The International Cricket Council does not yet see the need to activate its backup plan for the Twenty20 World Cup and is sticking to hosting the event in India later this year despite the country experiencing a record COVID-19 surge recently.
India reported a record 115,736 new cases on Wednesday, a 13-fold increase in just over two months, as its coronavirus infections swelled to 12.8 million, making it the third worst hit country after the United States and Brazil.
The country is scheduled to host the Twenty20 World Cup in six months' time and Geoff Allardice, the acting chief executive of the world governing body, feels there was enough time before they need to hit the panic button.
"We are certainly proceeding on the assumption that the event is going ahead as planned," Allardice told reporters on Wednesday, adding that the ICC was learning from all ongoing cricket events across the globe.
"We do have backup plans that can be activated when the time is right. We're not anywhere near that timeline yet. We've got a number of months to be able to see how the situation is and how cricket events are being run."
The eight-team Indian Premier League will kick off on Friday without fans and the country's board (BCCI) has set up bio-secure bubbles for the participants.
"In terms of our plans, I think they're reasonably well advanced and we've seen a number of different approaches across the cricketing countries as to how to manage multi-team events," said Allardice.
"We're in a good state at the moment but acknowledge that the world is changing at a rapid rate at the moment."
Allardice said the ICC firmly backed players to get vaccinated whenever possible but does not have the remit to get involved with the distribution of the shots mandated by individual nations.
ICC was aware of the mental toll on players who are confined to strict bio-bubbles for lengthy period with India captain Virat Kohli recently saying it was not sustainable.
"Obviously the vaccination rollout in different countries might change the dynamic moving forward," Allardice said, also ruing the adverse impact of the pandemic on women's cricket.
"That's going to be an important step in us heading back towards some normality with the way cricket is run ... moving forward, I think we'd try to wind back little bit but continue to provide a safe environment."
• Oasis begin their global reunion tour in Cardiff on 4 and 5 July. • Liam and Noel Gallagher perform together for the first time since 2009. • More than 14 million fans tried to buy tickets for the UK shows. • Fans travelled from Chile, Colombia, and the US to attend the Cardiff gig.
For the first time in 16 years, Liam and Noel Gallagher shared a stage on Friday night, kicking off Oasis’s long-awaited reunion tour at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff. With fans flying in from across the globe and massive demand crashing ticketing sites, the atmosphere was electric as one of Britain’s biggest rock bands returned to the spotlight.
Noel Gallagher and Liam Gallagher at "Che Tempo Che Fa" Italian TV ShowGetty Images
Thousands descend on Cardiff for historic Oasis concert
Cardiff turned into a sea of bucket hats, parkas, and Mancunian pride this weekend as Oasis fans poured into the city ahead of the band’s reunion shows. The Principality Stadium welcomed 62,000 fans each night, with supporters camping outside since Wednesday to secure a prime spot.
Some had travelled vast distances, like 38-year-old Janneth Dueñas from Bogotá, Colombia, and Matt Pope from California, while others, such as Manchester student Jasmine Griffins-Jones, had queued for days. The excitement wasn’t just about the music, but the moment: the return of Liam and Noel Gallagher, who hadn’t shared a stage since their explosive split in 2009.
Global demand crashes sites and sends prices soaring
Demand for tickets was nothing short of astronomical. Over 14 million people attempted to secure one of just 1.5 million available UK spots, with Cardiff’s dates selling out within minutes. Frustrations followed as many fans encountered crashed websites and inflated prices due to dynamic pricing. Some standard tickets jumped from £148 (₹15,600) to £355 (₹37,500), sparking public outcry and drawing the attention of the UK’s competition watchdog.
Despite the chaos, excitement has remained sky-high, with stadium staff describing the gig as “possibly the most hyped event” in the venue’s history.
For many, attending the gig was deeply personal. Diana Vesely, who first saw Oasis in Mexico in 1998, flew in from Chicago to be at the first reunion show. Meanwhile, journalist Orlando Silva Vargas from Chile arrived in Cardiff without accommodation, hoping to trade traditional spices for a place to sleep. “It might not be smart financially, but I’d regret missing this forever,” he said.
From reunions to first concerts, fans from all generations were united by one thing: a lifelong connection to Oasis’s music.
Following the Cardiff shows, Oasis will perform across the UK, including Manchester’s Heaton Park, Wembley Stadium, and Dublin’s Croke Park, before heading to Asia, South America, and the US. The tour will also tie in with a new film by Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight.
Liam and Noel Gallagher formed Oasis in 1991, quickly rising to fame with albums like Definitely Maybe and (What’s the Story) Morning Glory?. Hits like Wonderwall and Live Forever became anthems of a generation. Their last album, Dig Out Your Soul, came in 2008, just before the infamous backstage fight in Paris that ended it all.
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Heehs’s biography is grounded in extensive archival research across France, England, India and Israel
My and colleague, the American historian Peter Heehs, who has lived in Pondicherry, India, for decades, recently published a compelling new biography, The Mother: A Life of Sri Aurobindo’s Collaborator (2025). Heehs previously authored The Lives of Sri Aurobindo (2008), which remains one of the most balanced and scholarly accounts of Aurobindo’s life.
According to Heehs, most previous biographies of the Mother were written for devotees and relied on secondary sources, often presenting her as a divine incarnation without critical engagement. “Such biographies are fine for those who see the Mother as a divine being,” Heehs said, “but they can be off-putting for readers who simply want to understand her life – as an artist, writer, spiritual teacher, and founder of the Ashram and Auroville.”
Heehs’s biography is grounded in extensive archival research across France, England, India and Israel, along with digital collections of historical newspapers and journals. He examined all of her published works in both French and English, even uncovering essays written under a pseudonym that had not been seen since 1905. He traces her early life within the vibrant world of Belle Époque Paris (1871–1914), where she moved in artistic and esoteric circles.
Heehs describes two principal approaches to biographyAMG
Born in 1878 into a moderately wealthy Sephardic Jewish family – her father was Turkish-Egyptian, her mother Egyptian-Jewish – Mirra Alfassa grew up in an intellectually rich and cosmopolitan environment. Tutored at home, she later studied painting at the prestigious Académie Julian and exhibited at the Paris Salon. Her first husband, Henri Morisset, was a painter of the Intimist school, more traditional than contemporaries like Henri Matisse, Édouard Vuillard and Pierre Bonnard. Though he never gained their level of fame, he moved in similar artistic circles, and Mirra herself knew and associated with figures like Auguste Rodin.
At the same time, she was deeply engaged in the French occult revival, serving as managing editor of the Revue Cosmique, an esoteric journal. Her spiritual journey intensified when she encountered the Bhagavad Gita under the guidance of Indian lecturer G N Chakravarty and later engaged with eastern spiritual teachers such as Inayat Khan and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.
In 1910, her second husband, Paul Richard, travelled to Pondicherry and met Sri Aurobindo. In 1914, Mirra joined him in India, and together with Aurobindo, they launched the monthly review Arya, which published most of Aurobindo’s major writings. The First World War forced their return to France, followed by a sojourn in Japan. They returned to Pondicherry in 1920, after which Paul Richard departed. Mirra remained and became Aurobindo’s closest spiritual collaborator.
Heehs describes two principal approaches to biography. The first – the contingent approach – follows the subject’s life chronologically, attending closely to verifiable facts. The second – the teleological approach – interprets the subject’s life as an inevitable progression towards a destined goal. “I took the contingent approach when dealing with the Mother’s early life,” Heehs explained, “and continued to do so even after Sri Aurobindo declared her to be an incarnation of the divine Shakti. As a historian, my role is not to make theological pronouncements but to present the facts of her outer and inner life, insofar as she spoke about them.”
When asked about the Mother’s lasting contributions, Heehs emphasised: “She established the Sri Aurobindo Ashram, founded its school – the Sri Aurobindo International Centre of Education – and launched the international utopian city of Auroville. At the same time, she oversaw both the inner and outer lives of the ashram’s members.”
Aurobindo Ackroyd Ghosh – the polymath Indian philosopher, freedom fighter and revolutionary yogi – was educated in England at St Paul’s School and King’s College, Cambridge, where he was trained in the Classics. Long before the term “Asian century” became popular, Aurobindo had already envisioned Asia’s re-emergence on the world stage. Today, countless volumes have been written about his extraordinary life and complex philosophical legacy.
Although it may sound like a modern geopolitical thesis, Aurobindo proclaimed in 1918: “Asia is once more rising; she is throwing off the torpor of centuries. She is recovering the pride of her past and the faith in her future... It is through the recovery of the deeper self of Asia that the world will find its balance.”
His collaborator, Mirra Alfassa, widely known as the Mother, dedicated her life to actualising this prophetic vision.
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Akash Deep gave away 12 runs in his first over but returned to bowl a double-wicket maiden in his second. (Photo: Getty Images)
INDIA captain Shubman Gill scored his first Test double century as India posted 587 in their first innings on the second day of the second Test against England at Edgbaston on Thursday. England were 77-3 at stumps, trailing by 510 runs.
Gill’s 269 was the foundation of India’s innings, before stand-in fast bowler Akash Deep removed two England batters in consecutive balls. Deep is playing in this match as Jasprit Bumrah, the world’s top-ranked Test bowler, is being rested. Bumrah is set to play only three of the five matches in this series due to a back injury.
Deep gave away 12 runs in his first over but returned to bowl a double-wicket maiden in his second. He dismissed Ben Duckett, who had made 149 in the first Test, by inducing an edge to third slip where Gill took the catch. The next delivery saw Ollie Pope fall for a golden duck, edging to second slip where KL Rahul held on at the second attempt.
Joe Root survived the hat-trick ball.
England lose early wickets in reply
England were soon 25-3 when Mohammed Siraj got Zak Crawley caught at first slip by Karun Nair. Root, on 18, and Harry Brook, on 30, then added 52 runs in an unbroken fourth-wicket stand to steady England slightly.
The day, however, was dominated by India, and in particular Gill, who broke multiple records with his innings.
His 269 surpassed Virat Kohli’s 254 against South Africa in 2019 as the highest score by an India Test captain. It also went past Sachin Tendulkar’s 241 at Sydney as the highest score by an India batter in a Test outside Asia. Gill also beat Sunil Gavaskar’s 221 at the Oval in 1979 as the top score by an India player in a Test in England.
‘Looking at the results, they are working for me’
"I worked on a few things before the series as well, that I thought might be important for me going into Test cricket," Gill told Sky Sports. "Looking at the results, they are working for me."
He added, "Fielding was definitely one of those things we spoke about as a team, and it's great to see that come off so far."
England assistant coach Jeetan Patel acknowledged the challenge faced by the home side. "One hundred and fifty overs in the dirt in any scenario is pretty tough," he told reporters.
"Credit must be given to Shubman with the way he's batted over two days. It was a masterclass in how to bat on a good wicket," said Patel.
Big partnerships and record-breaking innings
Gill shared key stands of 203 and 144 for the sixth and seventh wickets with Ravindra Jadeja (89) and Washington Sundar (42) respectively. He batted with few mistakes until his dismissal.
Gill attacked spinner Shoaib Bashir, driving him for fours and lofting him for six. Bashir ended with figures of 3-167 in 45 overs. Fast bowler Josh Tongue gave away 119 runs for two wickets. Gill reached his double century with a hooked single off Tongue and acknowledged the crowd with a bow.
His innings lasted 387 balls, included 30 fours and three sixes, and spanned over eight-and-a-half hours. It ended when he pulled a delivery from Tongue straight to Pope at square leg.
England players shook Gill’s hand as he walked back with India at 574-8.
India had resumed the day at 310-5, with Gill on 114 and Jadeja on 41. On a sunny day ideal for batting, the pair extended the total further, mindful of India’s previous collapses at Headingley where they lost 7-41 and 6-31.
(With inputs from agencies)
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His pursuit of a first Wimbledon title gathered pace
Sixth-seeded Serbian swats aside home favourite Evans
Holder Krejcikova battles past American Dolehide
Rybakina and Swiatek both progress into third round
Novak Djokovic showed signs that he is easing into the old routine at Wimbledon as the seven-times champion sauntered into the third round on Thursday while Barbora Krejcikova also made it through as her title defence continued.
World number one Jannik Sinner also eased into round three as his pursuit of a first Wimbledon title gathered pace, the Italian thrashing Australia's Aleksandar Vukic 6-1 6-1 6-3.
But Britain's big hope, fourth seed Jack Draper, ran in to an inspired Marin Cilic and joined the exodus of seeds from the men's draw which now totals 18 in the opening two rounds.
Despite fervent home support on Court One Draper was out-gunned 6-4 6-3 1-6 6-4 by big-serving Croatian Cilic who produced the kind of tennis that took him to the 2017 final.
"It's not the pressure, it's not the whatever. I just didn't play good enough today. I lost to a better player," said Draper, who is regarded as Britain's successor to two-time champion Andy Murray. "I came up short."
This year's Championships have been littered with big names biting the dust early and while Draper's loss sent shockwaves around the grounds, day four provided some big statements from those fancied for deep runs on the lawns.
Former women's champion Elena Rybakina arrived very much under the radar but has reached the third round for the loss of a mere seven games, the 11th seed destroying Greece's Maria Sakkari 6-3 6-1 in 62 minutes.
Five-times Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek, surprisingly yet to go past the quarter-finals at Wimbledon, is another who will quietly fancy her chances and the Pole looked impressive as she hit back from a set down to beat Caty McNally 5-7 6-2 6-1.
Djokovic struggled past Alexandre Muller on Tuesday when he was hampered by stomach issues.
Two days later, however, he was at his ruthlessly efficient best in a 6-3 6-2 6-0 thrashing of popular Briton Dan Evans on Centre Court.
The 38-year-old is bidding to equal Roger Federer's men's record eight Wimbledon titles and claim an unprecedented 25th Grand Slam crown and, while the talk is of top seed Sinner and defending champion Carlos Alcaraz disputing the final, the Serbian should not be dismissed.
He has reached the last six Wimbledon finals and clearly believes he will still be around on July 13.
"Technically, tactically I knew exactly what I needed to do and I executed perfectly," Djokovic said after his 99th match win at Wimbledon since making his debut in 2005.
"Sometimes you have these kind of days, where everything goes your way, everything flows and it's good to be in the shoes and holding a racket on a day like this."
BUSINESSLIKE DISPLAY
Czech Krejcikova, a surprise winner last year, found herself out on Court 2 where the 17th seed produced a typically businesslike display as she battled past American Caroline Dolehide, winning 6-4 3-6 6-2.
She will face a much more dangerous American next in the form of Emma Navarro after the 10th seed crushed Veronika Kudermetova 6-1 6-2.
With four of the top five women's seeds already gone, the draw looks wide open for players such as Russian seventh seed Mirra Andreeva who beat Italian Lucia Bronzetti 6-1 7-6(4).
Swiatek will also be fancying her chances as she prepares for a third round against American Danielle Collins.
Asked to explain early defeats for so many fancied players such as French Open winner Coco Gauff and last year's runner-up Jasmine Paolini, Poland's Swiatek kept it simple.
"Sometimes we will lose early because the schedule is pretty crazy. You can't win everything," she said.
More than half of the 32 men's seeds have perished before the third round, with 13 failing to clear the first hurdle, but those remaining reasserted themselves on Thursday.
Australia's 11th seed Alex de Minaur beat Arthur Cazaux 4-6 6-2 6-4 6-0, while powerful Czech teenager Jakub Mensik, seeded 15, beat American Marcos Giron 6-4 3-6 6-4 7-6(4) to underline his credentials as a dangerous floater.
Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov, playing in his 59th successive Grand Slam, may no longer be considered a genuine title threat but, more than a decade since reaching his sole Wimbledon semi-final, he showed he is still a class act as the 19th seed beat tricky Frenchman Corentin Moutet 7-5 4-6 7-5 7-5.
There were still casualties though. American 13th seed Tommy Paul needed treatment on a foot injury on his way to a 1-6 7-5 6-4 7-5 defeat by Austria's 165th-ranked Sebastian Ofner.
Reuters
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Zohran Mamdani addresses supporters in Queens, New York City
INDIAN AMERICAN lawmaker Zohran Kwame Mamdani last week clinched the Democratic nomination for mayor of New York City, defeating former governor Andrew Cuomo in what is being described as one of the most unexpected results in recent city political history.
Mamdani, 33, a state assemblyman representing Queens and a self-declared democratic socialist, stands on the brink of becoming New York’s first Muslim and Indian American mayor.
His win was announced last Tuesday (24) , triggering widespread reactions and placing his progressive agenda in the national spotlight.
“In the words of Nelson Mandela: it always seems impossible until it’s done,” Mamdani wrote on social media after the result. “My friends, it is done. And you are the ones who did it.”
Born in Kampala, Uganda, on October 18, 1991, Mamdani moved to New York at seven with his parents, acclaimed Indian filmmaker Mira Nair and Ugandan academic Mahmood Mamdani, who is of Indian descent.
Mamdani’s social and political awareness was shaped by the cultural and intellectual legacy of his parents, and would later influence his entry into grassroots activism and state politics, reports said.
Mamdani is married to Syrian American artist Rama Duwaji and the couple live in Brooklyn.
His strategy combined grassroots mobilisation with radical ideas aimed at transforming the economic structure of New York City. His message, focused on affordability, public infrastructure and working-class empowerment, gained traction with a diverse base across boroughs.
“We have won from Harlem to Bay Ridge,” he declared at a crowded victory party in Queens. “This is your victory.”
Among his most eyecatching proposals are a citywide rent freeze for stabilised tenants, fare-free public buses, universal childcare from six weeks to five years, and the establishment of city-owned grocery stores to counter food inflation.
In a city where a three-bedroom apartment can easily cost $6,000 (£4375) a month, his message struck a chord.
Voter Eamon Harkin, 48, said prices were his “number one issue.”
“What’s at stake is primarily the affordability of New York,” he said.
A revenue plan outlined by Mamdani’s campaign would increase taxes on corporations to match New Jersey’s 11.5 per cent rate and introduce a two per cent flat tax on New Yorkers earning over $1 million (£790,000) annually. Additional revenue would be generated through procurement reform, enhanced tax audits and enforcement against corrupt landlords – potentially raising $6 billion (£4.74bn) in new funds.
“New York is too expensive,” reads a central line from his campaign website. “Zohran will lower costs and make life easier.” Mamdani’s legislative record backs up his activist credentials. He previously joined hunger strikes with taxi drivers to secure $450 million (£356m) in debt relief, helped secure more than $100m (£79m) for improved subway services, and piloted fare-free bus initiatives.
He defended his democratic socialism last Sunday (29) and argued that his focus on economic issues should serve as a model for the party, even though some top Democrats have been reluctant to embrace him.
In an interview with NBC’s Meet the Press, Mamdani said his agenda of raising taxes on the wealthiest New Yorkers and on corporations to pay for ambitious policies such as free buses, a $30 minimum hourly wage and a rent freeze was not only realistic, but tailored to meet the needs of the city’s working residents.
“It’s the wealthiest city in the wealthiest country in the history of the world, and yet one in four New Yorkers are living in poverty, and the rest are seemingly trapped in a state of anxiety,” he told NBC’s Kristen Welker.
Zohran Kwame Mamdani with his parents, Mira Nair and Mahmood Mamdani , and his wife, Rama Duwaji
Democrats have struggled to find a coherent message after their resounding loss in the November elections that saw president Donald Trump return to the White House and his Republicans win control of both chambers of Congress.
Mamdani’s campaign, which drew plaudits for its cheery tone and clever viral videos, could help energise young voters, a demographic that Democrats are desperate to reach in 2026 and beyond. His rise from a virtual unknown was fueled by a relentless focus on affordability, an issue Democrats struggled to address during last year’s presidential race.
“Cost of living is the issue of our time,” Neera Tanden, the chief executive of Democratic think tank Center for American Progress wrote on X in response to Mamdani’s win. “It’s the through line animating all politics. Smart political leaders respond to it.”
His history-making candidacy could also drive engagement among Asian and especially Muslim voters, some of whom soured on the Democrats after former president Joe Biden administration’s support for Israel’s war in Gaza.
“These elections aren’t about left, right or center, they’re about whether you’re a change to the status quo. People don’t want more of the same, they want someone who plays a different game,” said Democratic strategist Jesse Ferguson.
Few expected Mamdani, a relatively young assemblyman, to unseat former New York governor Andrew Cuomo, a veteran political heavyweight attempting a comeback.
Senator Bernie Sanders congratulated Mamdani publicly, calling the result a triumph over “the political, economic and media establishment.”
But not all reactions were celebratory. The city’s current mayor, Eric Adams, launched his independent re-election campaign, framing Mamdani’s ideas as unrealistic and irresponsible.
Adams did not name Mamdani during an event held on the steps of New York City Hall last Thursday (26), but he alluded to some of the self-described Democratic socialist’s positions and background.
“This election is a choice between a candidate with a blue collar and one with a silver spoon,” Adams said. “A choice between someone who delivered lower crime, the most jobs in history and the most houses built in decades and an assembly member who did not pass a bill.”
Adams won as a Democrat in his first mayoral bid in 2021, but saw his popularity plummet following his indictment on corruption charges and the subsequent decision by president Donald Trump’s Justice Department to drop the case.
In April, he announced that he would run for election as an independent, avoiding the Democratic primary that included Mamdani and Cuomo.
Mamdani’s victory in the primary and potential win in the general election has prompted strong reactions from progressives, who have cheered his campaign’s upbeat tone and focus on economic issues, as well as conservatives and some in the business community, who criticised his democratic socialist policies.
Polling now shows Mamdani ahead of Adams and Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa for the November general election, though former governor Cuomo is rumoured to be considering an independent run, which could split the Democratic vote. Political analysts predict his November challenge will be formidable.
Besides Adams, Sliwa, and Cuomo, independent candidates including lawyer Jim Walden will crowd the ballot.
But with registered Democrats outnumbering Republicans nearly three to one in the city, his base, if energised, could prove decisive.
Mamdani's supporters celebrate his nomination
Earlier last Sunday, Democratic House Minority leader Hakeem Jeffries, who represents part of the city, told ABC’s This Week that he wasn’t ready to endorse Mamdani yet, saying that he needed to hear more about Mamdani’s vision.
Other prominent New York Democrats, including New York governor Kathy Hochul and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, have also thus far declined to endorse Mamdani.
Trump, himself a native New Yorker, told Fox News Channel’s Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo that if Mamdani wins the mayoral race, “he’d better do the right thing” or Trump would withhold federal funds from the city.
“He’s a communist. I think it’s very bad for New York,” Trump said.
Asked about Trump’s claim that he is a communist, Mamdani told NBC it was not true and accused the president of attempting to distract from the fact that “I’m fighting for the very working people that he ran a campaign to empower that he has since then betrayed.”
He also voiced no concern that Jeffries and other Democrats have not yet endorsed his candidacy.
“I think that people are catching up to this election,” he said. “What we’re showing is that by putting working people first, by returning to the roots of the Democratic Party, we actually have a path out of this moment where we’re facing authoritarianism in Washington, DC.”
Basil Smikle, a political analyst and professor at Columbia University’s School of Professional Studies, said heavy-handed attacks on Mamdani could backfire by energising “a lot of the Democratic voters to want to push more against Trump.”
“I don’t think it hurts Democrats in the long run,” he said. “I actually think it helps them.”
For his part, Mamdani seemed ready to embrace his role as a party leader, telling supporters in his victory speech that he would govern the city “as a model for the Democratic Party – a party where we fight for working people with no apology.” He vowed to use his mayoral power to “reject Donald Trump’s fascism.”
Democratic voters say they want a new generation of leaders and a party that concentrates on economic issues, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll in June. The mayoral election is scheduled to take place on November 4.