Lucknow Super Kings survived an unbeaten blitz of 67 by Rinku Singh to edge Kolkata Knight Riders by one run and qualify for the Indian Premier League play-offs on Saturday (20).
Nicholas Pooran's 58 guided Lucknow to 176-8, a total that was threatened by Rinku, a left-hand batsman, who smashed four sixes in his 33-ball knock but Kolkata ended on 175-7.
"First reaction is satisfaction," Lucknow skipper Krunal Pandya said after the win.
"We never gave up, we were put under a lot of pressure but credit to the boys. At one stage, they were 61-1 but I've seen it before that at this level, two-three tight overs and we're in the game."
The result ensured a top-two finish for Chennai Super Kings, who hammered hosts Delhi Capitals by 77 runs in their march to the play-offs in the first match of the day.
Four-time champions Chennai, led by M S Dhoni, will take on holders Gujarat Titans, who top the 10-team table, in the first qualifier.
The winner will head straight to the final in Ahmedabad on May 28 and the loser playing the winner of the "eliminator" between teams three and four in the second qualifier.
"There is no recipe as such," Dhoni said on his team's success in the T20 tournament.
"You try to pick the best players and try to give them the best slot. You use them in the manner where they have most chances of succeeding and groom them in the areas where they are not as strong."
Two-time champions Kolkata bowed out of the race for the top four, leaving five-time champions Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Rajasthan Royals fighting for the remaining spot.
Kolkata began strongly to put Lucknow in trouble at 73-5 before the left-handed Pooran hit back in his 30-ball blitz to guide his team to 176-8 at Eden Gardens and was named man of the match.
In reply, England's Jason Roy, who hit 45, and Venkatesh Iyer gave Kolkata a brisk start in their stand of 61 in 5.5 overs before the Lucknow spinners hit back.
Kolkata lost track after Roy's wicket but Rinku, who became an IPL sensation with his five sixes off five balls last month, made Kolkata dream again even when they needed 41 off the last two overs.
In the opening match, New Zealand's Devon Conway (87) and Gaikwad (79) set up Chennai's win with an opening stand of 141 to steer the team to 223-3.
Skipper David Warner hit a valiant 86 but Chennai kept down Delhi, who are coached by Ricky Ponting, to 146-9 and finish the group stage with eight wins.
The season remains special for Dhoni, who is believed to be playing his last season and has attracted huge crowds wearing the teams' yellow as a tribute to the legendary cricketer.
Dhoni, 41, though has kept the fans guessing and still not clarified on his swansong.
Security personnel stand beside a poster of Pakistani Army Chief General Syed Asim Munir, during a rally to express solidarity with Pakistan's armed forces, in Islamabad on May 14, 2025. (Photo: Getty Images)
US PRESIDENT Donald Trump will host Pakistan army chief Asim Munir for lunch at the White House on Wednesday.
“The president has lunch with the chief of army staff of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan,” an advisory issued by the White House said.
The lunch is scheduled for 1 pm (local time) in the Cabinet Room of the White House.
Trump had returned to Washington on Tuesday morning, cutting short his visit to Kananaskis, Canada, where the G7 leaders' summit is being held, due to growing tensions in the Middle East following the latest Israel-Iran conflict.
Officials in Islamabad are projecting the White House invitation to Munir as a major diplomatic success, according to Dawn.
Munir's remarks on India, Pahalgam attack
Field Marshal Munir, who was promoted to Pakistan's rare five-star rank last month — the first such promotion since Ayub Khan in 1959 — urged India to engage with Pakistan “as a civilised nation” instead of “attempting to impose regional hegemony”, Dawn reported.
Addressing members of the Pakistani American community on Monday evening, Munir rejected claims that Pakistan was behind the terrorist attack in Pahalgam.
He accused India of trying to establish a dangerous “new normal” of "violating international borders", which he said Pakistan had “forcefully rejected”, according to the newspaper.
Tensions between India and Pakistan escalated after the Pahalgam attack, following which India carried out precision strikes on terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir on May 7.
The four-day-long military actions from both sides ended after talks between the directors general of military operations of India and Pakistan on May 10, during which both agreed to halt further escalation.
Engagement with Pakistani American community
Munir’s interaction with the Pakistani American community was held at the Four Seasons Hotel in Washington’s Georgetown area. The event reportedly drew a large gathering.
Protesters affiliated with the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, led by former prime minister Imran Khan, demonstrated outside the venue, demanding democratic reforms and the release of jailed PTI leaders.
Remarks on Israel-Iran war and US counterterrorism partnership
Speaking on the broader regional situation, Munir expressed Pakistan’s “clear and strong” support for Iran in its conflict with Israel, while also backing US efforts to de-escalate the crisis.
“We want this war to end immediately,” he said.
A key development during Munir's visit has been the strengthening of Pakistan's counterterrorism partnership with the US, particularly in operations targeting the Islamic State Khorasan (IS-K) group, Dawn reported.
Praise from US Central Command
Gen Michael Kurilla, chief of US Central Command, recently called Pakistan a “phenomenal partner” in the fight against IS-K, highlighting operations along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.
Kurilla told the House Armed Services Committee that Pakistani operations, aided by US intelligence, had resulted in the deaths of dozens of IS-K militants and the capture of several high-value individuals, including Mohammad Sharifullah, who was one of the masterminds of the Abbey Gate bombing in Kabul that killed 13 American soldiers.
“The first person Munir called was me,” Gen Kurilla said. “He said, ‘I've caught him — ready to extradite him back to the US. Please tell the secretary of defence and the president’.” Sharifullah was quickly extradited.
In a separate statement to the Senate Armed Services Committee, Kurilla said Pakistan had carried out “dozens of operations” against IS-K and continued to play an important role in combating terrorism in Central and South Asia.
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FOUR Indian schools were on Wednesday (18) named among the top 10 finalists across different categories for the annual world's best school prizes, organised in the UK to celebrate schools' enormous contribution to society's progress.
Schools from Haryana, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh were unveiled as contenders for membership of the Best School to Work programme to help schools attract and retain the best teachers. The worldwide winners across categories will be announced in October.
The five world's best school prizes – for community collaboration, environmental action, innovation, overcoming adversity, and supporting healthy lives – were founded by UK-headquartered T4 Education in the wake of Covid to give a platform to schools that are changing lives in their classrooms and beyond.
"In a world being turned upside down by AI, as technology reshapes the way we learn and renders jobs that have existed for centuries obsolete, amid growing challenges of climate change, conflict, poverty and populism, the world our young people are entering has never felt more precarious. And a good education, with humans at its heart, has never been more important," said Vikas Pota, founder of T4 Education and the world's best school prizes.
T4 Education calls itself a global platform bringing together a community of over 200,000 teachers from more than 100 countries to transform education.
Government Girls Senior Secondary School, NIT 5, a state secondary school in Faridabad, Haryana, has been selected for transforming the lives of at-risk girls by interlinking nutritional programmes, physical wellbeing, and mental health support with education to break down societal barriers and ensure no girl is left behind. It is on the list of 10 finalists for the world's best school prize for supporting healthy lives.
ZP School Jalindar Nagar, a public primary school in Khed taluka, near Pune, has been recognised for revolutionising public-school education by providing quality student-led learning with its subject friend system, a peer-learning model where students of different ages teach and learn from each other. This Maharashtra-based school is a finalist in community collaboration category.
Ekya School, J P Nagar, is an independent kindergarten, primary, and secondary school in Bengaluru which is empowering students to become innovative thinkers and proactive problem solvers through a design thinking curriculum that integrates human-centred design processes and skills development. It has been named a top 10 finalist for the innovation.
Delhi Public School, an independent kindergarten, primary and secondary school in Varanasi, is creating an environment where students are empowered to explore, grow and lead with compassion through its learner-centric educational model that embeds environmental stewardship and social responsibility into the learning experience. This UP school is in the running for environmental action category.
Congratulating the schools on becoming finalists for the World's Best School Prizes 2025, Pota said, "It is in schools like these that we find the innovations and expertise that give us hope for a better future. Leaders and schools around the world have so much to learn from these inspirational Indian institutions."
The winners will be chosen by an expert Judging Academy, with all 50 finalist schools across the five prizes also taking part in a public vote opened this week to determine the winner of the community choice award.
The worldwide winners across these categories will be announced in October, with all the finalists and winners invited to the World Schools Summit in Abu Dhabi on November 15-16.
The winning schools will share their best practices, unique expertise and experience with policymakers and leading figures in global education, according to a statement.
(PTI)
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Jason Isaacs confirms equal pay for all actors in The White Lotus
Jason Isaacs has revealed that every cast member of The White Lotus Season 3, regardless of experience or fame, earned the same salary: £32,000 (₹33,60,000) per episode. That totals around £256,000 (₹2,68,80,000) for the full eight-episode run. While that figure might seem significant, Isaacs called it “a very low price” for a hit HBO show, but said he had no complaints.
“We would’ve paid to be in it,” Isaacs said in an interview, adding, “We probably would’ve given a body part.”
Jason Isaacs opens up about financial regrets and career lowsGetty Images
Equal pay, no ego
The show’s ensemble approach meant that veterans like Isaacs and Parker Posey received the same as newer faces such as Patrick Schwarzenegger and Sam Nivola. Asked if it bothered him to be paid the same as his younger co-stars, Isaacs shrugged it off: “I never work for money. I’ve done alright. People assume I have piles of cash, but I’ve basically matched my spending to my income and spent everything over the years.”
The pay structure, introduced from Season 1, was meant to ensure fairness and avoid ego clashes. “Everyone is treated the same,” said producer David Bernad in an earlier interview, explaining how the alphabetical billing and equal salaries were key to creating a drama-free, committed cast.
The White Lotus cast shares the screen and the paycheck equallyGetty Images
Isaacs admitted that while the rate was lower than typical network or streaming pay outs, the prestige of working on The White Lotus and with creator Mike White made it worthwhile.
Cautionary tales and career lows
Isaacs also took the opportunity to share hard-earned lessons with his younger co-stars, urging them not to get emotionally attached to the final product. “You don’t control how it’s received. That’s Mike’s job,” he said. Reflecting on his own past, he pointed to Peter Pan (2003), where he played Captain Hook, a big-budget project that tanked commercially and nearly derailed his career.
“It was the lowest I’ve ever felt professionally. I thought I’d never work again,” he confessed. Isaacs said it was his partner Emma Hewitt who helped him through that dark phase, crediting her support over their decades-long relationship.
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The White Lotus Season 3 is now streaming on Max, and while the actors may not have earned big bucks, the series continues to score big on screen, with critics and fans alike.
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Scarlett Johansson kisses Jonathan Bailey and dazzles in couture at Jurassic World Rebirth premiere
Scarlett Johansson returned to the spotlight in a dazzling pink gown at the world premiere of Jurassic World Rebirth, held at the Odeon Luxe Leicester Square in London. The event wasn’t just a celebration of the film’s release but also a major red carpet moment for the 39-year-old actress, who has been out of the public eye in recent months.
Wearing a custom Vivienne Westwood corset gown with sequins, Johansson lit up the green carpet with elegance and glamour. Her blush-toned dress featured a sculpted silhouette and soft draping that recalled golden-age Hollywood style, minus the fuss. The styling, handled by her long-time collaborator Kate Young, kept things minimal yet classy, letting the dress do all the talking.
Scarlett Johansson stuns in Vivienne Westwood gown at Jurassic World Rebirth London premiereGetty Images
All eyes on Scarlett, not the dinosaurs
Johansson’s outfit was a standout, softly shimmering, vintage-inspired, and unmistakably hers. The gown’s romantic structure paired beautifully with her classic Hollywood waves, styled by Renato Campora, and glowy makeup by Hung Vanngo, featuring soft pink tones and bold brows.
The green carpet itself mirrored the film’s jungle setting, with faux foliage and warning signs nodding to the franchise’s roots. Yet despite the dramatic décor and loud dinosaur displays, all attention shifted to Johansson’s presence and her surprise red carpet moment with co-star Jonathan Bailey.
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Fans went into a frenzy after the actress greeted Bailey with a quick, friendly kiss on the lips, sparking a flood of reactions online. The moment, caught on video, added a spark to an already buzzworthy evening. Bailey, dressed in a relaxed 1990s-inspired look with a cap and sunglasses, looked just as thrilled to reunite with his co-star.
A major comeback with a mega-franchise
Jurassic World Rebirth is Johansson’s first big-budget outing since stepping away from Marvel. She plays Zora Bennett, a covert operative sent on a high-stakes mission involving dinosaur DNA. She stars alongside Jonathan Bailey, Mahershala Ali, and Rupert Friend in this next chapter of the billion-pound (₹10,000 crore) franchise, directed by Gareth Edwards.
With the film expected to open strong, tracking at around £95 million (₹1,000 crore) globally, it’s a big summer bet for Universal. And for Scarlett Johansson, star power has never been in question, no theme costume required. Just a killer dress, a bold kiss, and a dash of old-school charm.
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Canadian prime minister Mark Carney greets Indian prime minister Narendra Modi before a group photo during the G7 Summit at the Pomeroy Kananaskis Mountain Lodge in Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada on June 17, 2025. (Photo: Getty)
INDIA and Canada have agreed to restore full diplomatic ties by returning ambassadors to each other’s capitals, aiming to move past a dispute triggered by the killing of a Sikh separatist in Canada last year.
The announcement came as Canadian prime minister Mark Carney welcomed Indian prime minister Narendra Modi to the Group of Seven (G7) summit held in the Canadian Rockies. Carney, who took office in March, invited Modi to the summit as a guest, continuing India's regular participation at G7 gatherings.
Carney’s predecessor, Justin Trudeau, had accused India of being involved in the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Canadian citizen, in British Columbia in 2023. Following the allegation, Canada expelled the Indian ambassador, and India responded by expelling Canada’s envoy.
Now, both leaders have agreed to appoint new high commissioners — the title used for ambassadors between Commonwealth nations — with the aim of restoring normal diplomatic operations and improving bilateral ties.
Carney said he hoped the discussions with Modi would "provide the necessary foundations to begin to rebuild the relationship, based on mutual respect, sovereignty, trust."
"I would describe it as foundational -- as a necessary first step, a frank, open exchange of views around law enforcement, transnational repression," Carney said at a news conference.
He added that India continues to be invited to G7 summits each year due to the size of its economy.
Services had been impacted
Diplomatic tensions had disrupted services between the two countries, which traded $9 billion in 2023. Canada was forced to suspend in-person services at all of its missions in India except its embassy in New Delhi. The two countries also share close cultural links, including a large Indian diaspora in Canada.
Modi, during his meeting with Carney at the mountain venue, said that both nations were "dedicated to democratic values" and that the relationship was important "in many ways."
He congratulated Carney on his Liberal Party’s election win and said he was confident that “India and Canada will work together to make progress in many areas.”
Protests and political response
As Modi met Carney, Sikh protesters held rallies in Calgary, the nearest major city to the summit. Some criticised Modi’s presence at the event, citing concerns about the human rights record of his government.
The New Democratic Party (NDP), Canada’s fourth largest party and not formally part of Carney’s government, opposed Modi’s invitation. In a statement, the NDP referred to allegations of Indian surveillance against former party leader Jagmeet Singh, who is Sikh.
"Continuing to engage Modi's government without accountability undermines all efforts to defend human rights, transparency, and the rule of law," the NDP said ahead of Modi’s visit.
Canada has the largest Sikh population outside India, accounting for about two per cent of its population. The community is concentrated in key suburban swing regions and has gained growing political influence.
Nijjar killing still under litigation
Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who advocated for a separate Sikh state called Khalistan, was killed in the parking lot of a Sikh temple in 2023. He was a naturalised Canadian citizen.
Trudeau had publicly accused India of being directly involved in the killing and claimed that India was behind a wider campaign of intimidation targeting Sikh activists in Canada.
India denied any role in Nijjar’s death and urged Canada to take stronger action against violent Khalistan supporters, describing the movement as a fringe presence in India.
Carney did not confirm whether he discussed Nijjar’s case directly with Modi, saying it was subject to ongoing litigation.
The United States, which also has close ties with India, had accused an Indian agent of being involved in an unsuccessful plot against a Sikh separatist on its soil. However, Washington addressed the issue more quietly than Trudeau.