of plastic on the outside but feels strong enough for everyday use. The top cover feels like it can take scratches and minor bumps but not big drops. The top cover and the area around the keyboard have a brushed metallic finish, which lends the laptop an attractive look. While the body itself is in black, some of the borders and the Asus logo are neatly accented in teal.

The display can be opened with the push of a single finger but takes some effort, and it will only go a maximum angle of 120 degrees. But be careful not to wrestle the lid open because it's quite slim and flimsy. We hope you don't mind bezels because the ones around the F570's display are thick. The build and design of the Asus F570 seems commensurate with its reasonable price of Rs 52,990.

Display, Audio, and IO

The display on the Asus F570 is a 15.6-inch Full HD unit with an aspect ratio of 16:9. At 60Hz, the refresh rate is less than half of that offered by the Asus TUF series displays, but given the laptop’s price, that's forgivable. But what's not forgivable is the display’s worrisomely low contrast. The white from the backlight bleeds through the colours badly, to a point where one begins to wonder if Asus has forgotten to add colours to the display altogether. According to our display test, the Asus F570’s display covers only 58 percent of the colours in the sRGB colour scale and 43 percent of the colours in the Adobe RGB colour scale.

Audio on the Asus F570 comes through Asus SonicMaster speakers co-developed by the Asus Golden Ear team. The speakers are neither too loud nor too feeble. At max volume, you can listen to instrumental music quite clearly when the cubicles around you in the office are empty. If there’s a noisy gathering around you, you’ll have trouble. These speakers are best reserved for vocals and music that’s not too heavy on bass, because you’ll hear or feel none of it. In summary, they’re a slightly better than the usual concealed, downward-firing speakers you’d find on most affordable laptops.

The Asus F570 isn’t shy to offer ports for connectivity. On the left side, we see two USB 2.0 Type-A ports and a 3.5mm jack for headsets, along with a lock slot. On right side, we see the power port, a LAN port, a USB 3.1 Type-A port, an HDMI port, a USB 3.1 Type-C port, and a microSD card slot. What’s not on offer is a fingerprint scanner. Your quickest sign-in method on Windows 10 is a four-digit PIN.

Keyboard and Touchpad

Despite a few oddities, this keyboard is one of the best you’ll ever see from Asus. The keys on it are large and soft to press. Even though they seem a bit too soft for accurate feedback sometimes, I find myself having little trouble registering a keypress. The backlighting is single-zone and there are no borders around the WASD keys. This may make some gamers grumble but I’m quite happy with the simplicity of it. What’s a bit peculiar is that Asus has chosen to make what’s usually an Enter key on that super-slim numpad, a Delete key and the right Ctrl key extra long. No, seriously, that Ctrl key is half the width of the space bar. On the bright side, the context key makes a return on the Asus F570. Hurray!

The touchpad on the Asus F570 is a standard precision unit, which makes swiping and clicking a breeze. Multi-finger gestures can be controlled directly through Windows Settings. The physical touchpad keys beneath require some force to be clicked, but are otherwise responsive.

Performance and Gaming

The Asus F570 is powered by an AMD Ryzen 5 processor and 8GB of RAM. Taking care of the graphics department is an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 graphics card with 4GB of GDDR5 RAM. The only odd one out in this setup is the storage drive: a Toshiba one-terabyte SATA 3 hard drive spinning at 5,400 rpm. It’s also what I believe makes the F570 more sluggish than it actually is.

The review unit scored on the lower side on most of our performance benchmark tests. Working with everyday applications like Google Chrome, Microsoft Excel, and iTunes is mostly a pleasant experience but there are times the laptop stalls for a few good seconds. A cold boot to desktop takes over to a minute to happen. Opening a rarely used context menu within applications or clicking the Wi-Fi icon in the taskbar makes the system hang for a few seconds. Exporting a hundred files in Adobe Lightroom takes close to ten minutes. In my observation, the hard drive is almost always thrashing even when other resources seem available.

Do yourself a favour and upgrade to a solid-state drive, or even a hybrid solid-state drive, at the time of purchase. But a word of advice to those of you looking to upgrade later: go straight to an Asus service centre; do not try to open the laptop up by yourself. Not only will the process of opening it up void your warranty, it’ll test your patience quite a bit.

The motherboard is screwed tightly to the inside of the rear cover, which is not a design you see on too many laptops. So, simply unscrewing the rear cover won’t give you access to anything. You’ll have to turn the machine over, open the display up, and take the keyboard off to gain access to the innards. Remember, you can’t just pull the keyboard out without disconnecting the ribbons that run beneath it. Once you’ve meticulously done that, you’ll have access to the battery, the hard drive, and the fan. RAM replacement is a far more complicated affair as it can’t be reached by just opening the keyboard up; you’ll have to get to the other side of the motherboard, which requires a complete disassembly of the elements inside.

Gaming performance is surprisingly better than expected on the Asus F570. During our test, Doom ran on Full HD resolution and Ultra graphics settings at around 50 frames per second, and dropped to 40 frames per second during action sequences. Lowering the settings to Medium bumped the frame rate up and locked it at 60 frames per second for most of the gameplay. Metro: Last Light, on the other hand, ran rather badly on the Asus F570. Regardless of the graphics settings, the frame rate did not cross 20 frames per second. This game, sadly, is best played on Low settings. What’s nice about the F570 is that at no point does the package temperature of the AMD Ryzen 5 processor cross 50 degrees Celsius. There’s no apparent heat on the keyboard surface or the base. Remember that the AMD Ryzen 5 has a TDP of 15W and is rated for a max temperature of 95 degrees Celsius, but it probably stays so cool because of the single fan on the inside.

Battery

Battery performance on the Asus F570 can be described as average at best. The review unit scored 5 hours, 20 minutes on our standard battery benchmark test. On daily usage tests, where Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are turned on, the screen brightness is set to 60 percent, and CPU usage is on the higher side, the Asus F570 lasted about three and a half hours on a single full charge. Charging from 20 percent to full took two straight hours. If you’re using it for some light web browsing, expect about four hours of battery life at most.

Bottom Line

The Asus F570 is definitely a model to consider if you’re a student looking to play lightweight game titles on an affordable laptop that you can also take to college. It’s built decently and has enough power for video-editing tools. That said, be mindful of the F570’s poor display; it looks practically colourless. Considering everything, you needn’t think twice about buying the Asus F570. You just need to get that hard drive replaced with a solid-state drive through Asus.

Asus F570 Key Specs, Price and Launch Date

Price:	Rs. 46999
Release Date:	20 Dec 2018
Variant:	None
Market Status:	Launched

Key Specs

OS
Windows 10
Display
15.6" (1920 X 1080)
Processor
AMD Ryzen 5 | NA
Memory
1 TB SATA/8GB DDR4

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