India | Pakistan

The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Wednesday rejected suggestions of unequal treatment after the West Indies and South Africa squads were stranded in India for more than a week following the T20 World Cup. Airlines have cancelled or rerouted flights because of the war in the Middle East, throwing international travel into chaos. Cricket West Indies said on Tuesday its squad had waited nine days for a charter flight that was “repeatedly delayed”, calling the uncertainty “increasingly distressing”. Former England captain Michael Vaughan also criticised the situation, noting on social media that England departed 36 hours after their semi-final exit last week while the West Indies and South Africa remained in Kolkata more than a week after being knocked out of the tournament. The ICC said it “rejects any suggestion that these decisions have been driven by anything other than safety, feasibility and welfare”. “We understand that players, coaches, support staff and their families who have completed their IC...

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday said Indian energy giant Reliance Industries was backing a deal to build the first new major oil refinery in the United States in half a century. Trump made the announcement via his Truth Social platform, saying the company America First Refining would construct the new facility at the Port of Brownsville, Texas. “This is a historic $300 billion dollar deal — the biggest in US history,” Trump wrote, framing the project as a cornerstone of his energy agenda, but offering no details on the plan. “Thank you to our partners in India, and their largest privately held Energy Company, Reliance, for this tremendous Investment,” he said, without specifying the company’s commitment. Reliance is India’s biggest privately held conglomerate and its Jamnagar refinery is the world’s largest. The America First Refining website says the company is a project of Element Fuels, which first announced plans in 2024 to build a Brownsville refinery at a cost of between $3-$4bn. The facility would...

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan yesterday rebuked India for consistently playing the role of a spoiler in Afghanistan and urged it to cease its policy of supporting terrorism from Afghan soil.

India fast bowler Arshdeep Singh was fined by the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Tuesday after an incident during the Twenty20 World Cup final when he hurled the ball at New Zealand batsman Daryl Mitchell. In the 11th over of New Zealand’s chase on Sunday, Mitchell played the ball to Arshdeep and the bowler threw it straight back at him, hitting the New Zealand batter on the pads. Mitchell was livid and advanced on Arshdeep, who turned around and walked back without apologising, forcing the umpire to step in. India captain Suryakumar Yadav then came over and apologised. The ICC said Arshdeep breached the ICC Code of Conduct for “throwing a ball (or any other item of cricket equipment) at or near a player in an inappropriate and/or dangerous manner”, handing him a fine of 15 per cent of his match fee. Arshdeep, who apologised to Mitchell at the end of the over and again after the match, accepted the sanction. India beat New Zealand by 96 runs to become the first side to lift the men’s T20 World Cup for...

West Indies players are leaving India on commercial flights in batches after their departure was delayed due to international airspace closures amid ongoing conflict in the Middle East, the Caribbean side’s governing body CWI said on Tuesday. Indian media reported that a charter flight for the West Indies and South Africa Twenty20 World Cup teams scheduled to fly to Johannesburg before continuing on to Antigua was cancelled earlier on Tuesday. Some players and staff have departed and others are scheduled to leave on different flights on Tuesday and Wednesday, CWI said in a statement. West Indies were eliminated from the tournament’s Super Eight stage on March 1, but remained in India as their charter flight organised by the International Cricket Council (ICC) was repeatedly delayed. “As is customary for both men’s and women’s ICC World Cups, all travel and accommodation arrangements for participating teams are coordinated and managed by the ICC,” CWI said. “Ongoing uncertainty surrounding the ICC-organised ch...

WASHINGTON: During a heated debate on Afghanistan at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on Monday, Pakistan lambasted India’s criticism of cross-border strikes, accusing Delhi of complicity in the terror threat at the western border. Pakistan’s Permanent Representative Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad exchanged strong words with his Indian and Afghan counterparts after the former accused Islamabad of “flagrant violations of international law” during the Pak-Afghan conflict. During the session, India’s Permanent Representative Parvathaneni Harish said his country “reiterates UNSG’s deep concern at civilian casualties caused by cross-border violence and strongly condemns airstrikes which are flagrant violations of international law, UN Charter and state sovereignty”. India also expressed “grave concern on ‘trade and transit terrorism’” and said “these vulnerabilities of Land-Locked Developing Countries should not be weaponised”. India a ‘spoiler’ in Afghanistan: Pak envoy Ambassador Ahmad, following the r...

Sri Lanka and India are providing sanctuary to 434 sailors from three Iranian naval vessels targeted or threatened by the United States, a diplomatic conundrum as the US-Israel attack on Iran and the subsequent war spills into the Indian Ocean. The ships had taken part in a naval exercise organised by India off the coast of Visakhapatnam, when the US and Israel began bombing Iran. For Sri Lanka and India, wary of a US response, the dilemma of what to do with the ships and crew has sent legal officials scouring conventions and the laws of the sea. What happened? IRIS Dena, a frigate, was sunk with a torpedo fired by a US submarine on Wednesday, just outside Sri Lanka’s territorial waters. Between 130 and 180 sailors were on board, and at least 84 were killed. Sri Lanka rescued 32 survivors, many since discharged from hospital to be hosted at the Koggala air force base in the island’s south. IRIS Lavan, an amphibious landing ship, docked in India’s southern port of Kochi on Wednesday. It had 183 sailors aboard,...

India won a record third T20 World Cup title and became the first team to defend their crown with a 96-run thumping of New Zealand in a lop-sided final on Sunday. Suryakumar Yadav’s India were also the first team to lift the trophy on home soil as over 86,000 fans celebrated at the Narendra Modi Stadium. England and the West Indies have won two titles each. Sanju Samson’s blistering 89 off 46 balls guided the co-hosts to 255-5 and Jasprit Bumrah starred as New Zealand were bowled out for 159 in 19 overs. Part-time spinner Abhishek Sharma claimed the final wicket of Jacob Duffy, securing a dominant victory. Axar Patel struck two early blows, including the dangerous Finn Allen for nine, with his left-arm spin. Bumrah was again at his mesmerising best, delivering a succession of brilliant slower-ball yorkers to finish with figures of 4-15. Opener Tim Seifert hit 52 off 26 balls but his departure in the ninth over off struggling spinner Varun Chakravarthy effectively ended the Black Caps’ slim hopes. Wickets kept...

Tens of thousands of Indian cricket fans crowded the T20 World Cup final stadium on Sunday, and millions more were glued to their televisions, desperate to witness a historic home triumph. India face New Zealand in Ahmedabad as they attempt to become the first team to retain the trophy, the first to win it on home soil and the first to claim a third world T20 crown. Cricket’s T20 showpiece, a month-long tournament of 55 matches featuring 20 teams, concludes on Sunday evening at the 130,000-seat Narendra Modi Stadium, the world’s largest cricket venue. Diehard supporters arrived from across the country, many clad in Indian colours and waving the tricolour flag as the match began. Anil, a wedding photographer, travelled 1,200 kilometres (745 miles) by train from the southern city of Hyderabad with his brother, dreaming they would see their team triumph. “I hope India wins,” said the 18-year-old who goes by only his first name. Hundreds of vendors, all dressed in Indian jerseys, lined the pavement from the neare...

The best way to deal with pressure is to embrace it, India captain Suryakumar Yadav reminded his teammates ahead of Sunday’s final of the T20 World Cup at the Narendra Modi Stadium. India are bidding to become the first team to retain the T20 World Cup title and to achieve that, they will have to deal with not just a strong New Zealand XI but also the weight of expectation from a cricket-mad nation of about 1.4 billion people. Leading the team in the final of a home World Cup was a “special feeling”, and Suryakumar said they were looking forward to the challenge. “There are nerves, butterflies in the stomach, but as I always say — if there’s no pressure, there’s no fun,” Suryakumar told reporters on Saturday. “I’m very excited. All the boys and support staff, and I’m sure all of India is excited for tomorrow.” More than 100,000 predominantly home fans are expected to fill the world’s largest cricket stadium where Australia famously beat India in the final of the 50-overs World Cup three years ago. Expectation...

India face New Zealand on Sunday in Ahmedabad, looking to become the first side to lift the T20 World Cup for a third time but under huge pressure with the weight of a nation on their shoulders. Standing in the way of Suryakumar Yadav’s side are a team who have already upset the odds with a thumping nine-wicket win over the previously unbeaten South Africa to reach the final. New Zealand believe, after Finn Allen’s record 33-ball century in the semi-final in Kolkata, that they are capable of taking down the hosts to win their maiden T20 World Cup title. “We’ve got a lot of momentum going into the weekend,” warned Allen. “I think if we play our best cricket, we can beat anybody.” India will not only have to withstand the expectations of 100,000-plus cricket-obsessed fans in a packed Narendra Modi stadium and hundreds of millions more watching on TV, but also the weight of history. The world’s top-ranked T20 team are attempting to become the first to win back-to-back T20 World Cups and the first to lift the tro...

India clung on to beat England by seven runs in a thrilling T20 World Cup semi-final in Mumbai on Thursday, despite Jacob Bethell’s superb 105. After Sanju Samson’s scintillating 89 laid the platform for India to pile up a massive 253-7, England fell just short in what would have been a record chase, finishing on 246-7. Phil Salt (5), Harry Brook (7) and Jos Buttler (25) fell early, but Bethell, aided by Will Jacks (35) kept England in the hunt. The left-hander hit seven sixes and eight fours in his 48-ball thrash before his run out in the final over finally allowed India to celebrate in front of 35,000 jubilant fans in Mumbai’s Wankhede stadium. India will face New Zealand in Sunday’s final in Ahmedabad as they attempt to become the first team to retain the trophy and the first to win it on home soil. The hosts, having been asked to bat by Brook, earlier flayed England’s attack to all parts of the ground, hitting 19 sixes and 18 fours. Samson signalled his intent with a four and six off Jofra Archer’s first ...

The Foreign Office (FO) said on Thursday that the agreement between India and Canada for uranium supply represented “yet another country-specific exception in the field of civil nuclear cooperation”. On Monday, India and Canada reached a string of agreements, including on critical mineral cooperation and a “landmark” uranium supply deal for nuclear power. “In civil nuclear energy, we have struck a landmark deal for long-term uranium supply,” Modi said, adding the countries would also work together on small modular reactors and advanced reactors. Responding to media queries on the matter, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said, “Pakistan has noted with concern the long-term uranium supply agreement concluded between Canada and India and potential cooperation on small modular reactors and advanced reactor technologies between the two sides. “This arrangement represents yet another country-specific exception in the field of civil nuclear cooperation,” he said. He maintained that “it is parti...

Harry Brook conceded on Wednesday that India were favourites to win the T20 World Cup on home soil, but warned them that England’s “perfect performance” was “just around the corner”. The previous two winners of the T20 World Cup — India won in 2024, England in 2022 — will go head-to-head in a blockbuster semi-final at Mumbai’s famed Wankhede stadium on Thursday night. The match will be played in a cauldron-like atmosphere — temperatures are forecast to be in the mid-30s Celsius with a capacity crowd of 35,000 Indian fans raising the roof. Hundreds of millions more will follow on TV and streaming sites across the cricket-obsessed nation. Asked if it gets any better than that, Brook said: “It’s up there for sure. “It’s a dream come true for most of us to play in a World Cup semi-final against the home nation on a very iconic ground,” the England captain told reporters at the Wankhede stadium, minutes before his side’s final training session ahead of the semi-final. “We’re obviously going into the game very conf...

England will go into their T20 World Cup semi-final against India with no fear, said all-rounder Sam Curran on Tuesday, adding that their first job would be to silence a raucous home crowd. England will take on the favourites and hosts in front of 35,000 fiercely partisan fans in Mumbai on Thursday, with a place in the final against South Africa or New Zealand at stake. The noise will be deafening at times in the cauldron-like confines of the Wankhede Stadium. But Curran said that because he and many of his England teammates — such as Will Jacks at the Mumbai Indians — play in the Indian Premier League (IPL), they will not be fazed. “It’s an experience as a young cricketer you dream of — playing India in the semi-final of a World Cup,” left-arm seamer Curran told reporters. Curran was in the international wilderness a year ago but forced his way back into the England squad with eye-catching performances in T20 franchise leagues, including the IPL. “India are a quality side but we’ve played a lot of cricket he...

India and Canada on Monday reached a string of agreements, including on critical mineral cooperation and a “landmark” uranium supply deal for nuclear power, the countries’ leaders said in New Delhi. The pacts, which also covered technology and promoting the use of renewable energy, were announced after Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Canadian counterpart Mark Carney hailed a fresh start in the relationship between their nations. “Our ties have seen a new energy, mutual trust, and positivity,” Modi said. Ties effectively collapsed in 2023 after Ottawa accused New Delhi of orchestrating a deadly campaign against Sikh activists in Canada, accusations India rejected. Carney’s visit — his first to India since taking office last year — is not only aimed to reset strained ties, but also to push efforts to diversify trade beyond the United States. “There has been more engagement between the Canadian and Indian governments in the last year than there has been in more than two decades combined,” Carney said in New...

Sanju Samson’s sparkling unbeaten 97 kept alive India’s dream of retaining the T20 World Cup at home as they knocked out the West Indies with a five-wicket win in Kolkata on Sunday to set up a semi-final against England. Samson hit 12 fours and four sixes in his superb 50-ball knock in the winner-takes-all final Super Eights match to thrill a capacity 67,000 fans at a pulsating Eden Gardens. After the West Indies smacked 70 off the last five overs to score 195-4 after being asked to bat, India lost two early wickets but were always up with the required rate. Samson, opening for the second match in succession, led the way. When India slipped to 41-2, he was joined by captain Suryakumar Yadav (18) and the pair added 58 for the third wicket. Tilak Varma was next to join Samson and scored 27 off 15 before departing in the 15th over with the score 141-4 and India still needing 55. Samson stood firm and though Hardik Pandya fell for 17, India reached the target with four balls to spare to spark celebrations and fir...

NEW DELHI: India inaugurated its first semiconductor assembly and test facility on Saturday, a milestone in the government’s push to reduce dependence on foreign chipmakers and stake a claim in a sector dominated by China. Prime Minister Narendra Modi opened US firm Micron Tech­n­o­logy’s Semiconductor Assembly, Test and Packaging unit in his home state of Gujarat, hailing the “dawn of a new era” for India’s technology ambitions. “When young Indians look back in the future, they will see this decade as the turning point in our tech future,” Modi told the event, which was broadcast on his official YouTube channel. The plant will convert advanced semiconductor wafers from Micron’s global network into finished memory and storage products. India’s semiconductor market has expanded from $38 billion in 2023 to an estimated $45-50bn in 2024-25, with government targets of up to $110bn by 2030. New Delhi is currently developing 10 chip projects worth more than $18bn , including two cutting-edge 3-nanometre des­ign fac...

India revived their T20 World Cup campaign with their “fearless” brand of cricket ahead of a winner-takes-all decider against the West Indies for the last semi-final berth. Hot favourites to defend their title on home soil, India thrashed Zimbabwe by 72 runs in Chennai on Thursday to bounce back from their heavy defeat against South Africa in their Super Eights opener. India’s batting, led by opener Abhishek Sharma’s blistering 55 and an unbeaten 50 by Hardik Pandya, piled up 256-4, the second-highest total in the history of the tournament. In a brutal show of power hitting, the Indian batters demolished the opposition bowling with 17 sixes and 17 fours at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium. India face the West Indies, who went down to South Africa by nine wickets, in Kolkata on Sunday to decide the second semi-finalist from Group 1. “We want to play fearless cricket, the brand of cricket we played today and we played since last year,” batter Tilak Varma said. “The same intent we want to keep in the next game as we...

Defending champions India thrashed Zimbabwe by 72 runs in their Super Eights T20 World Cup match on Thursday, a result that guaranteed South Africa a place in the semi-finals. India posted a mammoth 256-4 and then restricted Zimbabwe to 184-6 in Chennai to make their clash with West Indies in Kolkata on Sunday a winner-takes-all decider for the last semi-final berth. South Africa hammered the West Indies by nine wickets earlier in Ahmedabad. At Chennai’s MA Chidambaram stadium, opener Abhishek Sharma blasted 55 and Hardik Pandya an unbeaten 50 as India piled up the second highest total in the history of the tournament after being invited to bat first. “I think we wanted to leave everything behind. We didn’t think too much about what we did in the league stage or in the last game in Ahmedabad,” said India captain Suryakumar Yadav. “With contributions from the top order right down to number seven, I think there was hardly anything missing in our performance. He said they had not thought about what is now a knoc...